Scorched

31

"I think not."

"You had it the last time."

"Well, I want it now again. Besides it's mine isn't it? You don't pay for this."

"I don't remember you telling me that I had to, and what happened to making yourself at home?"

Cleo rolls her eyes and takes the toasted cake out of his hands for the fourth time this morning.

Ezra here wanted her cake. Can you bloody believe it?

"Ezra dear. I like cakes and I'm still hungry."

"You had majority of the eggs and both slices of bread. I had a fruit salad and one streak of bacon. You call that a fair meal?"

"Is this because you are a man, and they always eat more than women? That's prejudice. I have an appetite too. We have a big day."

"Exactly. A big day. And I don't get shit to eat."

She gets off the bed with a quick slide. "Oh please. Be grateful you at least get something."

Ezra follows after her as he dresses himself into the guard uniform. She goes to her dresser and looks at her face and hair before pulling the wet strands into a tight fitted braid against her scalp; all the while Ezra watching her movements.

"You're the one who should be grateful." He sneers and shudders as if he had a rough tingling sensation trickling down his neck.

She looks away from his mad eyes and meets her own cold ones, and the nasty scar lining her neck filled with scabs. Just how many times was she going to get scarred and mauled and verbally abused?

"How was your evening Ezra? Any problem?"

He combs his hair with a comb she lent him and told him to keep for himself because she didn't want it returned with lice, even though he didn't have any; and he kept his mouth shut, obviously not wanting to start another fight with her so early in the morning, which she also welcomed with open arms.

"No hustle."

She ties the elastic on the ends of her hair, wrinkling her nose at the big fat liar she was staring at. "Is that so?"

She buttons up her hooded shirt in the front and closes all the clasps and buckles of her protective, yet also sexy stylish gear.

"What caused you to suddenly shout at me to order the horses and guards to take leave this morning?" She crosses her arms.

He sighs and slips the comb into his pocket showing off his thick hand veins. "Because you can't wait any longer. You ceremony is days away. You'll be thanking me soon for this decision that I enforced upon you."

She snorts. "What happened to waiting for the mage?"

He looks away from her. Instead looking outside to the clear skies and still rising sun. He is in the clouds — completely warped into his own head.

He faces her once again with a casual and calming look in his eyes. "Just trust me on this Cleo."

And then without another word he jumped over her balcony before she could even give him the leftover breakfast that she realized was too selfish to save for the trip.

                                                          °°°

So how the hell are you going Ezra? Ever thought about that?

She bites harshly into the chewy cake tasting of honey and dough. Scowling in the meantime about how fucking stupid Ezra was. He just left. He ditched her. Just like everyone did to her. Jezio. Kaleb. Who else?