23

Alayna

Thursday 8th February, Year 825

"Please, just stay here," I sighed pointlessly.

"Aly…" Tiv whispered back, his face torn.

I loved it when he called me Aly. I loved how much fun I had when I was with him. I loved how much he cared about me; that he made me feel important, not just a girl with a barcode. I loved looking into his dark brown eyes and watching the gold sparkle. I loved him. I had known him for weeks but I knew. It felt like I'd already known him my whole life.

Shit, he is turning me into a cliché.

I threw my arms around his neck and pressed my lips to his. The kiss was intense for a second and my fingers wrapped through his hair only to realise it was not there to grab, replaced instead by a lumpy, scabbed bit of skin. I pulled away from him and he chuckled humorlessly.

"Marco," he shrugged.

"You are both idiots," I smiled, trying to hide the horror that I felt.

"You are the best medicine for any complaint. I promise you that!"

"It's hard to be a medicine when I'm a world away from you," I muttered.

"It won't be that bad. We'll still talk every night. I'll take care of the phone bill."

"Tiv, calling a different country every night will cost a fortune. It would make me so uncomfortable," I admitted.

"Your phone bill is already deducted from my account every month. What's a few extra charges going to matter?" he said.

I raised my eyebrow disapprovingly. "I really don't feel okay about that!"

"It's not forever, simply until I figure everything out. This way I can guarantee we'll still talk. Since Marco broke my phone, I'm without one for now however I have your phone number." He pulled a scrappy piece of paper from his pocket. "I'll send you my new number and address when I know what they are."

"You have one month to call me and let me know all of your new contact details or I'll stop using the phone so if you continue to pay for it you are just wasting your money," I challenged.

"A month? Do you think I can go that long without talking to you?" he smiled. "You'll have my new number in the next few days. Meredith should have picked me up a new phone by then."

Throwing myself back at him, I kissed him like his mouth was the fucking fountain of youth. The imprint of Tiv's lips on mine felt as though it had been etched on me like a tattoo.

"How bad would it be if you just didn't go back? We could hide you in The Grange," I said against his lips, entirely seriously.

He pulled away, face stoic, "My Father would probably burn your little marketplace to the ground to smoke me out."

A shiver ran down my spine. He always warned me his relationship with his dad was not a good one, but it dawned on me that anyone who could run a regime that hung innocent people, sometimes children, would probably not make a good parent.

"I don't think you should go," I tried again, now actually concerned for Tiv's well-being living with his dad without Mayrina.

He clenched his jaw, "I have no choice."

After that, we spent a long time not talking, instead, I pulled myself close to him again, memorising the shape of him, the feel of my fingers in his hair, his warm touch on my cold skin, knowing deep down I would probably never see him again. Eventually, he pulled from my grasp and sighed.

"I'll call you the second I get to Staventon," he said sadly.

"Living in the capital will be cool," I said, glancing at my feet as I shuffled them.

His fingers gently lifted my chin, guiding me back to face him.

"I can't bear your melancholy," he breathed before brushing his lips to mine again.

His touch sent shivers down my spine, but they quickly faded as he pulled away. He unwound the brown beads from around his neck and put them in my hand.

He smiled, "Goodbye present."

I looked down at them. I had nothing of value for him. I bent over and picked a white snowdrop from the grass and handed him the small flower.

"I can give gifts too, you know," I tried to smile. "Be careful. It's really expensive."

"I need no gifts, however expensive. You give me you, that's more than enough," he kissed me deeply, taking the flower.

His intensity should have made me feel uncomfortable. In the past, if a boyfriend had said something that honest, I would have run for the hills but with Tiv, I wanted to hear them. They mattered.

The moment felt like forever, a rope getting pulled tighter with every passing second as time kept moving. The field was quiet too, like it was holding its breath for what came next. Time just kept ticking on, making the tension between us tighter and tighter… until the rope snapped.

"I have to go," he whispered.

"I hope you come back soon," I muttered.

"I promise," he said, kissing the worry lines on my forehead.

Screw it.

"You changed your mind about getting dirty in a field yet?" I flashed a grin.

His face lit up despite his words, "That'll definitely make me late."

It was worth a try.

I opened my mouth to accept defeat before he started laughing and pulled me closer to the tree line. "They'll hardly leave without me."

But we didn't get far. Suddenly, Tiv flew forward, landing in the mud. Someone grabbed the back of my neck hard and I wriggled out of the grasp, spinning on the spot.

