The Contract

Chapter 3: Wolvendom

"You should really take better care of yourself," I advised as I pressed the edges of the bandage to help it stick.

"I'm fine," returned a slightly irritated Aether. "I'm just glad you're off the hook."

A pang of guilt made me cringe. "You should've just told her the truth. Then I could've taken the beating with you and the others."

"Don't say that." My brother turned to me with a look of genuine concern plastered to his face. "We're all fine, I promise. Let's just put all that behind us, okay?"

I knew he meant well, but his words were ineffective. All my life, I was never the sort to lie or keep secrets, especially from those I was closest to. At the very least, I would always confide in my brother, no matter how embarrassing or delicate the situation was. Now, after leaving my friends to bear the punishment for our transgressions and committing a new, more egregious transgression myself, I lied and kept it a secret. I can't describe how fast my heart was beating as I looked Miss Noelle in the eye and told her that I stayed by the tree in Windrise while the others continued towards the city. That was the story Aether had concocted; he had foolishly snuck out of the building and caught me on my way towards the door to explain before he slipped back around the orphanage and climbed in through a window. He was always pulling stealthy little tricks like that, and it didn't helped to calm my nerves one bit. Then, even after he managed to save me from my bruised and bleeding fate, when he asked me what actually happened to me after we got separated, I told him I hid in a corner and passed out from fear.

With Aether, I had never been able to lie to him. Now, I couldn't bring myself to tell the truth. Perhaps I was afraid that Aether might be less forgiving to Vision wielders and devise a secret plot to end him or something of the sort. Or perhaps the awkwardness of telling the truth after I already lied was too daunting a prospect. Or, perhaps, as unacceptable as it was, some part of me wanted to keep my strange encounter to myself; what transpired between me and the ginger-haired stranger was ours alone to know. Despite the gnawing sense of guilt in my stomach, my heart fluttered with childlike giddiness at the prospect of keeping a secret. After years of sharing everything, I was excited to finally have something that belonged to me only...and the vines of guilt twisting my insides fed on my selfishness.

As soon as I finished dressing the wound, Aether pulled his shirt back over his head. Miss Noelle's belt lashes rarely broke skin, but the occasional hit, when delivered with more power and angled a certain way, could produce a small, bleeding welt. Aether had earned himself one on his left shoulder blade, and had, as usual, refused to treat it properly.

"I'm gonna go check on Bennett again." I stood up to leave, but Aether grabbed my hand and pulled me back down to sit on the bed.

"Don't. Just leave him be. Razor's with him."

"But—"

"Lumine. It's okay. He'll be fine."

I sighed and allowed myself to lean my head on his shoulder as his arm wrapped around me, his thumb gently stroking my arm. Bennett had scraped his elbows and knees when he fell earlier that day, and the ensuing chase, as well as the beating afterwards, earned him several new scratches and bruises. Razor seemed mostly alright, but Bennett's bloodied knees concerned me. What worsened it even further was the extra punishment Miss Noelle had decided to place on all three of them, a consequence that was particularly devastating to Bennett.

She confiscated their Exploration Badges for a month.

She could have denied them meals, or subjected them to further beatings, or let the Knights of Favonius decide their fates in her stead, but in the end, she chose something much crueler—something beyond mere physical pain or discomfort. She had drilled a hole through their pride, stolen their only source of freedom, erected a wall between them and their single most effective method for retaining their sanity. The moment I found out, I vowed to stay inside with them the entire time. I had evaded punishment, which meant I could keep my badge, but the badge was useless to me if I couldn't spend time with my dearest friends and brother outside. I wasn't normally stubborn, but in situations like these, I refused to budge, for their sake.