XoxodrowningSea의 작품

غابرييلتُشابك أوديت ذراعيها وتعبس، رافضةً تناول طعامها."يا حبيبتي (Ma chérie)، لقد تعبت بينيلوبي في إعداد الفطور من أجلكِ"، أقول لابنتي بصبر. "لقد صنعتْ حتى طعامكِ المفضل: عصيدة الشوفان بالقرفة والسكر".تتحرك صغيرتي في مقعدها، وتُحرك فكها. تتنقل عيناها بين بينيلوبي، تدبرة منزلنا، وبيني، لكنها لا تنطق بكلمة. في الواقع، لم تقل أي شيء منذ عامين تقريباً.ليس منذ وقوع الحادث.نحن مجتمعون حول طاولة المطبخ. إجمالاً، تبدو الأجواء مهيأة ليكون صباح يوم جمعة جميلاً. الهدوء يعم المكان هنا في الخارج، تماماً بالطريقة التي صممتُها. أتمت أوديت عامها الخامس قبل فترة وجيزة من شهر سبتمبر، ولكن نظراً لحالتها، لم أشعر بالارتياح لتسجيلها في الروضة (maternelle) — النسخة الفرنسية من رياض الأطفال. يؤكد لي المتخصصون الذين كنت أتحدث إليهم أن الاختلاط بأطفال آخرين في مثل عمرها قد يساعد في علاج علتها، لكني كنت حذراً للغاية منذ وفاة ماريان.ماذا لو احتاجت أوديت إلى طلب المساعدة من معلمة؟ إن عجزها عن التواصل بشكل صحيح لن يؤدي إلا إلى زيادة توترها. تباً، بل سيزيد من توتري أنا أيضاً. كأب، من واجبي حمايتها. وإبقاؤها

غابرييلتُشابك أوديت ذراعيها وتعبس، رافضةً تناول طعامها."يا حبيبتي (Ma chérie)، لقد تعبت بينيلوبي في إعداد الفطور من أجلكِ"، أقول لابنتي بصبر. "لقد صنعتْ حتى طعامكِ المفضل: عصيدة الشوفان بالقرفة والسكر".تتحرك صغيرتي في مقعدها، وتُحرك فكها. تتنقل عيناها بين بينيلوبي، تدبرة منزلنا، وبيني، لكنها لا تنطق بكلمة. في الواقع، لم تقل أي شيء منذ عامين تقريباً.ليس منذ وقوع الحادث.نحن مجتمعون حول طاولة المطبخ. إجمالاً، تبدو الأجواء مهيأة ليكون صباح يوم جمعة جميلاً. الهدوء يعم المكان هنا في الخارج، تماماً بالطريقة التي صممتُها. أتمت أوديت عامها الخامس قبل فترة وجيزة من شهر سبتمبر، ولكن نظراً لحالتها، لم أشعر بالارتياح لتسجيلها في الروضة (maternelle) — النسخة الفرنسية من رياض الأطفال. يؤكد لي المتخصصون الذين كنت أتحدث إليهم أن الاختلاط بأطفال آخرين في مثل عمرها قد يساعد في علاج علتها، لكني كنت حذراً للغاية منذ وفاة ماريان.ماذا لو احتاجت أوديت إلى طلب المساعدة من معلمة؟ إن عجزها عن التواصل بشكل صحيح لن يؤدي إلا إلى زيادة توترها. تباً، بل سيزيد من توتري أنا أيضاً. كأب، من واجبي حمايتها. وإبقاؤها

راكيلبووم !يتشظى السقف وتنهار الجدران، لتطمرني تحت غبار كثيف، وكتل خرسانية، وشظايا زجاج. ارتطم رأسي بقوة بالأرضية البلاطية المتشققة، ولم أعد قادرة على تمييز ما إذا كان الطنين في أذنيّ هو صوت إنذار المبنى الذي انطلق، أم أن طبلة أذني قد انفجرت.وبمعرفتي بحظي، الأرجح أنهما الاثنان معاً.أظن أن هذا جزائي العادل لأنني سمحت لآمالي بالارتفاع. إن آلهة السرقة عاهرات متقلبات المزاج، ويبدو أنني فعلت شيئاً أثار غضبهن اليوم. شهور من التخطيط —حرفياً— ذهبت أدراج الرياح في أقل من خمس ثوانٍ. ربما حققت للتو رقماً قياسياً عالمياً لأسرع عملية سطو تذهب للجحيم.من الأفضل أن يتصل أحدهم بموسوعة غينيس."روكي!"يصلني صوت أبي مكتوماً وسط الضباب الكثيف الذي يغيم على عقلي. التركيز غاية في الصعوبة، والسواد يزحف على أطراف رؤيتي. أين الأعلى وأين الأسفل؟ لا أحد يعلم. يتملكني إغراء لإغلاق عينيّ والاستسلام للنوم، فالوزن الساحق على صدري يسهل الاستسلام له، لكن زوجاً من الأيدي القوية ينتشلني من تحت الأنقاض."روكي؟ تحدثي معي.""ماذا حدث؟" أنطقها بصوت متحشرج. حلقي جاف ومخدوش بشكل مؤلم. أتساءل إن كنت قد استنشقت بعض الزجاج

