Aftermath ✧ Sebastian Sallow

chapter thirteen

I've Got A Dark Alley And A Bad Idea That Says You Should Shut Your Mouth by Fall Out Boy.

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Ominis' Perceptive

The morning sun had warmed my face, my muscles slowly waking after a long night as my body realized it was time to begin the day. I started my regular habit of quietly and slowly getting up in an attempt to not make too much noise. I've always been an earlier riser and I felt guilty when waking others.

"Morning sunshine!" Sebastian cheerfully said from across the room.

"Oh, you're awake already?" I asked realizing there was no need to be silent anymore, "Or did you not sleep?"

I could hear Sebastian flip the book in his hands as he spoke, "Didn't sleep. The nightmares are back sadly." He was almost emotionless in his tone like he was numb to it at this point.

Over the summer Sebastian had told me about the nightmares haunting him. He would go weeks with very little sleep and on a few nights, would accidentally wake me up in the middle of the night in a panic. But since the start of the school year, they had slowly been seeming to go away.

"Who did you see tonight?" I asked knowing about the reoccurring nightmares. 

He admitted to me before that he often saw himself performing Crucio on Amelia or Anne's face when he used Imperio in front of her. And the worst nights had been when he saw his uncle Solomon.

"It was a new one exactly!" Sebastian's tone was unsettling. He said almost as if it was a joke, "It was my parents I saw this time!"

My heart felt with dread. Neither Sallow twins mentioned their late parents much in the time that I knew them. 

"I'm sorry to hear that," I said struggling to find comforting words this early in the morning, "Did you just spend the whole night reading?"

"Yeah, I've just been reading mostly," He sighed.

"Are you going to be too tired for your match later today?" I asked. 

A laugh came from across the room, "No, I'll be fine. I'm used to a sleepless night every now and again."

There was abnormal calm coming from Sebastian that I didn't fully understand. Normally his sleepless nights filled him with a sense of dread and hopelessness the next day, but this morning seemed different.

Using my wand I searched the room for clean clothes to change into and dawned a heavy house cloak for the day. The cool fall air was already filling the dorm and autumn had set in.

"Do you want to come with me to get breakfast before Muggle Studies?" I asked once I ran a brush through my hair, gently running my hands down the sides to make sure it was neat.

I could hear the heavy thump of the books on the nightstand before Sebastian's answer, "I thought you'd never ask!" He rang cheerfully.

-✧-

After breakfast Sebastian and I entered into Muggle Studies. Splitting ways from one another as we entered, to join our partners.

"Good morning, Natti!" I said once sensing that Natsai was already in her seat at our table when I arrived. It took weeks of her instantly that I stopped calling her by her full name to finally break the habit.