He winks at me and smiles.
I groan, pick up Gabriel’s knife and march outside, pretending to be angry. His insinuations don’t really bother me anymore. Last night something changed between us. I now understand that there is this kind, sympathetic Kris inside him, one who’s truly my friend and always ready to support me. And although I still don’t know why he’s helping me, I can’t deny trusting him.
I find the muddy river at the edge of the village. I wash my face and arms, and sit on the sand for a while, breathing the fresh air and enjoying the silence.
“You thought you’d gotten away from me, didn’t you?” a rough voice asks.
I turn to see Ace approaching with his knife drawn.
CHAPTER 29
My first instinct is to run. But I look around and see two of Ace’s friends approaching from opposite directions. It’s too late, I’m cornered. They obviously planned this assault and are not going to give me any chance to escape.
My body becomes rigid as I freeze up, just watching them, going deeply inside myself. I think about my knife, but can’t will myself to reach for it. My mind shuts down and I’m no longer here. I’m somewhere else.
Smiling, Ace grabs me by the shoulder and places the blade under my chin.
“No screaming,” he says. “I’ll kill you if you cry out.”
I stare straight into his eyes, my lips pressed tightly together. I’m not going to scream. I’ll do whatever he orders.
“Why don’t you start pleading for me to spare your life?” He smirks. “Come on, beg as much as you please. Nobody will help you.”
His friends stand nearby, watching the street. They all have painted faces today and look creepy. I’m not going to cry or plead for mercy because I simply can’t. I’m ready to do anything they ask, anything at all, because I know I want to survive. But I’m unable to speak or move. I guess at the moment I’m not even a real human being, just a brainless body. And I wonder what the hell is wrong with me.
Ace’s grin grows wider and more ominous. He slaps me across the face and I drop to my knees. The skin on my neck starts crawling. I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself, but it doesn’t help much.
Ace grabs my hair, pulling me back to my feet.
“Are you scared, sweetheart?” he asks.
I don’t answer.
“Turn around,” he orders, and I execute his request. “Walk,” he commands, still clutching my hair in his fist and yanking me forward.
He leads me behind a nearby shack, so that nobody could see us from the street. Once there, he smacks the back of my head. I stumble, almost falling again. He grabs my shoulders and turns me to face him. He then slams me against a wall and places his blade against my throat. His two friends stand aside, smiling. I want to scream, but remain mute.
“I despise you,” he says. “You’re a stinking outsider. You’re not one of us and never will be.”
I don’t reply. I think of headbutting him. I think of pulling my knife and cutting his throat. But my muscles seem to be paralyzed and I remain frozen. I can’t even turn away.
“You actually thought your psycho boyfriend could protect you?” Ace laughs. “Nobody will help you today. I can do whatever I want. I own you.”
I realize that what he says is true and at the moment he does own me. I stare into his face, feeling empty and detached. I think about Amethyst and wonder what she would do in a similar situation. But I’m not her, so I do nothing.
“Listen,” Ace says. “You’re gonna leave our village and never return. I’ll kill you if I see you again. Or I might do something even worse. I may just take you into the woods, break your legs and leave you. Let the wild animals feed on you.” He curls his lips into a nasty smile. “How would you like that?”
I don’t speak. An image of Logan pinning me against a wall crosses my mind. I also recall Wreck holding a knife to my throat.
“Do you understand me?!” Ace shouts, shaking me violently. “You’re not a ranger! You’re a weak miserable nobody!”
I nod in agreement.
“Then get the hell out of my village. Right now!”
I nod again.
He slaps me across the face and throws me to the ground. I fall on my side and freeze, lying motionless. Laughing, Ace and his friends leave.
I remain unmoving for a few more moments, then sit up and smooth my hair. I take another deep breath, rubbing my neck. My back aches and the scratches on my arm hurt. My cheeks sting from his hard slaps.
Why am I still alive? What stopped him from killing me? Well, I guess Ace is just scared of Wreck. He must realize Kris would kill him if he really hurt me.
Adjusting my jacket, I rise to my feet. I take a few unsure steps and then it hits me. My legs give and I fall to my knees, sobbing and covering my mouth to suppress a scream.
I hate myself. I hate Ace. I hate this village, the roamers and the whole world. Gosh, I’m so angry.
Why didn’t I yell? Why didn’t I headbutt him? Why didn’t I try to kick or bite? Why didn’t I pull my knife?
“Easy,” I whisper, patting my cheeks. “You’ll be fine. It’s all right.”
I talk to myself, trying to clear my mind, trying to comfort myself, but it doesn’t bring much relief.
Several minutes later, I finally manage to pull myself together. I walk back to the river, wash my face and then sit
