Becoming Descendants

Chapter 3

Carlos pov

They say that your days of youth are the best days of your life. But what if they're your only days?

Because this is it, for me. Never going to grow up. Never going to have a family of my own. I'm also kind of pissed I'll never find out the ending of Gotham, but that doesn't matter as much.

It hurts. Not the actual "dying" part, but everything afterwards. Knowing someone hates me enough to murder me. Watching everyone, and no one seeing me. No one caring at all. Knowing that my love will be forever unrequited.

I'm stuck like this. Like an ugly duckling, who will never turn into a Swan. Like a nerdy, annoying Peter Pan.

I sigh. "If you keep on ignoring me, I'll struggle to find anyone else to investigate. I'll never pass through if you don't help me."

"Maybe it's the fact that you lead us to the wrong fucking person and we're back at square one!" Mal hisses viciously. Her eyes glow green and would have murdered me with that glare if I wasn't already dead.

"It could have been her!" I yell. "You don't know what it's like to have no one to talk to. All I have - had - were a cat and a diary."
"What about Harry and Jace?" Jay points out. I shake my head.
"All they do is follow me around, repeating my lame ass jokes. And recently they've been too busy snogging each others faces off for even that. Neither have noticed that I'm missing yet, let alone poisoned."

"Wait, so you remember you've been poisoned?" Evie cuts in. Shit.
"What else are you hiding from us?" Jay asks. Should I tell him? I don't want to lose him, though...
"Honestly, it's just come back to me," I lie smoothly. "It's like a jigsaw puzzle, with pieces missing. If I could just figure out the missing parts..."

"Okay. So what were you doing that day? Or the day before?" Mal asks.
"Well, I was dead by Wednesday morning... I couldn't taste it, which narrows it down a bit. Track was on Tuesday, so someone could have put it into my water bottle when I wasn't looking."

"And Monday?"
Um...
"last lesson? I-I was bunking off games," I think up. It's crap, but I'm caught on the spot.
"No, it's Turney on Mondays," Jay corrects. He pulls out his timetable to check it. His sleeve shifts, and a scar becomes visible. "Yeah. See? Monday, last period, Turney practise."

"How did you cut your arm?" Evie points out. He quickly covers it.
"Look at me, Evie. I'm a kleptomaniac, I'm failing in school, and my dad is quite keen to throw a punch or two. You do the maths."
"We both know how you got that scar on your arm," Says Mal gravely.
"And the waist," I add. Everyone looks at me (except Mr Radcliffe). Why can't I ever just keep my bloody mouth shut?

"When did you see?" Jay presses. I don't answer. "When did you see?" again, I don't answer. "I know exactly what you was doing that day, don't I, Carlos?"
"What?"
"That was you, wasn't it? Spying on Chad Charming."

I almost sigh in relief. Almost.
"Fine. My secret's out. I liked Chad," I lie. "but who doesn't?"
"That handsome blond in our year? Nice!" squeals Evie. "You don't think he could be the new suspect, do you?"
Mal shrugs her off. "Charming's a dick, but he's harmless."

As Mr Radcliffe passes us, he snickers.
"You alright Sir?"
"Chad Charming?" he says. "Between you and me, Charming isn't his real name. Took his father's maiden name."
"What was it before?"
"Tremaine."