WitchBite

Resolve

 Everything happened so fast it barely felt like anything was happening at all. I was awash with a static of numbness, broken by aching shoulders that carried too much weight, and the occasional warmth given by Aramis at every reassurance.

I'd told my father everything. Ashamedly unable to keep myself to any form of composure, and coupled with a violent sting of guilt at what I was doing. I knew what it meant to reveal all of this to the head of the Witch coven. I was too weak to lie for Victoria when he found me, my thoughts too scattered to protect her, and my heart too fragile to even consider trying to sort this out on my own. At the time it felt like there's was nothing that could've been done. I was defenceless. Cruelly betrayed and stripped bare at the very apex of my happiness. But now I couldn't help but feel like I should have done something. Like I owed her that much, and truth be told, I probably did no matter what I felt or feel like at the moment.

Now everything is a mess. Victoria is missing. My room in a shambled mess of paranoid bindrunes I'd plastered on the walls with scraps of paper and carvings of wood.

It would be death for Victoria if she ever returned. Such is the agreement of the Piece Of Four. Even when I protested my father simply asked "Would you argue so strongly for Flint?" Who has also been sentenced to the same fate.

I would argue for Flint if it meant sparing Victoria. I don't want blood on my hands, especially the kind that doesn't wash out. But it is for naught. Despite Aramis' intervention, his mother is calling for justice, and the wolf pack is in agreement, ultimately just as disappointed in Flint and how he managed to let himself be manipulated. They see him as weak, and the wolf pack doesn't allow weakness; taking the phrase 'A chain is only as strong as its weakest link' to violent levels.

It was the fourth day of Victoria's absence. It felt hollow here in the manor. No matter how many blankets I swaddled myself with, no matter how much tea Auntie Janet brought me, I couldn't feel comfortable. I'm not sure I wanted to. The wooden floors seemed muted in their dull browns, the colours of everything around me seemed to just bleed into one another and no longer seemed worth noting their difference.

I'd taken to avoiding Aramis despite his persistence. It didn't seem fair. All he did was make things better. Make me happier, stronger, lighter, but I didn't want any of that, I didn't deserve it. How could I?

What's worse is that I was aware that it is also unfair on him for me to do that. To shut him out like I am. Yet somehow it felt like I deserved it, to be alone. To watch the drops of rain race each other to the bottom of the window frame, like the monotony of numbness was all that was permitted to keep me company in each hour that dragged it's feeble appendages through the day.

My phone vibrated loudly against the wood of my windowsill, jumping me from my stupor with a start.

"Hey." It was a text, with an unknown number. Yet I knew, intuitively who it was and my fingers clumsily hurried to type a response.

"Where are you!? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, listen, I don't want to text too much because reasons, but you know I can't come back to the manor. I'm leaving town, but I don't want to do that without seeing you to say good bye, and that I'm sorry again. Will you meet me?" My heart formed a lump at the base of my throat. A chilling and suspicious thought spiked at the base of my skull in an icy hot warning, it called me stupid. Yet I ignored it, and pushed onwards:

"Yes, where? I've been so worried about you."

"In town? You know that cafe we like to go to?"

"When?"

"Couple of hours from now. I can't stay for long."

"Ok." I replied, before placing my phone face down back on the side and rubbing my face with my hands, exasperated. I could feel myself beginning to shake with adrenaline as the sudden dawning of this being 'it' fell upon me. An ending was in sight and it scared me, haunted me. Would I ever see her again after today? Does she really want to say good bye and sorry, or is this just some ploy to get me alone? Does thinking that make me a bad person? I don't know. I didn't know a lot of things and it seemed that most days I didn't know much of anything at all.

I found myself some resolve, gathering it to my core and willing it to my legs to push me forward. The floor boards creaked heavily under my weight, as I scooped a number of spell packets into my bag.

It returned me back to the day Bethany had me in her clutches. She was right. In close range, we Witches had limited options. That doesn't mean we didn't have some options, and I'd found myself paranoid as of late. At best, I could give them to Victoria as she leaves, so that I can give her some help. At worst... Well, I just hoped I wouldn't have to use them myself.

I hurried down the stairs, I made sure to duck out of the front door before I could be confronted by anyone. There was no car for me to borrow so walking in the rain was my only option. It bolstered me somewhat, gave me something to focus on other than what was to come. Gods give me strength, I was going to need it.

A/N: Hi everyone. I'm really sorry for the hiatus, but I'm hoping it's the end of it for now. Here; take this chapter as an apology, for what its worth xD
Let me know what you guys think.