The Trial

Chapter 12

As I started to wake up, I was suddenly very aware that I wasn't alone. as I quickly calmed my heart rate and breathing, the arm draped over my waist tightened, and my whole body stiffened. I had a bad feeling that I knew who's arm it was. I could hear their deep breathing and feel their relaxed body, so I slowly and carefully started to scoot away from them. 

when I was against the edge of the bed, I gently lifted the arm that was still barely over my waist and laid it on the bed between our bodies. I slowly slide my legs off the bed and lifted myself up, being careful not to move the bed. 

I really didn't want him to wake up. who knew what sort of mind games he'd play. after turning around to solidify my suspicions, I grabbed my dress and bathroom things and went to take the quickest shower of my life. I had no idea when my Trial would be, and, as long as Ares was in my room, I wasn't going to be.

after I was dried off and dressed, I looked myself over in the mirror. my long brown hair was splayed over my shoulders and fell almost to my waist. the neck of my dress was wide and hung just off my shoulders, exposing everything from the top of my breasts up. if I was going to be appealing to the beast, I'd need my hair out of the way, so I loosely tied it back with a blue ribbon that almost matched the dress. 

the sleeves and torso were snug but still aloud for a full range of movement. from the waist down, the dress was loose and light. the back of the bottom half brushed against the ground, but I had altered the front to stop just below my knees. as I looked down at the hem I'd made, I frowned. 

I hadn't grabbed the damn shoes, and my uniform boots would look absolutely rediculous. they'd most likely alarm the beast too. I'd have to go barefoot, which didn't really bother me. I liked being barefoot. it aloud me to feel the ground and move almost silently. 

with one last look in the mirror, a thought occurred to me. looking at my own eyes in the mirror, I decided to make a sort of message to the beast. "I know you have no reason to trust me or to believe me or anything you've just seen, but, if you're seeing this, you now know what the future holds. all our kinds will be near extinction, if you choose to kill her. I understand your anger and your loss, and I can only ask that you understand what will become of this day. your choice will determine all our fates. please, choose wisely and quickly. the army will be at the gates at any moment. if they kill you, our fates are all still the same. you and the princess must survive at all costs. for all our sakes, try to see things clearly. i beg you. please." I kept my voice low and pleading, begging him to fix the future for all of us. with a deep, calming breath, I turned to leave the bathroom. 

as I stepped out the door, I glanced at the bed. Ares was still sound asleep, and I wasn't about to stay in my own room, if he was here. I didn't want anything to do with his strange and confusing behavior. I didn't even want to think about it or why he was sleeping in my bed. I really didn't want to know how he got in here and into my bed without me hearing him or feeling him get into the bed for that matter.

I went outside to soak up the warm sun and clear my head. today was The Trial. Mason would surely go first, since his birthday was a few days before we had to come and stay here. I'd have to wait for him to go first. I headed across the open space to where we'd always sparred and laid down in the soft grass, soaking in the warm rays of the sun and trying to clear my mind. 

It was strange to see the sun past the mid-point in the sky. it meant the dark days would be upon us very soon; a few days at best. an army of vampires would surely come as soon as the sun had set. it wouldn't matter if anyone changed anything in our past. it was our fates to always be fighting. if anything was going to change, we needed a truce amongst all our kinds. I knew that would never happen, but, maybe, limits could be put in place at the very least.