Alicia had gone to bed filled with guilt at what she had said to Jack. She shouldn’t have snapped at him. He hadn’t done anything wrong. The following morning she lay in bed trying to think of something to say to him. She sat up realizing she hadn’t changed out of her clothes from yesterday. She sighed and ran her fingers through the tangles in her hair. Then there was a knock on the door. Bethany sat up groggily as Alicia got up and opened it. It was Luke standing there and he seemed worried.
“What is it?” she asked. “It’s Jack. When I woke up...he was gone.” Luke replied quickly. Then they heard shouting and gasps from the hall. “Come on.” Bethany pressed, pushing past them. She hadn’t changed her clothes either. They went into the hall where a crowd had formed. “They’re dead!” someone cried. Others were crying similar things. The three of them pushed through and none of them were ready for the scene in front of them. Martin was lying on the floor completely still. His lips and fingertips were blue and he was incredibly pale and a little way away from him lay...Jack.
He had a dagger sticking out of his shoulder and there was blood around him. His lips and fingertips were also blue. However...unlike Martin...he was breathing. Alicia rushed over to him quickly followed by Luke and Bethany. “Someone get a teacher! He’s still breathing!” Bethany shouted. “Barely.” Alicia whispered. “Alicia...Bethany…” Luke trailed off pointing. The two girls looked and they saw the blood on Jack’s wrists as well. It stood out extremely against his paper white skin. “Restraint marks.” Bethany whispered.
“Come on, Jack. Just please stay alive.” Alicia murmured, touching his arm. “He’s freezing.” she choked. She was barely holding her tears in. “All of you move now.” a voice commanded. It was the Headmaster. They got up and moved to the side as the Headmaster knelt next to Jack. They saw as two women, nurses they assumed, put a sheet over Martin’s body. People in the crowd were crying and others were shouting. Teachers were trying to get them back to their rooms with little success.
Suddenly a scream filled the hall and everyone went silent. It was Jack. The Headmaster had pulled the dagger from his shoulder. “H-He was here.” was all Jack managed to choke out before he lay still again. Alicia had barely heard the whisper. Jack’s breathing was shallow and rather fast. Alicia couldn’t help going over to him again. She knelt down opposite the Headmaster. “Is he going to be alright?” she asked, quietly. “Miss Belle….I will do everything I can. All of you go to the infirmary now. I will take him by magic. Go.” the Headmaster instructed when he saw her hesitation. He waved his hands and he and Jack disappeared. Alicia turned to the others and they went to a teacher. Once they had the directions they ran. Other students were trying to follow but they were stopped and soon the noise of the crowd faded as they climbed higher.
They made it to the infirmary but they were told to wait outside. No amount of objections changed that outcome. Tears finally fell down Alicia’s cheeks as they sat in the hallway. “The last thing I said to him was horrible. He probably thought I was angry at him.” she choked. “Alicia, you can’t blame yourself.” Bethany murmured. “That thing was here. I should’ve woken up. I could’ve stopped him.” Luke said, quietly. “We can’t blame ourselves. It won’t do good. We have to be strong for Jack.” Bethany told them.
“Oh you don’t know do you?” a voice asked. It was Raven. Figures she’d slipped through the teachers. Alicia quickly brushed her tears away. “Know what?” Luke demanded. “That was the Curse of the Frozen. It’s a complicated spell and…..no one can survive it.” Raven replied. There didn’t seem to be much sadness in her tone. “W-What?” Alicia whispered, unable to stop her tears. “So I’m sorry to all of you. Especially you, Alicia. You really upset him.” Raven said, then walked away. Alicia cried silently into her arms with her knees pulled to her chest.
“Don’t listen to her. We have to...we have to have hope.” Bethany murmured. No one said anything. Luke got up and knocked on the door. A nurse opened it. “I al-” she started but Luke interrupted. “Is he dead?” he asked. The nurse looked taken aback. “Come in.” she told them, stepping aside. Alicia’s despair grew but she quickly wiped her eyes and blinked quickly. She followed Luke and Bethany into the infirmary. They walked in and they saw the Headmaster standing over a bed.
Jack was laying there still white as paper and his lips and fingertips a purpleish blue. He was breathing. He was still breathing. The Headmaster lay a hand on Jack’s chest and a cry escaped Jack’s lips. “W-What is he doing?” Alicia asked, her voice trembling. “There is no easy way to say this...but no one has ever survived this spell before and...he should be dead by now. The Headmaster is using heat to try to reverse the spell. He was saying something about the boy’s magic fighting it off.” the nurse replied. She told them to stay put then went over to Jack and the Headmaster.
