Shady Hybrids AU

BOOK 4 CH 2: Cookies and Chaos

"Actually...there's something I need to tell you both." I interrupt, prompting the two to turn to me with concern.

"Go on?" Justin mentions, looking at me weirdly.

"I overheard Squid and Dan plotting..multiple times, in fact. Plotting against you, Justin." I explain. Justin's face goes pale, and his eyes go wide. I can see the scales on his face more clearly. "They were going to the nether and such. They- they plan to summon a wither to attack you, Justin. I don't know why, something to do with a pickaxe, but they plan to have a wither attack your house."
"WHAT?!" He yells. He seems to tense up and end in a hostile state, opening his wings and snarling a bit. "They- don't they realise how dangerous that is? I could lose everything!"
"I think that's the point." James frowns, flying closer to the ground.

"I just don't understand why they'd want to do that?" I add. "I mean, you don't have anything Kindness wants, do you?"
Justin looks away shamefully, for some reason.
"It's for Revenge."
"Revenge? What, against you being mean to Dan earlier? But Squid was on your side, so I don't see why he'd feel that way." James adds.

"No, I-" Justin gulps, before walking to his ender chest and opening it. He yelps a bit as he pulls something out.

I take a step back in shock. He's holding a netherite pickaxe. How on earth did he get that?
"I was supposed to betray you all to get this. Commit some great act of betrayal so I could get it. But after the transformations started, I had a change of heart. I didn't want to work with someone who did stuff like this to us." Justin raises his wing. "So I betrayed her instead and went to get it in secret. And I did. But I suppose Kindness found out and got mad..." He sighs.
"And that's why she targeted you next." James realises.

"And that's why she made yours so painful." I add, remembering Justin's panicked typing in chat. That worried me to no end, I felt nearly sick upon waking up and reading his messages.

"That and I yelled at her. I'm sorry I didn't tell you both earlier. But I didn't want you two getting involved." Justin puts the pickaxe away.
"It's okay. You were concerned for our safety." I pat his shoulder slightly, but he pushes me away.

"That part's sensitive, Tiff."
"Sorry."
James looks away, upset.

"I really screwed up by bringing Kindness into this world, didn't I?"
"Hey now, James, don't blame yourself! It's not your fault all of this happened."
"Who's fault is it then?"
We all pause. Fact of the matter is we don't know.

"Let's...move on." I pull out some cookies from my bag. "Anyone want one?"

"Sure, why not?" Justin takes one. I think we all want to change the subject. James takes one out of his own bag and bites into it. He seems to like it, thankfully.

I pull one out for myself. What could go wrong? It feels a bit selfish, but hey, I made these, I can treat myself.

It tastes fine when I chew into the cookie. It's when I swallow it things start to go wrong.
The world starts to spin around and I feel sick. I use a table behind me to prevent my falling. I feel like something's whittling away at my health. Something - I don't know what - is slowly taking any lifeforce I have away. I can feel Justin catching me and James panicking in the background. The sound of glass. Brewing. My vision's blurred, I can't see what they're doing. I feel like passing out.

I only come to my senses when the taste of strawberry fills my mouth and I swallow it. Ah, that was a healing potion. I rub my eyes to see a phantom and a bee staring down at me with terrified expressions.

"Tiff, are you alright?!" Justin asks.

"Uh- I dunno? I'm fine now, but I wasn't just a second ago." I say, voice still wobbling.