It took Japeth three long, tedious hours soaking in the tub to rid his body of the foul odor that stuck to him courtesy of the stink bomb Rhian and him had had the 'pleasantry' of encountering.
Japeth and Rhian had arrived back to Camelot by early morning, Sophie and Agatha in tow. As soon as they stepped foot on Camelot grounds, Rhian had had Agatha sent to the dungeons much to Sophie's despair who couldn't stop calling Rhian names after that. (Fortunately, Rhian had some guards lock Sophie up in her room so nobody would have to endure her insufferable crying any further).
Japeth had made a beeline straight for the bathroom, ignoring Rhian even as he tried to coax him into having breakfast with him. Japeth would rather be alone than to dine with his brother during that time, especially when he smelt like dung and was worn out from the tiring journey the brothers had gone on to the schools and back.
That's how Japeth found himself submerged in the bubbly warmth of bath water, scrubbing at his face viciously like he were trying in vain to claw his eyes out. Perhaps, clawing his eyes out wouldn't be so bad if it meant Japeth didn't have to gaze upon his brother's face anymore. But going blind wouldn't shake the image, the very memory of what Japeth had seen back in the School for Evil.
Rhian had been such a follower when him and Japeth had gone to capture Agatha. It felt strange to Japeth, having Rhian follow him when it was Japeth who had been doing the following all this time. The obliviousness of Rhian was something Japeth would've found hilarious if it weren't for the deep secret he was keeping from his twin.
There was a reason the gates parted for the two brothers, and it had nothing to do with Sophie's blood but rather their father's blood. But if Japeth had told Rhian that they shared the same blood as the School Master, he'd freak. Japeth would probably have no choice but to kiss any hope of ever getting Aric back goodbye if that happened.
If Japeth knew anything for certain, it was that not seeing Aric again was a sin worse than death.
Japeth felt a prickle of animosity towards Rhian. Not that that hostility wasn't there to begin with in the first place. In fact, that hostility had always been there, ever since Arbed House perhaps. There was always some form of tension between the two brothers that Japeth couldn't seem to shake.
Maybe that emergence of tension had developed from way back when their mother first left them. But it had to be because of Aric. While Aric had been the light in Japeth's life, his very reason to keep going, Aric had been the opposite for Rhian—A painful thorn embedded in Rhian's thumb, a pesky shadow who Rhian thought was probably filling Japeth's head with 'terrible' thoughts.
Japeth would've done anything to make Rhian see Aric in the way he saw him, but Rhian would never do that. He was far too stubborn, far too good to ever accept Aric as anything more than a monster.
Japeth sunk deeper into the tub as if that would hide his entire being from the world and as he did so, water sloshed over the edge and onto the pristine lion printed floor. The sweet smell of soap permeated the air, and after three hours soaking in the tub, Japeth could no longer smell the repulsive scent of dung that'd once stuck to him.
When Japeth raised his hands from the water and held them up to his face, he found his fingers were wrinkled, indicating he'd been in the bath longer than he'd expected. But even as the warmth of the water disappeared and the bubbles evaporated into foam, Japeth didn't get out. For a long time, Japeth sat there in that tub as the water grew cold and his wet hair began to dry.
Japeth's mind couldn't stop turning back to what he'd seen at the School for Evil. In the midst of chasing after Sophie, Japeth and Rhian had stumbled upon the Exhibition of Evil where many historical artifacts belonging to former students were held. Amongst the many objects that Japeth had seen—the first year arrival outfit Sophie herself had once worn, an enchanted mirror that belonged to the Frost Queen, and a pair of slippers that once belonged to Jack's Giant—there was only one thing that truly stood out to him.
When Japeth had first entered the evil castle, he would never expect to find anything but hundreds of tributes to Sophie herself and whatnot. But amongst the dozens of memorabilia of famous villains, Japeth surprisingly found the unexpected.
In that glass case was an object Japeth never thought he'd get to see with his own eyes. An object that once belonged to a boy who everybody labeled a monster. A monster Japeth saw as a friend.
It was Aric's whip. Japeth knew this because the whip had been labeled with a card that read; Leather Bound Coiled Whip belonging to Aric Of BloodBrook.
Japeth had wanted nothing more but to touch the whip, to take it for himself and keep it close—if only Rhian hadn't been there watching his back. A scowl crawled across Japeth's face as he thought of his brother—the very same brother who'd taken his love away from him. The very same brother who'd tried to tear him and Aric's friendship apart.
