Velvet Whispers | Sebastian Sallow

Ch 9. Reeling Her Back In

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I made it to the clock entrance to the Undercroft a few short minutes later. I paused before it, hesitant to unlock it, afraid of what fresh hell was awaiting me inside. The memories of his behavior came flooding back — his indifference, the unanswered letters...

...the goddamn mermaid goblet.

The fear transformed into frustration and anger. I swiftly unlocked the door, almost excited at the possibility of a confrontation now. He had earned a piece of my mind, anyway.

I entered the gate and he turned to me, almost surprised that I showed up or something.

I took only a couple of steps forward before stopping and crossing my arms.

After almost a minute of silence, I threw my arms up in frustration. "Well?"

Sebastian sighed, his shoulders dropping slightly. "MC... I think I have some explaining to do."

"Yeah, that's a start," I said nonchalantly.

"Look," he started. "I wish I had the guts to keep you informed all this time. All through fifth year and for most of sixth year, we were great, like old chums. But then-"

"Then you tossed me aside, as if I didn't follow you to hell and back over and over again after only mere months of knowing you. Yeah, I know, I was there." I made sure to sport my brattiest tone.

Sebastian took a step forward, one hand over his chest. "I'm sorry, MC. I obviously never meant to hurt you. I was actually trying to protect you-"

"By practically abandoning me?!" I screamed. "How could you have possibly protected me by abandoning me, Sebastian? I didn't even know where you were all summer. I had to hear from Poppy that you took an impromptu trip for a month, worrying me sick!"

I took a step toward him, my breath quickening with the heat of my frustration. "Do you have any idea what that did to me? The silence? The sudden disappearance? It's like you just... vanished from my life without a word, leaving me in the dark. How is that protection?"

"I went looking for Anne," he said finally.

I covered my mouth with one hand and we stood in silence for what felt like eons.

"You're not..."

Sebastian rushed over to me, holding me by my upper arms. "No, MC, I'm not dabbling in the dark arts. Never again. I promise you that."

I let out a sigh of relief. I don't think I could take another trip down Salazar Lane with him and remain sensible. When I looked back up at him, something shifted. His touch lingered on my arms, and I felt it — the way my knees began to weaken, the warmth spreading through me.

"That's all well and good, but none of this explains why you disregarded me."

He gently let me go. "I couldn't risk bringing you down with me in my search for Anne. You've only been successful since the end of fifth year, and I didn't want to stand in your way. I know there's no room for me there."

I stared at him, dumbfounded, and scoffed. "No room for you there?! Sebastian, I was becoming successful to be strong for you! For Anne! I was learning how to harness my magic with the hopes that I could figure out a way to cure her! And to make you happy again... but you were nowhere to be found. For fuck's sake, you hardly gave me the time of day when we said goodbye at the end of last school year."

I could feel my chest tightening with the words that kept spilling out. "Everything we've done for each other, everything we've been through... reduced to that?" My voice cracked, the hurt more evident now than ever.

Sebastian's brows rose at my confession. "You were strengthening yourself... for us?"

I continued shouting. "It was always for you! You were always the center of my everything since the beginning! But once you were done with me and gave up on Anne, you left. You just left me, Sebastian... I felt so alone on those expeditions. I wrote to you at every new destination so you could know where I was, because that's what I would want if the roles were reversed. But you never wrote back, not even to make sure I was okay..." Rage swallowed the sadness and I shoved him against his chest. "I needed you!"

Sebastian barely stumbled back before sinking into a nearby chair, elbows resting on his knees and looking straight ahead blankly.

"So that's it, then? Got nothing else for me? Fuck it, I'm used to it at this point. Your piss-poor excuse of not wanting to 'bring me down with you' holds no merit. You had no problem dragging me around and taking advantage of my magic all of fifth year. I'm done with you."

I couldn't bear another second of standing there with him. I turned, desperate to escape, but before I could take a step, the air seemed to tighten around me.

"Incarcerous."

"Hey! What the f-" I felt the ropes constrict around my torso, binding me tightly.

"Enough, MC." Sebastian had risen from the chair, his voice stern now. "You have to believe me, I never took advantage of you. I just... I just wanted to help my twin. You know that. But I also began to acknowledge how much your life was changing after it all. You had a new journey and-"

"Sebastian, fucking let me go!!" I twisted in the binds wrapped around my upper body.

"AND I wasn't going to get in your way when I knew I had to go find Anne."

I stilled, caught in the intensity of his deep, coffee-colored eyes. "Why go looking for her now, Sebastian? I thought you wanted to give her some space."

His gaze grew even more luminous, and I noticed the glint of tears gathering. "She's dying, MC... I had to try to see her, just once more. But I never found her."

My facial expression softened and I relaxed in the binds before him. I exhaled sympathetically. "Oh, Sebastian... that makes me wish you had told me sooner. I would have loved to accompany you to find her. You deserve that parting glass."

The binds slipped from me, falling away and vanishing. Sebastian turned abruptly, raking a hand through his chestnut hair in frustration. "See, this is what I'm talking about! This is exactly why I kept my distance. You're always willing to help me in potentially dangerous situations at the drop of a hat, no questions asked! You're foolish, MC! You just don't fucking get it, do you?"

I tilted my head at him.

"I have always been a danger to you. To you, to Anne, to Soloman... I refuse to be anyone's danger anymore! I-I care too much about you to let that happen."

I felt a lump rise in my throat, choking on his words. "So that's it? You're just going to disappear without a word, without even a goodbye? No common ground, no mutual understanding?" My voice cracked, anger and hurt colliding. "I told you, Sebastian—I needed you. But you chose to vanish. You fucking scarpered, you coward!"

Sebastian's head snapped around, eyes blazing. "Oh, I bet Weasley was there for you, wasn't he? Seems like you two have gotten awfully close. I'm sure he was always right by your side."

"What on earth are you on abo-"

"Or that Norwegian fuckhead that probably talked you into fucking him!"

"W-what?! What are you talking a-"

"And Poppy, too. She was never far, was she? Taking real good care of you, huh?" He sneered, dropping his voice to a mocking moan. "'Mmm, Poppy... don't stop.'"

I gasped, eyes wide. "H... how did you-"

"So please, spare me your patronization, MC. You were doing just fine without me, admit it. You have quite the support system already! But that'll happen when you whore yourself out, won't it?!"

All of my limbs went ice cold. I couldn't believe what he just said. There was nothing going on with Garreth. What Norwegian guy? And how did he even know about Poppy...?

Tears spilled over uncontrollably as I pressed my hands to my face, the weight of his words crushing me. Without another look, I turned and ran out of the Undercroft.