storm ◇ jasper hale ◇

chapter six ; revelations

Madej didn't want to go back to school. He knew that it had to have spread around the school about the fight. The scary thought that people now knew that he wasn't straight. A Native American who wasn't straight in a predominantly white straight school. The thought terrified him.

Mandy had wished him good luck as she left for work, and Madej spent the last few minutes of his time at home packing up his schoolbag. He felt anxious over returning to school, and the lack of rest he'd been getting wasn't helping. It was weird; he'd been away while everyone else had been getting work done at school. He'd just gotten back into the swing of making spells and enchantments. He'd performed a security spell on his bag, and he thought he'd done a good job of it.

His phone buzzed in his back pocket and he zipped his bag up before he looked at it.

Yee-Honk 🤠🤡
Would you like me to pick you up for school today?

Madej pursed his lips a little before sending a yes pls then sat and waited on the stairs, not entirely sure what to do with himself. He turned his phone around in his hands, foot tapping on the step below him. He slowed his breathing, trying to calm himself down. It wasn't even that much of an anxiety inducing thing. But it was for him.

He laid back awkwardly on the stairs, wanting to just calm down and get his head on right. It was just an anxiety thing. People would maybe look at him weird, because rumours would be spread. But it was just high school, and it didn't matter afterwards. High school would feel like a fever dream.

Madej heard a car roll up and he figured it was Jasper. He grabbed his bag and got up, leaving the house and locked the door as he went. Madej made his way down and got into the passenger's side.

"What's with the lift?" he asked once he'd gotten inside.

Jasper glanced over at him a little before he started the car up. "It's going to rain. I wanted to be considerate."

Madej rolled his eyes a little, but felt a little fond of the fact Jasper would do that. The only person who had ever given him rides to school had been his mom and brother.

"And I thought we should talk about the other night."

"There it is," Madej said, snapping his fingers in Jasper's direction. They hadn't really spoken since that night, aside from the odd questions related to homework Madej had sent to him.

Jasper pursed his lips a little, turning off to a quiet road. He stopped the engine, looking at Madej. "Ask away."

Madej turned in his seat, looking at Jasper properly. "Were you really a confederate? Was it by choice or did you think slaves were a good idea? Did you end up getting changed in the war? Why are you talking to me and bothering to spend time with me, because it's a bit weird and there's something off."

For a brief second, Jasper looked away, then turned his attention back to Madej. "I'm ... it's shameful; I was the youngest Major in the Confederate army. I can recall my mother, distraught, as I'd been drafted in. I was underage for fighting, but they didn't care. At first, I wanted to fight for what my family thought was right. But then I saw people getting hurt, the reality of an unjust war. People were treated worse than what someone would treat an animal, killed over the simplest, stupidest of things. It made me realise I was on the wrong side, what the war was truly about. I wanted to do change, and I tried to free those who had been forced into Confederacy because of how wrong it was. I helped people cross to the Union, where they wouldn't be treated as bad as they were in the Confederate side. I'd ... I'd seen the horrific errors of my ways, and I knew I was damned for them, but I wanted to save their lives, or try to help in any way I could. I hid in that army, the Union aware of my aid, helping those people, get them to safety. I'd been on my way back, ready to help the next ones escape, and I was found by Maria, the person who turned me into this."