A Court of Stars and Shadow

Chapter 6

Dinner that night was ok. I could tell Rhys told Feyre about my powers, but I think other than her and Cassian no one knew. I didn't speak to him all of dinner, despite the glances he gave me, however. He was worried, but I didn't care. He left me alone on the roof, and told Rhys about my powers, not me first. Eventually I would have to speak to him, I still had training with him tomorrow. Nesta and Elain were at this dinner. I was wary of Nesta at first but then she began to make small talk and we flowed into easy conversation. Elain however seemed to have a sense of humor that was not portrayed in the books. I was laughing more with her than I had the past month.

Mor gave me a tour of Velaris after dinner but by the time we had finished touring the first palace, I found it hard to keep my eyes open. I really didn't want to tell her, I wanted to keep walking, the city was beyond beautiful, more stunning than anything I had ever seen. The city reminded me a little of Italy but even that was not a good comparison because when I walked the streets and bridges that made up the city, my steps were light and for the first time in a long, long while, my lungs felt clear. Not only because the lack of pollution but there was something in this city that just made me feel weightless, like I could float at any second. Mor however understood and when I returned to my room, I changed, hit my bed and my eyes closed before I fully got into the sheets.

"Why did you do that" father's face was red, and a vein throbbed from his forehead to his neck. He chased after me where I stumbled from the living room into the kitchen, half crawling. He caught up to me in two strides, my face already overrun with tears, knowing what was going to happen. His fist wrapped around the fabric of my shirt and he hauled me up, my face inches to his. "Why did you do that" he screamed. I trembled, my tears coming faster. I squirmed under his hold and shook my head vigorously. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry I didn't mean it" he slapped me across the face, blood filled my mouth. "Yes, you did. Do you like embarrassing your mother and I?" I shook my head again, words failing me. "Answer me!" "no" I managed to croak out. He slapped me on the face again, my cheek burning and threw me down. I slammed into the side of the counter, my ribs barking in protest. He was about to walk away, to leave me to my injuries but a voice came from the other room, a voice that made my blood chill. Terror, for the first time in my life I knew what true pure blinding terror was. "Darling, make sure she pays for what she did, make it hurt so shell never do this again." She paused, my father turning on me. "At the end of it, make sure she can't walk." I knew then that this moment would haunt my dreams for as long as I lived. It would be too soon before the sound of that voice didn't make my heart stop. I did nothing to try and escape as my father approached me, I didn't even cry when he landed blows to my face, my eyes swelling up, blood coating my teeth. When I landed on the floor like a doll I only started to scream when the kicks came, the unending kicks to my stomach and ribs. I heard the first crack, the sound echoing in my ears as one of my ribs broke. By the third I just laid there, I didn't have any more tears to shed, didn't have enough energy or enough voice to scream, I just didn't care anymore, didn't even cared if I died. So I closed my eyes and hoped for darkness to take me, but it never did; I was awake for every punch, every kick, and every bone that broke. It felt like hours before he finally stopped, his footsteps the only sound on the wood floor other than my wet breathing. I couldn't move, everything hurt too bad, I was going to die on this miserable floor, in this treacherous house.... And no one would care. No, I had people that cared for me, Emily, my friends. So for them I would make it to my room and treat my wounds, for them I would recover because they didn't deserve the pain, so I willed my legs to move, and tried to stand up. That's when the first wave of utter agony began, and a scream ripped out of my throat-

I sat up in bed in a quick motion, throwing the thin sheet across my feet and making for the bathroom. I barely made it to the toilet before heaving up my dinner. Those were tears coming from my eyes. I hated that nightmare, hated what it did to me, hated the memories and emotions it brought up, hated the way it made me feel like something inside me could never heal. I stayed there for a couple of minutes before I willed myself to stand. I looked at myself in the mirror passing out, my face was pale and covered in sweat. Goosebumps flanked my body and arms and my eyes, my eyes that had just started to get their glow back, were dull. I scowled and walked back over to the bed, the sheets we slick with my sweat and even had some rips in them; rips I quickly ignored. I needed some fresh air, to clear my mind. I threw my robe over my body and made to step for my slippers but when I went to step in them, I noticed a small pile of leaves on the floor next to my bed. Did I leave a window open? But they were all closed. I rubbed my temples and exited my room, my feet moving before I even knew where I was going but before I knew it, I was walking down the hallway that led to the roof, my hand turning the handle and.... Fresh air hit my face and I sighed in relief, but I wasn't alone.