Angrily, Japeth flicked soapy water out of the tub where it collected onto the floor, forming an even bigger puddle than before. If Japeth wasn't too careful, he'd flood the bathroom.
But that was the least of Japeth's worries.
In an act of finality, Japeth arose from the tub and as he stood to his full height, water dripped down his back and trickled down the front of his chiseled chest. He didn't bother drying off and with a snap of his fingers, his scims tore at him from every nick and cranny of the bathroom, latching back onto his skin.
Japeth found himself approaching the mirror on the other side of the bathroom. His wet feet left trails of water upon the floor as he walked over. He halted before the mirror and rested his elbows against the polished countertop that held the sink bowl.
Japeth stared at himself in the mirror. The reflection of a boy stared back at him, blue eyes distant and cold and cooper hair a mess. Japeth searched the boy's face and found that deep within his blue depths was a haunted look. It was the look of a boy who hid secrets. It was the look of a boy who held more pain than he wished to let on.
And perhaps that was the undeniable truth. Because Japeth was in pain and he was keeping secrets from his brother. He was in pain because he couldn't shake the memories of the boy he never thought he'd live without. He was hurting deep down simply because of the fact that his best friend was now a ghost, a ghost he couldn't bury.
Whenever Japeth closed his eyes, all he could see was Aric's violet gaze and his familiar smirk he used to love so much. That's why sleeping came to be so hard these days no thanks to the nightmares Japeth would endure of his raven haired friend.
Japeth felt moisture build up in his gaze as tears pricked the corners of his eyes, threatening to roll down his cheeks. But he mustered up the strength to blink them away and turned away from his reflection.
There was no use in crying. After all, hadn't Aric once told Japeth that crying was weakness? And hadn't Japeth vowed that he'd be strong for Aric and mask his emotions?
Japeth took a steady breath to compose himself, struggling to banish the thoughts of his departed friend from his mind. At the same time, Japeth also tried his best to forget about the secret he was keeping from his brother. If Japeth's mind was too busy turning to Rafal, he was sure Rhian would notice his distance and suspect something was wrong.
Rhian's obvious suspicions about Japeth had to be eased because Japeth swore that if Rhian asked him one other question about Arbed or anything of that sort, he'd flip.
And Nobody definitely didn't need to see Japeth of all people flip out. At times, when Japeth got really heated, he'd freak out. "Tantrums" is what Japeth and Rhian's mother had said they were. Fits of rage that trapped Evelyn and Rhian both in a state of helplessness.
Japeth was all grown up now though. As a child, he'd get triggered by his mother not paying enough attention to him, and that's what resulted in him throwing his little fits. Fortunately for Japeth, he was no longer an adult and he could control his temper better than he could've when he was younger.
Japeth started out of the bathroom into the bedroom, his bare feet sinking into the golden carpet with each step he took. He found himself heading for the bed despite the raging thoughts plaguing his mind like a disease.
With a dissatisfied grunt, Japeth grudgingly flopped himself down upon the bed and buried his face in the pillows. The bedsheets beneath him felt soft to the touch and smelt fresh as if they'd recently been washed. But Japeth found no solace in the bed's state. In fact, his mind was too jumbled up for him to commit to sleep.
Nevertheless, Japeth tried his hardest to find some source of comfort within the warmth of those sheets, but all he could feel was a cold tinge crawl across his body, leaving him shaking in rage.
The fury curling around in Japeth's gut was so palpable in fact that Japeth couldn't bring himself to repress it any longer. With a terrible scream exploding from his throat, he clenched the sheets beneath him, his fingers curling into fists. His gaze burned once more as tears threatened to emerge from the corners of his eyes, and Japeth buried his face in the pillow in a sad attempt to keep them at bay.
"Boys don't cry," he whispered fiercely to himself, resorting to digging his fingernails into his arms until he drew blood. The pain grounded him to reality and gave him a brief sense of relief.
Japeth rolled onto his back to stare up at the ceiling above him. He curled his lip in disgust at the golden lion fixtures that dangled down from the ceiling. How ridiculous it was that the Snake's enemy had made his claim on Camelot around every nook and cranny of the Camelot palace. Seeing all the stupid lion chandeliers and lion themed furniture only made the Snake want to emerge from the depths of Japeth's mind.
Screw Rhian. Screw Sophie. Screw Japeth.
