Companion Song:
YOUTH by Troye Sivan
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My youth, my youth is yours
Trippin' on skies, sippin' waterfalls
Runaway now and forevermore
A truth so loud you can't ignore
My youth, my youth, my youth
My youth is yours
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An invisible, strong push makes my body fly off Harriet. All the air in my lungs empties, and my head hurts from the crash. My vision gets blurry, and I expect the torturer to kill me, too.
But instead, I see a flash of dark green hair. I hear running and banging and a shout from the warlock. And then it's quiet.
When I can move my body again, I take a giant breath in before coughing and looking around. Kneeling next to Harriet is Akuma. The warlock is unconscious at the top of the stairs, and Harriet is alive!
"I had a feeling you were going to do something stupid, so I followed you," he says with a smile, "I'm sorry I waited so long to help. I just didn't have an opening until then."
I have no idea what's going on, but Akuma helps me up. Then we help Harriet up. She looks bad even though she says she's okay.
All three of us walk up the stairs slowly, still unsure if the man will wake up and hurt us again. We tiptoe around him and huddle around his head. Akuma puts a finger to his lips to make sure we stay quiet before pulling the hood back carefully.
His face is round and puffy like he stuffed too many walnuts in his mouth as a kid, and he has no eyebrows. The only hair on his head is the dark red buzzed mohawk that fades into his skull. The rest of him is just... normal.
So many ideas run in my head at the same time that I don't even know what to think. My mind just feels numb, and I'm more lost than ever. None of us recognize him. We've never even seen him before, or even anyone that looks familiar. He's unconscious, so I know it's not a spell disguising him. And his clothes don't seem enchanted. He's a complete stranger.
My mind reels because I have no idea how he even knows me and how he was able to send me messages to kill Harriet. I have no idea why he kidnapped Rex to torture him. None of it makes sense, but we don't have time for that right now.
Harriet and Akuma cover up his face again, and I'm glad because it was creeping me out. But the hood doesn't help as much as I thought it would. I just want to get out of there as soon as possible, so we get up and push the door open at the top of the stairs. I take a deep breath before walking through, and the smell of sweat floods my nose. Rex is slumped unconscious over in a chair under the light bulb that's swinging back and forth, just like my visions. And just like my visions, he's tied up in chains with bruises and streaks of blood all over him.
I rush over ignoring the pain in my ankle and start to pull at the links before Akuma or Harriet even get inside. By the time they make it next to him, I already have half of them off. And when I finish throwing the heavy black chains off of him, Akuma shows me a vial half filled with a cloudy black liquid.
"Aconite potion," Harriet says, "Whoever that guy is knows what he's doing."
I know from my Magical Remedies class that it stops thropes from transforming, but it also causes immense pain because it stifles the magic that makes them transform. My heart hurts for Rex and my eyes get cloudy with tears, but I don't let the emotions take over me this time.
I stomp my foot to fight back my nerves and pat his cheeks gently. They are clammy and cold, almost like a piece of raw meat. A shiver runs through my body, but I try again...
And this time, Rex wakes up!
His eyes open slowly and he smiles weakly, but he's alive and awake, and that's already more than I could have wished for. I smother him in a hug, being careful not to press too hard where he's bruised. But my tears don't have the same control. They drop all over him, scars and cuts and wounds, showering him in them. I hug him tighter and whisper, "You're alive. You're really alive," over and over again.
Harriet pulls me off him and says, "We have to get him to the school nurse." It's obvious Rex doesn't have the energy to hold himself up, so she gives him a quick hug before lifting one arm. Akuma gets on the other side, and they both raise him up to his feet. When he lets out a quiet whimper, they adjust him. And then we all look towards the door.
Thinking about the warlock again makes my heart beat faster, but I lead the way outside. My hands shake, and my chest feels like it's going to explode. I don't know if I expect him to attack again. I just hope he's still knocked out long enough for us to get away.
But when I pull the door open and step outside, he's gone. There's no trace of his whip-wand or his hood, no sound or evidence that he was ever there. He's just gone.
