Broken, but Not Defeated

Chapter 54 (Juliana)

I can't believe Caldina! She told us that we would be able to go. And if we can't go does that mean that she'll let Anya, Cole, and the others go?

A knock on my door interrupts my pacing. "Go away!" I snap. The door creaks, and I look up to find Anya standing in the doorway. She is wearing traveling clothes.

"I'm sorry Juliana, but it's for the best, please believe me," she begs.

"Go away, Anya!"

"Please, Julia," she pleads, tears filling her eyes.

"Oh, now I'm Julia." I laugh.

"Jules, please."

"Go away!" I say turning my back on her.

"I love you. Please don't hate me if I don't come back," she implores before I hear the door click. I throw myself on my bed, tears streaming down my face.

I don't know how long I lay there, but a commotion outside my door makes me sit straight up. The door breaks open, and standing in it is none other than Peter, Matthew, and Aron.

"We're busting you out of here, Princess," Peter says with a huge, dopey smile on his face. "You know, I always thought that it would be way more fun than this though." Both Matthew and Aron roll their eyes. I let out a laugh.

"One down, one more to go," Aron says. We head for Wesley's door.

Just then an ear shattering roar makes us pause, the sound of steel against steel has us running.

"Cole and Anya are helping Wesley get out." Matthew says, making me pause. Matthew turns back to me as Peter and Aron turn a corner. "My Lady?"

"I need a second, go! I'll catch up," I say, turning back. I run a few steps to my room. I race for the closet. Grabbing the short sword Caldina had given me, I close my eyes as I remember the day she presented it to me.

"This sword had belonged to my older cousin, but she didn't survive that day," she told me, her face was a rock, but when I looked into her eyes I could see the sadness in them.

Thinking about it now I had seen not sadness but regret. I hold the sword and close my eyes as I think of the people who had been killed that night, killed by the one element given to Caldina. I wonder what it's like controlling the one thing that killed your family and friends. I quickly throw on my traveling clothes, I grab the sword off the bed, strap it on, then push the few knives Sienna had been training me with into their holsters and strap them to me. Just then footsteps sound behind me.

"I'm ready," I tell the person behind me.

"You really are starting to look like them every day," Cole says. I tense up.

"Cole, it's you," I say, turning around to find him leaning against the door, sweat dripping down his face. I quickly do an up and down, and my eyes pause at the sight of his biceps. Stop staring at his arm! Look away Juliana! I mentally snap at myself. I just barely drag my eyes away from his impressive muscles before things get awkward, but by the smirk on his lips I would say I failed. And now, great, I'm staring at his lips. I wonder what it would be like to kiss him...

"See something you like?" he asks, breaking me out of my musing.

"No," I mumble, my face heating up. Seriously Juliana, get a grip. "I was just noticing the fact that you seemed to be stronger than you were last year," I say.

"Mmhhh," he says, dragging a hand through his hair, making it stick up all over the place, also it made his arms flex even more.

"Did you need something?" I ask, shoving my diary into my bag.

"Yeah, we leave in two minutes."

"Oh, thanks."

He sits down, "Juliana we need to talk."

"About?"

"You going."

"I'm going Cole, no arguments"

"Please Juliana, it's safer here."

"Safer!" I shout. "Cole, everyone I know and love is going to be fighting, and you expect me to sit here and do nothing!"

"Yes Juliana."

"Really!"

"Yes."

"What did you say when you came in?"

"That you looked like one of them, and no. Just because you look like one doesn't mean you are one," he says, tearing his hands through his hair making him look like an umbrella bird.

"I am one of them!" I shout.

"No you're not."

"I might not be as strong as them, but I am still a witch."

"No you're not."

"Oh really, did you forget I can do this?" I say making a ball of water appear on my hand. "I'm not that little girl that needs saving anymore Cole. I'm not a damsel in distress who needs her prince charming. I'm the bad guy in that story, I'm the villain that locks the damsel up. I'm the person mothers tell their children about. I'm a WITCH!" I say, enunciating the last word. "And it's high time you see that." I add, storming out of the room. Rowan was right, they all see me as the weak little girl, well no longer! If they want to see a little girl they are going to have to look somewhere else!