She had bandages in hand and as the Headmaster worked, she bandaged the wound on Jack’s shoulder. She looked a bit surprised as she did it. She bandaged the ones on his wrists next. Alicia knew Jack’s wounds must have started healing but it was probably slower because…..she took a deep breath. She was not going to cry right now. Then the screaming started. Two more nurses came to hold Jack down while the Headmaster continued doing the spell.
Jack’s screaming didn’t stop until finally after fifteen more excruciating minutes the Headmaster took his hand off of Jack. Jack was breathing hard but he had gone still again. Some color had returned to him and the blue had nearly faded from his lips and fingertips. Alicia had cried as Jack screamed. Bethany had teared up a bit too and Luke had stared at the floor, his whole body tense. It had been such a terrible sound. It had been filled with pain and agony.
She never wanted to hear him scream like that again. The Headmaster turned and looked at them. He was breathing hard too. “He is going to recover.” he told them quietly. “Thank you.” Bethany whispered. “I am going to go inform the teachers of this news so they may tell the students that there was a survivor. It is a true miracle that his magic had managed to fight it off for so long unassisted.” the Headmaster replied.
“B-But he’s going to be okay?” Alicia asked, shakily. “I believe so. You may stay with him. I will return shortly. I wish to hear what happened.” the headmaster murmured as he slipped out the door. Alicia got to him mere seconds before Bethany and Luke. The nurse had conjured up three chairs with her wand and left them to be with Jack. Alicia pulled her chair close to the side of the bed and put her hand in Jack’s. It was still freezing. After a moment the nurse returned to put an extra blanket over him.
“I can’t believe this happened to him.” Luke said, quietly. “I wonder what exactly happened.” Bethany murmured. “I d-don’t care. I just want him to be okay.” Alicia whispered. She pulled her hand away. She shouldn’t touch him. She had hurt him and he...he could have died. The last thing she would have said would have been a rude remark. She was consumed by guilt and sadness. “When do you think he’ll wake up?” Luke asked. “I don’t know.” Bethany replied.
Hours passed and Jack hadn’t moved the slightest bit. Then they heard a small noise. He hadn’t woken but he was jerking slightly. “No.” he moaned. Alicia stood and hesitantly touched his uninjured shoulder. “Stop, please.” he begged. His voice was full of fear and pain. “Jack…. Jack, you’re okay.” Alicia told him, gently. Jack groaned, still asleep. “Try to wake him.” Bethany suggested quietly. Alicia gently shook his shoulder. A small noise of pain came in response.
She took her hand off his shoulder and hesitated for a moment before putting it in his. “Jack, it’s okay. Just wake up.” she said, squeezing his hand. After a moment Jack groaned again and then she saw blue. Brilliant blue. His eyes had opened slightly. “Alicia.” he whispered. She slowly took her hand out of his. “Are you still mad at me?” Jack asked quietly. “No. No of course not. I’m not mad at you.” Alicia stammered. She’d been surprised by that question.
“Jack, are you alright?” Bethany asked. “I…..” Jack trailed off. “Where’s Martin. He was there then I passed out. Is he alright?” he said suddenly. He pushed himself into a sitting position and Alicia saw the pain in his expression as he did so. “Don’t push yourself.” she told him quietly. Jack looked at her then she watched his gaze go to Luke and then Bethany. “What happened to Martin?” he asked again. “Jack…..that spell…...no one is supposed to survive it. It got cast on Martin….and well he…” Luke trailed off seeming unable to finish the sentence.
Alicia watched as the realization hit Jack. “I-It’s my fault. H-He’s…” Jack stopped, tears filling his eyes. She could see the guilt in his eyes and how much he truly blamed himself. “Jack it isn’t your fault.” Bethany murmured. “Yes it is. If I hadn’t followed that noise then none of this would have happened.” Jack replied. Alicia moved forward and hugged him. “It is not your fault and I’m sorry for what I said. I wasn’t mad at you. I’m just so glad you’re okay.” Alicia whispered to him.
She let go of him as the Headmaster entered. Jack stared down looking at the bandages on his wrists. “I am pleased to see you have recovered, Mr. Larmen.” the Headmaster said when he walked up beside the chair Bethany was sitting in. Jack didn’t say anything. Alicia looked at him with concern. She knew he must feel overwhelmingly guilty and well she didn’t know what else. None of them knew what exactly had happened. Except Jack.