As confused as we are, we make sure he really isn't there before rushing out as fast as we can. I limp down the stairs, and the others follow me. We go through the set of doors back to the room with the maze walls, and before I know it, we're outside with the chirping birds and eery quiet. We don't stop to look back as we turn onto the sidewalk and leave the factory behind.
Rex whimpers every few steps whenever Akuma and Harriet walk out of sync, but there's nothing any of us can do about it. I'm just an unborn vampire. Harriet is too tired to cast a spell that would help him, and the spells that Akuma knows aren't the type that heal other people. So we limp on slowly.
My heart keeps shifting from pounding fast to beating normally, and I feel more lightheaded with every step. All I want to do is lie down and cry. My fingers are jittery, and I can barely think. But I keep going, and the others keep following.
It takes us almost ten minutes to reach Old Rev. Tom's church, or maybe it takes us a lot longer or half that much. I can barely tell time or space or anything at all because everything fading in and out. I don't know for sure. I don't know if the faint shouting I hear when we pass the building is real. I don't even know if I can trust my eyes when I see Old Rev. Tom himself standing in front of me asking, "What happened to you kids?"
Akuma answers him in words that I don't hear, and the old reverend hobbles back into his church. I turn to leave, but a hand on my shoulder pulls me back because the others are all still waiting for something.
Akuma's voice finally reaches my ears again. He asks, "You okay, Ivy?" and I nod, not really sure if I believe myself.
Reverend Thomas comes back out with four different potions in his hand and gives one to each of us. When I take it, my mind clears, and I start to feel better immediately. It's like I jumped into an invisible spa that massages all my aches and pains away. I can finally focus on what's happening around me again, but it only goes so far. I still feel the pain in my ankle and sides, and my head is still filled with worry.
Akuma seems like he's perfectly fine now, and Harriet looks a little better, too. But Rex is just as bad as he was, so Old Rev. Tom tells us, "Come inside, I've already called the school to send someone to get you."
The streaks of blood on Rex are still leaking in some places, and it's obvious he needs help as soon as possible. There's no knowing what the torturer did to him. I can't help but think we might lose Rex - I might lose Rex - right after getting him back. It almost makes the daze I was in earlier come back, but the potion keeps working.
"We can get back faster if we don't have to wait for anyone," Akuma tells him.
Old Rev. Tom seems a little annoyed by Akuma's reply, but he doesn't fight back. He shouts, "I'll be right behind you, so go on!" before going back inside the church.
By the time we make it through the fog again, the sun is on its way down, and Rex looks worse than ever. The sky turns an orangey purple before we pass Star Lake, but sights of the castle make me smile. We can make it in time. At least, I hope we can.
Twenty feet past the lake, Rex stops moving his feet. He doesn't pass out, but he's nothing more than a floppy piece of meat and bones. Every time Akuma and Harriet try to stand him on his legs, he collapses down into their arms again. It's like the sun was keeping him alive. And every inch it lowers in the sky is an inch closer to death he goes.
Harriet tries to carry him for a few steps, but she's too tired and too small. I'm even smaller and just as tired, so I'm no help. Akuma tries to carry him alone for a while but it slows us down too much, and Rex vomits all over the ground because of the position he's being carried in. There's no way we can get to help before something permanent happens to him...
But we still try.
We take turns desperately trying to lift him. We trade places and awkwardly carry him together before we drop him a few steps later. We do everything we can, but the sky keeps getting darker faster than we can walk.
My voice is too hoarse to reach the people near the castle, and none of them seem to notice us. When Akuma shouts at them, it looks like one of them finally hears us. We even see a hand raise in the air. But it turns out to be a wave to another student, so we trudge on a for a few more steps before Akuma shouts again.
And this time we hear a shout back! It's from behind us, and I couldn't be happier. Even if I didn't recognize the voice, there would be no way I wouldn't recognize the slick movements of that felinthropic lynx. Murie bounds right up to us, apparently done prowling the forest to clear her mind.
