66. Sable
SABLE
My legs work fast under me, eating the gravel to put distance between me and this school.
I throw a look over my shoulder, still scared that Soren decided to follow me after all.
The day is so similar to the one when I arrived here that an eerie sense of déjà vu nearly overwhelms me.
I shake my head, trying to clear it as the thick mist swells around me.
My fingers start to go numb from the weight of my bag.
I finally make it to the giant metal gate, but it’s closed tight, completing the sense that I’m exactly where I started.
Stuck and somehow even more alone. I push and pull, but the wrought iron doesn’t budge.
An exasperated plea flies past my lips, but begging never helped me.
I pray that Soren isn’t watching me right now.
The gates stand tall, mocking me, not even creaking.
Frustration makes me want to scream, but I snap my lips closed, refusing to bring attention to my escape.
Escape. If I can’t find a way to move this gate, I’ll need to march back to the castle with my tail between my legs or sleep over here until one of them drags me in.
As nervous as I was to attend Bellthorn, part of me believed it could be a way out.
It's pathetic to realize that I waited for a miracle, a knight in shining armor, and instead, I have the five of them.
When my dad drove me off that bridge, I should have known I couldn’t depend on anyone but me.
If the man who I trusted the most was capable of killing his wife and attempting to kill me, what did I expect of the five entitled bullies who wanted me as their whore?
Tears sting my eyes once again, and I judge myself for feeling this way.
Soren’s betrayal weighs heavily on my heart, and I don’t know if it’s because he was with someone else or because it was her.
The clock is ticking, and I wasted my own precious time coming to Bellthorn.
Yes, I got a few months of room and board, but I should have been building my life, whatever that will amount to.
Hell, maybe I’ll wind up a porn star. My fame is enough that I could make quite a bit off just a couple of videos.
I shake all over as I think about how low they’ve pushed me, how desperate the old version of me must have been to let the five of them get close enough to hurt me.
In what world could the games we’ve been playing end in anything else?
Someone always loses, right? And how the hell am I going to be surprised that it’s me?
I let them get far enough in to hurt me, and the thought makes me sick.
Enough with the pity party. I don’t have time for this.
If I don’t move, someone will find me. I search the massive gate and the wrought-iron perimeter and decide that I can squeeze between the bars a little farther down, where they spread as they start to slope down.
First, I push my bag through. My heart sits in my throat as it rolls down the steep incline, and I worry I’m destined to fall after it.
I put a foot through first, finding as secure a spot as possible, thanking myself for choosing comfortable shoes instead of heels.
But even with the right footwear, the ground is uneven, and rocks crumble and fall away.
Grabbing onto the bars above my head, I squeeze my way through, feeling claustrophobic as my tits and ass try to keep me inside.
Fuck, I curse internally. Of course, those are the parts of me that want to stay.
I need to understand from now on that desiring them is not the same as trusting them.
I let my guard down, and look what it did to me.
Squeezing myself really freaking hurts, but the alternative is to go back to my room and suck Soren’s cock when it’s still wet from Arabella’s pussy.
The anger runs so deep through me that I force my body to its limits and finally pop out on the other side.
I take a slight step and nearly fall, catching myself between a tree and the fence.
“Fuck.” This time, the curse is out before I can stop my mouth.
If I die in this stupid school, I’ll come back and haunt their dicks so it’s soft for any other girl who comes after me. I move carefully in small steps down the incline, keeping my balance so I don’t tumble down and suffer the same fate as my bag.
When I am finally at the bottom, I pick the forgotten muddy bag and turn to give the turret one last look.
Fear squeezes my heart as I leave the gates of Bellthorn behind.
I shouldn’t be scared now. I’m finally free.
What has Bellthorn ever done for me anyway?
I shouldn’t waste a second longer with a goodbye.
Once my feet hit the road, everything becomes easier, and I fly, pushing my body to its limits. I silently beg the universe for a little leeway. Don’t let anyone see me. Let me find my way out of here safely.
There has to be a town here somewhere, and from there, I can figure out what to do next. I run along the wet mountain road for about a mile, boots soaked in mud. I know I must look insane, but for the first time in a long time, I don’t care how I look.
My ears perk when I hear a car coming down the road behind me.
It slows down when it’s closer, but I don’t dare stop or turn, but I do consider darting off course and hiding in the trees.
Here in the middle of nowhere, anything can happen.
It could be the assholes I left behind or another one I haven’t met yet.
Eyes scan the forest by my side, deciding on an escape route when the window rolls down, and I’m surprised to hear a voice I know too well.
“Sable.” My uncle’s voice pulls my attention, and I look over to find him in the driver’s seat. “Come on, get in.”
For the first time in years, I’m thrilled to see him.
He looks as tired as I am, his face softer than the last time I saw him.
I nod enthusiastically as I climb inside.
I’m chilled to the bone from the cold, wet air, but I’m burning up from the exertion.
My fingertips are nearly numb, and I struggle with the buckle as I click it into place.
He takes a look at me and turns up the heat.
I sigh in relief as it pours over me, and I start to breathe through my panic.
“Jesus, I’m glad you’re here,” I say, overwhelmed by finally having someone to catch me when I’m falling.
He presses the gas, and we take off, the road passing by beneath us, and the school I need to escape fading into the distance.
He doesn’t say anything, and for a long minute, I’m thankful.
I need to think straight, though having him here makes my return to the city portion of the plan resolved.
Fingers over my temple, something screams at me, and I don’t fully understand my instincts until I turn to watch him and see his expression morph to anger.
“Wait, why are you here?”
“It doesn’t matter,” he bites back.
“Did you have some business at Bellthorn?” I ask, knowing it’s not really likely, but it is possible.
“Sure, all semester,” he says, but he doesn’t offer me any more explanation. He just picks up speed.
“So—”
“Quiet time, Sable,” he says as he turns up the radio.
The locks snap closed right when my fingers fly to the handle. There’s no escape. I swallow a lump in my throat, and I look at the man with a murderous glare on his face, wondering what he wants from me this time around.