The Betrayal
1606 Words
Lyra was dreaming again.
But this was no ordinary dream
Ever since Drizella's memories had awakened within her, sleep had become a doorway to another life—a life buried beneath centuries of death, betrayal, and unfinished grief.
Tonight, the memories pulled her deeper than before.
The world around her slowly took shape.
A grand academy stood beneath silver skies. Tall stone buildings stretched across a sprawling campus filled with students dressed in elegant uniforms. Laughter drifted through the air. Conversations echoed across walkways lined with flowering trees.
Yet despite the beauty of the place, an ache lingered beneath the surface.
Drizella felt it.
She stood near the academy courtyard, her hands clasped tightly together as her eyes followed a familiar figure walking away from her.
Mark.
The werewolf boy she loved.
Or at least, the boy she thought she loved.
There had been a time when he couldn't spend a single day without her.
A time when he sought her out between classes.
A time when he smiled whenever she entered a room.
A time when he held her hand proudly in front of everyone.
But that time was gone.
Ever since her parents' deaths, everything had changed.
And ever since Mark's father had become the new President, he had changed too.
Drizella had tried to ignore it.
She had tried to convince herself she was imagining things.
But deep down, she already knew the truth.
He was avoiding her.
The realization hurt more than she wanted to admit.
"Mark!"
Her voice echoed across the courtyard.
The boy stopped.
For a brief moment.
Then he sighed.
Slowly turning around.
His expression was already enough to break her heart.
There was no warmth in his eyes.
No affection.
No concern.
Nothing.
Only impatience.
Drizella swallowed hard.
"Can we talk?"
Mark glanced around the courtyard.
Several students were watching.
Once upon a time, he would have loved that attention.
Now he looked annoyed by it.
"We don't have anything to talk about."
The words struck harder than a slap.
Drizella stepped closer.
"We do."
"No."
His voice was cold.
"Actually, we don't."
A knot formed in her throat.
For the first time since losing her parents, fear crept into her chest.
Not fear of enemies.
Not fear of politics.
Fear of losing the one person she thought still cared about her.
"What happened?" she asked quietly.
Mark looked away.
"Nothing happened."
"Then why are you acting like this?"
His jaw tightened.
The silence stretched between them.
Then finally—
"I'm tired of pretending."
The world seemed to stop.
Drizella stared at him.
Pretending?
"What does that mean?"
Mark laughed softly.
Not kindly.
Not lovingly.
Cruelly.
"It means this relationship is over."
Her breath caught.
"No."
"I'm serious."
"No."
The word escaped before she could stop it.
She shook her head desperately.
"No, Mark."
He remained unmoved.
"Please don't do this."
"I already am."
Students nearby had begun watching openly now.
Whispers spread through the courtyard.
Drizella didn't care.
Not anymore.
"Tell me what I did wrong."
"You didn't do anything."
"Then why?"
Mark looked directly at her.
And for the first time, she saw the truth.
There had never been love in his eyes.
Not real love.
Only ambition.
Only convenience.
Only self-interest.
"My father is President now."
The words landed like stones.
Drizella froze.
Mark continued.
"Things are different."
Her chest tightened painfully.
"Different?"
"You don't have power anymore."
The cruelty of his honesty stunned even him for a moment.
But he didn't take it back.
Instead, he kept going.
"When your father was President, everyone wanted to be around you."
Drizella felt tears burning her eyes.
"No..."
"You were popular."
Each word cut deeper.
"People admired you."
"Mark..."
"You were useful."
The tears finally fell.
Everything suddenly made sense.
Every compliment.
Every gift.
Every promise.
Every smile.
All of it.
A performance.
A lie.
"You used me."
The words came out broken.
Mark didn't deny it.
That hurt most of all.
He simply shrugged.
And that silence told her everything.
The boy she loved had never existed.
Only the mask had.
Drizella stared at him through tears.
"Please..."
For one terrible moment she forgot her pride.
Forgot who she was.
Forgot she was the daughter of the most powerful family in the kingdom.
She became only a heartbroken girl.
"Please don't leave me."
Mark's expression never changed.
There was no guilt.
No remorse.
Nothing.
"I'm sorry."
But he wasn't.
Drizella could hear it.
Feel it.
Know it.
He turned away.
And walked out of her life.
Without looking back.
Without hesitation.
Without regret.
Drizella stood frozen in the middle of the courtyard long after he disappeared.
Then she ran.
She ran until the academy vanished behind her.
Ran until tears blurred her vision.
Ran until her lungs burned.
And when she finally reached home—
She collapsed.
Heartbroken.
Completely shattered.
The next day proved even worse.
Drizella had barely slept.
Her eyes were swollen from crying.
