Chapter 4 | Consider It

Charlotte

My heart is racing as I rush up to my room and create as much distance as I can between me and the training grounds.

When I enter my room I slam the door shut and lock it behind me. I place a hand on my heart as I will for it to slow down but it doesn’t. Out of nervousness I begin to pace back and forth; I have to calm down, I can’t calm down!

I should’ve known I would never be able to escape Maddox and Cassian.

Maddox knows.

He called me ‘angel’ he always called me angel. He knew, they must’ve somehow brought me back and are testing me to see if I’d stay loyal to them.

I breathe out, the thought is crazy. This whole situation is making me crazy. If Maddox knew who I was there’s no way that he would’ve let me go.

No, he wouldn’t have. Maddox is fiery and passionate, and he would’ve taken me aside and made out with me and demanded that I spend more time with him because he can’t stand to be away from me. But… he didn’t do any of that. He must not know.

I finally sit on the bed as I breathe out. My heart is still racing, that was way too close of a call. I can’t spend any time out of this room. I’m running into the twins too much and the more I’m around them the bigger chance there is for them to discover who I truly am.

Right as I lie down on the bed there’s a knock on the door. I sit up and answer the door and I’m surprised to see Luna Anna on the other side. Luna Anna is one of the most motherly, good-natured people that I know. Her reddish-brown hair is pulled up into a bun and I notice some gray hairs coming in, she looks at me with concern in her green eyes as she asks, “Charlotte, are you okay, dear?”

 I stumble back to my bed as I nod and say, “Yeah, I’m okay, I guess. I just haven’t been feeling well since my fall and my throat is sore.”

She walks towards me and place a hand on my forehead as she says, “Your head is burning up too. Stay in bed, dear. I’ll have someone else tend to your duties.”

Guilt riddles my stomach because I’m lying to her. Luna Anna is the closest thing that I have to a mother and when I was with her sons, she treated me like the daughter she never had. I say, “Thank you, Luna.”

She nods her head as she walks away and I lie back on the bed. I need to get out of here. 

I’ve been in my room for hours and my goddess, it is incredibly dull. When I get bored enough, I decide to get up and start packing. When I leave, I will pack light so I bring out almost everything from my closet so I can decide which items would be best for me to take. Also, by doing it like this, if anyone comes into my room, I can always say that I’m doing laundry or rearranging my closet.

When it gets near dinner time I wonder if Sebastian will come to my room. We always have dinner together, but he is mad at me right now that he might not want to spend time with me.

Finally, there’s a knock on my door and Sebastian walks in. He freezes once he comes inside and sees my clothes sprawled out everywhere. He asks, “What are you doing, Char?”

“I’m uh, do\

ng laundry.”

His eyes scan over the room and he sees the duffel bag by my feet that’s halfway under the bed. His eyes narrow at me as states, “You’re packing.”

I nod my head, “I told you that I want to leave. I would really like it if you would come with me.”

He huffs, “I don’t understand the urgency you have to leave. We have a good life here, Charlotte. Plus, you can’t tell me that living in an abandoned home is better than this!”

“That abandoned home is where I’ll live. And it’s where both of us used to call home or did you forget? We are slaves here, Sebastian! We were meant for more than this.”

His lips press together, and I know that I’ve touched a nerve. We both know that I was meant for more than just housework and he was meant to be more than a low ranked warrior. We are the only ones who truly know what the other is capable of.

I ask, “Would you just consider it?”

He retorts, “Would you just consider staying?”

I shake my head no and he huffs, “I have a deal for you since you’re being so hardheaded.”

I raise my eyebrow waiting for his ‘deal’. He breathes out, “You stay here until your birthday. We will both request a few days off and say that it’s for a birthday trip for you. If we enjoy our time away then we just won’t come back, but if it’s miserable then we come back and there was no harm done.”

I grit my teeth together as I consider his offer. He says, “Come on, Char, bend a little. This is a good compromise. If it’s better out there then I promise you, I will stay with you.”

I breathe out, “Fine, but only if we can leave tomorrow.”

He shakes his head no, “It’s not enough time to put in a notice and you know it, plus the Luna thinks you’re ill. We leave the day after your birthday, okay?”

I correct, “On my birthday.”

He huffs, “Fine.”

We shake hands and I smile as he finally settles down to eat dinner with me.

I need to make sure that this trip we take will be perfect. I don’t want him to run back here because he thinks we can’t make it on our own.

I don’t want to live my life without Sebastian again. He’s like my older brother, he has always been there for me and helped protect me. The day he was killed shattered my heart and made me a different person.

His death is the main reason I refuse to be with Maddox and Cassian this time around. Maybe, just maybe, I could live with their annoying fighting, but I can’t live with the fact they murdered my best friend and the only person that I view as family.

The day Sebastian died, resentment grew inside me, and I can’t get past it.