Aftermath ✧ Sebastian Sallow

chapter three

Woman (Reading) by La Dispute

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Sebastian's Perceptive

The rest of the night I decided to just rest in my dorm and read. Most dorms were four people in a room. However since Ominis is blind, he was given his own room. After our second day of first year, he asked me to be his roommate and it's been the two of us in a room since. I was more thankful for that now more than ever. Our room was peaceful and quiet.

Over the summer I did a lot of reading, not schoolwork. Even though Anne had cut me off, I did not want to give up on finding her a cure. Perhaps it is the only way that she might forgive me. I wanted to do everything I could to mend our relationship. Without my twin, I only felt like half myself.

"Still awake?" Ominis said entering the room, with the goofiest grin I've ever seen.

"What is that look on your face?" I laughed.

He reddened and scoffed at my comment. I don't think I've ever seen Ominis Grant blush before.

"It was just a lot of fun. You just had to be there." He said while attempting not to blush.

Ominis fell silent as he began to change out of his robe to sleep. Normally, I would tease him and push back until he confessed to me why he had been happy. But our relationship was still healing and I didn't want to push him away too far with old habits. I decided to let it go, he will tell me when he is ready. 

Suddenly the batting sound of wings entered from the above window. A beautiful great-horned owl flew down and perched itself at the edge of my bed. A letter sealed rested in its beak.

Ominis was quick to guess, "Amelia?"

"It amazes me that you can recognize a specific owl just by the sound of its wings, you know?" I admitted. Ominis was right, it was Amelia's owl. One that both of us were able to recognize quickly as we had been visited by it many times.

I took the letter as the owl flew out of the room. The letter was sealed with a ball of dark purple colored wax, as Amelia has always done. I read the letter out loud:

Sebastian, meet me in the library tomorrow at noon. I know you didn't spend the summer doing schoolwork, but I'll help make sure you are caught up.

- Amelia

Ominis laughed, "Well she is right!"

We sat in silence for a moment while I put my book and the letter to the side. Now prepping myself for bed. 

"Hey Sebastian, you are going to go right?" Ominis asked from his bed, his tone was different. He was concerned. 

"Of course I am," I mumbled into my pillow.

More silence followed before Ominis finally admitted, "I heard a rumor tonight that Amelia and Garreth might be dating. I know how you feel about her."

"Felt," I clarified, "She wasn't interested. And that was a year ago now."

It was only a few weeks into the fifth year when I foolishly attempted to kiss Amelia. It was her first time in the Undercroft. When I leaned in thinking that she felt the same, she made a comment about being a good friend and I realized I had misread the situation.