Jack laid in bed, looking at the ceiling. A dim light still shone but they would go out soon, meaning it was definitely time to sleep. He knew what awaited him when he could fight it off no longer. He kept his thoughts at bay not wanting the dam to break. He knew Luke wasn’t sleeping because his snores didn’t come. They were both lying in silence. Honestly, Jack was dreading the next day. Most of the classes were fine but Professor Formento’s was going to suck and then there was this duel. Those were just the small things he had to worry about.
“Jack?” came Luke’s hesitant voice.
“Yeah, Luke?” he replied, not moving his gaze from the dark stone ceiling.
“Why do you hide it all?” Luke asked in turn.
Jack knew what he was referring to but he played dumb. “What do you mean?” he murmured.
“Why do you hide it all? The pain, the anger, and all the other things that you feel?” Luke asked him, quietly.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jack murmured but in reality, he knew exactly what Luke was talking about.
“Yes you do, Jack.” Luke said.
Jack didn’t answer. Luke was right, he was hiding it all. He was so used to keeping things to himself because he didn’t really feel like anyone would care how he felt or what he thought.
“I know that you may not trust me enough to talk about it but you should probably talk about it.” Luke told him.
“I’m just used to keeping things to myself and I hold it all in because it’s really all I know to do.” Jack answered reluctantly.
“You have people you can talk to now though. You aren’t alone.” Luke murmured.
“I’m used to being alone. Much more so than having friends and people who care about me.” Jack replied, quietly.
“We’re going to figure this out. We are not letting them win.” Luke said, determinedly.
How are they supposed to lose? They’ve put me in a position where either way we lose. Jack thought before replying. “I hope so.”
The following days passed, thankfully, with no terrible events. However all four of the Selected were stressed and nervous. Jack was especially anxious. Tomorrow they were going to find out what their Tests were and they all had the fear that they wouldn’t pass. All of them tried to study as much as they could and for as long as they could. Jack kept his head down in every situation and he also had his private lessons. They were going as well as they could have gone.
The effects of Jack’s magic were still the same but he could control it a bit better. He did learn that when he really focused and he really tried, he could get his magic to do what he wanted. It was difficult and it didn’t diminish his hate for his magic but at least it seemed controllable. However the thought of the Test was the biggest problem he had right now. He had no idea what it could possibly be. Would it have to do with performing magic? Knowledge of magic? Some sort of competition? There had been no hints by anyone so none of them knew even a vague idea of what the Test could be.
Jack had noticed how stressed Bethany was. She usually hid her stress pretty well but the fact that she didn’t know was probably freaking her out. He knew by now that Bethany liked to know everything, she hated being left in the dark. Alicia was actually the calmest and she would help calm Bethany. She would encourage them and she even helped Luke when he had a stressed moment. However she had calmed Jack most of all.
These thoughts were hazily running through Jack’s mind as they sat at breakfast that morning. His mind flashed to the evening before when they had all fallen asleep in the girls’ room. They’d been talking and trying to study and practice all the material they’d learned so far. Then they’d all drifted off as it started to get late. Jack had had a very terrible nightmare that night. It was much worse than usual. Shockingly his magic hadn’t reacted or gone out of control. And that was because of Alicia.
She had been awakened by him jerking and making noises on the floor and managed to get him to wake up. She had comforted him and she hadn’t judged him at all. He had been an absolute mess. At night was when his emotions came out. After nightmares he was extremely vulnerable and his emotions were on a bit of an overdrive. He’d been quietly crying and trying to hold in any noise so he wouldn’t wake Bethany or Luke.
She had held him and he’d actually opened up to her. He’d told her about the dream and just...everything. He’d told her all his worries and concerns. He had let her in. Even now he wasn’t exactly sure why he’d done it. Maybe it was just the vulnerability and his trust in Alicia? He had even told her about the detention he’d had with Professor Formento. He’d been tortured there. He had expected insults but not this Professor to physically hurt him. Professor Formento had beaten him and used magic to hurt him as well.
He’d made Jack stay there, restrained, until the visible injuries had healed and ones hidden by his clothes were left untreated. All traces of blood had been magically removed and he’d been gagged the entire time. He’d threatened him before letting him go. He said that if Jack told anyone about this, especially the Headmaster, then the redhead would get hurt. Alicia. However it all came out during the night before. Alicia had comforted him through all of it and she had even stayed up to help him get back to sleep.
Now he looked over at Alicia who had a bitten piece of toast in one hand, and she glanced over at him then back to Bethany who was talking to her. However with her other hand she reached over and held Jack’s beneath the table and squeezed it. Jack relaxed a little bit at her touch and turned his attention to the other worry of today. The duel with that guy he’d gotten in a fight with hadn’t happened. It was going to but he got a detention for something when he was supposed to meet them at the dueling room. It had been moved to this morning after breakfast.