“I was hoping you could enlighten us on the events that occurred last night.” the Headmaster continued. “Is Martin really dead?” Jack asked quietly. The Headmaster was silent for a few moments. “I am afraid so. Did you see it happen?” he replied finally. “No.” Jack whispered. Alicia saw him lift a hand and brush something from his cheek. A tear.
She looked at the Headmaster and saw his expression had softened slightly. His gaze had sympathy in it as he looked at Jack. The other two were silent. Alicia noticed that they didn’t seem to really know what to say. Or maybe they wanted to know what happened. “I am not asking you to recount it to make it harder for you. I’m asking because the only one who can tell us what occurred last night is you.” he said. “What do you know so far?” Jack asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.
“Only the spell that was used and...the injuries you had. This spell is also not supposed to leave anyone living so the fact that you survived it is truly remarkable.” the Headmaster replied. “He said he wasn’t going to kill me.” Jack murmured. “Who?” Luke blurted. “I don’t know. It was the same shadowy person from the woods. All I could see was a silhouette.” Jack replied. His voice was quiet still and he was still looking down at his hands.
“Just so there isn’t a constant bombardment of questions, why don’t you just tell the story of what happened. That way it will be as easy on you as we can make it.” the Headmaster told him. Alicia saw the kindness and concern in his eyes. He was worried about Jack. Alicia sat down in her chair and waited patiently.
“I heard a noise and it woke me up. I thought about just ignoring it but it kept going so I went out in the hall and I followed it. Then something hit me and it knocked me down. I couldn’t see anyone and I didn’t know what happened. Then it was kind of a blur. Something grabbed my neck and yanked me up. Then I got held to the wall and gagged. I tried to use my magic, actually it kind of reacted on its own but they just laughed at me. They said they knew what I was and that I was weak and that’s how it was supposed to be.” Jack paused for a moment. Alicia didn’t know what to think but she knew it had probably gotten worse. No one pressed him. They were all just waiting patiently for him to continue.
“When my magic went off...he stabbed me with the uh dagger and he said that it was fun. Then he touched my face and asked me if I wondered why my eyes were so blue. He knew my name and he kept saying how he knew so much about me. Then he said that he wasn’t going to kill me so I didn’t have to worry about that. Then my magic went off again and he told me that I should behave myself as he started twisting the dagger deeper. Then….he did a spell and I got really cold and it hurt. The last thing I saw was Martin start fighting then everything went black.” Jack finished. Alicia heard his voice nearly break.
Everyone was silent. Unsure what to say. Alicia didn’t know what to say either so she just got up and hugged him again. She felt him shaking slightly. He was crying silently. She just hugged him. She didn’t know what else to do. Then he pulled away and looked at her. There weren’t any tears on his face. He must have wiped them away.
“Mr. Larmen, did he say anything else in terms of what he wanted from you?” the Headmaster asked. Jack shook his head slightly. “It is not your fault what happened. Curiosity can be the downfall of many and it is not as if you knew what would be waiting.” the Headmaster told him, putting a hand on his uninjured shoulder. “Did your powers go off…..like you know...in the forest?” Luke asked hesitantly. “No, I was able to block it out. I think it was just more of a self defense mechanism.” Jack muttered. “You blocked it out? Like how you did with Miss Belle?” the Headmaster asked.
“I….guess I did.” Jack murmured. “That is control. You are learning it and I believe that it is a very good thing.” the Headmaster told him. “I must go. I have to inform the teachers of new precautions because a threat entered this academy and no one is supposed to be able to manage that. The nurse is going to look you over and if she deems you are well enough then you may return to your room. Classes and such are going to be delayed for a few days. The school will be searched and there will be a gathering. There are new locks on the doors. A teacher will come by to explain how they work. If you are not there then your companions can explain it to you.” The Headmaster continued.
With that the Headmaster left the four of them in the infirmary. It was silent. No one said a word for several minutes. “Jack, say something, please.” Alicia murmured. She hated what happened to him. He didn’t deserve this. “Someone is dead and it’s my fault.” Jack murmured, his voice breaking slightly. “It isn’t your fault. The Headmaster doesn’t even blame you.” Luke stated, trying to say something helpful.
