Secret Confession (Rivals of Blackthorn)
1. Courtney
A s I open the door to my dorm building, I breathe a sigh of relief that another day of university is over. Once I’ve climbed up the stairs, I’ll be able to lock myself away in my dorm room.
I’ve only been here just over a month, and I’m still finding my feet…which is more than a little daunting.
I’ve never found it easy making friends, as most of the people I went to school with knew all about my past, and what happened to my mum. But here, it’s like I have a clean slate, to be whoever I want to be, and that’s harder than I thought.
I guess I’ve gotten used to being a bit of a loner, retreating into the background so nobody knows me, or draws attention to me. But now that I’m just a regular unknown girl, with no tortured past to hide from, I’m being noticed.
Guys are finally approaching me, asking me out, and other girls are talking to me like they might actually be interested in being my friend.
And while there’s a part of me that’s always longed for this kind of social life, and wants to embrace it with both hands, there’s another side of me that’s terrified by it.
If I let people in, I won’t be able to keep my past hidden for long, and then I’ll lose something I didn’t even know I wanted. Call me a coward, but at only nineteen-years-old, I’ve suffered more loss and heartbreak than most people double my age, and I don’t want to live through more .
I keep telling myself I just need time to get my head on straight, and then I’ll throw myself into being more sociable, but for now, I’m going to hide away in my small dorm room, hoping I can find the courage soon.
As soon as I reach my dorm, I notice a small box sitting in front of the door. It’s wrapped in shiny silver paper, with a large black bow tied around the box, sealing it and making it look like a pretty present.
My brow furrows as I reach for it, seeing there’s no note on the outside to indicate who it’s from.
I’ve had a few notes stuck to my door from guys I’ve met, who have been trying to ask me out.
One even left me a long-stem red rose, but this is the first proper gift I’ve received, and I’m not sure how I feel about it.
I can’t think of any guy that’s been trying to get my attention so much that he’d leave a gift for me. There’s Pete from my history class, and the rose guy, who lives on the floor above, called Hugo, but they’re the only ones who come to mind.
I close the door behind me, throw my bag on the floor, and sit down on my bed with the parcel in my lap. I pull the black bow until it falls away, then slide my finger under the shiny silver paper. It opens to reveal a plain-looking cardboard box, with an envelope attached to the top.
I breathe a sigh of relief that there’s a note, so I don’t lose sleep wondering who would send me a gift. Even though I really want to dive straight into the box to see what it is, I allow my practical side to win out, and I open the envelope first.
It’s a handwritten note, made up of blocky but surprisingly readable writing, but there’s nothing familiar about it. As I slowly read the note, ice floods my veins, and for just a moment, it’s like my heart stops.
You and your brother stole something important from me, and now I’m ready for revenge. I’ll take the thing you need most in this world—your heart—and deliver it to your brother, just like this!
Don’t bother trying to run, I will find you no matter where you go. I will never stop until your family is destroyed, the way mine was.
Prepare to pay for the crimes of your family.
In the same envelope as the letter are a pile of photographs, each one showing me over the last few weeks while I’ve been at university. Whoever wrote this letter has been stalking me since I arrived.
Terror floods through my body, making my hands tremble as I place the note and the photos on the bed, before reaching for the lid on the box.
My brain is screaming at me not to open it, as I have a pretty good idea what’s inside, but it’s like I’m on autopilot, going through the motions without thinking anything through.
I take a deep breath, trying to steel my nerves as I lift up the lid, only to drop it onto the floor as my worst fears are confirmed.
I let out a loud gasp as the box slides out of my fingers, thankfully landing on the floor the correct way up.
If it had twisted, the bloody heart sitting in the centre of the box would be on my dorm room carpet, which I’m almost certain would stain.
My eyes are wide as saucers as I gasp for air, unable to stop looking at the bloody organ that’s just sitting in the box, surrounded by plastic wrap. My brain feels like it’s working a million miles a minute, wondering whether it’s human and who it belongs to, while the rest of me is numb.