He didn’t understand why this person had to torment him further and make him go to this. However he didn’t try to get out of it because he wanted to make sure Luke would be alright. Also Alicia. Hearing what had happened last time… He didn’t want anything like that to happen again.
“Jack, are you paying attention at all?” Bethany’s voice asked, interrupting his thoughts.
He looked up and saw the three of them were looking at him. “Um, sorry. No.” he stuttered.
“What’s up with you this morning? You’re acting weirder than usual.” Luke stated.
“Nothing. I just don’t want to go the stupid duel, we get our Tests tomorrow, and we have literally know idea what they could possibly be.” Jack replied, resting his head on one of his hands.
“Believe me we are all in that same boat.” Bethany muttered.
“I’m sure we can make it through this, guys. I mean it could also be a test on morals. If you’re a bad person then you can’t get in.” Alicia suggested.
“Then how’s Raven and the kid I’m dueling get in?” Luke asked.
“Fair point.” Alicia told him.
She then looked over at Jack and squeezed his hand again. She knew the rest of the things that were bothering him and she was doing her best to comfort him. He gave her a small grateful smile.
“Alright, let’s go.” Luke announced, getting up. The rest of them were much more reluctant to get up but they did. They really didn’t talk much as they made their way to the dueling room.
Jack noted that Luke didn’t seem bothered. He was probably very confident in his dueling abilities however Jack still felt very uneasy about all of this. He really didn’t want to run into this group again or deal with their taunts. When they reached the door, he sucked in a breath then reluctantly followed the other three inside. “Ah, so you came.” Jake said as they entered the room. He already had a sword in hand and his group was there. Jack looked at the ground as they walked forward to confront this group.
“Yes, we did. We are all here like I said we would be.” Luke stated.
Jack had no idea how he could be so calm and collected. He didn’t seem nervous or hesitant in the slightest.
“Even the freak.” Jake commented in a taunting tone. Jack didn’t say a word. He had no interest in making the guy have it out for him more than he already did.
“His name is Jack, which I already told you.” Alicia chimed in.
“And you’re here too. Do you need to be smacked again? You seem unable to comprehend the fact that you should be silent, Alicia.” Jake retorted.
Before anyone could say anything, he was blasted upwards and came crashing back down to the floor a few moments later. His group of ‘friends’ just stood there looking at each other. They were clearly unsure what to do. Jake got up and scowled directly at Jack.
“What are you looking at me like that for? I thought we established I was weak with no way of using magic properly.” Jack stated.
Only the other Selected noticed the strain and flickers of pain in his eyes. “I know you did it.” Jake snapped, rushing forward past Luke and shoving Jack.
He stumbled but was able to regain his balance. “Did I? I’m sorry I’m such an idiot.” he muttered.
“What happened to the crying little freak from the other day? Now you suddenly have the nerve to talk back?” Jake taunted, kicking Jack’s legs out from under him.
“Leave him alone!” Alicia shouted before anyone else could step in. She moved to stand between the two boys.
“You’re too kind to him. At this point you should know better.” Jake told her with a grin. He grabbed her wrists and basically flung her to the side.
Luke shouted something but Jack had already raised one of his hands. Jake was blasted across the room and into the rack of training swords. Jack couldn’t get up. His limbs were on fire and his head was pounding painfully. He was also breathing raggedly and very fast. However a few moments later he was able to push himself to his feet just as Jake had recovered.
Strangely, he laughed. “So that’s why. You’re fighting back because of her.” he teased, pointing at Alicia.
Now Jack was quiet. Not because he wanted to be but his body was still on fire. All of him just burned and his vision was blurring every now and again. It was taking all of his concentration and effort just to stay standing. Then he felt someone touch his shoulder. He glanced over and saw a blurry outline of Alicia. He thought she’d said something but he honestly couldn’t tell.
“Are you alright?” he finally heard Alicia murmur to him.
“I-It hurts.” Jack whispered. She shouted something but it was lost as Jack was blasted upwards then came crashing back down to the floor. “
Stay.” Jake ordered with a grin, walking over and kicking Jack in the side. Jack still tried to get to his feet and when Jake moved to kick him down, Luke stepped in front of him and blocked the kick. He shoved Jake away and turned to Jack. He offered him a hand which Jack accepted.
“Take it easy, Jack. Don’t try to push yourself anymore.” he muttered to him as
Alicia put her hand in his. Jack couldn’t answer but he gave a small nod. His head was pounding worse now and his body ached.
“Yes, listen to him like a good little freak.” Jake taunted with a laugh.
Jack’s face turned red and he looked down at the ground. Jake was putting a wand back in his pocket as Alicia guided Jack to the side with Bethany. Luke grabbed a sword and walked back to the center of the room to face Jake whose friends were standing a little bit away from Jack, Alicia, and Bethany.
