In This Style 10/6 Chapter 21 I look at all the small eyes watching me. I'm trapped. I'm surrounded. I have nowhere to go. My only option is to surrender. Give in, take the easy way out! It's all I can do! "Hell yea we did." Says Chess lifting himself up on his elbows. "In fact, I'd say we've already won." A wicked grin peels across his face and his eyes almost look evil. "Imogen got away, your sister got away and I'm damn sure she knows the secret if the jabberwocky's blood! Hah! From the way I see it, there's no way you could win!" he stands up in an aggressive stance over me as some of the guards inch closer. "You should be smart and do as I said before!" he begins, "stay away from her!" He yells jumping at a series of guards and knocking them down like dominoes. there is a hot chill running up my spine when I turn around to see Dilah and her whip. She pulls he arm back again to crack it at me when chess vaporizes in from of me, putting up his arm to block it as it wraps around his wrist. A sly look pops onto Dilah's face. Chess immediately let's go of the whip and grabs my arm and we make to the safety of the shadows of the woods to avoid the electric whip. we run fast, crushing twins and bushes under out feet. Past the brook and through some thorny bushes. He takes to the trees,leaving me on the ground. He instructs me to keep running as he'll jump through the branches to keep a lookout. Finally we get to the arch of the garden and I stop immediately. Chess jumps down, landing in all fours and standing up almost heroically. I look at him as he gazes at the gates. "I'm sorry." He says softly "it's all my fault." He turns me around to look at the rip in the back if my dress and giant purple scar left on my back from Dilah's recent attack. "If it weren't for me abandoning you back there, you wouldn't have gotten hurt, if I had only taken you with me." He says angrily looking at the multiple cuts and scars from being imprisoned in the castle. "Wh-why didn't you fight back!" He yells at me. "What was I supposed to do! You left me alone! I was beat and tortured by people much bigger than me! What could I have done!" I yell starting to cry "why couldn't you protect us?" I whisper through sobs. "I tried," he grabs my arm and pulls me in "I was terrified, but I'm not going to abandon you any more! I'm right here!" He says lifting my chin and kissing my forehead. I stand there and cry into his chest for a long time while he hugs me. He doesn't move or let go. "I'm right here." He keeps whispering to me. If only I could say that to my mother now. If only I could say that I am there for her right now. But Im not, so there's nothing I can do. But I'm not running away anymore. I'll stay and fight! I'll do whatever it take to protect someone instead of abandon them! Never give in to weakness, keep strong and keep fighting, keep going no matter how difficult! Because in the end I know it'll all be worth it, that and so much more. "what do we do now?" I ask pulling away from him. "We take Mirana back to Mowmorial." He says not letting to of my arm. "Mowmorial?" I ask. "What's that?" I take a step back. "Her castle, it's where her followers hide out. Pretty much the resistance." He explains taking a step towards me. "How do we get there?" I ask standing perfectly still. "Beyard's the only one that knows the way." He says putting his forehead to mine. "Hey!" I hear Beyard call from a distance. I jump in the surprise of the sudden noise and chess drops his head almost seeming annoyed, but laughing to himself. Beyard comes running through the archway and pauses. He tries not to laugh. "It's about time!" He cracks up. I jump back. "Uh- no! It's not, we- uh-!" "Chill." Beyard says winking. "I'm kidding." "What's up?" Chess asks leaning against the arch and folding his arms across his chest. "Mirana has some news." "Alright then, lets go in." Announces chess. "No, she has to stay." Says Beyard. I look at them "why what's wrong?" "She doesn't trust you yet." Explains Beyard. "Come on." Says chess leading me into the cottage. everyone's sitting on front of a lit fire. Mirana is all cleaned up. Her dress is white, nana had kept on in the closet upstairs. Her hair is long enough to reach the small of her back and bangs the end just below her eyebrows. Her dark eyes look at me. They are cold and seem just as unforgiving as the queen. "Chess, take her upstairs." Beyard pleads. "Alright," he hesitates "just wait up there." He says leading me to the steps. I make my way up the steps and shut the door behind me. I sit myself on the bed for a while and try to be patient. I find myself getting restless so I walk in circles around the room. They sky outside grows dark and I get annoyed with how long I've been up here. I decide its been long enough so I open the door and peak my head out. I hear slight whispers but the stop almost immediately. Chess vaporizes In front of the door. "Just a little longer, okay?" He says petting my head and shutting the door. I can hear him lean