Chills danced down my back at the thought of this all. I've never killed before. Of course, I've seen people get murdered, but I was never the one doing it. My uncle was. King Hampton, the king of Yales, was one of the most feared leaders around. And also the man I've decided to work for.
It was one thing to become a killer, but working for King Hampton, you'd be a serial killer in no time. With his fierce personality, it was no wonder he had so many enemies. One being the King who killed his son.
I walked back to my bedroom, which wasn't that far from where I was stationed to patrol most of the time. The knights' dorms were far down inside the castle, closer to the jail cells too. As convenient as it was to not have to walk far to the jail, it was cramped. Crowds of people shoved and bumped into each other, none of us bothering to stop and say excuse me or to wait. It was like rush hour, but every hour was full of people rushing. Each person only cared about getting to where they needed to be, not caring if they bumped someone and knocked them down. Because, here in the Paymor Kingdom, the only thing that matters is not getting in trouble with the Royal Family. I slid past a large group of men and women, all seeming to be drunk as they bickered over something as useless as gambling money and debt that they owed to each other. I rolled my eyes, sliding past them as one of them threw a punch at another, which only resulted in more people getting involved, crowding the halls even more.
My dorm room was a bit bigger than most people's dorms. Not because I was special or I worked harder; it was chosen out of pure luck. The day we all randomly picked a number and were given a room based on the number, I could hear people groaning and cursing under their breath as I got the biggest one. It was also the one closest to the bar in the hallway. Despite being small and cramped, we also had little bar areas and gambling areas for us. I assumed it's because if it's all close to us, then we wouldn't have much of a reason to leave the castle.
I could feel their glares as I shuffled through my keys, looking for the right one to my room. I sighed, pushing the door open before shutting it quickly. I slid back on the door, kicking off my muddy boots and taking off my green coat.
My room was actually really nice—way nicer than my actual room back at home in Yales. Bookcases surrounded the corner near the entrance off to the right and left of the door. Farther back next to the bed were also some nice wooden bookcases filled with manuals and who knows what. Along with a nice wooden table that was neatly decorated. A bathroom with a shower and my own dresser off to the right, facing away off to the left from my bed. Small plants also were decorated around the room, making it seem more lively.
The table was almost like a dinner table, one that I would die for just to have back at home. The table was nicely set up when I first moved here, little pieces of china and napkins neatly folded next to the plates. Now, it was cluttered with papers and mugs of unfinished coffee still in the bottom. My only other source of lighting (besides a lamp on the nightstand) was a single window next to my bed. I glanced at the notes piling up on my table near the window. Oh, how I wish I could just chuck them away and never have to see them again.
Throwing them away was one way straight to hell, though. I can only assume someone's going to see it and report it to the king if found. The notes were all the same, only ever talking about how Uncle's doing. It made me sick. I didn't want to know how he was doing. But then again, I was the reason I was doing this; he didn't force me to do anything this time. My family needs money, and I was more than willing to give them that. My parents deserved a better life out of Yales. Yales was trashy, full of gangs and violence, and poverty. Chances of surviving one night in Yales were always low, seeing as murders happened left and right daily.
My uncle would've been perfect for this job. He was well trained in this field—almost twenty years of working in it. I, on the other hand, knew nothing about this. I didn't even know how to cut a steak until I was fifteen, let alone kill someone. But I wasn't going to waste the opportunity at almost five million dollars.
I sighed, collapsing on my bed. The bed was more off to the side of the room, closer to the window, which I liked. It was actually a pretty big bed, big enough for a second person even. I curled up in a ball, pulling out my phone. It was a blessing to even have a phone in this kingdom; most don't allow it due to it causing problems. It was easier to tell others about the Royals and information about the kingdom with a phone than in letters or in secret. I flipped over on my stomach, spreading out on the fluffy comforter under me. Before I knew it, my eyes were closed, and I couldn't help but drift asleep.
"Are you serious?! I've been asking one thing from you! One thing! And you can't do that?!" Another slap hit me on the face—not enough to knock me down, but enough to bruise my face. My hands were shaking as I held the gun closer to my chest. My uncle pointed me in the direction of the man in front of us. "Shoot him, Val. Or I'll kill you both."
His words rang in my head. I aimed at the man in front of me, tears blocking my vision. I jolted awake as my loud alarm went off, gasping for air. I was quick as I unplugged my alarm from the wall, slamming it on the hardwood floor. I finally sat up, leaning forward, resting my head in my hands. I sat there for a minute longer. The longer I stay here, the worse the nightmares get. My hands were trembling; thoughts of just forgetting it all today and staying in bed were more than a comfort to me. And if I could just lay back down and forget about today, it would be even better. But I can't.
I got up out of bed finally, stretching my legs before raising my arms over my head. The bed was more than amazing but definitely gave me back pain. I rushed to the bathroom, getting ready for the long day ahead of me.
