School for Good and Evil: The Successors Book One: Anastasia's Tale

Chapter Seventeen: What Would Have Happened?

"How could you?"Her father seethed.

He did not look like the man Anastasia had left behind. He was ruined. His eyes black with bags, his face losing it's color. Black tears stained his face. Anastasia couldn't tell if he was dead or alive. She pushed him out of her head but Filip came right behind.

"Too tear apart our family!" Filip hissed.

"Get out of my head!" She yelled into the nothingness, but he never left.

Soon her mind was filled with all the people she had hurt and all the people who had torn her heart into two. Clarrisa, Merlin, Evangeline, Ash, Hort, Agatha, Tedros, Filip, and finally her mother. All their screams and wails filled her mind. She saw Tedros, blue tears ran down his face matching his piercing blue eyes.

"I thought you were better than this Anastasia."

Agatha sobbed gold tears as she buried her head in his shoulder. Everything seemed to slow as Anastasia was flooded with realization. What would have happened if she would have forgiven her mother, that night so long ago? What? She knew she wouldn't be in this room slowly losing her mind, she knew that she would have never known Caleb the way she did, she knew she would never have changed. Sophie would love her. Mother and daughter, together as one. Everyone finally at peace. No, the world would never be that way for Anastasia no matter what universe she lived in. No matter what choices she makes. Even if she fixed all the mistakes she had made, corrected every single tiny detail. Her life would still be a game. Which she skillfully would make her way through with smiles and laughs, not showing any sign of breaking, any sign of weakness. Her knees left her chest and the world went cold once again. Her ears started to ring as she sprawled out onto the floor and closed her eyes. The blackness that covered her eyes seemed deeper. Like an ocean you can never escape. An ocean of death. She felt her fingers loosen from their fist's, the muscles in her face relaxed. She let her neck hang with a sigh. Was she dying? Or had her body finally had enough. She didn't know what to think, but why did it matter. Everyone eventually ends up with maggots eating away at their rotting flesh as you bask in death's glory. Forevermore. 

"Aren't you tired," she heard a girl ask.

Anastasia felt a smirk creep onto her face.

"Evangeline," she chuckled.

"That's me," the raven haired girl replied.

Anastasia didn't open her eyes but she could still see Evangeline's tall figure looming over her like a shadow. The door was pulled halfway open and the light of the hallway pulled Anastasia's eyelids open. She heard the hustle and bustle of the Malice tower.

"What do you want?" Anastasia said, the taste of blood still in her mouth from earlier.

"I've been looking for you for days, I could never get a straight answer from anyone so I came looking for myself and I find you here, lying on the floor. Dry blood in the corners of your mouth and your dress halfway on," Evangline shook her head.

Anastasia studied the strange creature in front of her. She looked different, older, more mature. Not the strange girl she had met so many months ago.

"I've come to take you back," Evangline said with a smile offering her hand out to her.

Anastasia scoffed.

"Do you have no brain? Are you stupid? Why would I go back with you?!" 

Evangeline crossed her arms.

 "Because I'm your friend," she replied.

"I'm full on friends at the moment," Anastasia replied, studying her dagger.

She turned away from her. Evangline knelt down onto the ground and placed an ice cold hand onto Anastasia's feverishly warm head.

"You're burning up! You look as if you haven't eaten in days," Evangline exhaled slowly and clicked her tongue.

Anastasia felt her hair as her arms stretched to meet her head, it was tangled and knotted. She made her way down to her chest, her ribs sticking out, her stomach non existent. She racked her brain for memories of other people she had seen in the past few days but the only one she could remember was Caleb. His handsome face stuck out like a sore thumb in her thoughts.

"He'll come back," she thought to herself.

"Come on let's go," Evangline tried to pull Anastasia off the ground.

Anastasia clenched her teeth wildly and slashed Evanglines arm with her dagger.

"Are you deaf? blind?" Anastasia seethed.

Evangline said nothing.

"I'm not coming back with you! Or anyone."

The strong willed girl Evangline was when she had entered the dorm room disappeared. Replaced with the girl she used to be.

"I thought-."

Anastasia pushed herself off the ground.

"Of course you did!" Anastasia said, stalking towards her, "only a fool would."

Evangeline clenched her teeth showing off her deep set jawline.

"Get out."

Tears stained Evangeline's cheeks. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out Anastasia pushed her into the door and Evangeline fell into the light of the hallway with a thud. Anastasia threw the rose Caleb had given her, it's leaves wilted with no hope of coming back.

"I really thought you were different," Evangeline shook with sobs.

"Stop crying," Anastasia scoffed.

She leaned into Evangeline and kissed her softly on the cheek.

"Something to remember me by," Anastasia sneered.