Figment of Dreams
Bonfire

(Trigger warning)

I was wearing my simple red summer dress and white sneakers, which contrasted nicely against my tanned legs. My brown hair was loose and slightly curled. I had opted for a natural make-up look and was wearing my gold necklace with the birds. At the lake I had to wait for about five minutes, Olive and Jax came my way since Nexxar and Bron were already at the party since they had to open it. Jax gave me an interesting look but didn’t really say anything. He was such an asshole sometimes. That’s why I felt awkward anytime I hung out with Bron and Olive, because I was fully aware he didn’t like me hanging out with his best friends.

Olive hugged me. ‘I’m so glad you are joining us! Ready?’ I nodded and she dragged me along. I heard the thumbing of loud music from behind the woods beside the Broom, which was dead silent tonight because everyone was at the bonfire. Olive dragged me through the woods towards the beachside. Were a huge fire was created and people were dancing and drinking alongside it. Nexxar’s red hair stood out rather quickly as he was making his way towards us in the twilight. He handed me a cup and added ‘don’t worry, not moonjuice.’ Before I could reply Bron was hugging me and saying how happy he was that I was here. He made me feel really welcome.

I went for a refill and the aura of Dosch fell over me. It was a strange sensation, but I knew it was him before I even turned around. He didn’t do those college parties normally. Besides our Potion Study classes and the few hook-ups after, we had barely interacted.

‘Carina.’ he glared at me, while sipping from a red cup. It was so out of character that I chuckled. ‘What’s so funny?’ he breathed next to my ear and pulled softly on my earlobe. He was eyeing me up and down.

‘You… here…’ I waved around and he stuck out like a sore thumb. He just shrugged. ‘The club is still completely shut. That shooting that other night closed it up. I need some other time killers and this seemed perfect. Besides I heard you were going to be here.’ he winked and downed his cup. ‘No bathrooms around though… but some dark woods might do?’ he whispered darkly in my ear and goosebumps rose all over my flesh.

I put my hand on his chest and looked up into his eyes. ‘That’s not really in my plans tonight.’

He laughed again and rubbed his jaw while looking at the ocean. Those dark eyes brooding on some mysterious plans.

‘I’m at the Skylar Mansion next week in Yule Fest break. I’m having some… business convo’s with daddy Maddox.’ He looked me up and down again in that predator way, making my toes curl. ‘I’ll see you there Carina.’ He stalked of and I just contemplated that for a moment. Was that an invitation?

I decided not to fuel the fire and the night continued and I actually had some light conversations with Jax. I danced along the bonfire with Olive and Nexxar and was getting some very evil stares from Melixes, Lilith and Victoria who were sitting at the sidelines glaring at us. Behind them Sebastian, Dexar and Otto were doing beer pong in the sand and were not paying much attention. I glanced towards the ocean and stared straight into Kai’s eyes. Who was sitting by the shoreline with Aria and Lark.

My heart sank. He was here? For how long? Why didn’t he come and talk to me? Olive tried to pull me into the dance routine again but I declined. I just couldn’t really place it all. I ran towards the keg and grabbed myself another one. The slight buzz of the evening really getting to me. ‘Enjoying yourself?’ It was Kai. I swallowed and turned around. He was angry again. Which was really fucking great because I was too. ’It looks like you are, but hey who’s counting right?’ We were at the sidelines of the event, in semi-darkness. Nobody was paying attention to us. ‘I can’t really do this anymore Lux. I don’t know what the issue is anymore. What you want from me.’ I was feeling my anger boiling up. ‘You don’t know? When I made it perfectly clear that I would just like for you, as my boyfriend, to defend me once in a while.’

‘Melixes is my sister Lux!’

‘I’m your girlfriend!’ angry tears started pouring out. ‘But I guess not anymore. It’s done Kai.’ I slammed my drink down and stormed out of there. Nearly losing my foothold in the loose sand. Him not even bothering coming after me was the final nail in that coffin.

The wind was starting to pick up and I was shivering. But I had no idea if it was from the cold or from being so angry. It was over. It really was. It had been for a long time, I just couldn’t admit it. I climbed the sand dune, spotting the lights from the academy already. I still had to cross the forest. Which seemed quite eerie at the moment. I felt a presence behind me and when I turned around my heart dropped. It wasn’t Kai, as a small part of me had hoped. It was Otto. Immediately my hairs on my arms rose. He was bad news, he had always been bad news. ‘What are you doing here?’ I said, my voice already laced with anxiety. He walked towards me in silence. He short cropped dark hair coating his entire face in a shadow. ‘I just wanted to see what the fuss was all about.’

