Page 71 of Soulmateless
I jerk my head back. “A cleansing?"
"Yeah. You know, the cleansing thatlikeresets your brain into thinking properly?”
Reset your brain? Wait. They have cleansing ceremonies when people think differently? Does that mean they induce amnesia or something?
No wonder Amias doesn't know the truth. No wondernobodyknows the truth! They make anyone who learns the truth forget it completely?
How could I blame Amias if that's the punishment?
“You'll actually think properly about this subject.” Black hair girl raises her brows. "You're not mentally okay if you speak up against Amara.”
The way she said that reminds me of Vasilisa. I try to shake myself off the thought but all I can envision are those deadly purple eyes, staring back at me with a snicker.
"What did you do?" I whispered.
"Nothing." Vasilisa chuckled, leaning back against her chair. "I just wanted to celebrate Kaius’ attempted murder lastnight. After all, it was pleasant to see a guard dare try to stab me in my sleep…"
My breathing starts to get heavy. Oxygen getting out of reach. How could she say that? How could we be the evils ones?.
Vasilisa continued. “I also thought a bit of Slippermouth would really make the drink fizz. I hope Kaius enjoys it.”
Slippermouth?
I snapped my head back at Kaius, whose eyes widened as he covered his mouth with his hand. People around the table started to murmur as he kept coughing, each one harder than the last. His pupils grew in size, threatening to swallow his whole eyes.
Shit!
Vasilisa leaned over the table, still chortling away. "Tell me Kaius. Is itburningyet?"
At the moment, Kaius pulled his hand away and started to gag, his mouth covered in tar. His pupils had expanded to his sclera, slowly dying the white into black.
I reached out for him as he leaned off the chair, grabbing him by the cheek and around his shoulders. I pull him towards me. "Kaius!" I cried out.
He stared at me, his eyes nearly all black, and his body convulsing as a fizzling tar poured from his mouth.
"No! Not you Kaius!" My body shook, and tears blurred my vision. What the fuck do I do? What the fuckcouldI do?
I held him to my chest until black covered all of his eyes and steam started to puff from his mouth. His head rolled back, looking up to nothing.
His body fell limp.
He got silent.
Black tears dripped from his eyes.
I flinched away from him, leaving him propped on the chair. Tears flooded my cheeks as I tried to breathe, but there was no air left.
Kaius…
He's dead. He's dead and poisoned. He didn't deserve that. How dare they tell me he deserved that?
My body shakes, recalling the feeling of Kaius convulsing in my arms… and the black fizzling tar…
“You don't-” I attempt to argue with the girls, but my voice has turned pathetic. “You don't- y-you don't-”
It's like I'm drowning on land, trying to grasp onto breath. They're telling me this kingdom believes that my people deserve to die, when someone as innocent as Kaiussuffered?
And I can't say shit about it. I can't speak in his honor. If I reveal what happened to Kaius, they'll kill me too.
