her hollow heart

chapter 17: shattered glass

Lucy's POV:

The fire crackled softly in the forge, casting long, flickering shadows on the walls. I stared into it, watching the flames lick the edges of the iron tools, but my mind was far away—far from the warmth, the safety this place was supposed to offer.

It had been days since the fight, since Max had been hurt. She was healing, faster than I expected, but me... I was breaking. 

Piece by piece.

I looked down at my hands, trembling, my nails digging into my palms until the skin broke. I quickly closed my fists tighter, hiding the damage. The bandages on my wrists were fresh, a poor attempt to mask the truth. No one could know. No one should know. They all thought I was strong—the calm, steady one. Dylan, Max, the rest of them. They depended on me to patch them up, to make everything alright. But I couldn't patch myself. Not anymore.

Max's POV:

I stumbled out of bed, my leg still weak but getting stronger with each step. Dad had been checking on me constantly, but today I could walk, sort of. Lucy hadn't been around much. She'd been distant lately, but I didn't think much of it. She had a lot on her plate—more than any of us really knew.

I shuffled out of my room, clutching the J plush, making my way down the hall. I could hear voices coming from the common area—Maisie and Mel, probably bickering about something again. Those two were chaos incarnate, but I knew they had a soft spot for Lucy. Especially Maisie, even if she pretended not to care.

As I approached, their voices got louder. Something wasn't right.

"She's not fine, Mel!" Maisie snapped, her voice filled with uncharacteristic concern. "You didn't see her last night—she was... she was bleeding. I found her outside the barracks, just... sitting there, bleeding." Mel sighed, her usual fiery demeanour subdued. "I know. I saw her this morning... but she won't let me or anyone else near her. She keeps saying it's nothing."My heart skipped a beat. Bleeding? Lucy was hurt? Why hadn't anyone told me? My mind raced as I hobbled faster, ignoring the pain in my leg.

Dylan's POV:

Something was wrong with Lucy. I could see it in her eyes, the way she avoided everyone lately. At first, I thought it was just the stress, the constant pressure of holding this place together. But now... I wasn't so sure.

Max had gotten better, but I hadn't seen Lucy in days, not really. Just glimpses—her disappearing into her room, always wearing those long sleeves, even when it was boiling hot outside. She never did that before.

Jace and Kai had noticed it too, and even Moon had tried to talk to her. But she brushed everyone off, said she was fine.

But she wasn't.

Lucy's POV:

I sat alone in the infirmary, staring at the small medical scalpel I'd been cleaning. It was sharp, precise. The way it glinted in the dim light was almost... hypnotic. I turned it over in my fingers, feeling the weight of it, the coolness of the metal against my skin.

I wasn't fine. I hadn't been for a long time. But I couldn't tell them that. They needed me to be strong, to keep going. If they knew... if they saw how weak I really was, everything would fall apart.

The first cut was always the hardest, but after that, it was almost... routine. 

A way to release the pressure, to feel something other than the crushing weight of this world. I felt the blade press against my skin, felt the sharp sting, but it wasn't enough. It was never enough.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and I froze. "Lucy?" It was Kai. His voice was soft, almost hesitant. "Can I come in?"I shoved the scalpel away, quickly pulling my sleeve down to cover the fresh cut. "Yeah... yeah, come in."

Kai opened the door, his usual confident smirk replaced with something more serious. He looked at me like he knew—like he saw right through the mask I'd been wearing."We're all worried about you," he said, stepping closer. "You've been... distant.""I'm fine," I lied, forcing a smile. "Just tired. It's been a lot, you know?"He didn't buy it. "Lucy... you don't have to do this alone. We're here for you. I'm here for you."I clenched my fists under the table, the fresh pain from my palm grounding me. "I said I'm *fine*, Kai."He opened his mouth to argue, but then the door burst open and Maisie stormed in, her eyes wide with panic."Kai—there's... you need to come. Now. It's Kelly. She's... she's dead."

Dylan's POV:

When I got to the scene, my stomach turned. Kelly was sprawled out in the courtyard, her body mangled beyond recognition. Blood soaked the ground, and there, pinned to her chest, was a note. My name was scrawled on it, messy, angry.

I ripped it off, my hands shaking as I read the words.

"She tried to take her from me."

I crumpled the note in my fist, rage boiling up inside me. Kelly had been trying to get close to Lucy for weeks, but I hadn't realised it had gotten this far. I should've stopped her. I should've seen this coming.

The others gathered around, their faces a mix of horror and confusion. But I knew. I *knew* who did this.

And I would make sure it never happened again.

Lucy's POV:

I stood at the edge of the courtyard, watching as Dylan cradled the crumpled note in his hand. He didn't look at me, but I could feel the tension radiating off him. This was my fault. I'd let things spiral too far, let my emotions get too tangled in everything.

But now it was too late. Kelly was dead. And the blood on her hands might as well have been mine.

I slipped away, unnoticed, disappearing into the shadows. 

Back to the infirmary. 

Back to the blade.