NO MATTER HOW MANY CRAPPY MOMENTS had occurred in Maddie's life, this was definitely the worst. That night, she'd been sobbing on that damn coffee table for a few hours past nightfall when the stout goblin waiter offered Maddie a dozen more magic donuts if only she would leave.
She hadn't realized he had been there the whole time, and was even more surprised by what he was – a goblin; jade skinned, elf eared, stout, dressed in a brown robe, with an upturned nose and the height of a small cherub.
His fingernails were surprisingly clean, his eyes so glossy and shining they looked like glass. Not only did he have a gleaming smile, but a brilliant map of golden tattoos ran up his arms, curling towards his eye.
Maddie had never seen anything like it.
She took this as her cue to go, dabbing at her eyes with a cloth and trying desperately to snatch back her dignity. However, the walk home was even more miserable. Yes, walk. Alex had sent her multiple where are you?s and pleas for replies – all of which Maddie'd ignored.
Then he was gone, and she regretted her negligence more than anything.
Miserably, Maddie walked down sleets of ice as she shivered, the crisp winter air nipping at her skin. School was tomorrow. Magic was real. Evil breathed in our toxic air. She'd have to face Lucian. A reality check.
It was then that the daunting events of the day slithered into Maddie's mind like the sunset's rays creeping into the reflection of the ocean, or a spark of fire in solemnity. Like a convulsion, erratic and uncontrollable, her mind was buzzing, the gears churning with a torturous groan, all these sudden bolts of electricity sending her nerves whirling.
It bothered her so much. That wispy, shrieking figure, creeping out a young boy's cracked lips. Death death death. Graves, wars, horror, she was repulsed. Bubbling poison, darkness, shadows, emptiness, it was a flood, she was drowning. And the spirit of the boy hovered over her, floating. She could see it. His strangled screams, bottled breaths.
The murky ocean in his eyes roaring against the shore before evaporating all together as darkness took his life. The sky had collapsed, and he'd been buried underneath. He'd been snuffed out like a candle wick on a girl's birthday. One wave, one scream, one milky light to the end. That was all.
It could have been for me, too – one wave, one scream, one milky light to the end. One bullet, one blood-stained dress, one gaping hole in my heart.
Arriving to her room, Maddie collapsed onto her bed. It was past midnight, she'd have to go to school, and she wasn't sure she could afford to pay the price of hysteria. Luckily for her, MIC had cleaned the entire room when they'd sent her a note. Perhaps Sonia was a clean freak. Or perhaps it was pity.
Walking to the bathroom, Maddie splashed her face with cold water, slipping into her bed clothes. Then, drew the blinds, shut the lights, and crawled under the duvets. The process of falling asleep was slow; she couldn't stop thinking about it all.
It was taking over, and by the time she felt even remotely sleepy was when the birds perched on the sill began to chirp. In what seemed to be the blink of an eye, the rosy sun had graced the universe with its presence, splashing oranges, pinks, and reds into the stretch of sky.
The blaring alarm of Maddie's phone rang, and with a groan she got up from her bed. Rub, rub, rub. But the dark circles remained, with her cracked lips and pale skin. The only thing in order was her hair, still relatively straight and silky soft.
She left it out, flinging the doors open to the closet. Her eyes scanned the perimeter before landing on a pink flowy skirt which stopped at her knees, and she chose a floral top and white sandals to match. Less glam than usual. It didn't bother her at all, surprisingly.
Grinning in the mirror (only because she looked fucking great, for a sleep deprived and driven insane teen) and rummaged in her drawers before clasping a pair of gleaming earrings in her hand. Once they were on, she lined her waterline with white eyeliner, a smile tugging at the end of her lips.
Maybe if she looked the part, she'd be alright. No wavering fear in the creases of her skin as Lucian walked by, no tears welling in her eyes. Beautiful, and deadly. Just like she'd always been.
Perhaps she could avoid too many stares, shrug off the impertinent remarks about what happened the other night, slipping past her friend's fingers to escape their confrontations.
She'd have to try.
A bell sounded at the door. Alex was here, leaning against the walls of the gate and peering up at her room, searching for any sign of a catastrophe. But Maddie was ready to go, and in a matter of moments was clambering into the car, after stuffing her backpack and computer in the trunk.
Alex glanced at her; she looked to be fine. Still, that didn't mean what had happened last night was okay. No texts, no calls.
He waited patiently for her to look up at him, before he said, "What happened?", and suddenly the sun's rays had burst into oblivion from her face, the light of her small smile gone and the dark creeping in.
A few words, and Maddie was back to her broken self.
Barely a broken breath caught in her throat, the words swimming up to her lips before evaporating into her mouth. With the tilt of her head she broke gravity in half, her long hair the only curtain between them. Blood rushed to her face.
"I'm sorry I didn't return your calls." she whispered.
