One True Queen

As we are chained to the stone walls in this random cave nearby, Chloe groans.

“I am so sorry... I thought... I liked Angelica...” She admits.

“As in, love?” Elliot mocks.

“Don’t judge me! You liked Bekka on first sight!” She fires back and Elliot blushes, causing Chloe to smirk triumphantly.

“Stop bickering!” Elizabeth yells.

“Best birthday ever.” Rachel grumbles and I grin.

“That’s how I felt.” I say.

“At least you didn’t have to wear chains.” She points out.

“But I did have to fight a girl who could do backflips and stuff, whereas I could only do a pencil roll.” I say. There’s an awkward silence as everyone stares at me. Rachel is the first to break that, with a howl of laughter.

“Nothing can beat a pencil roll!” She manages to say.

“Exactly.” I grin. Soon we are all laughing, except Elizabeth who yells again,

“We are still in chains here! Nice of you to make it a bit more fun, but I’m sure it’ll be even more fun if we weren’t wearing chains.”

“Big mouth for a small child.” Elliot snickers. Elizabeth scowls and a small slice of bread is thrown into the cave.

“Silence you scrawny Silvers!”

“I’m not even a Silver!” Rachel yells, and Angelica pokes her head round the side of the cave.

“Excuse me?”

“Elliot and I aren’t Silvers.” Rachel replies. Angelica scoffs.

“You’re just saying that.” She responds and walks away. Chloe growls, and I cough as smoke starts to fill the cave, and our lungs. Angelica runs back in, only to find Chloe’s chains are on fire! She waves her hands desperately, and clears the smoke, calming the fire.

“Who did that?” Angelica whispers eventually.

“I... I don’t know....” Chloe whispers. nursing her injured wrists, leaping away from the melted metal, “I was just so angry that you weren’t believing them, that you were punishing them for being something they weren’t, and that it was all my fault and then they just burst into flames...” She whispers shamefully.

“Who’s your mother...?” Angelica finally whispers.

“Lady Isabella Barslow.” Chloe replies and Angelica inhales sharply.

“Come with me.” She says and the two of them leave the rest of us, in a shocked silence...