Her chest still felt hollow.
Yet she forced herself to attend school.
Because life never stopped for heartbreak.
The academy grounds buzzed with activity.
Students laughed.
Teachers taught.
The world moved forward.
As if her heart hadn't been broken the day before.
Then she saw them.
And everything inside her froze.
Mark.
And Lexi.
Her best friend.
They were standing beneath a flowering tree near the academy entrance.
Laughing.
Smiling.
Standing much too close.
The sight alone felt like a knife twisting in her chest.
But it got worse.
Much worse.
Lexi reached for his hand.
And Mark let her.
Comfortably.
Naturally.
Like they had been doing it for a long time.
Drizella stared.
Disbelief flooded her.
"No..."
The word escaped her lips.
Then she began walking toward them.
Fast.
Neither noticed her at first.
They were too busy enjoying each other's company.
Until—
"What is this?"
Both turned.
Lexi's smile disappeared.
Mark simply looked annoyed.
Again.
Drizella couldn't believe it.
"Are you serious?"
Neither answered.
The silence was answer enough.
Something inside her cracked.
"How long?"
Lexi crossed her arms.
"What?"
"How long?"
Mark looked away.
Lexi rolled her eyes.
And that reaction alone told Drizella everything.
Weeks.
Months.
Maybe longer.
"You were seeing each other before we broke up."
Neither denied it.
The betrayal hit harder than anything Mark had done yesterday.
Because this wasn't only him.
This was her best friend.
The girl she trusted.
The girl who knew all her secrets.
The girl who comforted her after her parents died.
Lexi sighed dramatically.
"Can we not do this?"
Drizella stared at her.
"You betrayed me."
Lexi laughed.
Actually laughed.
The sound felt unreal.
"No."
Her eyes hardened.
"You betrayed me first."
Drizella blinked.
"What?"
"You heard me."
Lexi stepped forward.
For years, jealousy had lived beneath her smile.
Now it finally surfaced.
"Mark has always been mine."
Drizella frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
"I've loved him since third grade."
The confession stunned her.
"But you were dating Zack."
"And?"
"You were literally dating Zack when Mark and I started dating."
Lexi's expression twisted.
Because she knew it was true.
But jealousy rarely cared about truth.
"You still stole him."
Drizella couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"No."
Lexi's voice trembled with years of resentment.
"You got everything."
Students.
Teachers.
Popularity.
Attention.
And then you got him too."
The bitterness in her voice was unmistakable.
For years she had hidden it.
For years she had smiled and pretended.
Now the mask had fallen.
Drizella looked toward Mark.
Waiting.
Hoping.
Praying he would say something.
Anything.
An apology.
An explanation.
A lie.
Even a lie would have been better than this.
But Mark remained silent.
His face showed no guilt.
No shame.
No remorse.
Nothing.
And that hurt more than all the words combined.
Because it proved she had never mattered.
Not truly.
Lexi slipped her hand into his.
Mark allowed it.
Then together—
They walked away.
Leaving Drizella standing alone.
Again.
Abandoned by the two people she trusted most.
The dream blurred.
The memory faded.
And darkness swallowed everything.
Lyra woke with a sharp inhale.
Morning sunlight streamed through her bedroom window.
For several seconds she remained still.
The dream lingered vividly in her mind.
The heartbreak.
The betrayal.
The tears.
It had felt so real.
Because it was real.
Those weren't dreams anymore.
They were memories.
Drizella's memories.
And Drizella was her.
A different life.
A different name.
But the same soul.
Lyra slowly sat up.
Her eyes drifted toward the portrait hanging across the room.
Toward the girl who looked exactly like her.
Drizella.
The girl no longer felt like a stranger.
She felt like a forgotten version of herself.
A life she was slowly remembering.
Outside, birds sang cheerfully.
It was Saturday.
No school.
No classes.
No teachers.
For the first time all week, she could relax.
Or at least try to.
Downstairs, however, peace was nowhere to be found.
Rufus stood near the kitchen table.
Beulah sat opposite him.
The tension between them filled the room.
"We need to tell her."
Beulah immediately shook her head.
"No."
"Beulah—"
"No."
Her voice cracked.
"She's our daughter."
Rufus sighed heavily.
"We both know things are changing."
Beulah looked away.
Pain flickered across her face.
"I don't want to lose her."
"You'll lose her if she finds out herself."
The words hung between them.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
"If she discovers the truth before we tell her..." Rufus continued quietly. "She'll never forgive us."
Beulah's eyes filled with tears.
"Not yet."
Rufus closed his eyes briefly.
Then whispered,
"Don't say I didn't warn you."
Those words opened a door inside Beulah's mind.
- Writer
