Beyond by Katie May
3
Bianaca
Aiden was gone when I woke up the next morning. I didn’t know why that surprised me, why that hurt me, but it did.
But what the fuck did I expect from the man hewn from solid ice? He’d fallen apart last night, allowing me to glimpse the face of a man I doubted very many people had ever seen, but I knew that closeness couldn’t last. Wouldn’t last. He was too rough, too jagged, and he’d been nothing but an ass to me since I first arrived.
Some people in this world were executed, while others were executioners. Aiden fell firmly into the latter category, and his weapon of choice was that caustic tongue of his, spewing proverbial bullets at my face before I could say a single word in my defense.
Still, his absence left me feeling hollow and bereft, as if he took more than just his body when he snuck out of bed this morning.
Morning sunlight streamed through the open window, as gray and dreary as it usually was in this hellhole. The sun never seemed to penetrate the canopy of dark clouds, no matter what time of day it was. It was there, a tiny silhouette of subdued yellow and white light, but never prominent. Never warm. It was almost as if the sun were an afterthought, as if the creator of Purgatory, Limbo, wherever the fuck we were, thought that it would add to the atmosphere and decided to hastily place one in the sky. Its tepid heat permeated the room but did very little to chase away the cold completely.
Stretching like a lazy house cat, I rolled out of bed and moved towards my closet. I ignored the hideous school uniform and instead put on a teal leotard. I brushed through my long blonde hair before placing it in a tight bun. I threw on a pair of sweatpants to complete the outfit and then stepped out of my dorm room, locking it behind me.
Just as I was leaving my dorm, I saw a familiar shock of blond hair on the opposite end of the hall. Beau’s back was towards me, a towel slung over his shoulder as he made his way to the shared bathrooms. As of now, he didn’t see me, but I knew the second he did…
Memories of my last interaction with him played out in my head.
My confession of love.
His wide, shocked eyes.
And then Maria appearing behind him, her hair disheveled and her buttons undone. She’d admitted during the poker game that Beau had rejected her, but had that been the truth? Why had she been in his room in the first place? How far did they get before he changed his mind? Did he push her away because of me and my confession? Did he initially have every intention of fucking her? That distinction might not have seemed like a big deal to others, but it mattered to me. A lot.
I took a moment to survey my best friend uninterrupted, my eyes feasting on his broad shoulders and that mop of blond hair, longer on the top than the sides. I knew that if he were to turn and stare at me, his eyes would be a bright, unnerving blue—so blue, it felt like staring into the core of a blistering hot flame.
At first glance, his gait appeared casual, almost nonchalant, but the closer I looked, the more I noticed miniscule things. His shoulders seemed to droop, for one, and his head was lowered. He moved slower than usual, almost as if it hurt him to take each step.
I wanted to run to him, to ask him if he was okay, but I didn’t. Couldn’t. Not with the pain of his silence, and consequently his rejection, still at the forefront of my mind.
Instead of giving in to my ridiculous desire to wrap my arms around his waist, I turned on my heel and marched down the staircase and out of the school.
Cold air greeted me, whipping a few strands of hair that’d escaped my bun around my face. The wind was ice-cold this morning, and each slap of it felt like keen daggers being thrust into my arms. I suddenly wished I’d remembered a jacket.
Moving quickly to get out of the morning air, I headed towards the gymnasium where I knew there to be a boxing ring. It wasn’t a perfect place to practice gymnastics, but it worked.
I didn’t know why I even bothered with my daily exercises. After everything Heath had told me, I should’ve been curled up in a ball in my room crying, but I needed this. I needed something familiar to hold on to, even when my world had fallen to shambles around me, each shard slicing at my skin.
The gym was empty at this time of day, except for a few men I could see through the window leading to a different section, working out on the treadmills. None of them paid me any mind as I moved to the center of the mat and began to stretch out my taut muscles.
Heath.
Purgatory.
Between.
Aiden.
Nine circles.
Heath.
Purgatory.
Between.
Aiden.
Nine circles.
Heath.
