Balter | Wednesday X.T

Chapter 2.

Giving him one look, you tell him, "No, I'm just rather focused for the time being." Heading down the secret library. Slipping down the steps with ease, the tortured artist right behind you.

Standing in the middle of it, you grab a hold of your necklace, holding it in the clutched palm of your hand. Your eyes scan the many books before you. Oh what they held was beyond secret to you and yet it wouldn't be if you read them all. Something in your mind commanded you to mindlessly obey to the oblivion. You allowed it without a second thought. Your feet carrying you, guiding you towards a section of a library, your fingers gliding over the many spines from the old dust covered books. Halting, your finger stayed on the dark purple spine. Your mind barely thought anything. In fact it was completely empty. This slightly terrified you. But something from deep within, deep below your mind screamed, trust me! And so you did.

Grabbing the book from the library, Xavier from behind questioned knowingly, "Are you going to take the book too?"

You didn't answer. Instead you listened to the soft yells in your body. They made you open the book and flip to a random page, one that was left titled, Dream Memory. Steps by steps instruction led you through what looked to be... snapping the book shut. You'll read up more on it later. Slipping it into your bag laying on top of the file—your eyes saw two in your bag. Furrowing your eyebrows, when did you pick up two files? You only remember picking up one, your biological mother. Who else was in there? Or was it her records that you forgot you placed in there? Shaking your head, you'll figure it out much later.

Xavier's green eyes look at you laced with worry. Something about you now felt off as if there was another presence that he had never met before came and stood right besides you—no. Not right besides you, who or whatever presence that had overcome was inside you.

He went in front of you, his finger hooking your chin and forced you to stare into his own eyes. "Are you okay?" Your mouth opened to answer but before you could, he cut you off, "No bullshit answer, no dodging, no dismissing. I want the truth. All of it."

Frowning, you stood there, a flutter of moths beating against your stomach ripping every inch of you to be let out. To be free. His warm touch to your cold somehow made you blush just a light pink one that could either be noticed or hidden. Thinking over your words carefully, you sighed out a reply, "Aren't you a bit protective of me."

"It's what friends do." The corner of his lips turned downwards as he friendzoned himself. His feelings he would keep to himself for a fear of your rejection, for a fear of being stripped away from you. Peeling the skin off of his lips as he carefully and slowly spoke his next words, "They check up on you, make sure you're okay. They especially look after you after you are attacked and almost bled to death."

You didn't want to acknowledge the scars on your arm. The stitches that were still there. Your next appointment was soon so they could be taken out. That night sent unsettling chills down your spine. The whole night.

Watching as the beast slash Eugene in his chest, an innocent person dying wasn't something you could watch. Doing what many view as a noble act you viewed it as stupidity and spur of the moment. Nothing about your actions was supposed to be noble. It shouldn't. Yes you managed to save Eugene from being disemboweled but you didn't stop him from being placed in an induced coma. The three large cuts on your arm flashed in your mind, threatening to unpeel you entirely. Threatening to unpeel every layer of vulnerability towards an old friend from childhood. A side of you wanted to be comforted by him. Wanted to let out everything you've been holding and burdening your family for quite some time. The other side practically begged you not to, to just keep it inside and let the bottle of emotions, of secrets to break all on its own. Which side were you willing to go with? To express everything that had come to happen. Or let it bottle you and try your best not to fear it or let it control you.