She doesn't notice Rex at first and almost jumps onto me for her usual leaping hug, but when she catches a glimpse of his blood-covered body, her burst of questions starts.
"We'll fill you in, but we need to get Rex to Mr. Gregory before he gets worse," Akuma cuts her off.
She closes her mouth, and looks at Rex with her big yellow eyes for a second. Then she grabs him from Akuma, and they rush off towards the castle. Harriet and I try to follow, but we're both too hurt to keep up, so we make our way slowly behind them as they grow smaller in the distance.
Just as soon as they disappear from our view, Old Rev. Tom shows up behind us. He's out of breath from running to catch up to us, but he doesn't wait to breathe slower before asking if Rex is alright.
"Akuma and Murie took him to Mr. Gregory," I tell him, finally able to talk a little more again.
"What about you?" he asks, giving us a look over.
Both Harriet and I give him half-hearted nods, and he helps us the rest of the way. We're close enough to notice the stares from other students by then, but he ushers us into the hallways, past the Wyvern dorms, through the auditorium, and up the ladders towards the offices of the administrators and teachers. The letter C on the first door to the right is the last thing I remember before opening my eyes in the castle's clinic a few hours later.
The air in the room is warm and cool at the same time. A magical breeze keeps it from becoming too cold or stuffy. According to my Magical Remedies textbook, it's supposed to keep germs from infecting other people. Someone discovered it a few years after the overt world discovered diseases weren't caused by miasma.
The bed is just as comfortable with soft and smooth sheets and a pillow that feels like angel feathers under my head. The blanket isn't very thick, but it feels like a hug that I never want to be released from. Even the mattress seems to suck me in just enough to feel like it was shaped around me but not enough to feel like I'm trapped. I feel like I'm floating on a cloud in heaven.
It feels so amazing that I forget how I got there for a few seconds, but realization sparks eventually. And I sit up to a view of Rex sleeping across the room in a white bed of his own. Unlike mine, though, his is surrounded by glowing magical objects which keep track of how he's doing.
I want to know if he is alright or if he will get better soon, but I know disturbing his rest isn't going to help. So I just sit there and watch him sleep. And my mind wanders to the daydreams I used to have of him all the time, us sitting on a sunny mountaintop having a picnic while feeding each other and laughing at who knows what. It fades into the hug and kiss we had on our first date, and the way he carried me to The Big Score. Even the memory of how he was sleeping next to me after our night together seemed much more pleasant now.
I don't know if it's just because I'm relieved to see him alive or the bed which I didn't think was magical before, but none of my memories with him feel bad, not the tattoo, not the fight, not the lifeless body in the classroom. It all just seems so long ago, and the only thing that matters is that I have Rex back.
Mr. Gregory the school nurse comes in quietly and gives me a smile. He's carrying his usual wooden cane that he uses as a wand. "I'm glad to see you awake," he says, sitting down on the stool next to my bed, "You gave us quite a scare, but lucky for you, most of your suffering wasn't magical."
I give him a thankful smile. He has one of those faces that make it obvious he cares about your well-being, and his voice sounds like it was made for cheering people up. And the combination of both is the icing on top of my heavenly bed cake.
"A quick fix for your sprained ankle and a few potions and balms to help you feel better were all you needed. Go ahead, try rotating it," he says while pulling the bottom of the sheets up to my knees.
I obey and spin my foot around in every direction I can. It feels perfectly normal with no bruises or swelling at all. If I hadn't felt the pain from it earlier, I wouldn't have believed it was ever hurt.
"How's your head?" he asks me afterwards.
I shrug and tell him I feel fine, and he puts his hand on my forehead just to be sure.
"And your chest?" he adds, nodding and jotting down some notes.
I'm not sure why he'd be asking about that, so I blurt out, "My chest?"
He smiles at me warmly before explaining, "I'll take that to mean you are fine. You were beat up pretty badly when you came in. Bruises on your skin and bones. No cuts or snaps, though, so that was good."
