Page 13 of Cedarwood Cabin

“She’s bleeding!” my father exclaims, looking down at my T-shirt with wide eyes.

I look down at the blood on my T-shirt, searching for an injury.

Am I hurt? I don't feel any pain.

“Wa…Wait, it's not my blood,” I manage to stutter, my voice trembling.

Was it Dax's blood?

My father pulls me close and embraces me. I turn my head and look at the bar door. Red and blue flashes illuminate Nancy’s figure as she approaches the officers.

Marty pulls up a chair and gestures for me to sit down. “If I were in here…I would’ve handled those troublemakers,” Marty says with confidence.

The image of Dax’s smirk and the blood staining his T-shirt flash in my mind.

Are Dax and Lyka okay? Did they get hurt?

Nancy speaks to the cops as my father watches over me, his hand resting on my shoulder. He then heads to the bar to get me a glass of water while Marty cleans up the shattered glass from the floor. A female officer with a notepad strides over to me.

“I need a statement from you. I’ve been told you saw the whole thing,” she says, her tone firm.

I look up at her, suddenly reluctant to share what I witnessed.

“I didn’t see anything. My eyes were closed.”

The officer clicks her tongue, her eyes scanning me from head to toe as if trying to read my thoughts. “You have blood on your T-shirt and you didn't see anything…”

I shake my head, not saying a word. My father returns and hands me a glass of water.

“You know I can arrest you for obstruction of justice,” the officer warns, her eyes narrowing as she looks down at me.

Something snaps inside me. I stand up from the chair and place the glass of water on the pool table. “I didn't see anything!” I exclaim, brushing past the officer and jogging towards the door.

“Flora? Flora!” my father calls after me as he follows.

I push open the door and step outside to the gathered crowd, my eyes drawn to Jonny who’s pressed against a patrol car in handcuffs. I anxiously scan the crowd, but can't see Dax or Lyka anywhere.

“Come on, let's get you home,” my father says gently, pushing me toward the truck.

We walk towards the truck and I climb into the passenger seat, my mind racing with all kinds of thoughts. The flashing lights fade into the background as we drive away.

“Are you sure you're okay?” my father asks as he looks at me worriedly.

I nod, staring out the window at the streets passing by.

“Yeah, I'm okay. Just wanna go home.”

My thoughts keep returning to Dax and Lyka, their smirks, and the chaos that follows them.

I lie in bed, checking the local news on my phone. Every few minutes, I refresh the page. I keep looking for any mention or updates about the bar brawl.

Dax and Lyka Faulkner.

Why can't I get them out of my mind? Why didn’t I just tell the officer what happened? I couldn’t…Dax protected me. I wasn’t about to rat them out.

So far, there's nothing new. Just a brief mention of a disturbance at the bar and the involvement of local motocross teams.

I can't help but feel flustered thinking about Dax and Lyka. Dax's smirk, the way he protected me during the fight. Lyka’s brooding personality, the way he taunts others. The night's events play over and over in my mind.

---