Different Times: Sebastian Sallow x Reader

2 - On the Coast

I slowly begin unpacking my things, pulling my favorite band's record from one of my trunks and placing it onto the old gramophone in the corner of the living room. The needle drops with a soft crackle, and music begins to drift through the small cabin. 

Outside, the ocean is calm when I arrive, but that doesn't last long. 

As I continue unpacking, dark clouds begin to roll in over the water.

When the rain finally starts, I step out onto the porch to listen. The sound of the rain hitting the waves has always been calming to me. It mixes with the music still drifting faintly from inside the cabin.

Lightning cracks across the sky, striking the water in the distance. But the color is wrong. Instead of the usual white flash, the lightning glows a pale blue, leaving a strange charge of magic in the air.

I watch for a few minutes before noticing the dark gray clouds above me begin to swirl, slowly moving closer to the beach. 

Something about it felt...wrong.

I lean against the porch railing studying the clouds.

Another bolt cracks across the sky, and a strange feeling settles in my chest. 

This isn't a normal storm.

The wind begins to pick up, carrying the sharp scent of rain and saltwater. The blue lightning grows brighter, striking the water again and again.

Teh air hums.

Magic.

Real, ancient magic.

I rush back inside locking the doors and windows as the storm grew stronger. Then suddenly, there is another brilliant flash of that pale blue light...

and everything stops.

Just like that.

I walk back to the window slowly and look out, completely unsure of what has just happened.

Then I hear a soft knock at the door.

My heart skips.

Slowly, I walk over and open it. 

Standing on the porch were a girl and a boy who look about my age. The girl is supporting the boy with his arm slung over her shoulder. Even slumped over, he is still at least a head taller than me. 

She wears a tattered brown skirt, a white button-down shirt, and a green vest. The boy beside her is wearing black trousers, a black button-down with the top few buttons undone, and a green vest hanging open.

Despite their different styles, they look unmistakably related.

Fear flashes across the girl's face.

"Can you please help us?" she asks desperately. "My brother is very ill, and we can't travel far in his condition."

"Of course." I say quickly.

I step forward and take the boy's other arm, helping her guide him inside and onto the couch.

Once he is settled, I get a better look at him. 

His messy brown hair sticks up in every direction, and his tan face is scattered with freckles. His eyes are closed and he's broke out into a cold sweat. 

I rush to the kitchen and grab a bowl of cool water and a washcloth before hurrying back. 

"This should help with the fever for now," I say pressing the damp cloth to his forehead. "I packed a medical kit somewhere... I just have to find which trunk it's in."