I have no idea when I hurt them, but everything happened so fast during the fight. I'm shocked I even made it back alive. It was such a stupid thing to try to do without actual adult help. But I'm not going to admit that to anyone.
"What about Rex?" I ask, looking at him.
Mr. Gregory turns to look at him and replies, "He'll be alright. We're just keeping an eye on him, but he was lucky to get help in time."
It's not the best news I could have heard, but it makes me happy anyway.
Mr. Gregory hands me a vial of cloudy light blue potion and tells me to drink the whole thing. "You'll be free to go after the restfulness potion works it way through you. Sleep for a bit," he says before patting my ankle, replacing the sheets, and leaving me alone again.
I think about walking around for a while because I know the restfulness potion will take some time to kick in, but Harriet shows up to check in on us.
We give each other awkward smiles, and she stands halfway between Rex's bed and mine. Even though we helped each other in everything we just went through, we were never friends. I want to thank her for it all, but it all seems so awkward now, all the silly fights and all the stupid name calling.
In the end, she was the only one that believed me, not the headmaster, not Rex's friends, not my friends. It was only Harriet, and I don't know how to feel now that it's all over.
"How are you?" she asks me quietly while looking from me to Rex. I notice her smile fade into a frown when she turns her face away, and it just makes me more confused about how I feel.
"I'm okay," I tell her, "Mr. Gregory said I can go later today."
"Oh" is all she says, and we look at each other for a while. Her green eyes seem to shine in the light, and her blonde hair has a luster on it that makes me a little jealous. After what we just went through, I don't know how she manages to put herself back together so easily, so perfectly.
"I'm sorry," I say before I realize what I'm doing. Harriet gives me a weird look, but it's too late for me to take it back now. And I really am sorry for the way I acted towards her. "About... about getting in your face about Rex..."
Harriet turns to me fully and opens her mouth like she wants to say something, but she closes it again. She walks over to the stool next to my bed and sits down before grabbing my hand. It feels less soft than I remember it. Maybe the factory did affect her.
"I'm sorry, too," she says in a soft and kind voice, "For being jealous about you and Rex." She look me straight in the eyes and says, "But if it wasn't for you, he wouldn't be alive right now."
"I just don't get how this all happened," I blurt out again, "Like, how was he dead and what happened to that body we saw."
"A potion made from diluted ketu venom. It's so hard to make and takes so long that no one even thought to consider it," she explains.
Ketu venom makes so much sense I can't believe I didn't think of it before, either. Normally it would paralyze you and eventually kill you, but if you're careful to take just a tiny enough amount, you could paralyze someone and make them look dead without actually killing them. Then you could switch out the body with a fake one or even an illusion once everyone's done their examinations. Why would anyone go through that much trouble for Rex? I wonder, but Harriet breaks my train-of-thought.
"Your friend Akuma was the one who figured it out," she adds.
I know she doesn't have the best opinion of Akuma because of his dad, but I can tell that's changing. I just nod, and she turns to watch Rex sleep again. His breathing is slow, and the magical objects are glowing steady colors, but he's going to be alright. I just know it.
"You know," Harriet says, turning back to me after a while, "This whole thing between us was just so stupid. I broke up with Rex. I shouldn't have gotten in the way."
I don't know how to take it. Before this year, I always thought Harriet was the perfect girl, someone I could never be like, so beautiful and smart and talented. But this year, I hated her more than I've hated anyone else. And now... now I don't know how I feel. She's still so amazing, and the reason I hated her makes so little sense to me now.
"I... I feel so stupid about everything. I got jealous and got into stupid fights," I reply, "I'm... I'm sorry."
Harriet gives me her first smile that's not awkward between us. "Can we just put it behind us?" she asks.
I nod with a big smile creeping onto my face. I don't know why, but it feels like everything just got a little brighter and the air got a little lighter. I lean in to give her a hug, and she puts her arms around me tight.
"Thank you for saving Rex's life," she whispers before giving me a quick kiss on cheek.