He watched as Jake looked over Luke, sizing his competition. Luke was doing the same. Both of them had determined looks on their faces. Both were determined to win. Jack’s headache got worse when the duel began. Metal clanged against metal and the two of them fought like it was life or death. As Jack watched them, he noticed how Jake fought and what mistakes he made. Luke was going to win this. He was actually going to win. Jack felt relief rush through his body at the thought.
Jake seemed to have noticed too. Jack saw as the realization hit him. The duel only lasted three minutes. Then Jake’s sword clattered to the ground and the tip of Luke’s was at his throat. The details of the fight had sort of blurred for Jack. His vision had been going in and out of focus. It was a little better now but his head still throbbed and his vision still blurred occasionally. Even now he couldn’t remember too many details from the duel.
His head swam but suddenly he was yanked backward and he fell to the ground. He gasped as the air got knocked out of him. He heard people shouting then he felt a hard blow come against his side. He heard a crack followed by more shouts and some laughter. The blows kept coming and it hurt. He felt blood coming from the corner of his mouth and his nose. He covered his head as they continued to come.
He didn’t understand what was happening. Luke had won. Everything was supposed to be fine. He got a blow to the head and that made him cry out louder than he had before. This only made more kicks come to his head. It hurt so bad. He was starting to see dark spots in front of his eyes. He wanted to close his eyes and just pass out but every kick made them open again. It was so loud. There was a ringing, there was shouting, and there was laughing.
He’d been kicked so many times. His whole body ached. He’d finally realized that they were just beating him up anyway. He could barely breathe. The dark spots were getting bigger and his pain was growing right along with them. He thought his magic went off at one point but he was already in too much pain to tell. He couldn’t even hear whatever insults they were throwing at him. It all just blurred into nonsense. Then there was some sort of light. It looked...pink? He wasn’t quite sure. He thought maybe he’d gotten a cut above his eye and blood was blurring his vision but then the beating stopped.
He couldn’t move. He wanted to get up. He wanted to look around. He wanted to get away but his body wouldn’t respond. Although unconsciousness was becoming very inviting. He wanted to give in as more shouting came. However it was only one voice now. A woman’s voice. Seemed familiar… His thoughts became a confused jumble as the pain started consuming him. It had been bad before but now it all just sank in.
Then he felt a hand on his face. He flinched but he couldn’t really move away. He heard someone say something but he didn’t know who it was or what they said. The dark spots were starting to take over everything else. He saw blurs moving around. The room seemed to be tilting. He started to let his eyes close.
He heard a voice say something loudly and his eyes snapped open again. He felt someone touch his arm and again he flinched. He didn’t know what word or sound came from his lips but it was the last bit of energy he had. His eyes closed and the pain faded away almost immediately after they did. The voices died away too. All of it did. It was only silence now and the silence was nice. The darkness was nice. His mind seemed to drift away and everything became blank. His mind was not thinking anymore. However, this bliss did not last for very long.
“Hello, Jack.” a voice said.
He recognized it and he immediately felt fear paralyze his body. He managed to open his eyes and he found himself in the same place he’d been going in all these dreams. It was the hill with the tree. The place he always went to when he wanted to be alone. The Shadow usually stood over him but now the silhouette sat opposite of him. Jack was surprised to find he was sitting as well. He wasn’t in physical pain here yet because it was only a dream but he was terrified. He looked at the ground and said nothing.
“There is no need to be afraid, Jack. I only hurt you because I must. I wouldn’t if you would just listen to me. Why wouldn’t you want to join me? After what just happened. Your so-called “friends” didn’t even stop it.” the Shadow told him.
“Maybe they couldn’t.” Jack murmured hesitantly. He really didn’t want to get hurt anymore. He wished he didn’t have to. He wanted it to stop.
“Well, if you simply do as I ask then I can promise you that. You just said your opinion and I did not harm you. They don’t want you because of what you can do. I accept you for it.” the Shadow continued.
“I don’t want to join you.” Jack whispered. He was so afraid. He’d never been brave or had an ounce of courage in his life. He didn’t understand how people could be brave. It seemed impossible.
“And why is that? It isn’t like there’s anything better for you where you are.” the Shadow stated.
“There are people who care.”
“Are there? I didn’t see them as that group of boys beat you. You were actually supposed to wake up a few minutes ago however I came so you would stay asleep. I came so you wouldn’t have to wake up to that pain for a little while longer.” the Shadow said.
“You keep hurting people. I know you’re going to even if I agree. I don’t want to do that.” Jack whispered, his fists were clenched in his lap making his knuckles white. He didn’t care about the pain. He wanted to wake up.
“Did Alicia even try to stop them?” the Shadow asked after a moment.
Jack was silent for a long time.
“Jack.” the Shadow said.
