Apocalyse: Marked by Chaos
Chapter 96 - 95 Her Scars, My Guilt

Chapter 96: Chapter 95 Her Scars, My Guilt

"You don’t have to be sorry, it wasn’t your fault," Alexa said with a tight smile. She finally let the pain reflect in her eyes.

"No, I mean..." Olivia’s words were interrupted by Alexa.

"It’s okay. I brought you here to spend time with me... I have been feeling lonely these days, and I need someone to talk to." Alexa’s gaze softened. "Come drink with me," she said, heading towards a big tree. She went behind it, grabbing some bottles of beer.

Olivia stood frozen, unable to believe her eyes. ’She brought me here to drink?’ She didn’t know if she should laugh or cry.

Wasn’t she just a step away from confessing her wrong? Or is Alexa taunting her? Or had she poisoned the drink?

Olivia walked towards her, settling under the tree’s shadow.

Alexa opened a beer, handing it over to Olivia. Olivia looked at her with suspicion. This was getting unbearable.

She took the beer, clenching her fingers around it. She looked at Alexa, who had already started gulping her beer down.

"But you... you know I have class," she cautiously said.

"Don’t worry. I will tell the teacher that I borrowed you for some time."

Olivia’s eyes were everywhere except Alexa’s. She just didn’t know why she had chosen to bring her here—they aren’t that close.

"Why did you want to spend time with me?"

Alexa shot her a glare.

"I mean, you have other close friends. Why... why me?" Olivia quickly added.

Alexa sighed. Her shoulders slumped against the bark of the tree. "Well, you are wrong. I don’t have any close friends," she replied, her eyes gazing at the far horizon of the landscape.

"Oh, sorry. I’ve got it wrong." Olivia’s hands became sweaty around the bottle.

"You know, as a kid, I have been mocked and looked down on because of coming from the lower section," Alexa’s gaze lingered on Olivia before returning to the landscape. "Just like you, I feel like you can understand me better," her voice sounded grim at the end.

Olivia looked down, her hand fidgeting around the beer.

"You must have heard the rumor going around the school... but it is not just a rumor, it’s a truth I have been trying to run from. But I guess it has caught up with me," a sadistic laugh vibrated from her throat.

Olivia flinched at the pain in her laugh. The pain she had caused her. She quickly gulped the drink down her throat.

Cough. Cough.

Olivia choked on her drink. "Are you okay? I should be the one who should be nervous."

"So... sorry. It’s just that I never thought we would one day sit together and talk about our lives." Sweat trickled down the back of her neck.

Alexa glanced at her before drinking hers. "When I was 17, they sent us to the monster’s domain. We didn’t even have proper armour. I remember my first kill... I was shaking so bad, I couldn’t let go of my sword. But I survived, along with a few other students. That was when I met him—the leader of the Fortress. When he came to me, I thought it was because he saw my potential... but I was wrong." Her voice cracked with emotions.

Olivia pinched herself. Why is the conversation going this way? She wasn’t supposed to be a good friend who listens to bestie’s ranting. But right now, her words were making her feel more guilty than ever.

"Am I boring you with my talk?" Alexa jokingly asked, but beneath those eyes was pain—pain of being unheard.

"No... absolutely not," Olivia hurriedly said. "It’s just that I have never had this heart talk with anyone before. I’m sorry if I make you feel like it is boring." For the first time that day, Olivia managed to look her in the eyes.

Hearing the truth in her voice, Alexa sighed. A drop of tear rolled down her cheek. She was tired of holding back all her emotions. She wanted to cry. She wanted to be like the girl she once was—free from strings.

Olivia’s breath hitched. Seeing those tears drop from Alexa’s eyes was like a knife to her heart. It was right then she knew how much she had f**ked up.

She moved closer to Alexa, offering her shoulder. This was the least she could do. A quiet penance for the pain she’d caused.

Alexa rested her head on her shoulder. They both looked at the horizon. The wind carried their silence like a song only the broken would understand.

"It was my bad fate that led me to encounter him. Now I have been reduced to nothing but a rag, a lapdog," she said with so much bitterness that it made Olivia’s stomach churn.

Olivia knew exactly what Alexa had gone through. Inasmuch as she had been riding on the influence of the leader, she had worked hard to be where she is right now. Olivia’s heart bled for her—it’s just that she had to choose herself instead of her.

The sound of Alexa’s sobs, the wind, the running water, and the erratic heartbeat of Olivia filled the air. The serene landscape was the complete opposite of their state right now.

The sunset’s golden hue kissed the skin and hair of Alexa and Olivia as they stumbled to their dorm.

"Why did you drink so much, if you knew you couldn’t handle it?" Olivia huffed as she dragged Alexa’s drunk body.

The students looked at them as if they saw a rare event. Olivia closed her eyes. Alexa was ruining her reputation. What are people going to say now that they have seen her drunk?

After she managed to bring her to her dorm, she laid her on her bed. Olivia turned to leave, but she decided to go back and remove her shoes and help her to change her clothes.

Her fingers trembled when she saw the scar on her arms. She swallowed, bile rising in her throat. ’I don’t believe words will be enough to tell exactly what you have been through,’ she thought inwardly.

She quickly changed her clothes before leaving the room.

As she clicked the door shut, Alexa’s eyes snapped open. Whatever softness she’d shown was gone, it was replaced by a sharp and icy look.