The Hope beneath the Dark - Sebastian Sallow

26. Wake up call

Maude's POV

I woke up startling from the scream I heard coming from the kitchen. In the few seconds of confusion that followed, I felt Sebastian's chest lifting rapidly as he was trying to control his breathing. His face was frozen like he'd seen a ghost. 

"Sebastian, what's going..." I started to ask but turned my head around quickly to the voice cutting me off, panic starting to take over me.

"YOU! How dare you come in here... You better have the best explanation there is, or I will head out and my next stop will be the ministry!" The voice yelled angrily.

"No, please Anne, let me explain!" I called out, covering myself with the bedsheet, my back pressed against a shaking Sebastian that was still trying to process he just saw his twin sister for the first time in half a year.

"I think you could use some clothes on." Anne pointed out. "I will wait for you outside, but he stays in here."

Anne turned around and slammed the door on her way out. I got out of bed naked and scanned around only to find my dress as the only clothes I brought to this last minute getaway.

"Take some pants and one of my shirt in that drawer over there." Sebastian finally spoke out, looking out in the empty while he pointed to an old and crackled wooden drawers chest.

I headed to it and grabbed the first sweatpants I could find and a big warm green sweater and put them on. I was hurrying to take one of Sebastian's old pair of boots when he grabbed my wrist and stopped me.

"Maude, what's going on? Why is she here and why was she asking you for explanation?" Sebastian questioned me with a furious look in his eyes, blocking any other real emotions.

"I'm not sure, let me talk to her first, okay?" 

Sebastian nodded and let go of my arm. I got out of the house and met with Anne, who was hanging by the training dummies. Nobody was outside except us that early in the morning.

"Anne? Are you okay, what are you doing here?" I asked as I approached her.

"Oh Maude, let's not do that right now. I asked a question first and I think you know exactly what I meant." She replied.

"You're... you're right." I sighed. "We didn't turn him in, but to be honest I didn't know..." I stopped for a minute and thought. 

What would be worse? Either I out Ominis and tell her that he lied, or I just take the blame and maybe can salvage the trust she has in him.

"You didn't know what?" Anne insisted.

I remained silent, not sure what my answer should be. At that point, I was afraid there was no right answer, so the truth it is.

"You didn't know I asked for you and Ominis to turn him in..." Anne spoke out before I had a chance to. Her voice was less harsh now.

"No... I didn't." I admitted, afraid she would get mad at Ominis. "But please, before you do anything, talk to him!"

Anne sighed, her arms crossed and finally looked straight at me. 

"I will... But I think I know him enough to guess why he didn't." Anne admitted. "To be honest, part of me was afraid to regret sending my brother to Azkaban, so I guess that's a sign. But he still did what he did, he cannot just go unpunished, Maude!"