When I finally snap out of the daze, I reach for my phone, knowing there’s only one person I need right now—my brother, Miles.
It takes him less than twenty minutes to arrive, his best friend Marcus following behind him as they slam the door to my room open, both of them flooding in like avenging angels.
Despite the nine-year age gap between me and my brother, I still see the way people look at him and Marcus.
Men give them a wide berth, clearly able to tell they’re dangerous, when they want to be, yet they still look at them with envy, wishing they could have even just a portion of their looks and charm.
When Marcus’ other best friend Jacob is with them, the three of them all together are more than girls can handle. They exude danger, walk with confidence that gives them almost a cocky swagger, all while dressing like they fell off a runway.
Marcus has the brooding glare down, and instead of scaring women off, they’re drawn in by his bad boy persona. Jacob has the friendly, dimpled smile, making him look like he belongs in a boyband, and girls swoon in an instant.
Miles has always been a bit of an enigma, with a cocky smirk and a touch of sarcasm that leaves people guessing, whilst being drawn in by his handsome good looks.
Although Jacob isn’t around much anymore, after the boys had a falling out over something that Miles won’t talk to me about, I grew up around them, and see them all as family. But even I can admit all three of them are ridiculously handsome.
As soon as my brother catches sight of the box on the floor, his expression turns hard, and it’s enough to crack through the numbness that’s filled me since the moment I opened the horrific gift.
When the first tear slides down my cheek, it breaks the dam, and before I know it, sobs are wracking my body as I fall apart.
Miles rushes over and pulls me into his arms, which only makes my cries more hysterical as I cling to him. He soothes his hand up and down my back, as he whispers reassuring words into my ear.
It doesn’t take long for the warmth of my brother’s touch to bring about the sense of calm and safety I always feel whenever he’s around. He’s been taking care of me my whole life, and there’s no one in the world I trust more to keep me safe.
Once my cries have died down, and my breathing returns to normal, I lift my head off his chest enough to look at him. I wince at the large wet patch covering his shirt, but he doesn’t seem to care.
Even though his expression is kind and caring when aimed at me, I can see the fire in his eyes that he’s trying to hide from me, so as to not scare me.
“You don’t have to be scared, Court. I promise, I will make sure that nobody will ever hurt you.
I think you should move back home with me, where I can keep you safe,” he says, as he gently gathers a blonde strand that’s fallen over my eyes and tucks it behind my ear, soothing his thumb along my puffy cheeks.
I reach around him, picking up one of the pictures that are scattered on the bed where I left them.
It’s a picture of the two of us going into his flat a couple of weeks ago, when I stayed over for a night, and we had a takeaway together.
Despite still living in the same town, I missed my brother, and he was only too happy to have me over for the night.
“The stalker must have followed me to the flat. If he knows where you live, I’m not sure it would be any safer for me there than it is here,” I tell him, my voice catching in my throat as fear bubbles away.
Miles’ flat has always been our safe space, since we moved in there six-years ago. It’s been our little home since Miles moved back to Blackthorn, and it’s where I let go of my past and embraced this new version of me.
Knowing that my safety is now gone scares me almost as much as the bloody heart on my bedroom floor.
“Fuck,” Miles snaps, his eyes narrowing on the offending images.
Marcus, who has been hovering behind us, looking over the images in silence, with a stern, hard expression on his face, clears his throat, grabbing our attention.
“I have an idea. Why doesn’t she move into Morelli Mansion? With its level of security, there’s probably no safer place in Blackthorn. The only problem is that it would require Courtney leaving university, as she’d need to stay at the Mansion at all times, until we eliminate the threat.”
Before Miles can respond to his best friend, I nod my head enthusiastically. “I don’t mind leaving university for a bit. I’d rather know I’m safe, which I don’t think I will be here.”
Miles glares from me to Marcus, looking furious. “It’s not necessary for you to quit university, even if it is temporary. We can arrange to have guards with you at all times to protect you.”