A Ballad of Snakes and Shadows // A Dark Sebastian Sallow Romance

Chapter Thirty Three: come around // Smells Like Teen Spirit (Saint Mesa Cover)

    "You swore-"

    "Natty-"

    "No! You cannot wiggle your way out of this, Hattie. I heard everything."

The bubbling of the cauldrons at each potion station did little to drown out the voices of my memories. The disgust in her voice far outweighed that of their subtle gurgling and did even less to calm my exhausted, yet weary mind.

    Natty's face lingered behind the steam and smoke that rose from the clattering iron and though I tried to ignore the memory of her grimace, my stomach still clenched at the thought of it. Her eyes had cut me sharply and though I had stood my ground with her there was still a sense of guilt and loss that ebbed away at everything else.

    Despite my best efforts I was unable to simply just lose myself in my work. We had gathered every necessary item and ingredient to start brewing the theorized antidote and I hadn't hesitated in starting on it. While Ominis and Natsai slept soundly for the night I couldn't escape the ghosts of last night as I stirred one of the cauldrons.

    My bloody mind felt like one of those infernal pots and the ingredients used to create the migraine and anxiety that filled me had been very simple.

    Sebastian had added a pinch of everything. A bit of adrenaline from our chase, a bit of red hot lust from his touch, even a little bit of fear from the mixture of his words that bred confusion and uncertainty. He had indeed been thorough and done his part when it came to the project of my unsettled mind.

    Even August and his little cronies had put a dollop of their own inside the swirling mess, adding more questions to the ones I had already compiled inside of it.

    Of course, there was Natty who had just thrown handfuls of everything else in. She hadn't bothered to measure it when she threw in the amount of hateful things she'd called me nor the lack of understanding that came with the next hand. She'd been thrilled to finish it off with all of the disgust in the world she had for me.

    All that was left was to add the lack of sleep and the concoction was finished.

    Voila, one fucked up and exhausted head.

    I pressed my fingers into my temples as I tried to read through Professor Sharpe's notes one more time. Yet all the words I read didn't click as I recalled the confrontation with Natty.

    "How can I trust anything you have to say anymore? You swore that you would not fall prey to him again - but you lied." She spat at me.

    I had said nothing as I tried to grasp at some kind of defense for myself. There was none to be had, though. I had indeed betrayed her trust.

    "You put our mission in jeopardy tonight - he could have taken us both to the Court if he wanted to, especially because he knew what we were doing out here!"

    "No, he wouldn't have Natty. I know that Sebastia-"

    "How can you possibly know anything about him, Hattie? You spend all your time spreading your legs for him and not enough reminding yourself that he is the enemy!" The sneer on her face was enough for me to finally look past the guilt I felt.

    "I beg your pardon?" I raised my wand up at her without even thinking about it as I adjusted my stance.

    I leaned back in the chair as I let out a long sigh. Looking back on it now it might've been the wrong move to have immediately turned to anger and violence with someone who I had considered a friend. I had just broken her trust and of course she was going to lash out at me for it.