Beyond the Walls

Chapter 7

"No!" Ruben yells.

Then black.

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"Aston is a very lucky guy to have a friend like you, Elle," Ruben says, peering at me intently.

"No, he isn't." I shake my head. "It is because of me that he is in the cavern in the first place."

"But it is your love and loyalty for him that makes him lucky."

Sudden anger spikes in my bloodstream. "That isn't enough, Ruben! He is in the cavern because of me, he is suffering because of me. Aston could be killed at any moment and it would be because of me. Love and loyalty aren't always enough!"

His gaze hardens. "It should be."

"Well, life isn't that simple, Ruben."

He runs his tongue over his bottom lip, sighing. "No," he says. "No, it isn't."

And then, Ruben Chander kisses me.

With his lips pressed against my own, the world falls away. He is all that matters, all that could ever matter. As the kiss deepens, my own hands land on his chest and his heart beats rapidly against my palm. He is terrifying and beautiful all at once. I have never wanted anything or anyone more in my entire life.

But then, all too soon, he pulls away, hands cupping my face once again. I let out an audible whimper, yearning for more.

"No," he whispers, biting his lower lip and visibly shuddering. "I shouldn't. You don't know who I really am."

"I do, Ruben," I hiss, the familiar sting of panic begins to work its way up my neck. "I do know who you are."

"I am him, Elle. I am him." His voice is strained, desperate.

"You are nothing like your father, Ruben." My own voice is trembling, on the verge of hysteria.

"But I am, Elizabeth!" he shouts, the sound echoing off the walls surrounding us. "I am no better than him."

That's when the room begins spinning. The warmth of Ruben's room vanishes, replaced with a chilling cold, and with it, Ruben disappears. His figure becomes distorted, a blurred, indistinguishable mess. Then all at once, I am deep in the dungeons of the Palace, burnt orange light casting ominous dancing shadows on the stone walls. And I am staring at a pair of green eyes. But they are not Ruben's. Lord Sneya grins at me, displaying bloodied teeth. He bursts out laughing as he grabs the shaft of the arrow embedded in his chest.

"Silly girl," he coos, withdrawing the arrow from his ribs. "You thought I was gone. You thought you could escape me. But I live on. I live on in him."

He points to Ruben who is shackled harshly to a stake with tight manacles. Whip lashes cascade all over his back, soaked in blood so much that there is no distinction between each wound.

"I live on in him."

A scream. Mine. It fills the room, engulfs my ears, and consumes my entire being.

"What an overestimation of your abilities, Elizabeth." Edward Mallory's voice draws me to consciousness. "And an underestimation of my power."

I gradually ease my eyes open. Edward Mallory peers down at me with his deeply scarred face. I try sitting up, but at once realise that it will not happen. Stiff metal restraints hold me in place. A fresh wave of panic surges through me at the limitation and I fight the urge to scream. "I think you may be a little stuck up, don't you, Edward?"

"But who is the one strapped to a bed?" he grins maliciously, stretching the scar across his eye. "And that is quite the nasty wound you have there." Edward brushes his fingers gently across the cut at my throat and just the feeling of his skin on mine makes me feel sick.

"I am not afraid of you," I say, voice steady despite myself.

He nods nonchalantly. "Perhaps not afraid of me, Elizabeth. But, I do know that there is someone who you are deeply afraid of."

It isn't his words that frighten me, but his tenaciously taunting grin that brings me a sharp sense of foreboding. My hands clench into fists. My breathing becomes uneven.

"I am not afraid," I tell him.

Impossibly, Edward's grin widens. "Don't lie to me, Elizabeth."

Then without another word, Edward turns on his heels and marches across the room to the door. He pulls it open and steps across the threshold, his black suit disappearing at last. But then, in his place, another figure steps into the room.

That's when all the air leaves my lungs. Deflated. Empty. Void of oxygen. I gasp instinctively, desperate to breathe again.

He wears his signature long white coat, although on the breast is the striking Red Leaf symbol embroidered into the fabric. Slowly, agonisingly, he walks across the room. His icy blue eyes fixate on my own, boring into my soul. His lips twitch and at last, he grins.

"Hello, Elizabeth. What a pleasure it is to finally see you again," Doctor Cedric Hatchman says.

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Thank you so much for taking the time to read chapter 7, I hope you enjoyed it. Please let me know your thoughts! 

~ Emma