Yes. Screw Japeth. He'd let the Snake take over him if that's what it took to get Aric back. Hell, he'd let the Snake take over the whole of Camelot, if only to obliterate all these god awful decorations.
For a moment, Japeth did consider wreaking havoc through the palace, but he squashed the thought down. There was no reason to get worked up over some stupid decor. No reason to get worked up over a secret he was keeping from his brother, and certainly there was no reason to get angry about some whip that his deceased best friend had possessed months ago.
Somehow, despite his racing thoughts and barely restrained anger, Japeth found himself relaxing. His breathes ceased and his eyelids drooped before he succumbed to sleep.
~~ • ~~
Japeth didn't know how long he'd been asleep before he awoke with a start, jolting up from the bed to find that the bedroom was dark, indicating it must be nighttime.
He sat up in bed and rubbed his face.
Oddly enough, when Japeth had fallen asleep, he hadn't dreamt of Aric or anything unpleasant. In fact, it was the first night since he learned of Aric's death that Japeth hadn't dreamt. It'd been a blank slate as if Japeth's mind was too numb by his recent worries to conjure up any figments of Aric.
Japeth ran his fingers through his messy hair, only serving to make it even more messy. But he didn't care. He wondered why he'd awoken so startlingly and distinctly recalled the sound of footsteps.
By the present quietness hanging in the air, Japeth concluded that everybody in the place was asleep save for some Camelot guards patrolling the halls. Japeth figured it was some guard's footsteps he'd heard that'd awoken him. So he laid back in bed and attempted to close his eyes.
It was no use, unfortunately. Japeth was too awake now to go back to sleep, so he decided to take a walk.
Lurching up from the bed, Japeth stood up and started for the bedroom door. He headed down the corridor and passed the kitchens, his footsteps shattering the heavy silence.
Japeth soon found himself making his way up the stairs leading to the white tower, trying not to trip through the darkness. Luckily, there were a few flaming torches lining the walls, lighting a path up the stairwell.
Japeth slunk up the stairs like a snake in the grass and for a moment, Japeth fooled himself into thinking that was the case; That he was just the Snake prowling upwards in seek of his next victim. He'd already killed Chaddik, Millicent, Lancelot, and others...What difference did it make if he added a few more victims to his list?
Perhaps, it didn't make a lick of difference. But Japeth resisted the urge to release the monster brewing in his soul. For now, until he got Aric back, he had to be on his best behavior. He had to show Rhian that nothing was wrong so that way Rhian would believe it was their mother he wanted back and would grant Japeth's greatest wish.
Japeth had to be fine. He had to be...somehow.
As Japeth walked along, lost in his own thoughts, he scarcely noticed it when he wandered back downstairs, headed in the direction of the King's chambers.
He leant against a stone pillar as if mentally bracing himself for what was to come. But nothing was coming, or at least nothing was coming that Japeth was aware of...So why this mental preparation?
Deep down, maybe Japeth feared that he'd never get Aric back. He feared that all the lies he told Rhian would end up catching up to him and biting him back.
But it was that fear that would hold Japeth back from doing his duty. It was Japeth's duty to act as the perfect liege, the perfect eagle to Rhian's lion. He had to be Rhian's liege, even if he still saw himself as the Snake.
Japeth never thought pretending could be so hard. If anything, posing as Rhian's stupid liege was the worst thing Japeth had done in his life. Besides not going with Aric when his best friend had been banished from Arbed House...
Japeth gritted his teeth in an attempt to compose himself and his attention snapped to the long shadows stretching across the walls.
His icy blue gaze searched through the black and suddenly, a flash of movement caught his eye. He turned his head forward to watch a cloaked figure dart down the hall.
For a moment, Japeth thought it was a Camelot guard, but Camelot guards didn't wear cloaks like the figure had been wearing. Curious and Skeptical, Japeth crept after the figure to see where it'd go.
The figure crept down the hall, their steps tentative and quiet. They were obviously trying to be sneaky and not get caught doing whatever it was they were doing. But why?
Japeth couldn't tell whether the figure was a boy or girl even with a black cloak concealing every inch of their skin. Still, he continued to trail behind the mysterious figure as they drew closer and closer to the end of the hall.
Eventually, the figure stopped and turned towards a door. In the shadowy blackness stretching across the hall, it took Japeth a few moments to realize that this door was the door to the King's Chambers. The door to Rhian's bedroom.