Purgat—
“I thought I would find you here, little gymnast,” a familiar voice purred, and I lifted my head to see Tanner leaning against a stone pillar, his arms crossed over his muscular chest and a wicked grin unfurling on his lips.
Tanner was, for lack of a better word, hot. Hot as hell. And by the smug smile always pulling up his lips, he knew it too. His strong jawline had the lightest covering of blond scruff, the exact same color of his almost golden hair. His aqua eyes, always reminding me of the Caribbean Sea, twinkled as if he knew a secret no one else did. He had the slightest accent that made me believe he was Australian, though it was never overly present. The tattoos on his chest gave him a dangerous aura—one that warned good girls to stay far, far away.
But I’d never been a good girl.
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a silver lighter, his features distorting in the shadows made from the orange and red flame he conjured. His eyes stared intently at the small flame, a furrow appearing between his brows, before he sighed and closed the lid once more, placing it back into his pocket.
“Have you been looking for me?” I queried as I lowered my body into the middle splits and bent over my right leg. His eyes flared with heat, though he didn’t take a step closer.
I didn’t know if I was relieved or disappointed by that.
“Always,” he said with forced cheer, though there was a strain around his eyes that I’d never seen before. I wondered if Aiden had told him about the poker game, though I didn’t know when he would’ve had the time. When he left this morning?
But if Tanner knew, he didn’t mention it as he finally pushed himself off the pillar and crossed to the ring. He placed both of his huge, calloused hands on the rope, his plush lower lip disappearing into his mouth as he nibbled on the flesh.
“What?” I asked, placing my legs together in a pike and bending forward to touch my toes.
“Can’t a man just watch his girl look sexy as fuck?” Though he tried for a joking tone, it came off forced.
“I’m not your girl,” I retorted, lifting my head and narrowing my eyes. My anger dissipated, replaced by confusion, when I finally noted the darkness shrouding his handsome features. “What’s wrong? Did Aiden…?”
“Did he tell us about what Heath told you?” His jaw clenched, even as he nodded. “Yeah. He did.”
“And…?” I finally stopped my stretches to give him my complete attention. Those blue orbs pierced me, pierced my soul, until I wondered if I was quite literally drowning in the sea of his gaze.
“And…” He forked his fingers through his golden hair. “We need to have a meeting. Now. Grab your shit and come with me.”
I followedTanner towards the shed at the edge of the property. The rickety building appeared to have seen better days, half of the walls constructed of nothing but distressed, steadily deteriorating wood. A single table rested in the center of the room, where an assortment of supplies was positioned, including a lantern that Tanner grabbed and lit with that damn lighter he always carried around.
He led me past all of that, though, towards a steep staircase hidden near the back of the shed. My heart beat heavily with trepidation and fear as I hesitated at the top step, staring down into the black abyss below.
Tanner paused too, turning back to meet my gaze with an unreadable expression in his eyes. His grip on the lantern tightened, even as his other hand extended towards me. Waiting. Allowing me to place my trust in him.
“Are you coming, little gymnast?”
That one question settled on my chest like a two-ton weight, pressing down until my rib cage cracked in protest. But it didn’t kill me.
Taking another deep breath, my shoulders touching my ears before falling, I placed my hand in his and allowed him to lead me down the steep, rickety staircase.
The shadows made from his lantern seemed to dance on the walls, a macabre show of writhing shapes and silhouettes. I could’ve sworn that some of the shadows resembled monsters with clawed hands and long, serrated teeth.
Finally, we reached the bottom of the staircase, where I caught sight of the mysterious tunnel for the first time since I’d arrived at the school.
It was easily wide enough to fit two people standing side by side and smelled vaguely of mildew and mold. The walls were constructed from numerous rocks, each varying in size and shape and resting haphazardly on top of one another.
The first person I saw was Aiden, his arms folded over his chest as he rested against the nearest stone wall. His pierced eyebrows raised when he saw me, but other than that miniscule tick of expression, he gave no outward reaction to my appearance.
Beside him, sitting on the dirt, was Kace.
