[The Greatest Bastard - Damien Rice đ¶]
*
I was not afraid to walk this world alone. Truth be told, I never had been. I learned the meaning of loneliness at a very young age, when I reached out and found no hand to hold mine. I was alone. I would always be alone.
I was destined to break my own heart, over and over again.
My shoulders slumped as I stared at the glass cage where the green-eyed man had imprisoned me. Was I a fish, dragged from the ocean where I belonged, only to be displayed in a bowl? Did they forget I was human? Did they forget I could feel?
I leaned my forehead against the cold surface. When I raised my eyes, I met his. He was watching me from the other side.
"Who are you?" I asked, forcing my voice to remain steady. It worked; I didn't stutter.
"Pars," he said, bowing his head slightly in mock courtesy. "Pars Sarehan. Your new owner."
My eye twitched. Anger, hot and sudden, flooded my veins. I snapped my head to the side, blinking rapidly. Did I deserve this? To be reduced to property?
"My new owner?" I spat, straightening my spine. "I am not an object, if you haven't noticed. I am human."
He shook his head with disapproval. I slammed my fist against the glass, but it didn't even vibrate.
"Even if you scream until your throat bleeds, you can't crack this glass, Alenas," he said calmly. "Don't tire yourself in vain."
With that, he turned and left the room. I stood there, stunned. He thought it was impossible. But for me? Nothing was impossible.
I placed my fingertips against the thick barrierâthe glass he claimed was unbreakable. I closed my eyes and pushed with my mind. Instantly, the surface rippled. The vibrations traveled from my fingertips, spiderwebbing through the pane.
Crack.
With a deafening sound, the thick glass exploded, scattering across the floor like glittering dust. I stepped back, watching the destruction. It had been easier than I thought.
I walked to the exit, crunching shards of glass under my boots. I turned the doorknob and stepped into the hallway without hesitation.
To my right, a figure leaned against the wall. I flinched.
Pars was looking at his pocket watch, completely unfazed. He snapped it shut and slid it into his pocket, walking slowly toward me. "That was short," he murmured. "I think you'll be my strongest Weapon yet."
"Weapon?" I repeated, shock paralyzing me. Nothing made sense.
Before I could demand an answer, a loud voice cut through the tension.
"Don't scare the girl!"
I jumped, spinning around. Three people were approaching down the corridor. Pars shifted, his hard gaze assessing them.
The man in the center extended a hand towards me. He had blond hair, grayish eyes, and a face that looked impossibly youngâalmost like a baby's.
"I'm Cassian," he said, flashing a bright smile that showed off white teeth. "Nice to meet you, Reverie."
I didn't answer. I just offered a stiff smile, briefly touched his hand, and looked at the others. They didn't seem as friendly. They offered only curt nods.
"Kit," said the one to Cassian's right. He was taller, muscular, with dark hair and a stoic expression.
"I'm Leander." The third one was different. He was thinner, with long hair and hazel eyes that shone with a strange intensity.
"All right, enough," Pars interrupted, grabbing my arm and pulling me flush against him. "Now that you've met my team, we can move on to the briefing. Let's go."
His large hand clamped around my arm like a vice. I didn't resist; I let him lead me. We turned right at the end of the hallway, but I couldn't help glancing back. The three men were still standing there, watching us leave.
As we navigated the complex, we passed dozens of people. Everyone saluted Pars with terrified respect. No one seemed to careâor dare to speak upâthat he was dragging a girl by the arm.
We exited the main building and crossed a dark garden. Beyond it stood a two-story house. Pars finally released my arm to unlock the front door. He walked in, leaving it open.
"Come in!" he yelled from inside.
I entered hesitantly. The living room was washed in hues of amber and coffee. A wooden staircase near the entrance led straight to the second floor. I sank into a long, brown leather sofa in the middle of the room. It was incredibly soft, the leather creaking beneath my weight.
Pars sat in the single armchair opposite me. He grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the table, poured a glass, and downed it in one swig. He didn't even wince. He just smiled, his green eyes locking onto mine.
"I'll keep it short," he said, leaning back with an annoying nonchalance. "We Soldiers have supernatural powers, just like you. But ours aren't as strong. So, when the time comes, we take a student from the Academy. We pair up. Every Soldier has one partner. That's the rule."
I sat up straight. "What happened to the one before me?" I asked, my voice dropping to a whisper. "Or more precisely... what did you do to her?"
He stared at me, his expression turning numb. "She's dead."
The moment the words left his lips, fear spiked through me. I lost control. Without meaning to, my power lashed out. The whiskey bottle on the table flew across the room and smashed against the wall.
Pars didn't flinch. He just looked at the shattered glass, his eye twitching slightly. "That was my favorite whiskey," he said, shaking his head with exaggerated patience.
"I don't care!" I shouted, scrambling to my feet and backing toward the door.
"Reverie!" He held up a finger. "Don't test my patience."
"I don't care about your patience or your twisted State games! I won't die because of you. I won't let it happen!"
"Look..." He stepped slowly toward me, his voice dropping an octave. "Don't make me use my power."
Panic seized me. I clamped my hands over my ears and collapsed to the floor, my legs unable to hold me. I wasn't stupid; I knew what he could do. I remembered how easily he had controlled my body in the garden. But this time... I had my guard down. How could I fight him?
When I finally lowered my hands, he was already there. He knelt before me, grabbing my wrists.
"Now, you will stay with me. You will sleep where I sleep. You will listen only to me. Understood, Alenas?"
He was doing it again. The command in his voice, the dominance. But it wasn't the order that battered my heartâit was the false affection he coated it in. It was cruel to mimic compassion when I had never known the real thing.
"You need to sleep."
He stood up, pulling me with him. I was too drained to resist. I followed him up the stairs and into a bedroom. As we entered, the poison of my past began to seep into my blood, bringing tears to my eyes.
Don't do what they did to me. I beg you. Don't kill me like them. Please, don't touch me.
He guided me to the large double bed. He didn't climb in. Instead, he watched my face for a second, his expression unreadable, before turning to walk away.
"Sleep well," he murmured.
Sleep, I thought bitterly as darkness closed in. Sleep has been forbidden to me since the day you stole my freedom and promised it back to me. You have no idea.