Japeth watched from the safety of the shadows as the figure reached out a dainty hand beneath the sleeve of their cloak. The hand landed upon the golden doorknob and than the figure proceeded to turn it before they quietly pushed the door open.
Japeth's gaze followed the figure as they stepped into the bedroom and slunk towards the bed bathed in moonlight shining in through the window. From the moonlight washing over the King sized bed, Japeth glimpsed a body sprawled beneath the golden covers. The curve of Rhian's cropped haircut was visible for Japeth to see. He could also make out that Rhian's eyes were closed and that Rhian's chest was rising steadily up and down beneath the covers as he slept.
For a moment, Japeth felt a prickle of envy stab at his chest. He was envious of how soundly Rhian slept as if he didn't have a care in the world. Of course, that wasn't true. Rhian May be the king of Camelot, but he still had steps to take to become the One True King.
All Rhian had to worry about was getting the leaders to burn their rings and than marrying Sophie. And all Japeth had to do was pretend to be something he wasn't, to pretend he was fine when part of him was dead inside.
It was like Rhian had it all; glory, wealth. He could get any girl to fall for him with just a smile while Japeth had nothing but his thirst for bloodshed and the loneliness eating at him day in and day out.
But neither brother was truly satisfied with what they had of course. Rhian wanted power to bring their mother back because he thought it was what would make Japeth happy. Rhian wanted the power to grant others happiness at the cost of his own.
And what did Japeth want? He wanted love of course. He wanted Aric back even if Aric had tried to kill his brother. He wanted Aric back even if he knew Aric and Rhian would always hate each other.
Rhian's desires were selfless while Japeth's wants were quite the opposite. Selfish is what Japeth's wants were. Misguided, perhaps.
Japeth pushed his pressing thoughts from his mind and turned his attention back to the cloaked figure who had moved towards the bed to stare down at the sleeping king encompassed in the sheets.
In the darkness of the King's chambers, the cloaked figure hunched over the bed. Japeth scarcely made out the glint of a blade about to slice down into the covers before he finally comprehended that someone was doing an assassination attempt on his sleeping brother.
Japeth should've acted right than and there. But instead, he stood still for a long second, watching the blade draw dangerously close to his snoring twin. He imagined Rhian's eyes flying open the second the blade pierced his flesh. Through his shock of getting stabbed, Rhian would try to fight back, but the blade would come down again, piercing into him once more.
Japeth would watch the blood spill from Rhian's throat, soaking the bedsheets in crimson. The life would fade from Rhian's eyes and it was only through Rhian's death that Japeth would be reassured that the secrets he held would be kept truly safe.
Rhian would never know that Rafal was their father. Rhian would never know it was Aric Japeth loved more than he could ever love their mother. But most of all, if Rhian was dead, he would never learn how much power Aric still held over Japeth, even if he was gone. Rhian would never see the grief in Japeth's black hole of a heart or see the darkness brewing in Japeth's shattered soul.
Perhaps, if Rhian died, Japeth would feel finally free instead of trapped and lost.
But that was surely the Snake's thoughts, not Japeth's. The Snake was believed to be dead after all, and Japeth was no longer a monster because he was Rhian's eagle.
Japeth knew deep within him that he still loved his brother. Despite the way Rhian had tried to tear him and Aric apart in Arbed House and despite how Rhian had forced Japeth to say goodbye to Aric, Rhian was still Japeth's flesh and blood.
The same flesh and blood that had looked into Japeth's eyes and promised him that he'd bring his true love back from the dead. The same flesh and blood that had given Japeth hope when all had felt hopeless.
At this realization, Japeth felt the scims on his suit stir, coming to life as if they'd been awoken from a deep slumber. With deep catlike purrs that were strangely different from their usual squeals, scims peeled away from Japeth's scaled suit.
A scim shot off like an arrow and wrapped around the assailant's wrist to yank them away from the bed. The cloaked figure's cry of surprise was muffled by another scim that covered their mouth.
Rhian's would-be-assassin struggled to rip off the scim secured over their mouth and as they clawed at it with their free hand, the other scim turned knife sharp to dig into their wrist.
A trickle of blood oozed from beneath the sleeve of the attacker's cloak and although the attacker's face was concealed from Japeth's view no thanks to the hood draped over their head, he thought he recognized the figure's muffled insults.
