revenant || sebastian sallow.

CHAPTER EIGHT.

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The woman looking back in the mirror at me didn't even look like me anymore. She was frail, tired, and had bags under her eyes, almost as if she had taken them from Sebastian and chose to home his fatigue.

My arms were skinnier and I seemed like I matched the color of newly fallen snow. Truth was, I wasn't too fazed to see myself like this, given the sacrifice I had chosen to make for Sebastian.

A week had passed since he has initially introduced me to blood magic, and taken some of my life essence. As foolish as it might seem, I had begun to help Sebastian, routinely letting him take my life essence. This wasn't because I liked the way it made me feel, or because I was also determined to bring back Anne, but because I didn't want Sebastian to hurt himself anymore. 

During classes, I would make it a point to try and conceal the state I was in. I would receive comments here and there, asking if I was okay, to which I would make up some excuse, telling them I had the common cold and felt a bit under the weather. I'm sure they had their suspicions, given Sebastian had looked exactly as I did a week ago, but I now looked like the sick one.

I questioned my intentions most days, wondering if all of this hurt was worth anything. If Sebastian would even acknowledge my submission to his blood magic, all to spare him anymore pain. Yet, I did not feel unappreciated.

When the rituals would occur once, sometimes twice a day, Sebastian would kneel down and kiss the veins on my arms, honoring them. He would reassure me that he admired my bravery to go through the rituals to help him. It never seemed more than a grateful gesture on his part, though I secretly wished he felt a certain way about me, and my sacrifice.

Sebastian was still looking for the potion, going usually on his own the search school grounds, and on days where he didn't, he would spend them in the restricted section, looking through old tattered books in attempt to find anything he could. I wouldn't receive an invite to these things, but I understood, seeing as my compliance with his wishes was fairly recent, and it would take a while for him to even trust me, especially with information about Sanguis Vita.

It hadn't been my initial plan to work with Sebastian, but it had become increasingly clear over the past few weeks since he had returned that I wouldn't get anywhere with trying to oppose him. I knew he would've only continued to push me away.

I was still not in agreement of his intentions with bringing Anne back, but I hoped when the time came, I could retrieve the potion and keep him from using it. I would have to gain his trust in order to get close enough. I hated being so deceiving, but he had left me no other choice. Though in my heart, I craved his approval, his acceptance, and I didn't want it all to be just an act. I would only act like I wanted him to go through with his plan, but the rest would be genuine. I was nothing if not true to myself, and my feelings.

"Millicent, are you ready to go?" A voice called out to me from outside the restroom. I sighed out before splashing my pale face with a bit of cold water before walking outside the bathroom to meet Sebastian's tall figure. He looked down at me, a grin on his face.

Ever since I had agreed to help him, he had been giddy. Though I knew Sebastian wasn't stupid, I'm sure he knew that I wasn't entirely in this, but it couldn't hurt to keep up the act for as long as possible. Maybe it was better if we both ignored the fact we were only acting like allies for the sake of getting what we wanted.

Sebastian had planned for us to go to a dungeon this afternoon, one he had found in Hogwarts,  to travel deeper into it. Surely, the more you travelled into a creepy, run down dungeon, you were sure to find treasure.