Spark ( Book 3: Stronger Series )

9. Dark Memories

Pain suddenly exploded on the side of my head as I flew into the concrete wall, unable to slow my momentum. It didn't matter much since I was already on to the next wall, the back of my head aching like it had split in half. I felt the snap of my wrist as it crunched painfully under my flesh and left me screaming in agony and terror. I tried to defend myself, I tried to hold my own, but I was weak, tired, and pathetic. I begged him to stop, pleaded with him, but he had his own agenda. He shut me up with a broken jaw instead. And then, when I thought it was over, the boa constrictor returned, snaking his arms around me and squeezing me until I was thoroughly broken and gone.

"Run from me again, Jaden. Because if it ever happens again, I can't promise you I'll stop next time."

"Jaden, wake up."

I woke with a jolt. Snapping my fist out in the direction of the voice, I connected with something soft and hard at the same time. A loud feminine grunt echoed in my ears as I finally opened my eyes to find Holly on the ground, clutching her face and looking up at me in shock while my hand ached something fierce.

Fuck.

"Shit, Holly, I'm so sorry," I said quickly as I tried to calm my racing heart. "Are you okay? I didn't mean it."

"What the hell just happened?!" yelled Hank as he and Blondie rushed over.

"It was an accident," I said to them, as Hank bent down to check Holly.

"I'm fine," she mumbled as her hands covered her nose, but I could see the blood begin to gush between her fingers. Fuck, I hoped it wasn't broken.

"Why did she hit you? What did you do?" Hank asked Holly a little too aggressively.

"It's not her fault," I dejected. "I was having a nightmare and just reacted when she woke me up."

Hank sighed in annoyance, shaking his head, and helped Holly stand. "I'll take Holly to see Ginsby. It looks like it's already starting to swell. You stay here," he said to me as he started to walk away with her.

I sighed deeply. "Fuck." I groaned under my breath, pinching the bridge of my nose. Blondie was still standing there, looking at me like I was a misbehaving toddler. "What?!" I shouted at him as he stared at me behind his stupid sunglasses.

"Nothing," he said as he put his hands up in surrender.

"Fuck this." I groaned. "I'm going for a walk."

I turned away from him and headed for the shore to get as far away from the house as possible. I was gonna hear so much shit for this later, but I didn't want to hear it now.

For the next hour, I wandered the island, exploring through the brush and palm trees with an obviously bored-out-of-his skull Blondie, who watched me from a polite distance. I attempted to learn the lay of the land before I was called back to the house, but nothing ever happened. Yet.

As I walked through the brush, I noticed all the different colored plants and the songs of the birds I kept hearing outside of my window. But as I watched a certain bird above me, I nearly ate the dirt as I tripped over a rather thick stick on the ground. Ignoring the slight ache in my side, I bent down and picked it up, noticing its light weight and rounded edges. It was a little longer than a normal baton but too short and weak to be a bo staff.

I continued my walk, casually spinning the stick in my hand, feeling the motion and smiling at the memory of twirling a familiar weapon in my hands. Unfortunately, the last time I held a bo in my hands hadn't ended well, but so what. The twirling was good therapy for my wrist since it was so light. Maybe I could eventually find something heavier when it became strong enough.

As I twirled, I looked down at my knuckles to notice they were a little bit red. My nightmares were getting worse, frequenting at least once a week now. The memories were growing darker, the pain so fresh in my mind, it was like it happened yesterday. Waking up from one nightmare to the next didn't help. Each bloody and broken memory was a reminder I would never be able to fight Darren off, a reminder of how strong he was, and how fucked I was. You'd think it would amp up my fear of Darren, but in reality, it only made me want to kill him that much more.

"Miss Jaden," Blondie finally called, interrupting my thoughts. "It's time to head back to the house. Dinner will be served in an hour, and we need to get you ready."

"Right," I said and turned toward the direction of the house.

"Ah, I would leave the stick," Blondie suggested.

I looked down at it, finding it completely harmless, but agreed with him and placed on the ground where I would be able to find it again. I then headed back to the house, my stomach now in knots as I worried about Holly. I'd probably broken her nose. Fuck, I was such a shit.

When we got back to the house, I didn't see Hank or Holly and was instead escorted straight to my suite. I took a shower, made my hair into soft beach waves, put on a little makeup, and changed into a silky pink sundress. I was kind of hoping I'd catch less shit if I made an effort to please Darren with my appearance.

When I was ready, I was escorted by Blondie—still no Hank—to the dining room. Darren was not there yet, so I sat down and waited for the impending storm to arrive.

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I can't believe I didn't ask this question so here we go

What if you were Jaden which I hope no one experience what she is going through, what would you do to escape this nightmare?