Noel (ON HOLD)

Chpater 8: My Face

~Noel~

"......"

"......."

"............" The silence was so thick and it made me uncomfortable. He's just staring at me with a blank expression on his face. His eyes are locked on mine and God it makes me antsy! My fingers are clasped together, but my fingers just can't stop shaking. I keep shifting in my spot, here on the concrete ground with my back against a stone wall. Across from me is Leon, his blue eyes staring me down. His hair is damp with sweat and his chest is rising and falling as he heaves in gulps of air. He's still out of breath, and so am I. He's gently touching his bruised cheek.

"Dammit Leon, say something!" I yelled at him. He cocked his eye brow. He doesn't seem to have the words to say his feelings. He must be feeling shock, or disbelief. But at the same time, he can't deny what he saw with his own eyes. I set those men ablaze with my tongue alone. I saw his brow furrow. I imagine seeing the gears turning inside his head, and they're turning too fast. I can see them turning non-stop, and it looks like they were about to blow.

"What can I say Noel? What I saw with my own two eyes was impossible." He looked up to the sky and tried to relax, but I could see his frustration. I'm frustrated too, probably even more than he is. Something happened, and I don't know what. I don't want to it to happen again, but I still want answers. This fire, it must've been... it could only have been...

"Magic." Leon said out loud. I shook my head and denied it.

"What are you saying Leon? That's impossible, absolutely positively impossible."

"Noel, let me tell you what I saw. I saw you demand those thugs to 'burn'. And two seconds later, they burned."

"Be reasonable Leon. Are you telling me that because I commanded it, a fire started, and those men burned to hell?" Leon shrugged.

"You're denying what we both saw with our own two eyes?"

"How are you just so, just so calm?!" I feel like I'm stressing and he's just the coolest person in the world. When I feel like tearing my hair out, he has a huge grin on his face. It's always been this way. He's always been so cool, so calm. I wish I was like him. I wish I could understand how to be like that. It seems so impossible, so impractical. I look into his calm eyes. He so still, smiling back at me with confidence and resolve. Something inside me felt light again. I let go of the air I held in my chest, and for once I was still.

"You see? All you need to do is take a breath and think things out. Right now, we're in the worst part of town. Our priority is to talk to Lady Durante and get back home before the sun sets. And who knows? The town chemist may know something about magic. And if all fails, we still have this." He tapped his satchel, suggesting that we still have the druid book. "If anything we can teach ourselves about magic." He stood up from the ground and helped me up, and then put his hand on my shoulder.

"So are you going to be calling me a witch from now on?" He laughs out loud.

"And have you burn me alive? I'll call you when I'm suicidal. Let us carry on." He took my hand and we were on our way.

The rest of the alley ways weren't that bad. Sure we were mugged three times, but we defended ourselves well. The southeastern market was within our reach. Thank God we didn't run into any more mad dogs. But we did run into something beyond strange. There was a wanderer, in a long black coat. A strange traveler, and they were running. They kept looking behind them, as if they were running away from something. With all their might they ran, and with all their might, they ran me down. They bumped into me and I fell on my ass. They fell next to me. Their large hood came flying off. It was a girl. She had a long white braid of hair. Her eyes were strikingly beautiful. But her face, it was gorgeous, but it scared me to death. That face, it was mine!
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"Y-You. W-What the hell? Who are you!?" Those eyes stared at me, surprised and confused. But that just made me even angrier. "Who are you? Answer me?!" But she did not answer, she quickly got up and continued to run. I got up to run after her, but Leon stopped me. "Y-You saw that too, right Leon? She had my face! Leon she had-." He dusted off my clothes for me. He's not listening.