The Choice Of Fate || The Promised Neverland

Chapter 68: Revenge

Sistine's POV:

I stare at the boy on his bed, his one leg nearly reaching the edge while his other leg remains bent in front of him. He stares at the bandages on his hand with an annoyed sigh, to which I do the same. "So what did you want to talk about?" I ask him, causing him to glance at me.

"Hm?"

"The thing," I say, tilting my head to the side. "You said you wanted to tell me something."

"Ah, right," he replies, rolling over to face me. "Okay, so, uh... I wanna start by saying sorry for what happened--!"

"Oh my gosh, you sound like a Youtube streamer," I whine. "Get to the point."

"Right. Sorry, uh..." He lowers his eyes, staring at the empty space on his bed just so he can't look at me. "... I mistook you for someone else."

"Is it the Emma girl you're looking for?" I ask, to which he shakes his head.

"She's another Sistine."

"The one Carol keeps mistaking me for?"

He nods his head. "That one. It's just... complicated." He shifts to his right to sit cross-legged on his bed, pushing his legs down. "She, uh, meant a lot to me."

"And out of everyone in this giant mansion, you decide to tell me that," I add, giving him a flat look. "What on Earth made you think that was a good idea?"

"I just wanted to warn you, 'cuz you keep calling me out on my weird behavior." Ray flashes me an annoyed glare.

"Why are you so worked up about this Sistine girl anyway?" I chuckle, shaking my head in disbelief. This guy has got to be joking.

I bet Norman gave him this idea. Because really, who else would give a plan that tricks me into believing they care about me? Just him, right?

Sorry, Norman. But you're not getting any good results from me. Chew on that until you see Emma again, will ya?

"She's my best friend," Ray blurts out, causing me to arch a brow at him.

"Aren't Emma and Norman your best friends?" I ask him. "That's hella offensive, you know."

"No! I mean--!" He slams a palm at his face, sighing in frustration. "My first best friend. She was my first best friend. She went missing with Emma."

"Ah, 'kay," I reply bluntly, causing Ray to flinch.

"Like-- agh," he groans, lifting a hand to hold his head. "Anyway, she means more than a lot to me."

"Yeah, Carol said that," I answer, lying down on my bed. "Look, dude, I get it. You mistook me for my doppelganger because you're desperate to find her. And lemme guess. You love her?" I joke.

"... Well, yeah." I turn to him with furrowed brows, finding the boy staring at nothing but his bed. "Or at least I think so?" He shakes his head rapidly. "Like I said, it's complicated."

"You don't have to explain anything else," I assure him. "I got enough evidence from Carol and Nayla. You're not lying. There's someone out there who looks like me, and that's fine. You'll find her."

"I just..." he mutters, lowering his head even more so that his hair covers his side profile. "I really miss her. She's really mad at me right now, but she never did anything to show it. When we left the demon world together, she was even smiling at me, and I...

"... I don't deserve that."

I pretend to eye him up and down, commenting, "Yeah, by the looks of it, you really don't deserve someone who looks like me."

"Right!?" He reacts, turning to look at me like he believes it. "She's crazy!"

"Well, she must hate you a lot, for her to go completely passive-aggressive on your butt."

"Yeah, that's why I'm struggling to look for her," he groans. "I mean, losing Emma frustrates me enough, but that hellishly short brat of a demon just had to drag Sistine into it!"

A snort escapes me, causing me to cover my mouth and nose with my hand. "Who knows? He probably gave her a better offer," I chuckle, causing his glare to soften.

He falls silent, causing me to glance at him in amusement. The pain was horribly evident in his eyes, even if he tries his best to hide it. It's like the last dream shining in his eyes just shattered after what I said.

"You never considered that possibility, did you?" I ask him, sitting in front of him on the bed, slowly dropping my mask. I lean forward to get a closer look at the horror in his eyes, talking slowly so he can take in every word I'm about to say.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" I ask. "Meeting someone that made your life feel so complete, only to have them leave you for something that benefits them a lot more. Having your best friend vanish without giving you even a single reason why.

"Could you imagine? The person you believed to be the light of your life, your glimmer of hope, your happiness... disappeared. Just like that. Without an explanation, or a word, or even a little 'I'm sorry'. They just... leave, living their lives like they never knew you in the first place."

His body tenses in fear, his eyes fearfully staring at me as I finally drop the mask and reveal the sinister smirk I've been hiding from him. "Was she ever like that, Ray?" I ask innocently, even though the smile on my face says otherwise. "Did she ever face something that horrible? Did she ever feel broken, alone, forgotten because everybody left her for something or someone better?

"And tell me: if you were in her shoes, having to go through that every waking moment of your damn life, wouldn't you want an itty bitty taste of revenge? Wouldn't you want to watch the people who hurt you suffer, even if it's just for a little while?

"It could be a joke, or perhaps a little game. Just to mess with their heads. You could drop the little game at any time. Or...

"... It could become a hatred that lasts for eternity. Where the people who hurt you will just suffer in silence for the rest of their days, and you don't even have to do anything.

I give his fearful look once last time before I close my eyes. I hide my smirk once again, replacing it with the innocent smile he knows and loves as I ask:

"Doesn't that sound like something your Sistine would do, Ray?"