Infernal Academia

Chapter 41 - Jezebel's Day Out

"Hey sugar.  Just leaving a message to check in on you.  Haven't really been able to talk with you much, you know, and I'm starting to worry.  I thought I said we were good?  Are you alright?  Just call me back when you get a chance, okay?  Take care."

Slowly, Cobalt pulled his phone away from his ear, frowning uncomfortably as he flipped it shut.  That was his fifth time listening to that voicemail by his count, and yet he still couldn't pluck up the courage to just ring Karazelle back.  Or even look her in the eyes.  Every time he tried... He would think about what happened in the gymnasium.  Not just what happened with the spell he cast, but what occurred just before that.

Shaking his head, the Incubus pushed the thought from his mind and returned his attention to the slices of bacon on the pan in front of him.  Lifting them out with a spatula, he placed them next to the two fried eggs already on the plate by the oven.  It sat upon a tray, next to a steaming cup of coffee and a small vase bearing a few flowers.

He could deal with his own problems at another time.

As he flicked the hob ring off and carried the pan over to the sink, he heard the sound of someone scoffing in the kitchen doorway.

"The fuck are you doing here so early?"

Frowning, Cobalt glanced back to see his sister Violet standing with her arms folded.

"It's Mother's Day.  I figured I-"

"That you'd what?  Pretend like you finally started giving a shit?" she growled, narrowing her eyes.

The Incubus swallowed hard and slowly lifted the tray into his arms.

"I- I always cared, Violet.  It's just hard to be at home when..."

"Mom still cries when she thinks of you."

He stopped in his tracks.

"Ever stopped to think about how she felt about the whole fucking thing?!  It took her weeks to come to terms with letting you go!" his sister hissed, narrowing her eyes.

"Violet, can we please talk about this another time...?"

"You were there, you dumb fuck!  You saw how hard she was crying when the incantation failed!  And what the fuck did you do?!  You just fucked off right back to college like nothing happened!  Like Mom was killing herself with fear for months over the thought of you-!"

"I just couldn't bear to wear those chains any longer!  It wasn't exactly a cakewalk for me either, Violet!  Do you think it was easy, facing the end like that!?" Cobalt suddenly snapped, his grip tightening on the tray.

That gave Violet pause.  Her face softened for a moment, giving him the opportunity to push past her.

"If you wish I had gone Incupsychotic after all, Violet, just say so," he sighed, making his way up the stairs.

Behind him, Cobalt heart her sigh discontentedly and swear under her breath.

"Ain't fair that you got to just shake it off... Should have been..."

Climbing up to the house's second floor, the Incubus swallowed hard and tried to push all negative thoughts from his head.  He had always been something of a proverbial punching-bag for Violet, but once his twenty-first birthday came and went, their relationship had just gone from bad to worse.

Shaking his head, he tried to move on from thinking such dour thoughts as he progressed down the hallway.  

"Even if you cut my pay, even if you make this job torture for me, I will not stand to be fettered again!"