OLIVIA'S P.O.V
"I… I—" I stuttered.
Cole chuckled lightly. "If you don't respond, I'll take it as a yes."
He winked, and my brain stopped functioning long enough for him to accept my silence as agreement.
"See you later," he said, voice warm—almost like a promise.
He walked away, returning to his father and friends. The moment he disappeared, Hailey stormed toward me, fury burning hotter than the chandeliers. Tasha and Bianca flanked her, while Sasha moved to distract the crowd.
Then—SLAP!
The crack echoed through the empty bathroom. My head snapped sideways, and I stumbled, falling onto the cold marble floor. Pain exploded across my cheek. A bright pink handprint formed instantly. Tears burned—but I tried to hold them back. I wasn't allowed to cry. Not even now.
Tasha screamed, "How dare you step even ten miles close to Cole?!"
Before I could speak, Bianca grabbed a fistful of my hair, yanking me upward. I barely had time to gasp before she shoved my head into a sink filled with water. I thrashed, muffled screams lost beneath the surface. My lungs burned. My chest tightened. Darkness pinched the edges of my vision.
Just when I thought I would drown, they yanked me up—brutally. I coughed, choking for air as they sneered.
Hailey stepped forward slowly. Her eyes brimmed with unforgiveness… and hatred. Each click of her heel made me shrink back.
Her bright red lips curved into a cruel, cold smile.
"You ugly, classless monster goblin—how dare you dream so high? Compete with me for Cole? How dare someone like you even breathe near him?"
Her voice dropped lower, sharper, deadlier.
"You're nothing. A nobody. A stepping stone. Not even one person loves you enough to wish you a happy sweet sixteen."
Her words pierced deeper than any slap. Not because they came from her—but because some part of me believed them. Who was I? Who cared? Even Cole… surely he hadn't realized who I really was. How worthless.
A pounding ache filled my skull. Thoughts tangled. My breathing quickened. And beneath it all—something stirred. Hot. Rising. Dangerous.
Hailey noticed and smirked, thinking her work was done. She and her entourage left laughing, not realizing what they had awakened.
I ran.
Out of the bathroom—out of the Miller mansion—out of Odin Estate—into the night.
I didn't know where I was going. I followed instinct. Followed the whispering voice that had always haunted me.
The farther I went, the louder the voice became. A warning. A command. A scream.
STOP!
My legs halted instantly. The authority in that voice rippled through my bones.
I looked up—and froze. Towering trees surrounded me, their shadows swallowing the sky. Only a crimson moon glowed faintly above. I stood at the edge of a massive abyss, dark as death. I knew this place---I had dreamt of it, this was.....
Willow Creek.
A forest shrouded in fear—even during daylight. People vanished here. Stories whispered of lost souls. Of creatures that hunted the foolish.
My breath hitched as deep, dark growl rolled through the trees.
"It's… it's probably just a dog," I whispered, taking a shaky step back.
Another growl—closer. Much closer.
My blood went cold
I turned to run—but a hulking shape burst from the shadows.
"Aahh!" I screamed as a monstrous beast lunged forward.
It towered at least seven feet tall, covered in midnight fur, with razor-sharp claws and black, soulless eyes. Another beast leapt out, brown fur and crazed red eyes flashing. Then another. And another.
I was surrounded.
They advanced, forcing me backward—toward the abyss.
Fear. Pain. Hurt. Desperation.
Everything inside me snapped.
I screamed—and blue fire erupted from my skin. A blazing shockwave slammed the monsters back.
I staggered, trying to contain it, panic tearing through me. But the power only grew, burning hotter, brighter. My vision blurred.
Another explosion—
And the ground crumbled beneath me.
I fell.
"No—!"
SPLASH.
Darkness swallowed me whole.