Crowns and Chains

Chapter Seven: Cuts and Bruises

Zaria Eloise

I stood there shocked, waiting if my mother would do something so I would intervene. My mother looks at Ed's dancing partner, assessing her briefly from head to toe from afar. She has that scrutinizing look on her face, as if assessing if she was good enough for him, but then again, she always does this, to everyone that would dance with us. She quietly assesses them from the sidelines, judging their worth.

I glance at Cara, she looks impeccably beautiful. Her look completely different from the woman I saw at the coffee shop; she looks like she came from a very rich family, although I know brother must have bought her the dress, since Cara was not even close to wealthy. My mother giving her one last scowl; turns her head back to the woman she was chatting before and a smile comes across her features, no trace of the scrutinizing scowl she was wearing earlier. I sigh in relief.

Looks like you can deal with mother's wrath another day brother.

----

We walk through the second story of the prison halls once again, but it seemed different today, there seemed to be no one around. Jon and I follow Mr Carson through the dull gray  halls as always and I hear faint chants and cheers from afar. 

"Is there something going on?" I ask Mr Carson.

"Uhh.. Uhm.." he stutters nervously. "No! there's nothing. Let's go back shall we? We missed the shortcut on the last left." He says turning around. 

Why would he introduce me the shortcut just now?

Curious as I was, I hastened my steps and try to get closer to the culprit of the noise. I end up on the window which looks out the courtyard, looking down I saw a crowd of people hollering and chanting like crazy. There are two people standing in the middle, enclosed by the crowd. A gasp escaped my lips when I realized what they were doing. 

"Miss Campbell, this way, please." Mr Carson says, reaching for my arm but Jon stops in front of me, shielding me from his touch. 

"Leave. Her. Be." Jon says in an extremely intimidating manner and Mr Carson visibly gulps, then backs away.

I look at the two in the middle and my eyes widen. The familiar dark brown hair caught my eye, his blazing blue eyes still so prominent as ever even from afar. He was shirtless, his toned six pack abs were more visible due to his sweat, glistening in sun. 

Mr Wells' opponent punches his stomach and I flinch; covering my eyes abruptly, wanting the sight to go away.

"Are you alright Miss? Are you sure you want to stay?" Jon asks and I nod, I peek through my fingers and see Mr Wells' fists raised in defense; his blazing blue eyes filled with so much focus and determination I could see it from where I was standing.

His opponent throws another punch right at his face but he dodges this time and I release a shaky sigh. It was Mr Wells that threw the next punch, it stunned his opponent and he took advantage of it; giving blow after blow at his opponent. I grimace at the blood that is starting to splatter on the ground; one person in the crowd even wiped the splattered blood that landed on his face.  

His opponent kicked his shin and slammed him on the ground; maneuvering himself on top of Mr Wells. Mr Wells was about to throw a punch from where he was laying when his eyes shifted from his opponent and landed on me. 

His eyes widen but before he could react any further, his opponent punches him on the cheek and his head abruptly turns to his side. He was punched three times till his head snaps back and a menacing glare so cold was directed at the man in front of him. His opponent froze at his glare, and Mr Wells looking very annoyed; smacked his hand against the other's ear, and swiftly kneeing his side, bringing him down. The tables have turned now with him on top, and he keeps punching. His opponent growing desperate under him, attempt to throw sluggish punches at Mr Wells' face but fail miserably. After few seconds the opponent mutters which I can only assume as 'I surrender'.