Atelo [MXM] [BOOK 1] ✓

CHAPTER 39: TELLING THE TRUTH

About half the car falls asleep during the two hour drive. Marley doesn't like to sleep around people he barely knows, plus he woke up like an hour ago. The whole electrocution thing and the adrenaline of escaping are enough to give him the energy to stay awake for a while.

So, he stays awake. As does Nero.

Bren, Lola, and Drey all fall asleep, though. Eli is on her phone and Lenny appears to be catching up with his mom. Nero's just been sorta staring out the window. This is understandable, since the guy hasn't been out of 1-A in five years. Last time Marley looked at him, Nero appeared to be pretty fascinated. Okay, so his version of fascination is just having eyes slightly wider than usual, but it still counts.

Right now Marley's doing everything possible not to think about the earlier events, which is getting harder and harder by the second. It's almost like he's feeling an entirely new emotion. He just doesn't know how to handle or describe it.

Lenny's mom has the radio on some Top 40 station or something, and so far Marley has known all of the songs. He's just been mumbling the lyrics and trying not to move around too much. Drey is cuddled up on his lap, but her head is on Bren's knee.

Marley finds it crazy how much she trusts them, so quickly. The only explanation he can think of for it would be that she's been moved around so much that she'll take what she can get.

Marley wonders how Nero was able to tell she was in there, and if he could sense anybody else somehow. Could he feel the dentistry equipment? What about... what about Allorn's phone? Or his car? Maybe they could have caught up with the king. Maybe Marley would have gotten answers. He just... he wants to know why.

What did he do wrong?

Was he always just an heir to his father? Nothing more?

Marley wants to know if Charlene was in on this. If she agrees. However, he will not try to contact her. At least... not right now.

Allorn had said that Marley's too soft and empathetic. Is that a problem? Granted, Allorn has always been pretty strict and emotionless. There's no argument that he's a good king, aside from the whole abnormal thing. Should Marley try to be less... Marley?

Was that the problem this whole time?

Marley can't defy his personality, though, can he? He's spent his whole life trying to be like his father and it still didn't work, what makes him think it would now? Marley's just not good enough.

Maybe he never was.

Marley knew he wasn't Allorn's ideal offspring. He was aware of this even before the whole incident. Honestly, Marley can't even think of a time he genuinely made his father proud. It seems like his whole life he's just... fucked up. Constantly. Even when he was trying to do good, it all went wrong.

Marley sneaks into the meeting room at 11 years old to practice his speeches without his keychain. Instead, he leaves behind an action figure from his pocket. The next day, the king had stepped on it and threw out all Marley's toys.

Marley tries to make breakfast for his parents when he's 12. He'd tried to make eggs and toast before his parents got up, telling chef Anita that he'd handle breakfast. Instead, he started a fire, and Allorn locked him in his room until a maid let him out.

Oh, and let's not forget, one of the worst things he's done. When he'd first found out about the abnormal race, and he'd dared to ask his father 'what's so bad about them?'

Allorn hadn't even explained it. His only response was to backhand Marley so hard he saw stars.

When had the king finally decided Marley was a lost cause?