“I don’t know.” Jack murmured finally. He didn’t remember. He hadn’t really known what was happening. He had no idea what the other Selected had been doing or why the beating had stopped.
“What if I made you a promise?” the Shadow ventured.
Jack didn’t say anything but he listened.
“If you join me then I will not hurt any of them. Alicia, Luke, Bethany, the Headmaster, Professor Amora, Emma, Peter. All of them safe.” the Shadow told him.
Jack thought about it. All of them would be okay and no one else would die at the Academy. All of it would stop. It wasn’t like the majority were opposed to him giving himself up.
“See? It isn’t that bad is it? You can still complete your Test then come find me.”
“How am I supposed to do that?” Jack asked quietly.
“Don’t worry. You’ll be able to.” the Shadow assured him. There was much triumph in his voice. Jack didn’t know what to do. Either way lives would be lost and there wasn’t much he could do. He could barely prevent that curse from killing Luke and Raven.
“Who are you?” Jack finally asked in a whisper.
“I guess you will find out when you surrender to me.” the Shadow replied. Jack could hear the smile in his voice.
“Why are you doing this? Why are you letting me do the Test? Why are you taunting me like this?” Jack whispered. His hands were shaking at this point. He wanted to wake up.
“Because it’s better this way. Things are going exactly as I want them too. You are doing exactly as I want you to.” the Shadow drawled, lifting Jack’s gaze. Jack could see the satisfaction the Shadow got from seeing his fear.
Jack tried to pull away but the Shadow’s grip tightened and he went still. “See? It isn’t that hard. If you can behave then they’ll be safe. Emma...Peter...Luke..” he trailed off.
Tears of fear and frustration leaked from Jack’s eyes. What was he supposed to do? How was he supposed to explain this to the rest? “Bethany.” the Shadow continued.
If he did this then they would be safe. They would do the Test then he could go. The people he cared about would be okay.
“And-” the Shadow started leaning forward slightly. “Alicia,” he told him. Jack could hear the taunting and triumphant air in his tone.
Jack sucked in a breath. Could he really do anything else? No one else wanted him and the people that did would be alright. They wouldn’t get hurt.
“I think it’s time for you to wake. Your wounds are still going to be there. Funny how all I had to do was have a little chat with you and your magic stops trying to help you. You are afraid of me but you’re more afraid of hurting people who are around you. You shove it away so hard that since you’re conscious of this dream, you make sure it doesn’t do anything. Good luck, Jack. Speak again soon.” the Shadow said, releasing him.
Jack didn’t get to say anything else before he opened his eyes with a gasp. The light blinded him for a moment before his eyes adjusted. He was in his room. Luke and Bethany were standing beside the bed. The Headmaster and Professor Amora were there too. Alicia of course was sitting at the edge of his bed. They were all looking at him with the same expression. Shock. Pain. And hints of betrayal.
Bethany
295Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVxJUbelnbt
Jack hadn’t moved at all since they’d brought him up here. For a long time at least. His injuries had begun healing then suddenly stopped. Everything had happened so quickly. They’d barely blinked before Jack was being beaten on the ground. They’d tried to stop it but they’d been held back by some of Jake’s friends. They’d used magic to keep Luke from getting closer. Alicia had been on the verge of tears.
Bethany had felt so helpless. She knew that the others probably didn’t notice but she cared about Jack too. She knew she was emotionally distant sometimes. She’d never really been good at the whole emotions thing. She just liked being logical. That was what was keeping her sane right now. She was thinking about what had happened. Professor Amora had come just in time and gotten them to stop hurting Jack.
She’d looked so angry. She’d yelled at those boys, making them cower. She had also looked at Jack with such concern and kindness. Jack seemed to have this effect on some people. It had been really easy to care. Not out of pity but because he cared. Even people he didn’t like. He’d saved Raven despite everything and he had still cared about Luke. She wanted to help him but she didn’t know what to do. The others were obviously stressed but she didn’t appear to be.
Her stress stayed on the inside. They were running out of time. Jack was in danger and the whole situation seemed impossible. How were they supposed to stop this. No. No. she thought. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t doubt them or herself. They would fix this. They had to.
“Bethany? You okay?” Luke asked, bringing her back to the present.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” she replied, brushing some of her hair out of her face and tying it back in a ponytail.
“Alicia won’t say anything.” he murmured quieter.
Bethany looked over at Alicia. She couldn’t see her face, only her fiery red hair. However from her shoulders being slightly drawn in, her head bowed, the little adjustments of position, and her silence she could deduce that she was very upset. She had every right to be. People had said Alicia was a cry baby and made fun of her because she got emotional but Bethany didn’t see it that way.
Alicia wasn’t the person that cried over everything or was overdramatic. She cried and showed a lot of emotion over things she cared about. Alicia was also a bit insecure at times. She had always wanted love and friends. Bethany never said it aloud but she wanted friends too. She had a hard time making them because no one really understood her. But this group... yeah it was hard sometimes but they had had chances to break apart but they hadn’t.
