Chapter 1.41: A Cold Truth
The teenager froze and felt her heart drop. The eyes gazing down at her weren't of someone under mind control. Ezekiel was aware, somehow. He broke free of her control and she didn't know what to do. Leila felt so weak from nearly drowning she was having a hard time breathing. And seeing that the blonde was lucid and angry sent her into hyperventilation. For the first time in a while, the teenager felt like her own person and whole. It was like she had broken free from a locked cage into the real world. The dark-haired heiress stood there, wide‐eyed as the man started to digest everything. His blade dropped to the ground, and he shook his head. His golden hair sat plastered on his tan face, glued by a mixture of sweat and blood
"What the hell is wrong with you?" His tone made Leila gasp and grab at her chest. It was hurting so badly it stung. "Do you even know what you've done? Are you serious right now?"
The woman slowly diverted her eyes and looked down. Her feet were covered in open wounds, blood mixing with mud into a dull brown color. Seeing how bad they had become made her wonder how she was even standing. Painful tremors went through her weakened body as she took a shallow whimper of an inhale. She was at a loss for words. In one moment, she lost a powerful ally, no asset against Cleo's enemies. No, she quickly corrected herself that they were her enemies now. Leila didn't know if Ezekiel would choose to abandon her. To leave her to die in her worsening condition like one would an injured animal. A wave of shame overcame her, and she wiped at her eyes with her smudged hands. There were too many thoughts in her head to focus on one.
Ezekiel huffed and his eyebrows arched downward as his voice became angrier. "I don't even know what to say. The Cleo I knew would never do this for some petty relationship." There were layers of emotion she was having trouble sifting through. Hurt, regret, disbelief, and a whole bucket load of just…thick disappointment that burned.
The heiress stood with her eyes watering and her chest heaving. It was rare for a teenager to cry at all in this world. A world that wasn’t even real but existed only an electronic device in her bedroom. God, thinking about it now made her just want to curl up in a ball and sob. She wanted to just disappear from this world into a nonexistent space. But she couldn’t and she had to deal with this. The guard would turn on her if not attack her soon enough. She had to say something, anything, to clear her mind. Her head was hurting so intensely she feared that she had a concussion. Which would only the effects of using Cleo’s abilities long-term even worse. It all was just an enormous mess of a situation. And now Leila knew what she needed to do, no matter the suffering it caused.
“You’re right. The girl you knew would never do this because of some man.” When their eyes met, she felt something hot and wet drip down her cheeks. His eyes widened in shock as she felt the wind pick up in speed. “But that’s just the thing. I’m not that girl. I haven’t been here the moment we met, Ezekiel.”
Revealing herself was a rash decision that could cost her everything. But right now, she had already been exposed for using mind control over the man. So, in her mind, it was better to throw all her cards on the table and take a chance. Even with the look of confusion on his face haunting her mind. Leila was going to be found out eventually. Her eyes flashed a deep, overwhelming purple that thrummed with every blink she made. Before Ezekiel could see them, she directed her attention toward the frozen contract killer. The man had stuck in place due to her commands. She was relieved that the control she had over him hadn’t wavered. She had no energy to fight much longer. Instead, she’d used him to find out who paid him before taking his life. And to help her speak face-to-face with her former ally.
“Use your veins to lift me on the bridge safely. Once you're done, kneel and freeze.” As she spoke, Ezekiel stared at the woman slack-jawed as her voice came out like a snake. His shock grew as the contract killer followed her instructions and summoned greenery from the earth.
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Leila sniffled as the veins dropped her down across the man and winced. God, having open wounds on your feet was like walking on glass 24/7. She’d be bedridden for some time after this. But that wasn’t important right now. She had to work on this revelation very carefully. If she said she came from the future, the man would think she was insane. And if she said she was from another dimension, she was unsure how to word it. With butterflies in her stomach, she clasped her hands together tightly and let her body loosen up. From the way he was looking at her, she decided it was better to stay where she was instead of walking any closer. It was terrifying to feel this way so suddenly.
The blonde looked at her in pure confusion. “Explain to me what you’re saying.” He looked away. “Please.”
“The real Cleo died in the palace. She was suffering for so long, I honestly can’t describe the hell she went through without breaking down. By the time I came into her body, she was beaten into submission from all the abuse. I don’t think she would have lasted much longer if she lived.” She swallowed a lump in her throat before continuing. “I woke up in her body, in the trial room. Stripped of my dignity, my identity, and my humanity in front of hundreds of people in a strange world. Those men whipped and humiliated me to the point all I can crave is their deaths. All I could think about for months was killing everyone who ever hurt her. And that.”
Weakly, Leila sighed as the man opened his mouth to respond, but stopped. It looked like he wanted her to explain more, so she did. “I’m so sorry. I used Cleo’s powers on you in a panic. When I found out her family enslaved you, I got so mad I decided maybe mind control was a good way to free you. In my…realm slavery is seen as something immoral and disgusting. It sickened me that you seemed fine with what they had done. What I had done.”
“You sound insane.” Ezekiel shook his head, and she felt her chest tighten with a fresh wave of hysteria. “You're lying.”
“I’m telling you the truth! I’m not Cleo, I don’t even look like this!” Leila’s head felt like it was going to explode, but she kept going. Her voice was unstable and her legs were on fire as she blinked away tears. “I couldn’t even recognize you or your name. I don’t act like the Cleo you remember, and I just used mind control over you.”
The man looked like he didn’t want to even try to believe her. Instead, he just laughed. A hollow laugh made her blood run cold and her stomach twist. Leila didn’t know what else to do. Because if she had been in his place, she wasn’t too sure she’d think any of this was true. She’d think the confession was some drug-driven rambling and would quickly exit the situation. It made her feel sick, as she desperately wanted to believe. Just this once, she wanted to be believed. Her wobbly legs collapsed from her lack of strength, and her knees hit the bridge with a loud crack. This caused Ezekiel to stop as he realized her pain was genuine. Leila imagined that she looked like a mess, with blood, bruises, and marks covering her entire body. The woman’s eyes hurt so badly that she just wanted to close them.
"Cleo," The man placed a hand on her forehead as it throbbed. Ezekiel's voice was background noise as she tried to digest everything. "Cleo? Cleo!"
The heiress couldn't remember how or when he kneeled in front of her. But she decided the least she could do was address him. "I'm going to be fine."
"W–" She didn't let the older man finish as she got up. Her growing frustration and pain were evident as avoided making eye contact. Leila felt like a fool.
The woman had revealed herself to Cleo's friend and sounded insane. She had no way of showing him proof of her claims and felt sick. Not wanting to address what had just happened, she moved on. Her back faced him as she silently mourned. If the blonde still attempted to kill her, she would run. And if running didn't work, Leila swallowed thickly and felt her mind buzzing. The teenager had started this whole thing alone. If need be, she was fully prepared to end it the same way. With her sore eyes and throbbing head, she walked. The man she managed to still have under her control looked miserable. No, he looked to be in pain. The dark-haired girl planned to end his suffering. All she needed to know was who paid him.