Eight

Ava's

POV:

Two more days passed by. This time, I didn't stick around in the room that was supposed to be my

room. Instead, I started visiting the library more often.

It wasn't actually a library. At least not like the ones back where I lived. Tall dark shelves with thick leather bound books. That's all this place was filled with. Not a single couch. Or a chair to sit on. There was this some sort of strange vibe in that room which made me want to visit it.

At least this room was better than those gardens. Or this whole dark mansion-looking palace.

I did want to visit those gardens once again. Even if those flowers looked lifeless, they were still flowers. But the mere fact that I'd hear those voices again, was keeping me rooted to my spot.

I had to find a way to get out of this place. And there was only one I knew. What those voices had said.

I

needed

to

persuade

Hayden

to

take

me

back.

Whatever this place was. Whoever he was. I needed to stay away. I couldn't help but shiver every time I remembered back to what those voices had said.

Hayden

was

dangerous.

In every way.

And why wouldn't he be? I wasn't supposed to die that night. This wasn't supposed to happen. That accident happened because he

came in the way!

Lord

of

the

Dead. That's

what

the voices

called

him.

So, I tried dwelling in those thicks, old books, trying to find something useful. Except, the only language they were in, wasn't English. And the words written on those rough papers made no sense to me.

I didn't see Hayden either. Despite the fact how I didn't want to see his face, I still wanted to ask him about that crowd of people below us. Below this palace. And about him. And about all of this. I needed answers.

But he never showed up. Until that day.

I was coming out of the library. And my whole body felt feverish for some reason. The only reason I could come up with was my lack of eating the past few days. I was so freaking hungry. But this place made me feel nauseous.

I couldn't even remember the last day I had eaten something. Probably back at my house. And the thought of my family made me want to throw up even more.

I wanted to see Will. And Zoe. And Elliot. What would they be doing now? Zoe and Elliot must be in school. Except I didn't know anything about the time here.

I

even

missed

Mason.

Would Mason had not broken up with me if he had known how I'd die later that day? I just hoped Will was fine. The hollow ache in my chest wasn't helping at all.

I was walking down the hallway when I started feeling extra queasy. I had to place my hand on the wall to support myself. My knees felt wobbly. And weak.

"You should eat something."

This time I wasn't that surprised when I heard the familiar voice. I looked up to see Hayden in front of me. In his same black attire. Except that he was wearing black leather boots now. And his hair was disheveled.

"I'm not planning on living here forever." I replied.

Hints of a slow smirk spread across his lips. I had to force myself to look away. "You aren't going to drop it, are you?"

I leaned back against the wall, placing the back of my head against it. "Where have you been the past few days?" I asked, instead of answering him.

He looked away from my eyes.

"I thought you'd appreciate it if I stayed away from you." He answered. "I thought you'd appreciate not to see my

face." It was crazy how he directly picked the words right out from my mind.

"Why are you here now?" I asked. "Because for your information, I really do appreciate not to see your face."

Which was a lie. Zoe would've loved the sight of his face. Every popular girl back in my high school would've swooned over those defined cheekbones. And those mysterious eyes.

Too

bad

he

wasn't

a

normal

human

being.

"I'm here because I realized." He stuffed his hands in his pockets, not offended by my remark. I had to look away from his arms, where the sleeves were rolled up. "How you haven't eaten anything for days."

I blinked as I felt a warm shiver go down my spine.

"Like I said, I'm not staying here."

"You believe in stories way too much."

I gave him a really bad look at that. "Oh really? And what is Underworld then? Wasn't that just a stupid legend?" I asked out loud.

His eyes found mine back again.

"It is a stupid legend. At least the story about Hades and Persephone." He replied. "You can eat, Ava. That won't stop you from escaping."

I looked back at him in surprise.

"Only I would."

"You're a jerk, did you know that?" There was clear anger in that statement. His lips just twitched at the corners in response.

"I will escape, Hayden." I said.

"Like I said before, you can't."

"Why don't you give me a legit reason for that?"

He looked unsure for a moment. As if explaining this to me won't be worth it.

"The Furies are after you." He answered.

If grandma hadn't told me about the Furies, I wouldn't have known what he meant.

"I don't care if they're after me." I said through my clenched jaw.

"I really think you should." His eyes were mocking me. That just angered me to a whole new level.

"Just because I touched a goddamn black stone, those things are after me? Do you know what this sounds like?" I didn't wait for him to respond. "A freaking story! Things like these don't happen!"

He narrowed his eyes at me. "I didn't say anything about a black stone." With one final glance, he turned around and started walking away as if talking to me wasn't worth his time.

I just had to follow him.

