Darkness surrounded me when I woke up and I stretched my limbs before slipping out of the covers to go to make my way to the bathroom.

"El." Someone said as I started across the floor and I screamed, not expecting it. I forgot about there being a guard.

In my screaming moment I had fallen to the floor and I heard the rushing of feet over to my body.

When they came closer I realised it was Martin.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he crouched down in front of me.

"Yeah I'm fine." I nodded and he extended a hand to help me stand up.

"I didn't mean to frighten you." He apologised.

"It's fine." I assured him and then continued on my way to the bathroom and then back out into my room so I could look at the clock. 5:43.

I knew I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep now so I went to my closet instead, changing into long, skin tight, black spandex pants before finding a black sports bra and then a zip up hoodie.

I placed my running shoes on as well and then exited my closet.

"I'm going to the gym." I said to Martin and he quickly followed me as I left my room.

"Why are you going to the gym this early?" He asked as we walked.

"I can't sleep." I said and he nodded.

When we arrived at the gym I expected it to be empty like last time but it wasn't, it was fairly full with plenty of guards, minders, and hunters, working out.

I was the only girl.

Sighing, I walked inside followed by Martin, and went straight for the track that no one was using.

I dropped my sweatshirt since it was hot, and grabbed a towel and water bottle before they were all gone and set them by my clothing before going to stretch out.

My eyes glanced around the room at the people inside as I sat on the floor stretching my legs and then I stood up, bending down to touch my toes then got into position and started myself off in a slow jog.

I was aware of the people watching me but I ignored them, working on keeping a steady pace.

I wasn't athletic at all so I was trying to get in shape, despite the way my small, slim body looked.

When you live on a ration diet all of your life, you'd look skinny too.

When I finished another lap I took a break, laying down on my back and trying to catch my breath.

Taking a drink from my water bottle I stood back up, running a few more laps before retiring.

Martin walked me back to my room where I proceeded to take a shower and Lux entered my bathroom shorty after to dress me in a outfit she had picked out.

"The King would like for you to have breakfast with him and his cabinet this morning." She said as I wondered why she was dressing me so nicely in a short black skirt that stopped above my mid thigh, and tucked in a light grey cotton tee over that.

She let me wear my combat boots and fixed my French braids before letting me leave.

Apparently Martin was apart of this cabinet that I was eating with so he joined me on the walk to The Kings chambers and let us in.

The breakfast table was full of people and food, and I took a deep breath.

His Highness, Martin, Theo, Shay, a few other men I had seen but didn't know their names, and Michael were sat at the table.

"Ah, Miss Belle, how lovely for you to join us. Please, have a seat." King Blakesley said and I nodded, taking the only empty seat which was across the table from Shay, between King Blakesley and Martin.

My eyes glanced up to Shay but he was currently talking with one of the men I didn't know so he didn't see me.

"Are you excited to return home for today?" The King asked me.

"Yes, thank you for the opportunity. I really appreciate it." I said and he smiled.

Keeping my eyes down, I poured myself some coffee, and took a roll, nibbling on the bread and sipping the hot bitter liquid.

Suddenly a small white card was passed to me from His Highness.

"This is your list of things to do today before you leave. I expect there will be no issues on your trip outside the palace."

"Yes Your Majesty." I nodded and scooted back from the table, pushing my chair in before I left, still not looking at anyone, for fear of coming face to face with Michaels death glare.

I watered the roses on his terrace and then left his chambers, everyone still chatting at the table, and made my way to the laundry room to pick up his things.

I took them back upstairs and the table was now empty and servants were cleaning up the mess.

That was all on my list so I went back to my room to wait for Shay to get me. I decided a book would keep me company as I waited and five chapters in to the story the door to my bedroom opened.

"Are you mad at me?" Shay asked as he stalked in.

I looked up at his words, furrowing my eyebrows together.

"No. Why would you think that?" I asked.

