Sebastian Bear (complete)

THIRTY-SIX

Thirty-Six

Sebastian's love for Madeline had always been simple, at least to him. He had fallen in love at the ripe old age of nine with a heartbroken eight-year-old girl. She had sent him away early, something that had caused his heart to splinter into a thousand pieces but he hadn't ever really given up on her. He had been ruined for everyone else. He had to try again, no matter how hard it was or how long it took.

Sebastian knew it was real because it had been the easiest thing in the world to love her. He hadn't had to talk himself into it. It just was. He remembered hearing his parents saying falling in love- to fall in love... He had asked them what it meant. His father had smirked at the question and his mother had assured him he would understand it when it happened. He had let it go after that, not interested in that aspect of life. Mrs. Bear had been right though. He had understood it almost immediately after meeting his mortal, Madeline Hunter. He had fallen in love with her laugh and watching the way her eyes wrinkled at the edges when she was smiling at him. He liked hearing about her dreams and her imagination had them going on crazy adventures all over the place. He admired her spirit. He loved how she kept going, even when she was overwhelmingly sad.

He hated things too. He had hated that she couldn't speak to him in front of anyone. He had been envious of the mortals that got to spend so much time with her. He had been so remarkably jealous of Nolan that he found himself glaring at him for no reason at all, begging the gods to grant him one wish so he might be able to smash the little maggots face in. They hadn't listened and he had sat sadly on the sidelines until he existed no longer to Madeline Hunter, not even as a memory.

His love for her had grown so fast and strong that is would've scared him had he given himself enough time to think about it. He had never been one for thinking, so he set out in that dark place to find her once more. He didn't care what it took. He did dangerous things trying to get back to his Madsy. He would never stop. 

Never.

The Elders had known about the curious case of Madsy and Sebastian almost immediately. They had discussed the strange matter amongst themselves and decided they would let the stubborn invisible go back and forth so long as his mortal needed him. What harm could it do? He was invisible to adults after all and he had waited so long to see her again. They were strict but they were sentimental at times, so they turned an eye to their visits to Avlis quite carelessly.

Then something strange had shifted. The eldest elder felt it first like you might feel a ripple in a still body of water. There was a movement in the atmosphere. Sebastian had pulled enough magic into his body so quickly that it had shifted something much larger than himself. He had done the impossible with no guidance from the elders or the gods. What had caused that significant change in the rule? They had to find out so they yanked him back home.

Sebastian was brought into a large white room. He had been there for ten minutes, alone, pacing in front of the marble counter where the Elders did their listening. They weren't there which enraged him more. He could feel the panic in his body, thrumming wildly against his chest. He felt chaotic, irrational. He wanted to punch something, anything. How dare they choose that exact moment to rip him away from her! He couldn't breathe, his vision blurred by angry tears. Had the police gotten there before that bastard had woken up and finished what he started? He hoped he'd killed him. He wasn't sure. He had stopped punching when the fight stopped, when he heard Madeline croak his name from her place on the ground. That thought alone pulsed another round of equally as unpleasant feelings. The pain in his chest increased, sharp pains shooting through the spaces between his ribs.

"Mr. Bear," there he was. The big guy, the eldest elder. They called him Mitcham Gray. He was tall and thin with papery skin and icy blue eyes that pierced through whatever or whoever they looked through. He was also wearing white, high collar robe, tight against his chest, silvery-blue buttons all the way to his ankles. He was alone. Sebastian nearly growled at the sight of him.