Marco stood bearing down on me; his facial features distorted by hatred, his eyes black. I wondered how long he had been watching us. I opened my mouth to speak as Tiv got to his feet but was silenced quickly by a sharp backhanded blow across my cheek. My reaction was instant, throwing my fist back at Marco’s face. Pain rocketed through my thumb and down my arm but adrenaline instantly numbed it. He wasn't expecting a reaction and he stumbled a few steps away from me.

"You are lucky you're leaving or you'd be a dead man!" I screamed so loud my throat hurt. "Do you think I am scared of you because you can throw a good punch? Do it again, I dare you! You'll have an army of scabs and familiars at your door before you're able to flee to Lambent. We'll burn your manor to the ground!"

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Marco's eyes narrowed even more but he didn't get the chance to take me up on my dare. Tiv ran at him, wrapping his arms around his brother and pulling him away from me.

"Alayna, just go," Tiv grunted.

I started toward them, ignoring Tiv's request.

"You're only making this worse. Go home!" he commanded.

My eyes met his before Marco's elbow caught his stomach and pushed him backwards. He looked back at me and I bolted, deciding Ben could handle him for me. The meadow blurred around me as I sprinted back to my house. After finally reaching my front door, I slammed it behind me.

I put my hands on my knees, panting and trying to catch my breath in the hallway.

What a horrible way to leave things.

"What has he done now?" Ben demanded after seeing me bent over gasping for breath.

I looked up at him and his eyes widened.

"What the fuck did he do to your face?" he snarled.

Before I had a chance to say anything he grabbed the bat and almost flung the front door off its hinges. Lucky for Tiv, Mum was walking down the front path, returning from the market. Ben barrelled straight into her.

"Stop now," she demanded.

She placed her hands on his chest and went to push him back towards the house. He didn't move so she started shouting at him like it would do anything... After twenty-five years, he was pretty much immune to her rants. Eventually, he semi-relented but not before flinging the bat at Tiv's car, breaking the passenger side window.

"Have you lost your mind?" Mum screeched.

"What is going on now?" Dad barked, rushing outside. "The neighbours already think you're nuts, Ben."

I purposely faced away from Dad. A part of me was smug at the idea that Dad and Ben would both cave Marco's head in but, thinking clearly without white-hot anger raging through my veins, I knew they'd both end up dead.

"You think the Hawes' are so brilliant, Ma? Look what Tiv did to your daughter's face!" Ben growled, grabbing my wrist and pulling me towards her.

Mum's expression dropped at the sight of me. One look at that face told me she'd let Ben rip Tiv to shreds in an instant.

"Mum, it was Marco not Tiv," I said quickly, like it mattered.

Dad spun me around. He went purple, his expression matching Ben's.

"Julie, we aren't letting them get away with this," he seethed.

He walked to Tiv's car to retrieve the bat.

"Everyone shut up." Mum demanded, "Alayna, what happened?"

All three of them looked at me and I flushed.

"Well, Marco didn't like me and Tiv hanging out. He thought that me and him were still… I have literally no idea how. Anyway, he thinks I'm a parasite… He hit me," I stuttered.

"Where is he?" Dad barked.

"We were in Rowe Meadow," I mumbled.

He nodded once before walking in the direction Tiv had walked an hour earlier.

"Just leave it, Nate. The boys have had a crappy couple of days," Mum decided.

"That doesn't change one damn thing. Come on Ben," Dad fumed.

Ben did not need to be told twice before he caught up with Dad in a few large strides.

"Rhys, stop!" She had used his real name, he usually went by his middle name, Nathan. Rhys was only brought out for special occasions or during huge arguments. "They'll have you both arrested! You're about to take your son to the gallows with you and we don't have Mayrina to help now!"

Dad's pace slowed slightly.

"Dad, they're leaving for good anyway. Beating them up only delays them going," I said sadly.

This got everyone's attention. Dad and Ben turned to demand an explanation.

"Everyone get in the damn house," Mum barked, noticing the curtains of nearby houses twitching.

We shuffled inside and Mum grabbed some frozen peas for my face. I held them in my punching hand; my thumb throbbed more than my cheek. Dad furiously paced the room as I explained everything Tiv had told me.

"What? So they're never coming back?" Dad said.

"Well, I suppose not," I frowned.

My chest became tight.

"Good riddance," he scoffed. "We should drag those assholes to The Grange and string them up."

