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Hello, everyone! It’s been a while since I posted (July has been crazy, sorry XD), but I have a super exciting announcement for all of you! For the past few weeks, I’ve been working on a secret project for all of you! 

I’m releasing another free ebook, Speeding! It’s been a long time since I released an ebook and I hope this one was worth the wait!

Alexandria “Alex” Montgomery Cashton is a runaway. Having enough of the broken city and her own fractured family, she takes off running with no intention of returning again. Instead, she begins searching for a new identity in a new city with a new name to replace the one she left behind. 

It all seems to go well at first but when her plans for creating a new, better life and forgetting her past backfire, she is left wrapped up in a group of underground racers with a next to impossible task set in front of her. Not to mention, there is the mysterious woman named Scarlett who seems to have taken an interest in her (and may or may not fit the stereotype of an assassin). All too fast, she has to decide if she really is a girl strong enough to break expectations or if she’s still that fractured girl who she thought she left behind. Does Alex actually belong in this new life or will others make the decision for her, leaving her no choice but to bend to their will?

  The False Prince and Calculated meet in this fast-paced adventure of a girl searching for her identity in chaos. 

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Chapter 1

It was time. 

I pulled the pack over my shoulders then flipped my dark cloak over it to hide it. Reaching back, I tugged my hair back into a messy bun before flipping my hood over my head and fitting the visor in place over my face. My gun made a sharp metallic click as I shoved it into my holster.

After double checking that everything was in place, I took a quick step to the door. I pulled off my glove long enough to press the pad of my thumb against the small sensor at the edge of the door. 

There was a short pause before the sensor flashed green and the metal doors slid open. I brushed past the doors, hearing them clank shut behind me. 

Normally, I would have stopped and made sure the door was locked to keep intruders out of my quarters, but not tonight. It didn’t matter if anyone got into my quarters anymore. 

I pulled the backpack up higher on my back as I turned onto the staircase. Taking the steps two at a time, I marched down to the lower levels. I turned to the left once I spotted the door (or, more accurately, spotted the group of RCPWs—Regnum City Patrol Watch— garbed in dark military suits similar to my own, waiting to take their shift at the border wall). 

Rubbing the edge of my RCPLO patch on my shoulder, I pulled my cloak over so that it was hidden before sliding into the middle of the group of soldiers. Hopefully it was enough to keep me hidden. It didn’t take much to stay hidden with my height. 

Not that it was a secret that I was going out with the watch. In fact, I was supposed to, now that I managed to get on this shift. That had been the easy part. 

Now, I needed to blend in then get out. That was going to be pretty hard. Especially since I was an eleven year old in a group of older teens and adults. 

Ahead of me, the officer stepped to the door and punched in the code. The doors slid open to reveal the dark metal bridge that stretched to the border wall. Shadows veiled everything in darkness except for where the faint moonlight tore through, casting an eerie glow across the edges of the bridge.

“Hurry up, we don’t have all night,” The officer snapped irritably at the half-asleep soldiers slowly making their way out of the building. He waved them on, his own sleepy expression showing the reason for his irritability. 

I hid behind a rather bulky man as we passed through the door, suddenly very thankful for my short stature. It was best if I avoided the officer’s attention. 

Once we had made it out onto the bridge, I stepped away from the man a bit and let my shoulders stoop forward enough to give my figure the impression of being as exhausted as everyone else. 

I was, in fact, not all that tired. I’d slept almost all day the day before in preparation, so four AM didn’t seem quite so bad as it did to everyone else. 

I yawned then felt my eyes droop again. Well, it still was bad, but it just wasn’t as bad. 

I took another step forward, listening as my footsteps clanked against the hard metal bridge. It was all I could do to keep from running across the bridge. It was close. Only a few more minutes. 

But I had to keep attention away. If anyone even suspected a thing, I would be in major trouble. It wouldn’t end very well, to say the least. 

So, I kept my body stooped forward as I marched forward in time with everyone else. Up in front of me, the border wall rose. The end of the bridge connected with the top of the wall, marked by twin red lights that cast a glow across the ground. 

I squinted at the border wall. Metal spikes glistened from where they stuck out of the wall. Across the top of the wall, barbed wire was coiled, making it almost impossible to get over. It wasn’t totally impossible, though. 

I got into a line with the rest of the patrol as we filed onto the bridge. From that point, I turned to the right and walked along the top of the wall. The thin walkway between the two small sides of the wall was nerve-wracking to walk along with so many people, but eventually everyone found their posts or went the other way and I was the only one walking, my footsteps echoing as they thrummed against the hard bricks. 

I slowed when I came to the lone woman standing at her position, staring into the city with her loose brown hair blowing out behind her in the wind. Coming to a stop, I cleared my throat to get the woman’s attention. 

She turned to look at me, her eyes hidden behind the tinted visor. For a long moment, she just stared before she tilted her head in a sort of stiff nod before turning and walking down the wall back towards the bridge. 

I walked forward, taking her position at the wall. Although, instead of standing, I sat down and slumped against the hard edge of the wall. I pulled my knees closer to my chest as I glanced down at the watch on my wrist. 

It was just a waiting game now. I had to get the right moment. 

I watched as the minutes passed slowly in the still night. Faint clouds rolled in, covering half of the stars above the city. The moonlight glistened on the windows of the towers and the wind whistled as it brushed against the smooth bricks. 

