Marked (Hosie Fanfic)

[17] Scars

Hope POV

Sooo, Penelope caught me. I was tying my hair up so that I could practice the stuff I was going to teach and my shirt rode up. She saw the black burn mark and she immediately knew what it was and I had gotten a very scary scolding from her that lasted at least half an hour. But after that 30 minutes, she decided that she was too tired for this and was going to go take a nap before the lessons.

I gladly let her go and turned back around to face the hanging punching bag. The old wood under my feet creaks as I put my weight on my right foot. I bring my fist up and it flies towards the bag and I just start aimlessly hitting it. I jab, slap, punch, kick, and every other form of harm is inflicted on the bag as I try to clear my mind. Nothing works though since I can't seem to get Josie out of my mind.

The expression on her face back in the office when she walked in. It was like she gave up. The dull lifeless eyes that met mine were nothing like the ones that met me on the first day of school and it sent a shiver down my spine. Worry gnaws at me as I think of her. The dark circles under her eyes and the bruises on her neck. I know she probably had nightmares which is why she couldn't sleep, but I don't know where she got the bruises.

The image in my shifts to when it was just us two in the office and I had started coughing. The way I had confessed and how she had just stared at me with horrified eyes as I spat up the black liquid. She just ran out of the room leaving me no time to explain or even get a word in.

For some reason, I think of Lizzie's comment. When she had said it, I had felt anger but something else as well.

Was it... longing? Did I want to make her statement true? No. Absolutely. No, I don't. But I do. My mind finally decides, against my will, that I did and still do want to make Lizzie's statement true.

But my chances of that are quite low seeing as Josie now hates me.

Despite refusing to think of it, my mind slips to the day under the lake when our lips met and our eyes had met. Her brown eyes were wide with surprise and her cheeks were flushed. I don't even know how long the kiss lasted but I never wanted it to end.

The dreamy feeling turns into a hollow one when I remember that she was the one that pulled away. She was probably disgusted by me because if she wasn't then, she is for sure now.

Irritation grows as I think of her. She could have at least let me explain. She could have at least let me say something. And Lizzie, she had no right to say that. Just because she's popular doesn't mean she can be a bitch.

Irritation slowly turns into anger which then turns into rage.

I boil at the thought of the Necromancer laughing as he commands Josie to be buried. My body feels as if it's on fire and heat travels up my body. My breaths come out in short shallow pants.

I'm angry at Alaric, for trusting Jo. Angry at Malivore for sending the Necromancer. With my mind inflamed, I throw my hand out and it goes straight through the punching bag.

It deflates as sand pours out of the soon-to-be empty bag. The shell falls onto the floor and it lands on a great pile of sand. Shit. I have to clean this up now. I can't use powerful spells since the black magic in my body will act up and I don't want to have another episode. Especially so soon after Penelope's scolding. I raise my head to look at the clock and see that I have at least 3 hours before I have to meet Penelope at the cafeteria.

I walk over to the little closet in the corner of the gym and I grab the broom out of it. I start sweeping but after a few minutes of making absolutely no progress, I just decide to fuck it and use spells.