“Bethany, you’re not answering again.” Luke said, waving a hand in front of her face.
“Sorry, just thinking.” she murmured after a moment.
“So, are any of you going to explain why this happened?” the Headmaster asked. Alicia didn’t move but Luke and Bethany turned to face the Headmaster. Bethany saw it in his face too. Both of these adults cared about Jack. Both were angry at what had happened.
“Luke and Jake made a bet. There really wasn’t much of an option. If Luke won then Jake would tell you that he’d beat up Jack before, if Jake won then he and his friends would beat up Jack again. Luke won but that didn’t stop them.” Bethany told them. She knew she sounded detached but she honestly didn’t know how to communicate how she was feeling to other people.
She felt Luke’s gaze on her. “That was foolish. You should have told an adult.” Professor Amora stated.
“I know. It was stupid.” Bethany replied.
“You don’t even sound like you care.” Luke muttered.
Bethany looked over at him. “I do care.” she said simply.
“You don’t act like it. The only time you seemed to is when the curse was getting reversed.” Luke retorted.
“Some people don’t show emotions in front of other people, sometimes-”
“Do you need a logical answer for everything? I mean Jack just got hurt again and we couldn’t do anything to help and you’re trying to reason about not having emotions.” Luke snapped.
“Stop.” a quiet voice interrupted.
Bethany watched as everyone’s gaze turned to where the voice had come from. Alicia had glanced back at them and that was when Jack started mumbling. Alicia started to say something but the Headmaster shushed her. He walked over and everyone was silent. Bethany got closer too, trying to hear what he was saying.
“Maybe they couldn’t.” he mumbled. He sounded afraid.
“He’s having a dream. He’s talking to the Shadow.” Bethany thought aloud.
The Headmaster muttered some words and moved his hands a certain way over Jack. Bethany recognized the phrases and then the image flickered into place in the middle of the room. They all turned to watch. Jack was sitting across from the Shadow. Alicia tried to wake Jack up but nothing worked. Soon, she too had to stop and just watch.
Jack looked and sounded terrified. He looked at the ground and his hands were clenched tight. “That’s the hill. That’s where he always goes when he’s upset. That’s where I found him and his father.” Luke told them.
“Why would they bring him there?” Professor Amora asked.
“I have no idea.” the Headmaster replied. However their answer was given to them as the conversation continued.
The strange thing was as this conversation happened they could hear Jack when he wasn’t speaking. It was quickly assumed that these were his thoughts. Then they heard the Shadow’s taunts.
“No, no, Jack we wanted to help you.” Alicia whispered. Bethany looked at her friend. She had tears staining her cheeks so Bethany went and sat beside her. She put an arm around her shoulders as they continued to watch.
The taunts continued then they heard the Shadow’s deal. “If you join me then I will not hurt any of them. Alicia, Luke, Bethany, the Headmaster, Professor Amora, Emma, Peter. All of them safe.”
“No!” Alicia exclaimed.
If Jack had been looking at the Shadow then he would’ve seen them look up. They looked directly at Alicia and their silhouette seemed to shake from silent laughter. Jack didn’t refuse and his thoughts were...agreeing.
“Mr. Larmen..” the Headmaster breathed. As the image continued and eventually faded all they could do was stare as Jack woke up. He looked at them all with fear and panic in his eyes.
Bethany couldn’t believe it. Jack was going to agree to this? Her and Alicia had stood and backed away. Jack’s eyes flicked from one face to another. Pain then entered his eyes as the effect of the injuries hit him. A small sound came from his lips as he fell back. He held his side where his rib was broken. None of them said a word and no one moved to help him. They were all in disbelief. Jack forced himself to sit up again and leaned back against the wall behind him.
He looked at them all, confused. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
Bethany couldn’t believe it. He was acting like everything was fine. She had no idea how Alicia saw past this mask of his. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t see past it.
“Are you out of your mind?!” Luke shouted.
Jack looked at him still confused. “What are you talking about?”
“After everything…” Alicia whispered, tears slipping down her cheeks again.
“Alicia, what’s wrong?” Jack asked, reaching out to her but she backed away. The realization hit Jack hard. His hand dropped. Bethany had noticed the adults’ silence. Jack looked down and didn’t say a word.
“You-You’re just going to leave? You were going to leave and not say anything?” Alicia snapped. It was more hurt than anger but Jack still flinched.
“I thought were smarter than that, Mr. Larmen.” the Headmaster said quietly.
Jack wiped at his eyes and still didn’t say a word. Bethany had a weird feeling. Something seemed...off. More off than everything else. She walked over and hesitantly reached out a hand. It passed right through Jack. It faded away. He was gone. They all turned as the door closed. Luke rushed out first but turned back to them after a few moments.
