I just needed some space from all of the tension and drama, but they were around every corner. I couldn’t escape my reality, so I had to face it. I had to find out more information and figure out who the killer was before they hunted me down like the others. Time was ticking. Quickly.
I walked through the courtyard under the glow of the moonlight, following the stone path that led me to the other side. When I made it halfway down the path, I slowed my steps, my eyes narrowing at the sight of clothes and books ahead of me. I wondered who just dumped all of their items in the courtyard.
Then, I realized something that made my heart stop. Those were my belongings. I recognized my clothes, my books, my toiletries, my things. Everything was on the path in front of me, and dread immediately took hold of me.
No one would’ve dared to go into Zephyr’s room unless he let them inside. He allowed someone to gather all of my things and dump them in the middle of the courtyard. That meant only one thing.
We were done.
I lowered myself to my knees in front of the pile of my belongings, tears stinging my eyes. I couldn’t help but feel sheer panic mixed in with my devastation. If Zephyr had tossed me aside, what happened next? Was I unsafe like Sol?
Once the Kings deemed someone untrustworthy, they didn’t let them stick around for long. Any threats to the Kings were taken care of. Swiftly. Mercilessly. All of this time, I thought that the killer would be the one to kill me. I never thought that I could possibly die by Zephyr or Arvo’s hands. What a sickening twist.
Then again, there was that ominous pact between me, Arvo, and Zephyr. They warned me about betraying them, about being with someone else. I didn’t sleep with Sol today, but I kissed him. I touched him. I let him touch me. I broke the pact.
This was my punishment, and it scared the hell out of me. I quickly looked around the courtyard, seeing if I could spot any spies or even Zephyr or Arvo. There wasn’t a soul in sight, though. For some reason, that also made me nervous.
I wondered where Sol was. Did he know that Zephyr had ended things with me? That the Kings had discarded me? I imagined that could only make things worse for him too, and I feared that I had sealed our deaths by kissing him in the archives. Maybe it was time for me to go into hiding too.
I quickly gathered everything that I could off the ground before rushing into the building. I obviously couldn’t go to Zephyr’s suite, so I went to the one place that I thought I could be welcomed. I knocked on Buffy’s door once I made it to her room, pitching a wary look over my shoulder.
Buffy opened the door and immediately gave me a confused look when she saw all of my belongings clutched in my arms.
“What happened?” she asked me.
“Zephyr tossed me out,” I told her, feeling my throat tighten as I spoke those words. I hadn’t ever wanted to say those words, even if things had gotten tense between us. I still cared for him in a way that I couldn’t care for anyone else. “Can I stay here?”
Buffy frowned, looking nervous like she had the first time that I knocked on her door and asked for help. There was always a possibility that the Kings could punish her for helping me. However, her care for me as a friend still overpowered that concern.
“Yeah, come in,” she said, waving me inside before shutting the door.
I dropped my things on the floor once I walked into her room, sighing as I stared at my pile of belongings. This had to be rock bottom. Zephyr didn’t even bother to talk to me in person before throwing my things out of his suite. It was like he didn’t even want to face me. Was he that upset with me?
Feeling sick to my stomach, I sat at Buffy’s desk, swallowing hard. I felt uneasy with Zephyr by my side. Now that I was alone, I was terrified. I had no protection, and the Kings weren’t happy with me. Things had changed so quickly, but all change felt like that.
“Why did he toss you out?” Buffy asked as she sat on the edge of her bed, peering at me in a worried manner.
I shook my head as I lowered my eyes to the ground. I dug myself a hole, and I wasn’t sure if I could get out. If the Kings had it their way, they would probably just bury me.
“The Kings don’t trust me anymore,” I said quietly, unable to make my voice stronger. I couldn’t believe I had to say those words. I knew the consequences that came with that statement, and the thought of that made my stomach churn. I thought I might be sick.