For Ransom

Chapter 27: Blackmail

Soraya

It pained her to wake up, to eat, to speak, when that pathetic excuse of a human lived in Tom's room, torturing her with his mere existence. But Soraya would go on, like she always did. She had made a vow to Tom that their vision would come to life and now that he had perished for her sake, there was no turning back. Her nails dug deeper into her skin.

"Soraya. Soraya!" Masika's irritated voice jolted Soraya from her thoughts.

"What do you want?" Soraya's temper was no better than Masika's as she glared up at the dark-skinned woman. The dull-aches from the bite-wounds that badgered her skin only worsened her mood. It seemed Soraya did not have much patience to spare for anyone besides the prince these days, but even he shot her an angry glower at her curt tone.

"I just wanted to let you know that we will arrive at the Academy today. That's all," Masika said, displaying no sympathy, frankly no emotion at all, as she continued reading.

"You could at least show some remorse. This was all for your dream. Tom would still be alive if we didn't have to make that deal with fucking Darlene. Give me one good reason why your insignificant life is worth more than Tom's." Soraya didn't know why she felt so much spite towards Masika suddenly, why she fired those words like bullets at her future shipwright. What could she say? Grief did strange things to people and it seemed that Soraya had reached her breaking point.

Masika's glare was death incarnate. She slammed her book down, her mouth pressed into a very thin line.

"Soraya!" Remus grabbed her, his fury barely contained in his trembling hands. She wrenched her arm from him, smiling cruelly at Masika, savoring the anger pouring from her, the only emotion the woman seemed capable of.

"I warned you of the dangers of a cult. His death is not my fault."

"I don't care. I said tell me why your life is worth more than his." Soraya continued, leaning forward to match the confrontational action of Masika. She shouldn't have added fuel to the fire she had started, yet she knew that it felt good, that it took away her pain, even if it was just temporary.

"I'm not going to beg for shit. You can go find yourself a new shipwright if I'm so insignificant. Good luck finding someone who can build you an aircraft," Masika laughed vehemently. Soraya's lip curled, her hand tightening around the fork on the table, ready to strike at the woman.

"Hah! Where will you go? No one wants-"

The prince grabbed her, pinning her against the wall, the first time he had ever laid hands on her. Soraya's eyes widened in shock as his ragged breath heated her face.

"Stop it." His iron grip clamped down onto her shoulders, pressing her further into the wall. Ire poured from him, potent and unrelenting.

"Friends or not, you guys both need each other. Stop being fucking immature!" Remus fumed, wrath distorting warping his countenance. Never had the prince been frustrated enough to curse in the universal language. She looked down in shame, unclenching her balled fists.

"I'm sorry-"

"Don't apologize to me! Apologize to your shipwright. You chose her! Now live with the consequences! Tom's death is on no one's shoulders. Stop projecting your self-hatred onto other people!"

Remus released his hold on her with an expression of deep disappointment. It agonized Soraya to know that she had wrought such an accursed emotion from the prince. She turned toward her shipwright, feeling like a child freshly scolded by her mother, and lowered her head in humility.

"I'm sorry, Masika. I shouldn't have spoken to you that way. I have no excuses for the way I acted." She swallowed, realizing how insensitive and inconsiderate she had been. Tom would be disappointed too. He would want her to grieve and move on. Blame was useless, a brutal and endless game.