"Well, what did you mean then?" I asked, trying to catch up with his long strides.

"I meant nothing." He didn't even give me a glance. His lack of attention was the only reason that made me grab onto his arm. Which worked.

He stopped and turned around, eyeing my hand on his arm. I pulled away just as quick.

"I saw those people outside. The river and that crowd." I sounded breathless. Which I was since I had to practically run to catch up to him.

His eyebrows furrowed as he eyed me. "How did you manage to do that?"

For the first time, I felt like cowering away from that gaze. It felt like he was looking right inside me. Finding my deepest, darkest secrets.

"I went to the gardens."

"Really?"

"Why are all the flowers black?" I blurted out. Which was totally off the point. "I don't like that, Hayden. Why aren't there any colors?"

His eyes widened in amusement. "And why do you

care if you're planning to escape soon?"

I kept quiet at that. Since I had no idea how to answer that question.

"Were those...dead people?" I asked, my voice dropping to a murmur.

"I thought you already knew that?"

"They were so many." Horror was clawing at my stomach now. My poor, empty stomach.

"Not my fault that thousands of mortals decide to kill each other every single day."

I did not like the sound of that.

"And you're not a mortal?" I asked, trying to keep him engaged in the conversation. He probably would've walked away again if I hadn't done that.

I didn't even realize what he was doing until he stepped closer and leaned down towards me. So that our faces were just inches away.

"Do I look like a mortal?" He asked.

I tried my best to break away from that gaze. Since he was actually quite close, I realized how his eyes resembled like a dark stormy sky. They almost looked lifeless. Like deep pits of a never ending hole.

I wanted to look away. But something wasn't letting me do that. A strange force. Not like the one people describe in stories. No, it was more like the sleep

paralysis

kind of force.

I wanted to look away. But I couldn't.

And then the corner of his lips twitched in that same, all-knowing smirk. And I staggered back.

"Don't do that." I whispered.

"Don't do what?" He clearly knew what he did. He wasn't a mortal. A normal human being couldn't have done...that.

Just that and my whole self felt vulnerable. As if he finally found out about those hidden insecurities. Which I'm sure he didn't.

"I...I need to go back."

He's

using

you. He

wants

you

for

his

own

self.

"Tell me the reason why you are so eager to go back?" He asked. "What would you go back to?"

"My parents."

"Those parents who just love you because you're their perfect

daughter?"

I didn't know until now how much those words hurt. Even if they were coming out of a total stranger's mouth.

"Or are you looking forward to meet your boyfriend. Who broke up with you?" He asked.

Sudden rage clouded inside me. "You know nothing."

"I do, Ava." He said, tilting his head a bit. "More than you could ever know."

I looked back at him this time. "You were the one who caused that accident. You were the reason I died. This was all your fault!"

He didn't seem apologetic at all. "It was. I had planned that all."

"That's...wrong." I whispered. "You can't keep me here when it was all your fault!"

"I can. Since I rule this place, nobody else can order me to do the opposite." He confessed.

Lord

of

the

Dead.

My head started spinning there. Maybe it was the anger. Or maybe it was the fact that I hadn't eaten anything. I felt my knees giving up. And before I could've fallen face first on the ground, I felt an arm wrap around my waist.

I blinked twice before my vision readjusted. "Leave me–"

"When was the last time you ate?" He asked. I didn't like how warm he was comparing to the cold surroundings. I didn't like the way his arm was perfectly wrapped around my waist.

"If I'm dead...I don't need to eat anything." I muttered.

He started pulling me towards somewhere. "Souls fade away if they don't eat anything."

Fading away sounded so much better than being here. With him.

I didn't realize where he was taking me until he stopped. And looked down at me. I pulled away directing a glare towards him.

"You know what else I would appreciate? If you would keep your hands to yourself." It was the huge dining room. With a huge dining table and numerous chairs.

Looking at the food on the table, I realized how hungry I actually was.

"Non facile." He muttered under his breath.

I looked back at him, narrowing my eyes. "What did you just say?"

Instead of looking back at me, he pulled out a chair. "Sit. Unless you want me to do that for you."

I didn't ponder on that. Instead, I sat down.

"You can eat anything you want."

"I don't–"

"There are no pomegranates here, Ava. And if I remember, it was the pomegranate seeds that trapped Persephone in the Underworld." He interrupted. "So no, I'm not trying to trap you here."

I closed my mouth with a frown. With one final glance, he made a move to leave.

"And when did you

eat?" I asked out loud with an eye roll.

He turned back and narrowed his eyes at me. "I don't need to eat."

"Enlighten me with the reason?"

"Because." I once again found it hard to look away from those eyes. "I have no soul."