IT HAS BEEN A WEEK SINCE VICTOR ARRIVED...
We were eating lunch now and sitting with me at my table were Mal, Ben, Evie, Jay, Carlos, and Jane. We were conversing lightly laughing at something Jay said when Victor sat with us after getting his lunch carrying it on a tray. He smiled and said "Hey guys"
Suddenly everyone was silent. I smiled at him but everyone else just nodded nonchalantly at him. Seeing this, I sigh and motion Victor to sit next to me. The gang still couldn't warm up to him except for Ben. But then again, knowing Ben, he was just being nice to Victor.
We all eat our lunch in pindrop silence as no one seems to want to say anything. Its been like this for some time now. The gang was always awkward around Victor but I can't wrap my head around the thought of why. There was an evident aura of gloom and suspicion passing along them.
In an attempt to break the tension, Ben tries to make a conversation.
"So Victor right?" Ben asked him. To that Victor nodded his said.
"What's your last name?" Ben further questioned.
Victor looked like he was giving it a thought. He glared at his food looking to be in full on concentration. The group looked at him incredously. He couldn't remember his last name? Victor sighs then faces Ben.
"Well, the funny thing is, I don't remember. All I knew when I woke up is that I am Victor and I needed to look for Hyacinth" he answered propping his elbow on the table and resting his chin on his palm picking on his food.
Ben frowned at this. "Don't you remember anything else?" He asked.
Victor sighed. "Well, I remember I was a Captain. I had a hook on my hand, and since I am reborn I guess I don't have that anymore. And I remember I died because my ship got caught in a storm"
Just then, Henry joins us at our table with his food on his tray and his girlfriend alongside him.
"Hey Henry!" I greeted him with a smile. He smiled back like the ray of sunshine he usually was.
"Hey Hyacinth!"
He sat beside me and his girlfriend sat beside him. People would say we act pretty friendly compared to other exes but we did break up on pretty good terms. Then, right beside me, I feel Victor tense up. I glance at him to find him a bit pale and his breathing a bit ragged. His fists were clenched, holding on tight to the edge of his seat. He was also perspiring a bit nervously. He fixed his blank stare on his food.
With a concerned expression etched on my face, I put a gentle hand on his shoulder which he jolted at. He glances at me with his eyes full of worry.
"Are you okay?" I whisper to him in a gentle voice. This seemed to soothe him as his tense muscles relaxed a bit and his shoulders drooped down. He sighed lightly then nodded silently before saying "Don't worry, Im fine" he tried to smile but it looked strained.
Henry noticed Victor as he glanced beside me. He pat Victor's shoulder with a bit too much energy and force that made Victor hit the table in front of him, making the table jolt a bit.
Victor gulped a bit and I could sense his tense and worried aura come back as Henry greeted him with a smile.
"Hey dude! Haven't seen you around. Are you new? How long have you been here?" He asked Victor.
Victor gulped nervously before struggling to maintain his cool composure. "Oh, I'm new. I've been here for about a week now" he said. His voice was a bit shaky and he seemed like he struggled to keep it firm and strong.
I raised an eyebrow at this wondering what the Underworld was up with him.
"Cool. What's your name?"
"Oh its uh, Victor"
"Nice to meet you Victor, Im Henry, son of Hercules. Say since you're new, how about I show you around later? You got any plans?" Henry offered kindly with a warm smile. To this my heavy heart lightened. Finally someone was being friendly to him. The rest of my friends have been closed off and cold to him. Even Ben, who I could tell, was just being polite out of obligation.
Victor put his arm around me presumably because he needed confidence and strength. For some reason, Henry scares him.
"Actually I do. Hyacinth and I are going out later"
To this Henry raises an eyebrow. "Oh really?"
I nodded my head. "Yeah sorry Henry but I made plans to show him around Auradon first" I said with a smile.
Henry shrugged being chill about it. "Oh well next time then"
"Uh yeah. Next time" replied Victor who to me, didn't sound like he wanted a next time at all.
Henry suddenly shoots Victor an incredulous look. He had a look of confusion and a bit of reminisance on his face.
