what if? // sebastian sallow

In the Shadow of Regret

Since I have the next day off from classes, I decide to pay a visit to Anne on my own. I need to understand for myself the gravity of the situation, but don't want to bring Sebastian crashing down yet from the high of the possibility that we cured his sister. It pains me to think of his excitement being squashed so soon – I can already picture the sadness soaking into his soft brown eyes and my heart breaks at the thought alone.

I make my way to Feldcroft, heart racing, hands trembling. Something about the way Ominis had spoken about Anne yesterday left me riddled with anxiety.

I hesitate for a moment, taking a deep breath, then knock on the door. I hear footsteps within the cottage, then Anne appears at the door. I'm relieved to see that she's at least not in her wheelchair, and is standing on her own two feet. It may not be much, but it's still a miraculous level of improvement for her.

Her eyes widen in surprise. "Oh, hello there, Jasmine! I wasn't expecting you! Please come in," she says, stepping aside and beckoning me inwards.

I step inside, quietly analyzing her demeanor, her physicality. She seems happy enough – her cheeks flushed with life, her steps strong and confident. I search her eyes for any sign of concern, of sadness -- but find none.

Anne laughs. "Why are you looking at me like that? I'm alive, aren't I?"

"How are you really feeling, Anne? I heard from Ominis that you still had some numbness...how are you faring with that?" I ask, keeping a serious tone. 

The sparkle in her eyes fades slightly, and I can sense that she is trying to maintain a positive attitude for me. "The numbness...it's still very much there. I can't feel much. But, Jasmine, this numbness is way more tolerable than my pain was. I'd rather feel nothing at all than feel what the curse had been putting me through."

My mind runs through the implications of her being numb for the rest of her life. Not being able to feel pain could be dangerous, as Ominis had mentioned. She'll never know when she's sick. She'll never be able to feel comforting embraces, gentle kisses, someone's warm fingers intertwined with hers. My heart feels as if it sinks down to my feet.

"Don't look so desolate, Jasmine. I can assure you, I'm perfectly happy," Anne says. She shoots me a warm smile, but I can see the uncertainty in her eyes.

"I will fix this. I promise I will find a way to make this right. I won't let you live the rest of your life feeling numb, Anne," I say.

Her eyes soften and she limply grabs my hand in appreciation. "Thank you, Jasmine, for still thinking of me, even after everything you've already done for me." 

I curl my fingers around hers, wishing she could actually feel them.

***

Later that evening, I'm holed up in the Room of Requirement by myself, poring over my notes that I've collected about my ancient magic for what feels like the hundredth time.

Sebastian had wanted to spend time with me tonight, but my mind had been endlessly racing with theories on how to help Anne and I'd been itching to get to my notes. I faked a stomachache to get the night to myself, promising myself I would make it up to him later. His chocolate eyes had been filled with disappointment, but I reminded myself it was nothing compared to the disappointment he'd feel if I told him about Anne.

I'm looking over everything the Keepers ever mentioned, everything I saw in Isidora's memories, all of the experimentation I had done on my own.

But none of it applies to this scenario.

I bury my head in my hands, letting out a deep sigh of frustration. It feels completely hopeless.

Just as I'm about to wrap up my research and head to bed for the night, I suddenly hear a soft whisper, so quiet that I would have missed it if my nerves weren't so high-strung tonight.

My eyes immediately snap to the source.

The jar of dark magic that I had collected from Anne still sits on a corner table where I'd left it the day we cured her, tucked away in the shadows. Seeing it now suddenly makes goosebumps creep onto my skin.

Tentatively, I approach the jar, my heartbeat thunderous in my ears. As I draw closer, I hear another indiscernible whisper, and it feels as if my heart skips a beat.

Fingers trembling, I gingerly pick up the jar of dark magic and hold it to my ear. The world seems to go still and completely silent for a moment, until I finally hear the whisper again, the wicked words sending an icy chill straight down my spine.

"Cast this dark curse onto someone new and the girl will be cured."

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omg, I am SO sorry for such a long hiatus. Life just got very busy and I fell off of Wattpad for a while. If anyone is still here by some miracle, reading this, then THANK YOU and I appreciate you more than you know!!!! <3 I'm still determined to complete this fanfiction. Update schedule may be random, but there WILL be more regular updates from now on until completion. I'm happy to be back :) 

Just in case anyone is interested, I am also starting to write a paranormal romance on a separate Wattpad account that I created just for my original fiction. In case that interests you, I would be so happy if you guys also followed my writing on my new account, @sadnightowl! <3