The Fox and The Wren

29

"What the heck is she doing here?"

Ester continues to stare at the ground, tears threatening to spill at any moment as she takes in a shaky breath. Miku squeezes her hand and whispers into her ear, "Remember what I said earlier, Essie. It's alright, they'll understand."

She lets out a breath and looks up, her eyes showing no signs of malice whatsoever, the scar over her eye on full display. Only pain, sadness, regret, could be seen on her face as she opens her mouth to speak.

"I guess, I can start with why I'm here." Ester closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before letting it out.

Miku rubs her thumb over her hand and nods her head a little, giving the older the reassurance that she needs to continue. "Miku and I thought that I should tell y'all something important."

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"Genie." Genevieve slowly nods her head to show that Ester has her attention, Damien right behind her. "Karol is planning something, something bigger than anything that she has ever done before, and I'm terrified. I'm scared for your safety, that she'll go too far this time and I won't be there to stop it."

Damien opens his mouth to interrupt but is silenced by Miku glaring at him with her dark eyes. He sighs inwardly and crosses his arms over his chest, his icy eyes glaring back at her. Since when did they become so close? Just yesterday she would have been glaring at the girl beside her.

Ester continues to speak, her words flowing freely now. "She usually tells me all of her plans, but the only thing she's said is that it will happen during the last few days of school, and it's already the final week. I wish I knew more, so I could do something to prevent it. Heck, I would even take the brunt of the beating for you."

Genie's eyes widen in shock, and she has to blink a few times to comprehend the last sentence that Ester spoke. She would, take the beating for me?

Her voice comes out shaky and soft. "Is that why you have..." Genevieve points at her own face and then at Ester's, and the other girl nods her head, looking away. Oh, my god... she got that, from protecting me?

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Damien, Shinji, and Jacob take a closer look at Ester's face before she glances away, and they see it. The long, jagged scar that spans from her brow bone all the way down to her cheek. Shinji and Jacob are speechless, their glances traveling to the ground.

Damien looks over at Miku, mouthing the words, "Karol did that?" Miku nods her head, her dark orbs glassed over in what looks like anger.

She mouths something back, "Yes, and I want to hurt her so bad for it." He smirks a bit, nodding his head in agreement, before they go back to listening to Genie and Ester's conversation. They definitely have something going on if Miku feels the need to protect her.

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But, why? Tears start to form in the corners of Genie's eyes, a few of them trailing down her cheek. "But, why? I thought you hated me. Why would you let yourself get hurt, scarred, for someone you don't even care about?"

Ester slowly moves her gaze back towards Genevieve, her eyes showing nothing but remorse. "I've never said that I hate you or that I don't care. Yes, I've said some things that are probably a lot worse. For all those words I've said, for all those horrible things I've done to you, I want to say that I'm incredibly sorry for it all. If I could take it all back, I would. So quick."

Genie's tears start to flow more freely, falling from her face to the floor as Ester continues to speak.

"I know that we aren't, and possibly never will be, the best of friends or even acquaintances, and you don't have to accept this apo-" Ester's words are cut off by Genevieve's arms wrapping tightly around her torso, pulling her into a tight hug.