I responded shakily. “Thank you, Julia... I… I’ve never told anyone about what happened at that factory. I couldn’t bring myself to do it.”
“And now you will. She will appreciate it in the long run. Believe me.”
I sighed. “You’re right. She deserves to know regardless.” I softly gave her hand a squeeze. “I should let you rest. Thank you for listening.” I started to stand.
“Wait.” She caught my arm and locked eyes with me.
I kissed her softly. “Better?”
She smiled, “Maybe a little,” and walked me to the door. She checked the hall and whispered, “Goodnight. And thank you for telling me everything. We will work through this, together, I promise.”
I sighed and checked again that no one was in the hall. “You’re right. Sleep well, beautiful.”
Chapter 35
Sleep was not kind to me that evening. I spent most of the night staring at the stone wall in my room. Julia had reassured me, and I was glad she did, but doubt was an ugly beast that fought for control of my mind. I told her the worst things I had done, and she didn’t hate me. Either that meant I wasn’t the demon I thought, or she was crazy.
My world felt like a blob of grey and for once I wanted things to be black and white. Everything felt like one step forward and two steps back, except Julia. With her, I had accidentally stumbled upon my favorite person in the world. Everything else felt shaky, though, like that glass world she spoke about had a crack that was spreading and threatening its structure. How do you put back together something that large when it shatters?
Eventually, I gave up on sleep and went to take a shower. I let the water run down my neck, back, and shoulders. It felt like a ten-ton weight had been added to me, though it really had been there, ignored, for years. I needed to talk to Delaware. I’d carried this secret too long, and she deserved to know the truth. It’s fine. The world hates me, and now she will too.
I changed and headed to the garage, nodding to Jonah along the way. He stopped and looked back at me as I passed. “Do you ever sleep?”
With a smirk, I shrugged. “The red tag grants me unlimited energy, Jonah. It’s a secret the Prism doesn’t tell you Blues.”
He just laughed, shook his head, and continued on his patrol.
I reached the garage, pulled out the cheaper sedan, and radioed to Delaware. “Del, you up?” I waited for a second. “Delaware, you there?”
Her voice crackled over the radio, confused. “Coyote? It’s like 3 a.m. What do you want?”
“We need to talk.”
She sighed. “Now? Really?”
“Yes. It has waited for too long. I’ll be there in half an hour.”
She yawned. “Okay. This better be important.”
I drove through the night with the lights of the car piercing through the foggy veil that hung over the Earth. The guards gave me a weird look as I drove through the gates but didn’t ask any questions. Being Julia’s bodyguard had a few perks. The guards didn’t like it, but they couldn’t really question what I was doing.
The moon hung high in the sky and I stopped for a second as I crossed the bridge. That time of night was surreal. The city was almost completely quiet, and it was the only time that nature was louder than humanity. The water splashing underneath the bridge always made me feel at home.
When I reached our rendezvous point, Delaware was in her pajamas, her hair a mess. “Everything okay?”
I pointed to one of the chairs and spoke firmly, “Sit. I have a lot to explain.”
She looked concerned but did as I said. “What’d you do this time?”
I sat in the other chair. “This is about something I did a long time ago…” I told her everything, crying through half of it. She just looked stunned, occasionally nodding but showing no other real reactions. “I… I’m so sorry Del. I should have told you before. It has been eating away at me for years and I couldn’t hold it in anymore. You deserved to know years ago. There is no excuse.”
She stood and paced a little bit, still showing no reaction until she spoke, and her voice cracked a little, “You… you did all of this, everything, because of that?”
I looked down. “I knew I could never make it right, but I couldn’t leave you there knowing that it was my fault you were there in the first place.” I stood and walked over to her. “I’m so sorry. I know this doesn’t fix anything.”
