Scarlett Romero has spent her entire life as an ordinary citizen; going to school, getting a job and definitely not killing people in the middle of the woods on a Friday night.
Until one Friday night, she does.
All she can remember is acting out of...
Those who escape hell, however, Never talk about it. And nothing bothers them after that.
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Chapter Eighteen "An Escape From Hell"
Scarlett's POV:
I grunt, beads of sweat dotting my forehead and rolling down the back of my neck. My chest heaves, breaths strained as I try to get the air to harden in a shield around me. The element doesn't want to cooperate and buzzes through my hair, flipping my ponytail in my face.
I drop the connection, throwing my arms in the air and resisting the urge to collapse under my wobbly knees. I've been trying to form this damned shield for an hour. Alexander said it shouldn't be a shield I can see. It's something I'll be able to feel, like invisible armour clinging to my skin.
"Are you communicating with it?" Alexander asks, pushing himself off the wall and striding towards me. He has a stoic look on his face, one of a trainer, but there's an underlining amusement shining in his eyes I don't appreciate.
"This isn't funny, arsehole, it's making my head pound!" I whine, shoulders drooping. "But no, I'm not talking to the air. I wanted to try it without having to talk, like I did to the doctor."
It's been two weeks since Alexander and I stopped Natalia from being whipped. I was paranoid days after, afraid the doctor would tell someone about what I did, but nobody ever came. The prison went on like usual; taking part in activities and pretending this place isn't the devil in disguise.
"You don't have enough control to do that, Scarlett," Alexander reprimands, frowning slightly and crossing his arms over his chest. "Eventually, you will be able to control all elements without having to think, or talk to them, but you've barely known about this power for a month. It's going to take time."
My reply sits heavy on the tip of my tongue; we don't have time! I don't let it escape, clamping my mouth shut and clenching my jaw. After Quinn showcased the control she has, with the children and setting up Natalia, my ever-present need to escape Citadel Prison has been growing.
"When in doubt, go back to the basics," Alexander sighs, taking my silence as a moment of pitying failure. I mean, he isn't wrong. "Talk to the air, it'll listen. You need to build from the beginning, and you can't do that if you don't know the basics."
I groan, "You sound like a goddamn teacher!"
"Scarlett, I am your teacher."
I blink, staring at him for a second before pouting. He rolls his eyes, but can't hide the small smile pulling at his lips.
"Just try it again," Alexander chuckles lowly, backing away to watch from the corner of the cul-de-sac. I huff, nerves building and flapping their stupid butterfly wings in the pit of my stomach. I want to master this skill – or get it right at least once, but lately, having Alexander watch has made my hands shake and throat tighten.
