Chapter 31: snap out of it
Rhea jolted awake from her nightmare.
Ach Ack Ack!
Choking hard, her throat raw as if she'd swallowed ash, gasping for air that wouldn't come fast enough. Her face dripped wet—tears streaking hot down her cheeks, shed in sleep she couldn't recall—and her chest heaved wild, a storm of emotions crashing through her: sadness sharp as a blade, anger boiling red, annoyance gnawing tight, grief heavy as stone.
She stumbled to her feet, legs shaky under the loose shirt, her brain throbbing like it might split open, pain pulsing fierce behind her eyes.
Normally, she'd bolt outside—find the first living thing, human or not, and burn it to cinders, then another, then more, letting blood and fire drown the memories until they sank back into the dark.
Killing calmed her, slow and steady, a ritual to keep the memory buried. But now her hands flexed useless, the collar around her neck a cold shackle, its tech humming faint as it choked her flames, leaving her powerless, trapped.
She clawed at it, fingers digging desperate into the metal, tugging hard enough to carve red welts into her skin, her nails scraping as she growled low, a rabid edge to the sound.
The collar didn't budge—unyielding, mocking—and the flashes in her mind flared brighter: a boy's grin, eyes like hers, hair like hers, then gone. Her breath hitched, rage surging hot, and she slammed her forehead into the wall
thud thud