Japeth lurched forward and grabbed at the figure. His fingers curled around a skinny wrist and he didn't waver a second before he tugged the figure forward. When Japeth had cleared the room, he shut the bedroom door behind him to leave Rhian sleeping in peace, blissfully unaware that he'd almost been assassinated in his sleep.
Japeth yanked his brother's would-be-assassin into the hallway and the force of it left the figure falling forward, landing on their hands and knees on the floor at Japeth's feet. When the figure raised their head, the hood covering their face had fallen back, revealing a pair of green eyes and a button nose.
"My, my, Little Minx," Japeth leered, glaring at the blonde girl. "I didn't expect to see you here if all places when you were meant to be locked in your room until morning."
Sophie said something through her gag, but Japeth couldn't make it out. The Scim covering Sophie's mouth flew off and took its place back onto his suit so he could hear the lame excuse Sophie's brain would come up with as to why she was here now.
"I can explain this—" Sophie blurted as soon as she could finally speak.
Japeth reached for her and Sophie tensed like she feared he was about to cut her wrist. Instead, Japeth wrenched the unused knife from her hand and peered closer at it to find that it was a kitchen knife.
"Oh, there's no need to explain yourself," Japeth said, and Sophie faltered, her mouth agape in disbelief. "I find you, in the dead of night, looming over my slumbering brother with a knife. It's quite obvious what you would've done if I hadn't caught you."
Sophie shook her head, her expression morphing into a look of uncertainty.
"No, I wasn't," She blathered, her green gaze darting to Rhian's closed bedroom door as if she feared he would awaken. "I-I love Rhian. He's my king—"
"Sure you do," Japeth growled, rolling his eyes. "That's what you do, Sophie. You can never find the perfect boyfriend and just when you thought Rhian was 'the one,' he ended up being the bad guy. And now your blind self decided to try to be selfless for once. So you were about to take Rhian's life in hopes of saving your friends, didn't you?"
Sophie had gone quiet, her lips sealed tight as she seemed to absorb Japeth's words in her mind. But despite Sophie's silence, Japeth could still see a witch's rage brewing on her face.
Japeth remembered Sophie's diary he'd read and he slunk forward, intent on making Sophie break.
"You're scared," Japeth realized, nearing closer to Sophie, closer until he was staring into her defiant emerald gaze. "You're scared of loving anyone else because you think you can't get close to anyone else after the way you ended things with your last boyfriend...Rafal, was it?"
Japeth watched a look of pain flash across the blonde witch's face as if his words had struck a chord within her. He couldn't help the snake like smile that came across his face as he clutched Sophie close, hearing her racing heart pounding against her chest. He pressed his lips to her ear, his cold breath fanning against her cheek.
"You destroyed your last chance at love," Japeth whispered. "You killed the one person who loved you more than anything else and now you'll end up loveless and alone forever. You see, that's the difference between you and I, Sophie. While you ruin every chance at love you get, I cherished the love that I once had. You killed your love and I embraced mine. I may be as you call me, 'a heartless snake,' but in the end you're always going to be a sad broken girl who'll never get your happy ending...Never."
Sophie looked positively shocked by now, her body tensing against Japeth. "You know nothing of Rafal," she seethed, but her voice cracked.
"Oh?" Japeth mused, flicking his tongue out like a serpent. He fixed Sophie with a deadly stare. "I know more than you might think, impertinent little Sophie. Much, much more."
A look of recognition crossed across Sophie's face. It was the nickname Japeth had addressed her as that brought on such a reaction, for "impertinent little Sophie," was the same thing Aric had called her once upon a time.
"Does Rhian know what Aric means to you? It's obvious you two have some history. I mean, you did imply that you cared about Aric when Aggie and I first met you in that dreadful map room," Sophie blathered, her tone full of curiosity. "Aric—"
Japeth felt his sorrow grow and the black hole of his heart threatened to swallow him whole. He pushed the pain away and turned his glare upon Sophie. His icy blue gaze burned into her, his fists clenched, his scims tightened, and his blood boiled.
"Never speak of Aric again, especially to Rhian," Japeth spat, his gaze storming.
Sophie seemed to wither beneath Japeth's unwavering glare, and she recoiled like a spooked cat. She obviously hadn't expected such a reaction to come from Japeth.
Even Japeth was a little bit shocked himself. Not shocked because he'd gotten so defensive over Aric but shocked because of the swell of rage burning through his veins like hot lava.
