𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𓆩⟡𓆪 𝕏𝕒𝕕𝕖𝕟 ℝ𝕚𝕠𝕣𝕤𝕠𝕟

「 ✦ 0.02 ✦ 」

Another step, another tap of Rhiannon's feet and I frown at her boots. Please tell me she doesn't have brand new boots on. Please tell me she doesn't.

"Let me see your boots," I say quietly so a specific jerk behind Violet doesn't hear and decide he wanted to get rid of Rhiannon on the parapet, because I know his type and he definitely would.

She furrows her browns in confusion, but she lifts up her boots and shows me the soles. They're smooth, just like the ones I was wearing earlier. My stomach sinks like a rock. Dammit.

The line starts moving again, pausing when we're only a few feet from the opening. "What size are your feet?" I ask, dreading the answer. From the look of her feet, my shoes will be way too small for her and she wouldn't even be able to slide her whole foot in.

"What?" Rhiannon blinks at me like I was insane. Who knows, maybe I am.

"Your feet. What size are they?"

"Eight," she answers, two lines forming between her brows.

"Shoot. I'm a six. I don't know if it will fit, but we can try." I say frantically, trying to vision how this would end. If I was a size seven if would hurt, but it would be manageable. With a six, it's impossible to trade but it's worth a shot. "Trade with me."

"Wait. I'm a seven, I can trade with Rhiannon." I hear Violet say quietly behind me and I turn to meet her determined eyes. She was thinking the same thing I was about her smooth shoes. She was going to die if we didn't do something to help her and quick before she was next.

Rhiannon meets my gaze for approval and I nod my head towards Violet. They would be better to switch, because there's only one size difference.

"It will hurt like hell, but this will save your life across this parapet. It's about to get slippery." I explain as Violet and Rhiannon quickly swap a shoe, with the time we had left.

"Ready for the next one, Riorson?" I hear someone ask and I whip my head towards the voice. I look past the rider with ripped sleeves who asked the question and turned my attention to the black hair and onyx eyed man next to him. Xaden Riorson. The one person I was anxious to meet. My best friend.

I drink in his features and try not to drool too much. He definitely has grown up and is not at all who I was expecting. He's...hot. I suck in a small breath and rank my gaze up and down his frame, hating how much I was attracted to the person who is my childhood best friend. What can I say, I have a type and it was Xaden with a capital X.

Once Liam was already halfway down the parapet, Rhiannon was called and turns toward me. I take my gaze off of Xaden and smile encouragingly at Rhiannon.

"You ready for this Whitlock?" I hear her ask and I see Xaden instantly turn his gaze on me the second he hears my last name. I give her a thumbs up and she began her journey across the tight rope of death. I wait at the entrance, with so much anxiety and adrenaline for one person. I was counting down the time until I would have to meet the parapet and hope I don't fall.

"Whitlock?" I hear Xaden say before taking a step towards me. I look over at him and realize how tall he has gotten and how short I am compared to him. I try to act unbothered, but I can't help the small smile make its way on my face. Only Xaden noticed and I see the happiness he has to see me flash through his eyes, before disappearing quickly.

He moves his gaze towards Violet and I can see the hard expression he gives her. I know I should stop this stare off, but I don't have it in my heart to get in the middle of this, when I will always be on the side of the tortured children who lost their freedom.

"See you on the other side, Sorrengail." I say, before turning towards the parapet. The guy with ripped sleeves gesture for me to go and I step onto the parapet without a second thought. I can feel the tingle at the back of my skull and know Xaden was watching me with such an intense gaze, it almost makes me stumble and fall.

I regain my composure and start to slowly make my way across the slippery beam, thanking my father for doing one nice thing and giving me worn boots. How generous of him, guess he didn't want my death to be from smooth boots. He really wants me to just jump off on my own. Jokes on him, that's not happening.

I throw my hands out on either side to balance myself and made big strides across the small surface I had to work with. As a kid, I used to love to balance on fences and tree branches. This was no different, except that if I fell, I would certainly die and not just break a bone. I try to imagine myself balancing on a fence, only a few feet above the ground, as I make my way across the parapet. It seems to work and I imagine to feeling of the rough wood from the fence in the backyard of the Riorson's estate. I picture Xaden following my lead, his laugh sounding behind me and I smile fondly at the memory.

The journey across the parapet was much fast than I anticipated and before I knew it, I was at the entrance into the riders quadrant. I let out a sigh of relief, the memory from Aretia disappearing from my thoughts as I jumped down on the soft surface. I sag in relief.

I had made it across the parapet and proved my father wrong.

꒦꒷︶꒦꒷︶꒦꒷ Author's Note ꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶꒷꒦

I hope you enjoyed!

Sorry for any mistakes!

Don't be a ghost! Comment!

Until next time x