Jet and Jade | Black and White 1

Chapter 13: Jet

Jade had always been determined. I thought she would ace my hidden trial, but instead she failed. She gave up after only two tries. I hadn't told her that I got it on my first try, for that would make her feel worse. She had always been bad in the creativity part and I had expected her to not manage to make anything that good, but I thought she would have at least made something. I supposed that she had tried to make something too complicated for her level.

I was disappointed.

So disappointed.

Not at her, but at myself. I should never have expected so much from her. Being optimistic only gave you more pain, breaking you even more when your expectations failed you.

💀💀💀

Three years later...

I gasped as the light in Jade's hands slowly started to form it.

I was distraught. How could she know about it? I had never told her. Did she hate me right now? I may be brave but I would never have the guts to ask her. How could she have found out about it? Arya had been sworn to secrecy, and even if she hadn't she would never tell Jade something I didn't want her to know.

Which meant...

I nearly growled.

It had to be him.

He was the only one who could have done it!

And I would kill him for it.

Jade looked up and gasped at the storm clouding in my eyes.

"T-this is the thing I wanted to tell you for so long..." she whispered. "I could never describe it, I never knew how to tell you about it, but this is it..."

I took the sculpture of the Orb of Power from her hands, and in my anger it turned into shadows. Jade stared at me in shock.

"W-why?" she cried.

I bit my lip as I realized she had seen the pain.

No.

I veiled my eyes back behind the orbs that only showed neutrality. I covered my face back behind the mask that was emotionless.

She could never know that I was broken.

"Jet," Jade shouted.

I turned my eyes back to her and she sharply intook at my emotionless expression.

"Yes?" I asked abruptly and dully.

We were now fifteen and we had, together, honed her powers so much that she was nearly at half my level. Which was, a lot.

"I-- are you okay?"

"Are you?" I used her words back against her.

"What was the thing I made?" she asked quietly.

"Didn't you make it knowing what it was?" I said.

She shook her head.

"It keeps appearing in my dreams, Jet. I'm scared." Jade looked up at me and to my shock her eyes were glassy and fearful. "And there's always this voice..."

"What voice?" I asked quickly.

"It's deep, and rough. It always says the same thing, 'She'll never get away...'" Jade sobbed.

My blood started to boil and I nearly screamed in anger but I kept it in. I wrapped my arms around my twin sister and let her cry for the first time in a long, long time.

I normally would tell her to stop, and mask her weaknesses, but I was wrong. I should have let her tell me her deepest fears, her hidden secrets, let her tell me everything only siblings knew about each other. Hiding things only turned each little thing into a dagger that cut into your soul. I should never have told her to keep it in...

This was why I was broken. I hid everything from her, lied about so many things, and when I admitted the truth, it was already too late. I had let it break me. I should have been stronger, not so weak. Sometimes I wondered if I should have told her the truth, whether I should have told her what I was.

Even now, I hid things from her. I didn't even tell her the extent of her powers and abilities. I couldn't. I was selfish. So goddamn selfish. When she Changed, her mind could break, and I didn't want that. Damn, I was selfish.

I wanted to hide her away from the truth and the world like a secret but that wasn't the way she should be. Secrets could not be kept. I should never have chosen exile. I should have chosen death that day, except no one could kill me except my own blade. I was an immortal infernal.

Except I wasn't just an infernal.

I felt the familiar cold wrap around me and I shivered.

...And this. The only other thing that could kill me.

The Ice Shadows of Banvon.