Sapphire Princess

XII

HOPE

Pain is the only thing I can register. Gone is my anger and need for revenge. Instead, all I can focus on is the unavoidable anguish each blow of the wooden stake brings to my body.

Vaguely, I can hear May screaming my name, begging for my attacker to stop. But the torture continues and I try my best to navigate my mind to a better place. When I find Alexander's face in my mind, relief floods through my body.

"I'm on my way, Princess, hold on," his voice whispers in my mind. I can see him sitting in the car with Eli and... Emery?

Why is Emery with them? Has Alexander realized his mistakes? Can I go home? Do I want to?

My thoughts are left unanswered as the wooden stake plunges through my stomach again. I try my best not to scream out in pain, but it comes anyways.

"All of this could have been avoided if you joined me," John taunts as he twists the stake inside of me. Closing my eyes, I clench my jaw and try to bare it. He will not make me break.

"Go to hell," I manage to spit out once he finally removes the wood. John's laughter pierces through me- maniacal and cold. How could this man possibly be my father? The thought seems unimaginable.

"It's such a shame. We could have made such a good team. Father and daughter against the world. We could have taken everything. Your brother would still be alive..."

"Don't talk about him," I seethe out, my pain turning to anger, "You lost the right to speak about him when you tore his heart from his chest."

"While I've appreciated this banter, unfortunately it must end. After all, all good things must come to an end, right?" John laughs evilly as panic fills my body. This will not be how I die.

I feel the tears leaving warm tracks down my cheek before John sees them. But he does, and it only makes things worse.

"Aw, don't cry. We both knew this is how it would end. You could never beat me. From the moment you were born, you were meant to die by my hands," he says, bending down and wiping a tear from my cheek. I flinch away as far as I can, but my restraints have me limited. I squeeze my eyes shut at his touch. It activates my gag reflex and I try my best to keep my bile down.

"Burn in hell." I mutter, feeling any strength I had left leaving my body.

"You'll have to let me know what that's like," he shrugs as he raises his arm above his head, stake in hand, aimed straight at my heart.

I close my eyes for the last time. Everyone I love flashes in front of me. My mom, my dad, my siblings, Eli, Alexander, Nathan.

Nathan. Wherever I'm going, I hope he is there. If one good thing is to come out of this, it's seeing him again. It makes all of this worth it.

As I'm preparing for the life ending blow, an explosion sounds from the other room. My eyes shoot open just in time to watch the room spin around me as my chair is sent in the air by flames and shrapnel.

I watch Elise fly back into a wall, wooden splinters from the explosion piercing every inch of her body. May lays on the floor, still bound to her chair and bleeding out. John is out of sight, but I can only hope his outcome mirrors the rest.

So much pain floods through my body as my chair slams against the wall that I go numb. Landing on my side, I watch as the flames grow closer and voices erupt.

The voices... they sound familiar. Squinting, I try my best to see through the wall of fire. Those uniforms- guards! Royal guards! Watching as they storm the room, I begin to scream.