“He already rounded a corner. But I don’t know which one.” he murmured.
Alicia finally started to actually cry but quickly stopped herself. “W-We have to find him.” she whispered.
Bethany soon found herself with Professor Amora, walking down the hall to the left. They had separated into three different groups. Alicia and Luke were going right and the Headmaster was searching on his own. Bethany wasn’t quite sure where.
“Do you think we’ll find him?” she asked Professor Amora.
“I hope so. I don’t think we handled that situation the right way. We were all too quick to be angry and upset with him. We didn’t even ask him why he felt that way.” Professor Amora said softly.
“You care about him too.” Bethany stated.
“I do. That boy is going through more than most adults do. Even I was angry with his decision. However, in that moment I didn’t take into account how afraid and upset he was.” Professor Amora murmured.
“You felt betrayed. We all did-do.” Bethany said. Time was passing and the sun was setting. All of them had met back in Jack and Luke’s room. None of them had found him.
“What do we do now?” Alicia asked, wiping at her eyes.
“What if he left? What if he…” Luke trailed off. This made Alicia start to cry. Bethany knew she felt guilty because she hadn’t been there for him.
“Alicia, it wasn’t your fault.” she told her.
“I-I promised I w-wouldn’t turn away. I said I wouldn’t. I-I basically just did.” Alicia whispered.
“No, Miss Belle. You did not turn away. Professor Amora and I will keep searching. The three of you should go get some sleep.” the Headmaster said softly.
The three of them protested but it was ended by the point that the Headmaster made. It was wasting time that the two adults could be searching. Luke said he wanted to be alone and went into his room and the two girls went into their room. Bethany hugged Alicia as she finally let herself break down. Bethany could understand her emotions. She felt guilty for not comforting Jack and not being able to do anything when he’d gotten hurt in the dueling room.
She was upset and stressed over everything. Bethany knew she cared about Jack very much. The two of them had become close so fast. She didn’t quite understand why or how but she guessed it was a good thing. It was a little while before Alicia calmed down. “It’ll be okay. We’ll figure this out.” Bethany assured her.
“W-Why..” Alicia tried to speak but she couldn’t get a full sentence out.
“I don’t know. All of it the Shadow, the taunts, the deal, the hill…” Bethany trailed off. Alicia was quiet for a few moments.
“The hill…” she murmured, sitting up.
Bethany looked at her quizzically. “The hill?”
“T-That’s where he would go when he was upset… I know where he is! We have to go. Right now.” Alicia exclaimed, jumping up.
Bethany didn’t even get a chance to respond before Alicia was rushing out the door. She ran after her and tried to tell her to slow down but there was no point to it. They weren’t supposed to be out of their rooms right now. Bethany barely managed to yank Alicia back behind a corner as Professor Formento passed by.
The minute he was out of sight, Alicia sped off once again. Then they found themselves at the door to the strange forest inside the mountain. Alicia tried to push it open herself but she needed Bethany’s help before it opened.
“Okay, how do you know where he is? Why are we here?” Bethany asked before Alicia could start running again.
They walked now but Bethany could tell Alicia wanted to find Jack as soon as possible. “Well, the hill was where he went when he was upset and he found a place here. This is where he went when he was upset a little while ago. He has to be here.” Alicia explained hurriedly.
“You really know him. I’ve been meaning to ask you. How do you feel about him? I mean you just…” Bethany trailed off, failing to find the right way to phrase it.
“I don’t really understand myself but all I want is for him to be okay. I’ve spent time with him and yes there are so many things that suck in his life. But, he tries to do the right thing and he has made decisions that I honestly can’t believe. He told me about how the Headmaster offered to report his father but he told him not to because the rest of his family needed him. He forgave Luke.” Alicia murmured as they walked deep into the strange trees.
“I hate all of this.” Bethany stated.
“What do you mean?” Alicia asked, stepping over some of the tree roots.
“I can’t make sense of any of it. We have basically no time and we have no idea who this could even be.” Bethany started. She continued to rant about this impossible situation and Alicia let her. She didn’t just let her but she listened.
“I get it, Beth. I really do. Sometimes it looks impossible but you can’t let it get to you. Hope is all you can hold onto sometimes.” Alicia said when she was done.
Bethany sighed. She didn’t say anything more but she gave a little smile of appreciation.
“We’re here.” Alicia murmured after a few moments. Bethany looked at the place with awe as Alicia rushed to the center. Bethany’s gaze finally looked at her and she saw that she was crouching beside something. She ran over to her and saw Jack was unconscious surrounded by the flowers.
Bethany crouched down on his other side as Alicia shook him, trying to wake him up. Then she stopped because she realized his injuries still hadn’t healed.
“Alicia. You need to calm down. You can’t help him if you’re panicking.” Bethany told her. Alicia took a few deep breaths then looked at Jack once again.
