Don't Let Me Break More

Chapter 3 (Anxiety)

 I sat up looking into Prince's face. He looked concerned and I glanced around, realizing that I was in Prince's elegant room. It was bigger than mine and more extravagant. Slowly a small smile was breaking past his lips while I was still trying to figure out what was going on. I remember listening in on them talking about me, darkness, and then her hands in my nightmares. What did she want from me?

She finally broke me, how can she possibly make me feel lower than I already feel?

"I got you some water." Prince handed me the glass, which I promptly dropped and shattered on the floor.

"Shit. I'll go get something to deal with that."

"Wait!" I grabbed his wrist but couldn't bring myself to say anything else. He seemed to understand and just went to grab some gloves out of his bathroom and a wastebasket to put the broken glass in. He made quick work of the broken pieces and soon threw the gloves in with the rest of the trash and grabbed my hand to sit beside me on the bed.

"So what happened? Why are you like this?"

"It's my job to be like this..." I trailed off, completely ignoring the first question in the process. Prince can't know about this. I don't want anyone else to suffer this pain for me, not to mention the fact that Prince doesn't like me. He's part of the reason I'm broken. He sent her to me. It's really his fault, isn't it? No, not really. If I really have to place the blame somewhere, I'd say it belongs to me. It's my fault I'm broken. It's my fault that I'm having difficulty breathing through my bruised lungs. It's my fault.

"Yeah, I mean I know. King of all things dreary and worrisome and all that. But Anni, you couldn't have done this to yourself. You've got a cut under your eye and there's silver dust coming out of the wound. Your breathing isn't normal and you haven't tried to argue with me once. What's going on? Tell me now, before I make you tell me." Prince threatened.

"You can't make me do anything!" I growled up at him, suddenly feeling looked down upon from my position on the ground. Prince stormed to his door and locked it. Why would he lock it? What was he planning?

"I'll give you one more chance to tell me what's happening. Tell me by the time I get to zero or you will regret withholding this from me. 10..." I couldn't possibly tell him. "9..."

"I'm not a child Prince!" I shouted, his stern look told me he would beg to differ.

"8..." I glanced around the room, looking for an escape. There was a door that led out to a balcony. That could work. "7..." Slowly I stood up but Prince grabbed my wrist before I could try for the window. "I wouldn't try that if I were you. Tick Tock, tell me. 6..."

"I said no. I refuse." suddenly there was a knock at the door. Prince seemed to be getting rather peeved at me at the present.

"5..."

"Hey, I brought some of the emotions just like you said so if you could just let me in that would be much appreciated." Dad called through the door. Maybe he brought Sadness. I was about to call for help when Prince put a hand over my mouth.

"4..."

"Prince! I know you're in there. I hear you counting down... Wait, why are you counting down? What's going on in there?"

"3..."

"Mmm!" I screamed into Prince's hand.

"Let me in right now Prince." Dad demanded through the door.

"2..." I finally got the hand off my mouth and whimpered. I was beginning to become very aware of my breathing. It was a step below hyperventilating, but a step above normal breathing.