Damned: Clementine X Male Reader (Book 3)

Desolation-Darrow's Game

I bend the cards in my hand, but not enough to ruin them. I'm winning the game we're playing now, but I'm not trying. You can apply strategy to games like this, but at the end of the day, it all comes down to how lucky you get. I'm just lucky, and one of my opponents is Darrow.

I agreed to play only because I didn't have anything else to do. I thought that it might take my mind off everything, but instead, it just made it worse. I'm sitting here, playing this game, while my parents and sister are fighting for their lives in Yellowstone. I feel like I should be doing something, and instead, I'm relaxing. I don't think Brooklyn would let me do anything anyway. We got a call for help from Yellowstone today. They were practically begging for help, but we didn't send anyone. It was Brooklyn's call, and she said we wouldn't make it there in time. I think everyone agrees, but the whole community is on edge now. If Yellowstone is begging for help, we're screwed.

"Di," Brooklyn says.

"Hm?" I look up from my bent cards.

"It's your turn." Brooklyn doesn't hide the concern from her face. She's been looking at me like that all day.

"Oh." I pick one of the cards and throw it on the floor with the others, then I bend the cards again.

"You're not trying, Diana," Darrow whines.

"And I'm still beating you."

"You're ruining it." Darrow doesn't know about Yellowstone, nor should he. He wouldn't know what to do or how to act. He's got enough on his little mind with the attack from last night. He's been acting different since then. He never stays in a room by himself and never leaves Brooklyn's or my side. I doubt anyone would notice other than us.

"I am trying, buddy." I decide to lie to him. I tease him a lot, but I do love him, and I know he doesn't need me to mess with him right now.

"It's your turn, Dare," Brooklyn tells him, having taken her turn.

Darrow puts down a card after much deliberation and then stares at me. I weigh my options for longer than I need to make it look like I'm thinking hard about it. I then place a card on the stack. Darrow groans.

"What?" I thought I'd made it look like I was trying.

"You saw my cards."

"I did not." I lean over. "But I can look if you want me to."

He puts them face down in his lap to hide them from me. "No."

"Then don't accuse me."

Someone knocks on the door, and we look at Brooklyn. She holds a hand out to tell us to stay put. I set my cards on the floor, Darrow moves closer to me, and Brooklyn gets up to go to the door. I see her check the knife that hasn't left her side since last night.

But there isn't anything to worry about. It's just Cas. Darrow visibly relaxes next to me. They talk about something at the door and Cas leaves. Brooklyn turns back to us. "Your parents and sister are home."