"Because you didn't even acknowledge me at breakfast this morning, you completely ignored me." He said and I dropped the book into my lap.

"I did look up at you but you were talking with someone else. And I was sitting next to The King, what did you want me to do, blow kisses to you from across the table? I thought we were supposed to keep this a secret?"

"We are. I'm sorry, I was just under the impression you were upset with me." He looked down at the ground.

"Well I'm not." I said and scooted forward to the edge of the bed where he was standing and placed both of my hands on his face, bringing him down so I could kiss him.

He kissed me back and I smiled as he brought his hands to rest on my shoulders.

"Are you ready to go home?" He asked when we broke the kiss and I nodded.

He stepped back to I could stand up and then proceeded to lead me from my chambers and to the front of the palace and outside where two guards were standing by a sleek black car.

They saluted Shay and one of them opened the door for me to get in and closed it while Shay got in on the drivers side.

"It's just us?" I asked as he began to drive.

"Mhmm." He hummed and I smiled slightly.

He reached across the console and took my hand, lacing his fingers through mine causing me to receive a giddy rush of feelings inside.

I watched as we left the palace gates and entered the Untouchables sector, my eyes fawning over the beauty and grandeur there.

Finally we entered the Unexceptional ring, and my heart beat began to pick up.

Shay navigated the streets, most people who were out and about glancing over at the car, not knowing who was inside because of the heavily tinted windows.

When he turned on my street I sat up straighter and he laughed lightly.

Then there it was, my old building. The blue paint was still chipped and you could see it from the street. The gold letters to my apart 2C glimmered in the light and I grinned widely.

Shay parked in front of the building and we both exited the car when he said to, waiting to make sure no one was coming.

I led him upstairs and stopped when I reached the door.

"I don't have the key." I said.

"We made a copy." He took one from his pocket and unlocked the door, letting us inside my old space.

Everything was exactly how I had left it and the feeling of being home after all of the terror I had experienced overwhelmed me, and I gasped in a breath as I felt tears well up in my eyes.

"Oh my God." I choked out and Shay placed a hand on my shoulder.

"So this is where you lived." He said and I nodded.

I took a few more steps into the room, my eyes moving over everything.

Making my way to my bedroom I gasped in a breath, my hand grazing over the fabric of my comforter and it felt like a fist had closed around my heart, squeezing it.

I sat down on the bed, closing my eyes as I tried not to cry.

"Hey," Shays smooth voice said and I opened my eyes to see him crouched down in front of me, "I know this is hard, and I'm sorry."

I wiped under my eyes and sucked in a staggered breath.

"I'll give you a minute." He patted my knee. "I'm going to go get the boxes from the car."

I nodded and he left the room, leaving me to wallow in my misery.

I felt like a little girl who had run away from home and come back only to find everything that she had left behind meant a lot more to her than she thought.

I crawled up the bed and laid my head on the pillows, letting out a sob.

I didn't want to go back to the palace, but I knew I didn't have a choice.

The sound of the door opening again touched my ears and and then he appeared in the doorway.

"El." He sighed and walked over to sit on the bed.

"I dont want to go back." I sniffled.

"I know you don't, but there's not really much of an option." He rested his hand on my leg.

"Yeah." I breathed.

Sitting up, I let out a few shaky breaths before getting off the bed and went to my dresser to start going through my things.

There wasn't much, but I had a few pictures, some of my mothers jewelry, my fathers journal, and a few books.

I moved onto the closet while Shay watched from the doorway while I gathered a few pieces of clothing that held certain memories or importance.

On my way to leave the bedroom he stopped me, placing his hands on my shoulders.

"Let me be here for you." He spoke softly and I nodded before he pulled me into a hug. "I thought this would make you happy, if I knew it would hurt you coming back here I wouldn't have suggested it."

"No, this was a good idea. I'm just sad that's all." I assured him.

He held me for a little longer before I slipped from his arms to go to the living room to pack my things in there.

Honestly, I wanted to get the hell out of here so I could just move on.