We pull apart and look at Rex again. We don't say anything, but it's not awkward anymore. We just sit together watching him sleep.
I don't know how much time passes, but we eventually hear footsteps outside quickly shuffling to the door. A few seconds later, a woman bursts into the room followed by a man who looks like an older bearded version of Rex.
Mr. Gregory walks in after them, and they gather next to Rex's bed. "You can wake him if you'd like, but please don't keep him too long. He needs rest," he tells the couple before leaving them with their son.
Rex's parents are so focused on him that I'm not sure they even notice that Harriet and I are in the room. But neither of us disturb them. They need time to check on their son, and I'm sure they want to talk to him. And part of me is just as excited as his parents to see Rex awake and alright, anyway.
Rex slowly opens his eyes when Mr. Troffel taps his shoulder. At first his face looks confused. Then he winces after trying to move too quickly. And finally he says in a hoarse and groggy voice, "Mom, Dad."
Mrs. Troffel immediately throws her arms around him and hugs him like his life depended on it. She is on the verge of tears and she's shaking, but there's a giant smile on her face. Mr. Troffel put his hand on top of Rex's head, then on the side of his face. It's obvious they both love him so much.
I can't imagine how it must feel to hear your son died and then to hear that he's alive and back. It was hard enough for me.
"Mr. Gregory tells us your injuries aren't too deep," Mr. Troffel tells Rex, "But the aconite potion will take some time to recover from." He frowns and sits quietly for a few seconds.
In the meantime, Mrs. Troffel smothers Rex with kisses, tears falling from her eyes.
"We'll get to the bottom of this," Mr. Troffel continues, "I'll catch those bastards if it's the last thing I do. We'll get the whole damn agency after them, just watch."
Mrs. Troffel stops kissing and hugging Rex to calm her husband. "They'll find them," she reassures him while Rex gives him a smile and a nod.
Mr. Troffel sighs and replies, "Just rest up, son. And focus on your studies. Leave the rest to us." He brushes Rex's long hair out of his face, leans in to kiss on the forehead, and stands up.
Mrs. Troffel hugs and kisses Rex again, saying, "You need to rest. We'll be back. I love you." Then she hands him two vials of potions that Mr. Gregory made for him.
Both of them turn to leave but stop to look at us before they go. I am so absorbed in watching them that I don't realize they are talking to Harriet and me.
"I'll let your father know you're well," Mr. Troffel says to Harriet, "That was a very foolish thing you did, but you are your father's daughter." Then he gives me a nod and begins to walk out the door.
Mrs. Troffel comes by to give Harriet a quick hug and kiss before surprising me with a tight hug and kiss, too. "Thank you," she whispers in my ear while hugging me, "Thank you for bringing my Rex back to me." Then she follows her husband out the door.
I don't know why, but it makes my eyes teary. As happy as this all is, it seems too unreal. Actually, the entire thing seems unreal, the visions, the fake dead body, the torturing, the warlock, all of it. I shiver, and a couple tears fall down my face.
I quickly wipe them off, and Harriet asks if I'm alright. I just smile and nod at her. I really am fine, even if everything still feels unreal to me.
"I only made it because of you," Rex says, startling me while I'm lost in my thoughts, "Thinking about you the whole time is what kept me alive, Ivy."
I don't know how to react. I want to jump out of my bed and run across the room to his. I want to jump into his arms and hug him and kiss him and never let go. But my body won't move. All I can do is stare at him with a stupid look on my face.
My heart beats faster, and I feel like I'm sweating and out of breath. This is just another thing on top for everything that feels unreal. But I know this is real. It has to be.
When I don't say anything, he adds, "You were what kept me fighting."
He looks at me waiting for an answer, but I just don't know how to respond, not that I could if I wanted to anyway.
Then he looks away and looks at Harriet. His expression changes into something like embarrassment or sadness, something awkward. And I realize he probably didn't mean to say it while Harriet was still in the room.
"I..." I start to say, but I don't know where I'm going with it.
