𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐌𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 (OC x OC) - Full Series

[007] CHAPTER 17 - RUNAWAY

"baby, i've got a plan: run away as fast as you can."
|| kanye west

Makayla Malfoy

There is such a thing as no happily ever after. My entire life is proof of that. The look on Louis' face when I rolled my sleeve up is proof of that. I am not built for a happy ending, but my brain is hardwired to have a desire for it. It follows me everywhere I go and it's there whenever I go to sleep or simply close my eyes. In the life of Makayla Malfoy, you will never be able to get a minute of rest. It is deemed impossible if you're desperate enough to do the right thing, which is, unfortunately, going against everything you were raised to believe and trust. You can't have an ounce of peace in my life if you have this mark on your forearm that gives you nightmares if you even think about ripping the skin off. Because you know, no matter how hard you try, it will always linger, for you are cursed. You will always be a Deatheater in your soul's eyes and you will never be able to leave. You can change and restart your life and relationships, but your past will always be a part of who you are because people never truly change. They simply find a new vocabulary and awareness of surroundings. They learn how to take control of their cunningness that the Sorting Hat said that they possessed and, originally, try to use it for good, but the trouble keeps coming and coming and coming and coming until you just go

SNAP.

I rush into my room the moment that they all disappear. My heart is racing in my chest as I dig through my closet, grabbing the duffle bag that Remus gave me in case something like this would ever happen. As I set the bag on my bed, I freeze at the sound of the door closing. Slowly, I turn around to see who's entered the room. Preston.

"What are you doing?" he asks quietly. For a moment, I feel bad for leaving as I stare at the look on his face, but then I remember what he did to Louis last year and all that regret goes away. "Why are you packing?"

"I have to go," I mutter, turning back to the bag and packing my last few things.

"Go where?"

"Wherever the wind takes me," I say sarcastically. "I obviously wouldn't tell you."

He sighs, "Makayla, if this is you trying to make a statement after what Bellatrix did—"

"This has nothing to do with Aunt Bellie."

"Then what is this?" he shouts in a whisper.

A soft breath escapes my lips as I regain my composure. "I can't live with myself if I stay here any longer."

"So you're leaving all of us behind?" he asks. "What about Nora? What about Chase?"

"You guys will be fine."

"Mother won't survive if you die, Makayla," he mutters. "You're going to get yourself killed."

I look down at my feet and whisper, "So?"

"So?" he repeats in an exasperated tone, sitting on the couch in our room. "What do you think will happen when you die?"

"I think I'll get to see Cedric, Kai, Jordyn, and Sirius again," I answer almost immediately, my gaze snapping up to his as the words fall from my tongue almost instantly. I don't know why I'm being honest with him. Preston hates me and I hate him. This isn't even the kind of hate that Kai and I once had when we were younger. This is the kind of hate where he would literally kill me, exactly like I killed Kai, without an ounce of hesitation just because he thinks it'd be fun.

He grabs a beer from the table next to him and opens it. I don't even know where it came from. Perks of being a wizard I guess. "Is that all that matters to you?" he asks before taking a swig of the beer and swallowing it in one big gulp. "There are people who are alive here that need you, too, Makayla. No matter how hard you try, dying wouldn't be the best thing to do for any of us."

"You and I know darn well that nobody would blink an eye if I disappeared," I snap at him, taking a moment to reset my composure before continuing. "And it wasn't the best thing for Jordyn either, but here we are."

"Maybe," he mutters, tilting his head to the side as he watches me—analyzes me as if I'm some sort of object or science project, "but you forget about your boyfriend."

I shake my head, feeling my lip start to tremble as I remember the look on Louis' face those long months ago. "He found out," I explain quietly. "He hates me."

He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose as he leans his head back against the cushions, "Stop."

"Stop what?" I ask with more annoyance than I anticipated.

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself."

I roll my eyes, putting my hands on my hips, "I'm not feeling sorry for myself. I'm doing what's right. If nobody misses me, so be it—"

"You're doing it again," he interrupts me with a groan.

I roll my eyes, "What now?"

"You're forgetting about Louis!" he exclaims. "Out of all the people who know and love you, you're forgetting who would for sure lose their mind if you died. You're forgetting who would really blink an eye and shed a tear."

I go silent for a moment, not knowing how to reply. There isn't a single snarky comment that comes to mind as I stare at him blankly. Slowly, I turn back to the back, slinging it over my shoulder. "If there were some other way to go about this without it being technical suicide, I'd do it. I swear. But there's nothing else we can do."

"You could always not leave."

"I can't do that."

"Why not?" he asks, tilting his head. "If Louis hates you as you so claim, why are you so eager to grant him the burden of your presence?"

"It's the only way I can protect him..." I whisper, fiddling with my fingers against my shirt as I stare at the floor.

"The same way you protected Cedric?" he suddenly inquires, causing my breathing to stutter. "The same way you protected Sirius? The same way you protected Jordyn? Kai? Dumbled—"

"Would you quit it?" I snap, a tear rolling down my cheek as I don't dare glance his way. "They are the exact reason why I have to do this. If I don't at least try, they're going to die sooner than later. Honestly, I prefer the later option, even if I have to die for that to happen."

"You shouldn't place others' lives above your own," he mutters.

"It's too late. I already have," I mumble, turning to him. "I took an oath."

His face falls.