Page 80 of Powerless

I force myself to meet his glossy gaze where I now only see the potential of the prince rather than the presence of his father. Those once amused green eyes will never crinkle with laughter again. Instead, they stare up at nothing, wide, dull, and leached of life. That crooked grin will never again grace his lips. Instead, his mouth is pressed in a thin line—blue, kissed by the chill of death.

I jump into the pool, wanting to pull him from this watery death.

Instead, my feet are met with solid ground.

My bones sing with the impact, feeling as though they will crack with the force.

I blink away the pain, though it does nothing to clear my confusion. There is suddenly no pool under my feet, no Kitt floating dead on its surface. I look at the dirt beneath me in disbelief, trying to puzzle out what is going on.

“Help me.”

I knock an arrow and draw my bow before I’ve even turned to face the owner of that broken little voice.

I choke on my gasp.

It’s me.

Deep blue eyes bore into mine—sad, starved eyes. Long silver hair, tangled and matted, hangs from the little girl’s head. She is—I am—small, so small. Weak and weary and wide-eyed as she stares up at me.

She stretches a bony finger towards me. “Please,” she whispers, whimpers. I stumble back at the sound of that—my—broken voice, nearly losing my footing when she takes a shaky step closer.

This isn’t real.

I turn, ready to run from this nightmare, only to nearly run into another little Paedyn, her cheeks sunken and eyes hollow.

I’m delusional. Dehydrated.

I bite my tongue to keep from screaming as I turn to my right, finding another starved version of myself staring back at me.

I’m surrounded. Completely surrounded by pleading Paedyns. They step forward, begging me to help them as they reach out, trying to grab hold of me.

This time, I don’t bother biting back my scream.

They are closing in, crowding me. I’m crying out, confused and—

No, not delusional.

They stagger towards me, seeking help I can’t give them.

This is Ace.

Even knowing that, I still can’t stand to look at them, to look at myself. Can’t stand to hear them begging for help as I do nothing. This was me. I was this starved and sad girl once. Because when my father died, so did a piece of myself.

This isn’t real. This isn’t real. This isn’t real.

I cry out, dropping to my knees and clutching my head in frustration.

“I know it’s you, Ace,” I shout through clenched teeth. I hear haughty laughter grow louder as he makes his way towards me. Taking a deep breath, I stand to my feet, shaking with disgust and rage as I prepare myself to be surrounded by sickly Paedyns.

But the pleading stops and the Paedyns vanish, leaving only Ace standing before me. His gaze drops to the arrow pointed at his chest before traveling back to mine. He has the audacity to smirk.

“Hello, Paedyn.” His voice is smug as he quirks an eyebrow. “Did you enjoy catching up with your younger self?”

“You’re sick,” I spit, pulling my bowstring taut.

He sighs, already bored with our conversation. Sticking his nose in the air, he says, “Just let me take your band and I’ll be on my way.” A pause. “In fact, I’ll even let you take it off yourself, so I don’t cut you.”

“How generous.” I’m practically growling at him. “But I’ll pass on the offer.” My teeth are bared, and I’m a flinch away from sending an arrow flying towards that black heart of his.

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