The Storm Inside

Chapter Thirty: Big Bad

A/N: it's all coming together

Beatrix got up and walked across the room, away from us, as I tried to process what I'd just learned.

Assumably Thomas had arranged for Mary to be forced to write a letter. He'd tried to manipulate her, and get her break him out. Had he almost succeeded? Or had she been faking the whole thing? A bit of both? It was impossible to know. No one would ever know what she had been thinking.

He'd claimed to have so much power, and so much influence, but maybe he didn't have enough to get himself out of jail. Or maybe he knew that the people's opinions of him were so awful, that if he got himself publicly released, he'd be a target.

Beatrix had been his last card, his last play. He'd known that without her, he had nothing. If she was not his ally, she was his enemy, and no one wanted to have Beatrix for an enemy.

So he'd figured, if he was going to go down, he would take her with him, and maybe all of us as well, by extension. His failed projects.

Still, it seemed so out of character for him, to just kill himself. He could have been able to get away with some of the things he did. He'd had enough influence to get us in trouble from beyond the grave. But not enough to have hope that he could get out of this? But Sophia's visions could not be altered, not that I knew of.

We'd been wrong, so wrong. I remembered my conversation with Evianna in the holding cell. "Do you think Beatrix did it?" We'd been so sure she had, that she'd waltzed in there and killed him in cold blood. But that couldn't be further from the truth.

As Sophia and Valerie spoke in hushed voices, I got up, following Beatrix to the other side of the room. Her eyes flicked up to mine as I approached, and I couldn't quite label the emotions in them. I didn't know how to apologize. For everything, calling her a double agent, a murderer, a traitor, avoiding her, neglecting her, only going to her when I needed something. I didn't know if I properly could.

I took her hands in mine, and she sighed, stepping forward. She didn't need to say anything, neither of us did, as I pressed my forehead to hers. I closed my eyes and breathed her in, the faint peppermint smell that followed her everywhere, whether it was gum or shampoo or perfume, I didn't know. She smelled like home, if home could be a person.

"I'm sorry for not trusting you," I told her.

"I'm sorry for being untrustworthy."

"I'm sorry I haven't been there for you."

"I'm sorry I used my powers on you."

"I'm sorry for trying to make you jealous," I finished, suddenly remembering how I'd danced with Olivia at that party we'd gone to after we'd broken her out.

"I'm sorry for kissing your best friend."

"Wait, what?" I asked, stepping back and looking at her in confusion. "Valerie?" I asked, though I highly doubted it, turning to look at the girl behind me, who quickly shook her head.

"Olivia?"

"What? No," Beatrix said, rolling her eyes. "I'm pretty sure Olivia was taken, and Val's just a baby. Your first best friend."

"You kissed Alyssa?"

She shrugged. "Technically she kissed me. We were just messing around. And that was before I met you, so I don't actually need to feel bad, but since we're apologizing for shit..."

I just laughed. "Yeah, no, it's fine. It's not weird or anything. She kissed people all the time."

"Who's Alyssa?" Sophia asked curiously. "And Olivia?"