The Frost

Chapter Eleven

            Claire was still awake when the sun rose the next morning. The rays filtered past the dusty curtains and into the dingy room. She could see the multiple dust particles in the sunlight, almost like they were starving for it. Which reminded her of how hungry she should be; and of how hungry she wasn't. Even the thought of food made her stomach churn and made her feel like she wanted to throw up. The nightmare she had been so afraid of had never come, because sleep had never granted her the opportunity.
"Still alive?" Leo asked, his head popping into the room. "Damn girl, you look exhausted." Claire didn't even want to once again see the dark circles that were probably under her eyes, or the bruises from the hands of a man she did not know.

"The question should be if she's still here, she could have been kidnapped again." Alex scoffed as he walked by, and Claire had a feeling he thought it was her fault she had gotten taken. The caring gentle man that had held her yesterday and comforted her was not present in the house today. Leo rolled his eyes, came into the room and shut the door.

"Don't mind him, he's a little grouchy. He was really worried when you went missing. He's been up all night outside your door. I'm surprised he didn't sit at the foot of your bed." Leo chuckled sitting on the edge of the bed. Claire sat up, the covers falling off as she wrapped her arms around her legs. She didn't find humor in his words but the comfort of having him was nice. He was a steady presence for her, since she had arrived at the palace, and having him here made the sickness in her stomach subside even just a little.

"Of course he was worried, I'm the last Icer." Claire replied, her voice turning as icy as the title she was given.

"I think it was more than that. Sure, you're crazy valuable to Asonia, but I think you're also crazy valuable to Alex; he's just too stubborn to admit it." Leo raised his eyebrows.

"You're going crazy Leo, it's probably because he's assigned to protect me."

"You keep forgetting he wasn't actually assigned to you. He chose to stay in the dreaded palace day and night to protect you."

"If he wanted he could have left."

"It had to of taken a lot for Alex to stay in the palace. If I'm being honest I don't quite know the reason myself."

"What is with that by the way?" She inquired, her head now resting on her knees. Leo looked away for the first time during their conversation, his dark eyes avoiding hers.

"It's not really my place to say. It's his story; let me you tell this though, Alex has had a really hard past, one that he wants desperately to forget. And this place, everything about it, is a constant reminder."

"Okay. What about you? You don't seem to like it much either."

"Well I mean the family I was born into rejected me, it's a little hard to love this place."

"What was it like?" She asked softly. By now she was three quarters interested, one quarter stalling so she didn't have to face Alex's disapproval. The brooding frown that made her feel like she was the worst person ever, the look that made her want to crawl into a pit and cry until she died.

"One of the worst days of my life. I was already lucky. I had barely escaped punishment so many times. I could talk my way out of anything. I was useful, very useful to the criminal world. I was sucked in at a very young age. But I had been sloppy, lazy, comfortable. It wasn't hard to find me guilty. I was kept in jail for a little bit until they sent me to the Chamber. It's where they strip you of your wings." Leo's voice was almost a whisper, his head had sunk to his chest. Claire was kind of getting sore, but she refused to move; too invested in the story and any small movement could break him away from the memory induced trance he was in.