Snow Falls

Chapter 2- Simon

Warning: There's a bit of cursing.

   Once Baz leaves the room, I feel my shoulders relax without even realizing that I had been tense. Baz's shape is imprinted in my mattress, I quickly check under my bed to make sure he hasn't hidden a poisonous snake under there (like he did once in 2nd year). I look out the window and see a group of students playing football down at the pitch. The kids remind me of Baz and I suddenly feel a twinge of guilt, maybe if I had been nice to Baz, like really nice, I would have a powerful friend instead of a dangerous enemy. But it's our last year at Watford and he's already made it clear that nothing's going to change. A sharp knock at the door interrupts my train of thought. I sigh as I shuffle towards the door, it's probably s bunch of first years coming to see if I'm the Simon Snow. I open the door slowly, trying to estimate how many kids I'll have to deal with.

"Simon! How was your summer?" someone asks excitedly. As soon as the door opens wide enough for her to enter, Penny dashes into my room and gives me a hug.

"Penny! How the hell did you get in here? I thought the barriers around Mummers House keep girls out!" I peer hopefully into the hallway to see if Agatha came with Penny before closing the door.

"Oh don't worry, they still do," she states with a sly smile, "but how I got in here is for me to know and you to find out." She walks over to Baz's bed and sits down, looking at me.

"Penny, I wouldn't sit there - it's bad enough that you're in here, but if Baz finds out he'll go straight to the Mage!" I try to make my voice sound urgent, Penny has to understand that her being here is a problem.

"Relax Simon, I won't get caught as long as you don't snitch," she states as I lay down on my bed, looking at the ceiling. We lay like that for a while, just looking at the ceiling in silence. It feels like we're Normal, Penny and I could be anywhere, just laying down and staring at the ceiling. But nothing perfect lasts forever.

The joyous screams of the kids on the football pitch turn into screams of terror. I rush to the window to see three big, red hounds prowl onto the pitch - there's fire in their eyes and the grass does whenever their feet touch the ground. Hellhounds. I open the window opening and prepare to do something crazy.
  
   "Cover me Penny!" I yell as I jump out the window.

   As I fall, I think of two things - wings and my sword. My sword comes immediately, the wings aren't as reliable. Penny is screaming at me as I fall, but I can't hear her over the wind rushing past my ears. The ground starts to rush closer and I start to panic. Why do we have to live in a tower? I wonder as I brace for impact. I close my eyes and become tense. When I start to wonder why I haven't hit the ground yet, I open my eyes. A pair of feathery, white wings has sprouted from my back.

   The Hellhounds are circling around the kids, getting closer and closer. Sweat rolls down the kid's foreheads and honestly I can't tell if it's because of the heat or from fear. I feel it as soon as I step onto the pitch, a dry, sucking feeling. The Hundrum sent the Hellhounds, the realization fills me with a dry, empty feeling. I take a few steps closer and am blasted with a wave of heat. The Hellhounds whip their heads in my direction, the fire in their eyes glow brighter, freezing me in my tracks. They prowl away from the students and begin to stalk towards me. I grab my sword in both hands and launch into the air. My wings begin to beat heavily, launching me higher and higher into the air.
   "Run, get as far away as you can!" I yell at the students, making sure the Hellhounds stay focusing on me. Once the students are gone, I face the Hellhounds and dive towards them, my sword in front of me. The first hellhound leaps up to meet me. I lungs out of the way and slice it's neck as it passes me. The fire in its blood consumes the body, turning it to ashes. The other two Hellhounds hesitate before charging at me, their mouths open wide. I drop like a rock and slice the second's chest as it flies over me. Ashes rain down as I whirl around to face the third.

   "You won't win in the end Simon," the hound snarls in the Hundrum's voice - my voice. The Hellhound sits down, looking at me with an amused expression.

   "Just leave me alone!" I yell at the Hundrum - Hellhound, running at it and slicing it across the neck.

   "You amuse me Simon," the Hundrum - hound snarls before bursting into ashes.

   I float to the ground, feeling the Hundrum's static fade. The ashes from the Hellhounds cover the ground like an eerie snow. I stand up and stumble to the edge of the pitch, sitting down with my head between my legs. I stay like that for a while, trying to stop feeling numb. This is all my fault, if I wasn't here the Hundrum wouldn't have attacked Watford. At least he attacked before term started, otherwise he might've hurt more people; he might've hurt Baz. My thoughts are interrupted by footsteps rushing up behind me.

   "Simon! Are you okay? That was crazy!" Penny runs up and kneels down next to me.

   "It was the Hundrum, he sent the Hellhounds Penny, it was my fault!" I punch the ground in frustration. Penny looks at me then looks at the ashes littering the pitch and sighs.

   "You know Simon, if you hadn't been in your room, these could have been human ashes" Penny remarks, gesturing around us. I look around me, the ground is burnt and littered with ashes and feathers. There's a deflated ball sitting next to one of the goal posts.

   "Should we fix this or can we go eat? I'm starving," I remark as my stomach growls.

   Penny looks at me and rolls her eyes before pointing her ring at the pitch "As you were!" She yells. The ashes disappear and the burnt grass becomes green again. My wings disappear - thankfully. As Penny and I walk off the pitch, the only thing on my mind is food.

   By the time Penny and I get to the Mess Hall, everyone's already heard about what happened at the football pitch. Baz stands up from his table and stalks over to me, glaring the whole time.

   "What the fuck were you thinking? Jumping out of a window like that! What if you got hurt?" He hisses through clenched teeth, grabbing my shirt collar. I meet his gray eyes and see a foreign expression in them - fear.

   "I would've been fine, and besides, if I died why would that be such a bad thing? You'd finally be rid of me like you've wanted ever since we met! I yell, heads turning our way.

   "You know nothing about what I want," he growls before letting go of my shirt and stalking out of the Mess Hall. Penny looks at me with wide eyes before dragging me over to the table Agatha's sitting at.

   "You know, suddenly I'm not that hungry," I bark as I stand up and stalk out of the Mess Hall. I don't know where I'm going, but I know that I need greasy air. I walk mindlessly, letting my feet lead me wherever they want me to fix I finally stop walking when I get back to the pitch. I walk over to the center of the field and lay down, looking up at the stars.

   "I thought you might come back here," Agatha's honey-sweet voice approaches from behind me. I sit up as she walks over and sits down next to me, handing me a plate full of brisket. "I also thought you might be hungry," she says, tucking a strand of her long bright blond hair behind her ear.

   I pick up my fork and begin to eat, assuming that she's talking to herself more than she's talking to me. She looks up at the stars and sighs. I look at her, puzzled but decide it's in my best interest to just keep eating. "Simon..." she says, pausing for a moment, "I don't think things between us are working out. You're an amazing guy, but I just can't do this anymore - things haven't been the same since you and Penny came back from that time with the Hundrum. I just can't stand on the front lines and put myself at risk anymore - if something happened to me..." she stops there, a lone tear sliding down the curves of her face. I feel my stomach drop in disappointment. She looks me in the eyes before standing up and running away. I look at the food on my plate before standing up and walking back to my room, numb. Needless to say, Baz isn't there.