Page 25 of The Scars Within
Not in the mood to deal with his shit, I turned and ran back to my dorm, not bothering to stop and acknowledge any cadets along the way. I burst through the door and landed my back against it. Thankfully, myroommates were still out. I reached down and locked the doorknob, then slid against the door to the floor.
The moment I ever start to feel anything other than anger and hopelessness, the world snatches it back from me, submerging me back into its darkness.
Reminding me that the only place that I belong in this world is Rock Bottom.
Chapter 10
Hogboom is getting ballsy. After I risked my neck to slide that note under his chamber door… he had to go and say that in front of an auditorium packed with cadets.
The Grim has it out for him. I can’t say I didn’t try to warn him.
Scarlet Thorne is a mystery within itself. I can’t seem to figure her out.And from the digging I’ve managed on her past, I can’t help but feel like things aren’t adding up.
But the Grim left a note under my pillow last night with specific instructions to keep an eye on her... so I guess I don’t really have a choice.
The air was stale and musty, thick with the scent of old wood and dust. I strained my eyes, but there was no difference between open and closed; I was submerged in absolute darkness. I wiggled my arms only to find the ropes growing tighter with every move I made. By this point, they were burning through my delicate skin.
My breathing grew louder, echoing off the closed walls, making the space feel even smaller. Dust stirred up with every exhale and invaded my nostrils with each inhale, making me cough. My anxiety was building upthrough my veins, creating beads of sweat on my forehead. My heart was drumming in my chest, echoing through my body and begging for relief.
“No, no, no, no,” my voice trembled. This was not happening. I was not back in this shed. Had my father taken me in the night and dragged me back here? Did he knock me unconscious?
Panic set in, and my stomach curled. The darkness was not just around me but within me, pressing in on all sides, making it hard to think and hard to breathe.
I escaped this hell just to be brought back.
I failed.
“I am meant—” I choked on the words. “Hit me!” I screamed.
The next second, I was surrounded by snow. I saw a flash of a man’s fist coming straight for my face, but I dodged it and grabbed his arm, flipping him over on his back in one motion.
Then, darkness.
I let out a ragged cry.
“HIT ME!” I screamed again, my voice breaking.
I jerked up, my forehead colliding with something hard.
“Ouch, Scarlet. Holy shit!” a familiar voice yelped.
My eyesight returned to focus when I realized I was in my bed. In my dorm. Safe.
I looked over to find Tatum rubbing her forehead, confused. My breathing was still uneven, and my heartbeat was racing.
Laney came into view; concern etched across her features.
“Ssh, ssshhh…” she whispered. “You’re okay. You were having a bad dream.”
Instinct took over, and I did what I never imagined myself doing. I jumped into Laney’s lap, wrapping my arms around her neck. She stiffened briefly before hugging me back, running her fingers through my hair.
A few seconds later, I felt two more sets of arms around me. Tatum was on my right, and Cleo was wrapped around my back. We all sat there in silence; it was like they knew exactly what I needed.
“You’re safe,” Cleo murmured against my shoulder.
“Yeah, I can’t say the same for my forehead. I can feel the dragon egg forming already,” Tatum grunted.
I arrived at my work assignment spitefully early, just so I could say– “You’re late.”
