Cursed Prince

Chapter|07

The days were endless. The sun seemed to hang in the sky longer than it should and Viana found herself thinking a lot. 

Kyle never bothered to visit her after their last conversation. She didn't blame him. 

Tayla was always busy, going in and out of the bedroom. Every meal was brought to her and she was given a new set of clothing every day even though she wasn't going anywhere. When evening approached, she was ready to whack herself with her bedpost to put her out of her misery.

"Viana?"

The voice broke her from her thoughts and she faced Kyle for the first time in days. He stood there unsure of himself and fiddled with his shirt. She was too busy yelling at him when they had first met to notice this before, but Kyle had really changed. He was taller for sure, but his face was also sharper, and his eyes were darker. He seemed to have not been sleeping well at night, for his brown hair was messily sticking out. Luckily, she caught herself from staring at him too much and turned her head in the other direction. 

"Gosh I am so bored!" she whined, and she could see his mouth tugging into a smile from the corner of her eyes.

"You can eat dinner with us tonight unless you prefer to have your food brought up as usual." he offered.

"No please get me out of this hellhole. I am so bored and I need to do something!" she pleaded. Now he was full on smiling and there was no use hiding it. He led her out, and after walking at a brisk pace, they arrived at a massive dining area. Viana felt her mouth drop as her eyes scanned the ginormous room before landing them back on  Kyle who motioned her to sit. She took the seat, grateful she was not being held up in that room anymore and watched in wonder as people began pouring in.

"Who are they?" she gasped in awe.

"Father's friends," he said simply, but Viana was held up in all the glory and wonder that she didn't push.

Gradually the food was served yet no one made any move to touch it. 

"Who are we waiting for?" she whispered, but Kyle only shushed her and stared at the doors expectantly. 

The dark, red boarded doors suddenly flung open and revealed Matthew, who seated himself at the head of the table. He flashed a wide grin, showing off perfectly straight white teeth, and his grin grew wider as he spotted Viana. He proceeded to eat and only then did others move to join him. After a nod from Matthew, the whole room buzzed with chatter.

"So we eat when he eats, and talk only when he says so?" She was in disbelief.

"Basically," Kyle muttered while stuffing his face.

After moments of silence, she asked in curiosity, "What happened to my dog?" 

Kyle was like a broken vending machine. Sometimes it worked in dispensing snacks, and sometimes it didn't. But vending machines, broken or not, always successfully took your money with ease. 

So like a vending machine, she knew only limited answers could be spat out at a time. And out of all questions he had successfully neglected, maybe this time he would answer. She was kidnapped, and her dog was not. So where was he?

"Your dog? Charlie? Why would Charlie-" Kyle looked confused.

"Your dog?" Matthew interrupted from across the table and everyone's chatter died.

"How did he hear us?" Viana whispered in shock and tried to avoid the gaze of the beast while looking down in fear and confusion. Beside her, Kyle also looked down in dismay.

"Your dog is dead," Matthew called out again. His voice rang in her ears. Dead. Dead. Dead.

Logan added on, "Yes. That mutt just kept barking and barking. I couldn't shut that bastard up. It was quick. Just threw him against a tree and it was over. Easy and simple." His blue eyes flashed in enjoyment as he watched the horror in her eyes and both men chuckled.

"You. You k-killed Charlie?" she spoke softly, the tears ready to escape. 

She stood on her chair, and pointed an accusing finger at Logan, and then at Matthew, who only smirked.

"Vi........." Kyle warned her, tugging at the hem of her shirt.

"YOU KILLED CHARLIE!" With that, she was on the table, forcing her way through to Matthew. Shouts of surprise and astonishment came from the people around her and she felt hands grabbing at her legs. 

Matthew just sat back, waiting with opening hugs as if expecting a hug. This fueled her anger more. 

At the last moment, she swerved and jumped at Logan. The element of surprise was on her side as she successfully knocked him down and threw some punches before she was picked up, and thrown out the window.

The glass was crushed by her weight and she felt herself falling at the speed of light. Behind her, shouts could be heard, and a voice, Kyle's, was screaming.

 "Are you crazy?! She isn't a-" before she met with water. As she swam to the surface gulping for air, she heard many shout out, "She landed in the pond!"

Swans swimming by honked in fear. In disgust, she swam to the surface and was met with the cold air. 

Shivering, she stood there unsure of what to do.

Snap.

Something broke, most likely a twig, and Viana let the fear finally sink in.

Snap.

She wasn't alone.

 She turned in a 360-degree circle but saw nothing. Finally, a third twig snapped and in the direction of the noise, she made out a figure. It stepped into the moonlight, revealing a boy who seemed a year or two older. His gray eyes flashed and a hand ran through his matted blond hair.

She squinted. "W-who are you? What d-do you want?" she stammered, unsure if it was from the cold or from fear. Maybe both. 

The wind was picking up and she found herself nervously tucking her matted, brown hair behind her ear.

The intruder smiled and held up a hand as if to shake hers before dropping it again. 

"Viana," he said slowly, drawing out the syllables of her name. Her heart skipped a beat and butterflies seemed to be released from her stomach.

"Do I know you?" she said skeptically, studying the stranger's face. He was tall and lanky, towering over her by at least five generous inches. His lips were parted open, quivering, which she could only assume was from the cold. But, his cheeks were a warm red, and his whole body seemed to relax, even with the harsh evening breeze that tousled his blonde hair.

"Yes. No." he replied. You did, once. My name is Luke."

"I don't know a Luke-" she started, but a voice behind her stopped her mid-sentence.

"Vi?!" an alarmed voice called out.

"I'll see you again." Luke sighed and muttered, "It always happens," before he slunk back into the shadows. The way the figure said it wasn't a question, but a statement as if he knew with certainty that they would meet again.

Kyle eventually came running to her. "Oh gosh Vi you're shivering." He checked her up and down and gasped when he saw her legs. "God, you're bleeding." Grabbing her arm he led her back inside.

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"Take a shower," he ordered and pushed her into the bedroom. "Afterwards, I'll get you bandaged up." 

She was almost tempted to tell him about this mysterious figure but stopped herself in time. As she got into the shower she thought to herself, "There's more to Kyle than he is letting on. If he is keeping secrets, I'll keep mine too."

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