Shay was sweet though. He would ask me about certain items and if I wanted them he would place them in a box.

Since I didn't have much we only filled two boxes to which he carried to the car while I stood in the middle of the living room.

This was the last time I was ever going to see my home.

"Are you ready?" Shay asked as he came back into the flat and I turned around and walked outside without a word.

Getting in the car I watched as he came out and closed the door, joining me in the vehicle, pulling away from the curb.

The ride all the way back to the palace was silent, and when we pulled up to it I opened my car door and walked inside the building.

I had just voluntarily walked into my own prison cell, sentencing myself to life in hell.

I headed straight to my room and changed into the workout clothes I had work this morning that had been washed and headed to the gym.

I half expected Shay to be waiting for me when I left but he wasn't, and when I arrived at the gym it was empty.

I wasted no time in starting myself in a slow jog, preparing myself to eventually speed up so I could feel that numb feeling again. I wanted to run my body into the ground like I had before, I didn't want to feel.

Unfortunately I was only able to get one lap around before I let out a heart wrenching sob and collapsed to the floor, drawing my knees up to my chest.

The reality had finally hit me that the only way I was ever going to leave this place was through death.

I heard the sound of the gym door opening and then a call of my name.

"El?"

It was Alfie.

I heard him jog over to me.

"El, are you okay?" He asked but I couldn't answer him, for my flood of tears was too hard and my throat burned and ached.

I heard him leave and minutes later he came back, this time I heard two distinct footsteps.

"El." I heard the voice of Shay sigh.

"I just found her like this." Alfie said and Shay crouched down in front of me.

"El, are you hurt?" Shay asked me.

I didn't answer.

"Are you hurt?" He asked again and when I didn't answer he sighed again before picking me up in his strong hold.

His arms cradled me to his chest and my arms wound around his neck, not even caring who saw, and he began to walk.

Shay said nothing as he carried me through the palace, reaching my bedroom and taking me inside so he could set me on the bed.

"I'm sorry Eleanor, I truly am. I didn't know going home would cause you this much pain." Shay whispered.

"I'm never going to be free." I managed to get out while I cried and I felt the bed dip next to me as Shay sat down and then pulled me into his arms.

"I'm sorry." He brushed a hand across my cheek in order to soothe me.

He didn't say anything after that but let me cry it out, drowning in my own self pity, before finally I had no more tears left to cry and he pressed a comforting kiss to my hair.

"Dinner is in an hour, you should get ready." He said and I nodded, brushing off his arms and going straight to my closet, closing the door behind me.

Wiping my eyes I went to the clothes and flipped through them, deciding that I was going to keep up my good streak with The King, and despite my internal misery, look nice for Shay.

I wore the short black skirt from that morning along with a black band that covered my breasts only, showing a lot more skin that I had before. A black jacket covered my shoulders and I yanked on the boots from yesterday.

Undoing my braids, my hair fell into soft waves around my face and I exited the closet to see Shay standing by the door to my room.

I went the bathroom to freshen up then returned, Shay still leaning against the wall.

"Hey." He said as I approached the door to leave and placed his hands on my waist to stop me from moving any closer to the door. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Just give me some time, okay?" I said and he slowly nodded.

"Can you at least go put on something less revealing, I don't want to blow our cover by beating up the first guy who looks at you in a way that only I should." He said and I smiled softly, taking his hand as I led him to the closet so he could choose what I wore.

He let me keep the skirt and the shoes, but handed me a black camisole to wear under the jacket instead of the band.

"Very nice." He smiled and looked to my eyes for permission before leaning down to kiss me.

After I was dressed we made our way to the dining room, actually being on time for once.

I sat down next to Shay again, and his hand immediately went to my knee under the table and I bit my lip to hide my little smile.

Of course The King was there and I felt his eyes on me.

"So Eleanor, how was your trip back to the Unexceptional sector?" He asked me and my fork slipped in my hand.

