Page 98 of Hearts Held

“Why did you keep her from me, Baba?” I hear Bobby ask my mother before I enter thevehicle.

She replies, “Because I needed you to become unhinged, dear. I’m so sorry.”

I climb into the back of the Crossley and watch my cottage fade into the distance.

George and Kenneth place my belongings in a private cabin upon the train. They stay posted outside the door. I’m slightly surprised they allowed me these amenities after I was revealed as a traitor.

I should be happy to have my life but instead am filled with remorse and anger.

This is not how my story was supposed to go.

I was to be a queen and now I am nothing.

Peering out the window, I see the rolling hills as spring peeks through the land.

I will miss seeing Lockham in the springtime—everyone putting their beautiful gardens on display, the spring festival taking over the streets. I guess you neverreally realize what you have until it is gone. At the time, I found those festivals tedious and meek, beneath me; now I know they were small joys I should have indulged in.

I wonder where I am even headed.

As I turn to sit on the blue velvet upholstered bench within my cabin, exhaustion racks my body. Glancing at the luggage rack, I find two rather large leather cases.

I wonder if they even packed the fine silk pajamas that I love.

“Will one of you come in here and get my luggage down?” I ask through the door.

They ignore me.

I yell it louder, adding aplease.

They ignore me again.

I huff, exacerbated, and throw my hands on my hips.Fine.I will get the bloody luggage down myself.

I climb atop the adjacent bench, pulling down one of the pieces of luggage—before it falls atop me, landing on my torso. It hits my abdomen just right, knocking the wind out of my body. Luckily it is not as heavy as I anticipated, but was still too large to gain control of. I push the luggage off my torsoand sit up.

Opening the luggage, I find my letters from Sabini, some shoes and various toiletries. I frown, since it’s not what I expected, but maybe the items I’m in search of are in the other case. I stand atop the bench again and try to grab the luggage from a logical angle, but again fail, and this luggage is substantially heavier than the first. I allow it to crash to the floor of the cabin as I fall on my back beside it. Lying in the fetal position for a few seconds, I attempt to regain my composure.

Once I open the luggage, I’m met with a sharp pain in my arm, my neck, my chest, my torso, my wrist.

I scream in agony.

Then, opening my eyes once more, I peer into the luggage to find it’s filled with angry black adders, which continue to strike me.

There have to be nearly twenty to thirty adders that were locked within the luggage. Dropping them from such a fall probably pissed them off even more than they were already.

Another strike.

Another hiss.

More pain.

I curl into a ball as I feel them slithering along my legs and atop my arms. Some continue to strike at my flesh.

The venom burns and my muscles feel like they are on fire.

My breathing becomes shallow, my vision blurry as a headache erupts within my skull.

I’m surrounded by pain.