Me and the Devil: Sebastian Sallow

Chapter EIGHTEEN - Darling

Cold.

Dark.

My vision drained from my eyes but that didn't stop them from darting around the room, away from the falling blood now pooling around my- her feet. Memories stabbing deep at my chest.

My brain was kicking my heart.

its not real its not real its not real its not real

cast the damn spell

Sebastian

Sebastian was watching me.

His eyes were dark and round and they looked at me with the thorns of pain I was all too familiar with, but he caught my eye and kept them locked. His eyebrows twitched upward into something I can only describe as a knowing in unknowing but a commitment all the same. A hand on my back. A reassurance to move forward.

 The wave of emotions I felt from him jolted me back to my feet and I startled back into my body, tossing my wand quickly and spinning around to the nasty creature.

"RIDDIKULUS!"

The spell was sharp and warm on my tongue.

My figure fell backwards into a pool of roses, the red blood changed to pedals as her fingers clutch at the buds.

I brought myself to laugh quietly, uneasily, but the shift in my soul was enough to finish it off. The room was silent, no one else was laughing. 

The boggart stayed down. Sinking, sullenly under the wave of roses and professor Hecat tossed it back into the closet with a flourish of her wand.

"Merlin's beard! That was bloody creepy." Lee was laughing now. A lone voice, but a couple of the Slytherin boys joined in slowly - if only to fill the uncomforted quiet.

"That's quite enough Mr. Aster. Progress is progress. Well done you three." She spent an extra moment with her eyes on me but not enough to distinguish me from the other two students. I knew she had seen worse, but the guilt and embarrassment riddled my heart.

"That will be all for today. Should you feel the need to talk, my door is always open." It was directed to the entire class and I was struck with the realization of just how difficult this could be for everyone, not just me.

I shook the smoke from my skin, the fog from my brain and the thorns from my heart. I pulled a smile onto my face and sunk back into a make believe world where my memories couldn't hurt me.

I spotted Sebastian in the place next to our desk now in the corner of the room. He turned to tap Ominis's arm, said something I couldn't hear and then jogged over to me.

He opened his mouth to speak but closed it before trying again.

"You ok?"

I nodded. He seemed less than pleased with the answer but let it go.

"What are you doing now? You don't have any classes until later right? Or any?" I was grateful he didn't press further. Grateful he didn't force me to relive what I was trying to work through. I could tell he wanted to ask, wanted to help, but now wasn't the time.

I wondered how I never noticed the freckles peppered across his skin, over his nose.

"Um. Nothing really, I was thinking maybe I would go to the library? Read a bit."

Sebastian grinned.

"Actually, I think you'd better accompany me and Ominis to the lake - I've got a better idea."