Page 142 of Storm Caller

These people who I grew up with.

Who used to know me better than anyone.

Now they regard me with looks of anger, loathing, and horror. I loved them both in my own way once. And they loved me, too, but now we’ve been divided by their hatred and mistrust and a bunch of fucking lies.

My lungs struggle to inflate as Knox approaches.

“You,” he hisses, pointing at the screen. “You rejected me for that animal. Didn’t I tell you all from day one that he was bad news?” He addresses the room, his voice rising. “You told me not to call him names. You defended him, all while he was just here to kill us!”

“It’s a lie!” I shout. “They’re lying!”

Knox scoffs and shakes his head. “I can’t believe how pathetic you are.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Domino says, stepping in front of me. “Leave her alone. You’re the only pathetic one here.”

And that’s when I start breathing again.

She isn’t abandoning me?

Knox can think and say whatever he wants. He can’t touch me anymore, but I couldn’t live without Domino.

“Let’s go,” she says, turning me around. The crowd separates, allowing us through, until Trinity steps in my way.

“Did you know?” she asks, her eyes wide with accusation.

Skies, I fucking hate her.

I hate everyone in this room who’s standing here judging Rook and me. And I hate how Trinity destroyed my ability to trust people.

For the briefest moment, I just doubted Domino, and I hate myself for that, too.

But she has always been better than anyone in this room.

“Picked the wrong one of us to accuse, didn’t you?” I sneer at Trinity. “But I guess you only betray people who’ve been there for you every fucking day of your life.”

She recoils as though she’s been slapped. Like she really thought things were fine between us. I watch her expression snap, and it shouldn’t feel so satisfying to make her hurt. I don’t want to be this person.

“You didn’t really think I could forgive you?” I ask.

Trinity blinks, tears forming in her eyes. She lifts her chin. I want to tell her the truth. That I was trying to use her, but she proved so inconsequential, the effort was wasted. I want to tell her I was there the night we rescued Edward. That I’m the one who knocked her out.

But I also don’t have the energy to bother.

She doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters now is finding Journey and Rook.

Maybe someday I’ll get the chance to tell her everything.

Maybe I’ll break her heart, too, but for now, I simply walk past.

Domino takes my hand before we make our way through the empty halls. “Come to my room,” she says. “Okay? I don’t want to be alone, and I don’t think you should be, either.”

We enter the dorm she shares with Journey, looking at her corner and then at each other. Domino inhales a sharp breath and lifts her chin before she guides me to the bed and presses on my shoulders. “She’d want us to stick together.”

I can’t seem to make myself say anything. I’m numb. Totally broken inside.

“I’m going to get your things,” Domino says, and before I can argue, she’s gone.

I lie down, tucking my legs up and pillowing my hands under my head. I barely slept in that cell last night, and my eyelids grow heavy. It can’t be more than a few minutes before I feel a soft brush against my cheek.