Secrets of the Crown Assassins

24

DAMIEN

Eveleen Fluor was missing and I was lying awake in bed, unable to fall asleep.

I wonder why.

After Arielle and Phoenix decided it was a great idea to lose Eveleen Fluor, we arrived back in Cressida to find it in lockdown. The four of us spread out around the city and tried to find her, searching every corner and even looked in the Streeter levels—Level 3 and 4—which were dead ends. She was gone and so was whoever broke her out.

We had no idea of who broke her out, but I had a sneaking suspicion.

Indigo Fluor. The girl that nearly tore us apart.

It had taken months for me to push her out of my mind, but, after I did, I never thought of her again. Until now. The scar was torn right open again and as I tried to close my eyes I only saw her image.

I could see her standing on the balcony of the Alpha suit, face ashen, rain splattering against her hair. I saw her sucking in a breath, the shock reaching her face when she realized I was onto her, that her lies caught up to her. And then again, I would see her standing outside of my door and stumbling back as if she was the victim, as if she hadn't lied first. The memories stung, like metal burning your skin.

But then I saw her smiling as we climbed the steps to Cressida when I first talked to her. I saw her laughing, eyes sparkling, when a bird flew past and brushed her hair back as we walked across the glass path. And it stung, even more, when I realized all of those early memories, the ones that made me enjoy someone else's presence for the first time since the car crash, were lies.

She smiled in my face when all she wanted was to rip us apart and feed us to the vultures. She wanted to destroy my own family, the people who were there for me through thick and thin. None of it was true. Not a single bit.

That day, on the balcony, as the storm swung in, I was abandoned by Knox. I wanted to figure out where we went wrong, so I went searching through our old photos, ones that the school kept in their files, trying to keep track of our friendship. And then I found the photo of Echo and Indigo standing together, thick as thieves.

At first, there was the denial. Perhaps she was just acquaintances with Echo. Maybe she didn't suspect us for Echo's death like the rest of the school. Maybe it was just a coincidence. But then I remembered that I was a Kingston. I was supposed to think rationally, and the only rational explanation was that she joined the Alphas for revenge. And it didn't matter that we didn't kill Echo—there were plenty of other things Indigo could use to tear us down.

In that moment, I lost the only two people who chose me. They were the only two not tied by blood who truly cared and who I truly cared for. And then one left and one was never there to begin with.

I should've pretended to still be her friend and observe her, but I wanted to hurt her. I wanted to hurt her as much as she hurt me. So, I told her that I knew all along, that every fond memory that we shared, that the bond we carried, was all a lie. But I was a fool to think I hurt her at all—she couldn't feel bad if she didn't care about me to begin with.

But, in the end, her lies caught up to her. Both of her friends were killed because of her actions. And when she ran from the cavern, stumbling over their bodies and falling in their blood, an ounce of guilt worked its way in, but it was gone just as fast.

If we didn't do what we did, my family would've been weakened and at the mercy of the vultures. And family always comes first.

But now she was threatening my family again, and I could do nothing but stare at my ceiling as operatives and shadow assassins scoured the nation for our missing prisoner.

I sighed and turned to the side. I felt restless with nothing to fiddle with to calm myself down, but I knew the moment I picked up something, I would become too focused on the object to ever even have a chance at sleep.

So, I closed my eyes and watched the memories of a brown-haired girl who betrayed us, a childhood friend pinned to the ceiling with his eyes missing, and the boy I loved dead in my lap sear through my mind.

It took the images of a deadly girl skipping across the golden roofs, a deadlier boy swaying to the beat of a song, a mother and father holding a little boy's hand, and the flash of an arrow whistling through the air for the world to settle and the darkness to claim me.

♕♕♕

I woke to a bomb going off.

Literally, a bomb going off. My dear brother launched my own grenade into the corner of my room in substitute of an alarm clock. I jumped up only trip over the blankets I was clutching and fall on my face.

"Seriously, Xavier!" I shouted from my position on the ground. "What the hell was that for?"

"The bucket of water you placed over my closet door."

"What? I didn't-"

I paused as I remembered that I set up a quick bucket of water before the bombing because I was too lazy to do a real prank, but it had been a few months since I did one.

I raised an eyebrow. "You didn't open your closet door in the past five days?"

"I used the other door."

I looked over to the mess in a corner of my room where a chunk of the wall was missing, a table in ruins, papers singed and strewn everywhere.

"Don't you think the grenade was a bit overkill?"

"No," he said as he leaned against the doorframe, glaring. "You ruined my black suit."

"You have seventeen identical black suits!"

"That was my favorite."

I sighed. And they call me the dramatic one.

"Get up."

"What time is it?" I asked as I reached for my clock. "It's only five in the morning!"

"You're late."

"But I couldn't sleep until three."

Xavier shrugged, clearly saying "Not my problem" and walked away briskly. He chose a great day to get us back on schedule.

I groaned as I untangled myself from the blankets. Xavier's voice echoed in the distance, "If you're not in the sparring in fifteen minutes the next grenade will go in the second floor."

I thought about all of my prototypes and the multiple weapons which would explode upon that sort of pressure and cause an even bigger mess. And, knowing Xavier, he meant what he said.

I untangled the blankets more aggressively and staggered to my feet. Still cursing the annoying genius I got for a brother, I got ready for the day ahead.

In case some of you guys haven't seen my announcement a few weeks ago, I would just like to say that I will be changing the year from 193 PD to 187 PD (but it's still mid to late October at the moment). I might reveal the reason for this change when I finish all of the books in this universe, but you could probably piece the clues together once I write the prequel and sequel story (if I ever do, but I'm leaning towards yes for both).

Also Shadow and Bone came out on Netflix and I'm probably going to post a review for the show in my announcements or the Creative Writers website (link to website in bio).

That being said, if you like sprawling darker fantasy or morally grey, compelling characters, thieves and thugs engaging in some definitely legal activities or both go check it out!

(PS: I already watched a ten-minute sneak peek yesterday that they released on YouTube and it was already so intriguing that I forgot where I was and that it was only going to be ten minutes, so it already looks good so far!)