"It was fine, thank you." I said.

"It must have been hard, seeing your friends out and about while you couldn't go say hello." He said, and I knew he was trying to press my buttons.

"I don't have friends." I said through my teeth.

"That's not surprising, who would want to be friends with the psycho?" Michael sneered and I didn't even look at him when I spoke.

"For you that may be the case, I just don't need them." I said and heard several gasps around the table.

Shay tensed his fingers on my knee.

"Watch your mouth peasant, you just might say something that you can't come back from." Michael warned me with a snarl.

I ignored him, knowing that would make him angry and when I was done eating I squeezed Shays fingers before I slid back from the table, leaving the dining room alone.

Making my way back to my room I changed clothes with the assistance of Lux, and grabbed the book I had been reading and sat on my bed with my back against the wall to read.

A few pages in there was a knock at my door and Lux went to answer it.

"Is El here?" I heard the unmistakeable voice of Alfie and she opened the door to allow him entrance.

"Alfie? What are you doing here?" I asked him with a smile.

"I wanted to check on you. You seem to be doing much better." He replied as he neared my bed and took a seat on the edge.

"Yeah, sorry about that, I was kind of emotional."

"What happened?"

"They let me go home today, to get a few of my things, and it was pretty hard."

"You got to home?" He gasped and I nodded.

"Just for a few hours though."

"Still. I wish I could go home for a few hours."

"No you don't." I shook my head. "You just see the people and places you know you'll never see again, and right now you think you have closure, but going back it just opens the wound again."

"I'm sorry." He said softly.

"It's fine. It was nice to get some of my stuff."

"I can't believe The King let you go." He shook his head in awe.

"Well Shay suggested it."

"Really? Shay?"

I nodded.

"What do you miss the most about home?" I asked him, leaning my head back against the wall.

"My couch." He answered and I laughed.

"Out of everything you miss your sofa the most?"

"Yes. It was blue and really comfortable." He defended himself with a laugh. "What about you, what do you miss?"

"My job probably. I worked at this really shit diner and I worked with this guy who was a total prick and caught almost everything on fire. I don't know why but I really miss it."

He nodded.

At that moment the door opened and Shay walked in carrying my two boxes in his hands.

His face seemed relatively calm until he saw Alfie sitting on my bed and I immediately saw the annoyance take over his features.

He set the boxes down and then made his way closer to my bed.

"His Highness has requested your presence." Shay said and I nodded.

"Guess that's my cue to leave." Alfie said. "See you later El." He placed a hand on my knee and not a second after he had his hand was ripped away by Shay.

"Don't touch her." Shay growled.

"Shay!" I exclaimed.

Alfie widened his eyes and scrambled off the bed.

"I'm sorry." Alfie stuttered.

"You're fine. Shays just being protective." I glared at the man who had become my "more than a friend" and slid off the bed as well.

I walked Alfie to the door.

"Sorry about him." I said and he nodded.

"It's alright." He gave me a soft smile.

"See you around." I returned the smile and then called the door behind him as he left.

"Really Shay?" I turned around to scold him but I was pressed back against the door and Shays mouth slammed into mine.

My body went limp at this, his hands flying out to hold my sides.

"Shay." I said when he took a breath.

"No one touches you but me." He growled before kissing me again.

"He didn't know." I managed to get out through his kisses.

"I don't care." He leaned his weight more into me and I sighed into his mouth as he deepened the kiss even more.

I was becoming dizzy from the lack of oxygen and he seemed to notice, releasing my lips.

"Jealous much?" I smirked at him and he rolled his eyes.

"Yes."

I smiled as he moved back so I could step away from the door.

"Why does The King want to see me?" I asked.

"Oh he doesn't. I just wanted to get that kid out of here so I could be alone with you."

"Wow." I laughed.

"Shut up." He smirked and leaned down to kiss me again.

I took his hand as I led him over to my bed, sitting down and pulling him down next to me.