I look at Harriet and she looks completely heartbroken behind her fake smile. It just makes it that much harder for me to say anything. If this was a few days ago, I would have laughed in her face. But we've been through so much since then. Now it almost feels bittersweet.
She stands up and pats my arm before giving me another smile. This time it's less sad, but I can tell she's hurt by Rex's words. Then she walks out, and I look back at Rex.
He has a slightly embarrassed smile on his face, and his hand is rubbing the ends on his hair. He's so beautiful when he's vulnerable.
"I just had to tell you, so you would know. I owe you my life," he mumbles.
I can't stop myself from blurting out, "I thought you still had feelings for Harriet?"
Rex doesn't say a word. He just smiles at me lovingly. Then he nods his head slowly.
I feel a rush of emotion that I can't describe, but it feels good. No, it feels amazing. I can feel the giant smile on my face trying to go wider than my face thinks is possible, and my whole body wants to shout and jump for joy.
But just as quickly, the restfulness potion from earlier starts working on me. I fall back onto my soft pillow, and the last thing I see before closing my eyes is Rex drinking his potions and lying down, too.
A noise wakes me up from the most perfect dream I can't remember anymore. Part of me wants to fall back asleep, so I keep my eyes closed. Part of me wants to stay asleep here with Rex forever, but the potion has worn off.
Another noise forces me to open my eyes. The ceiling is enchanted to show pastel colors that flow into each other. It's beautiful in the low light of the setting sun. I stretch and sit up to see if the shuffling sounds I heard were Rex.
But what I see makes my heart stop.
Huddled in a familiar hood is a large man with a whip in his hand, bending over a sleeping Rex. I scream before I know what I'm doing. I thought the nightmare was over, but it feels like it will never end.
The warlock that tortured Rex in the factory turns his angry face to me and raises his whip. He's gnashing his teeth like I've ruined everything for him, and I can tell he won't just knock me out this time. He's going to kill me.
I scream again as I see red sparks forming at the end of his whip-wand. I see Rex wake up with a horrified look on his face just as one of the sparks shoots towards me. It's like everything's in slow motion, some clouds are randomly sprinkled through the window looking outside, a couple students are talking and exchanging papers on the North Lawn, Rex is clutching his chest and curling into a ball, the monitors around him are flashing wildly... and Mr. Gregory is at the door with his own wand, firing a stream of clear liquid in my direction.
I cover my face trying hoping I don't die there so suddenly, so helplessly. And my wish is granted when Mr. Gregory's spell reaches me first. A giant bubble surrounds me, and the red sparks gets absorbed by it. A second later, a similar bubble surrounds Rex.
Everything returns to full speed, and the warlock growls as he gets ready for another spell. Before I can even hope that Mr. Gregory does something else, he runs out the door without a word. And my heart sinks. And my body racks with anxiety. I can barely catch a breath.
The warlock releases a thick stream of red light from his whip-wand. The sound of crackling thunder is deafening, and part of the bubble protecting me turns a bright yellow. I don't know how long it will hold before he gets to me.
The open door shows that no one is around. All the administrators have gone home for the day or are probably at dinner.
I turn back to Rex, and he's still curled in a ball. His fingertips look a little bloody, and I can hear him screaming. He's trying to force a thrope transformation even though the aconite potion hasn't left his body yet. I can't imagine how much it must hurt, but it only makes me sad because it will be too late. He won't be able to get out of his bubble, and mine won't hold forever.
The yellow spot on my bubble cracks.
Then a million yellow cracks appear all over the protection bubble, and I know it's over. I'm going to be dead in a few seconds.
A giant boom happens when it finally shatters and evaporates into thin air. I don't bother covering my face this time. If I'm going to die, I'd rather see exactly how it happens. I've accepted my fate... But it never happens.
Before the warlock can release another spell, I hear Headmaster Grundel's booming voice cast a spell like a roaring lion. A giant ball of bright white fire flies out of his mouth and hits the other warlock, sending his crashing into the wall first, then onto the floor.
