As promised, a Friday update! For those of you sticking with my story, I really appreciate it. Next chapter's going to get REAL intense. As alway, please star and comment about what you do/ don't like about Bleeding Crown.

Enjoy! "Not a god's chosen, but a god's cursed. That's what we all are."

Mare

Before administering the antidote, I plunge one of the syringes into my thigh, to be certain it's the correct medication. As the needle hits my skin, I bite back a cry of pain, cutting my tongue. For a moment I kneel on the floor, waiting for my lightning to return.

As I kneel, with clenched teeth and closed fists, the sore leg muscle seems to bring back past recollections of old wounds. When I was stabbed in the stomach when assisting Scarlet Guard member's escape from the castle, Maven's torture device, the clicker slowly ravaging away at every muscle, bone and, nerve in my body. And countless scrapes, burns, and cuts from battles and training sessions.

All of this pain, from a single syringe, comes flooding back to me. But perhaps the misery is not caused by the metal point that pierced my flesh. Perhaps, the pain was caused by seeing all these powerless and sickly individuals, so weakened by the experiments and cruelty they've been put through. Or maybe, I feel the pain because I have been reminded once again, Maven is a monster. And all it took for me to go over the edge, was a single, thin syringe needle.

I won't let him hurt me any longer, I convince myself as I feel little sparks dance through my veins. Raising my hand, I watch as tiny flares of lightning bounce off my hand and down onto the glossy cream colored tiles lining the floor. The cure worked.

I steel myself emotionally and then stand from my position on the floor. Taking one of each dose I hesitantly walk into the first room parallel to the restricted section. "This might hurt," I tell a woman who looks to be in her fifties. "But I dought you want to stay in here another day," I joke. She gazes in my direction, but yet has a foggy look to her eyes, as though I'm transparent, and is only watching the ghostly white wall behind me.

I jab each of the needles into her arm and push down on the syringes. Nearly immediately, the lady jerks up into a sitting position, ripping her arm free of the chain that was binding her to the metallic table. Strongarm. This time when she looks at me, her eyes are clear and focus on my pupils. "Mare Barrow, the Little Lightning Girl. Thank you, you saved my life," she says with heavy gratitude in her voice. "I assume you're freeing all of us. What can I do to help?"

"Well I see you're a strongarm, can you remove everyone's handcuffs?" I ask, already feeling bad for putting the woman, who looks so weathered by the world to work. "Come on, we don't have much time."

Around five minutes later, I've woken the eight prisoners who had resided in the hall, including Ella. "Just a few hours ago, I discovered this horrid wing of the palace, where Ella, my training partner, and friend from the Scarlet Guard had imprisoned," I began to speak to everyone around me, struggling to explain what was happening to them, without wasting escape time. "The experiments they've been performing on you, are attempts to permanently rob you of your abilities. But by the looks of it, none of you had been on the medication long enough for it to do any damage. I wasn't planning on helping all of you escape tonight, but when I saw you all, I knew I had to."

"Thank you," a middle aged man whispers, a mix of hope and fear in his eyes. Many of the other newbloods follow his example, murmuring thanks yous.

I nod and offer them a weak smile, my heartbeat quickening as every second passes. "We don't have much time. About ten minutes ago, I overheard the king sending orders to find me. I didn't anticipate him discovering I had escaped. It's only a matter of minutes until he figures out what I did."

The strongarm woman I had first recovered raises her hand. "If I assume correctly, this place is going to be crawling with Sentinels, the king has probably ordered every last one to search for you."

"How do you know about," I say, pausing in search for the right phrase. "the king's attachment to me?"

"I've worked in the palace as a maid for years. Until recently, when a silver officer caught me using my ability. I watched you fall through that net of electricity and miraculously survive. The countless dinners and balls you two attended together. I saw when you kneeled before the king on the Bridge of Archeon, and how he wore that expertly crafted mask of his, appearing as if he wasn't still in love with you. I've been watching him for years. I always knew there was something a little off with him. But I also know, he won't sleep until you are returned to him. Escaping is going to be nearly impossible."

"He doesn't love me. I'd call it more of an obsession than love," I whisper, shaken by her words. "I suppose our best chance out of here is to find a door that leads directly to the palace grounds," I explain, attempting to forget that fateful day on the bridge. "Everyone split up, go down the hallways, alert me if you find a door, window or even a vent. I'll be in the room at the end of the hallway." I motion to the thick gray double doors where I had gathered the antidotes a few minutes before.

Our group disperses, traveling down different hallways I had never explored before, while Ella and I enter the restricted room.

"So this is where all of those mad scientists keep their work," Ella comments, flinging bottle after bottle of serum up into the air, watching each shatter as it makes contact with the floor.

"Yep," I answer, tucking a few syringes, labeled ADRENALINE into my coat pocket. "We need to get out of here fast, but I still want to destroy last vial in here."

"Yes, ma'am," Ella agrees, now dumping entire buckets of medications on the floor, while I pocket a couple doses of the bottles labeled two, and two-point-five.

"I found a window!" One of the older men hollers. "I don't know what side of the palace it'll lead to, but it's the only thing we've found."

"I'll be there in one minute!" I reply, pushing four more bins for good measure.

Ella rushes from the room, eager to see the breakout route, leaving me alone. Giving the area one last sneer, I heave the large buckets of syringes at the wall. As each vial of the power blocker touches the hard wall, they shatter into a thousand pieces. I watch as each vial does this, the glass falling to the floor, and the solution spilling onto my boots.

"That window will have to do," I say, staring at the tiny square window that couldn't be more than two feet wide.

"But what if it sets off an alarm?" one of the newbloods ask, who looks to be no older than sixteen.

"Do you see any other method of escape? And anyway, like I said, it's only a matter of time before Maven realizes what I've done," I say, wasting no time in bursting the glass into oblivion with a single bolt.

No alarm goes off. At least none that I can hear. "Now does anyone know how to get to the backside of the palace? I have to look for something before I leave." I still cling to this little string of hope that I could find Cal here. It pains me to believe that Cal has been locked away somewhere, rotting just like I did when I was ripped away from him and taken to the castle.

"I do," says the strongarm woman, who used to be a maid. "But won't we run into guards?"

"I'm sure you will," I tell her, feeling bad for being so selfish. "Take whatever measures are necessary to get to the garden. I don't care if you have to kill, just get to the garden. I'll be right behind you." For a moment I remember the dream I had a few nights ago, the little girl scolding me for killing unnecessarily. But in this case, we may have to, if we want to escape. "Remember, those Sentinels won't think twice about putting a bullet between your eyes. So you can't think twice either.

Everyone nods, fear burning in their eyes. But one by one, they climb through the puny window and creep down the perimeter of the palace.

Meanwhile, I frantically run down corridor after corridor, peering into empty labs, empty storage rooms, and empty patient rooms.

Tears begin to flood my eyes, as I continue searching, running from a hallway to the next. Similar to the layout of the palace at Summerton, the science wing is like that of a maze. People who don't belong can easily get trapped in both, I remember Cal explaining how he did me a favor by capturing me when I tried to escape when I revealed my powers to the silver houses. Summerton is like a fortress, just like Whitefire.

I'm about to turn back around, realizing I could search here for hours and never find Cal, who probably isn't even here. But my eyes latch onto a door, which requires a security check. The bulky door looks out of place from the others lining the hallways, none of which are bolted shut.

I scan the card, never taking my eyes off the door. As it slides open, I make out a figure slumped in the corner.

As the door fully opens, I see their face. Eyebrows knitting together in confusion, I say "No way."