Twisted Love

Chapter 15

Chiyoko

"How boring," Chiyoko drawled, picking at her perfectly manicured nails. She was perched on the edge of her bed, half watching television and half yawning at all of the things they say. Patting her mouth lightly to conceal her yawn even though there was no one watching her, she sighed and switched the channel.

A reporter's excited face came on. "Oh, another news channel," Chiyoko groaned loudly. Taking her long hair out of the constricting bun, she let it fall past her shoulders, leaning back into the pillow. Her dainty eyes fluttered shut, the words of the reporter humming quietly in the background.

"-Cinder Linh was caught having an affair during the Selection-"

"WHAT?!" Chiyoko shrieked, shooting up from the bed and startling her maid. Grabbing the remote, she turned the volume loud to hear what the reporter was saying.

"-From footage caught in the aircraft room in the palace, it is showing Cinder Linh and Carswell Thorne kissing." Chiyoko clapped a hand over her mouth, gears turning in her head. This must be Pearl's doing, she thought, smiling evilly.

Suddenly, she heard hurried footsteps rushing next door.

That's right. Cinder is right next to me! Immediately pressing an ear against the wall, she could hear their hushed conversation.

"Cinder. We have to go."

Peeling her ear away from the wall, Chiyoko jumped out of bed and yelled for her maid to help her put on her shoes. She gave herself no time to slip her heels inside before rushing out, just in time to see the last trail of Cinder's dress whoosh past her doorway.

Smiling, Chiyoko grabbed the end of her gown and tugged. With a surprised yelp, Cinder tripped over herself and fell to the ground. Thorne caught sight of this as his eyes grew wide, flickering to the end of the hallway, where the heavy clatter of the guard's boots were starting to grow louder.

It's now or never. Conjuring up fake tears, Chiyoko let them fall freely down her face, painting her beautiful cheeks. Fisting the escaping girl's dress, she sobbed, "Oh my gosh! Cinder, please don't leave, I'll miss you so much!" The Japanese girl almost wanted to gag at that, but she had to keep up the act.

Gritting her teeth, she glanced at the guards, who were finally in sight. Just a bit longer, she told herself. And so Chiyoko resumed her fake crying while Cinder tried to struggle out of her grasp. Thorne was feebly pulling her arm, but Chiyoko's freakishly long nails were digging painfully into her skin.

"Let me go!" she cried loudly, trying to unlatch the girl from her leg.

By now, the loud noises had drawn the other girls of the Selection out of their rooms. With conflicted and confused gazes, their eyes stared at Chiyoko crying, then at the guards, unsure of what to do. They just stared.

Finally, with one last yank, Cinder's dress came free with a loud rip. Snarling, Chiyoko lunged forward again, but the girl had already darted out of their grasps. The guards rushed past them, hot on their heels. Chiyoko was left kneeling on the floor, shreds of Cinder's gown in her curled fists. Her fake tears were long dry.

***

Thorne

"Why are you so slow?" he cried incredulously as Cinder gathered up what was left of her gown, rushing after him.

"If you've forgotten, I'm running in high heels!" she yelled back.

"Take them off!"

With a kick behind her, Cinder's wickedly long heel connected with somebody's knee cap, letting that guard fall to the ground with a cry. Shaking the shoe off, she began to run barefoot, feet padding against the lush carpet. This way, she sped up, able to keep up with Thorne, and they lost most of the guards.

"This way!" Thorne suddenly shouted, grabbing her arm and yanking her around a corner. Shoving open the door, he dragged both of them inside and slammed it behind them, hurriedly locking the door. While he caught his breath, Cinder absorbed their surroundings.

"The aircraft room!" Cinder wheezed, realizing where they were. Smiling crookedly, Thorne nodded and ran forward towards a jet. "Oh no, no, no," Cinder tutted once she spotted where he was heading. He glanced back and saw Cinder pointing at it judgmentally. "No. Wasn't that the one that we just fixed yesterday?"

"Yup!" Thorne popped out, patting the side of the aircraft lovingly. "It's the Rampion. Built for speed, and good as new, thanks to your help."

Still, the flattery did nothing to convince the girl.

"Still, why a jet? Do you know how impractical a jet is? And how dangerous it is, especially for a quick getaway. Is there even enough space inside for us to store our weapons, supplies, and food? Is there even a place to sleep?!" Cinder questioned. Thorne was at a loss of words for her sudden burst of questions.

"And honestly, haven't you ever heard that if a bird were to hit the window of the jet, full speed and full speed, it could send the entire vehicle crashing-"

A sudden bang interrupted her speech. Startled, Thorne whipped out his pistol and pointed it towards the direction of the noise. But then, he lowered it when he saw a familiar face.

"Wolf?" he hissed when he saw the hybrid crouched on the top of the Rampion. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm going to go with you," Wolf answered in a gruff voice, cocking his head to the side. Thorne opened his mouth to protest, but his words were cut off once again. He scowled as the door shook with harsh knocks.

"Open up right away!" a guard gruffly ordered, another series of knocks following his words. This time a different voice spoke.

"Please, Cinder." It was the prince's voice. "I don't want to make this too difficult." The captain glanced sideways at her, seeing that her body had considerably stiffened. Thorne sighed in exasperation. Darn the effect that Prince Kaito has on her, he growled inwardly. Before she could change her mind, Thorne grabbed her arm and guided her to the jet, shoving her inside, Wolf climbing in after her.

"Alright, no time to talk," Thorne said quickly, jumping into the driver's seat and buckling up. With a click of a button, the door had shut, and the engine was roaring. From inside, they could see the door shaking as the guards on the other side struggled to break it open.

Looking up, Thorne smiled as the thrill sunk in. He clicked a button on the ceiling of the jet, and the exit to the landing area started to open, revealing the crisp, blue sky to them. With a jolt, the jet started forward, the dull roar of the engine playing in the background.

"Ready?" he asked, not waiting for an answer. When he looked back, he saw Cinder with a pale face, Wolf also considerably paler. "I take it that you've never flown before." Looking forward again, he placed his hands on the wheel. "Whatever. Just buckle up." And with that, Thorne jerked the stick forward, and the jet burst through the barrier with a sudden burst of speed.

They shot through the barrier and into the air, the takeoff fairly smooth in a rushed situation.

Not five minutes through their flight, Thorne spotted the kingdom's backup jets zooming after them. From the bottom of their aircraft, weapons lowered, aimed towards the Rampion. Thorne cackled wildly as one of the missiles zoomed towards them, and he made a gigantic loop in the sky.

Cinder flinched at the sudden change in pressure, gripping the chair seat until her knuckles turned white. Wolf looked queasy. When the captain shot him a look, he managed to say, "Wolves work better on land."

When the ship uprighted again, Cinder let out a small breath and relaxed, peering out the window.

"Captain. Please land your ship immediately," came a voice from the overhead of the jet. Grabbing the radio, Thorne put it to his lips and answered, "Sorry. No can do. We're on a mission." Chucking the radio backwards with a shrug, he shut off all communication with the palace, moving the jet forward full speed.

The jet gave a jolt as a missile exploded extremely close to them. Thorne grunted as he steadied the aircraft. "Sorry, guys," he apologized. "This is going to be a rough ride." 

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