Everything had been a blur, he couldn't quite remember how he even got here. The last thing Jack truly remembered was Wren being carted away with Simon following. Anything after that? Just bits and pieces.
He just couldn't stand that it had happened that way. How did it even manage to happen like that? He was supposed to be in control, there wasn't supposed to be any damage done, nothing more than a slight scare. What happened? He couldn't figure it out as he stared at the walls around him, he needed to know what happened.
He found himself just staring at mirrors thinking one single thought: no matter what had happened, it was all his fault. He was the one who planted the idea into Jesse's head and he was the one who gave Jesse the power to see it through. He didn't recall hurting Wren being in their plan, but it must've because how else did it end up getting this bad? It could have sworn that it was simply an accident, but accidents result in simple mishaps. Not with someone on the brink of death.
What had Wren done to deserve this? It must have been something major, something awful enough to push Jesse to the limit and for Jack to recommend what he did, but that was never her. She was never anywhere near cruel, always looking out for everyone, always trying to help.
Help.
Jack felt his chest tighten. Help, she was just trying to help. He knew this, he had always known this. It was all she ever did, desperate to make sure everyone was doing well, always lifting those around her higher. If she wasn't doing it right, she would have stopped in a moment. Wren had an excellent track record of listening, of being patient, of being kind. She was the queen of it all.
He couldn't get her and Jesse out of his mind as he wandered throughout the lifeless house. The faint smell of burning flesh still hung in the air from the fight, the scorched floors in the kitchen rang as a painful reminder of what had happened. He couldn't push it out of his mind, there was no hiding from what he had done. He had betrayed the trust of his friends once again, disappointing himself and everyone around. He would never change, that much was the only obvious thing in the fog of his mind.
Nothing seemed real around him, and yet he was so painfully hyper aware of it all. The silence in the house, how no one was around. Even when he occasionally saw Jennifer, she seemed somewhat lifeless, just waiting for something to happen. The few times they did interact, she seemed slightly hesitant, and he couldn't blame her at all. He wasn't able to control his own magic, his own emotions, causing the downfall of one of the most important people in his life. Jennifer seemed to try to talk to him, tried to get him to do things, but everything she did was lost on him. He was stuck in the fog of his mind.
Then one day, he had clarity just long enough to realize what was happening to him.
He had started feeling weaker randomly, a feeling he hadn't felt since everything had happened. He recalled Jennifer's voice somewhere in the far distance, what she wanted, he didn't know. But then suddenly there were hands on him and he was being moved. The fog in his mind cleared for the first time in a few days and he looked up to two men he didn't recognize. Two men in officer's uniforms who were moving him from the safety of his room.
His instincts were quick to react, desperate to know what was going on, to get away.
"W-what are you doing? Hey! L-let go!" he heard his voice call out, but it didn't feel like his voice. It sounded like it belonged to someone else, someone he was desperate to forget.
But the officers didn't listen, simply carrying him further away. Jack squirmed and tried to get out of their grips, but he could feel himself becoming weaker with every movement.
"Sir, just relax, please." One of the officers said. "We're not here to hurt you, we're just taking you to the crisis centre. They can check you out there."
Jack could feel as his heart stopped for a brief moment. Crisis centre? They thought he was crazy, and in an instant, his mind was geared into survival mode. He started doing everything he could, screaming, scratching, kicking, anything if it meant stopping this.
"No, wait, stop! You—you can't do this to me, please!" he pleaded, desperate for freedom. In the corner of his eye, he spotted Jennifer, just standing by with ease, a sense of satisfaction on her face. She was his last chance, "JENNIFER, TELL THEM, PLEASE!" But she just simply pushed her hair behind her ear as she watched with a smile on her face. He could feel tears starting to fill his eyes as he realized that it was of no use.
His throat started to burn from how much he was screaming, his face soaked with tears. He kept desperately trying to dig his heels into the ground, trying to stop them from taking him further, but all it did was cause more pain to him. He kept screaming, trying to make his case, but it was obvious that anything he was saying was falling on deaf ears. He could feel his energy start to waver as the feeling in his legs started to go away. He realized finally with a dizzying feeling that he was without his staff, and in that moment, everything had gone dark.
He couldn't remember where he was from that moment forward. The only thing filling his senses was blinding white lights and the overwhelming sense of dread. He felt bogged down, like he couldn't think properly. He could hear people in the far off distance, always trying to get him to do something. What? He didn't know. All he knew is that he couldn't do anything but comply as the fog in his mind thickened further.
If there was one thing clear to him, it was that he deserved whatever this was. He was the one who brought Wren down onto her knees, it was only fair that the same was done to him.
