If We Were Heroes | ONC2022

chapter fourteen

chapter fourteen: you make me a believer
*tw: mentions of physical ábûse

Miles perked up as soon as I got home, waiting patiently for me to rip off my shoes.

'Did she like the present?' he asked.

I tried to smile. Like lying, fake smiling only got easier over the years, together with laughing and acting somewhat normal. I liked to think I was pretty good at it now.

'Yeah,' I said. 'She said it was her favorite manga.'

'Oh cool,' Miles replied. 'Out of curiousity, did she say who she shipped?'

I stared at him. 'No? And if she did I wouldn't remember it.'

'Aw man. I need another person to read it with me.'

'Uh okay,' I said, head beginning to whirl.

I had gotten better at sussing out when the pain would come, but that didn't help with the actual thing itself. The thing was, I hadn't even used my powers recently, and still the headaches came. Maybe it had nothing to do with the curse.

All I knew was that I absolutely had to wear my gloves, in case of the curse spilling out. Waking up one morning with Sebastian writhing on the floor was enough to tell me that.

Shaking my head, I made my way to my room, carefully shutting the door as I sat on the bed. Something about the dinosaur bedsheets, still from my last time here, eased the pain a little.

A short sharp knock forced me to open my eyes again, seeing my dad walk in, his expression a circling hurricane.

'Hi,' I said. 'This isn't a great time. Could you please go?'

My dad shook his head. 'Oliver. We really need to talk.' Idiot.

'Talk then.'

'College,' he burst out. 'What are you doing?'

I blinked. 'Haven't decided. Why?'

'You need to think about your future Ol.'

'80% of people change their course at college anyway. And I don't really want to think about that at the moment.'

'You need to decide!' he shouted, not missing my wince. Seriously. I had only been home for about three weeks and the only thing he says to my are the gloves and college.

'Sorry,' he added. 'Just please. Think about it.'

'Okay,' I said, probably too eager for him to leave. The less people in the room, the less chance of me hurting someone. And I would be able to concentrate better without any people there.

He sighed and walked out of the room, closing the door on his way out. Good.

I took a deep breath and counted to ten, as if I could predict when the pain would kick in.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Come on. I often thought that the sooner it came, the sooner I could get it over with, but that often wasn't the case. The spells were unpredictable, sometimes lasting a minute, sometimes lasting an hour.

There was one time where it had lasted an entire day. Sebastian had shaken me awake, telling me I had passed out.

Then it came.

A wave of pain, starting with the cut in my foot, then spreading all over my body, every inch covered. My chest grew tight. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't breathe.

Every single person I had hurt was haunting me, cursing me into eternity. One by one, coming up to scold me, curse me into Hell.

And I still couldn't even scream.

Couldn't—wouldn't let anybody else know or care. Even Sebastian only knew the vague basics of the curse. I couldn't involve anybody else. I couldn't hurt them as well.

My vision turned hazy and my breaths came out short and shallow, each stab of pain opening a new wound, unbeknownst to the eye.

Holden was laughing, in hysterics even.

And then I was there, to tired to push it away.

'You don't even begin to fathom your curse. Pain. Do you understand that?'

The belt came, lash after lash, skin breaking over and over. And when it had healed, over and over again.

This is what you could do, Olly, if you only tried. Do it, I dare you. No? Well, you'll just have to stayed cursed then.

I had screamed then. I didn't care with Holden. I wanted, wished, for someone to walk in, notice us, rescue me, but they never did. Perhaps they were scared of Holden themselves.

Run. Go home. But I'll make sure I'll catch you.

He had licked his lips, like the wolf in Red Riding Hood.

All the better to eat you with.

'Oliver?'

Glow-in-the-dark stars. Blue walls. Dad.

'Sorry?'

The pain had mostly numbed now, a dull reminder of what it could do, the ghostly figures turning opaque.

'You screamed,' my dad said, hitching up his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

'Did I?' I tried to act nonchalant. 'I must have fallen asleep.'

'Hmm.' He didn't sound convinced.

'Did I disturb you?' I asked, shifting so he could sit next to me.

'No, no.' He plunked himself down, looking at me with what was almost, almost concern in his eyes. 'I was just scrolling through Facebook aimlessly anyway.'

'Oh. That's nice.'

He cleared his throat. 'I'm sorry about the gloves statement. I shouldn't have said that. I shouldn't have assumed.'

'It's fine. Really.'

'It was my stupid mouth running away with me that drove Liam over the line. I never let him come to me with his problems. He thought I'd just push him away. I want you to know that I'm here for you Ol. Anytime.'

'Yeah,' I said. 'Thanks.'

'I didn't know she was fae, when I met her,' he added, quickly, before he could regret it. 'In all the tales they were either old women or extremely beautiful. She just looked... normal.'

'Who?' I asked, thoroughly confused.

'She said she knew about Liam. She said her brother was his husband. I don't know if I was more shocked that my one and only brother was gay or the fact that I didn't know that he was married to a freaking fae.'

This probably wasn't the best time to come out. Not that I was planning to anyway. It wasn't like it was going to mean anything to my parents.

'I told her it was only typical of him to make something up for attention. She told me my family would forever be cursed for shutting Liam out. Starting with my two year old son.'

Oh. I hadn't realised that Liam had died while I was still alive.

'She said that he would be both blessed and cursed. He could take away a person's pain, or kill them in a touch. She said it was his choice to choose. His choice to learn to control.' He took a deep breath. 'She told me of a school, specially for young children. She said... She said never to send him there. I did it to spite her.'

I stood up, trying to cool my bubbling blood. Why was he telling me this? Now? 'Where is she now?'

My father shook his head. ' I haven't seen her since the day. But she still haunts my dreams. I have screamed like you did many a time.'

'I hate you right now.'

'I know,' he said. 'That's why I thought I'd tell you.'

'Go away.'

He stood up and left, without even leaving a single crease on the bed.

And yet again I was left alone, with only the dull whispers of ghosts to keep me company.

word count: 1241
total words: 17, 164
date: 23rd April