Alicia could see he was trying. She was glad that he was and when she looked at Bethany she saw the face she had as she thought. She was trying to figure everything out. That was probably her escape from thinking what had happened. Trying to find answers. “Jack, you….you almost died too. You could have been killed and you got hurt. It isn’t like nothing happened to you. It’s not your fault that Martin tried to fight.” she said, quietly. “It’s my fault he had to.” Jack whispered.
“This...thing...shadow..whatever doesn’t want to kill you though. That’s what we thought before but if they really meant that then what do they want?” Bethany asked. Clearly she hadn’t been paying much attention to the current conversation. Alicia sighed, however she wanted to know that too. When she looked at Jack she saw something flash across his face. “What is it?” she asked.
Jack just shook his head. “Come on, Jack. We have to figure out what they want.” Luke pressed. “I don’t know what….they want exactly…” Jack trailed off. The three of them waited for him to continue. “I think….I think they want me. I don’t know why, but when he heard Martin he said now there had to be a change in plans. The way he talked and what he said and…...anyway that’s what I think.” Jack finished. “You skipped something.” Bethany commented. Alicia wondered why she was pressing Jack so hard. He had just been through a lot. Why did she have to keep pestering him about it?
Before Jack could answer they heard the infirmary door open. “Oh my gosh, Jack! Are you okay?” Raven asked as she rushed in. “You can’t be in here.” Luke told her. “I found the both of them so I can very well be in here.” Raven snapped. “I’m fine, Raven.” Jack told her. Alicia didn’t want to say anything. Jack didn’t know that Raven was the reason that she had gotten upset. Raven was so much better than her. She was beautiful, popular, and everyone seemed to listen to her, even the older students. She was confident and she seemed to be quite fond of Jack.
Alicia didn’t think she was that special. She honestly couldn’t understand why Jack turned Raven down again and again. He could be popular and fit in but he refused it. She guessed that maybe he just didn’t think he could fit in. She hadn’t noticed that there had been a conversation going. She noticed that they were all looking at her. “Sorry, what?” she asked. “Oh, I was just wondering why you were here. I mean weren’t you being rude to Jack earlier?” Raven asked with a smirk.
That stung. Raven must have known why she had been upset. That’s why she was smirking. “She’s here because she’s my friend.” Jack said. Alicia looked at him, surprised. Was he actually defending her? “Mhm, do you even know why she was mad?” Raven replied. “I’ve given her several reasons to be upset with me.” Jack said. He was so calm right now as he talked to Raven. He was defending her. “Well, I doubt you did anything within the span of five minutes. I mean she wasn’t mad until after I left.” Raven commented, sitting on the edge of the bed.
Jack looked at her. She could see he didn’t know what to do. Raven reached out and turned his head so he was looking at her. “You don’t have to look at her so she can tell you what to say.” she told him. Jack hadn’t moved nor did he say anything. Raven pulled her hand away and Jack looked down. Alicia met Raven’s gaze and saw the look of superiority and triumph in it. “You just take advantage of him. Hasn’t he been through enough? Why are you making it worse?” Raven taunted.
“I….I don’t…” Alicia couldn’t finish. She just shrank under Raven’s gaze. She probably was making it worse and Jack was probably agreeing with- “She doesn’t take advantage of anyone and I have given her plenty of reasons to just give up trying to be nice to me. She has been an amazing friend and I may not understand why she got upset with me earlier but she must have had a reason. I am not mad at her and honestly I was relieved to see her. She doesn’t make anything worse. She’s only made things better.” he said.
“You..really mean that?” Alicia asked him quietly. “Of course I do.” Jack replied, he was looking at Raven. She saw the irritation flicker in the girl’s eyes. Jack had told her no again. He hadn’t played into her games. He hadn’t believed her. “You’re dooming yourself, Jack. Spend one day with me and my friends and you’ll see that it’s better. These three don’t appreciate you.” Raven murmured, putting her hand on his. Alicia couldn’t take it anymore. She walked away and moved quickly toward the door. “Alicia!” she heard Jack call. She looked back and she saw Raven put her arms around him.
Then she turned and bolted out of the door. She walked quickly away from the infirmary and went toward the only place she really knew how to get to. Her and Bethany’s room. There was no one in the hallways and it was mostly silent except for the soft murmur of voices that could be heard from the different rooms that students stayed in. She couldn’t keep her tears in as she ran to her room. She made it in and the door banged shut behind her. She collapsed on her bed and cried into her pillow.
