Fall With Me

that you weren’t meant to rule.”
    Her words were spoken gently, but firmly, an unmistakable hint of affection coming with every utterance.
    I could see the pain in Lucas’ eyes at this bold statement coming from his own sister. At that point, I knew I must have truly gone mad, because I actually felt sorry for him. I knew what he felt, what it was like to have no one on your side. I didn’t think anyone deserved to feel that way.
    He quickly reminded me, however, that he was my tormentor and made me completely reconsider my stand in the matter. Whatever anger or sadness he felt, he took out on me. He clamped one hand over my neck, constricting my breathing. A claw protruded from the thumb he had over my lips and he began pressing the end of it over my mouth. I couldn’t help but whimper as his sharp nail drew a small line of blood over my sensitive lower lip.
    “Lucas! Stop it!” Vivienne once again raised her voice in reprimand.
    He let go of me, allowing me to gasp for breath. He backed away and stared down at me like I was the most disgusting thing he’d ever seen in his life.
    “I’m just trying to help you wake your beloved Derek up, Vivienne. Take this little minx to him and make her kiss the Sleeping Beauty. The taste of her blood just might wake the Prince up.”
    He began to head for the door, but stopped to glare at his sister before completely heading off.
    “Isn’t that how you think all this is going to play out when he wakes up? Just like a fairy tale?”
    I can’t express how relieved I felt when he finally left the room. The words exchanged by the siblings remained in my head, but I was too overcome by emotion to even attempt to make sense of them. My knees were shaking so I gave in and sank to the ground before finally looking up to see what exactly Vivienne looked like.
    If I thought Lucas could be beautiful, Vivienne was even more stunning to behold. She was a couple of inches shorter than her brother, but had the same dark hair and pale complexion. Her eyes, however, were different. Against the light in the room, her eyes almost looked violet, with hints of deep purple.
    She was eyeing me warily, as if I was a heavy burden that she had to bear.
    “Thank you,” I told her, genuinely meaning it even though I had no idea what she had in store for me.
    There was a deadpan expression on her face as she looked at me.
    “Understand, girl, that you are nothing here. You’re nothing but a pawn, a piece used to make the board move. Your best chance at survival and proving your significance is to win Derek’s affections. Considering everything I know about my brother, I’m not sure that’s even possible.”
    Her words dealt my hope a final crushing blow. She made it perfectly clear that wherever this place called The Shade was, I had no allies. No friends.
    I had only myself to rely on. And that, I thought, was the most frightening aspect of my predicament. After all, how could I rely on someone I couldn’t trust?
     
     

Chapter 4: Derek
     
    The moment my eyes shot open, I could hear everything, smell everything and feel everything within at least a quarter-mile radius from me. I was sure that the sensation alone would bring my body into complete shock, until my vision settled on a familiar face. The woman I had trusted enough to provide my escape from everything.
    “Cora?”
    It was strange. The last thing I remembered was Cora’s face as I’d faded off into slumber. It felt like I had only slept for a few moments before being jolted awake. I wondered if something had gone wrong with the spell. Looking at the witch, I couldn’t help but wonder how it was possible that she looked younger. I found my answer when the buxom beauty with light brown skin and cascading locks of chestnut hair shook her head.
    “I’m not Cora. I’m Corrine.”
    I lifted myself up from the slab of stone that had served as my resting place … for how long, I could only muse. I took in my surroundings - I was in a candlelit hall with marble floors and giant pillars. The first word that came to mind when I surveyed the place was sanctuary.
    I eyed the young woman with whom I was alone in the room, wary of her intentions. It took a moment for her strange clothes to register. I became aware of how I was dressed and realized that perhaps more time had passed than I initially thought. But at that point, it didn’t really matter.
    The bottom line was that I wasn’t supposed to wake up. Ever.
    Contemptuous