Just minutes earlier, Japeth had reminded himself that he had to be on his best behavior in order to pose as the perfect liege for Rhian. But here he was now, acting so spiteful and wrathful just because his brother's stupid fiancé had gotten on his nerves.
Yet Japeth had a right to be mad at Sophie. She had just attempted to murder his brother in his sleep just seconds ago.
The fact that Sophie had mentioned Aric didn't help calm the storm raging in Japeth's soul either. By mentioning his deceased best friend, Sophie was trying to toy with Japeth's feelings. She hoped to break Rhian and Japeth apart, but she wouldn't succeed.
"It doesn't matter what Aric once meant to me because he's dead," Japeth spat, the lies making his insides clench in pain.
In a ploy to divert Sophie's focus upon Aric, Japeth changed the subject. "Now, unless you want Rhian to wake up and find you, I insist you make yourself scarce...Although I'm certain you won't be able to find your way back in your room without some company—"
As if on cue, the bedroom door creaked open and Rhian's head popped out, his gaze foggy as he struggled to focus on the two night laters standing outside his room.
"It's the middle of the night," Rhian said, his voice groggy with sleep as he scrubbed a hand down his face.
"That's exactly what I told your conniving little Queen here when I saw her up and about," Japeth told his brother.
Rhian's gaze shifted to Sophie standing there, her arms crossed over her chest. She was obviously still fuming over the fact that she'd been caught and that Japeth had foiled her malicious plan to kill his twin.
"Really?" Rhian asked, throwing his arms over his head to stretch his stiff muscles. He glanced back at Japeth and suddenly, his arms fell to his sides. "Why do you have a knife?"
Japeth looked down where the knife was clutched tight in his fist and he forced a laugh as if to ease the stifling tension in the hall.
"It's mine," Japeth lied, his voice as smooth as butter. "With some of Tedros's friends yet to be caught and locked up in the dungeons, I considered keeping a weapon close. You know, as a precaution."
Japeth saw Sophie frowning but she didn't say a word. Rhian looked between his Queen and his brother for a long time like he was trying hard to determine who to trust. Eventually, Rhian relaxed.
"Geez, brother," Rhian said. "I didn't think you were the type to be cautious. But if anybody needs a knife to protect themselves, it's certainly not you. Besides, you have your scims and Sophie's magical blood at the ready to heal you."
Japeth could see Sophie sweating now, little droplets of perspiration beading on her forehead. She fiddled with the bandages on her wrists as if distracting herself from doing something stupid. But Japeth could practically see the rage storming in her heart as she resisted the urge to attack him and Rhian.
"Well, have a guard escort her back to her room and make certain she won't get out again," Rhian told Japeth. "I'm going back to bed. I'll see you in the morning, Japeth."
Japeth watched Rhian step back into his room and the door closed behind him, leaving Japeth and Sophie alone in the hall.
Sophie and Japeth were silent as if waiting to make sure that Rhian had fallen back asleep. After a few minutes had passed, it was Sophie who rounded upon Japeth first, her green gaze glowing in anger.
"You're wrong about me, Japeth," Sophie snapped, but her voice quivered, betraying her unease. "I'm not scared to love again. I'm happy on my own."
Japeth felt a cold smile trace his lips as he surveyed Sophie. "That's a lie and you know it," He told her. "If you were really happy after killing Rafal, you would've never have let yourself be swooped up by Rhian when he came around, posing as a golden hero. You wanted love again and you thought you found it in my brother."
Sophie opened her mouth to retort when a hand clamped itself around her wrist. An armored guard emerged from the darkness, his face sunburnt beneath his metal helmet.
"Couldn't help but overhear yer' conversation," Wesley said, flashing Japeth a knowing smile. The pirate dug his dirtied fingernails into Sophie's wrist and she flinched. "King said she's to be escorted back to er' room. I'll see tha' the task is done."
Japeth didn't respond. He just stared after Sophie as Wesley dragged her away. Japeth found himself alone once more in the company of the darkness and the stifling silence.
He stared down at the kitchen knife grasped in his hand. Than, he bent back his arm and flung the knife away. It was swallowed up by the shadows and it was gone.
But the burden of Japeth's secrets were far from gone. They were still right there, eating at Japeth like a starved monster.
A starved monster in the dead of night that is.
———————
Sorry for not updating in a while! Online school is a lot of work.
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