Experimental Magic ✔

Flesh & Blood

Markos took Misty back to the apartment where Meadow and Millie were waiting. As soon as they crossed the threshold, Millie and Meadow rushed to Misty and bombarded her with questions. Misty appreciated that they were so concerned, but at the same time, she found it overwhelming. It had been such a long night already and with the state Markos was in, it felt like the tip of the iceberg.

"I'm fine, really. I just need to sit down."

Misty pushed past them and then flopped down on the couch. She put a hand over her throbbing head. She had cried herself out, and now she was dealing with the aftermath. Every part of her body ached and she was both physically and emotionally exhausted. The worry of what Markos would do compounded her existing problems and added to the ache in her head.

Her mind kept jumping from one side of the fence to the other. Her heart was at war with itself. One half of her heart was as scorned and hungry for revenge as Markos. It hated Scottie and everything he did to her. It wanted to add flames to Markos's fire and build it up until it burned Scottie and everything he stood for to the ground.

But the other part of her heart, the side that was naive and vulnerable, still cared for Scottie. It craved to believe him and prayed that he would prove her wrong. The other half of her heart wasn't plagued with the pain of anger, but rather by something else entirely. It was watching your fruitful daydreams turn to barren nightmares. It was feeling all your faith and hope slip through your fingers like coarse grains of sand. It was heartbreak. And in a way, it was so much worse. Because the blood that beats the broken heart is warm with love forsaken.

"Are you okay here, Miss?" Markos said, pulling Misty out of her inner thoughts.

She looked around and saw that Millie and Meadow had moved next to her and were watching over her. Markos stood behind them, his face hard and stern.

"Um, yeah," Misty said somewhat hazily.

Her emotions were spinning her around in circles, making it difficult for her to concentrate. But then she saw Markos nod and head towards the door, and a heightened awareness shot through her. Markos was leaving, and she knew exactly where he was going. He was on the hunt for Scottie.

Misty jumped up from her seat, but she didn't try to stop him right away. She was at odds with herself. She was stuck between the boy who held her heart and her vengeful brother, who meant well, but was often misguided. She didn't want to choose. But maybe she didn't have to. Maybe she could save them both.

"Wait," she said, pulling him back by his shirt sleeve. She looked him deep in the eyes and whispered, "what are you going to do?"

Markos could hear the concern in her voice. For a brief second, it gave him pause. A tiny flicker of sanity flashed in his mind. There was a light that showed through the darkness of his anger that made him second-guess himself. But he was too far gone. Darkness had him in its clutches and it wasn't going to let go. It wrapped it's bony fingers around that tiny bit of light and dragged it back down into the depths of hell.

"Don't worry about it."

Markos turned away sharply, his anger returning in full force. He walked out on Misty, slamming the door behind him. This was no longer just about Scottie. It was everything. The Assembly. Their refusal to help his dying sister. His parent's unjust punishment. All the years of torment his sisters had to endure. And Scottie was the culmination of it all. The walking, breathing representation of all his life's hurt in the flesh. And Markos was out for blood.

***

Music blared through the speakers, the beat bumping and shaking the walls. Smoke billowed up from the floor as colored strobe lights flashed and bounced off the ceiling. Scottie's friends were all on the dance floor letting loose, while he was slumped over the bar. He tossed back the last of his drink and then slid his glass towards the bartender.