I'm shockingly proud of this chapter. Hope you enjoy it too.

I run down the all too familiar path, my feet hopefully carrying me further away from my pursuers. The pebble stone path crunches beneath my sneakers and I dive behind a rock for hiding. I peer out a minute later, praying that the guards are mislead.

My heart beats quickly. My breath is shallow. And I realize that I might not be able to evade capture if I keep running.

It is stupid, of course, to return to a place I don't want to be at anymore. This isn't home. It might have been when I was younger, but now that place is nothing but a prison. A prison that unleashes the worst of memories, the reason that I stay up at night with the lights on. Coming back only makes those memories more vivid, and causes the wounds that just healed to re-open and bleed. Bleed until there is nothing left, bleed until I become nothing but a lifeless body.

So, that's how I find myself standing before the gates of the castle. I might as well turn myself in and end this madness. But desperation leads to one thing or another, and apparently it leads me to scaling the walls of the ancient castle. It seems so unbelievably simple; I want to laugh. But I don't because attention is the last thing I need.

I place my foot on a loose stone jutting out from the wall and lift myself with the ease and strength I didn't know I have. With the guards oblivious to their refugee's escape, I manage to make it to the other side of the wall untouched and unnoticed.

Oh, how easy it is to make an escape when your foolish brother sent out all of the guards to capture you rather than just a few. I laugh at the thought, believing myself to be the funniest person I know. And I might just be.

Here's the thing about the royal guards: You can send them out to do any job you want them to do. Any at all. Will they do it? Maybe not right away, but at least they'll try to get it done.

That explains why I got into the castle without any trouble.

Due to the fact that I so obviously can't walk in through the front doors, I'm forced to think of an alternative route. I run around the perimeter of the castle multiple of times before I spot an entrance: an open open window on the second floor. It isn't too far; it's within my reach, only a few feet higher so I grasp the window sill and lift myself.

Before I can even enter the room, I push my head through the (thankfully) wide enough window and scan the area. It leads to a vacant hallway. Perfect, I smirk inwardly.

Now, I'm not exactly sure how spies in the movies will do it, but I'm more than certain it would've been a lot more smoother and professional then what I did.

I push myself head first through the window. Apparently, I've underestimated the size of the window. Just because my head fits, doesn't necessarily mean my entire body will, too. I slide into the hallway until my hands reach the cold, hard ground. That's when the window decides to come down. And catch me at my waist. And somehow manages to trap me.

Boy do I feel bad for whoever's standing on the outside, wondering why they see half of a body.

Okay, in retrospect, maybe climbing through the window isn't the brightest idea I've had and I've had plenty of dumb ideas before. So I'm stuck in the window, wiggling like a worm to escape. I look stupid, really stupid, but it helps and I land on the floor. I lay on the floor for a few moments, only retreating to a corner when I hear footsteps.

And then I hear their voices.

"Daddy, are you sure the guards are going to get Brady and bring him back?" Mikayla's voice questions and I have to fight back the temptation to jump out and reveal myself. Not now, not yet.

"I'm sure, baby girl," Mason's deep voice echoes in the empty hallway and I cringe. He might be a few feet away from me, but his voice is enough to scare the living day lights out of me. "Brady can't get too far; remember how he needed a map just to find the village and even then he got lost?"

I expect Mikayla to laugh, to agree with her father's statement but she doesn't. Surprisingly, she defends me, "Daddy, that was Boz last week, not Brady. Boz is new to the island, so of course he would get lost easily."

Mason mutters something under his breath, and I'm only able to make out the words "your boyfriend" and something about the redhead being treated too "unfairly" for his liking.

Is it possible that Mason shares the same view as me on the redhead? Not wanting to get my hopes up, I stay in my corner. It isn't until I hear Mikayla screaming, "You just don't understand!" and footsteps retreating in two different directions that I come out of hiding.

The overheard conversation replays in my head and I have to ask myself: What exactly is the reason Mikayla went after the redhead if she doesn't seem entirely happy with him?

Remembering my current dislike towards the girl, seeing as she and the redhead are the reason I had to run for my life from the guards for the past hour (possibly even longer, judging by the setting of the sun outside), I feel no remorse for her. Anger surges through my veins and I find myself walking down the path to her room.

She's the reason I came back, the reason I have gotten in trouble for. And, as I've promised myself, she is going to pay, whether she likes it or not.

The door to her room is open and I slip inside. There she is, beautiful and smart and amazing, sitting in the corner of her room, at her desk, her back to me. Wanting to make my presence known, I casually lean against the wall opposite to her and say, "Hello, Kayla."

The girl jumps out of her seat and turns to me. She is silent for a long time before she walks forward. "What're you doing here?"

Her voice is soft, almost a whisper, it's almost as if she believes if she speaks any louder, she might get caught. And is she right to do that.

I laugh, walking until the distance between us shortens. She takes a step back, I take another step forward. I tuck a strand of gorgeous brown hair behind her ear and whisper, "What do you think?"

Mikayla must have understood because her hands are on my chest and she pushes me backwards until I land on her bed. "You're crazy, Brady. This isn't you."

I clench my fists, fighting back a retort. What does she know? She hasn't cared enough to know who you really are. Or was, at least. The anger I feel pulses even stronger now, controlling my actions, my words-me. Before Mikayla realizes it, before even I realize it, she's pinned to the wall, her hands enclosed in my tight grip, our bodies so close that there is no space left.

"Tell me, Mikayla," I whisper, my voice surprisingly calm for my sour mood. "Who am I?"

Before the girl can answer, the door is thrown open. I'm thrown to the floor by an unknown force. I briefly hear voices scream "Brady!"

And then I'm engulfed by darkness.