She looked up at me, and her face flooded with emotion all at once: rage and sadness combined. She started punching me. My side still hurt a bit from where I’d been stabbed, but I just stood and took it. I deserve it. She stopped, breathing heavily. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me. I trusted you. You were the only family I had left, and you couldn’t tell me why I didn’t have any real family. I… I don’t blame you for his death. That was an accident. I blame the UPF for overworking him in the first place, but letting me live a lie the last few years?”
I just hung my head in guilt.
“So, taking me under your wing, making me acting lieutenant… this has all been a mirage to make you feel better about yourself?”
“No…”
Her thick eyebrows formed a ridge. “I thought you actually cared about me. That you were my friend.”
“Del, I rescued you because I couldn’t forgive myself, but I took you under my wing for all the reasons I told you before. You’re strong, independent, and quick on your feet. You were always my best friend. None of that was because of this. I don’t feel better about myself. I just wanted to get you out of the hell hole I accidentally put you in.”
She glared at me. “Fine.” She sighed. “Anything else?”
“Unless you have anything. No.”
She stomped towards the door, before stopping, sighing, and looking back, her eyes cold. “I forgive you, just… just give me time to think. This is a lot. And don’t ever lie to me again.”
I responded softly, “Thank you, Del, and I promise, I won’t.”
“Good… I can’t afford to lose my big brother too.” She opened the door and stepped into the night.
I felt like a weight had been lifted. I understood why she would be upset for a while, but I was glad that she finally knew the truth.
Chapter 36
The first light had not appeared by the time I had returned to the palace. I parked the car in the garage. I needed to get to the gym and hit something that wouldn’t cause someone pain.
The palace was nearly empty that early in the morning, with no one around except a few guards patrolling the maze of hallways. It was eerie, with little light available beyond the dull glow emitted by the ceiling lights and chandeliers in the hallways. The moonlight crept in through the few available windows, casting soft shadows across the floor from the few pieces of furniture near the walls.
As I walked, I felt abnormally skittish and behind my racing adrenaline I felt an unexplainable feeling that someone was watching me. I checked over my shoulder often but saw no one. The tired mind plays tricks in the night.
The feeling, combined with the thick fall air, sent a shiver down my spine as I exited out the back door of the palace and headed north towards the royal gym. What is going on? I scanned the windows of the palace and my surroundings in the garden… Nobody. I’m losing it. I shook my head and hurried towards the gym, winding through the garden on my way. The wind rustled the bushes, throwing leaves past my feet.
As I turned past the towering marble statue of Timothy Hughes II, a shadow slid through my peripherals. I was thrown to the ground with a thud. With my eyes in a panic and the lack of light, I couldn’t identify my attacker at first. They jabbed their forearm into my throat on the ground and I pushed, trying to force them back with a shout. “Who are you?!”
The assailant’s voice was as chill as the night, and I met his wide green eyes. “You think you’re funny, don’t you?” Isaac.
I struggled against the force placed on my throat, and my voice came out weak, “Typically, yes… ack… but
I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He spat at me and drove the fist of his free hand into my side. His ring struck where the knife had stabbed me. I cried out. This piece of crap really wants it, but how does he know where the wound was? His brow furrowed with intensity. “Shut up! It was you… It was you…” I attempted to roll him over and gain a better position, but he held me down. “You sent that shit to my room! You ruined everything!”
How did he find out? “What… ack… what do you think I ruined?”
He delivered a quick punch to my cheek, shit! My ears rang from the impact and I looked up at Isaac’s reddening face. “Julia. She… she thinks I’m a fool and a drunkard because of you Red Tag piece of shit.”
In his emotion he left a space for just a second, and I jabbed him quickly in the jaw before flipping him off me. I rolled against the cool stone path and stumbled to my feet, setting up in a defensive fighting stance. “What then? You come here to kill me?” You picked the wrong night asshole.
Isaac threw his arms forward bluntly. This was not the well put together Isaac that I had seen before. He was uncaged, his voice like venom. “You are going to regret getting in my way.” He leaned forward and wildly pointed to himself. “She is mine! You hear me? Mine!”
