Bound (The Guardians) (8 page)

It’s total crap. As a kid I read the books my mother gave me about Livolism. She made a special effort to get me the kiddie’s version with the Guardians being ‘magical’, kind of like this one. As a little girl I wanted to believe that wonderful sounding story. But deep down I knew no one was really magic, it’s all smoke and mirrors. At least that’s what Da used to tell me. He is the ultimate dream killer.

Since then Livolism, to me, has come to mean very little. It’s just another thing my parents used to fight about. Mother believed, Father didn’t and I somehow grew up wedged in the middle.

I turn my attention back to the five page question and answer sheet Elentia has given me. I push the pen across the paper and for a moment, I smile. It’s almost as if I’m at university, like I planned a year ago. Maybe this isn’t so terrible. Maybe.

CHAPTER Eleven

Two weeks fly by faster than I could’ve imagined. I’ve been filling my days mostly with study and the completion of exams administered by Elentia.

I’ve been given a little freedom - meaning I’m allowed to explore the Tower - but strictly no higher than level four. This sounds like a lot at first, until you realise the Tower has fifty levels. I’ve even found my way through the conference rooms in the second pillar and once into the library. However, a good portion of days are still spent locked up in my room.

I can’t believe it’s been two weeks. Fourteen days and not once have I seen Leo. It eats away at me inside. Every time I hear the door open, or see a shadow flick around the corners of the Tower, I’m paranoid it’s him.

But as the anniversary mark arrives, my fear has turned to anger. How dare he grab and then dump me here? He really is a selfish little rich boy. I’m not some toy he can keep in a cupboard until he’s ready to play with me again.

The afternoon approaches and the light is soft in my room. I’m free from classes and my papers are all finished and handed in. I sit at my table, flicking through a magazine Poppy has snuck in for me. It’s a fashion edition, not my strongest social topic, but still better than textbooks. I turn the glossy pages until a knock taps on my door. I turn and call comfortably, ‘Yeah?’

When I see Leo’s tall frame and soft features sliding through the entrance, my heart twists with anger and panic. I stand from my seat and run around to the other side of my bed for safety. Last time I underestimated his power to intimidate me. Today, I’m not taking any chances.

Leo heads my way. I don’t take my eyes off him. He’s wearing a purple long sleeve shirt and dark grey pants. I think that even if he was wearing a brown sack, he’d still look like a model. My eyes carefully drift to meet his. They look tired and red. He’s exhausted. His face is pale like the day we first met.

‘What’re you doing here?’ I snap.

The tall boy stands directly across from me, the double bed acting as a shield between us. I see a brown paper bag in his arms. He steadily reaches forward and places it on the bed. He then pushes it towards me, then a bit more and then again…and again.

‘Stop that,’ I say, annoyed.

Leo replies strongly, ‘Accept the package, and I shall.’

Anger is bubbling under the surface of my skin. It feels like he’s talking to me as if I’m a child. I can safely say I’ve never hated anyone more in my life. He treats me like crap and then, what, tries to buy me? I reach over the bed and smack the bag away. It flies onto the carpet beside him, a small box tumbles out mid-air.

I shout, ‘There is no way I’m accepting your bribes.’

‘I do not understand,’ Leo says softly.

‘That!’ I point at the bag. ‘Do you seriously think I’m as shallow as the rich girls you hang out with? You can’t buy my friendship and trust. That’s something you
earn
.’

‘Then what can I do?’ Leo asks loudly. ‘I have given you the space you clearly wanted. I have extended a hand to you in apology and you quite literally smacked it away! Tell me how to earn your favour so we can move past this issue as quickly as possible.’

I let out a low tone scream. ‘There is no
one way
you rich brat! Every person is different and it’s something you need to figure out for yourself. It’s a process of elimination and a long road of endurance.’

Leo makes a long, annoyed sound back. ‘That will take forever. I do not have the time or patience for that sort of task.’

I roll my eyes downward. ‘Well then, you will never have my trust or even my respect because clearly you don’t care enough. If someone is really special to you, then you do those things without thinking. You don’t moan about it how much effort it will be.’

