spellbound | book #1 | completed

X X X I V

[edited: 17/10/2017]

Remy had lost all sense of time as she lay propped up against the pillows of her bed, staring out of the window to where the sun was getting ready to set and the stars ready to appear. She knew she should be doing something; another day had almost ended and still nobody was safe because of the key that hung around her neck. She wanted to untangle herself from her duvet and get Sarah back—she hadn't been able to stop thinking about her since she had left the Central Hall a few hours ago—but she couldn't find the energy to even lift a finger. She was too overwhelmed.

Before, she had been able to push all the madness of this world away from herself somehow; she had been able to disconnect herself from it and distract herself with the pink skies and bright eyed warlocks and witches, and of course, Maksim. Now, she felt as though she was in the middle of a warzone with explosions hitting her from all sides, and no matter where she ran to, she could not avoid being caught up in the ear-splitting, horrifying chaos. There was nothing that she could do, either, but watch as the world was torn down around her. There was no escape.

She missed her siblings, too, and her mother. It had been so long since she'd seen them last that she barely remembered the sound of their voices or the way that they looked. Her memories of them were blurred and distorted, as though her previous life hadn't been real. Sometimes, she had to question if it even existed anymore, because home felt so far away that soon she wouldn't remember it at all. It was too much, and though she hated to feel so weak, she couldn't help but allow the same thoughts to hit her over and over again until she was so overwhelmed that she felt paralysed.

She might have stayed there all night if Maksim didn't come in with a timid knock and a sullen expression. She didn't greet him, instead simply watching as he sat down on the side of her bed so that the mattress sank slightly.

"How is your head?" he questioned, his fingers resting gently on her temples so that he could get a better look. His skin felt cold against hers and seemed to wake her out of her daze ever so slightly. "It looks as though it has healed well. How does it feel?"

"It's fine," she whispered before shuddering away from him. She didn't want to be reminded of what had happened today, and she could still smell the evidence of the toxic rain and explosion on Maksim's skin. It reminded her of a bonfire, the smoke and dust clinging to his clothes even after he had changed. 

"Is your skin blistered much from the rain? I cannot seem to heal the wounds but perhaps there is—"

"I'm fine," she interrupted harshly, squeezing her eyes shut in an attempt to bury more resurfacing memories. It was not a lie, either; her coat had protected most of her skin from the black liquid so that it had stuck to her clothes instead of her body, though it had burned some bits of cloth away and found her skin anyway. She had made sure to check for any marks after having a quick shower earlier.

"You wish to be left alone," he said almost to himself, and for a moment looked so dejected that Remy wanted to reach out for his hand by way of comfort. She thought about what he must be going through, when his brother had just harmed thousands of innocent people who he had to face every day. She wondered why on earth he was even the least bit worried about her when he had to deal with such a thing. "I am sorry."

"No." Remy's voice came out raspy so that she had to clear her throat. "I just ... I don't want to think about it anymore. I can't think about it anymore, and I know that's selfish. I know that I need to stop feeling sorry for myself so that I can find Sarah and stop this from happening again, but I honestly don't know if I can. Maybe you were right. Maybe I am just a weak and pathetic mortal."

"You are in no way weak or pathetic, Remy." Maksim's eyebrows knitted together, his blue eyes darkening so that they looked like the bottom of the ocean. The silver flecks that usually shone so brightly in his irises were barely visible tonight. "You have dealt with so much since you arrived here, and you have not given up once. What is more, you have stood up to my mother. In my eyes, that makes you incredibly strong."