"Hey Victor you seem pretty familiar. Have I met you before?" Henry asked him.
Victor visibly tenses up even more so. "Uh no. We, uh, haven't met until now. Maybe you just passed me by in the hallways" Victor says slowly as if carefully calculating his next words.
Henry looked sceptical for a second but then decided to let it go returning his focus to his meal. Victor stood up.
"Well then, I have to go" he says before turning to me. "I'll see you later?"
I nodded smiling. "Yeah. See you later"
He bent down to plant a soft kiss on my cheek before taking his things and waving good bye. I wave good bye back probably with a stupid grin on my face.
"See you around my dark angel"
"See you around Captain" I reply mocking a salute. To that he gave a small chuckle then he was off. Then it was only me and the gang left on the table.
Mal sighed. "Hyacinth" she called out my name. Her voice, tone, and body languange said she was being serious as was everyone around her including Henry and Ara his girlfriend.
"Yes Mal?" I asked confused as to why they were acting this way.
"You should stay away from him" she said. Her words shocked me more than Zeus' lightning bolt ever could.
"Excuse me?" I retorted now glaring at her. "I did not go through a thousand years lonely and searching for him just to be told to stay away from him!"
"Hyacinth please just listen to us" Evie said with begging eyes.
I sighed exasperatedly. I can't believe them. "Fine! Im listening, so talk!" I hiss out.
"Hya, there's just something too off about him" Evie says.
"There's this inkling feeling inside of me saying that he's lying and he's up to no good" Mal continues.
"Besides Hyacinth, he comes off as sketchy. I researched on all data I could find about this Victor but I could find nothing, not even a gift certificate. Isn't that a little suspicious to you?" Ben suggested.
"Of course you would find nothing because he is reborn. I thought he made that clear to you guys! He's my past lover and he's reborn. I would have dreams about him every night except his face is blurred!" I shot back defending Victor. I can't believe my friends were acting like this. I thought they would be happy for me?
"Wait, he said he was reborn?" Henry asked but his question was ignored as Carlos starts to speak.
"Hyacinth, who in the right mind just goes up to a girl and says that they are their past lover reborn? Besides you said his face was blurred. How can you be so sure that Victor is the same guy in your dreams?" He asks in high superstition against Victor.
"Carlos is right. Its all too freaky H" Jay says defending Carlos.
At this, I pause and frowned. Carlos did have a point. Just because he shows up and claims to be the Captain, how can I be so sure he is the Captain?
"But, I'm pretty sure he's the Captain that shows up in my dreams. I mean, I never told anyone about the Captain. How could he know about the dreams unless he was the Captain?" I voice out my thoughts to them in utter confusion. Everyone took it in and seemed to be considering this thought.
"But Hyacinth, have you heard of dream hackers?" Ara asked.
I turned to her surprised to hear her say somethig after a long time of being silent. I raised an eyebrow. "Dream hackers? What's that?"
"Well its like your usual computer hackers except they hack people's dreams to see what people are dreaming about. They do it through magic. Children of Hecate have been known to be unsurprisingly good at this but Hypnos children are pretty good too. Its all dark and privacy violating to be honest" Ara explained with a look of distaste showing that these kind of people weren't exactly the best.
My heart dropped to my stomach and my fac blanched as Mal voices out my exact thought.
"What if Victor was a dream hacker? And he hacked into your dreams?"
I shook my head wildly as I felt my heartbeat go wild. I clenched my fists tightly as my breathing went haywire and I tried my best to calm down. I could feel a cold shiver down my spine and not the good kind. Its the kind you get when you're a prey being chased down by a predator.
"No. No it can't be! It shouldn't be!" I whisper shouted. I couldn't accept it.
Henry places a comforting hand on my shoulder that helps me calm down. "I'm sorry Hyacinth but it might be. No one comes back from being reborn and says they're reborn. Did you forget?"
At this I looked at Henry with fearful eyes and nodded my head beckoning him to continue. Henry sighs deeply, his expression dark and grave.
"Hyacinth, no one coming back to life by rebirth knows they're reborn"