Bethany watched as she touched his arm then held his hand. She squeezed it. “Please wake up, Jack.” she murmured.
However, Jack didn’t move. Alicia sucked in a shaky breath then gently gathered Jack into her arms. She hugged him but was careful not to hurt him.
“Please wake up.” she whispered. Jack still didn’t move. Alicia closed her eyes and Bethany had an idea of what she was trying to do.
“Alicia?” Jack mumbled. Bethany watched as his eyes opened slightly and he looked up at Alicia. She opened her eyes and sighed in relief as she hugged him tight.
He winced and she immediately loosened her grip. “I’m sorry. I’m not mad at you. None of us are, okay? We aren’t going to let you do that but I understand that you’re afraid and you’re panicked about it all. All I want is for you to be okay, Jack. I’m sorry I snapped at you. You didn’t need that. I should’ve comforted you.” Alicia whispered to him. Bethany saw Jack’s body relax in her arms. He whispered something back but she didn’t quite catch it.
“It’s okay. It’s okay not to be okay.” Alicia murmured.
“I-I’m sorry.” Bethany heard Jack say.
“You don’t have to be sorry. It’s okay.” Alicia assured him.
Jack sat up and hugged Alicia back. Bethany smiled as she looked at the two of them. They both made each other feel alright. Just as much as Alicia was helping Jack, he was helping her. Alicia looked at Bethany as she still hugged Jack.
“Thank you.” she mouthed. Bethany nodded and silently got up.
She walked to the edge of the clearing then looked back. The two of them were still embracing each other. She saw Jack smile as Alicia told him something and her smile in return. Then Bethany made her way back inside. She felt better now. Alicia was taking care of Jack and they were going to be okay. She walked down the corridors and hallways avoiding teachers.
Then in one hallway… “Bethany.” a voice whispered. She whirled around but no one was there.
“Bethany.” the voice came again.
“Who are you? Who’s there?” Bethany asked, back up.
She bumped into something. She turned again and there was a darker black against the darkness in the hallway. She backed away but something grabbed her wrist and yanked her back. She was shoved down another turn and into a wall. A dead end.
She was about to scream but a hand covered her mouth. “Now, I know you’re smarter than that.” the Shadow taunted.
Bethany was starting to panic but she calmed herself. She wasn’t going to get out of this if she panicked.
“If you can have a normal conversation and behave then I will let you speak.” the Shadow said. Bethany waited a moment then nodded. The hand came away from her mouth but the Shadow still blocked her path of escape.
“What do you want?” Bethany asked, forcing her voice to be steady.
“Strong aren’t you? Much braver than Jack. Maybe even Luke.” the Shadow commented.
“Bravery has nothing to do with not acting afraid. It’s having the ability to face your fear even if you are afraid.” Bethany retorted. The Shadow just laughed.
“What do you want?” she repeated.
“I simply wanted to speak with you.” the Shadow told her.
“Why?”
“I wanted to warn you of the consequences to come if you continue to assist Jack. You are a logical girl. You’ve seen how much he lies. He’s difficult and doesn’t bring you anything but trouble.” the Shadow said.
“He is in an impossible situation. You are the one causing trouble. You are hurting people and you are trying to hurt Jack.” Bethany snapped.
“I don’t want to hurt him. I simply do that to teach him obedience.” the Shadow replied. His voice was calm. Monotone.
“That’s why...That’s why you went after Luke. They were becoming friends again. You want Jack to feel alone. You don’t want him to have anyone.” Bethany murmured.
“I was right. You are very intelligent. Observant too. The others don’t appreciate you enough.” the Shadow sighed.
“But Luke didn’t die.” Bethany stated.
“No, he didn’t. Honestly, it would have worked either way. I knew Jack would try to save him. Whether he was successful or not it didn’t matter.” the Shadow said.
Bethany thought about this for a few moments. “His energy. You cursed Raven too. You wanted to be able to speak through him. To scare all of us. You wanted to hurt him further. You’re trying to make him distance himself. You’re...you’re trying to make him think..think that he doesn’t deserve to have friends.” she whispered, her eyes widening. It started in the forest when the Shadow had appeared and Jack had hurt Alicia.
“Very clever.” he replied, amused.
“B-But it isn’t working.” Bethany said quietly.
“Are you sure about that, Bethany? Isn’t he quieter? He doesn’t say anything about our chats. He wasn’t even going to tell you about the last one.” the Shadow laughed.
“You knew we were watching. You wanted everyone to be angry with him. You looked at Alicia. You knew.” Bethany whispered.
“They really do not give you enough credit. Now let’s see if you can figure this one out. How did everything work so perfectly? He had no friends. He was alone. He was isolated. How did that fall into place?” the Shadow asked.
“Well, he didn’t have any friends because of Luke.” Bethany murmured.