Good old-fashioned fighting over a girl. I let my guard down for a second, taunting him with my arms. “Is she really? Or are you just some White snake who thinks he gets everything he wants?”
With that, he threw himself at me with a brutal yell. He wasn’t very quick, but he was bigger than me and could pack some heat in his punches; I felt them even through my blocks. He kept trying to go for my stab wound again but I swatted away his attempts and jabbed at his body, dancing around him in my stance to keep him off balance.
He ducked in close to me, grabbing my arm and delivering a tough upper cut to my jaw, making me taste warm blood. From the hold I stuck my lead leg behind his left ankle, sweeping his leg and throwing my weight into him as he fell to the ground. I spat out the blood in my mouth and tried to get on top of him, but he managed to scramble to his feet. This is way better than a punching bag. I was filled with emotion and adrenaline from everything that had happened with Julia, Alexandria, the Lt. General, Delaware, and now Isaac, and it was all coming out in a hell-bent rage. I could kill him and end this…
He leaned in for an overhand cross but was slow, leaving his lead hand too low to protect his head. I exploited that gap with a roundhouse kick, knocking him back and to the ground near the bushes. He was dazed and confused. I towered over him. …but I shouldn’t. “Stay down and stay away.”
He shook his head, regaining focus and gritting his teeth. He yelled and threw himself to his feet, trying to attack, but I kneed him in the gut and threw him back down. Just stop. For both of our sakes.
Isaac looked ready to stumble back to his feet when I heard a loud “Ivan!” from across the garden and turned my head to see who called my name. It was dark, and I couldn’t see the person calling for me as I scanned the nearby paths. Suddenly, I remembered the fight, and I turned my head back to Isaac too late as he smashed the side of my head with one of the rocks that lined the flower bed, knocking me onto my back. The world spun, and my vision began to slip. The last thing I saw was him over me, raising his arm for the second blow.
Chapter 37
I awoke to the familiar overwhelming smell of antiseptic and… Is that wintergreen? Laying on my back, my eyes fluttered as I tried to comprehend what was happening. Squinting, I looked into the bright lights, still disoriented and light-headed. I groaned and held my head, grasping the situation. Isaac knocked me out. I’m in the royal hospital. I guess that means I survived.
The machine hooked up to me started making some weird beeping noises and I mumbled, agitated, and swung my arm at it. “Shut up… shut up! Piece of crap...” I sighed, beyond my head, the rest of me hurt from the fight as well. I had him.
A yawn came from my left and I cocked my head slowly to see Julia stretching, laid out on the padded bench along the wall. She waited for me. Aw. Her ice-blue eyes flickered to life as she looked around and yawned again. She caught my eyes and the drowsiness flowed from her face as she flew to my side. “You’re awake! Oh, thank God.” She was shaking, and tears filled her eyes. “I’ve been so worried.”
I smiled at her weakly and grabbed her hand, rubbing my thumb across the back of it to calm her. “How long was I out?”
“It’s Saturday morning,” she checked her phone, “around six.” It’s been a day? “The doctors said you might be out for a while and I… I just couldn’t leave you alone, not after what Isaac did to you.” A tear slid down her face and onto my arm. “Sorry.”
I laughed softly. “You slept here for me? What about your parents? The other royals?”
She smiled without actually lifting the corners of her mouth and nodded shakily, sharply dropping her head before looking back at me, her bottom lip quivering. She is hurting more than I am. “You could have died, Ivan.”
I squeezed her hand softly. “It’s going to be alright, I promise.” We shared a moment, eyes locked.
She was about to speak but was interrupted by the door opening. A Green Tag nurse entered. We quickly let go of each other’s hands, though it was pretty obvious what was going on.
Julia ran her hand through her hair uncomfortably. She was always concerned about perception, understandably, and we had already been noticed when she let her guard down. The nurse pretended to ignore it, though, as Julia returned to the bench, her cheeks flushed with slight embarrassment.
