Conceal || ItsFunneh AU

14 | poison

"C-Calix?"

"Hey," he says, holding up the small piece of eraser. "You, uh, forgot this at my house."

Despite our argument earlier, a small smile crawls up.

But the relief is short.

A dark strand of revolting black shoots out from the old lady's hands and wraps around Calix's neck.

"You're—You have magic?" I gape at her. She lied to me!

Calix is jerked back.

"No!" I yell, stretching my hand out a second too late to grab his.

"How dare you disrupt my ritual! I will make you pay!" The old lady yells, her raspy voice morphing into a deep, echoey one.

Calix's eyes are wide with panic. Fear.

"Let him go!" My voice feels like it's ripping from my throat.

She doesn't. She only laughs, a deep, booming noise. "Oh, Lunar. How innocent and naive. I bet you've never hated yourself, and your powers, more. You wish you were granted a more useful ability that could save your little... friend."

I bite my bottom lips so hard I taste blood, trying to conceal my emotions.

It doesn't work. As always, the old lady seems to read my mind.

No, not seem. She can read my mind.

"You..." I struggle to come up with what to say to convey what I'm feeling, so I just don't. I stop and let the sentence trail off.

Calix is gasping for breath.

"Let him go, please!" I beg, tears running down my cheeks.

The old lady's eyes narrow. "This is the second time you've cried because of this boy, isn't it?"

She's rifling through my mind; I can feel her imaginary fingers hungrily flipping through my memories.

GET OUT! I scream inside my head.

"Lunar, you were such a strong girl. This boy has weakened you. And for that reason, I'm forced to take ownership of your Gift."

"What are you talking about?" My voice breaks, and I have to steel myself before continuing, "You can't use my power as your own."

A wicked grin appears on her face. "Oh, how wrong you are, Lunar. It's quite simple; I've done it before."

I feel sick.

"Such a shame, Lunar. I'd really hoped that you would be different from my siblings. But, alas, I was wrong. You're weak, just like them."

Weak.

The word echoes around in my brain, drowning out my surroundings.

"And you know what makes you weak, Lunar?" She doesn't wait for me to respond. "Your feelings. Even now, your illusion is fading because I've prodded a sensitive nerve."

That's because my power is broken, I think bitterly.

She continues, "I must admit, you are better at keeping your feelings hidden than anyone else I've met, but you're still not good enough. Your insecurities are blinding."

She's taking her time, feeding me bits of information that are insidiously tearing me apart.

The black strand around Calix loosens and he slumps on the ground.

My heart stops and a loud buzzing fills my ears, like a loud alarm. But unlike real alarms, I don't react to it.

No, not him.