‘What… what do you mean?’

‘Jax, Kai, Dexar… Sebastian…Rios…. Ash. What you got down there, some golden pussy or something?’

I was stepping back, my gut telling me he was bad news and slammed against a tree so hard my teeth clacked. ‘I-.. just… leave me alone Otto!’

He stepped into my personal space and I could smell the alcohol on his breath. He grabbed my arms with one strong hand and pinned them above my head against the tree and pushed his entire body against mine. His erection rock hard against my belly. I felt so wrong that my entire skin itched. He was dirty. He needed to let me go. His breath smelled like stale beer. His other arm grabbed my cheek hard and kissed me. His slimy tongue pushing his way through my protesting lips. ‘Stop it!’ I yelled. He slapped me so hard my cheek singed from the impact. I had never been hit in the face before. I tried my hardest to remember all my training but I had never been so immobilized like I was now. The fear paralyzing me fully. ‘Don’t make a sound and this will be over soon.’ He was opening his trousers with his other hand, still keeping me pinned. He was going to rape me. He was going to hurt me. Tears fell down my cheeks and I was shaking from head to toe. He ripped one of my straps of, exposing my breast. His mouth latched onto my nipple hard. It was painful, horrible, wrong. I yelled again and that got me such a hard smack across my jaw that my head hit the tree so hard I saw dots and stripes. My breathing heavy, I thought I was going to pass out. I turned my head to the side so I at least didn’t have to look at him or smell him. I saw amber eyes slithering closer through the trees. Was it Leo? His hand was wandering lower and he ripped my panties off in one hard sweep. His fingers already inside me. Painfully inside me. The world spun, I was in a nightmare. This man’s essence in my skin already. I cried silently because I could feel the blood seeping from the back of my head. He might kill me if he hits me one more time. He was already moving his huge dick towards my sex. I could not even phantom what that would be like to feel something so violating, so cruel and vile. I would not recover. Maybe I should let him kill me.

Right when I thought that a force of nature slammed into Otto and tackled him into the ground. It was Dexar. I recognized his red hair from anywhere. I fell to the ground in a puddle of shaking tears. Racks going through my entire body. I felt hands over me, but I couldn’t even handle being touched. ‘Little bird, look at me. Shit motherfucker…’ It was Sebastian’s voice. ‘Her face!’ he was talking to Dexar. Who was somehow back. Where was Otto? I need to leave, he might come back. Fear took over so I started scrambling away from them. ‘Little bird, wait. Love… Please…’ Sebastian draped me in his jacket. I glanced down and saw I was completely exposed. There was also blood leaking down my legs. I felt myself getting light headed again. ‘She needs a medic.’ Dexar tenderly grabbed my face but I flinched. The tears were still flowing, the shakes never ending. My teeth were clacking so hard I thought they might break all my teeth off. ‘She is in shock.’ Said Sebastian. ‘We need to get her away from here.’ I was raised up into someone’s arms. By the smell of cloves and smoke I was in Sebastian’s arms when I passed out.

I woke up in the infirmary. I blinked upwards, my head hurting so badly I couldn’t think straight. I was hurting down below as well. I immediately started crying again. It seemed like it was past midnight at the darkness of the room. Something stirred beside me. I glanced to my right and saw that Sebastian and Dexar were still there. They looked tired, ashen in the face. Shocked. Sebastian saw me and rose from his seat to sit next to me. ‘Did he… did he…’ I shook my head. Because they had been there at the right moment he hadn’t. But he had taken a lot from me. ‘I’m so sorry little bird, this shouldn’t have happened to you.’ Of all people he was here. ‘Don’t tell… don’t tell anyone…’ I croaked.

‘Chris knows.’ He added. That would mean Oak would too. He let his hand wander on my cheek. By the way that hurt I already knew I was not looking too good up there. ‘And… you.. can’t really hide it love. Your face… it’s… clear.’

‘We’ll tell something else… not this. Ash. He will… kill him.’ Chris can’t tell. He just can’t.

‘I will kill him.’ Croaked Dexar. ‘But nobody can replace him. He has gone missing.’

Through my tears I explained I couldn’t let anyone know. Not yet. This dark thing was something I wasn’t willing to share right now.