Why did Raven hate her? Why did Jack stand up for her like that? After everything that happened to him he still defended her? What Raven said hurt her and...and she didn’t know what to do. Raven would probably convince Jack to accept her invitation into popularity soon enough. She just cried because that was all she could do. Jack had nearly died, Martin had died, people hated her, and she couldn’t even do anything about any of it.
After a little while she felt a hand touch her shoulder lightly. “G-Go away.” she choked out, but her voice was muffled by her pillow so it just sounded like gibberish. Then someone pulled her up into a hug. “It’s okay, Alicia. Calm down.” she heard Jack murmur. She relaxed in his embrace and soon enough she stopped hyperventilating and Jack brushed the remaining tears from her cheeks. He continued to hug her and tell her everything was okay.
She felt comforted in his arms. “W-Wait aren’t y-you supposed to b-be in the infirmary?” she asked, voice trembling. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.” Jack told her, hugging her a little tighter. “Y-You did?” Alicia asked in a small voice. “Why wouldn’t I? You’re my friend and I never want you to be upset like this.” Jack replied. Alicia just started crying again as she put her arms around him. “Alicia, please tell me what’s wrong. Why are you so upset?” Jack said. She could hear the concern in his voice. She couldn’t make a coherent response so Jack just continued to hug her.
“Shh. You don’t have to be upset. It’s okay.” he told her, quietly. Eventually he was able to soothe her again. She just leaned against him as he held her. She didn’t understand why he was comforting her like this. She was being ridiculous. “I-I’m s-sorry.” she whispered, starting to pull away. “You don’t have to be sorry for being upset about something.” Jack replied, letting go. She thought she sensed reluctance but she must have imagined it.
“You don’t have to be sorry, Alicia. Are you okay? What’s wrong?” Jack asked, his concern clear. “I...It’s just you almost died and Martin….and Raven….and….” she trailed off unsure how to finish the sentence and not upset Jack further. “I know. I don’t know what to do about the Raven thing though. I keep telling her no but that doesn’t seem to make a difference.” Jack replied quietly. “I’m sorry about what happened to you.” Alicia whispered, hesitantly touching his hand. Jack turned his over immediately so he could hold hers.
She looked at him then at their hands. “Will you please tell me what’s been upsetting you? Yesterday you got upset too.” Jack murmured. “Raven just…...gets under my skin.” Alica said, quietly. “She’s jealous of you. That’s the only thing I can think of.” Jack told her.
Alicia just shook her head. “She has nothing to be jealous about when it comes to me.” she muttered. “That could not be less true.” Jack stated. She felt his finger slip beneath her chin. He lifted her gaze to meet his. “The only thing she has is popularity. You outshine her in every way and I don’t think I am the only one who notices that.” he told her. She could see in his eyes that he meant it. She smiled slightly and she was glad he was able to give her a small smile in turn.
He pulled his hand away and hugged her once again. She hugged him back immediately. Then she felt him tense so she pulled away. “What’s wrong?” she asked. He didn’t answer. He just touched his head and made sure not to move his other shoulder. She could see the pain in his expression. There was exhaustion too. “Come on. You should get back to the infirmary, Jack.” Alicia said, standing. “I-I’m f-fine.” Jack replied, his voice strained.
“No you aren’t.” Alicia stated. “Let’s just bring him into our room. He can rest there.” Luke said, entering the room. Bethany was behind him. “You two weren’t…..” Alicia trailed off, lightly touching Jack’s shoulder after a quiet groan had escaped him. “No, we were talking to the Headmaster and we headed here to see how you guys were.” Bethany replied. “Well, let’s get Jack to your guys’ room. He needs rest.” she added, looking at Luke.
“You just have to make it across the hall, Jack.” Alicia told him quietly. He looked at her and she saw a lot of pain in his eyes. She took a deep breath and continued to hold his hand as he stood up. He staggered for a moment but then righted himself. “The things you go through for other people.” Luke muttered, coming over to help support Jack. Alicia smiled a bit at him gratefully. They got Jack onto his bed but he was still in pretty intense pain.
He laid down but it did not look like exhaustion would win out. “Jack, what’s going on?” Bethany asked softly. “I-I think s-some of t-the spell i-is s-still f-fighting with m-my magic.” Jack choked out. Alicia slipped her hand in his once again. She was worried instantly. She looked at the other two. She could see concern but…..there was something else. There wasn’t a pressing urgency like she was feeling.
“The Headmaster said this may happen. He’ll be fine. If he’s unconscious it will make it easier.” Bethany explained quickly with Luke nodding in agreement. Jack groaned again. Alicia squeezed his hand. “Hey, you just have to try to sleep okay? It will make it stop hurting.” she told him, gently. “I-I can’t.” Jack whispered. “Just focus on something that makes you calm.” Alicia murmured.
