arescere ✿ xavier thorpe

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6 - the murder of a friend

"rowan, stop!" they shouted as he finally stopped running, yet he was still walking. taking quick breaths of his inhaler when he stopped. 

"what do you want? why are you following me?"

"i don't have time to explain but you're in danger." but rowans face creeped into a grin, and it wasn't a happy one. more of a stalkerish creepy grin. a scary one. and only then did peter realise their situation. lost far in the dark woods, away from the bustling people" they shouted as he finally stopped running, yet he was still walking. taking quick breaths of his inhaler when he stopped.

"what do you want? why are you following me?"

"i don't have time to explain but you're in danger." but rowans face creeped into a grin, and it wasn't a happy one. more of a stalkerish creepy grin. a scary one. and only then did peter realise their situation. lost far in the dark woods, away from the bustling people and vibrant festival.

"shit." he commented and rowan let out a dark laugh. wednesday was flown backwards towards the tree. peter making an advancement to attack rowan when his air supply is cut off. crumbling to the floor clawing at his airway. hands clawing at his throat.

"what are you doing?" wednesday spoke as she clawed at the tree looking for an escape. she didn't like people. didn't like the concept of friends but watching peter crumble and silently cry for air didn't sit well. watching tears form in his eyes as he felt the air slip away. he didn't expect this, and hardly from rowan. the boy who kept glancing at him. the once rather handsome face of rowan laslow had grown pale to the lips and there was a blackness about his eyes. no longer that warm chocolate brown, now more of a dark looming black. he didn't look like himself, he almost looked like some disconsolate prisoner, but to what?

"saving everyone from you, i have to kill you." peter let out a sound that seemed to resemble a strangled scream as he looked into the woods. wednesday following his gaze just in time to see the reddened eyes appear from the dark. a monster leaping at them.

"rowan!" pete screamed, ripping against his own vocal chords to speak as the boy was grabbed by the monster. wednesday falling like the rag dolls she destroyed. he watched in horror as he was dragged.

"rowan!" peter cried as he clawed across the floor, taking gasps of air. ignoring the fistfuls of leaves withering until his very touch as he tried to get to one of the people he considered a friend. the boy's chest was torn open. red painted everywhere. the splatters even on the glasses peter would hold during those stupid sports lessons. he looked down at him, the red making him sick as he got to his knees at the boy. nevermore had he wished he had the power of healing instead of withering. he cradled the boys face, wanting for him to wake up. and wednesday joined him, kneeling beside the boy whi's eyes were spilling over his eyes, red puffy eyes as he cried for rowan. the scrap paper gently floating down from the sky, the fireworks lighting up the sky above. it was beautiful, but at the same time not.

"we have to go.'' wednesday spoke, as she reached out to grab his hand. sure she was used to the cold, but peter was as cold as the death she wished would consume her. but he didn't move, so instead she pulled him. till he had no choice but to let go of rowan. and he was gone, disappearing into the woods, which wasn't the smartest idea since he had just seen his best friend be mauled by a monster. and he ran, ran until he saw the looming school. ran till he was climbing the grand dark oak staircase and towards his room. ran until he got to his door where he finally crumbled. wanting the ground to swallow it whole, everyone he had was gone. everyone but his father remained, his mother had withered from cancer under his never touch and now the one and only one he considered a friend in this gloomy shitshow of a school. he let the sheets hold him, for that is all he had. the scratchy sheets of nevermore. wednesday was right about escaping, and now he wanted out too.

he had heard the news from the chatter of the festival. rowan laslow had been found dead in the forest. xavier threw one look to the opening in the woods that the three ran through and he ran for the shuttle back to nevermore. thinking of only one as he held the owl close by. he knocked but no answer came, there wasn't a sound at all. until there was, he knocked again and he heard the cry.

"go away.'' it was quiet and shaky but he had heard it. his hand reached for the doorknob, opening the door to reveal the cold room. peter's room wasn't much different from his own. things strung on the walls. instead of sketches they were passages from books with doodles and highlighting. books stacked around the room and plants lingered too. plants he once assumed were beautiful green and free. like the string of pearls dangling over his desk which had begun to wither.

"peter." he called looking for the shy boy, yet there was no sign of him. but only a lump under the covers