Invisible String - Sebastian Sallow

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Safe & Sound

I didn't know what time it was.

I didn't know where I was.

All I knew was that I was warm, and that I liked what I was smelling.

It smelled absolutely delicious around me, like Sebastian. I breathed deeply, inhaling the intoxicating scent of cinnamon and mint and books, relishing the happiness that it brought me. It was stronger than usual; any time I had taken a scarf or a set of robes, I'd wake up to subtle hints of his scent. This was flooding my senses, taking over absolutely everything.

I moved to bury myself deeper into the scent of him- and that's when the pain hit.

With the pain came the spliced memories.

A loud gasping yell escaped my lips, my eyes springing open as I remembered pieces of what had happened to me. Tied to a chair that was suspended in air, eardrum broken, hit with the Cruciatus Curse over and over again while I screamed, while I wished for death. Sebastian's voice shouting, his body crashing into me, my body twitching helplessly on the floor.

I forced my eyes to bring the area into a focus, though it was taking them an awfully long time, preparing myself to see an enemy lurking, waiting for me to wake up before attacking me again. Ignoring the screaming pain my body was in, I pushed myself up from the warm surface I was on before my eyes adjusted to the dark room, scrambling for an exit.

Somewhere to my left came a deep grunt of pain, accompanied by a sputtering cough.

"A-Abbi?"

I didn't wait to find out who was saying my name. I patted down my body, looking for my wand, my heart dropping to my stomach as I couldn't find it. My vision was clearing, though still very blurry, but it was cleared enough that I could see my feet.

If I could see my feet, I could run.

My legs screamed in protest as I pushed out of the stone floored room, the wooden door slamming open and I relished the grass under my bare feet as I ran. Shouts erupted from behind me, and I ran faster, sure it was more curses.

Terrified at the thought of being tortured again.

Wandless, barefoot, body screaming in protest, I pushed up the hill, still blinking my eyelids rapidly to bring the world into focus. The shouts behind me continued as I met the crest of the hill, my eyes finally seeing what was around me.

I was expecting to see the destroyed poacher camp, torn and bloodied bodies surrounding me, debris everywhere. Instead, I was met with a starry night sky, fields and fields of tall grass and flowers, an ancient catacomb just over the next crest of the hill.

I turned around, confused.

The wind whipped around me, making me shiver. I looked down at my body, expecting to see my usual enhanced robes, and was instead met with a flowing flowery night dress, the fabric made of a delicate silk.

It was nothing I had ever owned.

"What the-"

"Abbi!"

I whipped my head up, spotting the brown hair and freckled face of Sebastian Sallow running up the hill towards me. His face was pale, a cut across his cheek and arm, his eyes locked on me.

I took a step back as he reached me, stumbling over my feet as my legs shook.

He stepped forward again. I stepped back, hand raised.

"Wait!" I said, terror filling my voice as wind whipped around me. "Don't come any closer."

He froze mid-step, watching me with saddened and bewildered eyes.