To her surprise he looked at her. He just kept his gaze on hers until finally his eyes closed and he was able to descend into unconsciousness. Alicia took a deep breath. Was…..was she what he’d thought of to make him feel calm? No…. she thought, confused. She gently pulled her hand out of his and turned to the other two. They were both looking at her with slightly amused expressions.
“What?” she asked defensively. “Well, I could have sworn when you told him to focus on something that makes him calm his eyes never left yours.” Bethany replied, smiling slightly. Alicia blushed slightly. “Aww she’s blushing.” Luke teased. This just made Alicia blush more. “Okay, okay, that’s enough. Look, can we literally talk about anything else.” she grumbled. “We’re just messing with you. Jack trusts you which is probably why he was looking at you.” Bethany said, trying not to smile.
“Honestly, I think he just adores her.” Luke commented with a grin. “Knock it off, Luke.” Alicia groaned, covering her face with her hands. “Hey, are you okay though? You seemed really upset after….” Bethany trailed off, turning serious. “I…...I told Jack some of it but I don’t want to bother him anymore about it. I just don’t understand why he keeps telling Raven that he doesn’t want to join her group. I mean he wants to fit in doesn’t he?” Alicia replied, quietly. Jack had given her some answers but for some reason it still didn’t seem to make much sense.
“Well, fitting in doesn’t necessarily mean popularity.” Bethany told her. “Wait but remember yesterday? I think what happened this morning kind of made us forget but when you asked if he knew what he wanted….do you guys remember his answer?” Luke asked. “Yes, I remember.” Bethany murmured. “Me too.” Alicia said quietly. She sat down on the floor where she’d been standing. Bethany was sitting on the floor in front of Luke’s bed now and Luke remained standing.
“What do you think he meant?” Alicia asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t know. I think we would have to ask him.” Bethany replied after thinking about it for a few moments. “The part I’m very confused about is when he said there were things he could have that he wanted but he doesn’t think he’ll be able to reach them.” Luke muttered, the corners of his mouth turned down in concentration.
“I’m pretty sure the first part is being normal.” Bethany murmured. “It’s so awful how he hasn’t done anything, yet so many people keep trying to hurt him and make him feel like he’s nothing.” Alicia said, quietly. She didn’t understand why people had to do that to him. He was so sweet and helpful and he was just good. He was a good person, but other people didn’t seem to notice. Before the other two could answer there was a knock on the door.
“I’ll get it.” Luke said, walking over. He opened the door and there stood that thirteen year old girl from the other day. Amy if Alicia remembered correctly. “Um, hi.” she said nervously. “Hey.” Luke replied. Bethany recognized her when she looked over. Of course she did, Alicia thought. Bethany rarely forgot things. “I just wanted to see if Jack was okay. I haven’t really heard anything so….” she trailed off. “Let her in, Luke.” Alicia told him.
Luke stepped aside and Amy entered the room. Alicia made eye contact with her and she could tell that Amy was nervous. She was holding something in her arms. A sort of basket. “He’s just sleeping right now. The Headmaster said he’ll be alright.” Bethany stated, breaking the awkward silence. “Oh, I brought some food for you guys because you missed lunch.” Amy said after a few more moments of silence.
Alicia got to her feet and accepted the basket from Amy. “Thank you. We kind of lost track of time.” she replied. Amy smiled a little then looked over at Jack. “It’s so terrible what happened. Martin and Jack are two of the nicest people I know. I barely met Jack but he…..kind of just radiates kindness. I’m glad he’ll be okay.” she murmured. Alicia smiled a bit. She liked the way Amy phrased it. Radiating kindness. “Oh also Mr. Formento wants your essays. He wanted me to collect them.” she added, looking at Alicia again.
“I’ll go get mine and Alicia’s.” Bethany said, getting to her feet. Luke went over and got Jack’s and his own. He handed them to Amy. After a few moments Bethany returned with hers and Alicia’s. “Thanks, Bethany.” Alicia said as she handed them to Amy. Then Amy gave them instructions about the locks on the doors and exited the room. Apparently classes were resuming tomorrow. The schedule was the same. History, Dueling, and Magic. Then they had to return to their rooms immediately after dinner and stay there until the next morning.
