Behind the Walls. NOVEL By Claire Darcy.

35. A Rose By Any Name.

ACE.

I held back my scream as the air rushed past, whipping my hair and howling around my body as I plummeted towards the ground. In a frightening blur, the grappling hook pulled taut and I clung to Whisp as we were swung back into the air, soaring towards the rooftops. It was over before it had scarcely begun, and my feet touched the roof beneath them. I held onto Whisp and steadied my breathing, my eyes closed tight.

"Wh-where are we?" I gasped out, my knees buckling.

"Atop the highest building in the Academy. We're on the roof of the lookout tower by Building One. Open your eyes, it's okay," he replied with a small laugh. I took another deep breath, then opened my eyes.

The Academy lay sprawled out below me, the only thing taller than us being the walls. I could see the cafeteria and the courtyard, and the Arena off to the side. Beyond that, I could just see the bridge, and the strange buildings that I'd never been to on the other side. Beneath the bridge rushed a coursing river, which wound back around the Arena, cutting this side off from the other. The moonlight illuminated the whole scene in a blue-ish glow, and the icy wind whispered through the trees. Far, far, far below, the ground seemed to swim and writhe with the distance. My stomach churned and I took a shuddery breath, holding Whisp tight.

"Don't fall!" Whisp teased, giving me a small shove. I gasped and stepped back, away from the edge, turning to glare at him.

"Don't!" I hissed, giving him a punch in the arm. The roof was pretty much a flat square, with a few poles jutting up into the sky, and a twisting metal arch that seemed more for show than usability.

"Sorry. Come sit down," Whisp instructed, letting go of me and moving back. He led me by the hand and we sat down in the corner of the rooftop, our legs hanging precariously over the edge. Thankfully the pole behind me was sturdy enough to lean on, and it gave me some comfort.

"So here we are, Amelia."

I nodded again, still shaken up. "It's Ace," I said quietly, avoiding eye contact. Whisp glanced at me, then back out at the Academy.

"And those other names? Amelia, Alice, Ava and Azura?"

"They're not me."

"But you know who they are?"

"Yes."

Whisp waited silently for me to explain. "I've heard a thousand stories about all those names. But they aren't mine. My name isn't Amelia... And it's not Ace, either."

The eyes of Whispering Death bored into mine. "Then please, just tell me. Tell me your real name. Who are you?"

I smirked and shook my head, "I don't know."

Whisp scoffed, "What do you mean you 'don't know'? How can you not know your own name?"

Sighing, I looked up at the sky. Stars twinkled overhead, a constant reminder of the past; of quiet mumblings and echoes of stories. It was time someone knew the truth.

"My name- the name I was given at birth... It's a name written in a forgotten language. Who I really am is not a name spoken by people, but rather, a lost curse, whispered among stars. I can't be allowed to know my name. Because if I know my name, I'll know who I am. And if I know who I am, so will the enemy. That's what my parent's always said, at least."

Whisp shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck beneath his black hood. His shimmering aqua eyes stared out at the horizon.

"You know," he began after a few moments of silence, "I actually expected you to lie to me. I expected to have to try and pick up clues from whatever you told me. But I know you're telling the truth."