Ben grinned in feral delight at the words before Mum and Dad started to argue about whether or not smashing Marco to pieces would have been a good idea. Mum, acknowledging Marco for the first time since the Guard snatched me and Ben, gave him the benefit of the doubt, saying Mayrina would never forgive her, especially when I 'did not tell him' I was seeing his brother. It annoyed me but I didn't say anything; I had already had too many confrontations for one day and it was barely after ten. My negative thoughts and my parents' argument were put on hold as Ben made quite an obvious observation.

"Mum, you didn't know they were leaving?" he asked.

"No. Anthony… Well, I suppose I can't blame him… He was not in a good place at all last night," she spoke with a hint of irritation in her voice.

"No, I mean doesn't that make you unemployed now?" Ben clarified.

Realisation swept across her face, "The car didn't show this morning but I just assumed…"

We sat in silence for a few seconds until the obvious sunk in. We could barely afford the basics with Dad's bartering and her salary.

"That stupid prick. If he can't get his own damn way-" Mum's anger boiled over like a pot left for too long on the stove, storming out of the room in a blur. My dad, attached to her anger like a shadow, rushed after her and closed off their heated argument with a slam of the kitchen door.

Me and Ben both ran to the door and pressed our ears against it before a fist banged on it from the other side.

"Both of you, get lost," Dad barked.

I moved away but Ben ran to the other kitchen door leading off from the hallway, continuing to press his head to it. A few seconds later, Dad hit that one too, harder.

"I mean it, Ben!" he snapped.

I grinned at which he cocked an eyebrow and smirked back, pulling away to stand with me. "I hope you gave as good as you got," Ben said, surveying me unhappily.

"I might have forgotten the basics," I admitted with an embarrassed grin, raising my swollen hand.

"Thumb outside the fist," he reminded me with a shake of his head. "But if there's ever a next time... which there better not be," he added with an edge to his voice, "I'll make sure you remember."

"Strangely enough, I wasn't thinking about form," I huffed.

"Well if they ever come back, I'll show you how to do it properly," he grumbled. "Or I'll just deal with them."

His tone was pretty terrifying. Not more terrifying than the thought that they may never come back. I would never be able to correct my last memory of Tiv.

"We'll need to hide you for a few days. There's no way he'll not tell the Guard and I don't fancy almost dying for you again," Ben pointed out.

"I'm sure Jo or Charlotte will have me," I sighed.

It wasn't the first time we had done this. Ben liked getting involved in the riots. When he got caught throwing a bottle at a member of the Day Guard during one, he stayed with Dad's friend, Paul, for a week until the Guard stopped showing up at our door. There was just too much crime in Outer Harroworth for them to dwell too long on one thing. But somehow I thought hiding wouldn't stop Marco coming for me. I just had to hope putting an ocean between us would be enough.

Even more concerningly, without Mum's job, we had lost our main income. The life of being a rich scab was about to fly out the window.

"Do you think we'll have to move back to The Grange?" I whispered.

I was thirteen when we left there. It was a horrible place. I just always remember being cold and hungry. The five of us shared one room. Then the four of us when Jax died. But we didn't talk about the dead middle sibling. The only reason I knew he existed was because of one family photo and Ben's vague stories he stopped telling years ago. Mum and Dad had never once mentioned Jax. Jamesons didn't show feelings that weren't rage. Ben said Mum went mad and Dad got locked up for a year in the aftermath. I didn't know much else but I knew enough to know I once had two older brothers until I was three years old. Then Jax got sick and we couldn't afford the hospital bills...

I didn't want to go back to that life.

"Ma will sort something," Ben shrugged.

Shaking off thoughts of Jax, I gave my living brother an appraising look. Mum only got 'Ma' from Ben when he was pissed off. He was probably annoyed he couldn't break Marco in half.

"Dad, he's back," he shouted suddenly.

Before I'd even managed to look up, Dad shot through the kitchen door and ran past me out of the house. I looked out of the living room window and saw Tiv taking in the state of his car. He didn't dawdle or even look in my Dad's direction as he ran shouting from the house. Instead, Tiv jumped quickly into his car and sped away. I clenched my fists, feeling frustration bubbling inside me. His cowardice was beyond irritating; it made my blood boil. I couldn't understand why he couldn't just stand up for himself like a normal person, although there probably wouldn't have been a lot of time for explanations before Dad punched him…

As Mum shouted at her two toddlers, I trudged gloomily up the stairs and locked myself in my bedroom. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My cheek was huge and red with a nasty cut in the middle of it. Holding my fingers to the gash, they stuck slightly to the rawness of the wound. I grimaced, the swelling pulling at my skin. Like a child, I threw myself onto my bed and started to sob. Nobody could tell me off for crying while the door was locked.