Page 135 of Ashes and Lilies
“Technically, yes,” my father said. “But there are extenuating circumstances.”
“Bianca is mentally and physically incompetent,” my mother stated. My skin exploded in the heat, and I covered the bottom half of my face with my blanket. “She cannot be trusted to makeappropriate decisions about her health. She will only hurt herself.”
“I—I don’t,” I argued. Normally, I wouldn’t dare talk back to them, but I couldn’t hold back.
“Yes, you do,” my mother responded to my outburst. She grabbed the folder from my father.
“Don’t worry,” she said, thumbing through the pages. “We’ve already decided you’ll recover somewhere where you can get the treatment you need. Trinity is taking care of everything, and you’ll see her until things get sorted.”
“N-no!” I said again, pushing my back against the head of the bed. The tubes running into me had been torn out once more, but I didn’t care.
“I don’t want to! You—you lied to me!” My hand was shaking as I pointed at them. “You knew who I was!”
They looked at each other, lips pursing, before my mother responded, somewhat more subdued, “You’re unable to handle that level of responsibility.”
“You’re wrong! I want to stay with Damen!” I argued. “He’ll stop you!”
“He can certainly try,” my father told me, then sighed. “Bianca, you can hate us, but you’re still going.”
“Why?” I asked, my heart pounding. “I don’t need to!”
Bryce held his arm between us, interjecting, as his entire body tensed. “You’re not taking her anywhere.”
“Stay out of this.” My father’s expression was grim as he faced Bryce, and for the first time, he was truly intimidating. “You’ve no right to intervene.”
“I won’t allow it,” Bryce’s tone was firm.
“She is severely compromised, Bryce!” my mother snapped. “She cannot help the fae.”
What...
What was she talking about? My heart was racing as their arguments echoed in my head.
I… I was fine.
“L-leave—” I began, and the three looked at me. “Leave me alone!”
“I don’t know what you mean, but let’s talk this through,” Bryce said, his brow furrowing. “There’s no need to force her— ”
Bryce’s attempts at negotiations were silenced as a man and a woman in white entered the room. Their uniforms were crisp, and their faces expressionless.
They approached, their movements deliberate, as the woman held her hand out toward me. “Miss, we’re here to ensure your safe transport.”
I pushed my feet against the mattress. “No! I won’t go back there.”
The room spun around me, my world tilting on its axis. My parents' faces blurred, and a cold, clawing panic took hold of me. It wasn’t until the heavy weight of a calloused hand closed around my arm that reality hit.
I reacted out of sheer instinct, pulling from the man’s grasp toward the other side of the bed. But the woman was there already, waiting, and in her hands was the familiar padded garment used to torture me.
“No,” I repeated. “There’s nothing wrong with me!”
But my words fell on deaf ears.
Of course, I struggled, even knowing it’d be useless. But in situations like this, the only options were to fight or to give up. And I couldn’t give up—not when I knew the truth, not if it meant leaving the boys.
However, I was at a disadvantage. The struggle had reopened my wounds, and I was slowly losing myself to the pain trickling back into me.
“Leave me alone!” My voice was hoarse, and quite quickly, my arms were trapped. Wetness pressed against my skin as my bandages soaked.
