34

Kaela sat on the edge of her bed, her fingers clenched tightly in her lap and her heart pounding. It wasn't from fear though, it was from hope. Hope that she was afraid to feel.

She had the whole afternoon to think of what he wanted to say when he saw her, and her conclusion was that he had come for her. But she didn't want to dwell on that; she could be easily disappointed. Nothing else made sense though, and she couldn't stop the hope that speculation stirred in her.

It had been two years since she had seen Rylan. Now she barely knew what to expect. From the look of him though, he was not the ruddy man she loved from years back. All she hoped was that she wouldn't hate the man he had become.

The small note sat hidden beneath her mattress now. She had taken it out of her dress to read it over and over and ended up hiding it there instead. Now the words were literally burned into her memory.

She exhaled, closing her eyes briefly. If she messed up, she wouldn't get another chance.

The security camera in the far corner of her room blinked steadily, its red light always watching.

The camera and the guard outside her door held the keys to her escape. But she had an escape plan that even they could not thwart.

Over the time of her imprisonment, she had noticed that the guards rotated every few hours. One came to replace the other before the other was let free.

She glanced at the small bedside clock. It was almost time for the shift.

She stood and walked to the small nightstand, picking up the glass of water she hadn't touched since dinner. Then with slow, deliberate movement, she tipped it over right underneath the door.

Water spilled onto the floor, seeping under the door. The splash wasn't loud, but it was just enough.

Outside, she heard a sharp intake of breath and then a curse. The legs of the chair the guard used scraped against the floor, and the door was pulled open.

"What the hell?" he demanded, glaring at her.

She stared up at him innocently, batting her eyelids. "It was a mistake."

He just grunted and shut the door. She placed her ear against the door and listened as his footsteps receded.

Her heart pounded as she opened the door, knowing he had gone to get a cloth to clean the water, leaving room for her to escape.

The hallway was dimly lit, but empty. Perfect.

She slipped into the corridor, keeping low, her bare feet silent against the floor. She knew where the next camera was, so she kept her head down and stayed in the shadows.

Her pulse raced as she turned the corner. Her pace was almost a jog now. She could almost taste the fresh air when she spotted the door standing between her and the night sky.

Fingers trembling, she reached for the door handle. The cool metal pressed against her skin, and she pushed carefully. The door opened soundlessly.

The smile on her face was so wide as a rush of fresh night air hit her. She had escaped without being detected. Hopefully, coming back would be as easy.

The courtyard was empty except for the sound of rustling leaves and the distant hum of crickets. She turned around in a full circle, worried if she was too late and he had already left.

Just as her heart began to sink, she heard movement and turned to see a figure stepping out of the shadows. Even in the darkness of the night, his eyes shone like they always had, only now they had a certain hardness in them.

"Kaela," he whispered. The accent was gone; his voice was now as familiar as before.

"Rylan," she said, trying to keep the edge out of her voice but failing.

A lump formed in her throat. She didn't know what to say to him. Rylan took a step closer, but instinctively she stepped backward.

His gaze flickered with something that looked like hurt, but she didn't care.

"You—" Her voice cracked. She had dreamed of this moment for so long. A moment when she could finally see him face-to-face and demand answers for his actions.

Now her wishes were granted, but she had no idea what she wanted to say to him.

"You left me," she began, her voice shaking.

Rylan exhaled sharply and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Kaela, I didn't have a choice—"

"You didn't have a choice?" she cut in, her tone sharp now. "Everything you do is by choice, Rylan. No one forced you. And even if they did, you could have at least told me somehow instead of leaving me totally in the dark. I am your sister!"

"Or at least I used to be," she added, averting her gaze so that he would not see the tears threatening to fall.

Rylan flinched. She would not understand, and apparently, she wasn't ready to listen to any excuse. But he couldn't just let her go on with her wrong assumptions.

Kaela shook her head, anger replacing the hollow ache inside her. "I begged you, Rylan. I called for you. And what did I get in return? You brushed me aside like I was just another burden that you couldn't wait to get rid of."