Kingdom Dawning

Chapter Twenty

"It gets easier," I heard Delaney say as she stepped closer.

"Yeah? Can you tell me when I can begin to start feelings other than anger and vengefulness?" I snickered, Delaney laughed quietly.

"When my mother passed I thought I would never be able to get out of bed. I laid there for at least a week just crying and begging for her to just magically return. It wasn't until my father died that I realized that sitting around crying does nothing, you need to get up and make the world see you."

"I am sorry to hear about your parents". It felt better to know that I wasn't the only orphan here besides my brothers. Delaney shrugged off my words as if it meant nothing.

"They died of disease, we were too broke to afford medicine so it was a miracle that I was able to recover." Delaney looked down at her nail beds as she talked about her parent's death. I could tell that she was trying to put on a mask that her parents. Yet, I could see through the cracks in her facade. Her usual stone-cold scowl had been weighed down with sorrow and she looked off into the distance as if to remember a better time. It was strange seeing Delaney feeling something other than hatred for me. I reached out to touch her arm in an attempt to comfort her but before I could even touch her skin she forcefully pulled away from me. 

"What are you doing?" Delaney said, she seemed almost like an animal that was backed into a corner; eyes wide, baring her teeth, ready to attack. She was once again back to hating me. I threw my hands up in defense.

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you... I was just trying to help." I said trying to get her calm again.

"By touching me? You're one of them now. You're everything I stand against." She recoiled herself to the other side of the room. Delaney's harsh tone echoing within my body, joining the other voices that were already filling my head with head pounding noise.

"Cyra keep moving"

"You're everything I stand against"

I was lost in my own circling thoughts when I heard the door open. Leaning into the room was Quillian. His eyes bloodshot from the lack of sleep, clothes a tangled mess, and thick red stubble ran across his cheeks and jawline.

"Cycy....It's time" Quillian's voice was raspy and quiet. His tone sounded ashamed, but of what? I cleared my throat and walked over to him. I could feel Delaney's sharp stare following me out of the room.

We walked through the halls in silence. I hadn't seen Quillian since my mother was shot and he ran after the attacker. I soon learned that before Quillian could catch him the attacker swallowed a pill that ended his life. I'm guessing so he wouldn't be able to be captured or spill any Vinick secrets. Ever since then Quillian was an empty shell of who he once was. The silence was slowing driving me mad. Quillian never used to be quiet. With everything being ripped away from me I couldn't handle him being taken from me too. We were halfway to my grand speech when I stepped in front of him, stopping him in his tracks.

"Say something....say a stupid joke that'll make me roll my eyes, tease me about the time I fell into a mud puddle, sing a hideous song loudly just to annoy me! Say anything please," I nearly got on my knees and begged him. His eyes darted to the floor, Quillian could barely look at me.

"Say what? That I failed you and your brothers and now your mother is dead? I couldn't save her Cyra!" Sadness and agony filled every word. Quillian's shoulders shook as he let the tears he had been holding in go. "Then when I went to f-find the man.... It was too late once again...I am always one step behind, I am so sorry Cyra," He tried to cover up that he was crying by coughing and shaking his head. I grabbed him and laid his head on my shoulder.