PRIDE (Leona x Reader) [Twisted Wonderland]

Chapter 8

"You need to calm down," Leona said.

You didn't answer him. You were pacing his room from wall to wall, trying to get the truth to fit into your head the way it was supposed to.

Witch. You couldn't believe it was actually happening. That title, the thing they had called you more often than your own name, was right. All those accusations of bad luck and curses, you wondered how true those were too.

"It can't be true. It must be wrong. It's because of the wand."

"Y/N, what are you talkin' about?" Leona stepped in front of you and grabbed your hands at the wrists, bringing you back to reality. There were warm tears on your cheeks, and your throat felt constricted, already sore. "You're not invisible anymore."

"How did I do magic?" you asked him like a plea. "Can anyone do it? When they have the wand, anyone can do magic, right?"

"No. The wand is just a tool to do it safely. It's your power."

You were afraid he would say that. Terrified. "I don't want to be a witch," you cried out, quietly. It was more breath and gravel than word but Leona gave you an honest look of concern. It clashed with his features so much you thought for a second you were imagining it.

"You didn't know you had magic?" he asked, with a voice much warmer and earthier than he normally used. You shook your head. You felt his hands still on yours and you almost wanted to be closer to him. He stroked his thumb against the side of your palm, like a rock that blocked the crashing waves. He let you take a few more deep breaths. Then he asked you, gently and decidedly, "What was it like, where you're from?"

You sat down on the bed as he pulled you next to him. And you told him about your home.

You didn't know how your parents had died. You had been ten or eleven at the time. You told him about the years after that, though. How you struggled to find food, as people drew away from you more and more. About how it had started as whispers among children, and grown into the stares and spit insults of the adults. How it became harder and harder to find someone who would let you work. And then you told him about Mrs. Linkin. The woman had taken you in at fourteen years old, given you work and food and a place to stay. You told him how she'd ended it. And what she'd said.

Leona didn't interrupt you. He listened, with soft eyes and open open ears. You started sniffling again, at the end, and so he pulled you into his arms for a hug.

He felt so warm. His hair was soft. You hadn't been hugged in almost eight years. The last people to hold you like this had been your parents. You felt like you should be saying something. Some kind of thank you, but you didn't know how to respond to this kind of support.

"There's nothing wrong with having magic," he said. "I don't know what they were doin' there, but here, it's completely normal. This is a school for magic, after all. And I've only met one or two people that didn't have any, anyway. You're safe here."

You're safe here. You knew that wasn't really true. There might not be anyone burning witches here, but there were still people that wanted you dead. "Crowley..." you said.

Leona pulled away, which you were a little sad about, and made a 'hmph' sound. "I have a plan for that," he said. "He ain't gonna be an issue much longer."

"You figured out how I can escape, then?"

"I think I know of a way." He frowned, a motion that was more like revealing his teeth in a soundless snarl. "Not gonna be easy though. There'll be some talkin' to do."

You paled a little. "You don't mean with Crowley again, do you?"

"No. Someone else."

"Okay..." you trusted him, certainly, despite only knowing him for two days, but his face was dark with his own disdain and you didn't like what that might mean. "Thank you," you said. You felt like you couldn't thank him enough. You couldn't imagine why he was doing so much for you.