Mr. Gregory is behind the headmaster, and he raises his wand to help, but Headmaster Grundel motions for him to stay back.
I look at Rex and he's stopped trying to force a transformation, but his eyes, ears, and nose are bleeding just like his fingertips. I want to run across to him, but his protection bubble is still there. So I jump off my bed and huddle behind it instead. Mr. Gregory comes to my side and blocks me from the battle.
The warlock starts to get up, but Headmaster Grundel casts another spell faster than I can blink. This time, jets of lightning shoot out of his fingertips, and the torturer yelps in pain. Before the man can recover, Headmaster Grundel casts a third spell to turn his hand bright red and grab the man's neck, burning the skin like fire itself.
"Speak," Headmaster Grundel commands him, "Who are you and what do you gain with the death of this child?"
The warlock coughs growls, but he doesn't say anything. He tries to spit at the headmaster, but it just dribbles down his chin.
"Speak to me," Headmaster Grundel says again, "Or speak to the authorities. They will not be as kind as I am."
The torturer starts to say something, but it's too quiet to reach me. All I do hear is the maniacal laugh afterwards. Then I see him bite his tongue so that green blood pours out of it. At least, I think it's blood before I realize it's a suicide spell.
Headmaster Grundel lets go of him when he swallows the green liquid, and a few seconds later, the man falls forward on his face, dead.
I'm not really sure what happens after because the feeling that everything is so unreal comes back. Headmaster Grundel asks me and Rex some questions about the warlock, and I don't really pay attention to what I'm saying. I don't know why this warlock kidnapped and tortured Rex or why he wanted me to kill Harriet or why any of this happened at all, but I know it's over. Anything that's left to do will be done by the police or maybe even the Agency of Magical Investigation.
Headmaster Grundel seems pleased with my answers and takes his leave, reassuring me that this time it really is over. And we can finally get back to our normal, boring lives.
He lifts me back into my bed while Mr. Gregory checks on Rex and gives both of us a couple more potions to drink.
The next thing I remember is feeling fine again, cuddled in Rex's arms on his bed. The bed feels like heaven. Rex's chest feels better than the amazing pillows and his arms better than any blanket that could ever be enchanted.
"It feels like I just woke up from a bad nightmare," Rex says quietly, "A really bad nightmare."
I look up at him and ask, "But you don't know who he was either?"
Rex shakes his head and shrugs his shoulders. "I thought I heard him talking to someone a few times when I was in... in that room. But he was just crazy. He mumbled to himself all the time. I think he just needed to make the voices in his head stop," he says smirking at me.
I roll my eyes at his horrible joke and hit him lightly. "I'm not crazy, you jerk!" He just laughs, and I add, "If I was crazy then everyone would have been right about you being dead."
Rex stops laughing and looks at me with kind, serious eyes. He gives me a soft kiss on top of my head, saying, "Thank you for not being crazy, Ivy Madrigal L'stonia Sable Wiles."
The way he says it... maybe I don't hate my name so much after all.
* * *
Harriet was pouring through her school books trying to catch up on the classes she missed when one of her friends burst into her room to tell her that the torturer had somehow snuck into the school grounds and attacked Rex and Ivy.
"Are they alright?" was the first thing she asked, and her friend told her that Headmaster Grundel had easily overpowered the other man. Neither Ivy nor Rex had been hurt or even scratched, other than Rex trying to force his transformation.
Harriet let out a sigh and stared at her book. She lost the paragraph she was reading, but it wouldn't help finding it anyway. Too many thoughts were running through her head at the moment.
She thought about rushing back to the clinic to make sure they were fine, to make sure Rex was fine. But she was already behind on her work, and exams were already on her mind.
And then it hit her... She was thinking about what was best for her instead of rushing to an ex-boyfriend in the hopes of... what was she hoping for by seeing him anyway? She already knew he was alright.
So this must be how it feels to finally be fully over someone, she thought, And he could do much worse than a girl like Ivy, as immature as she is sometimes.
"Thank you, I'm glad," Harriet told her friend before returning to work.