"I can't stay long, I have a late night training session with the minder academy." He said as he put an arm around my shoulders.

"But you'll still be here tonight right?" I asked.

"Yes I'll be here." He pressed his lips to my temple and I smiled. "But from 3-6."

"Okay." I answered and enjoyed as he lifted me so that I was in his lap.

"So baby," he started and a sheepish smile took over my face alongside a blush, "I was thinking, that I wanted to have a special nickname for you besides El."

"My mom used to call me Ellie when I was a kid." I suggested and felt him smile.

"Ellie." He mused. "I like it."

I giggled.

"So Ellie," he started again and I smiled up at him, "tomorrow you probably won't see me until dinner because The King is going to be in meetings that I must be in. But the good news is, you have a day off."

"Yeah, but it's boring with out anyone to talk to. Believe it or not but I do get lonely."

"I know." He squeezed me. "Have a guard take you to the gardens or hang out in the kitchen since you apparently seem to like it there."

I nodded.

"But I'll be here when you wake up to tell you good morning."

"Okay." I said and leaned my head back against him, enjoying the feel of his arms around me.

There was a beeping noise from his pocket and he sighed.

"I have to go now, but I'll see you in the morning."

He said squeezing my body before releasing me.

"Alright." I said quietly.

"Goodnight baby." He leaned down and attached his lips to mine in a very passionate kiss.

"Goodnight Shay." I whispered when he pulled away and he went back in for another kiss.

"You have to go." I giggled when his pocket beeped again but he continued to kiss me. "Shay."

"I don't want to go." He mumbled and I kissed him once more before pressing back on his chest.

"I'll see you in the morning." I smiled up at him.

"You will. Goodnight Ellie." He quickly ducked down for one last kiss causing me to laugh before leaving, waving as the door closed behind him.

My cheeks were flushed and my heart was racing from our lovely little make out session, and I flopped back on the bed, dreamily smiling and wishing that he could come back so I could spend more time with him.

That night I fell asleep dreaming of what it would be like if Shay and I could come out about our budding relationship without being murdered.

In the morning I woke up alone, disappointed when since I expected Shay to be there, but then I noticed the white sheet of paper on the chair next to my bed.

Ellie,

I didn't want to wake you up but I had to leave for my meetings. I hope you have a good day and I will see you tonight.

-Shay

I smiled as I read it and then Lux entered my room.

"Someone's in a good mood" She smirked and I showed her the note, her smiling too.

"You know, when I first met Shay I didn't think it was possible for him to be nice." I commented as I got out of the bed to stretch.

"I think he only does for you." Lux winked and I grinned before skipping to the bathroom to get ready.

Breakfast was brought to my room and I ate there since The King was in meetings, and I decided I would unpack my things from my house that we had brought.

I placed all of my belongings on my desk and organised them, making a note to ask if I could get picture frames for all of my photos.

Once that was done it was around lunch time so I made my way to the kitchen for a nice lunch with Charlie, then decided to take Shays advice and walk in the gardens.

A guard had to tell me where to go but once I was outside in the fresh air I took in a deep breath.

The gardens were lovely and I immediately knew I'd be spending more time here.

I strolled along through the maze of roses, daffodils, and tulips, admiring their colours and scents when I heard noise coming from ahead. I could see a white balcony and made my way over to it.

Looking over the edge I could see what seemed to be minders and hunters all standing outside.  My eyes scanned the scene a bit longer until I saw the dark brown hair and tan skin of Shay. He was in his Minder uniform, the gun strapped to his back and I rested my elbow on the balcony wall, leaning my chin into my hand to watch him.

He shouted something at one of the other minders before taking the pistol that was in the boys hands and walking over to a group of servants I hadn't noticed before.

Shay said something and a few men came forward, all with the pistols in their hands. 

I stood there frozen, not sure of what was happening until I saw Shay raise the gun at the servant man before him, and distinctly heard the sound of the bullet leaving the gun, the man falling onto the ground.