Jace’s POVThe silence in the car ride home was heavy, thick with the unspoken trauma of the day. Claire was curled up against the window, her gaze fixed on the blur of the passing scenery, but I knew she wasn’t really seeing anything. Shawty, sitting beside her, was equally lost in her own thoughts, the weight of her unwitting involvement still etched on her face. I dropped Shawty off at her place, a brief, awkward goodbye exchanged before she disappeared inside.Our house was quiet when we finally walked in, the familiar sounds of life absent. No TV blaring, no clatter of dishes, no Dad’s booming laugh echoing through the halls. Just an unsettling stillness.I led Claire upstairs to my room. The familiar comfort of my space felt strangely alien after the events of the day. We moved in a daze, shedding our clothes and taking separate, silent showers, the warm water doing little to wash away the lingering chill of fear.Back in

Claire’s POVThe words hung in the air, sharp and cruel, each one a fresh stab wound. Zara. Sweet, funny, unassuming Zara. The girl I’d shared genuine smiles and laughs with in class, the one who had seemed to be so carefree about everything. The one who just wanted nothing but to have fun. The one who cared about everybody. And now, I find out she was nothing of what I thought her to be.She was the one who had wanted me gone. She was the one who had locked me in that suffocating cold, my last breaths misting in the frigid air. The betrayal was a physical ache, a gaping hole tearing through the fragile sense of safety I had tried to rebuild.“Red…” The name escaped my lips, a choked whisper. “Did you… did you never even care about him?” The thought of Red, his goofy grin, his unwavering affection, being led on by Zara who probably felt nothing for him. I tried piecing two and two together. If she was this obsessed w

Jace's POV I couldn't help but think long and hard about what Shawty said. Goldie? Come back? It didn't make sense. Nothing did. Because I vividly remembered that night. I'd begged her to see to reasons. I tried explaining that I didn't mean to violate her the way I did. I tried to. And then she also knew how attached to her I was. Life was barely worth living without her. But I doubt she even cared because she left anyways. She disappeared without looking back. And now....now when I'd succeeded in completely forgetting her, she's got eyes on me because she was going to come back?How absurd could it sound?Goldie… she was a ghost to me now, a phantom limb that sometimes throbbed with a phantom pain. Sage saw her as some tragic figure, and maybe she was. But my memories of her were a tangled mess of intense love and a betrayal that had shattered something fundamental within me.Claire… Claire was

Claire’s POVThe pieces were starting to fall into place, though the image they formed was still blurry and unsettling. Shawty’s initial defensiveness had crumbled, replaced by a look of genuine shock and then dawning realization as she recounted the events of that night at the camp.“It was after dinner,” she began, her voice softer now, the earlier edge completely gone. “Everyone was milling around, some by the bonfire, others just chatting. I felt a bit claustrophobic in the tent, so I went out for some air. That’s when Zara approached me.”I remembered Zara. Quiet, kept to herself mostly. I hadn’t interacted with her much, but she always seemed…harmless.“She looked upset,” Shawty continued, her brow furrowed in concentration as she tried to recall every detail. “Her eyes were red, like she’d been crying. She said her phone had run out of credit and she desperately needed to call her mum. Something about a family issue, I think. She sounded re

Claire’s POVWarmth. That was the first thing I registered.A stark contrast to the unbearable cold I had endured. My body felt heavy, but there was comfort—something solid, something warm wrapped around me. Slowly, I peeled my eyes open, and it took me a moment to realize where I was.Jace’s arms were around me, holding me close like he was afraid I’d disappear if he let go. His slow, steady breaths tickled the top of my head, his chest rising and falling against my back. The room was dimly lit, the faint glow of morning struggling to seep through the curtains.I blinked up at the ceiling, my mind stirring as memories flooded in.The coldroom.A shiver ran through me—not from the temperature, but from the raw memory of it. My body tensed slightly as I was dragged back into that moment.---FlashbackThe cold was merciless.It crawled through my skin, seeped into my bones, and made it

