That night I sat in my dormitory with my knees up to my chin and my arms wrapped around my legs wondering why the hell Fabio would do something like this. If you're wondering about the rooms we were assigned, then don't bother. I partnered up with Drew because Miles feels more comfortable with Lee.
Our dorms were much smaller than the ones at Alexandria. They were a floor below, practically in the cold, dark basement. When I first walked in with Drew, I was dumbfounded. A bunk bed was attached to the wall with a tiny ladder for the top one. Of course, Drew beat me to it and took the bed below, and I had to force myself to relish the one above it. There was a small closet that we had to share and a mirror. That's about it.
It was a disappointment. Like my life.
"Are you going to sleep?" I asked Drew who was laying in bed most likely awake. The sound of shifting from below answered my question. I rolled my eyes and tucked myself in and my dagstaff under my bed. Maybe I can fall asleep if I count back from a hundred. But the problem was, every time I tried closing my eyes, flashes of Aiden would run past me.
"My mother's dying."
I sat up and looked down from the railing of my side. Drew laid straight with his hands resting on his chest. He was looking up his eyes filled with questions.
"I'm sorry," I said looking away when he made eye contact. "I know the feeling."
Drew took in a big breath before saying, "The hospital has no cure for her illness. They don't even have a name for it."What happened to yours?"
"Probably cancer."
"But they have a cure for it?" he questioned. I shrugged my shoulders not knowing what happened to her and how Fabio didn't finish his story. He turned his body towards the wall. "I hope I get this job. It's the only way I can pay for her."
I didn't know what else to say, so I just rested back. It seems that everyone needs this job for a better reason. I can't take that privilege from Drew, or Miles, or Lee. There has to be another way to stay here.
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"I hope you all slept well-"
"Derek I'm pretty sure you guys have bugs in bed-"
"Deal with it yourself."
I mentally rolled my eyes as Miles winced down because of Derek's response. I don't know why he had to be so rude about everything.
"Anyways, King Elior will be arriving momentarily. In the meantime, I will assign you the tasks." He ended with a sinister smile. My worried nerves kicked in as I continually bit my lip at what was about to be given.
"Miles, since you are bad at laundry-," he stepped towards him and put a paper on his chest, "- you will be in charge of it. All of it." He smirked at Miles breaking face as he read the paper with instructions, his hands shaking vigorously.
"Lee, you will be in charge of taking care of the stables."
"Drew, you are the head chef," Derek said watching Drew's face turn stern. He can't cook for shit, can he?
Derek then stepped in front of me like I was a huge burden being carried around. He took the last paper and handed it to me saying, "Since you are so good at everything, you will be in charge of organizing the entire grand library, fixing the King's office and his personal room, cleaning the big windows in the main hall, and organizing up the greenhouse garden. Is that clear?" He smiled with his eyes closed, the crinkles appearing on his old face. I let out an irritated sigh and snatched the paper from his hand making him jump. I read it over and over again the sides of it crinkling from my grip.
"That asshole," I muttered to myself. Elior actually assigned me all these jobs.
"Make sure these tasks are completed by tomorrow-," Derek said scanning each one of us and then stopping his gaze at me,"- all of them." He spun on his heel dramatically and exited the room that we had the entire debacle in yesterday.
"I can't believe I have to clean horse shit!"
"And laundry!"
"At least you all have single tasks, I have to do all this by tomorrow!" I complained throwing my hands up in the air.
"We should get to work," Drew said quietly. We all looked at him with tired faces and nodded in agreement. The only way to get this done is to start now. The first task is the library, so that is where I'll go. Get the big tasks out of the way.
The boys exited the room leaving me to my thoughts. I closed my eyes and took deep breaths. I can do this. I can do this.
"I can't do this." I huffed as my shoulders slumped. Imagine the library like the one from Beauty and the Beast. That big. Humongous. The books were scattered everywhere. On the floor, or left lopsided on the shelves. There were about a thousand volumes on the table waiting to be organized. Who the hell does this much reading? I groaned and stomped my feet like a child at sight. "NO! Iris, you can't let this get to you. You need this job! You got this! We'll just start from level one and then hopefully we can get it done. No worries."
