Page 85 of Bad for You

But I will not dwell on something that is broken and cannot be fixed. However, I will focus on things that I can fix, which is making those who played a part in my pain pay.

Father Merry. And Aldo.

The two men who are already dead…they just don’t know it yet.

I’ve found such peace in the darkness.

I was never afraid of the things that went bump in the night because I’ve danced with the monsters since childhood. I’ve seen it all. I’ve lived through it. But today, meeting my mother proved that I’m now a monster, the thing that people are afraid of.

Gianna wasn’t home when I returned. A small part of me was disappointed that a birthday cake wasn’t awaiting me. But I soon quashed those thoughts. My life will never be like that.

So here I sit in the woods, alone under the star-filled sky a year older.

Am I wiser, though?

Eighteen years old. I feel eighty.

I’m so tired, but it’s beyond fatigue. It’s the state I live in. I don’t think I’ll ever be rested because my mind never switches off. Neither does my heart.

Lenny is the only person who ever cared for me, so it hurts he’s not here to wish me a happy birthday. Pathetic, I know.

I don’t know where he is. But I do know that he and I will soon be worlds apart. We fight for different sides. Gianna gave me what I asked for, so I’ll do the same for her.

Aldo’s daughter.

I will do so with great pleasure as it hurts the man who will ultimately die by my hand. But I plan on torturing him first. Andwhat better way than taking away from him what he took away from me?

Family.

I will destroy everything he cares for, ensuring he knows I’m the one who tore down his empire and killed every single thing he loved.

This is the only thing that gives me joy—violence and bloodshed.

Tipping my face to the heavens, I close my eyes and bask in the silence because tomorrow, I will be surrounded by nothing but chaos.

“Happy birthday.”

And just like that, my heart begins to beat once again.

I don’t move. I simply just exist in this rare moment of stillness where everything fits.

Lenny stands by my side, but he doesn’t crowd me. He never does.

I wonder where he’s been.

“Open your hand.”

I do as he says.

When he places what feels like a stone attached to a chain on my palm, I open my eyes, curious to see what it is. It’s a silver necklace with a small black gem.

It’s beautiful.

He gestures that he will put it on for me.

I give it back to him and lift my hair as he stands behind me. “It’s a black obsidian,” he explains, placing the chain around my neck. “It’s for power, protection, and grounding.”

He fastens the clasp, his fingers brushing against my skin.

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