Exile || Sebastian Sallow

42 | 'You always know where to find me'

───•~❉᯽❉~•───

"These are the words I held back
As I was leaving too soon
I was enchanted to meet you."
—Taylor Swift

───•~❉᯽❉~•───

42 | 'You always know where to find me'

Belle Darcy

First of July

"Mia, please, I promise I'll be careful this time," Belle pleaded, delicately tapping on the wilted wildflowers she picked out two weeks ago.

Mia crossed her arms and shook her head, leaning against the kitchen counter. "Belle, we've talked about this. It isn't safe for you to be out there after what happened that day. I mean," she sighed, followed by a humourless laugh, "what would have happened if he'd seen your magic, hm? He could have told someone, and you would have been found out. You can't trust anyone!"

Belle looked away from the wilted flowers and fiddled with ribbons on her yellow dress, unable to look directly into Mia's eyes.

Hells, a new town, a new environment with no one to acquaint herself with—what else was she supposed to do inside all day? Irondale was a mixture of Muggles, Squibs, and wizards, and then there was her. She didn't know which group she belonged in. After all the reading she had done about the wizarding world, she only felt more isolated.

Sure, she had been stupid enough to venture on her own two weeks ago for the sake of picking some wildflowers, but if she hadn't distracted her mind, her magic might have burst from too much stress. She merely wanted to escape the punishments of her reality. Even for a moment.

When she almost got attacked, the mysterious magic almost dared to spark from her fingertips. And she would have used it. Risked a destruction in the forest to mirror the night she escaped from Great Hangleton. But thanks to that freckled brown-haired boy, her secret was still a secret.

Part of her wondered if she'd see him again. She couldn't stop wondering about him. He was quite annoying and nosy at first glance, but after much pondering the past few days, she realized she should have been more grateful. She had left in haste, and rudely slipped away from him.

Though no one could blame her because she was dying from inner panic that day. Scared to her wits her magic would make itself known.

It was probably better he never saw her again anyway. No one would ever want to get to know the real her. A lonely life was her only friend. She'd convinced herself long ago she was better off that way even if it killed her slowly.

Gods, she wanted to bang her head repeatedly on the table. If her life had a physical embodiment, she wanted to choke its neck for giving it to her. Of all lives that could be lived, she was put in this one?!

"Belle, are you listening to me?"

The girl blinked, realizing she was too lost in her own head yet again. She swallowed, flickering her gaze to her only living family left. "Uh, yes?"

Mia gave her a look that told her she didn't believe her bullshit.

"Okay, no I wasn't. I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

Mia strolled over to Belle, a sympathetic look in her eyes. "I was saying that I'm only looking out for you, sweetie. I thought, perhaps, that being surrounded by some wizards and witches here in Irondale might help put you at ease. To know that others have magic too, you know?"