A roar, anger, a flame. It clawed at Alex's ribs, but he didn't want to frighten her. He could imagine her flinching, his guilt threaded into his skin, tightening around his throat. Anger was the devil inside of him, the callous of his fist and the lion's roar from his screaming lungs.
But he was not like that anymore. I am not that boy anymore. No longer was he the raging, the violent, the vulgar. That was Lucian. Alex was not like Lucian anymore.
So he soothed his lungs with the balm of Maddie's and his mingling breaths, and nodded. No questions. It was best to leave it all as it was; Maddie wouldn't be willing to open up anyways.
There was nothing he could do, and he drove in silence, past the whirring trees of New York, until they reached the looming, gleaming glass tower that was White-Oak Academy.
The sign on the facade had a large, clear logo, shining and glittering in the sunlight. Rugs of velvet green stretched across the vast entrance area, a trickling fountain before the grand gateway. Rose bushes and fuchsia petals lined the edges of the perimeter.
Hell.
Suddenly, dread pricked at Maddie's sides like pins. God, she hated the place, with its stupid cheery students and the roses scattering the benches. Its dumb teachers, incorrigible campus and just about everything else. It was gorgeous but evil. There was no way she was going back.
Maddie turned to Alex. "Turn around. Hurry, turn around. Don't you dare park, Alex, don't you dare, are you serious–"
Alex smiled. A melody of amusement replayed in Maddie's ears, his laugh, the twinkle in his eyes. At first, the dread had disappeared; then, in its place came anger.
"You think you're so hilarious–"
At this, he nodded, still stifling a chuckle. He swung open the car door and retrieved her backpack from the trunk, throwing it at her. A scowl graced her features. Profanities left Maddie's lips as she lugged her computer case miserably on her shoulder.
"It won't be that bad," Alex muttered, laughing once again. His prior anger had diminished at Maddie's fiery demeanor. He'd never seen her this aggravated, except for when her heel had snapped last year.
Madison huffed under her breath, following suit as Alex began walking. They'd only set foot on the grass when Maddie let out a small no no no.
In the distance, Alex spotted Camille and Annika, laughing together. Nothing seemed out of order: except for the fact that Madison wasn't in charge. This time, she wouldn't be strutting through the hallways like a star. She was to say hidden, unnoticed and invisible amongst the others.
But of course, that would never happen to Maddie Dominic. Never was she going to pass by unnoticed, never leaving the trail of whispers behind her, always waiting as the seconds would bleed into minutes and the minutes bleed into hours, a millennia of heartbeats she spent gawked at by the social hierarchy.
So, hours later, in her fourth class, Maddie was still being watched. Hawks of students, devils of gossip. How could she have thought she could go unnoticed? After the other night?
She hadn't been left alone a second of the day. Camille, Annika, Elle, all trailing behind her, trying hard to catch her. The tap tap tap of their heels as they almost ran to her, before Alex pulled her into another corner, another maze of students where she hoped she'd never be found.
Yet, like always, she was.
It was Elle. Alex had a hold of her most of the time, but, as Maddie popped into the washrooms during a class, Elle appeared, emerging out the shadows with a pitiful frown painting her lips.
"Maddie."
Maddie snapped back, glancing behind. Unsettled, she turned back to the sink she had stared at dismally whilst washing her hands. The pouring ripples of water splashing against the granite sink were the only sound in the room; the girls held their breaths.
"You can't act as if I'm not here." Elle muttered.
"I just did." Maddie snapped in response. Grabbing a paper towel, she scrubbed furiously at her hands before opening the door to leave. Elle shoved her sparkly heels in front of the door, unexpectedly aggressive.
Inside, Maddie was panicking. What was she going to do now? She couldn't hide forever. Not with so many of them practically hunting her for answers. Couldn't they see she didn't want to let out her deepest, darkest secrets? They haunted her already – she couldn't bear their reactions too.
"Was it Lucian?"
Maddie froze. The dread ran through her, almost freezing her veins as it flowed. Her face was a sickly pale, a moon-like glow and blue-lipped frown. Biting cold nipped at her from everywhere, every inch of the air pricking at her soft skin. Gravity split in two as she let out a small sigh, shattering.
At this, Elle nodded. Glowing, blonde straight locks reaching down to her collarbone shook as she bobbed her head up and down. "I knew it." The orange lights of the toilets cast dancing shadows onto the hollows of her cheeks. For a moment, she seemed scared. Her fingers instinctively reached down to toy with the ends of her sky blue dress.
For a moment, Maddie wasn't sure what to say. How Elle had figured it out, she couldn't tell. Also, why was she being nice about it? Maddie knew that she herself wasn't nice – not to Elle, or anyone, really. She didn't deserve pity, or even a caring friend.
Elle smiled softly. After a moment, she let go of the door from the clutch of her sparkly heel, placing a jewel-clad hand on Maddie's shoulder.
"You'll be okay, trust me."
With that, she was gone. An aura of warmth suddenly having disappeared. A lot of times, people left Maddie. A few times, days like these, it really stung.