[prequel to the "badlands" series]
•Searching for something that I can't reach•
It was ironic that the girl named after a virgin goddess had lost her own in first year.
Artemis Avery was known for one thing: sleeping around. The witty Slytherin gir...
just a small warning: this chapter is dark. i'm also sorry for not updating in a while; this book puts me in a dark place while writing, but i think i've figured it out. enjoy!
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"I was waiting for you."
Artemis held in a groan as Marlene's chipper voice sounded from the end of the corridor. The golden-haired girl's smile was brighter than the Sun as she beamed at Artemis, undaunted by the glare the Slytherin girl was giving her.
Artemis was not in the mood. She hadn't eaten or slept all day, and a long detention with Marlene McKinnon was the absolute last thing that she needed. Her usual mask of bravado was gone, revealing the horrible mess that was Artemis. But she didn't have the energy to act fine. Not tonight.
"We have detention together, remember?" Marlene continued, painfully oblivious to the snarl growing on Artemis's face.
"As if I could forget," Artemis drawled coldly in response, shouldering her bag and stalking past the girl.
"Are you okay?" asked Marlene, jogging to catch up with Artemis. "I didn't see you at dinner earlier."
Artemis clenched her teeth and continued to walk down the corridor silently. Maybe she had been cursed; that was the only explanation Artemis had to explain why Marlene McKinnon made it her goal to bother her as much as possible.
"Artemis?" Marlene pressed.
Artemis held in a deep sigh as she clenched her hands into fists, her fingernails digging into her skin. The small pain helped her focus.
"I'm worried about you," Marlene continued as they neared the Transfiguration classroom, remaining ignorant of Artemis's anger.
Something dark simmered in Artemis's veins, and she whirled around to face the annoyingly persistent Gryffindor. Marlene's face was pleasantly peaceful, juxtaposing every emotion that was inside Artemis.
She was nothing but a poorly constructed dam. And she burst.
"Why?" Artemis shouted, her voice echoing down the corridor. She folded her arms and gave Marlene an icy glare. "Why do you always claim to be worried about me? You don't even know me! You stalk me for no reason, acting like you care, but you really don't give a damn about me, do you? You don't give a damn about anything. I'm just some charity case, aren't I?"
There was shock etched on Marlene's beautiful face, but Artemis had no intention of stopping. Marlene looked to be in genuine pain, but Artemis didn't care. Nothing was real. She had tried to sleep earlier while everyone else went to dinner, but flashbacks full of Henry Grisham had plagued her, leaving her even more exhausted than she had been. She was in a foul mood, and Marlene was making everything worse.
