Chapter 26

• FIONA
• When I was a little girl, my mother had told me how the universe worked. While other children probably got fairytales sung into their ears at night. My mother taught me how to use a killing spell using a mouse I had saved from the clutches of my brother. While other children won little things and their parents praised them, my parent scorned me for not going a step further. Sometimes I believed it was all because I came out with a different genital but my awakening came when a very angry witch placed a killing curse on me thinking I was my parent's beloved. It was then I realized that my mother's teachings albeit flawed held truth. They tossed me aside like a broken toy. In their eyes, there was no saving me and as the days grew longer, I accepted it. There was no saving me. On cold nights, I wished the clock would tick faster so the day would come when I didn't have to worry about disappointing anyone simply for existing. But that was long before I met Alexios . That was ages before he had saved me and showed me that the world had bright places. It all depended on where you looked. I tried to look but there seemed to be no glimmer of hope at every turn. It was then I realized that perhaps my bright place resided in Alexios . I had made a choice one night and honestly, I was glad I did it. Alexios was my asylum. He was the brightest place. Alexios 's existence was how I encountered Curtis. Another bright place.
• After a few walks down the hall, I found Curtis' room. The bastard hadn't even bothered to exchange a simple hi since he arrived. There was a guard at the door. A sleeping one. I coughed to alert him and his staggering ass immediately flushed awake. He hurriedly bowed.