The palace is a graveyard of dreams and hope. It slowly lures you in with its mesmerizing beauty, giving silky promises of power and wealth. But as soon as you take a step into the mirage, the doors snap shut. Then you realize... The high palace walls are nothing more than a cage of bones. The peaceful lotus pool is simply a resting place for thousands of lost souls. And laughter and smiles are a weapon to kill you before you can even mutter a single word. When lucky, a remain or two may find its way out - a fragmented jade or two bloody teeth, a remembrance that this indeed was history. From her birth, she was chained by the invisible strings of fate. What was the palace but another prison? Her bargain was her freedom, and his bet was the future of the empire. He favored the land over her, so she chose herself over him. But when she finally had the chance to escape, she found that she couldn't. For her hands were spotted with crimson blood.

A/N: This is an unedited, significantly different version of the soon to be published novel by losangelesque aka L. Akhter. This draft was written when I was 15-18 years old and I highly encourage new readers to read the published version instead. Former high school football star Frank Novak meets profound and depressed loner Lolita Abri - and falls headfirst into love. Throughout the course of one school year, they unravel each other and their sadness, setting apart their differences and realizing that sometimes love isn't enough - and sometimes it just might be. [FIRST DRAFT] Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXTbhopy9ts © All Rights Reserved. Teen Fic #7 A Wattpad Featured story