The nurse approached me with a flashlight and shone it in both of my eyes as my dull headache throbbed. Her dark brown eyes were analyzing something. “How are you feeling?”
I sat back and sighed. “Terrible. I’m light-headed and have a massive headache too.”
She nodded. “That is to be expected. You received a serious concussion, though you’re lucky it wasn’t worse than what it was. You’re likely going to have some light and sound sensitivities for a day or two and probably a pretty bad headache along with some serious bruising. If you feel nauseous, irritable, or have trouble concentrating, that is normal as long as the symptoms don’t last beyond the next few days. If they do, tell us, because that could mean something more serious is going on. Do you understand?”
I tried to crack my neck, which was stiff as hell. “Yeah. Ack. I think.”
She sighed. “We’re going to keep you for a few tests now that you’re awake to make sure everything looks normal. Hopefully we can get you out of here soon. Take it easy, you’re going to feel off for a while.”
I nodded. “Thanks, doc.”
She shook her head. “The actual doctor will be by to take you for a PET scan of your brain before you go.”
Julia smiled at the nurse sweetly. “Thank you for everything Josie.”
“Your highness.” The nursed bowed before shuffling out the door.
The door shut behind her and I turned my head towards Julia, who had her arms wrapped around her knees on the bench, looking out the window. I chuckled. “You are a princess, through and through.”
She raised her eyebrows and looked at me. “Would a goody two-shoes princess fall for you?”
I mockingly raised my eyebrows in response. “Who said you don’t just like bad boys?”
She giggled again and shook her head, looking back out the window. “If you really think you’re a bad boy, you don’t know yourself Ivan.”
I laid my head back on the pillow and shut my strained eyes. “How is Alexandria?”
“She seems lost, honestly. He took a piece of her that she is figuring out how to live without. The Lt. General turning himself in helped, I think, but revenge doesn’t fill the hole. I just can’t help wondering how easily it could have been me at some party, you know?”
The bed squeaked as I repositioned. “I won’t let that happen.” I sighed. “I wish I could do more for her.”
She hesit
ated, and the machine’s slow, annoying beeping filled the gap. “Just… give her a smile and ask how she is. I think it would mean something to her. She actually respects you and would probably appreciate it.”
I smiled softly. “That’s the least I can do. Consider it done.” I groaned from my headache and held my head in my hands. Did they really give me no painkillers? “What happened after he knocked me out?”
She didn’t respond for a moment and pursed her lips, thinking. “Jonah saw you rushing around while he was finishing his patrol and was worried. He said he saw you two fighting in the gardens and called out before you got knocked out. Isaac saw him and ran. Jonah called an ambulance and then me. I rode with you and have been here since.”
I looked over at her again. “You didn’t need to do that. What is everyone going to think?”
She stood and glided over to the side of the bed. “I couldn’t just leave you, Ivan. As you’re my bodyguard, my parents understand my concern. Other royals…” She shrugged. “The ones who hate us will despise that I’m worried about a Red Tag. The others will understand. They all might mock you on the surface, but they’re just trying to maintain a perception. I mean, we all are, but this was a sacrifice I was willing to make after what you did.”
I was confused. “I thought you wouldn’t want me to fight him.”
She held my hand, her eyes full of concern. “Did you have a choice? Jonah didn’t see how it started.”
I looked forward, thinking before returning my eyes to hers. “He jumped me, had me pinned down for a while, but he was sloppy and emotional. Once I could get to my feet, I had him on the ground pretty quick. I was trying to convince Isaac to stop fighting until Jonah distracted me.” I chuckled. “It’s actually ironic. He was trying to help. Isaac got the jump on me with the rock when I was distracted. Cheap shot.”
She sighed and paced over to the window, looking out into the flurries beyond. “This looks really bad for him. I hate that he did this to you, but maybe something good can come of it at least. He showed his true nature, the snake.”
The Fractured Prism (The Prism Files Book 1) Page 17
