Peanut Butter Fingerprints

Chapter Nineteen

"Et tu, Brute?"

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"The worst pain in the world goes beyond the physical. Even further beyond any other emotional pain one can feel. It is the betrayal of a friend."

-Heather Brewer, Ninth Grade Slays (The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, #2)

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Maxon

EVEN BEFORE WE WERE CAUGHT, I knew there was no way we were making it out of that prison without Daphne leaving her mark on all of us. Here was the thing though: the marks that she left went more than flesh deep; these were wounds that hurt down to your core. These wounds were the kind that not even time itself could heal.

I'd thought she'd really left her mark on me when she had me caned, and then when she had me starved, beaten, and humiliated. However, these wounds would never compare to the dagger of betrayal she slid into my back.

Nothing stung more like the betrayal of a friend.

I remembered the time when Daphne and I climbed the apple tree in the palace garden, the one that wasn't there anymore. That was when our heads barely reached our father's knees, and we were small enough for our mothers to still carry us around.

Daphne had her two front teeth missing and her hair in two pigtails. Every accessory she had on was pink.
She loved the color pink to death, so her maids always made her bubblegum and magenta dresses to parade around in. She was the kind of daughter a rich mother would pay to have; the kind that likes all things glittery and shiny. The kind that wants what she can't have.

She had on an especially pink and sparkly dress that day, one with lots of tulle and rhinestones. I had on my crown, and she had on her tiara. We'd snuck away from the maid who was babysitting us while our parents were in a meeting about trade and wandered into the garden.

It was Daphne's idea to climb the tree. She saw a glistening red apple at the top, and wanted it immediately. She wouldn't be satisfied with merely looking at it; she needed to have it in her hands.

Daphne couldn't climb though; she was scared of heights. So she had me do it for her, and thirty minutes later, I woke up in the hospital wing with a broken arm. It was worth it though; the smile on her face and sparkle in her eyes as she sunk her teeth into that apple warmed me all over.

Friendship meant taking risks for the ones we loved. And sometimes doing what's best for them can hurt them. Friendship pushes trust to its furthest edge. Sometimes though, your friends push you right off of that edge. And at that moment in time, I felt as though I was hanging on that edge by Daphne's hands. She let me hang there, but she would never pull me up.

I wondered if it was worth it to fight her anymore. Perhaps she was just waiting for me to ask for her to pull me back up. Perhaps I'd been reading her wrong the entire time.

A bullet whizzed by my head, and I ducked into the nearest corridor. Not long after, August and Georgia came whirling around the corner and pressed their bodies against the stone wall beside me.

August muttered a string of curses, and fumbled with his gun. He went to reload another clip into it, but the clip was empty. "Georgia, I need some more ammo."

She shook her head, panting heavily. "I'm out."

August looked to me; a flash of fear crossed his eyes. I knew what this meant; we were on our own now.
"Listen, cousin. Whatever happens, you're making it back alive. Understand?" August said firmly.

I shook my head. "All of us or none of us."

Georgia replied, "Don't be stupid, Maxon. Don't let us die in vain."

We jumped as a bullet ricocheted off the wall across from us and landed near Georgia's leg. She cursed and ducked. August and I did the same.
August looked at a map, and then shoved it back into his pocket. He shook his head, grimacing.

"It's no use. We're stuck," August huffed out.

Georgia replied quickly, "We can run."

August shook his head. "The moment we step out of this corridor, they'll fill us with metal."

"No, they won't. I'm no use to Daphne dead," I replied stiffly. "If we're going to do something, we better do it now."

The gunfire was getting closer to us. We were ten minutes of running from the nearest exit. There was no way we were going to make it out alive. There was just no way.

The French guards whirled around the corner not more than a second later, and fired a bullet through Georgia's shoulder. She screamed and clutched her arm.

I didn't know what came over me at that moment, but a second later, my fist was flying across that guard's face. He crumpled to the ground with a loud grunt. August and Georgia looked at me incredulously as if not believing that just happened.

I stooped down and picked up the gun, and fired into the other guards' legs. They crumpled to the ground as bullets filled their knees. I turned to Georgia and August, and nodded my head toward the end of the hall. They stare at me with wide eyes;

"Come on," I breathed. "Let's go."

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Wow. It has been FOREVER since I've updated! I am so, so sorry for that. I have had the roughest two months of my life, starting during Christmas, and thus haven't been able to update. I split this chapter into two parts (it was originally supposed to be twice as long) so that you all aren't waiting so long. Updates will come much sooner and often after this, I promise. However, to keep steady updates, the chapters will unfortunately be shortened.
Thank you all for hanging in there while I go through a tough time. You all are such a blessing, and your lovely comments make me so, so happy. Thank you. I'm so blessed to have each and every one of you.

(And guys, twenty thousand. I'm still in shock. Is this real life?)

Lots of love,

Miss Amy