it all ends with us: ruins

050

Chapter Fifty:

"Medicine cannot fix the wreck."

The room remained deadly silent as the group turned to stare at the mark on Pansy's arm. They were all so distracted that they didn't even realise the rest of the boys were making their way in, with the same look plastered on their face. A look of guilt and shame. No one muttered a word as they tried to process the situation in front of them.

"The dark mark." Atlas mutters softly.

"I didn't want it." Pansy sobs her eyes looking pleadingly at the young Lennon.

"I believe you." Atlas assures her, but the fear mingles in the back of her brain.

Her friend, Pansy Parkinson, is now in the group that was currently out to get her. She knew Pansy would never deliberately hurt her or choose to do anything that would harm Atlas. But that didn't mean she couldn't be forced into it. Just like she was forced into getting the mark in the first place. This scared her beyond belief but from Pansy's reaction, it wasn't what she wanted and she might be the one who's the most terrified.

"I can't believe this." Ren whispers, attracting everyone to look at her.

"You all have it too." Atlas announces, looking directly at Theo, Lorenzo, Draco and Eli. "I can feel the amount of black magic in the room."

"It's why both of you are covered in bruises and cuts, isn't it?" She asks, staring at Theo.

"Yeah." He gulps.

"Your parents hurt you?" Ren asks in disbelief.

It felt like Ren and Atlas were the only one's doing any talking. Blaise remained silent, holding Pansy to his chest while Kiera sat back in shell shock. She could barely even look at Eli. Atlas knew that Theo's father was abusive. It wasn't that Theo came out and said it but he had hinted at it. The first time was when his mother had died, the second time was when she had first met his father at the train station and there were countless other times when it had happened. It was overwhelming to find out that all of the boy's fathers were the same. Atlas hadn't known whether to cry for them or just swaddle them with her love.

Atlas couldn't believe the way she was reacting. She would assume that if anything like this were to have ever happened, she would freak out and maybe leave as soon as she could. But this year had been crazy and full of so many shocks and surprises that at this point, she was always expecting the worst.

"You're going to turn into them." Kiera announces.

"What? We would never." Pansy denies.

"You say that now but look at Draco. He's had his mark for a while now and he's been sneaking off any chance he gets. Merlin knows what he's been up to." She spits out harshly.

"You got yours before them?" Atlas asks softly.

"My father is Voldemort's left hand. If I didn't get it, I would've been dead months ago." Draco seethes at Kiera.

"Drop the attitude Draco, she's just scared." Atlas warns him.

"And we aren't?" He yells at her. "If we even breathe in the wrong direction, don't do as they say they can easily find us, torture us maybe even kill us. Because of the stupid mark."

"You don't think I know how you feel? I have death eaters actively trying to recruit me as a killing machine, trying to kill me. They murdered my brother for Merlin's sake, Draco. Stop acting like you're the only one in danger." Atlas replies calmly back.

"You don't have to worry; everyone knows that you could probably kill a whole room of people without blinking an eye." Theo snaps.

"Why are you getting angry with me. I'm not the one with a literal Nazi symbol on my arm." Atlas spits out angrily.