I perch on my side of the bed. There is a long silence. I figure if he isn’t going to say anything, I might as well keep going. ‘If you can’t tell the way I’m feeling or understand why I’m upset with you, which evidently you don’t, then we will never get along. I will never be happy. All the space in the world, all the gifts…they won’t fill the void that I have inside, because these trivial acts aren’t important to me.’

‘Then what is?’ Leo asks.

I sigh. ‘You need to figure that out for yourself by listening to me and picking up on the subtle hints I drop from my words, and my actions. Making a new friend is all about self-education. But it’s not supposed to feel that way. It’s supposed to be fun.’

When I glance back at him, I see Leo’s shoulders drop. He seems deep in thought as if everything I have said is completely new. He reaches down to the bag and puts the gift back inside. Carefully he places it on the bed.

‘I know you do not want this. But please at least open the gift. It is not a bribe… I thought you might like it. Perhaps…it can be a start.’

He strides towards my door and turns the knob. Like that, he is gone once again.

When silence falls around the room, I tap my hands on my knees gently. Curiosity gets the better of me and I reach over to the bag and pull out the gift. Inside is a metal music box with a tiny handle. It’s the size of my palm. The instructions from the seller are attached to the side. It’s handmade. I walk over to the window and hold it up to the light as the directions tell me. As the sun shines on it, the handle winds and a small tune starts to play.

I’ve never heard the song before.

It’s strange, but when the music plays it makes me feel safe. The tune is gentle and soothing, a nice choice and perfect for me. When the winding stops completely, I remove it from the light.

I feel myself smiling. I’m not so stubborn that I refuse to recognise that he’s attempted to do something nice for me. I know it must be hard for him to understand the concept of friendship. I doubt he has had many friends in his life, especially if
this
is how he treats them. But I don’t think I’m emotionally strong enough to keep tutoring him. I’m barely holding on myself.

All I want is to go home.

Chapter Tweleve

The next day brings harder tests, one of which I fail. It’s the first one I’ve stuffed up since coming to the Tower. Elentia scolded me for not trying hard enough. I did try, I really did. But for some reason, after Elentia informed me Leo was back in the Tower for meetings, for at least a week, my concentration started to lapse. I keep thinking about what I’m going to do when I see him next. Or wondering what he might do to me.

I put my pen down on the table. I close up the textbooks. My eyes fall to the music box before me. I poke it.

Desperate for some fresh air, I pack up my books and step out of the room. I turn my head, left and right. No Leo, so far so good. I make my way directly down to the bottom level foyer.

On my way across the large circular floor, I pass a few Sentry officers and keep my eyes down. I duck into the second pillar and down the hallway of meeting rooms. When I reach the end, I push on a set of doors and descend into the underground; I’m heading for the kitchens, a little place I discovered in my travels.

I walk causally past the chefs and non-executive day maids, nodding my head to them. This has become a common occurrence and they’re getting used to seeing me around. Technically, I’m not supposed to go into the staff areas. But that’s where the
normal
people are and the place I feel most comfortable. I rush up to the older maid Teri, who is making a giant pot of soup. I jump up and sit on the silver bench beside her. She grins at me.

Whist stirring Teri asks, ‘How’s the studying coming along? All done for today?’

‘Yeah good… I finished an interesting chapter in the “Guardian’s antiquity”. It’s about these people called the MECHs. Do you know about them?’

Teri shakes her head.

I frown. ‘I know right? It’s strange. I took a couple of history classes in high school and not once did they come up. In fact there are a lot of confrontations with people all over the Centreland and Stray Islands of the Coasts that are all news to me.’

Teri tastes the soup. Making a disturbed face, she starts shaking in more salt. ‘Matters involving the Guardians’ battle for survival are left out of the common peoples’ text books. It’s so they appear consistently unchallenged. I know about a few battles, but the MECHs… that’s a name I’ve never heard. Who are they?’