The other three soon resumed their conversation from earlier. It had been like an hour of their never ending circle of thoughts. “I still can’t figure out what he meant or what’s going on.” Bethany huffed, crossing her arms in irritation. “Okay, just because you can’t be a know it all, all the time doesn’t mean you have to get frustrated about it.” Luke snapped. “So I’ve hidden something from the all knowing Bethany? That is quite the accomplishment.” a voice said.
They all knew who it was. “Jack, how long have you been awake?” Bethany asked. “Not an incredibly long time.” he replied, sitting up. Alicia immediately walked over and hugged him. “What was that for?” he asked as she pulled away. “You’ve had a pretty sucky day and I’m relieved you’re okay.” she replied simply. Jack smiled a little bit. “Well, I appreciated it.” he told her. It was a sort of teasing tone but Alicia saw through it. He started taking the bandages off his wrists.
“Should you be doing that?” Luke asked. “It doesn’t hurt.” Jack replied. He pulled the bandages off and his eyes widened. “What is it?” Alicia and Bethany asked in unison. Jack held up his wrist. There were thin white lines. Scars. “They’re scars, Jack. Calm down.” Luke told him. “No, you don’t get it. I have never had a scar. There’s one on my arm from where that sword cut me but that’s it. No matter what my father did there were no permanent marks. Think about it, Luke. After what happened on the hill did you ever see scars afterward?” Jack replied, touching the scars on his wrist lightly.
Alicia sat down next to him and gently took the bandages off his other wrist. “So then how did the shadow make you scar? That’s its official name by the way. Starting now.” Luke muttered. “I don’t know.” Jack murmured. Alicia gently traced the lines with her fingers. She didn’t understand why she did it. However Jack didn’t say anything or pull his hand away. “So, if you were listening to our conversation….would you mind giving us a few answers?” Bethany asked hesitantly.
Alicia looked at him and to her surprise she met his gaze. She blushed and looked away. Why did she do that? She stopped but he moved his hand so it still held hers. “The statement meant that I can never be normal and even things that could be deemed possible, probably won’t happen.” he replied. Alicia glanced at him and saw his gaze had shifted to Bethany. Although she felt him squeeze her hand gently. “That is a very vague answer.” Luke commented.
“My reasons are for me to know at the moment.” Jack told them. Alicia didn’t want to press him and she gave the other two a look before they started asking more questions. She got up and went over to the basket where some food remained for Jack. Her and the others had already eaten. She took out two wrapped sandwiches and an apple. She handed them to him and sat next to him again.
“Did you guys grab food while I was asleep?” he asked, starting to unwrap one of the sandwiches. “No. That younger girl Amy brought it up for us.” Bethany told him. “That was nice of her.” Jack murmured, taking a bite of the sandwich. “I’m surprised you aren’t being stubborn about eating.” Alicia teased, nudging him. Jack rolled his eyes as he continued eating the sandwich.
“Also she took the essays to the teacher.” Luke added. They also explained the locks and new rules to him while he finished eating. Jack finished and Alicia noticed when he moved his hand was shaking as he put the garbage in the trash can beside the bed. “What’s wrong?” she asked. She saw Bethany close her mouth out of the corner of her eye. She must have been about to ask the same.
“I thought we already established the answer to this question.” Jack replied, confused. Alicia looked at him. Had he not noticed? “Where was your essay by the way? Want to make sure I grabbed the right thing.” Luke said out of the blue. Bethany started to say something but Luke shushed her. Jack pointed and his hand was still this time. Alicia caught on. She noticed a wrapper from the sandwiches still on the bed. She picked it up and handed it to him. He was closer to the trash anyway.
He took it and she saw that as he held it his hand started shaking. He tossed it in the trash and looked at his hand. He leaned back against the wall after a moment. “Figure it out?” Bethany asked. “I honestly have no idea why it’s happening.” Jack muttered. “Maybe it’s just from the sudden cold and heat. It could have messed with your nerves a bit.” Luke said with a shrug. All of them looked at him surprised. “What? I read it in a book from my father’s library. He wanted me to read every single one in there.” Luke told them.
“He’s probably hiding the fact that his body is aching too. Also emotional trauma and possibly physical pain.” Bethany added, softly. Alicia looked at Jack. She knew there was no possible way he could be alright. He didn’t have to hide it. He looked at his hands. Alicia decided not to say anything. She wasn’t really sure what she could say but thankfully she didn’t have to because Jack’s voice filled the small gap of silence.
