“That’s a fucking lie, and you know it!” I yelled.
Forget it. I didn’t want to hear a damn thing. It only made it worse.
I couldn’t stand here and hope that my friends might soothe me, because there wasnothingthey could say right now. I whirled around and stomped out of the room. My shoulder slammed into the doorway on the way out, but I didn’t care. The pain felt good, because it distracted me from my emotions.
I marched down the hall, hands fisting at my sides, until I was far enough away from The Devil’s Playground that I didn’t think anyone would follow. I stopped in an empty hallway and leaned against the wall, heaving. I didn’t know where the hell I’d ended up, but it didn’t matter.
What was that?Oberi’s voice cut through my mind. I could feel through the bond that he was already looking for me.
Nothing, I growled.Go away.
I’m not going away when you need me. You’re lost. I can feel it.
Of course I was lost— and not just in the hallways of the Institute. Ever since Ava and I broke up, I had turned off my feelings. I’d pushed them down so far that I didn’t even know what I felt anymore. I was bound to break at some point.
Problem was, now that it’d come spilling out, I didn’t think I could shove it back inside anymore.
I was bleeding, and the only way to stop the flow was to bleed out entirely.
* * *
I wasnotinterested in getting out of bed the following morning. I wanted to pull the covers over my head and sleep all day. But Oberi wasn’t having any of it. He grabbed the covers with his teeth and yanked them off of me.
Wake up, sleepyhead.
“Go away,” I growled.
You missed your shift last night at the factory. You’re not missing class.
How would you know?
I know how you feel,Oberi said. It wasn’t to comfort me. He was being literal— a real hard-ass.And if you miss your shift again, the Warden is going to take notice. I’m trying to help you.
You can help by going away.
You can help by going away, Oberi mocked in a high-pitched tone.Fine. Ava wanted to give me a bath, anyway.
He was trying to make me jealous, and it was working. I didn’t like that he’d rather be with Ava right now than with me, but I didn’t say anything.
But Oberi wasn’t about to make a threat he wouldn’t follow through on. When I didn’t protest, he huffed and left the room.
Even though he was gone, I knew I couldn’t sit in bed all day. Oberi had been right. I had to get to class. The Warden was watching me— all of us. Taking off my factory shift last night had been a bad move. I had to find another time to train the Elves.
Problem was, all my “free time” was spent in the training center, and Captain wasn’t giving me much of a choice there.
I dragged my ass out of bed, showered, and dressed in my uniform. I was counting my steps to the cafeteria when someone slid up beside me, looping their arm through mine.
“Charlie!” a girl sang. “I almost thought you’d forgotten about me.”
“Uh…” I had no idea who was standing next to me. All I knew was it sure as hell wasn’t Ava.
“Ididsay seven a.m., but I realized that I never told you my dorm number,” she gushed. “You must’ve been looking everywhere for me! Finally, we can head to breakfast.”
“Scarlet,” I said slowly as it clicked in my mind. I’d never reallyagreedto go out with her, but I could see where she thought I had.
“Yes, it’s me,” she said. “Were you expecting someone else?”
I might’ve beenhopingfor someone else…
