Run Away ✧ Sebastian Sallow

chapter twenty-three

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Trigger Warning: This chapter includes sensitive conduct - please see the comment for a full description of conduct. 

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Fifth Year

Sebastian Sallow was sick, again. The moment he realized that his body had an unwelcomed guest he hadn't been able to stop feeling ill. Even if he was fine physically; Mentally he didn't know what to do. 

Everything was becoming more difficult in his life. It felt like everything was falling apart and spiraling out of his control. 

Antheia looked at him like he was a madman when he tried to explain what happened in the broom closet. He had done his best to tell her that the voice that called her such fowl words hadn't belonged to him and of course, she didn't believe him. Antheia was hurt. Most days she wouldn't even look at him, let alone talk to him. Their relationship had been always balanced on this tightrope of trust and suddenly it seemed to snap between them, leaving them both in a freefall. 

No one seemed to understand Sebastian's call for help. 

Ominis had listened to his plead for help at first until the relic was brought up. "If this is your sick way of trying to trick me into helping you with the dark arts, then you are wasting your time." He warned. 

When Sebastian went to the Hospital Wing the nurse had examined him to find nothing. She gave him a slip to miss class for a day and told him to rest whatever bug may be plaguing him. The next day he laid in bed all day, in the dark, with no research, no friends, no drama, just alone. Carefully he would count the minutes as they passed on his watch and try not to blink for as long as he could. 

The realization that he was losing track of time because of an unwanted visitor made him anxious. It wasn't clear how much of his time he had already lost or when it was happening.

By the next morning, everything seemed normal. His head was quiet, but he worried still. Classes were low in his priorities with everything else in his life falling apart, but he forced himself to attend anyway. He had always been a passionate student as a result of being raised by teachers. Defense Against the Dark Arts had always been his favorite class. Everything about the topic had called to his interest. It was his best class and out of the entire grade he had been the best student. 

Professor Hecat had always noticed his appreciation for the class and gave him books from her personal collection during breaks in the years, he had been miles ahead at the start of that year. That morning, however, he was completely lost.

Nervously, he could hear his heart beating like a drum in his chest during the lecture. Hecat had been lecturing about a subject that he knew nothing about and that made him nervous to realize he was now falling behind in his classes too. It was just another issue to add to his ever-growing list of problems. Another good thing in his life that he was sure to ruin. 

Antheia sat on the other side of the classroom from him during that period, since she joined the class at the beginning of the year he had slowly been paying less attention to the lecture each day. Now the words seemed to go through empty ears. 

Sebastian was staring at her again. He was always staring at Antheia. 

Looking at her was like looking at a painting hung on the wall. Everything about her was beautiful and he couldn't take his eyes off her. The soft light kissing her blonde locks made them shimmer in the sunshine, calling to him like a beckon.