Tempest // Sebastian Sallow

Chapter 34

CW: A bit of blood and gore in this one, please take care

Sebastian sat with the idea of the relic for three long days and three sleepless nights.

There was a lead... but it sounded barbaric. Impossible.

But by Wednesday, the thoughts that it might work when Anne had said in her most recent letter that the house in Feldcroft was almost cleared out overtook anything else in his brain.

His sleepless and stressed out state hadn't gone unnoticed by Ominis and Rosie, both of them making attempts to talk to him which were quickly shut down.

But Sebastian Sallow's girlfriend had quite the hold on Sebastian.

She yanked him by the tie after yet another Arithmancy class where he bounced his leg and didn't work with her on the class content like he'd promised he would when he asked her to take on the class.

He stumbled after her, the tie around his neck getting tighter as she pulled him through the corridors until she found an empty classroom.

Once she was sure they were alone and shut the door behind them, she released the chokehold she had him in and stood before him, looking utterly terrifying and yet still as beautiful as ever which had Sebastian feeling a swirling of conflicting emotions deep inside him.

"What?" He asked casually. So casually that it had Rosie almost wanting to launch herself at him and strangle him.

"What do you mean what?" Rosie asked, almost shocked that he was feigning ignorance. "You've been weird all week! Is it Vincent?"

"No! I'm just... I'm stressed out a little about Anne and them moving from Feldcroft, I guess. What happens when the curse does take her? Would he even bother to tell me? Would he let me know?"

"Surely he would..."

"No, Rosie. He wouldn't. He'd put her in the ground before he even thought to tell me."

"Sebastian..."

"Am I wrong? Tell me I'm wrong."

Rosie stared at him, eyes darting back and forth between his own. Sebastian was angry. He was sad. He was upset. He was scared.

"I can't tell you what I don't know." Rosie said softly.

Sebastian clenched and unclenched his fists, his frustration almost bubbling to the surface. So Rosie reached out and gently placed his hand in her and squeezed it.

"Sebastian, I understand this is incredibly difficult for you, but I promise, I won't let–"

"What can you do, Rosie? You can't do anything right now."

Sebastian's bluntness cut through Rosie like a hot knife, his words slicing through her deeply and making her breath catch in her throat.

"Seb..."

"I'm sorry, Rosie... but it's true. You, Ominis and even Anne can't do anything. He won't let you do anything." Sebastian sighed, watching the brightness dim from her chocolate brown eyes as he spoke. "Please, I love you but... I need to do this on my own, okay?"

Rosie nodded, trying hard to hide how much it hurt her that Sebastian was seemingly shutting her out, not letting her help him as much as he knew she wanted to.

But he didn't deserve Rosie. And she didn't deserve to be dragged down the dark path he needed to tread carefully to find this cure. Rosie deserved a happy and content Sebastian. The Sebastian that could give her his all, every single piece of him.