The Twilight Children//The School for Good and Evil

17 ~ Control

. : Laura of Neverland : .

"Does she really think that is going to work?" Laura asked, glancing over at Agatha. The reader had a sulky look on her face, and her eyes were focused on the same place as Laura's-- across the clearing, where Sophie was holding a beauty lesson.

Agatha groaned. "I don't want to say that it will, but every interaction I've had with Tedros has led me to believe that he is stupid, and will in fact fall for it."

Laura hummed, poking at her lunch. "I'll agree with you there. I still have a hunch that this isn't the best idea though. It's never good to meddle in the forces of love."

Agatha snorted. She twisted in the horrible pink uniform to look at Laura. "Sometimes, I think all your advice sounds like it comes from the mouth of a 50-year-old woman."

Laura mock gasped and gently slapped her on the arm. "I'm only 48!"

Agatha took on a high-pitched tone, similar to the one they had heard out of Beatrix whenever she was speaking to Tedros or Sebastian or any of the other princes. "You must tell me your secrets to your skincare routine. You look fantastic for 48!"

Laura broke out into laughter. "You'd be surprised what living on a magical island can do for your skin."

Laura made a move to say more to Agatha but stopped as she felt him enter the clearing.

Sebastian evidently hadn't been able to get a grip on his magic. She could feel the water magic from here, thrashing against its new owner. It was rebelling hard enough that her fire magic recoiled in surprise.

Laura pressed a hand to her stomach, willing the magic to settle. Mild guilt settled in her as she glanced across the clearing at Sebastian. 

The red-headed boy looked as though he hadn't slept in three days. His hair was loosely dishevelled, and he kept zoning out, despite Tedros and Nikolas evidently trying to catch his attention.

Maybe she shouldn't have left him alone on that bridge. She knew what it was like, to be forced into the possession of the magic.

No. She flipped her gaze back to Sophie. He had it coming. It didn't matter if they were now both members of the Council and if he was her partner in cardinal balance. He had killed her people, and he could learn to control the magic on his own. It was the least of what he deserved.

Still, her fire thrashed at the lack of balance. 

That was okay though, Laura could avoid him.

~~~

As it turned out, Sebastian was remarkably difficult to avoid.

Despite sharing only one class, they appeared to be constantly brushing into each other in the hallways, or in the dining hall for dinner.

Each time he came near, her magic grumbled, and shied away, avoiding any interaction with the raging water magic it could. Laura could sense the water magic looking for a source of balance, and every time it jumped at her she beat it back. Sebastian could suffer with the magic. It was the least he deserved.

The dining hall was outfitted with golden chandeliers that cast the room in a golden glow. Dinner was always a lavish affair in any ever kingdom, and that was no exception in the school for good. It was some sort of braised chicken with roasted veggies and a remarkable selection of desserts. The students always dressed in their finest for dinner. 

Laura glanced over at Sebastian, who was sitting at a different dinner table, only to find him staring back at her. His eyes were dark, and the snarl on his face was familiar. She could recall it on his face during the night she had destroyed every single one of his ships single-handedly. The sheer force of his hatred had made her smile then.