Valentine's Arrow

17: Diamond Soul

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

REBECCA

Rebecca sat on Sebastian's bed, picking absently at the sheets. She knew she had been naive in hoping to change Sebastian's mind, but she hadn't expected him to give her an ultimatum either. And worse, if he started to question her loyalty...

Was it possible to love someone and hate them at the same time? There were moments when she wanted to run him through with a blade, and moments when she just wanted to grab his face and kiss him. How could she feel such conflicting emotions for a single person? She inhaled the scent of his bed sheets – they smelled like he always did, like citrusy cologne – which, in her opinion, he used too much of.

Coming to a decision, she slipped off the bed and padded across to the door and slowly pushed it open. Even though the corridor was empty, Rebecca couldn't help but feel a little nervous as she quietly pulled out a pen, paper, and stele from the bedside drawer. She hastily scribbled out a letter, and then traced the Ignis Nuntius rune on a corner. The paper immediately caught fire. She watched it burn completely, returned the stele to its original position, and then collapsed on the bed.

The next time she woke up, the digital clock on the bedside table told her that it was exactly 2:34 am. She knew something had woken her up, but she didn't know what. In an instant, she was on her feet, her hands already reaching for the stele, when she heard a sound.

It sounded like someone... whooping? Was Sebastian whooping?

She padded down the stairs. It sounded like it was coming from the downstairs bathroom, the door to which was ajar. She nudged it open, not sure what she expected to find...

Sebastian. He was hunched over the toilet bowl, his arms shining with sweat. He heaved, coughing up what looked like black fluid. His whole body was trembling.

"Sebastian...?" she whispered, her breath catching in her throat.

He looked around, and she was shocked to see that he was actually crying, tears streaming down his face. He started to say something, but was racked by another bout of retching. More black fluid spattered the floor.

Rebecca probably stood there for five more minutes, but to her, it felt like an hour. When Sebastian finally stood up, he was so weak he could barely get her name out. A dribble of blood ran down his chin. He tried to take a step forward but stumbled almost immediately.

Rebecca caught him, looping his arms around her shoulders. His eyes drooped. Somehow, she managed to carry him up the stairs to his bedroom, where he collapsed like a rag doll onto the bed. Rushing to the kitchen, she grabbed a towel and bowl of water and ran upstairs.

Sebastian was still sweating profusely, and his eyes were rolling up in his head. Panic almost overtook her, but she pushed it aside and tried to steady her breathing. Carefully, she peeled off his shirt and wrung out the cold cloth, pressing it to his forehead.

Suddenly, he started thrashing about and screaming, his nails digging into his skin as if he wanted to tear his own flesh out. "Sebastian!" Rebecca yelled, her throat closing up. She tried to grab on to his arms, but he was too strong. He continued to thrash about, his nails tearing away his skin. Rivulets of blood ran down his arms.

Rebecca stood back, at a complete loss for what to do. The anxiety sitting in her stomach like some great ugly monster almost threatened to overwhelm her. With enormous effort, Rebecca forced herself to focus and raced down the stairs, throwing open drawers and upending shelves. All the while, she could hear him still screaming his throat raw, as if his insides were on fire.