𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐌𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 (OC x OC) - Full Series

[007] CHAPTER 19 - YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN, KID

"summer went away, still the yearning stays."
|| taylor swift

Jules Lestrange

I never know whether to describe it as comforting or nerve wracking when I tell people that my mother is one very insane woman. Yesterday, I watched as my mother tortured my own cousin, Makayla. Usually, I wouldn't care, but this time it was different. She carved letters that I couldn't make out into the girl's skin and when I asked my mother if she would consider washing her wand, she said that the blood was a reminder of the great things she's done for the Dark Lord. Soon the wood will rot, I hope. It'll keep her from being nearly psychotic.

My brother, Alistari, never came out of the guest room when he heard the screams. He knew by their pitch that they were his friends and he didn't dare watch. I guess that's what happens when you're born into a family of Slytherins and get sorted into Gryffindor—you never truly get used to what you see or hear.

Makayla hasn't left her room since yesterday. Uncle Lucius doesn't seem to care, as he has more important things to do. Meanwhile, Nora, who is far too afraid to walk in without permission and get murdered by Preston, has asked me to check on her. Way to try and kill me, kid.

I stare at the door in front of me and feel my heart beating rapidly in my chest. Honestly, I'm nervous about what I might find when I walk in. I can't know for sure if the coast is clear or not, but I have to do this anyway because a freaking child asked me and I have a heart.

Softly, I knock my fist against the door. "Makayla? Are you okay?" Silence. "Do you think you can answer me, please?" More silence. I sigh to myself. "Okay... I'm coming in..."

When I walk in, I am met with an empty room. All of her stuff is gone. The only stuff left is Preston's, which is mainly trash and other useless stuff. I stare at the room in shock. My eyes drift to her closet. There are still tons of clothes, but some stuff is missing. She must've left in a hurry. The Makayla I know would never leave her hundred galleon worthy clothes lying around for Preston to destroy unless she was in a rush. Something must've happened...

I walk downstairs and see Preston digging through the fridge. Sighing, I saunter over, stopping beside him before muttering, "Where's Makayla?"

My sudden arrival startles him and he jumps, hitting his head on the roof of the fridge. He groans as he quietly asks, "What?"

"Where's Makaya?" I repeat. "Some of her stuff is missing and she's nowhere to be found."

"She's probably just on a walk," he lies, rolling his eyes as he rubs the back of his head and closes the fridge.

"She would have told some—"

"Jules, stop," he demands. I fall silent. "You don't know what's going on right now. No one does. What's going on with Makayla is none of your business."

I sigh. "Does this have something to do with Louis?"

He stares at me for a moment, as if contemplating if he should tell me the truth or not. That look alone is enough to tell me all I need to know, but he talks anyway. "It has a little to do with him, yeah..."

I nod silently, looking at the floor. Deciding the leave the conversation here, I walk back upstairs, walking into the guest room that Alistari and I have been sharing. He's sitting at the desk by the window as I fall face first into the sheets, taking the advantage of anything coming out of my mouth being muffled and screaming as loud as I can. I can feel Alistari's concerned and amused stare drilling into the back of my head.

I lift my head, not caring to fix my hair at all as I talk to my brother. "Makayla's gone."

His half smile disappears as his eyebrows droop. "What? Where could she be?"

"Wherever Louis is, I'm guessing," I mutter, flipping onto my back and staring at the ceiling. "Do you think he ever loved me?"

"What kind of question is that, Jules?"

"He and I dated for almost a year, but the moment that Makayla is single, he leaves me," I mutter. "What if I was just a placeholder?"

Alistari is silent for a moment, as if he's trying to figure out what to say. Suddenly, he says, "So what if you were?"

Confused, I glance at him, "What?"

"It doesn't matter if you were a placeholder. There's someone out there that won't have you as their second choice. You just have to look."

"With how the world is looking, the chances of me finding them before they die is improbable."

"Stop thinking that way."

"I can't help it, Rie!" I snap. "He was my first boyfriend and it didn't even feel like a relationship because he was always swooning over Makayla! And now I'm stuck here, under the Dark Lord's wrath. A war has broken out, RIe. That only means that anyone that could have the potential of falling for me is going to either be evil or dead by the time I have any time to be searching for love."

"Jules," Alistari blurts out, his voice stern and firm, almost startling me as I glance at him. "If you want it, it'll happen. You just have to be patient."

I sigh. "How long does being patient take?"

"Could take years," he explains, "but you have to have faith along with it."

Suddenly, there's a knock on the doorframe. We both glance up to see Keyanna. I sit up as I mutter, "What's up, Key?"

She sighs, "Makayla isn't—"

"We know," Alistari and I both collectively say, causing us both to laugh.

"This isn't funny," she says.

I look at her expression, confused. She looks actually worried. Makayla has run away from home before, I doubt it'd be hard for her to do it again without getting caught. What's the issue?

"She's done it before—"

"Yeah, well, last time, the Dark Lord wasn't rising again!" Key exclaims. "Uncle Lucius found out and the Dark Lord has told him to gather new recruit."

Oh no...