In the End ~ Wednesday x Xavier ~ SLOW-BURN

Chapter 49

"When your eyes met mine, my soul pointed at you and whispered to my heart 'Him...' "

~~~

The sleepless nights grew longer, the hours spreading thin as Wednesday allowed herself to dwell on the coming weekend. Somehow time had disappeared, and she was no longer focused on the tireless hours that passed. She picked her brain, almost eating herself alive from the inside out as she wondered what her mother would reveal in the upcoming confrontation, although she was sure she had figured things out. Her mother simply had to reveal the name of the woman, and where that necklace was hidden. The little brown box floated through her mind, calling out to her as it hid among her dreams, showing itself for just a minute in time before disappearing again.

She could almost feel the rough wood, the image so vivid in her mind she felt as if it were actually there. But it was just a distant memory locked away in her mind, imprinted for future recognition. 

But her brain didn't rest with just the case; her future was being heavily debated as Nevermore slept away. The looming shadows weren't quite like the demons she was fighting in her head, the constant battle between her visions and her desires. She found as the week flew by, much quicker than she had realized, that she began to side with the visions and revelations that had been revealed to her. The haunting realization that she had actually grown fond of the idea was strange, peculiar, and terrifying to her as if it was something to grow into. But her stubborn heart grew content with the idea that she may succeed in such a role, a position of power such as this.

A part of her wondered if she would be doing it for the sake of herself, for the students, or perhaps both. The very thought of the school she walked through every day, the school that held so many memories, so many treasures that might fade away, a gem to be rediscovered after years of wear and tear was something she couldn't quite fathom. What would happen to allow such a thing to occur?

Why had they picked her?

She found no answers within herself; perhaps since she would be an alumnus or the valedictorian, or that she may be a world-renowned author, praised by many. Maybe she would find her solitude among these hospitable walls, the place that beat for its students, that provided a safe haven for the outcasted individuals.

The tortured artist always found a way to invade her never-ending thoughts, and she allowed him to look through her mind, flip through its pages and highlight his favorite parts. To paint pictures for her that allowed for different perspectives, to draw sketches of a life that didn't seem too preposterous. Enid had said earlier that week that her face lit up at the mention of him, and it wasn't entirely false. 

What if she had fallen in love with him long ago, when they had met at the funeral? Perhaps he had won her heart then, seeing his petrified expression as she saved him from his fiery death. A part of her wished it had all started then, so that he didn't have to go through so much of life lost in the darkness, the raging waves and vicious storm that blew through his heart, leaving shredded dreams and burnt-out hopes. But she knew she wasn't ready for such a change, she wasn't prepared for love then. The time had to take its toll before flames could ever be ignited inside her heart, she had to be willing to open her heart for that. 

The best way she could describe love was like coming home after a long trip. She enjoyed coming back to her foreboding but homely mansion, the dark nature twisting and pulling at the sky. Her soul had traversed across the seas, through the thick, twisted vines, the inescapable nightmares, through beating hearts and faked smiles, but it had finally reached home; one that only he could provide.