Sunset Legend

• 16 •

"How could you let him do this to us?" Bells cried out. It was too dark to see where she was as I fumbled through the destroyed rooms. "All we ever did was protect you!" She shouted, her voice echoing off the broken pieces. Hands wrapped around my wrist and pulled me up from where I fell. Frosts stood in front of me, white teeth glowing in the dark as he smiled at me. "You thought you could get away?" His hands squeeze tighter on my wrists until my hands became numb. "You can run as far as you want, but I will find you. Ever time you leave, someone dies." I was brought roughly to his body as a scream filled the air. It was filled with pain and cries for help. I struggled against him as I tried to get away when there was a sudden snap that silenced the scream. His cold hand grabbed my chin, forcing me to look into his emotionless eyes. "Don't make me kill more people, Solstice."

I shot up from my bed, my eyes flashing open as my breathing was uncomfortably fast. My back was drenched in sweat, my hair sticking to my face as I swallowed. My mouth was dry as I sat up in bed, counting my breaths until my heart wasn't ready to burst anymore. I shut my eyes tight as I rubbed my temples. We had to act. Now.
I left my room, ignoring the mess that I was as I hurried down the steps. I skidded short of the entry way when I heard laughter.
"Superman? That's cute," Ray said.
My heart that I had just got to relax was pounding in my chest again as I walked into the room. The boys were huddled on one couch, all looking up at me. I saw the joke that was forming on Sol's lips until he looked at me as a whole.
"Shit. Are you-"
"I'm going for a run," I stated. My mind was racing just as fast as my heart was as I turned to head out of the castle. My feet bare as they landed in the warm grass as I walked outside. The pavement would be dangerously hot against my feet this early in the morning.
I took off in a sprint, trying to run away from the nightmare I had and the nightmare that was left of the Winter lands. My muscles encouraged me to push harder as I ran through the grass, the sun beating down on my back.
"Hey." Jaxon appeared so suddenly I almost crashed into him. I slid to a stop a foot away from him.
"I'm busy," I said, going around him before sprinting again.
He appeared at my side, keeping with my speed. "What's wrong?" I felt my jaw twitch as I kept my mouth shut, pushing off the ground even harder.
He stopped in front of me again. This time I did run into him, but he grabbed me and kept us both from falling. I stepped out of his grip.
"You can't out run me." A playful grin was on his face as he watched me. It faded as I just stared at him, my face blank. "Seriously. What's wrong?"
"Why would you tell them?" I asked, my shoulders rising and falling as I caught my breath. His face fell.
"You heard?"
"Yup," I said, popping the 'p' and looking over his shoulder at the sun rising. It looked so dull compared to when it set.
"It's not anything embarrassing-"
"I was drunk, Jaxon. I didn't mean any of it," I huffed out. I ignored the stabbing pain in my chest that I felt as I watched his face fell. "Frosts won't stop killing people until somebody does something. I need to do something before this gets worse. So much worse." My head was spinning with the nightmare. He wouldn't stop.
"So last night..." He trailed off, pockets deep into the checkered sleep pants he wore.
"It was the alcohol talking. I need you on the field with me to fight him, as the prince in order and nothing more." The words came out sharp, striking him with every sentence. His gray eyes turned dark, like the fire was put out and all that was left were the ashes.
He stood there like he was considering what to say next. I looked at the ground, my heart breaking with the hurt written on his face. The wind whipped my undone bun around my face as he took off, leaving me alone in the field.
None of it was true. I meant every word I said last night, words I would of been too afraid to say sober. I couldn't keep my head straight if I was always thinking about him. I needed to focus on the hell I wanted to unleash on the Winter lands. I needed to focus on how I would kill Frosts, how I would torture him for what he's done.
But now I was alone, standing in a perfect field of grass falling so far from perfect myself. I was a mess. I flopped down into the grass on my back, running my hands over the softness. The sun was warm as I curled into a ball, drifting back to sleep under the early sky.