Tell No One

Chapter 42

It was a terrifying thing to lose all sensation. With the black hood over her head, her visual cues as to what was going on were cut off. And without the sensation of touch, it got worse. She couldn't even tell if she was moving. Although she supposed she was- she could still smell. She could smell the difference between the light perfume of her room, and the musk of the hallway beyond. She could tell the difference between the corridors of the reach, and she could pinpoint the exact moment they stepped outside. Kiera felt a knot in her stomach- although she could not feel said stomach or anything else for that matter. She did not know how long she spent in that inky void, staring into the black until suddenly feeling came slamming back into her with a violent kick to her ribs. Kiera gasped, lucidity coming back to her like the flick of a switch. She could feel rough twine around her wrists, her back digging into whatever she has tied around. She was sitting on the ground, her legs bought close to her chest. There was a sharp throb coming from her side, where she had been kicked.

"What the fuck!" Her voice came out more angry than scared, and as muffled as it was by the hood, it still sounded loud over the people in front of her. She could see them slightly, barely an impression through the black fabric. Quickly, the hood was yanked off, revealing the three people standing there. The first girl Kiera recognised as the same girl from the library. Daisy. She was joined by another burly looking man Kiera didn't know, and to complete the trio, was none other than Shelia. She stood centre, her arms sternly crossed in front of her.

Kiera took a quick look around to inventory where she was. Black bushes formed a circle around them, and behind Shelia, Kiera could see an opening in the circle. Taking a quick glance up, Kiera could see the towering branches of the tree she was tied against, the red leaves forming a bloody canopy above them. The bushes towered over the edges of her vision, and instantly Kiera knew where they were. The hedge maze.

"So, you wanted to talk to me?" Kiera's attention snapped back to Shelia. Her voice was cold and held no hint of warmth for Kiera. Inwardly, Kiera flinched.

"Yes, Shelia. I just really wanted to say that I'm so, so so sorry for what I did." Shelia looked unmoved. Her expression remained stony as Kiera carried on. "I know, it's unforgivable, and you've suffered through so much, but I just wanted to say my piece. Shelia, I'm so sorry." Kiera was pulling at her wrists, the twine digging in painfully as she looked up at Shelia. 

Shelia looked away, pulling her arms to her sides. It was odd to see her without her signature glasses, and Kiera remarked she looked kind of... vulnerable.

"Apology accepted." Shelia's voice came out quiet, sad even. She would not meet Kiera's eyes. Somehow, her reply was more crushing than anything else she could've said. Kiera thought she should be shouting at her, beating her to a bloody pulp for the things she did. For what she'd taken. Shelia was her friend- way back to what seemed like an eternity ago, Shelia had been one of their best friends. Their memories, the good times they shared, the whispered secrets in the dark and the tough times Shelia had got them through- Shelia should be ripping Kiera apart for what she had done. Kiera murdered her. But she didn't.

Shelia moved to walk away.

"Shelia?" Kiera desperately wanted to plead with her. But Shelia didn't turn around.

"Shelia?" Kiera's voice was louder now. The other two people didn't move. 

"Shelia please!" Kiera's voice came out as more of a cry, and as Shelia drew nearer to the exit, Kiera began to struggle against her bonds. "Shelia!" Kiera forced her legs up under her, scraping her arms raw against the tree. It stung, but that was nothing compared to the sight of Shelia walking away. "Shelia! Don't go!" Kiera watched as she slipped round the corner. She didn't realise she was crying until she registered the warm trail her tears left as they drifted down her face. Kiera stared at the space between the bushes where she had disappeared, in a state of near shock.
"You're a bitch for what you did to Shelia." It was Daisy who spoke, her voice dripping with venom. "And now, you're going to pay for that."

***
The two people had beat her to a bloody pulp. They laughed when Kiera suggested she would report them- because why Kiera didn't know their names, and with the sheer number of servants on the First Reach, how could she possibly identify them? Especially with the darkening sky, why she could easily mistake who her assaulters were. Kiera tried not to call out as blow after blow landed on her body. That man could sure punch hard.  But Kiera did know Daisy's name- but obviously, Daisy didn't know that. She didn't reveal that she knew, either. They left a while later, Daisy choosing to spit on her face before walking off with the other man.

Kiera was still in a state of shock from her meeting with Shelia. She hardly felt the bruises that peppered her ribs, the black eye that steadily wept blood. She did not feel the sting of the air where it met the rake marks received from Daisy's sordid fingernails. She did not feel the blood that was steadily flowing from a gash on the side of her head. 
All she felt was a pulsing numbness that emanated from her heart. She felt the tears of regret on her face, their paths uneven amidst the damage to her face.

Kiera wasn't in the right mind to be rescued. But as she sat there, silently sobbing, rescue found her.

"Oh my saints Kiera, what happened?" Lark hastily undid the bindings from Kiera's wrists. Kiera slumped forwards, having given up.

Without another word, Lark picked Kiera up, laying her over her arms bridal style. She possessed a strength you wouldn't think she had by looking at her.

The whole way back to Kiera's room, not a word was uttered. Somehow, Lark knew which was one hers and placed her down on the chair. Kiera looked at herself in the mirror, numb to her appearance. Lark dabbed at her wounds, effectively patching Kiera up and stifling the bleeding. Tucking her into bed, Lark halted at the door. She wondered whether to bother Ramatee at this hour, but decided it was best he knew now.

She quietly closed the door behind her.