“That’s right. I will give you a small hint. His family was simply a bonus. That truly was luck for me.” the Shadow replied.
“But Luke only pushed Jack away because his sister died. How does that have anything to do with you?” Bethany asked.
“Think about it.” the Shadow pressed.
Bethany thought for several moments before her eyes widened and her mouth fell slightly open in shock. “You...you couldn’t have…” she whispered.
“There it is, Bethany.” the Shadow teased.
“You killed her. W-Why? She was an innocent little girl.” Bethany stuttered.
“I had gotten to know young Luke and from his personality I could tell what he would do. She was an innocent girl so I did make her death painless. They thought she only got sick and the poison I gave her made it look like that. It was just like falling asleep. She didn’t suffer. Poor Claire. She was just collateral damage.” the Shadow taunted.
Bethany covered her mouth as her mind reeled. Then she took her shaky hand away from her face. “W-Why? Why do you want Jack so badly? How did you even know he had magic? Why have you been manipulating it all since the beginning?” she asked, her voice shaking.
“That is an answer I am not willing to give. However, I will tell you that I need Jack to be afraid and weak. He needs to be alone. I started at the beginning so it would be pretty much all he knew. When I found out about the way his family treated him, I knew everything would be exactly like I wanted. The one thing that has not gone according to plan is something I thought wouldn’t happen. Any idea what it could be?” the Shadow continued.
“Alicia.” Bethany whispered. She had to use the wall for support. This was terrible. This was so much worse than she previously thought.
“Yes, you and Luke were not what I was planning on either but I could work with the both of you. The Headmaster and Professor Amora as well. Bit more difficult but manageable. However, Alicia is a problem. She is giving him hope. She is giving him something I don’t want him to have.” the Shadow said his tone harder now.
“Why are you telling me this? Are you just going to kill me?” Bethany whispered.
The Shadow sighed and lifted her gaze to his featureless face. “No, Bethany. I am not going to kill you. It would be a waste of intelligence. I am telling you this because you are going to help me.”
“Why would I help you? I’m just going to tell them everything that happened. Everything you did.” Bethany said, trying to pull away.
The Shadow smacked her and still yanked her up when she started falling. Bethany let out a small cry. “You aren’t going to tell them any of this and you’re going to help me if you would like Alicia to leave this situation alive. Also if you tell Luke that I killed his sister then he’s going to see that it was only done to get to Jack. He’ll blame him all over again. Do you really want their friendship to be destroyed for a second time?” he taunted.
“T-This isn’t fair to him. H-He hasn’t done anything to deserve this. None of us do.” she whispered. She understood Jack’s fear so much better now. This was so terrifying. She couldn’t move. Her body was paralyzed from the fear that suddenly consumed her.
“My reasons are for me to know right now. I know you like answers so I can give you more of them along with keeping Alicia alive if you do what I want you to.” the Shadow told her.
“W-What do you want me to do?” Bethany asked quietly.
“I want you to turn Alicia against Jack. I want you to make her hate him.” the Shadow stated.
Bethany knew if she could see his face then he was grinning. She hated that she couldn’t do anything but do what this person wanted. “How am I supposed to do that?” she whispered.
“Make them fight. I’ll tell you plenty of secrets that he keeps. For example, he was planning to come meet me immediately after what happened to Luke and Raven but all of you kept a close eye on him and had him sleep. He did start too and he would’ve come to me but the thought of her made him hesitate. He also hasn’t told you all the things he’s learned about his magic. He hasn’t told you exactly why he hates his magic so much or why he agrees with his father. He’s said that it makes him different and he wants to be normal and he hurts people but there’s more to it than that.” the Shadow replied, finally releasing her from his grasp.
“What more is there?” Bethany murmured.
The Shadow leaned forward slightly so had he had a face, they would’ve been eye to eye. “He hates his magic for the reasons I just said but also because since he hates it, it hates him. It is a part of himself that he loathes so it wars with him. It curses him. He knows it. He just hasn’t said anything.” the Shadow told her.
“W-What do you m-mean it c-curses him?” Bethany whispered, pressing against the wall.
“His magic is what plants all the thoughts in his head. His magic is what is making him agree with his father. He can use it, yes, but he doesn’t want it to be a part of him so it takes its revenge. When he practiced at his private lesson, he did something successfully and a voice in his mind said curse. If Jack doesn’t want his magic, his magic wants to make him suffer.” the Shadow told her with an amused tone.
“It’s a mental war.” Bethany whispered.
“Exactly, and he is going to lose.” the Shadow laughed.
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*Hello to everyone that reads this! I am so sorry that I haven't posted in such a long time. I was suffering from writer's block for a while and I could not get past this one scene. I finally broke through and I have finished this chapter! I will begin working on the next and hopefully get it posted much faster than this one! Thank you to all that read this and enjoy this story!*
-MooreGirl
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