Having fled to my room to think about my previous actions, I felt lost. There was no doubt that I was confused or that I had no idea what was going on. However, that did not excuse my behavior, and I knew that. As I cried myself to sleep, I knew that a line had ...

Being able to get the thoughts and feelings that were running through my head on paper was exhilarating. The weight that settled on my chest lifted. I could breathe again, if only slightly better. My mind allowed me to sleep peacefully for the first night in a good long while. I never knew how much ...

A new day dawned and I was prepared for what was to come, or so I thought. My time with this mysterious woman was over and now I needed to set out once again. It had only been a scant few days since I escaped Matthias and a part of me knew that he could ...

That was all the signal I needed. I ran towards the gate, following the other’s heading that way. No one would think anything as I moved through the crowd and out onto the docks. We had landed early and I was using that knowledge to hide my escape. Other guards thought that perhaps someone had ...

I looked at the woman and wondered what she would say to that. Would she even agree? There weren’t a lot of other options. I would poison them if I thought it wouldn’t hurt anyone else. The challenge is going to be to make sure that whatever we put in their food doesn’t end up ...

When it was time for me to get out of the tub, I gingerly climbed out and stood there as Dahlia wrapped a fluffy white towel around my body. From here I was moved over to the next station on the rotation. Apparently, I wasn’t allowed to dress yet, instead my hair needed to be ...

 I could fight this, I was sure of it but why? My shoulder was killing me from where the mark bled, and there was nothing to stop them from using that to their advantage. At least from what I could tell. Instead, I could go with them, and only fight when it was necessary. I ...

Slowly, I feel my eyes opening and the pain settling in again. I’d been through enough ‘ceremonies’ to know that the pain of the branding isn’t one that’s easy to heal. Especially not if the person isn’t allowed to see a doctor. I would not be granted that luxury. I would instead have to face ...

I tell you these things so you can understand what I am experiencing now. I am awaiting my turn to be seen by our newest crown king. My mother and father are dead, have been for a year. It was such a lovely birthday present, walking into the palace to find the murdered bodies of ...

Choices have consequences; that was the lesson I learned the hard way. It did not seem to matter that my choices are the right ones for me. What mattered was that I was supposedly betraying my family and our planet with my choices. Was it that bad? I wish I could answer that question, but ...