against it and slide Down to the floor. I decide to put on my black dress because its more comfortable and I put my mask in the top drawer of the big white dresser. I light the candle next to the bed and sit. "Hey." Says chess coming in and shutting the door behind him. "So, what's going on?" I ask excitedly until I see the look in his face. He's been thinking I can tell. "A lot. I can't really explain now but I'll tell you soon. I promise." "You're exhausted." I say as he yawns and rubs his eyes. "You should sleep." "Yea, I should." He agrees. "Here!" I toss his pajama pants at his head and laugh. "Hey!" He laughs and chucks a small pillow in my direction. "Oh! I see how it is!" I say looking around for something to throw. I turn to the dresser and open the drawer and grab a small rubber ball that's used to play jacks. I turn back around but he's gone. I go to check the other side of the bed to see if he ducked down. When I try to stand back up he reappears and wrestles the ball out of my hand. We fall to the ground with a thud, him trying not to crush me as he playfully pins down my wrists. We laugh for a long time like that but after a few minutes he stops and looks at me with a serious face. "What?" I ask, half knowing what's about to happen. it's quiet. Not a sound can be heard inside the cottage. If I were alive I bet I'd feel my heart thumping inside my chest, I bet id feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins. chess smiles like he's thinking about something that made him laugh a little. "What's so funny?" I ask. "You." He says leaning his head in. "You're blushing." he leans his forehead against mine and closes his eyes. His tail slows it fickling and he sits up on his knees, pulling me up with him, keeping me close to him. He brings his lips close to my ear. "Be Very still." He whispers. his grip on my right hand tightens and he brings his lips to mine. I push myself closer and feel a sharp pain in my lip. He jumps back immediately. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have done that!" He says as his eyes get big. "I told you to be still. I didn't mean to!" He takes a towel out of the dresser and holds it to my mouth. It stings. I pull the towel away to see what happened. There is blood. "Wha-" "I bit you." He says licking the blood off his fang and cringing at the taste. "But, the queen killed me." I say. "She doesn't take all of your blood. Just enough that you can't get back. The rest evaporates soon enough." He explains. "But don't worry. I'll get the rest back so you can get back if its the last thing I do!" I lean in and kiss him again. His lips are warm. I put my hand on the back of his head and pull him in tighter. He puts his hands behind me, lifting me up and setting me down on the bed. He kisses me again, pushing me down into the pillows of the bed and kisses down the side of my neck. he abruptly stops and seconds later nana opens the door. "May her majesty sleep in the only bed tonight?" "Sure." Says chess hopping off the bed. "Just a sec." "Alrighty then." She says exiting the room. "We should go then." I say sliding off the bed. I walk out of the room and down the steps and over to the couch. Chess follows shortly behind in his pajama pants. Beyard and Nana are already cuddled up and asleep on the couch and the hare rests on the steps with a pillow and blanket. Mirana is already upstairs. I grab another blanket from the drawer in the side table next to the chair and wrap it around me. I sit myself down on the rug I front of the fire and rest my head on my knees. Chess comes over and pulls me up by my elbow and I follow him out the door holding his hand. "What are we doing?" I ask. "The cottage seems a little crowded." He says grabbing my waist and pulling me close to him. His body may be dead, but he is warm. I huddle close to his bare chest and hold the blanket around us "Watch your step." He says as we vaporize away and drop down into a tree on to a large branch. He leans back against the trunk of the tree and pulls me in close. His body is warm and I feel safe in his arms. He slides down so he is sitting and I'm leaning into him. "What are we doing?" He asks. "I don't know. You're the one that brought me here." I answer. "No, I mean why would you let me get this close to you?" "What do you mean?" I ask looking up at him. "This is bad, we shouldn't be like this. I'm going to get you home. " "I don't have to go back." I say. "He's you do. You can't run away from these things." "You're the one that started this with me so if I wanna stay here and be with nana and the hare and Beyard then I will and if I want to stay here with you then I will!" "This makes you more of a target." He says. "Target?" "Yea, the queen has your blood, she can read your heart. She can read mine too. That's why she went after you." "So she can use anything against us? She could hurt you to get something from me?" I ask. "Yea. But Mirana was telling that the queen keeps the blood, do if we get it back, then you can wake up. "