We are all entitled to be beautiful

Chapter Thirteen - A Jewelled Dagger

Eleanor

It had been a few days since my failed attempt at an escape, most of my time was spent nursing Kayden back to health. He appeared weaker and weaker each day but his spirit never broke, he would still crack a joke here and there, spout some nonsense, do anything to distract from his withering body.

But today was different when I walked in he was a sombre as the night sky, his eyes hooded and dark as he stared at a piece of parchment in his hands. I could see the strain in each finger as they curled tightly around the rough edges of the paper. 

He had yet to notice my presence so I took it as a chance to observe what he was looking at. Silently, I edged behind him leaning over to read what I assumed to be a letter, but the moment I had drawn close enough to make out the first sentence printed expertly on the paper, he whirled around.

"What are you doing?" his voice was sharper than it usually was, it had an edge to it that I hadn't witnessed before.

"Nothing," I responded curtly taking a step back to rest casually against the wall as though that was what I had been intending to do all along.

"You are a terrible liar El," he had gotten used to calling me by his self made nickname and I didn't have the energy to tell him to stop.

"So what...I was curious," I decided to concede and tell the truth, there was no use in lying when I knew he was sure I was trying to read his letter.

"So nosy," he responded and laughed a little, the laugh was hollower than usual, it didn't have the same whimsical mirth that it usually had, being light as air and almost contagious.

"What's got you in such a mood?" I turned to see Dexter had returned to the room and unlike me he had no qualms about mentioning Kayden's shift in behaviour.

"Nothing Dex," he seemed to have a thing for shortening names, maybe it was just out of pure laziness, not wanting to spend the time on addressing someone by their full name or maybe I was just trying to make Kayden appear worse than he actually was.

We had sort of come to a mutually agreement that we would help one another but that didn't mean we had to like each other, we just had to be civil. 

"Its not like you to be this glum, you smiled more when your head was cracked  open, want me to fix that for you, give you another concussion," he was obviously trying to lighten the mood but Kayden was still adamant about being moody.

"Haha very funny," there was bite in his tone that he had never used with Dexter before, they seemed to be close to one another having known each other for long before we had even met.

Dexter lowered the crate of supplies he had been lugging around and came to sit down next to Kayden, he bumped his shoulder lightly before resting a palm on it, "Come on Kade, this isn't like you, you're almost all healed up you should be happy,"

"Me getting better is just me getting closer to getting hurt again. He'll leave me for a while and then beat me down again the only reason he waits is because he doesn't want to kill me," he paused and stared aimlessly into the air, "Sometimes I wish he would."

There was a long stretch of terse silence neither one of us, Dexter or I wanted to break it. There was a sudden realisation in me the amount of suffering Kayden must have gone through and part of me began to pity him. I then stopped that portion of me because I knew when I was hurting when I felt like nothing was worth it anymore the worst thing someone could do would be to pity me.

Pity was just another way of acknowledging someone's troubles but never lifting a finger to help. It was leaving them abandoned despite expressing your sorrow, it was leaving them to rot whilst telling them they were decomposing.

"Don't say that," Dexter finally whispered so softly that I barely recognised the timbre of his voice. It was so much more fragile than the boisterous voice I had become accustomed. Raw and vulnerable in a way that made my heart clench.

"Who will I have to annoy the living daylights out of me if you're gone?" 

Kayden gave a weak smile but it still seemed like his lips were turned the wrong way.

"Ok," I suddenly spoke our before I could stop myself, "Let's stop this sappiness before I don't recognise you guys anymore," It was my attempt at a half-hearted joke and to my surprise it worked.

"Wouldn't that be the worse thing ever to not recognise this beautiful face," Kayden replied in his usual mirthful voice and he winked at me whilst giving me a brilliant smile.

"There he is." I sounded a bit too happy that he was somewhat back to his normal self.

"If I wasn't mistaken I'd say you care El,"

"Dream on."

He smirked again showing a perfect set of pearly white teeth," Oh I will."

I scrunched my nose at the statement, slightly uncomfortable by the idea that he would ever be dreaming about me.

Immediately wanting to change the subject, "So Dexter what have you brought us,"

There was new gleam in Dexter's eyes, "Well I have a few things but this," he paused to pull out a unbated dagger, it was encrusted with jewels and look way too lavish to be deadly but the sharp point at the end said otherwise, "This is my favourite,"

Dexter handed me the bejewelled hilt of the dagger, it was mostly covered in small red gems with some larger blue and green ones dotted around, it was heavier than any dagger I had ever held but maybe that would make it deadlier. As I studied the dagger more closely, I began to recognise it.

"Wait this is-"

"The dagger they used to frame Rose," Dexter finished my train of thought. My gaze snapped towards him.

"How do you know that?" It was a genuine question.

"I've been a guard in this place for a good while, I hear things all the time," he grinned widely, "There isn't much that gets passed me."

"I can tell."

"Where did you even get this?" Kayden piped up. I noticed that he had folded the letter and slipped it into his pocket but I didn't ask about it.

"Well that's a secret," Dexter playfully tapped his nose like he was signalling to a group of kids that he knew more than they did.

"I bet you just found it in the King and Queens old chambers,"

"Maybe..." he watched me tilt the blade to see it shimmer in the low lighting of the room. Even thought there wasn't much light the blade gleamed brightly reflecting light onto the shabby walls.

"It looks deadly,"

"Perfect for you then El,"

I gave him a disapproving look, "Be careful or I might just use it on you."

He laughed at the threat, "Try me."

"Maybe I will," I twisted the blade in my hand and then lunged towards him. He was genuinely surprised and lurched quickly out of the way. His eyes widened in fear.

"God you could've have killed me,"

"Maybe that was  the idea," I laughed at the look of bewilderment on his face. 

"I'd be careful if I was you Kade," Dexter laughed from his position on the sofa.

"Yeah Kade, I'd be careful," his eyes narrowed at the use of his nickname. If he was going call me El, maybe I'd annoy him by calling him Kade.

"Whatever you say El. Whatever you say."