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Chapter 32: Good Girl, Part 2
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The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 33: The Run, Part 1
NINESeven days pass in a flurry of lessons I don't retain, and long, lonely hours cooped up in Kade's bedroom. I flick through books that are much too hard to read and watch tiny, blue dancers in the flames of the fireplace as it turns chunks of wood to ash. Two days later, I'm requested in the laundry to help cover for a handful of Unfortunates made bedridden by illness, and I jump at the opportunity to do something. Anything. I shove a pillowcase into the murky depths of the tub and rub the fabric together. Hunching, I swipe my forehead over my bicep, wiping at the beading sweat that coats my skin as the noisy driers spew humidity into the room. Unfortunates mill about, like goldfish in a pond, doing their daily duties and paying me no attention as I make my way through the pile of pillowcases. The fabrics are uncomplicated, white with no stains, making my job relatively straightforward. I breathe a sigh of relief. It's easy down here, hidden among piles of washing. If I overheard
The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 34: The Run, Part 2
I push off the basin and through the throng of condemning Unfortunates. I rush up the stairs and through the laundry folding area, trying my hardest to keep in the tsunami of emotion. I barely know the Unfortunates—any Unfortunate, really—but we're all connected through our circumstances, upbringing, social standing, and suffering. To be shunned and removed from the collective experience as if my suffering no longer matters… it hurts. In a blur, I escape the manor and run. I run through the garden, trampling flowers under my feet, snapping jutting twigs with my elbows. I sprint through the paddock, uncaring about the shrill siren wail that comes on suddenly and pierces my skull, uncaring about the rumble of dogs barking. I make it to the lake in no time. My lungs burn. My feet sting. I gasp for air and turn left, rushing toward the cubby house of Kade's youth. I don't know why I come here. Maybe because it's the farthest point on the land I've been. It's the farthest I can get from T
The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 35: The Run, Part 3
KADEHe nudged his heels into Vanta's side, and his prized stallion trotted along behind Vince as he approached the pack of dogs. "Home," Vincent commanded with a flick of his hand, and the dogs fled, speeding back in the direction they came. "How do you know they'll go back to the manor?" Nine asked, knowing better than to speak out of turn. Vince scowled. "They're well trained. Unlike you."Nine shifted, and Kade rolled his eyes. Gripping his saddle horn, Vince planted his boot in the stirrup and lifted himself onto Tariq's back without a struggle. Clicking his tongue, he pulled on Tariq's reins harder than Kade did, and Tariq veered with a bounce, moving the way Vince wordlessly commanded.Kade and Nine followed Vince as he led the way. A kilometre later, they broke out of the thicket and into the clearing. Vince took his horse from a trot to a canter. Then the canter quickened into a gallop. When there was enough space between them, Kade could breathe. He dipped his head, placin
The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 36: The Consequences
NINEI spend the next week in agony, confined to my quarters, to a cot no bigger than me. Outside of showering in the Unfortunate communal bathhouse with people who consider me a traitor, my only other human contact has been Portia. I'd have bashed my head into a stone wall days ago if it weren't for her. It's driving me mad not knowing my fate. Am I to lie here and choke on my explanation? Am I to wither away as anxiety chisels at my bones?I startle as a shadow darkens my doorway, expecting to see Vince with his rifle, ready to fulfil the sentencing of the council. Instead, Thirteen loiters. "Master Kade would like to see you in the garden." My heart picks up in its beat, and Thirteen's face gives nothing away. No smugness. No sympathy. No fear. She's simply indifferent. Sucking in a deep breath, I lift myself off the cot and follow her out. She escorts me through the maze of flowers, and I squint under the midday sun, my eyes taking longer to adjust to the brightness after an et
The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 37: Vincent's Birthday, Part 1
NINE"It's eight-fifteen," Portia announces, storming into the bathhouse, a hair brush and hair pins in her hands. "I'm well aware of the time.""Then you must also be aware of how quickly you're running out of it. You haven't even done your hair."Grunting, I grit my teeth and attempt to tie the sheer lilac tunic at my shoulder for the umpteenth time. I can't get it to feel comfortable. I can't get it to sit correctly. Cursing under her breath, Portia throws the hair brush and pins into the basin and slaps my hands away from the fabric. I drop my hands and watch as she effortlessly ties the a-line tunic the way it's meant to be tied. "Why are we dressed like this?" I ask, eyeing up the floor-length tunic. Its neckline plunges to my sternum, and my nipples are distinguishable through the ruffled fabric. "Master Vince chose the attire for tonight. Consider yourself lucky. Master Kade had your dress altered."I compare in the mirror. The colours of our tunics were the same, but wh
The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 38: Vincent's Birthday, Part 2
His charcoal eyes darken with every inch of my dress he takes in. On his arm, is a redhead in a glistening, crimson dress. She beams at Kade, recognition flaring in her hazel eyes. "I see you've taken the liberty of having your Unfortunate's dress altered. Rude, but okay." "Vince," Kade states, speaking his brother's name like he's not welcome at his own party. "Happy Birthday." The Unfortunate Kade sent for whiskey returns and places it on the tabletop. Kade draws it to his lips and takes a long sip. His body language changes during his sip. He straightens and pulls his shoulders back, no longer wanting to linger by the dance floor. Vince notices too, and mischievousness flares across his features. He gestures to the woman beside him. "You remember Charlotte, don't you? She was telling me you two recently shared a lovely night together." I bristle and absorb the strange sensation deep. I divert my attention to the dance floor. "I remember," he bites out. And his confirmation su
The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 39: Vincent's Birthday, Part 3
NINEOnyxObsidian.Volcanic glass.The way Kade's darkness speaks to my soul is unlike anything I've ever known. Raven eyes that once stirred fear in every fibre of my being are the only ones bringing me comfort now. I shiver as bitter, cool air seeps into my pores and penetrates my bones. His face disappears, dissolving into nothing, hollowing me out. My eyelids flutter. "Don't stick them in dry. Warm her up first." Something brushes against the apex of my thighs, and I jolt, my eyes shooting open. I groan, blinking into the void, desperate to rid my eyes of the greasy blur coating them. I turn my head toward gentle murmurs of conversation, and my brain rolls in my skull, making me nauseous. Another brush against my inner thigh, and I straighten my head. I peer at the fuzzy wooden banisters that hold up the ceiling, then tilt my head and focus on the shadowed gathering of people to my left. Damn this vision. I try to lift my hands to swipe at my eyes but barely get a twitch out
The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 40: Vincent's Party, Part 4
KADE Rolling up his sleeves, Kade filled the bath to the rim, adding magnesium sulphate crystals and a few drops of lavender bath oil. He returned to the lounge room to a sleeping Nine, haphazardly fallen against the armrest of his leather couch. His stomach twisted at the sight of her. How could he let this happen? The night was full of distractions. He should have sent Vince away when he showed up with Charlotte. He should never have allowed him to take Nine. He never should've left the table in a bid to lose Charlotte. Thanks to Vince, he chased his tail all night. Thanks to Vince, he was too late. He approached her sleeping form and knelt beside the couch. Nine had always had a full face, beautiful and healthy, but now, shadows obscured it, settling underneath her eyes and in her hollowed cheeks. As she was, drowning in his oversized jacket, she looked too young to be in his room, in her situation. It made him sick to his stomach. "Nine..." He smoothed his palm across her forehea
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