CHAOS

Chapter 12 (Phobia)

I'm sorry, wtaf is happening? Dear god, what even is this anymore... why Grassy Ass??

Anyway, I digress-

Enjoy, I guess 

(Holy shit that rhymed-)

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Everybody froze as the door swung open, staring at the new comer with baited breath, everybody expecting it to be Janus' mum.

But it wasn't.

It was a young child, perhaps 5 or 6 years old.  He was wrapped up in an old blanket, and in his hand, was a tiny, stuffed dragon.

Janus let out an audible gasp as the child blearily opened his eyes and said in a tired voice, "Mama?".

Everyone glanced over at Janus, surprised to see him shaking slightly, eyes wide. The child, now fully awake, stared at them all, horrified. "You - You aren't Mama." Tears began sliding down his cheeks. "Please don't take me away again! Please!"

"Jan-" Virgil hissed, but it was too late. Janus rushed forward, kneeling in front of the terrified child. 

"Shh, you're ok... we're not going to take you away, I promise," he said gently. "We're friends of your mum's."

"You are?" the child looked up at Janus, face hopeful. "When is she coming home?"

"She- she's not going to be home for a while, " Janus' voice shook. "But she loves you very, very much, ok?"

"Ok, mister," the child smiled. Then he frowned. "Why are you sad?"

"I-".

"Mama always gives me a hug when I'm sad. Can I give you a hug?" Janus nodded slightly. The boy wrapped his tiny arms around Janus' neck, strangling him into a cuddle. Janus hugged him back, briefly, then nudged him away.

"Run back to bed now. You're safe tonight, I promise," Janus told him, standing up. The little boy nodded and Janus watched as his younger self ran through the house, back to his room, where, as he had promised, he would be safe.

"Janus, I-" Logan started, then hesitated. "You shouldn't have done that."

"It was too late, he would've seen us anyway," Janus said tonelessly.

"Was that... you?" Patton asked quietly.

Janus nodded. "I remember this night. I woke up, and she- she was gone. I searched the whole house, but... she just wasn't there. I went back to bed, hoping she'd be back in the morning, but... she never came home." His voice broke slightly on the last word. "It's fine, he won't remember this. I put a spell on him when he hugged me, so that he would forget this whole thing. Let's just... go home."

"Virgil?" Roman glanced at the emo, who still looked frozen.

"Y-yeah, sorry." Virgil took a deep breath. "Return." The fog appeared, then the cloud, and they were back in Virgil's library. Janus staggered over to a chair and collapsed into it, a haunted look on his face.

"You've got it, right?" Roman broke the silence. Remus nodded, holding it up. Gently, Virgil took it off of him, reading over it. His face paled.

"What?" Roman demanded. "What do we need to do?" All eyes were on Virgil, even Janus'.

"This isn't a cure to the curse. It's a letter," Virgil said quietly, scanning the page.

"Well? What does it say?" Remus asked impatiently.

"It's to Janus..." Virgil told them, looking over at the witch. 

Janus shrugged. "I don't care. What does it say about breaking the curse?"

"Well, there's... a lot, actually. But not a lot at the same time." Virgil faltered. "Shit."

"What's the matter?" Roman folded his arms. "Virgil, just tell us!"

"Well, for starters... we're on a timer. According to the letter, the curse is set so that when the twins turn 16, it's going to get worse. A lot worse," Virgil bit his lip in worry. "Doesn't say how, but-"

"Our birthday's in a couple of weeks," Roman groaned. 

"What else does it say?" Patton asked quietly.

"Janus, I'm - I'm sorry, but... your mother's dead," Virgil turned to him. "She... felt bad about what she had done, so she tried to reverse it, but... she didn't know how. So she... she killed herself.

Janus' face remained impassive. "I hoped that wasn't the case, but... I'm not surprised. In any case, that should have broken the curse."

"No, it shouldn't have," Virgil said falteringly, folding the letter. "She miscalculated."

"The curse dies with the witch, though?" Janus looked confused.

Dawning realisation crossed Logan's face. "Oh, no..."

"Yep," Virgil nodded grimly. "Magic always has consequences... your mother, Deidre, isn't fully dead."

"What do you mean, Virgil?" Remus asked slowly.

"Magic is passed from generation to generation. The curse is still alive, because, her magic... is in Janus," Virgil said softly. The twins turned to stare at Janus.

"No. No, no-" Janus stood up, and back away from the twins, genuine fear in his eyes.

"It's what your mothers letter said, Jan," Virgil glanced at Logan. "The only way to break the curse... is to kill Janus."

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MUWAHAHAHAHAAHAHHA

Please don't kill me Die-

For everyone else... any death thre- I mean, comments, theories, ideas?? If you have a question, please specify who it's for-

Ciao!

- Phobia x