DARKNESS

DARKNESS | Chapter 16

"That's none of your business," I reply defiantly.

"Cut the crap, Harper. I'm going to give you one last chance, and you either tell it to me, or you tell it to my father."

"Consider the chance taken. Go on, sell me out to your father. See if it bothers me, Kale. See if I'll cave and spill your so-called answers. Your threats don't intimidate me- I thought you would have figured that much out by now. But let me ask you this: where's your evidence? What good will it do you to have your 'significant other' locked up down in those stupid dungeons once more?"

"Whether you're my significant other or not does not make any difference to the current predicament we find ourselves in. And as for the evidence?" He laughs humorously, moving ever-so-slightly closer. "I don't need evidence. My word is the evidence."

"Your word means shit," I hiss venomously.

"Oh, you have no idea how much shit you just got yourself into."

"Ah, it's good to see the two of you finally getting close!" Comes a different voice entirely.

Kale remains in place, eyes fixed solely on my face as I look past him to see Ashleigh.

"Oh yes, we were making great progress, weren't we Harper?" Kale says, loud enough for his father to hear.

"Of course we were, babe," I drawl.

"You're a liar, you know that? On so many different levels. You're full of nothing but deceit," Kale whispers in my ear in what would appear to anyone else to be an affectionate gesture.

Suddenly, he pushes off the wall and turns to face his father confidently.

"Dad, I have reason to believe that Harper harbours hidden motives, only solidified by the fact that she was out all night last night."

"She was what?" Ash asks, seeming beyond shocked as he looks to me. "Is this true?"

"What would I be doing out at night?" I ask, as though it's preposterous.

I'm still caught up on the fact that Kale told Ash. Never in a million years did I expect him to follow through with his threat.

Who knew Kale would finally grow some balls?

"You do realise the seriousness of what you're proposing?" Ash asks his son.

"Of course I do, but I wouldn't bring up the issue unless I thought it absolutely necessary and undoubtedly true."

"So be it." Ashleigh gestures to the two guards tailing him. "Arrest her and take her down to the dungeon. Not the high security cell this time- you must be sick of sitting inside that one by now, aren't you?" He questions rhetorically with a slight sneer. "In the meantime, son, I believe we have some important issues to discuss."

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"Hey, mate," I say through the bars of my cell, attempting to get the guard's attention.

He looks over to me completely unamused, his eyebrows raised on his forehead as though he can't believe I'm addressing him.

"Can I have some water?"

"I just gave you some," he counters, going back to eating his apple.

"That was two hours ago."

"Which means you're still hydrated."

I slide defeatedly down the cell wall, bringing my knees up and resting my head on them.