❝ MERLIN'S GHOST! ❞
❝ I MEAN, YOU'RE NOT WRONG. ❞
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Albany Bronwen was no Chosen One by any means, but being haunted by the ghosts of the greatest sorcerer of all time and a former king had to count for something, right?
❃ in which a lone...
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"IT'S HER."
Albany wasn't sure what to do next. She kept her wand pointed firmly at Faith, though didn't dare creep any closer. The hair on the back of her neck had risen, heart pounding fast in her ribcage as she took in the sight of the bathroom before her eyes darted back to Faith.
"You should leave," Faith suggested nonchalantly from where she lay on the floor, gaze fixed on the ceiling. "I'll hurt you."
Albany swallowed her nerves, watching the girl's chest rise and fall with pronounced breaths.
"I can't do that," she whispered, exchanging a glance with Fred. He nodded in assurance. "You hurt George."
Faith sat up, then, and Albany took a step back. The girl's expression was blank but drained, face far paler than usual and eyes dark. She didn't meet Albany's gaze until she'd caught her breath from the movement, wiping at a cut over her lip. The blood smeared. When she returned her hand to the pool of water she sat in, the water turned faintly red.
"What happened, Faith?" Albany asked, voice quiet but steady. She didn't dare lower her wand. "Did you do all this?"
Faith's sharp blue eyes snapped to her former friend's face. They were as piercing as ever, though the hot resentment in their depths was shocking. She rolled her head to the side, sating a crick in her neck before fully acknowleding Albany and Fred. The muscles in her face twitched, torn between expressing her emotions and remaining blissfully blank.
"Leave," she repeated, chin wobbling. "Please."
Albany clenched her jaw, her own anger slowly resurfacing to take the place of her fear. "Not until you explain what's going on," she demanded, and glanced briefly to Fred, whose face was stony.
Faith let out a weak chuckle so heartless it was chilling. "God, I hate you," she whispered, shaking her head with a sickening smile. Her face contorted in a split second, unbridled rage screwing up her features and raising her voice tenfold. "I hate you!"
Albany faltered, taking another step back as Faith slowly rose to her feet. Her wand arm was trembling lightly from being extended for so long; Fred stepped subtly closer to her and raised his own.
"You don't get it, do you?" Faith said, shaking her head as she stared at the girl. Her voice lowered to a snarl, lip curling in disgust. "You left me, and now I have nothing. Nobody wants to talk to me — not my friends, not Graham — but everybody loves you!"
"You did this to yourself," Albany argued firmly, grateful for Fred at her side. "You talk about people behind their backs—"
"And I deserve this?!" Faith shouted, growing hysterical. She reached up to pull at her hair, eyes wide and bloodshot. "What did you ever do? You're not as perfect as everyone thinks!" She took a sharp inhale, shaking her head, and her voice was quieter again. "But you think you are, don't you? Thinking you see your own ghosts, thinking you're special—"