I stumbled on the books that were lying opened with pictures and words inside of them. I made my way towards the ladder and started fixing the divisions that were on the highest shelves. They were two levels to the library. The ground floor with all history books and the second level that was up the swirly stairs had all fiction and fantasy. The good stuff.
"The History of Men?" I read the title out loud and scoffed. "Trash." I threw it over my shoulder as it hit the floor hard. I picked out another book and threw my head back frustrated. "The History of Man Power." I launched the book in the air and heard it hit the ground. To sum it up, King Elior was sexist. Not a single book on women.
The first floor sucked. Worst books in the world. Who wants to read about men and their destructions? I shook my head in disappointment and marched up the stairs to the second floor that held better works. I ascended up the ladder and picked out a random book once again.
"Hush, Hush?" I mumbled with confusion. "Fallen angels? Interesting." I turned the first page and read it out loud. It was something different. Patch made me feel things. Imagine fallen angels in this era? If only. I kept reading and turning pages forgetting about the rest of my tasks.
The slam of the door was loud that it could wake up the birds outside. Well, it sure woke me up. I can't believe I fell asleep standing on the ladder. I looked at my sleeve that was wet with drool. With a disgusted face, I quickly climbed down from the ladder, crouched down each step on the swirly stairs, and hid behind one the bookshelves downstairs. Who in the hell could possibly be awake at this hour?
"Why didn't she clean this up?"
Elior.
I peeked through the shelves as he kicked The History of Men. It fell a few feet away and landed next to another book. He glanced around as if he was careful about his surroundings. I covered my mouth but kept watching as he lazily moved towards the shelves trying to pick out a book.
My jaw dropped as he would hold out a copy, read the back cover, and if he weren't interested, he would toss it over his shoulder. He did that for at least fifty books before picking some tedious logical reading. He made his way to the couch throwing away the books that were covering it. After nestling down, his head on the armrest and his legs up, he opened the book and started reading. I whined silently like a child because there was no way I could leave considering the door was just a few inches away from where he was.
What do I do?
He's so dwelled into his book that maybe he won't notice me if I left. I quietly crouched up and kept peering at him. Still reading. I tiptoed my way, avoiding any books that were near my feet. I snickered to myself quietly because of my expert sneaking.
But I spoke too soon.
Right when I was at the corner of my hideout, my hand that was sliding against the books accidentally got caught up in one causing it drop and hit the floor hard. I bit my bottom lip as Elior perched up scanning nearby. How was he even functioning wearing a suit?
I gulped and drew a cross on my chest because this was the last time I would breathe. He wandered towards the sound, causing me to go the opposite way. I hid behind another shelf as he sauntered to my previous hideout.
"Shit, shit, shit, shit," I whispered to myself as I shut my eyes and moved to the next aisle and him repeating. It was like a game of cat and mouse. I peeked through the books as he was no longer there. I put a hand on my beating chest and let out a quiet breath of air. I shut my eyes from relief and rested my head against the books. That was so intense. I smiled victoriously and stood up to leave.
"Miss Evans."
My colour went pale, and the smile dropped right away. My jaw clenched as the book that I was holding on to about the fallen angels descended near my feet. I slowly turned around coming face to face with Elior. The window above was piercing the moonlight onto his face. His hazel eyes were glowing in the dark as they watched my every move.
"Listen, I can explain-"
"May I ask what you are doing in this library at this hour of the night?" He asked stepping closer and me stepping back.
"I-I was just cleaning up?"
"I believe that is cheating," he whispered and leaned down to pick the book that fell by my feet. He examined the cover and scoffed. "Poor choice. They all die at the end."
"Don't ruin the book!" I exclaimed out loud receiving a surprised eyebrow raise from Elior. I quickly covered my mouth as he narrowed his eyes as if I disrespected him. Which I did. But I don't care. I snatched the book from him which he gave up surprisingly.
