"Ashlyn - look at me, will you?"
He was angry again. He was more than angry; he was furious. I didn't turn around. I knew the tears that started to swim in my eyes were more because of him than me, but I blinked them away all the same. That was something I couldn't afford right now.
I wasn't in the same room as before. I was upstairs now, although still not in my own room. The move had assured me that this was going to be more permanent than Calix had first assumed. This room did have a window, something that I was grateful for, but it was completely locked shut and the door was even harder to get through than the last had been; so I was still trapped. I didn't know why I'd been moved, all I knew was that as they forced me through the corridors, I made no more progress in getting away from them than I had before, and that the path I was taken down was abandoned. My guess would be that was Calix's doing. If he refused to see me, I still had what I wanted, even if he had to be furious for me to get it. I just couldn't be sure that what I wanted was right any more. I was knelt in front of the window, with my arms folded in front of me, across the windowsill, and my head buried in them. I could hear the frantic paces behind me as my loss of concern aggravated him. I was concerned; I just didn't want to be yelled at. Again.
"I mean - after all that, I thought I could have some comfort, but no," he carried on, ranting until I turned to him. He had quite a while to go. "You knew what was going on - you knew that that would have gotten you out of there and what did you do? You completely refused him! Do you even realise what he had to say after that Ashlyn? That was your final straw - you last resort, and frankly, I can't see you getting out of this room any time soon! I can't believe this. I always tried not to think about this as someone's fault, and you know that - but I can see now that the reason I do that is because it's yours! He's a damn prince for Christ's sake! You have no idea what he could have done to you if he wanted to - and I'm sure as hell glad that he doesn't, but I don't see why! You couldn't make one thing easy for me, could you? I don't understand you why you run off, and yet I let you do it - I don't understand him when he puts up with it - this has been coming for months Ashlyn - possibly longer! You could practically see it coming, and after you ruined one of the most important meetings in history, you only needed one day to get yourself in isolation! I thought that was bad enough, but after that, what do you do? You go and land yourself somewhere even worse! Do you have the faintest idea-"
"Yes, alright Conner - I know I screwed up!" I shouted. "I know this is bad, but I don't know what the hell to do about it."
I still hadn't turned around. He didn't say anything and I could feel his burning eyes on me. I just slumped back into the position I had been in before, covering my face with my arms. I squeezed my eyes tightly shut, fighting the tears that wanted to fall.
"I don't know what to do," I repeated in a murmur, although I couldn't be sure if he heard it or not at his distance. I knew how bad this was, even without Conner screaming it at me. He didn't hear what I said next. "I just know I've been through worse."
He sighed angrily. "You bring this on yourself - you know that, don't you?"
"You really know how to kick a girl when she's down," I murmured. I knew he hadn't heard that.
"It's not as if this is the most complicated thing in the world. He asks you to do something, you do it - this isn't rocket science."
"Since when has science had any bearing on this anyway?" I mumbled.
He threw his hand up in exasperation. "And you still think you're in a good place to make stupid comments like that!" He waited a moment before he continued, possibly hoping I would say something else that was even slightly apologetic. When I failed to meet this, his voice was sharp, jagged, and more than a little exasperated. "You should know better-"
