The Golden Raven

Nora Sakavic — 2025

I do not care what they think of me. I can’t. It only matters that I play. Jeremy Knox is no stranger to damage control, but his last season on an Exy court is off to a disastrous start. The relentless crusade against his newest teammate threatens the haven he and his friends have worked so hard to build. He promised Jean a fun senior year, but tragedy and ugly truths make every step forward an uphill fight. Jean Moreau promised the USC Trojans a championship trophy, and he intends to deliver. Granted, it would be significantly easier if they’d slide off their high horses and throw a few elbows on the court. Their steadfast refusal to do things his way is nearly as aggravating as their unwanted affection, but maybe they’re not the ones that need to change. With so many ready to drag him down, how can he learn to fly?

Reviews

Mary Carmona@mary_carmona

Feb 23, 2025

Highlights

Mary Carmona@mary_carmona

“I carry some of the blame for this. Yes,” he said, when Jeremy started to protest. “I asked Coach Wymack how I could protect you, and Thea was his answer. He only dragged her into this because I asked him to, and she knew exactly how to break them.” Jean gestured helplessly before offering a slow and careful, “I am not sorry. Perhaps I should be. But I will choose you every time. You, and Cat, and Laila, every time. I will lose them all if I must.”

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Mary Carmona@mary_carmona

There was no point lying. “I didn’t want to, but I—” The easy excuses fell apart; they were still true, but they rang hollow in the moment. It was Rhemann’s voice in his head, Rhemann’s and his friends’ and Neil’s, drowning out his miserable thoughts and excuses with unrelenting force. Jean squeezed his hands until his fingers went numb and willed himself to believe the words as he slowly spoke them into existence: “I deserve to get better.”

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Mary Carmona@mary_carmona

Jean dug cruel fingers into his bandages. “I was glad when he lost his hand. Exy is all he has and all he loves; I knew it would destroy him to lose it. A month in the Nest without it, maybe two, and he would have no recourse but to kill himself. I was only alive because he made me promise to survive. If he died, who could hold me to that? I would have slashed the tires on his car before I let him escape us, and he knows it.”

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