JaceThe trip was over.Not just for Claire. Not just for me. For everyone.Because of what happened, the school had no choice but to send us all home. No hiking, no more campfires, no more pretending this was some fun little adventure. The mood was grim as we packed up, the energy of the entire camp completely drained. The teachers moved stiffly, speaking in hushed voices. The students were still whispering about what happened. Some were just relieved to be going home, while others—especially those from the rival school—looked pissed that the trip had been ruined.But I didn’t give a damn about any of them.Claire was half-conscious, barely responding as I helped her onto the bus. Her body still felt too cold, her skin too pale. Every time I looked at her, I felt like punching something. This shouldn’t have happened. I should’ve protected her.I sat beside her the entire ride back, making sure she was okay. She leaned against th

GREYSONI Skate out onto the ice, contemplating my next move with Violet.My obsession with her is getting worse. I can’t stop thinking about her. Bloody. Bruised. Brutalized. I want to push my limits, yes, but I want to push her limits. See how far I can take things until we both crumble.Part of me looks forward to that.I had a phone call with my father this morning. He wanted to know how Crown Point is treating me.The two months leading up to the start of my junior year were volatile. Both in how my father and I reacted to what happened, but also in Rose Hill. Our attorney, Josh Black, was by almost every day to advise us on the best legal action with Violet Reece. The civil suit haunted us through August, until she dropped the charges.I wonder about that now as I pass the puck across the ice to Erik.Why did she drop it?

VIOLETI Make it halfway home when someone grabs me. Their hands wrap around my mouth and waist, yanking me backwards. They pinch my nose closed. I suddenly can’t take a breath.I thrash and kick wildly, but my attacker doesn’t care.On some level, I know it’s Greyson. The neighborhood on this side of the university has always been quiet, almost sleepy at night. Willow and I have been living here for three years without incident.My chest aches the longer I go without oxygen. My throat screams. Black spots flicker in my peripherals, and it only takes another few seconds for my vision to dim.It’s only when I sag that he releases my face.I suck in a deep, hiccupping breath.He spins me around and puts me against the wall. The rough brick of the apartment building rubs into my back, catching on my hair. He has his h

VIOLETIt takes me three hours to put my room back together, sans mattress and box spring. In fact, my room looks a whole lot bigger without the bulky furniture. My pictures are all gone.When I first discovered it on Monday, I did three loads of laundry to get rid of the paint on my underwear, and I had to toss all the clothes that were ripped to shreds. But I didn’t want to deal with the furniture. I didn’t want to take down the photos. So I hid it from Willow for four days.Now it’s Friday, a quiet day with no classes, and I have the mental capacity to deal with it.Whoever did this had a lot of anger, which makes me think of Greyson.And trust me, I don’t want to be thinking about him.Willow gets home on the tail end of my cleaning spree, when I’m struggling to push my red-stained, gouged dresser out the front door. The only

GREYSONI pop the puck into the air with the blade of my stick, passing it to Knox. He catches it on his, letting it sit for a moment, before sending it flying across the room to Steele.Erik sits in the corner, his head bent as he works on… something.Fuck if I know.We’re all two beers in and getting restless.It’s been a hell of a week. Practice every night has been kicking my ass more than usual, and Coach has repeatedly yelled at us to get our heads in the game. He blew his whistle tonight until he was purple, then finally ordered us to run two miles in the gym and get the fuck out of his sight.Besides that, I’ve been watching Violet.She walks to school with Willow Reed. Sometimes they drive if the weather is particularly poor. On occasion, Violet takes her time and pauses often to rub down her thigh or mas

VIOLETI’ve been getting strange looks all day. And, stupid me, I write it off as being back after a semester away. It wasn’t like I was unpopular. People liked me. I had a good amount of friends, including a lot of the athletes. That was the circle I ran in, being on the dance team. But now, there’s a weird hush that precedes me. I’ve been in a quiet bubble, unable to break through it.Until Amanda finds me.She skids to a stop in front of me in the hallway outside my third and last class of the day. I created my schedule so the majority of my classes were on Mondays and Wednesdays, and I’m paying the price for it now.But besides that, Amanda seems stressed. Or nervous?“What’s wrong?”She bites her lip and releases it. “Willow’s been yelling in the IT department’s office for an hour.”

VIOLETSunlight slants across my face, and I groan. I block it with my hand, but then my overhead light flicks on.“Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty. It’s almost one o’clock.” Willow climbs onto my bed, flopping beside me. “How are you feeling?”I squint at the ceiling. “Like my head is an anvil and it’s being struck by a hammer over and over. Undecided on my leg. Or the rest of me.” That’s a lie. As soon as I focus on my lower leg, pain shoots up into my hip in waves. I grit my teeth.“Well, you went a little hardcore…”Yeah, that’s true. I couldn’t bear to look at Greyson at the bar. He completely ignored me after accosting me in the bathroom. Instead, he flirted with Paris and one of her friends. And meanwhile, I kept freaking out.Why the hell is he here? Did he know