welcome back to the book from ur girl who's bad at updating !!!
anyways enjoy more backstory to this big old thing. a few more and we FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED TO EVERYONE.
also just to be mean: is kellin dead in the present? did vic manage to bring him back? and if he did? what price did he pay for it? oh well.
-
1917.
Five months before.
"IT'S HIS FAULT," Dan screamed, pointing an accusatory finger right at me. "I ONLY GOT CAUGHT BECAUSE-"
"Because you're an incompetent wizard," I chirped back in a bored voice, turning my gaze back to my nails. I was hovering in the air, as if I was lying in a hammock but obviously there was no support beneath me. Just my body floating seven feet in the air, trying my best to ooze this calm, collected exterior and it certainly was working. My nonchalant breeziness was pissing the already on edge Dan Keyes off.
And I loved it.
"Excuse me," he spluttered out in shock, his eyes bulging in his head.
I shrugged, "your incompetence is excused."
Dan's face quickly turned a few shades darker, his fists clenching by his side in obvious anguish.
"Now Dan," Ryan said calmly, trying to soothe his friend's nerves. "Just tell me what happened - without shouting."
Dan sucked in a breath, ripping his gaze from mine and trying to calm down. "I was coming to meet you, like I do every Wednesday, by the water tower."
"And you got detention instead," I drawled.
"Because of you!" Dan screeched, snapping his attention back to me. "Who else knows exactly which route I take and when-"
"Not me, Danibear," I said grinning slightly, rolling over so that I hovered now on my stomach, my legs kicking slowly behind me as I rested my chin on my palms. "Unfortunately for you, I don't pay so much notice to what you get up to."
"You're just jealous of me," Dan spit in my direction, shoving a meaty finger in my direction again. "Because I have what you want."
I stopped kicking my legs abruptly, my eyebrows raising. "And what's that, darling? It certainly isn't your looks or personality - and well, your spell casting is average, now isn't it?"
Dan fumed and I laughed, practically being able to see the smoke coming out of his ears.
"You're going to regret this, Fuentes," he spoke harshly.
"How you gonna do that honey?" I smiled. "You going to try and project your stupid string of thoughts into my head?"
I tapped my temple with my finger, letting my legs swing aimlessly again. "I blocked you out remember? It did take me a while, but I'll always - always - be better than you Daniel."
"Not when it comes to the thing you want most," he smirked.
My interest sparked, I couldn't help it so I bit. "Yeah, honey? What's that?"
"Kellin," Dan replied swiftly and now he laughed, noticing how tense my jaw suddenly became.
"Kellin?" Ryan said, unsure of himself. "Why would Vic want..."
Ryan knew that his boyfriend and I had some sort of feud - he had assumed that both of us were just threatened by the other's magical abilities. He didn't know it stemmed farther than that - that for some fucking reason Dan was out to get me. I still couldn't figure out why Dan was so intent on ruining my life and I was beginning to think that it had to do with the fact that I had mastered something that he thought made him unique.
But he was right in a sense. He did have what I wanted. He had successfully driven Kellin away from me and I couldn't bring myself to even be around the other boy now since he just ignored me for Dan.
"Is this why you and Kellin are fighting?" Ryan asked. "Because of you Dan?"
"No, that's not it," Dan replied.
"Then what? Why would Vic want Kellin? It has to be because they're in some sort of fight. I do know about it so you don't have to lie."
"It's not like that," Dan began. "Vic is jealous because Kellin and I are just better friends."
"Friends?" Ryan said harshly. "Are you sure that's all it is?"
"Yes, why would there be anything between-"
"Because as I recall a few months ago," Ryan snapped, his tone suddenly bitter. "You bragged about kissing somebody that was apparently Vic's love."
Dan swallowed uneasily, the warning tone evident in his boyfriend's voice. I lowered myself back to the ground, suddenly feeling the tension rising and not wanting to be a focal point.
"And I thought that maybe you were just saying it to goad Vic," he continued. "I went against my better judgement and I ignored it."
"There's nobody for me but you-" Dan began.
"That's fucking bullshit," Ryan mumbled, his throat closing up and betraying him. "Now again all I hear is you have somebody Vic wants." Ryan turned to me, his eyes fiery and at the same time cold. "It's Kellin isn't it? You like Kellin don't you?"
