The Magician's Apprentice

Confrontation

It all made sense now.

Every time when I would talk about my past (which wasn't often, mind you) I would sense strong feelings of guilt from Stephen. For a while I assumed it was mostly pity, but then I remembered that he was once a neurosurgeon. After some contemplating, I finally put the pieces together.

I think the only reasons why I didn't instantly recognize Stephen was that he was disguised under the surgeon's mask, I never heard his surname, and I never actually physically saw him until the memories of my mom's death became hazy.

But now that I remembered...

God. I hated him. Hated him. I had never hated someone until encountering his argument with Dr. Palmer. I had thought he was an actual evil person who gave no actual regard for others, despite his profession.

But now...do I still hate him? I honestly couldn't tell at the moment.

He had been keeping the truth from me this whole time, and he knew full well that what he did was wrong. He knew how upset I was about the whole thing. He KNEW that I was going to be angry if I ever found out.

So this begs the questions...

Was he afraid that I would find out? And was he ever going to tell me the truth? If he were, what would he say?

There was no way I could face him right now. He probably wasn't even that guilty, for all I know. He was probably just concerned about his old reputation.

Revulsion rose in my chest, and I grimaced until my face was twisted into a disgusted sneer as I remembered how he had lost his abilities as a neurosurgeon.

"He deserved it," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "He deserved it."

I had never really believed in actual karma...

Until now.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I had to get out of here. The concept of being in the same building as the man who didn't even try to save my mother repulsed me.

I wasn't sure where I would go; all I knew was that I could no longer be around Stephen for God knows how long.

I wasn't sure how much time had passed since I abandoned the lesson. I suddenly remembered Stephen demanding on who was speaking to me.

Well, I thought, sneering again. You have your secrets. I have mine.

I grabbed my staff and sling ring and left my room to slam my door, not bothering to be silent. I stood in front of my room for several seconds before turning to storm ahead. After several furious strides I walked right into Stephen, making me realize that I was so angry that I didn't bother sensing where I was going.

"Ah, I was just about to look for—what's wrong, Evie?"

For a few heartbeats I was struggling to string a sentence together; all I could think about was how Stephen had scoffed on my mother's accident and called her stupid.

"Evie?"

To my horror, my eyes filled with tears, and when I spoke my voice was choking up. "I know."

"Know...what?"

I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head. "I know that you were the one who operated on my mom."

Stephen was silent, and I sensed long-awaited dread emanating from him. Before he could say anything, I continued.

"I heard you back then!" Hot tears were flowing down my cheeks, but I didn't bother stopping them. "You didn't even try!"