Page 35 of The Scars Within (Twisted Thorn #1)

I spent the entire next day reading happily alone in my room.

I snatched food from the cafeteria to hold me over and only took bathroom breaks.

After the events of the past two days, I decided to escape into a fictional world and shut off my brain.

Cadets will return soon, and I’m sure my roommates will be ready to share stories of their weekends away.

And since my fantasy novel isn’t exactly handing me pointers on how to deal with the Wylder brothers… I’m left to decipher my feelings for them all on my own.

How rude.

I haven’t seen Rhodes since he scooped me from my room. Even during the brief moments I’ve stepped out of my dorm, he was nowhere to be found within the college.

What if he returned to his room expecting to find me there, only to find I had left? What if he took my absence as a big ‘fuck you stay away from me’ sign? The evidence that he slept on the floor that night was clear, but where had he been all morning while I was still asleep?

Suddenly craving fresh air, I snapped my book shut and slipped on my boots.

I made my way up to the rooftop, plopping down on the parapet with my feet dangling over the edge.

As I settled back into my book, the warm breeze helped clear my mind.

I’d only made it through a few paragraphs when the creak of the iron door sounded behind me.

A smile tugged at my lips, and I felt a blush creep up my cheeks—one I could easily blame on the heat. I shifted, propping one foot up as I turned to see Rhodes.

But it wasn’t Rhodes–

My heart stopped.

It was Captain Thorne, standing there as the iron door slammed shut behind him.

The sun highlighted his rugged features, strikingly contrasting the bright light.

His deep blue eyes gleamed intensely, and the stubble on his chin had grown since our last encounter in Intro to Air Wielding.

He wasn’t wearing his military uniform; he wore thick black breeches, a black tunic layered with a leather vest, and scuffed riding boots.

His facial expression when he locked eyes with me looked like he wanted to push me off the parapet. I watched his jaw muscles tighten, and his expression of disgust washed over me like a wave of shame.

I realized then that my expression must have looked like a lost puppy, desperately seeking a loving home from anyone who would take me in after the one who was supposed to protect me kicked me out on the streets.

Thorne turned on his heel and reached for the door, not even acknowledging my existence. That’s when my shame ignited into boiling anger.

I am tired of being a lost puppy.

I am tired of being kicked while I’m already down.

I am tired of taking shit from someone who doesn’t deserve me.

I sprang to my feet and let out the angriest growl I’d ever made, shouting, “Thorne!”

My father stopped mid-step, his shoulders rising and falling as he took deep breaths. Then, with a sudden movement, he slammed the iron door, making me flinch. I quickly regained my composure, refusing to let him see me as weak.

“That is Captain Thorne to you,” he growled.

I slowly shook my head, exhaling roughly. “You’re no captain to me,” I retorted, emphasizing the word ‘ captain .’

Within a few strides, he was towering over me. He raised his chin, looking down his nose at me. The intensity in his body language was palpable, and his sheer size made me feel even smaller. And unlike Rhodes and Shayde, I felt incredibly inferior.

I could feel the weight of his disapproval pressing down on me.

I could feel his shame in bringing me into this world.

I could feel the burden on his shoulders that I brought onto his life.

It took every ounce of willpower to hold my ground. With my shoulders back, chin held high, feet firmly planted, and hands clenched into fists, I refused to waver. I wasn’t going to crumble any further because of him.

I let him look at me. Let him feel that burning shame within his soul. Not because of who I am but because of what he did.

He stepped back and dipped his chin, yet his eyes never left mine. “How did she get you enrolled here?”

I scrunched my brows at his convoluted question.

“I said. How?” He said indifferently. “Is she married to someone who now passes as your biological father? Lily isn’t an elemental. That must be what she did just to get back at me. And I’m not going to stand for it. You’re gone, cadet.”

He turned to leave, but I spoke up. “My mother is dead.”

Captain Thorne stopped mid-step. “So it was you then. You forged some fucking plan to get in here,” he said insolently without meeting my gaze.

Shaking my head, I said, “No. No! I am your daughter, Thorne. I used your documentation to enroll here because I have nothing left— because of you .”

His dead eyes snapped to mine then. The grin that formed on his face was nothing but nefarious. I have finally met the monster that haunts my nightmares.

“You’re a pathetic excuse for life,” he scoffed. “I washed my hands of you the day I walked out that door, and I haven’t thought about you since. You are nothing to me. Just take a look in the damn mirror. You are not mine .”

The stabbing pain in my chest made my eyelids flutter, and I felt a burning behind my eyes.

I swallowed a fiery knot in my throat. My body began to numb, starting on the left side of my chest and spreading all over.

I stretched my neck to one side, trying to relieve the strain.

My heart seemed to skip every other beat, and I couldn’t catch my breath.

I felt defeated. My jaw trembled, and I let my eyes fall to the ground.

“You’re wrong!” I shouted, my voice cracking with raw emotion. My eyes remained fixed on the ground as I spoke. “I am your biggest mistake,” I said softly, finally raising my gaze to meet his.

He laughed, but there was no humor in it.

“My only mistake with you was staying as long as I did. Believing that whore’s lies.

” I shook my head in confusion, but he continued.

“You don’t deserve my last name. And I’m taking it back.

You’re officially just a simple waste of space.

You could hop right off that parapet and I wouldn’t give a damn . ”

“You are my father!” I cried out, a warm tear running down my cheek, which I quickly wiped away with the back of my sleeve. “You were supposed to take care of me, of us! And you left! How fucking dare you!”

His eyebrows raised as he crossed his arms and got into my face. “How fucking dare I? How fucking dare your mother open her legs to another man while I was deployed! You are nothing but a fraud!” he growled vehemently.

His words stunned me, forcing me to take a few steps back. More tears streamed down my face. “That’s not true. My mother loved you,” I rasped .

He stepped toward me with dark, malevolent eyes. “You’re worthless. Go back to where you belong.”

I stepped back again, and he advanced on me. He crept like a sinister evil in human form with his hands held behind his back.

“Look at you, falling apart in front of the big bad wolf.”

I stepped back; he stepped forward. I frantically looked down behind me, realizing he was backing me onto the edge.

He stopped. “You will leave Mageia, and never come back. Change your name. And never come within my vicinity again. Is that clear?”

I couldn’t find any words. I was literally trapped between the edge and the person who wanted to push me over it.

He clicked his tongue. “Pathetic.”

Captain Thorne turned on his heel and swung the iron door open to leave.

“I’m not fucking done with you!” I screamed at his retreating back, flailing my arms in frustration. The door slammed shut before him, almost catching him in the process. I gasped, the finality of the moment hitting me hard.

I did that. I slammed the door shut with…

He punched the iron door, leaving a dent where his fist had struck.

As he turned and stalked toward me again, I backed up until my heels were over the parapet’s edge.

The threat of his next move was abruptly interrupted when the iron door was flung open with such force that one of its hinges broke apart.

Rhodes burst onto the rooftop just as his black dragon swept low overhead, letting out a loud, piercing trill.

My father’s nostrils flared, brushing past Rhodes, shoving him aside, but Rhodes’s gaze was fixed on me.

I could feel the tears streaking down my face, and the embarrassment of what had just happened felt like it was drowning me.

I covered my face with my hands and stalked past Rhodes, not in the mood for any more confrontation.

“Scarlet!” Rhodes called after me, but I was already racing down the stairs.

In my heart, it felt like I was racing back down to where I belonged.

Rock Bottom.