It was a rainy day, thunder and lightning collaborating together to make a beautiful dance and music. Growing up, I always thought thunder and rain were dancing somehow. Thunder being the music, the loud bangs, and some quieter background noises. While lightning was the one dancing. Sparks of lightning painted the dark sky.
Everything about today was, in some way, depressing. I think even the maids and other staff were sad. The letters kept piling up, making it harder for me to focus on anything. I knew my parents meant well, but hearing from them made this harder. I missed them, but I wasn't going to be leaving any time soon. I was tired, both from having nightmares and from getting an insane amount of letters weekly. The thought of finally getting home and curling up with a book while resting beside a fireplace seems further away, though.
I was getting used to my schedule now as the days rolled by. Most of the new recruits here were set to patrol easier areas. The hallways, around the outside of the kingdom, and around town. Some of us would patrol for more than thirty minutes in one spot before switching. It was horrible. Most of us were set on arguing about where to go rather than actually standing guard. What was worse was if you didn't do your job correctly (standing in proper position, being at your next area within five minutes, or if you fell asleep while guarding somehow), you were forced to go back to training. It was nothing but another form of hell here on earth.
I looked around for Remy on most days, hoping we could talk about anything, whether it was a plan or not. To be honest, I didn't have a plan. Remy was the mastermind behind it all, making it easier on me. I scanned the hallways, looking for her. Of course, some days she never showed up. Texting her was easier said than done too, seeing as she never replied back. Most knights didn't text either, I soon realized as I gained some people's trust and friendship. While it made sense for us not to text with how busy we all were, it was a pain in my ass.
I walked down one of the narrow hallways, barely touching some of the passing people's shoulders. The hallways were crowded with stuff, tables full of small decorations and plants, or chairs for royals and other guests to sit at if they felt like it. I finally stopped, bumping into Remy.
"Watch it." Remy said, smirking before slapping me on the back. I jolted, feeling a slight pain in my upper back now, before lightly punching her back. She grabbed my wrist, pulling me along to one of the ends of a hallway.
"We need a place to talk. Like a hideout but not in a suspicious place. I'm thinking about the library. I see nobody go in there, not even the guards. Kinda wonder if it's haunted or something." Remy laughed, almost spilling her water on her white uniform. I yawned, nodding slowly while forcing myself to keep my eyes open. She glanced back at me, stopping in front of me. We were on our way to our next area to patrol, in the main hallways that led to the throne room and courtroom. She stared at me for an uncomfortably long time before I snapped.
"What? I'm just tired, ok. It's not what you think." I rolled my eyes before another yawn forced itself out. She glared, walking in front of me again without looking back. Growing up, my nightmares were horrible. Worse than now. It was every night, I would dream the same dream with more and more people dying to a monster. The horrible screams of people dying and fleeing their homes to get away. The only thing different was the monster... It was always me. Almost every night, I would wake up crying and shaking. That's when Remy—how the hell she knew when to come to my room, I'll never know—rushed into my bedroom to comfort me.
Back before her transition, she would try singing to me to help me sleep. It was one of the times where she wasn't afraid to sing or be made fun of for her voice. As time went on, she came in to comfort me less and less, but I knew deep down inside she wanted to. She was always kind to me, despite being a bitch sometimes. In a sad way, Remy was like a parent towards me. Which made me feel all the more guilty.
"Val? You know you can talk to me. If not me then maybe yourself? That's one easy way to the psych ward." She joked, laughing to herself. I nodded, staring at the ground while forcing myself to laugh. "Let's just get this over with." I forced a sigh out, feeling some tension in my shoulders again. Without a word, Remy shoved her water bottle in my hands. I glanced back at her, but she was rushing away before I could give it back. I couldn't help the grateful feeling inside, knowing that she cares about me. Suddenly, a wave of guilt washed over me. Drifting me back into the sea with all of the negative feelings I've been plagued with. I didn't deserve this, I'm killing people now, and for a living at that. I clutched on to the water bottle, feeling sick now.
"Sir? Are you ok?" A quiet voice called from behind. I spun around, looking back at one of the waitresses from the kitchen. She was older and frail looking. She was hunched over a bit, hands trembling but she held them out in front of her, holding both her hands. I had seen her from time to time, she came by my room to take my lunch and dinner order.
I stepped back from her, nodding. I didn't want to stick around, that's one way of being caught when I'm trying not to cry. I rushed away, suppressing the tears I was feeling. I stopped finally when the library's doors caught my eye. Remy was right, nobody was around. Despite the library doors looking beautiful, with small paintings decorated on the door and flowers hanging beside them, nobody was in sight. I looked at the doors a bit longer, wondering what was so bad about the library. The doors seemed older, wooden while everything else was either made of jade or marble. And yet it seemed welcoming.