✓ | Hushed Whispers ⋆ Will Herondale [2]

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR: ESCAPING

◤You need to understand that I am here for you, just as you are here for me. I know that you're not used to letting people in. But we are here - Jem and myself - and we are not leaving, no matter how much you try to push us away. It was always the three of us, even after you and Jem became parabatai. We even have Tessa with us. That is not going to change. Whatever it is that you're going through, you need to know that accepting help is not considered a shame. God, is it so hard to understand that we care for you, Herondale?◢

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CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR: ESCAPING

NO words were spoken under the darkened clouds of York.

Immediately after arriving at the York station, the four companions bid their goodbyes to Gottshall who kept on standing on the platform even after they departed. His eyes followed the shape of the train, prying Marie, Tessa, Will and Jem as far away from his city as possible. It was no secret Gottshall hadn't taken a liking to them; much like his master, the man didn't enjoy other people intruding on their privacy. The four friends would have lied if they admitted that they found staying in Aloysius' town; there was a certain wave of discomfort lingering in the air, begging them to find their way home.

Same green scenery followed them on the way back, the only difference being the unsettling ball of anxiety that wallowed in the pit of Marie Wayland's stomach. A gush of unexplainable dread invaded her mind, taking a hold of her throat and squeezing it until the girl could no longer allow air in.

The worst thing about it was that not only her lungs betrayed Marie. Her whole body had undergone the symptoms of unsettlement and overwhelm. Her stomach churned in uneasiness, her cheeks flushed at the rising temperature her body produced and the Mark on her back burned like never before.

And yet, Marie pressed her teeth deep into her tongue and never spoke a word about it. She didn't dare; Will had it worse than her.

The boy who had an eccentric personality and always engaged in insane activities was replaced by a quieter version of himself, preferring to keep all his problems to himself, even if he knew that such an action was equal to self-destruction.

It was a rare occasion when no one dared scold Will for his behavior. Instead, pushing past his desperate attempts of isolating himself from everyone, Jem and Tessa tried to break the wall he had built around him. They tried talking and making simple conversation with Will, but the boy only sent a murderous glare in their way, continuing to stare outside the train window.

Will Herondale had wanted peace and quiet at the worst possible moment and his friends weren't sure on whether or not they should fulfill his wishes. The time of Will having control over the threads of his life were erased, secrets he so desperately struggled to protect threatening to meet the daylight.

For the first time in forever, Will Herondale felt exposed to the world around him. All eyes were set on him and he felt as if he was the main protagonist of the book, cracking under the pressure of his buried secrets.

Ever since he had set his foot in the London Institute, Will felt as if he had been given a new chance at life. Nobody knew much about him or his past - and quite frankly - the boy had preferred it that way. But life worked in unusual ways and before he knew it, the tranquility was snatched out of his hands and Will was left to freeze on the barren lands of foolishness and discovered pasts.