"Miss Evans, who gave you permission to read?" He took another step, and I took one back. I sighed, giving up on being nice.
"Look, your Highness, I have been given several, difficult tasks that are to be completed by tomorrow. Of course, my dumbass is going to sleep, especially if it's cleaning up a library that is bigger than the one I used to work in before!" I retorted throwing my hands here and there as he observed my every motion. "Plus, it's a library! Of course, I'm going to read. I like to read."
"I used to work?" he asked.
"What?"
"You used to work where before?" He stepped closer again, his face even more severe.
"That is none of your business." I stepped back hitting a bookshelf that was inconveniently placed there.
"Oh, but of course it is," he stepped closer his breath on my face. Damn it, it smelled like mint. "You see, Miss Evans, you're in my palace. You are working for me. I own you and the rest of the other workers. So, tell me again, where did you use to work?" He was scanning my facial expressions to see if I would slip.
"T-The hospital had an abundance of books," I stuttered as he watched me. I looked to my side but took glances every now and then. "But of course you wouldn't know that."
He smiled. Genuinely smiled. The moonlight faded away leaving the only darkness and the lamplight that was near the couch. Somehow his eyes still glowed.
"What did you call me in the hall again?" He whispered, his eyes fixed on my lips, waiting for an answer.
"A monster," I spat out staring at him in the eyes. "And I meant it."
"And I meant what I said too." He looked hurt again.
"You know, you don't have to do this. You are better than this. This isn't the path you should be going down," I informed him. I was trying to drop hints about Fabio, but I didn't want to give too much away. And I shouldn't have because his eyes turned from hurt to rage in a matter of seconds.
"You don't know anything about me," he whispered harshly. My breath turned shaky as the throbbing in my wrist started up again. I hid my hands behind my back which, of course, he took notice of. He brought his eyes back up again as they switched back and forth from my lips to my eyes.
"Is there something on my lips?" I suddenly asked touching them. He broke out of his rage façade and furrowed his eyebrows as if I just interrupted his 'cool guy' speech.
"Excuse me?"
"No seriously, you keep looking at them. I was drooling when I took a nap up there, but you don't have to make it so obvious." I put my hands on my waist and rolled my eyes.
"Just, get out." He pointed to the door, his fingers placed on his in frustration.
"But-"
"Leave, Rose!"
I crouched underneath from his body and walked straight ahead. Then I realized something.
"Did you just call me Rose?" I asked somewhat excited. He ran his hands through his black hair, certainly angry and annoyed. His two most prominent emotions.
"Out!"
"Ok sorry," I muttered, but then I had the greatest idea. I stood in my tracks and shifted my body around.
"What now?"
"Goodnight-," I put my hand up and wiggled my fingers as if I was waving,"- Elior." I laughed out loud, but then ran for my life as he chased after me. I rushed towards the door, but stumbled on the books and collapsed to the ground as he had the same problem and dropped on top of me.
"Ow!" I groaned in pain my eyes shut from the throbbing in my wrist. He put his hands on each side of my shoulders. I opened my eyes and looked into his bewildered ones. His eyes landed on my lips again, but this time, they stayed there. Is there seriously something on there? I watched as his eyes fell on my wrist that I was using to protect my chest. They softened for some reason. Our breathing was so subtle that even the night would be jealous.
"I-I didn't mean to hurt-"
The library door swung open, and the figure screamed out loud. A female's shriek, in specific.
"YOUR HIGHNESS!" Derek stumbled across the books to help him up. Elior pushed him away and fixed his blazer. I scattered to my feet and caressed my wrist. His eyes flickering to them and then back at the books.
"Take me to my, uh, to my-"
"Room, sir?"
"Yes. Let's go to my room. I need rest for tomorrow's meeting." And with one last look, he exited the library. Derek muttered curse words to me and slammed the library door close.
"What the hell just happened?"
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woah. intense angst. also idk what happens in hush hush i only read the first book lol.
anywayssss im writing a new book. super unique.
vote. comment. follow. ily all very much for supporting MIR :)