The Grim (Ravens #3)

xv. monarchia

A/N: Longer chapter than normal, but y'all will (hopefully) appreciate it. Also I haven't posted in a while so it's okay. 

MaiLinh Walker was a creature of routine. It surprised many how she preferred an organized, systematic lifestyle, that she didn't find comfort in sporadic surges of adrenaline. Perhaps there was a time when the unknown filled her with excitement, but after three years running wild in the lawless woods, to find structure in her life provided solidity she didn't realize she was missing. And in Monarchia, Mai found structure.

Things began to fall apart within the first month since her arrival. She was to be living with her aunt and uncle, but their marriage was undoubtedly already on the cusp. It had always been shaky, she remembered hearing her parents bet on how long the two would last. They thought that maybe taking her in would save them, but in truth, it only showed them that they were completely incompatible. Mai didn't blame herself for their divorce; it was already bound to happen, she was simply the catalyst.

Her aunt moved out with custody over her daughter, Mai's cousin Ayla. She was living with a distant relative, someone third cousin on her mother's side. Technically, as Mai was emancipated, she had the choice as to where she'd like to go, and so she stayed with her uncle in their townhome near the eastern marketplace. Her uncle was often working, spending long days in business suits and few nights in his own bed, or at least Mai very rarely heard him come in. She was lucky though, for just across the streets lived her solace in this strange new world. Her solace came in the form Jayden Muñoz.

One year younger than her, Jayden taught her all the ropes to the city. It was a kingdom built on broken glass, danger so eminent the Grove Forest seemed to pale. But broken glass can be walked upon, so long as you step carefully, as Mai had learned so long ago. If she kept her head down, played by the rules, she would be just fine. Perhaps it wasn't the freedom she'd grown used to, but this was the same freedom she'd have ever found if the plague had never come.

On Tuesday evening, Mai was situated on her uncle's living room sofa, feet resting on the coffee table as she thumbed her way through one of the many books that lined his shelves. He was an avid reader, and since the divorce had only collected more novels, as though the words of far-off places and make-believe characters could fill the void left on the right side of his bed. A knock on the front door, however, dragged her off the couch and towards the foyer.

Jayden stood on the front steps, his hands in the pockets of his dark blue jeans, weight balanced in his toes as he bounced impatiently waiting for her.

"We should go," he said, "There's so much commotion. They're here."

"Donny said they weren't coming until Wednesday," said Mai. She was dressed in an ill-fitting t-shirt that had been washed so many times the words were no longer legible, but the fabric was soft and comfortable. Her hair was down and unbrushed, her skin clear of any make-up.

"They made it early, I guess," shrugged her friend. "You do want to see them, right?"

"Of course I do," she smiled. "Give me ten minutes to get ready. I look like a mess—"

"They're used to seeing you in the forest," Jayden said, "They won't recognize you when you're hot."

"You mean I'm not always hot?" she smirked, stepping next to him beside the sidewalk.

"You're always hot," he smiled, pecking her softly on the lips, but she pulled away. He sighed, "Just admit it. You still want Sebastian."

"I never broke up with him," she said. "God, how the hell am I supposed to see him? He's not even the one that wrote to tell me they were coming, that was Donny. I hardly even knew Donny."