‘The book said that about sixty years ago, people from one of the Stray Islands to the south, called Laboran, planned an uprising. It said that Laboran was always cloudy and dark. The soil and food lacked essential nutrients and over time people began losing arms and legs. Sometimes they were born without them at all. So a pioneering Laboran resident “Doctor” invented cybernetic technology to replace the limbs. But the residents quickly became addicted to the feeling of being cybernetic. They got cocky and decided that with their power they could expand beyond the island and take the Centreland too. They planned to force everyone to become a MECH and those who didn’t conform would be killed.’

Teri glances at me. She is now somewhat engrossed in the story.

I lean forward, telling the story like a campfire horror tale. ‘Sir Macal, Sir Dorkarn’s father, set out to Laboran to stop the MECHs before they reached the mainland. When they arrived on Laboran a fierce battle broke out. The Guardians were outnumbered, unaware of how big their forces truly were. Dorkarn, simply a Successor at the time, was ordered to leave by his father after sustaining an injury. It must be how he lost his left eye, it doesn’t say for sure. Sir Macal then set a detonator that extinguished all life on the island in a terrible fire, including his own. To this day a MECH has never been seen again.’

Teri’s face has become a bit pale. She forces a grin. ‘I’ve heard a lot of strange tales, but that one truly sounds fictional.’

‘No, it must be true. Elentia left the book on my pile for today. She would never leave me anything fun during class hours.’

Teri nods. ‘Well at least there’s some excitement coming into your readings.’ I hear a buzzer; more food is ready across the room. ‘Sorry I can’t talk more, love. But I have to get this finished.’

‘I’ll get out of your hairnet then,’ I say with a smile.

I get down and wave goodbye to the other members of staff. I duck out of the kitchen, back up the stairs and out into the foyer.

I slowly walk across the red carpeted base floor and look directly up at the majesty of the Tower.

The tale of the MECHs is a dark story, one of legend almost, and I’d never heard it before. Perhaps my father was right all along. The more stories I uncover, the more underhanded and sneaky the Guardians seem. What other tales and battles do they have locked away in these crystal walls? How close have they come to completely losing their reign, without a single person knowing?

The main doors of the Tower open and a noisy group enter. They’re all Sentry officers, some men and some women. They’re dressed in their black and white uniforms. A couple of them I recognise, they’re residents of the first floor. Not all Sentry officers reside in the Tower, only those of high rank and importance. Most live on base camps around the mainland, never once seeing inside the fortress of the very people they take orders from.

Amongst the officers is another man. He’s tall with short, honey blond hair. His eyes are vibrant blue and he marches with confidence.

I take a step back to allow the Sentry officers more room to pass by. They still make me uncomfortable.

The group trails into the second pillar, towards a meeting room, but the blond man stops. He twists his head towards me. Gently he flicks it in a “come here” motion. I step closer until I am looking upwards at this tall young man.

Unlike Leo and Lord Neros, he has a different appearance. His strong facial features and scary eyes remind me of Dorkarn. I know who this is, Leo’s older brother.

‘Successor…Arin?’ I say with an almost guessing tone.

‘Indeed,’ Arin replies. ‘You must be Mellea Wendorn. I have heard all about you.’

I laugh. ‘Oh good, that’ll save me some time.’ I’m joking, but his face doesn’t move in the slightest.

Arin says, ‘I trust that you have been settling into your new life without too much concern?’

I nod. I’m scared to say anything now.

‘I do apologise for not meeting with you earlier. I have been engaged in important business almost every day since your arrival and my time in the Tower is highly valuable.’

I guess too valuable to waste on me.

A male Sentry officer from the group returns to Arin. He announces that the meeting is ready to begin. When the officer is dismissed, I hear a voice call out to the Successor. It’s Anrella. She scurries over from a nearby elevator and stands near him.

Grinning widely, she says, ‘You’re back!’

‘It would appear that I am,’ he replies shortly.

Anrella asks, ‘Did you have a good time?’

‘I had seven consecutive day meetings with a group of people who cannot see past their own selfish demands. It could hardly be considered a
good time
.’ Arin glances at her with a straight face.

‘Oh…’ Anrella says, a bit deflated.

These two are newlyweds…seriously? Where’s the love? It feels like Arin isn’t treating Anrella much different than how he’d treat a subordinate who’s trying to win points. Even married life in the Tower is dull.