Fire Will Rain // Xavier Thorpe

18.

It was raining the day of the funeral.

It seemed fitting, I suppose. Sorrowful weather for a sorrowful event. The loss of a significant figure. The event had led a whole community to come together to commemorate the life of a man, who was taken too soon.

Xavier held a black umbrella over the two of us. I leant on him heavily; my injuries were deep and had given me a bad fever. I was meant to be resting, but I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't see Mayor Walker off. He was a pain in my ass when I first got to town, but he was decent enough to me, especially when I lost Elizabeth.

A few stray tears drip down my face. Xavier's arm wraps around me, making sure not to press to hard on my injuries. He puts his head on top of mine as I lean into his chest. I didn't realize how much I would actually miss the mayor. I guess you never do, until it's too late.

Everyone began to scatter as the mayor was laid to rest. Black umbrellas circled the grounds, quickly leaving to get back to the routine of their daily lives. The mayor was gone, but life carried on.

The rain died down a little, leaving mist behind. Xavier walked me back towards the town.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

I wake up to screaming.

The boy next to me is shaking. He's as cold as ice and covered in sweat. His breathing is ragged, and his hair is sticking to his forehead.

"You're okay, you're okay," I tell the boy, placing a hand on his cheek. I rub my thumb across his jawline, waiting for him to calm down. His breathing is uneven, but I can hear him trying to get it under control.

I place my other hand on the boy's shoulder, trying to stabilize him.

"You're okay," I repeat, "tell me what you saw."

The sunlight is faintly peaking through the dorm window. The sky is overcast but quickly lightening. I hear birds chirping from down below and I can tell it's about 5am.

Xavier swallows hard, "Dr. Kinbott is next. The monster is going to kill her next."

My body turns ice cold. I feel feverish. I look into Xavier's eyes and his pupils are tiny. He's scared. He's really scared.

"You've got to warn her," I say to the boy. He nods. We both take a moment to recover, and I hold Xavier in my arms. I can feel the tears starting to form in my eyes. Too many people were gone. I can't lose anymore.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

It's finally afternoon and I can't wait to get some sleep. Today has been rough to say the least. Xavier's been on edge ever since his vision and whenever he's nervous, I am, too. This emotional wreck of a day has left me ill. With my injuries and all the stress, I've riled up a massive fever.

"I'm heading over to the art studio," Xavier says as he grabs his jacket.  I nod a little at his comment, from under the covers of his bed. My back aches and I'm feeling lightheaded. I've been put on medication and bedrest, until I lose my fever. Xavier walks over to me and places a kiss on my forehead. He looks at me with concern.

"I'll be alright. Just don't stay out there too long," I tell him.

"I'll be back soon," he says to me, and like that he's gone.

I rest my head on his pillow and try to shake my body chills away. I'm hot and cold at the same time and I'm struggling with the decision to take my blanket off or keep it on. I sigh and squeeze my eyes shut tight, hoping to fall asleep quickly.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

I wake up cold.

This morning is so different to the one from before. Screaming was replaced with silence. Warmth was replaced with cold. I open my eyes and see nothing but a crinkled sheet next to me. My eyes widen and I shoot up straight, ignoring the twinge of pain that radiates from my wound.

I'm alone.

I get up and hurriedly put on some fresh clothes. My hair's a mess, but I don't care. I run as fast as I can to the next dorm over. I rip the door open, not being bothered to knock.

"Ajax! Have you seen Xavier?" I shout worriedly. The boy shoots up quickly from his pillow at the sound of my voice. "He wasn't in his dorm when I woke up and he went out into the woods last night, what if he got attacked?" I ramble worriedly to the half-asleep boy.

"Alice..." Ajax's voice sounds weird. Almost guilty. I pause to look at him. "Xavier got arrested last night. The sheriff had hard evidence he was the hyde."

"What?" I shout at the boy. He jumps a little from the volume. "How the hell do you know that?" I ask.

"Wednesday-" Ajax begins to say, but I've heard enough. My brows furrow and I storm out of Ajax's dorm. I rush over to Ophelia Hall.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

I open the door to my old dorm room and storm right up the the pig-tailed girl by the window.

"You've really outdone yourself, now," I say exasperatedly, "you put my boyfriend in jail last night?"

"I did everyone a favor and put a serial killer behind bars. I don't apologize for that," Wednesday tells me.

"Wednesday, he isn't the hyde," I say angrily. "What's your evidence that he is?"

"He was at the scene of every single attack, Alice. He also has an art studio full of hyde drawings, despite claiming to not have seen the monster in person." Wednesday walks a little closer to me, but I hold my ground and stare her down. "He also has claw marks on his neck and had confidential meetings with Kinbott, who was truly Laurel Gates, his secret master," Wednesday says quite matter-of-factly.

"That is bullshit," I'm so angry that I start laughing. Wednesday looks at me stunned.

"I got scratched, too, and I saw Kinbott fortnightly. Does that make me your hyde? Because I'll tell you what Wednesday, I was at every crime scene, too."

Wednesday's eyes stare into nothing as I see her brain process everything I've told her, "You're just disillusioned by your feelings for him. You're making excuses."

"Oh, really? I could say the same to you."

"What are you insinuating?" Wednesday asks.

"Tyler Galpin," I scoff, "Tyler got scratched and he was seeing Kinbott. You saw that he was at every crime scene, too. He could be your hyde, by your logic," I coolly say to the gothic girl.

Wednesday doesn't react. Instead, she turns her back on me and faces her window. I walk away from her and out the door. I can't believe she would go this far. I hate her. I can't believe I thought we could ever be friends.

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𝗔𝗨𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗥'𝗦 𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗘

How we feeling?

This story has really progressed quickly, and I've written so many chapters in the span of a week. I hope you're all enjoying the story! Thanks for all the votes.

- crimsonplanets

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