“Yes, it does hurt and it sucks, Bethany. I am terrified and scarred from what happened. Quite literally and figuratively. However, I already had a small breakdown and that isn’t going to help. The only thing that is going to prevent this from happening again is figuring out why it happened and who the shadow figure is.” he murmured. Alicia hesitated but then reached out and gently turned his face so she could see it.
She did it and quickly pulled her hand away. He didn’t look away though. “We’re just concerned about you. There’s only so much one person can bear. That’s what friends are for, right?” she told him. Jack smiled a bit. “You all are doing more than enough trying to help me. Besides, you know what happened, Alicia. You know how I feel about it. I’m not trying to hide the fact that I’m hurt…..” Jack trailed off. Alicia knew there was more to his statement. She looked at him, her eyes asking the question. He looked away again and said nothing. “Does it have something to do with me?” Luke asked. Alicia figured he was having a hard time too. He probably felt responsible for a lot of the misery in Jack’s life.
“No, not really. I’ve...It’s just kind of automatic at this point.” Jack murmured. Alicia saw his hand was shaking again. “What does that mean exactly?” she asked, taking his hand and holding it in hers. She wanted to comfort him in anyway she could and this seemed to help a little bit. “Walls get built after a while. He’s probably more used to hiding things outside his family than being open.” Bethany said. “Pretty much.” Jack muttered.
After a few moments of silence, Alicia started absentmindedly tracing the thin scars on his wrist again. When she noticed, she nearly stopped but continued when she realized that Jack’s hand was still now. She glanced up at his face for a moment and he was just watching her fingers trace the scars. It looked like it calmed him in a way. She looked at the other two who were both deep in thought.
“Sorry.” she murmured to him. “Why are you apologizing?” Jack asked, looking up. She stopped tracing the scars. “You don’t have to be sorry. It isn’t bothering me in any way.” he told her, quietly. She blushed slightly but started doing it again. She didn’t understand why she was doing it. Maybe she did…..
“Jack..” she said, hesitantly. “Yes?” he replied. Alicia took a deep breath before answering. “Earlier before you fell asleep...when I told you to focus on something that made you calm...what were you thinking of?”
Jack was quiet for a few moments. “I’m assuming you want me to be honest?” he murmured, finally. “I do.” Alicia replied. He was quiet again. Alicia was starting to think he may not answer. She wanted to know. This was one thing she wanted an answer to and if it was the answer she was thinking then...why? “You. I was thinking about you.” he said, finally. She looked at his face and saw it was a bit red. She smiled slightly.
“Can I know why?” she asked, quietly. “I don’t even really know the exact reason but you just…...have a sort of comforting presence. I mean I haven’t known you for very long but whenever something has happened over the last few days, seeing you just made me feel calmer. You’re my friend and I know I can trust you. I don’t put my trust in a lot of people but it has been easy to trust you. The person I’ve always trusted most has been my sister, Emma, but…” he trailed off.
Alicia looked at him. He met her gaze and she could see he meant it. That he did trust her. She didn’t want to betray his trust. Again. She had trusted him with something and she had let him down but she wasn’t going to do that again. “But what?” she asked, softly. “Emma loves me and she does care however sometimes I know she could hear…..hear what was happening and she wouldn’t stop it. I mean she would try to at times but then there were those moments where she didn’t even do that. She always said that my father was wrong…..but I think she started to kind of agree with him after it happened.” Jack replied, hesitantly.
He looked away from her. Another secret. “What happened?” Luke asked. Alicia looked over. They had been listening to their conversation even though they had kept their voices quiet. “My magic went off and I hurt her.” Jack murmured. Alicia felt his hand shaking again. She squeezed it and now held it in both of hers. “I’m sorry, Jack.” Bethany told him. “You don’t have to be sorry. None of you do.” Jack replied then looked at Alicia again.
“I did hurt you though and you weren’t angry at me over that. You were angry because I hurt myself and I didn’t think that was a possibility. Even though I haven’t been that great of a friend, you have been. You have probably done more to help me in a few days than my family has in years. I’m not discounting my sister because she has helped me and been there for me. She just reached a limit and that was fair.” he said.
His words stunned her. She couldn’t think of anything to say to him. Love from family was supposed to be limitless and he thought that she was a great friend. That she had been helping him more than his own family. She wasn’t going to turn her back on him and she wasn’t going to have a limit. He was her friend and she was going to be there for him. She cared about him. She hugged him. “I care and I am not going to turn my back on you, Jack.” she whispered to him.
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