Nefarious

C171 - Final Goodbyes

I wasn't allowed to see Jace alone anymore, neither was Alex. The last person granted the opportunity to talk with Jace in privacy was Xavier. I'd asked Alex how long they had, but he was as clueless as me it seemed. "We'll know whether Hayden or Dane won the election within an hour," Alex informed, leaning against the commode. We were in his room as we'd been plenty of times before, but this time the atmosphere was much heavier. "Jace will also be gone around that time," he added.

-Xavier's point of view-

The very moment I saw Jace walking into my room dressed in informal clothing, I knew something was terribly wrong. His outfit was as simple as skinny black jeans combined with a mustard yellow t-shirt, and a black belt with a silver buckle. Tousled hair, tired eyes, and a watch on his wrist to keep track of time. Knowing Jace, he was getting ready to go somewhere, and not for a short time it seemed.

Jace closed the door and took his time before letting go of the handle. "Admiring the matching colour of the handle and your buckle?" I questioned, knowing he was in deep thoughts. Exhaling first, he turned to me with worry beaming from him. For some reason, I automatically avoided his eyes and stepped back. "I have less than an hour to figure out how to explain my current situation to you, and I'm completely lost, Xavier." "What? Do you expect me to be your compass and guide you in the right direction? If so, then you're damn right. I could handle Zane's demise, I'm sure I can handle whatever weight you have on your shoulders."

Although I'd hoped that my willingness to hear Jace out would help him on his way, he seemed even more upset after my answer. "Jace, seriously, I can't stand seeing you this way. I'm not the type to say stuff like this, and you know that, but I care too much at this point to keep shut." "I'm being discharged tonight, and they're separating us forever. Also, my child will be raised by Rain alone, and I'll have no say in anything in his life," he blurted out. "W-what? But then I'll lose the little amount of value I have here, and your child will never-" I stuttered, "your son won't get to experience having an excellent father." Without properly realizing, I sat down on the bed, acknowledging the gulping sound coming from Jace. "You have value. Dakota-" he started. "Dakota left this morning-" I sighed.

It had always been Jace who'd pretended to be the tough one, the one who concealed his emotions like he was dependent on it. Perhaps he was, who knows? All I knew was that now, at the very moment that he sat beside me, he'd omitted that worry. In my eyes, he'd never looked more lost and innocent. His mouth was slightly open, and his eyes were continually flickering in despair. "I will never come back here," he muttered. And there it hit him for real. I still hadn't let myself believe that Jace would leave forever. I lied when saying I would be able to handle anything, but I couldn't tell him that as I knew it would take a toll on him mentally. In my mind, he was staying. Heck, even I was lying to myself at this point.

Shortly after Jace said he'd be right back, the shower was turned on. I found that particularly odd and decided to check why he suddenly felt the urge to shower. Turning the doorknob, I spotted Jace on the floor with his arms around his knees, which were pressed against his chest. "What's the purpose of wasting water?" I frowned. "Heat," he said briefly, muffled by his clothes. "You hate warmth," I sighed. When reaching forward to turn the water off, I heard a sniffle coming from Jace, and that's when I realized he was using the running water as a way of muting sounds. I slid down beside him and carefully leant my head against the tile-covered wall. I'd never seen him cry before excluding the one tear he shed when Zane passed away. It was a rare occurrence, and it only worried me more to think of that.

"Tell me about Xylan, Jace." Jace sighed loudly, tilting his head so that it rested on his arms that were supported by his knees. "Year after year, he was my teacher, and his methods were horrendous, mildly put. My motivator through those years was Alex solely as my parents showed me nothing but hate and viciousness. I worked extremely hard to train Alex the best way possible so he could end up as our leader. Or at least I thought I was doing it right. I predicted that Xylan would act up and aim for the leader position. Heck, I also suspected him of killing Serenity, but I had no proof to support that. That man is evil, and I really thought I could put an end to the misery he's been causing people, but it seems I was wrong. Right when you and Alex need me the most, I'm failing. I've failed to check up on you, and I've failed to guide Alex properly due to my time spent in selfish grief over Serenity. Xylan has put me through hell my entire life, and now he's planning to do so to you and everyone else here as well. I've failed completely, Xavier."

By now, Jace's vision was blurred completely. His eyes had reddened, and so he closed them, not wanting to admit that he was hurting visibly. I moved a lock of his dark hair behind his ear, keeping it from becoming wet before deciding to speak again finally. "Regardless if Alex wins or not, I will never forget the way you supported him and the way you led Rain's group as though your life depended on it. Jace, it isn't selfish to grieve. You shouldn't think that letting Serenity back into your mind is a sign of weakness or selfishness, it's a strength being able to remind yourself of her." At first, he stared blankly into the air without saying a word. After giving my answer some thought though, he sat up properly and looked my way. Biting his lip, he nodded faintly before patting one of my sweaters on the floor against his face. "Perhaps I should keep that as a memory of you," I said jokingly. He snickered softly, followed by a small smile that contained a hint of happiness. "I was gonna plead you to keep this a secret, but tragically enough, you're probably gonna isolate yourself in here for the next years," he said. "Hey, I have Leo. I'll be known as the crazy cat man. Your secret will be safe with us," I answered. With that, Leo came walking curiously into the bathroom. His gaze landed upon Jace, and so Jace smiled one last time at me. Perhaps I wouldn't have treasured the moment as much if I hadn't known that this would be the last time I could admire Jace's ethereal beauty. Perhaps I would've taken him for granted like many others have let themselves do.

When our time was up, Xylan was the one to open the door and call Jace's name. Inwardly, I was seething with pure anger. The sight of his cold face and his bony, skeleton-like hands made me nauseous. He'd murdered people with those hands, one of them being Jace's first love. When standing meters from him, I wondered who he targeted as his next victim. Perhaps he was aiming for Jace's second love? The constant death glares he sent in my direction sure made me suspect such.

If I weren't going to live in a castle with Xylan for the rest of my life, then I would've gladly voiced my opinion of him, but sadly, my future was looking nothing but tragic. If I could, I would've said... "I hope you choke on your arrogant pride and rot in hell, you despiteful bastard," Jace snapped. Yes, something along those lines.

-Valerie's point of view-

For some reason, Jace had found Alex's phone and mine randomly and delivered them to us right before leaving. "Read your messages," Jace said with a pleasant smile. My curious eyes swiftly moved right down to Alex's text messages from Eugene. "Woah," Alex and I gasped simultaneously. "All hope isn't lost, guys," Jace winked before opening the door entirely. "Right, you can still win, Alex," I said. "I won't be able to say anything regarding the election after this. All I can say is good luck. I hope it goes your way, really, Alex."

Alex and Jace exchanged some final words before Jace let go of the door and headed downstairs to leave the castle. "Both Xavier and Jace came to me separately to share their worries about each other. Seeing them like that only made me hate Xylan more, which I didn't think was possible. I owe it to Jace to win, but I have no guarantees that I will. It's all up to the people now," Alex exhaled. "Something must've gone right though, Alex. Dane really won the election, we should see that as the first victory."