I couldn't speak but it didn't matter anyway - Ryan was still talking.
"I thought it was Danielle," Ryan said. "I thought she got to you too Dan. I could forgive you for her, I know the draw she has on people - but Kellin?"
Ryan's voice rose threateningly. "My best friend? What did you do then? Hold his hand? Kiss him?"
"It's not me who should be on trial," Dan spluttered. "Vic's the one who-"
"What gave you another fucking detention? I don't care! How many is it now?" Ryan snapped. "Six? Seven? Eight that he's given you? I. Don't. Care. It does not measure to what you did."
"I didn't kiss Kellin!" Dan said desperately. "If I did - wouldn't he have told you? He's your best friend you said it yourself! He'd never betray you."
But did he?
It was a silent question, projected directly at Dan. I had torn myself to bits after the conversation with Dan a few months ago when he'd revealed he'd kissed Kellin. I couldn't handle thinking about them together and it was that night that I made sure to perfect my wards. I did somewhat, blocking Dan out entirely whenever I wanted to.
Dan's face turned to a scowl and it was enough of an answer for me. My heart steadily sank back into my stomach.
"I don't know about any of you anymore," Ryan said into the air. "I thought you were all my friends but -"
His eyes met mine and I felt myself cave a little under his gaze.
"Brendon," he continued, "you, Kellin... it's like I don't even know your names let alone who you guys even are anymore."
"Ryan I never did-"
"But you knew," Ryan pointed out. "You knew Kellin kissed him and you didn't tell me. You let me date him for months knowing what he did and-"
Ryan looked at me and his anger just rose more and more. "FUCK BOTH OF YOU."
"Ryan-" Dan and I protested but Ryan looked at both of us menacingly before flipping the middle finger at us and floating up into the air, flying toward the school building.
"Way to go, Fuentes," Dan sighed.
"Me? You can't possibly think this is my fucking fault," I snapped. "You're the one who's unfaithful."
"You bet your damn ass," Dan said, letting out an unexpected and bitter laugh. "And I'm going to find Kellin and be super duper unfaithful tonight."
I tensed. "I don't fucking want to know."
"It's easier now that I can manipulate him," Dan shrugged. "It makes all of our interactions easier. I can still hear him whining for you in his head though, that's annoying but-"
"You manipulate him?" I interrupted, looking at Dan in disbelief.
"Oh don't worry," Dan replied easily. "It's not like he knows. Everything we do together he thinks it's because he wants to do it. I mean yeah, I'll admit it kind of does eat away at him a little bit inside and he can't really figure out what that nagging guilty feeling inside of him is but-"
"You manipulate him?" I snapped, my voice rising. "So all the things you guys do - it's not consensual?"
"I mean it's not like he says no," Dan laughed uneasily, not quite understanding why I was so upset.
"Because you don't give him a choice!" I yelled. "How can you be manipulating him? How could he not know?"
"He doesn't think that I possess such a gift," Dan's eyebrows raised in curiosity. "He doesn't know I can do anything else besides conjure fire and water."
"So he thinks that it's what he wants to do?.... But then... why would - oh my god he's not aware - he doesn't know what you're doing to him so he can't combat it," I mumbled, working it out with every word I spoke.
"Combat it?" Dan said. "What are you even talking about-"
"You're why he's been so... off... lately," I blurted. "It's not me, it's you!"
"What are you even on about-"
"He's been so depressed and I could never figure out why," I was speaking in a rush. "And it's you! I thought it was me, I thought all his feelings about me and how I feel about him is just an inner conflict but you're the one doing it to him!"
"I'm not doing anything," Dan replied, "didn't you hear me? He thinks he wants what we have."
"I couldn't figure out why he'd ever betray Ryan like this and it all makes sense," I mumbled. "He can't figure out why everything you guys do is something that he thinks he wants and he simultaneously feels so guilty and torn up about it."
I was speaking more to myself than to Dan at this point but I no longer cared. Suddenly the thought of the other boy was making me so tense I could've burst like an overstretched balloon. He was forcing himself on Kellin and Kellin didn't even know it. He didn't know how manipulated he was being to do things he didn't want to do.