My heart gave a strange pitter-patter when I stared into the man’s arresting face. I couldn’t help but remember the last time I’d seen him, when I accidentally hurt myself and he freaked out on me. He looked the same as he had then, his face hollow and ashen and riddled with guilt. His auburn hair was streaked with gold and bright red, the colors heightened by the flame of the lantern resting on the ground beside him. His hazel eyes were shrouded in darkness, making them appear almost black, and his long fingers thrummed against his jeans.
He didn’t glance up when I entered. Didn’t even acknowledge me.
Aiden cleared his throat to capture my attention. “You’re here.” It wasn’t a question, yet I couldn’t help but think Aiden’s tone sounded almost accusatory.
“Didn’t you send for me, Your Highness?” I asked with a sarcastic bow and flippant eye roll. His own gaze hardened, turning to granite, but he simply turned away from me in lieu of a response.
Addressing the group as a whole, he said, “We need to discuss what Bianaca told me.”
Somebody placed their hand on my upper arm, their touch feather-soft.
I knew that touch. Loved it once. But now, it only made my insides sizzle and boil, searing my flesh.
I turned in his direction, and my mouth hardened into a thin line when I met Beau’s pleading gaze.
I was right in my assessment earlier—he did look like shit.
Dark shadows marred the skin beneath each of his eyes, and he looked as if he hadn’t slept in days. Fatigue had wreaked havoc on his beautiful features, creating lines that hadn’t been there before.
His finger automatically began to write on my arm, caressing the sensitive skin, but I wrenched it away before he could write out whatever he was going to.
Beau had been diagnosed with selective mutism after his step-father murdered his mom. As the sole witness to the crime, he’d been forced to testify at the trial and recall all that he’d seen.
The murder…
His mom’s death…
The trial…
It broke something in my best friend. Something fundamental. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had an actual conversation with him.
But apparently, he didn’t hesitate to talk to my tormentors.
Betrayal flayed me open when I thought about what I’d overheard—namely, him. He hadn’t talked to me in years, but he was perfectly capable of conversing with the men who bullied me? Destroyed my clothes? Threatened me? But that pain had nothing on the agony I’d felt when I saw Maria in his room. We weren’t together, but I’d thought…
Well, it was stupid of me to assume he felt the same way for me as I did for him.
Once more, Beau grabbed my arm and shakily wrote across my skin.
P-L-E—
I pulled away once more, crossing my arms over my chest and shifting so I stood directly beside Tanner.
Tanner’s bright blue eyes gleamed with amusement, and he didn’t hesitate to shift his body so it was directly behind mine. One of his strong, bronzed arms came to rest on my shoulders, pulling me even closer to him, until I could feel every hard, prominent ridge of his body against mine.
Beau’s eyes widened, pain flashing in their depths, before he lowered his head and focused once more on Aiden’s monologue.
“…need a plan. Now.”
“We need to leave by tonight,” I interjected, remembering Heath’s ominous warning. At their confused looks, I batted Tanner’s hands away from me and stepped forward. Clearing my throat, I continued before I lost my nerve. “It was something Heath told me.”
I swore one of Aiden’s eyes began to twitch in agitation. “And it was something you kept from me?” His tone was caustic, bitter even, but I knew most of his ire still had to do with his sister. A part of him must’ve known that his sister was gone, but having it confirmed…
My heart ached for the man, even while my brain instructed my fist to punch him in the nose. My body was the epitome of contradictions, and I had no one to blame but him.
“Not on purpose, asshole,” I seethed, glaring. “There was a lot to process.”
“What is it?” Kace murmured, still staring at his thighs. His messy red hair fell forward, obscuring his features even more. “God, we’re fucked, aren’t we? So fucking fucked.”
Aiden gave his friend a concerned look before focusing on me. He raised one pierced eyebrow, waiting.
Always waiting.
He was such a fucking prick sometimes, I wanted to take his piercing and rip it from his face.
“We need to leave tonight,” I repeated, swallowing heavily. “Because if we don’t…Heath said it will be too late.”