Cursed Hearts | ATEEZ

006

I had been tossing and turning all night, unable to sleep due to the rumbling of my stomach that had demanded and urged me to eat something for hours now, the low sound thundering in my ears as it cut through the otherwise heavy silence of my room.

Finally, unable to take it anymore, I abruptly sat up in my bed, tossing off the sea of blankets and pillows that had been slowly drowning me as I squinted around the dark bedroom, taking in the shadowy figures and silhouettes of the furniture and plants, hesitating for a moment as I focused on the veil of stars that covered the night sky outside of my windows, watching as it glinted beautifully in the midnight black landscape of the heavens.

"I probably shouldn't" I whispered to myself but as yet another round of thundering complains roller cover my stomach, I decided otherwise, "No one will be out this late," I said, nodding my head as I tried to treasure myself, a plan quickly coming together in my mind piece by piece as I swung my legs over the edge of the bed before jumping onto the cold floorboards and shivered a little.

"No one will even notice me. Technically, that almost means that I'm not doing anything wrong. Yes, I'll be in and out in no time," I mumbled to myself, hurriedly making my way over to the closet to grab a robe before scurrying down the stairs, careful of every shadowy step as I tried not to stumble and fall.

I poked my head through the door to glance out into the hallway just outside of my room and, as I had expected, the palace seemed to be asleep and completely empty, devoid of any light or life that had lit up the golden hallways and polished floors during the day, making the rooms glow and mirrors shine. I smiled, sneaking out of my room before carefully closing the door after myself, making sure to make as little sound as possible.

My next task; finding the kitchen. "It can't be that hard," I said, immediately clasping my hands over my mouth as my voice echoed down the hallway, crawling up and down the walls before fading into a low whisper. I cursed at myself for being so careless, then furrowing my brows as I told myself that there was no reason for me to be nervous.

"I'm not doing anything wrong," I whispered, keeping my voice low this time as I tiptoed across the marbled floors, turning a corner and making my way further into the Palace of Atlas.

It was definitely something else in the darkness of the night; the marbled floors, tall columns, enormous windows, and gilded details along the walls and ceilings all covered in cold light from the moon, the glow from the stars reflected in the numerous mirrors and clear surfaces of the polished floors. I couldn't help the thought that I was walking in the middle of the night sky as I looked down at my feet in the middle of the starry ocean beneath me, letting out a breathy laugh before continuing on.

And it took a while, not to mention several failed tries and wrong rooms, before I finally poked my head through the door to the kitchen, letting out a breath of relief as my stomach once again voiced its complaints, quickly slipping inside and closing the door carefully behind me with a smile.

"This is going to be good," I whispered, clapping my hands with excitement as I made my way over to a row of cupboards just barely visible in the darkness, feeling my way across the surfaces until my hands came across the familiar shape of a handle, tugging at it only to be blinded with a ray of bright light as the refrigerator opened.

I gasped, staring in awe at the wonderful sight of the food that was displayed in front of me; the shelves of the fridge filled to the brim with drinks, fruits, vegetables, leftovers, and everything else I was craving at the moment.

I giggled, reaching for an apple and biting into the fruit as I rummaged around, grabbing a handful of other things when a low chuckle cut through the silent kitchen, making me freeze in surprise as the room was suddenly flooded with warm light.