No wonder he'd been so hostile towards me. He was so caught up in all of this that his outlet had been me. Not to mention that Dan had been goading him along by taking him places where Danielle and I were. He'd been hurt by the fact that he liked me so much and seeing me with somebody else produced enough confusion and sadness for Dan to prey on.
I was going to rip Dan apart for this. For hurting him like this.
I stretched my hand out, never touching Dan but imagining my hands were clasped tightly around his biceps. Dan must've felt the tightened ghost grip on his arms and panicked, knowing I was going to fling him into the abyss.
"Vic? Vic, okay so I know you liked him," Dan began in a panicky voice. "But you can have him back! I won't manipulate him anymore I swear."
"You hurt him," I said roughly. "You're the catalyst for why he's gone into such a dark place. You - you manipulated him into thinking he was giving consent when he really wasn't."
"Vic we never did anything though," Dan pleaded as his arms stopped circulating blood. "I promise you all I did was kiss him-"
I extended my palm out, sending Dan flying across the field. I teleported closer and grabbed Dan by his collar, pulling him up almost till he was standing again, despite the fact that his legs were dangling uselessly beneath him.
"You thought you were strong enough to take me on," I said, my voice eerily calm. "And you were so fucking wrong. Look at how easily you crumbled."
"Vic," Dan's voice was desperate. "Vic, I promise I'll leave him alone."
"Well let's make sure of that," I said dangerously. I raised my fist, putting a surge of magic behind it - intending to pummel Dan's face in and break the bones beneath his skin.
"VIC," a voice screamed behind me. "VIC STOP."
If I didn't know the owner of that voice I wouldn't have listened - that's how far gone I was in rage. I never would have turned around to see Kellin's shocked face as he sprinted toward us.
"Vic stop," he said, more gentler as he approached us. "Vic, put him down or you'll get sent to the dungeons."
I reluctantly lowered Dan's weeping body until he was kneeling at my feet.
"He's been manipulating you," I said slowly, my voice still gruff and angry.
"I... I um... I heard... what you guys were fighting about," Kellin said slowly. "I-I-I didn't know he could even do that."
"I should kill him for hurting you."
"Don't," Kellin mumbled. "They'll only send you further away and torture you."
"I'll never see you again," he added.
"Why would you care?" I turned to him, wondering where all of this was suddenly coming from. "You've been ignoring me for months. You wouldn't so much as look at me! You hate me."
"I don't hate you," Kellin sighed. "You know that I don't. I just..." Kellin motioned vaguely to Dan's crumbled body before me.
"He made me think a lot of things," Kellin blinked. "I was so confused for so long and hearing him admit everything he did to me to you... it just makes a lot of sense of all the things I've been feeling."
"I should have known he was hurting you."
"Don't do that," Kellin said, his voice creaking. "How could you have known? I've been so horrible to you lately."
"Are you still mad?" I asked.
"I'm still hurt," he admitted. "I've never been mad though. I just can't stand to see you and Danielle together. It's been killing me. I thought I could move on with Dan but turns out... he's been just as destructive for me."
I didn't know what to say. It was on the verge of my lips to tell him. I love you, dumbass! Can't you see?
Maybe things would have been different if I had just said it. Maybe a hundred wouldn't have passed between us before I admitted it. Maybe we could have spent that century with each other, with all of our friends beside us.
"I'll see you around," Kellin mumbled instead. "I'm sorry. I wish this changed things but I-I still can't be around you. Not with the way things are - not with knowing that you know and still... still don't feel the same."
"I'm sorry-"
"Don't be," Kellin shrugged. "It's not like it's your fault."
He looked at Dan and his gaze didn't even turn sour. He remained neutral and if I didn't know better, I would have thought he didn't care.
"Fuck you Dan," he said to the other still whimpering boy. "Fuck you for taking away so much of me."
I never discovered the extent to which Dan went with Kellin, but from the way the other boy blinked away tears - it was enough to tell me it had been a lot. Maybe not everything, but almost.
Kellin looked at me for a moment, before sniffing and walking away.
I just watched him go. The words sitting in my throat but not wanting to come up.
I looked down at Dan, kicked him in his face - no doubt breaking his nose in the process - and went to look for Danielle.