Stronger than Blood

Lesso

A.N. I know I said that the rest of the chapters would be from Evelyn's POV, but I couldn't help myself. JARIC FOR LIFE!!!!!!! This is Japeth's POV, and it's a continuation from his other chapter.

As he shut the front door behind him, Japeth stopped to think about what he was doing. He'd found a random boy on the street, tripped over him, said a couple of sentences him, and invited him over to his home. Japeth personally saw nothing wrong with that, but he knew his mother would. It was then he decided to keep Aric a secret for now. He turned to face the boy, and realised that he was very good looking. With his dark hair, and those violet eyes . . . Wait, what was he thinking? That this potential friend was handsome? Japeth shook his head. He didn't want to scare Aric away. Though Aric didn't strike him as the kind of person who was scared easily. "My room is over there. Well, I share it with Rhian, but . . ." he babbled, before Aric interrupted him. "Who's Rhian?" he asked curiously. Japeth smacked his own forehead. "Right! Her I am babbling away, and you don't even know the first thing I'm talking about. I'm Rafal-Japeth Sader Mistral, I have a twin brother called Rhian, my mother's name is Evelyn. I haven't seen my dad since I was a newborn, so I haven't the faintest idea what he's like.". Japeth took a deep breath. He normally didn't use more than seven syllables in a sentence. Aric's eyes widened. "Did you say 'Rafal'?" he practically whispered. Japeth rolled his eyes. "Yeah. I know, weirdest name ever. I actually hate it but" and here he started mimicking Evelyn "I'm named after my father, and he's so amazing, even though he's never come to visit us." . Japeth reverted back to his normal voice. "Great parenting" he said sarcastically. The ghost of a smirk made its way onto Aric's lips, and for some reason, this filled Japeth with pride. Aric still looked spooked, though. When he finally spoke, he said, "It's just . . . My mother works at a school, and the sorcerer who ruled it was called Rafal. She also mentioned an 'Evelyn' once, before she . . ." . Aric's voice cracked, and suddenly a tear rolled down his face. Japeth didn't know what to do, so he did the first thing that came into his head. He put his arms around the boy, and to his surprise, Aric didn't pull away. Japeth had never been in a situation like this before. Whenever Rhian cried, he just smirked and said in a condescending voice, "Oh, don't cry, Rhian. It's annoying." or something like that. Japeth felt that connection to Aric again. He would have sat there all day, cradling Aric's head in his lap, but his curiosity wouldn't let him. "What were you saying about your mother?" he asked gently. Gently. There was an word he never used to describe himself. Aric looked up at him. "My mother abandoned me. It's been three months now. Three months alone in the Endless Woods. She works at The School for Good and Evil. She's the dean of Evil. She used to come visit me, in the Cyan Caves in the Blue Forest. Not anymore. She didn't even say goodbye. But that's not important. The Schoolmaster, his name is Rafal, and my mother mentioned him being . . . Close, to a woman named Evelyn. I don't believe in coincidences, so I'm betting your dad is the Schoolmaster.". Japeth stared at Aric open-mouthed. "But, why aren't I there, then? Why am I stuck here in Foxwood, when I could be at the best place in the Endless Woods? And why the hell am I enrolled in Arbed House?!" asked Japeth, though by the end, he was yelling. If Aric was shocked by his sudden outburst, he didn't show it. He just shrugged. "Don't ask me. Maybe you should ask your mother, who I think I hear unlocking the door now, so I'll just wait out here." said Aric, already climbing out the window. Japeth quickly went out to greet his mother and twin, where Rhian gave him a roll of tape. "It's from Chaddick and Cedric" he explained quickly, before making his way into the kitchen. His mother kissed him on the forehead. "Did you have a nice time by yourself, hon?" she asked. "I wasn't by my- I mean, yes, mother, it was nice." Japeth answered smoothly, but inside he was kicking himself. He'd nearly given Aric away. He went back into his room, and opened the window to talk to Aric again."Will you come back tomorrow?" Japeth asked. "Of course. What are friends for?" answered Aric. Before either of them spoke again, though, Japeth pressed the tape into Aric's chest. "I- This is for you." he babbled. "Thank you. No one's ever given me a gift before." Aric whispered in Japeth's ear. Japeth's heart started beating faster. Their proximity made him feel electrified. When Aric turned and walked off, Japeth instantly missed Aric's warmth. He thought about this new piece of information on his dad. Schoolmaster, huh? he thought. He could work with that. He'd get it out of his mother somehow. But for now, he would be cold. He would be the Snake he was born to be.