✨ A Little Bit of Magic || READER X RAY || The Promised Neverland

✨ Chapter Forty Four

⚠️ GORE WARNING ⚠️

The door opened with a soft creak as Ray recovered from that explosive fit of laughter.

"y-y/n?" The voice I'd quite frankly expected least rang in the room. "Za-Zack?" That boy I'd almost killed was standing, jaw dropped at the doorway. "You're okay!" He shouted, running to my side. Ray had noticed his presence and was already scowling, his tight lipped frown ready to give us both lectures. The boy took a deep breath, controlling his frustration.

"What the fuck were you two thinking?" He asked that aggressive question eerily calmly. I felt a shiver run down my spine, a bit surprised as to how quickly Ray's demeanor changed. "You." He pointed at Zack, that familiarly deadly glare shot across the room. "You're her damn senior! You're supposed to be responsible! Why the hell would you tell her to fire a god damn explosion spell?! And you-" He whipped around, that scowl now directed towards me. I nearly choked on the sudden tenseness in the air. "Why would you listen to him?! What's wrong with you?" Zack clenched his fists, his left hand still covered in a glove. So I wasn't here for very long? "It's not her fault, Ray."

"Damn right it wasn't her fault! I taught her better than this!"

"You're not her fucking dad, you damn gatekeeper!"

"I'm making sure my student is okay. What's your problem? You're the one hurting her the most. Emotionally, and physically now! Are you proud of that? Is that it?"

"I'd apologize a thousand times if that's what it takes." Zack turned to me, his right hand grazing the thick cast on my left arm. "y/n, I'm sorry for saying what I did that night. It came from a place of pain and betrayal. I understand the position you were in. And I understand how nerve-wracking a crush can be. Even more so in your position."

Ray clicked his tongue, batting Zack's hand away. "She doesn't accept your apology."

"Didn't you just say you weren't her dad? Why are you making decisions for her now?"

"y/n isn't accepting some half ass apology from a guy that put her in the hospital for two days."

I bit my tongue, yelping loudly. "Two days?" I've been asleep for how fucking long? This doesn't make sense! Everything looks like that event had happened just earlier, how could I have been sleeping for two whole days? Ray glanced at me worriedly. "Yeah, y/n. It's Thursday. And your scuffle with that idiot over there happened on Tuesday." I was at a loss for words. Ray and Zack's continued bickering turned to white noise as I processed the state I was in.

Two days. I was gone for two whole days.

Zack eventually drove Ray out, but I know he'd tell me that he chose to leave. "I guess you want an explanation. To your injury, and to that... fight. It hasn't just been Ray and I though, y/n. It's a lot to unpack." I watched silently as he took a seat at the foot of my bed, getting ready to tell me what's happened the past few days.

"After you retracted the combustio, you ended up nearly burning off both your arms. It was actually really gross to look at, haha. Melted skin hanging by literally threads. Your smooth, white bones burnt at the edges, completely drenched in blood. It was horrifying, yet strangely admirable. I thought about how painful it must've been. I thought about how strong you had to be to be able to do that to yourself." Hmph, flattery. I glanced at Zack's side profile. His sharp jawline and his lips pursed into a tight frown. I liked the way his eyes looked in the moonlight. A black sky, glittering with twinkling stars. That scene of pure serenity in both his pupils and the scenery across the window. "Everyone came running. The headmistress, Ray, Emma, Norman, Coach Sonju, Professor Yuugo, and anyone who heard the firecracker-like noises of your spell. There was only one thing on that list- The things Ray would run for. Up until two days ago, it was just class. And now, there's you. He's been mad at me because I told you to cast the spell. I take responsibility for that. Emma is mad at Ray because she insists that if you hadn't been taking pyro, then this wouldn't have happened at all. Norman thinks you should be held responsible for your actions, and Oliver just doesn't want anyone to fight. It's been a mess."

But there was still one thing that didn't sit right with me. A question that burned more than my left arm. The sheets were cool in my hand, the breeze from the window making me shudder. "Why?" I asked, in a voice smaller than I expected.

Zack smiled sadly, as if this route was a disappointing yet inevitable ending. He lifted his left hand, still stuck in that sports glove. The glove that he'd worn two days ago after the accident. The glove that tricked me into thinking it was still Tuesday. He shifted closer, until there was practically no space between us. He gave me his left hand, while the right pulled off the glove.

I remembered that day I watched a snow white rose turn into a pile of ash. What Zack's left hand had become was a similar thing. His fingers were stained a dull coal black, somehow both sickly and pale in its necrotic state. It let up at his palm, until eventually dissolving towards his wrist. Those infected fingers looked boney and tired, fingernails dry and chipped as if they'd lived well over a normal person's lifespan. God, if I could say something was wrong I would. But this transcends 'wrong'. The usual shitty feeling in my stomach wasn't there. I felt my heart drop all the way to my feet, just watching the limp, barely making it movements of Zack's hand. I didn't have to ask for an explanation. He knew I'd have questions.

"You've seen this magic before, y/n. I've been cursed."