Page 21 of Sticks & Serpents

Chapter7

Holly

Iwoke up with the weight of last night still crushing me. The morning light seeped through my curtains, but it did nothing to warm the chill that settled in my bones.

Logan’s mother’s voice echoed in my mind, sharp and panicked.“Broken fingers. Attacked. Hospital.”The words twisted in my gut, nausea rising with every syllable I replayed.

I knew exactly who did it. Damien’s presence had loomed over that rink like a storm cloud, and now I could see the aftermath clearly—Logan on the ground, struggling for air while Damien stood above him like a conqueror surveying his battlefield. And that had been one dirty play. I couldn't even imagine what had happened to Logan that sent him to the hospital.

The thought made me sick.

Part of me wanted to tell my dad. Storm into his office and lay everything out on the table—the threats, the fights, all of it. I imagined him listening, his brow furrowing as he pieced together the puzzle of Damien's cruelty. It would finally put an end to this nightmare, a way to break free from the tangled mess that tied me to him.

But then another part of me stirred—one I hated myself for nurturing. It whispered soft lies, reminding me that Damien was more than just a monster in my life; he was also a ghost I couldn’t shake off. He had always been there, lurking in shadows, and beneath all that anger and chaos lay a twisted sense of protection he’d always claimed to offer me.

I pressed my palms against my eyes, hoping to erase those thoughts. How could I even consider defending him? He’d hurt Logan because of me—because he saw something that should have been buried long ago: a threat disguised as a choice.

But fear mingled with confusion as I weighed the consequences. If I spoke up, would Damien retaliate? Would he lash out again? The thought tightened around my chest like a vice grip.

Sitting up slowly, I let out a shaky breath. The weight didn’t lift; it only pressed harder. In that moment of stillness, one truth cut through all the noise: I couldn’t keep pretending everything was fine when it so clearly wasn’t.

Because this was Damien. The boy who once loved me so fiercely it felt like breathing.

I could still recall the way his laughter had echoed in the hallways, how his presence wrapped around me like a warm blanket on a cold night. I remembered nights spent stargazing, where the world fell away, and it was just us, lost in each other’s eyes. It had been beautiful then—before everything twisted into something dark and jagged.

But that was a lifetime ago. Now, he stood as a specter of chaos in my life, a reminder of everything I had tried to escape. The way he’d targeted Logan with that brutal hit played on repeat in my mind, and I couldn’t shake the knot of dread tightening in my stomach.

What if Damien wasn’t finished? What if he decided to escalate things?

Logan’s face swam before me—the shock and pain when Damien had slammed into him. He hadn’t deserved that. I could have been sitting across from him right now, laughing over drinks instead of pacing my room like a caged animal.

I clenched my fists at my sides, trying to gather myself. This wasn’t just about me anymore; it was about Logan too. But if I confronted Damien or even hinted at what I knew… what would he do?

The truth lay heavy in my chest: Damien could burn my life down if I made the wrong move. He thrived on chaos and manipulation; he’d shown me that much time and again.

The anger bubbled up inside me—anger at him for dragging me back into this mess and anger at myself for letting him have that power over me again.

I paced to the window and looked out into the bright day, wishing it would reflect some semblance of clarity onto my tangled thoughts. But all I saw were shadows creeping along the edges of sunlight—a stark reminder of who stood behind those dark corners, waiting for an opportunity to strike again.

I checked my phone out of habit, fingers trembling as I unlocked the screen. I wanted to send a message to Logan, to check on him, that last night had been some terrible dream. My heart raced at the thought, but reality twisted in my gut as I scrolled through my notifications.

No texts from Logan.

Instead, there it was—a new message from an unknown number. My breath hitched as I read the single word:

Surprise.

My stomach dropped like a stone into icy water. Panic rushed through me, cold and suffocating. The screen blurred for a moment as I tried to comprehend what it meant. I didn't need to think hard to know whose name belonged with that message. Damien's twisted sense of humor hung heavy in the air, and a sick feeling crept into my chest.

I felt cornered, trapped in a web he’d spun with every threat and every smirk. It was his game—always had been—and now he had me exactly where he wanted me.

But what did it mean?

Why now? Why after everything?

My mind raced with possibilities, each darker than the last. Was this about Logan? Had Damien seen us together at the meeting? The very idea sent chills racing down my spine. He always seemed to know my moves before I made them, always three steps ahead like some predator playing with its prey.

I glanced at the time on my phone—almost nine—and I hadn’t heard anything else from Logan’s mother since that frantic call. What if he was still in the hospital? What if Damien's message was a warning about more than just words?

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