The Leviathan's Rose

Chapter 7 - A Partizan's Will

Anastacia couldn't describe the pang that struck her in the chest as she watched the Hamelin Formula take over Jamie. Watching him break into a cold sweat, seeing his eyes glaze over and spill with tears... Anastacia couldn't help but think of Saskia. 

When Saskia had been recovering from Leviathan, she was a wreck. There would be days when she couldn't eat or sleep, could barely even talk. 

Anastacia's father had been apprehensive about letting Saskia stay within their home in France. But with how insistent Anastacia was paired with the fury she'd feel if Saskia wasn't with her, he let her stay. She was under surveillance every hour of the day and the French Ambassador refused to let her and his daughter go anywhere alone. 

She remembered early mornings and late nights when she'd talk Saskia through the aftermath of leaving Leviathan. 

She didn't open up about everything, but she did talk about the Hamelin Formula. She said that their previous formula experiments before the incident at the Tompkins Manor would make everyone react differently, only ever having one common effect. It would break down the body's defenses. Starting with making the body release the tension and then it would work it's way into the person's mental defenses. It made it easier to control them, she'd said. 

Anastacia nearly vomited as she watched it take over Jamie. She could tell by the look on Saskia's that the way Jamie fought against the formula wasn't right. 

Anastacia had heard enough stories from Saskia to know that it would be nearly impossible to fight so much against the actual formula. But Jamie defied that, he fought until his exhaustion overwhelmed him. 

Anastacia shared a look with Saskia. Her honey brown eyes bet her icy blue ones. The two girl's polarizing differences made them fit even more perfectly together. With Anastacia's cold icy exterior, Saskia's warm toasty exterior, they were perfect. 

The look in Saskia's held a world of worry and curiosity. There were pools of thoughts that Anastacia would swim through for an eternity. 

She could tell what Saskia was thinking. I'm okay, seeing the formula doesn't hurt me. 

That was enough to ease the tension in Anastacia's body. As long as Saskia was okay, she was okay. 

She cleared her throat, catching Lottie and Ellie's trembling attention. 

"We need to figure out what to do with Jamie. We can't put him in the infirmary because he'll be vulnerable to Haru finding him."

She turned her body towards Saskia's. Her voice softened.

"What do you think we should do?" 

Anastacia studied Saskia's calculating eyes, a thumb tracing her plump bottom lip. A breeze passed by, ruffling Jamie's dark hair and causing goosebumps to erupt across all of their skin. Saskia lifted her eyes to Lottie's. 

"We can tell the nurses that he needed to go back to his room since he wasn't feeling well. We'll tell them that he was closer to his room than the infirmary anyways. With how much he was sweating and his disorientation they'll probably think he's got another bout of flu delirium if they decide to go up and try to check on him." 

Lottie and Ellie contemplated the idea for less than then seconds before they agreed. 

Anastacia sparred one more glance at Jamie's slumbering face. Seeing him so disarmed, so vulnerable, no storm behind his eyes and no tension keeping him alert, it was horrifying.

~~~

Sneaking Jamie to his own room was one of the most difficult easy things Anastacia had done. Avoiding students in the hallways was irritating and made mad Anastacia's anxiety flare. People stared and whispered, some of them quietly pointing fingers. 

Not even Lola would be so obvious when gossiping. Anastacia thought. 

Lottie and Ellie still opted to carry Jamie the entire way there even when Saskia offered to help whenever they slowed down. The two of them were as fiercely protective of him and he was of them. By the time they came to the Ivy dorms they ran into a ginger haired problem. 

"What are you five doing?" a prefect asked. His tense posture made him seem like a stone wall, a block keeping them from the boy's dorms. 

Anastacia felt Lottie suck in a breath at her side. 

Stay calm, composed, and blunt. Don't give everything away.

Anastacia rolled her shoulders back and fixed her already perfect posture as she stared down the prefect. 

"Our friend is sick and he asked us to take him up to his dorm and then he passed out." she said smoothly, her French accent thicker than usual. 

The prefect eyed Jamie's limp body. 

"If he's sick then you should have taken him to the infirmary." he said as he eyed the four girls. 

Anastacia's eyes hardened.

Tick... 

The clock on the wall behind the prefect went. 

"He wanted us to take him up to his room. We need to take him there before we miss class." Lottie said, her voice not so small. 

Tick... 

"If you don't leave I'll have to force you to leave. Ladies are not permitted to enter the boy's dormitory wing." he insisted. He folded his arms over his chest. 

Tick...

"We can't leave him alone, we have to be the ones to drop him off at his room, it will only take a moment-" Ellie tried through gritted teeth.

Tick...

"I will happily escort him to his room. But you four are not allowed to enter the boys wing."

Tick... 

Anastacia removed Lottie's arm from under Jamie and replaced it with her own with surprising gentleness. 

Tick-

"We're taking him to his room because he asked us to. Good. Day." Anastacia said viciously. 

She and Ellie turned and began making their way to his room, Ellie giving directions. 

Saskia and Lottie trailed behind, ready to keep the prefect or anyone else from trying to intervene. 

Ellie and Lottie managed to get the door open enough for them to slip through without any possible passerby-ers getting a good look at the inside.   

To Anastacia's surprise and pleasure, everything in the room was red. 

He's got good taste, I'll give him that. Anastacia thought. 

Lottie and Saskia helped lift Jamie's legs and feet after closing the door behind them so they could lift him onto his bed. 

"Jamie could give you a run for you money for loving the color red huh Anastacia?" Saskia said lightly. 

"I guess so." she replied. 

Anastacia's eyes followed Lottie as she grabbed a pen and notepad from Jamie's bedside table. Anastacia were already at the door, Anastacia's hand on the gold handle. 

She looked at Lottie expectantly. The girl's eyes met hers in a flash.

"I just need to let him know how he got to his room." Lottie said as she continued scrambling to write down whatever she thought Jamie would react best to when he'd wake up. 

She finally finished and made her way to the door, Ellie following after she'd gotten Jamie's shoes off. 

Anastacia's eyes caught how Lottie's eyes lingered on Jamie's sick frame. 

"Keep rested Jamie." she whispered. 

Lottie's shoulder brushed Anastacia's as she maneuvered past her and Saskia. 

"Let's get out of here."