Unless- A Powerless Story

Trigger Warning: A little bit of gore, subtle mentions of suicide, self harm and a little bit of language if that bothers you. All of it will be in bold.

Jasmine grabs my hand and squeezes it hard like she does before she blinks at us or when she's worried. This time it's both.

"Jaz what do you mean they're in trouble? What is wrong?" She stands up and begins to pace, giving me more anxiety. Shouldn't we be going to help them?

"I don't know exactly what's wrong but something is off. I couldn't get a read on either of my parents. Should we go check? I know you have a surprise planned and I don't want to ruin your–"

"Jasmine, this is much more important than some plans that I made, let's go," I cut her off and grabbed my best friend's hand.

She gives me her signature smile, slightly tilted to the left that recently I've decided I couldn't live without. It gives me that warm fuzzy feeling– the kind you only read about in stories that tell the tales of true love and other shit like that. Something I thought I had no chance of getting and am still surprised I did get. I have no idea why Jazzie likes an awkward, quiet prince who can't talk to people without wanting to throw up. Who also happens to like both men and women– a little fact that my father has spent years trying to erase and hide because gods forbid I be any different than the picture-perfect heir he wants.

Jax has asked why I let him walk over me before but he doesn't know the extremes his adopted father will go to to ensure that his son is perfect. Like killing my first crush, my first kiss.

I was fourteen, and Raheem was a year older than me, working in the stables. I had seen him in passing several times prior to our first formal meeting. Before he even said hello I was down bad for him. Kai, who had much more experience in this department, told me that Raheem clearly felt the same way. "You could see it in his eyes, Kitty. Trust me I know."

So I did what every person does, I watched him work for a couple days until he caught my stalking from behind a hay bale. I can safely say that my face was a close match to the shade of Andy's hair. Raheem talked. I awkwardly listened and laughed along. Then out of nowhere I gathered some false courage and made a stupid joke about Plagues knows what but I guess it turned him on? (At least when I explained the situation to Jaz that's what she said.) He pulled me into an individual stall and kissed me. It was my first kiss so I was a sub-par kisser to put it lightly but it was amazing.

The kiss got heated pretty quickly and soon his hat and shirt were on the floor and the buttons on my shirt were being undone. Nothing happened. We just kissed over and over again until my lips hurt. I don't even know what I would have done if something happened. I know how the deed is accomplished but I don't know how to do it? If that makes sense. I had just never seen myself in this situation before so I was slightly relieved when the head groundskeeper came barging in yelling for Raheem to get back to work. When we parted ways– promising to meet up again the next day– I didn't think he saw us. Even if he did, I didn't think he would report it to the king.

My lips stung when I found the letter sitting where we had left each other yesterday, explaining to me how Raheem wouldn't be returning... ever. The waterworks hadn't started until I saw the large bloodstain several patches of skin and a discarded finger, both the same dark shade as Raheem's skin.

In the blink of an eye, Jazzie and I are outside her quiet neighborhood. Nothing seems to be out of the ordinary from the outside. Everyone around us just goes on with their business. Blinks are fairly common in the middle class. More powerful than mundanes but not powerful enough to live in the richer neighborhoods with inhabitants who make frequent– and annoying– visits to the king's court.