Operation: Threads of Connection

Truth

"What are you talking about?" I ask slowly, making my way back to her.

"Stop acting dumb Anya, I know Damian told you what happened to him after the concert. Did you see it yet? The scars on his chest?" Alina said. Jesus, how does she know this?

"How do you know about that Alina? Did Damian tell you?"

She giggled before waving the disk around. "Oh no, Damian doesn't tell a soul about the incident. Well I guess you managed to somehow get it out of him. Sebastian wasn't the only one in that auditorium with them." Alina's revelation sent a chill down my spine.

"You were there?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly. "You saw what happened?"

Alina's smirk widened, her eyes glinting with a mix of satisfaction and cruelty. "I was there, Anya. I saw everything, better yet I might have given Mr. Desmond the exact location to find his son." She held up the black CD case again, waving it tauntingly.

"What do you want with it?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady despite the rising panic.

She tilted her head, pretending to think. "I want you to back off, Forger. Damian's mine, and I don't need you getting in the way."

Anger flared up inside me, overpowering the fear. "You're blackmailing me with this? Do you have any idea how messed up that is?"

Alina's expression darkened. "I'm not playing games, Anya. If you don't stay away from Damian, I'll make sure everyone sees this. Imagine what it would do to him if people knew the truth about that night! Him and Sebastian will both be victims to your stupidity."

I clenched my fists, my mind racing. I had to find a way to protect Damian without letting Alina manipulate me. "You're a monster," I said through gritted teeth.

She laughed, a harsh sound that echoed in the empty hallway. "Maybe. But I'm a monster who knows what she wants."

Before I could respond, I heard footsteps approaching. I turned to see Damian walking towards us, his usual confident stride faltering as he saw the tension between Alina and me.

"What's going on here?" he asked, looking between us with a furrowed brow.

Alina quickly slipped the CD case back into her bag, her expression shifting to one of innocent surprise. "Oh, nothing, Damian. Anya and I were just having a little chat."

Damian's gaze lingered on me, sensing that something was off. "Anya, are you okay?"

I made eye contact with Alina who gave me a small smile. I know the truth behind that smile. I can't hurt him. I can't hurt Bash either. I decided to keep silent and walk away. As I walked away, I could feel his gaze on my back, filled with worry and confusion. I knew I had to find a way to deal with Alina and protect Damian from her twisted schemes. And I had to do it without letting him get hurt any more than he already had.

Two weeks passed in a breeze. I avoided Damian as much as I could, but seeing him worried only made me more miserable. I missed him so much. Alina was taunting me, she would take any opportunity to cozy up to him. When I made eye contact with him, he quickly would disentangle himself from her.

Anya it's not what it looks like, please talk to me.

He would beg. As much as I wanted to hear him out, she always gave me the look, I couldn't risk having that disk be displayed. With much remorse, I would simply ignore him. We wouldn't talk in cooking club either. I was stationed in the front, but I could feel his gaze on my back whenever we would have a cooking activity. For the most part I was able to make the dishes assigned, but the one true ingredient was always missing. Happiness.