Page 103 of Disharmony

“No.” Damon laughs. It’s a nice laugh, filled with a warmness that makes you feel comfortable. He could fool others into thinking they were special. “We’re not Jacqueline’s foot soldiers, you know.”

“You coulda fooled me,” I grumble. “Why did you drag me out to this place, anyway? Aren’t you supposed to be checking in how I’m meeting my Camp Harmony objectives?”

I can’t hide the bitter resentment in my tone as I hiss the word objectives.

“Sounds like you’re not happy about your objectives,” he teases. “What’s so bad about them?”

“Nothing,” I say quickly. The Lionhearts work for Jacqueline and are signed to Starnote. I can’t trust anything I say won’t be twisted. “Everything’s fine.”

“How are you feeling about the final show?”

“If you have to fill out a report for Jacqueline, just check all the boxes to say I’m doing fine,” I snap.

“So, how do you want to spend our time together today?” He turns the question around. “As much as you seem to think we’re all assholes, I’m here to help. You kept my secret once, remember? Maybe I can keep yours too. What happened with the Basilisks?”

“Nothing.” I narrow my eyes at him. “It’s a one-off that won’t happen again.”

“It looked like you enjoyed singing with them,” Damon presses, not dropping the topic. “Is that the type of music you like? I’ve looked over your record… it’s different to the pop outlined in your contract.”

“I already told you, it was a one-off.”

“Will you sing with them again?”

I laugh. I haven’t spoken to them since and, even if Ripper tried to text me, it looks like I’ve been ignoring them. Besides, they can have any girl they want. I’ll be a blip. A nobody. Someone they’ll have already forgotten.

“You can tell Jacqueline not to expect a repeat performance,” I snarl. “Besides, it’s not like I can get in touch with anyone outside this place, even if I wanted to.”

“What do you mean?” Damon asks sharply.

I scowl. “Don’t pretend you don’t know that she took my phone away.”

“She did?” Damon is either a good actor or is genuinely surprised. “When?”

I roll my eyes. “The morning after I almost ruined Camp Harmony’s pristine reputation.”

“The bitch.”

My head snaps around to look at him. “Excuse me?”

“Jacqueline Tate is a bitch,” Damon says matter-of-factly. “Everyone knows it. She’s a dragon who likes to control everyone and everything, then drain all your fucking energy until you’ve got nothing left…”

“Sounds like you’re talking from experience,” I say, my curiosity piqued.

“Jacqueline isn’t the person you think she is, Ash.” Damon’s eyes burn into mine, like he’s trying to speak to me through his gaze. His ringing cell cuts off his sentence and he curses under his breath. “It’s like she’s fucking psychic.”

“Don’t leave it on my account,” I say.

“What?” He answers the call rudely, and his frown deepens as he talks. “Yeah, I’m showing her breathing techniques. What’s the problem?” He pauses, and I hear someone talking in a raised voice on the other end. “I’m doing my job, Jacqui. A job you forced us to do. If you don’t like it, we’ll leave this fucking camp and never come back.”

Damon hangs up and stares across the lake, like his mind is elsewhere.

“Am I in trouble again?” I ask.

“It’s not you she’s keeping tabs on,” he mutters.

“Why lie about breathing techniques?”

“Because I know how it feels to be stuck in a situation you can’t get out of,” he replies. “Everyone thinks the Lionhearts have it all. We have the fame, girls, money, cars… but it’s not everything you think it is. Everything comes at a price.”

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