Then a cloud moved forward to cover the moon. All light that had been there before disappeared as the shadows took over. 

It was time. 

I pushed against the ground as I hoisted myself up onto my feet. Reaching to my side, I grasped the edge of my gun. I fingered the edges of the gun until I found the switch. Flipping it, I glanced at my side in time to see the red lights on it go out. 

I would be almost invisible to anyone who glanced my way without a light pronouncing my presence. 

My breath came in deep gasps as I braced my hands up against the wall. In front of me, the faint view spread out in a majestic array. The mountains stood like tall giants around the city. At their slopes, they spread down into thick, grassy fields and small, rolling hills.

I turned and glanced over my shoulder at the city behind me. The tall, dark buildings sat devoid of any sort of life. Smaller buildings with shattered windows lay hidden in the shadows. The only light that came from the streets, were from the RCPs’ as they were walking around. 

Sucking in a deep breath, I turned my head and swung my boot up, using it to press down the barbed wire. The tough spikes scraped at the thick leather on my shoes, but they didn’t cut through. 

I shifted my weight onto that foot as I swung my other leg up. That’s when I saw the drop. I swallowed hard. 

It was several stories high, at the very least. If I were to fall, it wouldn’t look pretty. 

I tried to ignore the sweat beginning to drip down my temple as I glanced back at Regnum City one more time. Then, letting out another breath, I lowered one foot down onto a sharp metal spike. Once I came to the conclusion that it would hold me, I slipped my other foot off the wall and stepped on another spike. My fingers gripped the small section of the top of the wall that the barbed wire didn’t cover, as I lowered my body down so that I was dangling over the top of the wall. 

My heart was beginning to pound so hard, I could hear it in my ears, but that only gave me motivation to keep moving. I pulled my hands off the wall and grasped some spikes then shifted my feet again. 

It was finally time. 

I was going to leave it all behind. This had been far too long in coming. I should have left before. I was done with the real-life nightmares surrounding me. I was tired of trying. 

Now, I was going to be free from all of it. I was going to have a new life. One where nobody could tell me what I had to do or who I had to be. 

I moved lower, trying not to look down while I climbed. I almost slipped when I took another step down. My hands tightened as my heart pounded faster. It would be fine. This was nothing I hadn’t already done at some point in my life. 

I glanced above my head at the wall. The red lights stayed still against the dark night. The shifts hadn’t changed yet, but I had to hurry up. 

Forcing myself to move faster, I slipped down the side of the wall. My backpack and cloak bounced on my back as I stepped down. With a quick look down, I knew it wouldn’t be too much longer till I hit the ground. 

That thought motivated me as I moved faster. I’d already been on the wall for far too long. I needed to get to the ground. 

Swallowing to relieve my dry throat, I slipped my hands down onto the two lower spikes then moved my feet down. My palms were coated in sweat and were as slippery as ever. I moved them down again to grab onto another spike when they finally slipped. 

My heart launched into my throat as I reached forward to grasp onto the spike again. The sharp metal sliced into my palm as I gained a grip. I gasped sharply as pain shot through my arm and warm blood began to trickle down my wrist. 

Gritting my teeth, I tried to ignore it as I kept moving, though it hurt so bad to grasp onto the spikes with that hand. More than likely, it would just give more proof to the fact I was gone. Not that I really cared. I was never coming back to that city. 

I pulled my foot off the spike below me and began to step down to find the next spike, only to meet empty air. A sharp breath escaped my mouth as I suddenly tipped backwards. My hands slipped and I fell only to hit the hard ground a moment later. 

The air was knocked out of my lungs and I was dazed for a few minutes before I finally picked myself up. I winced as I jarred my knee. That was sure to leave a bruise.  

I straightened once I got to my feet. Pulling my cloak back over my back and readjusting my hood and visor, I glanced back at the wall behind me. The RCPWs at the top of the wall were moving, the red lights from their guns flashing. 

I didn’t have much time if I wanted to get out unseen. 

I turned away from the wall and began running. The wind pushed against my visor, whistling in my ears, and blowing my cloak back as I ran. My feet dug into the soft ground as I ran. 

With every step, I felt more light. I was finally out of Regnum City. A small grin formed on my face. I was on the other side of those walls. 

I forced my legs to move faster. Sure, he would find out soon enough that I was gone, but that hardly mattered anymore. I would be long gone by that point. It was time I started my own life. 

Up ahead, the thick forest rose up higher, the dark trees casting a shadow across the hills. I kept running until the trees surrounded me, blocking my view of the stars overhead and the city behind. 

My breath came in quick gasps in time with my feet as they thudded against the ground and rustled the underbrush. 

I reached up to my neck, grasping the clasp on my cloak. Fumbling a little because of how bad the pain was in my hand, I finally managed to unclasp it. The hood fell away from my head as I pulled it off my shoulders and allowed it to collapse in a crumpled pile of fabric beside the bush. 

Then I grabbed onto my visor, I unattached it from my face and threw it back behind me, hearing the satisfying noise of shattering glass. 

I hoisted the pack up higher on my shoulders, feeling the wind blow against my face and brush my loose locks of hair back. 

I was running away from everything I had ever known. 

It was the greatest feeling ever!

***

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Until next time, 

Aliya Gerow