Nell: “It will be okay….it will be okay.”400Please respect copyright.PENANA3u5O6xoian
400Please respect copyright.PENANA8NBDQzoWBd
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Nell repeats that through tears but I can’t help but stare down the barrel of those guns. Magic? Murder? It’s all too much to take. What’s even real anymore?
400Please respect copyright.PENANAamd6lt9GRN
400Please respect copyright.PENANAhTTAG74K11
Sever: “We got it, move out.”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAiVnhoe2qGd
400Please respect copyright.PENANAHOi694tu6w
Alyson: “Na-”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAVTsSJfdzO5
400Please respect copyright.PENANAqDVNsNcSRz
I try to get up but the rifles move to freeze me in place.
400Please respect copyright.PENANATkXelTg75R
400Please respect copyright.PENANA4BRcxUNTFv
Nell: “What are you going to do to my son?”
400Please respect copyright.PENANA0scYmBSD7J
400Please respect copyright.PENANAgoQBGpJGDk
Sever: “…You don’t need to know.”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAIb6L7jdiRJ
400Please respect copyright.PENANAMjA1GpZCMO
Nell: “…”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAfPkRD8EjnV
No…400Please respect copyright.PENANAFkolSonYpy
400Please respect copyright.PENANAJvepEl6FIY
Sever: “Be sure to go to school tomorrow Alyson. We need everything to move as usual. Low suspicion and all that.”
400Please respect copyright.PENANA9Hr2Id5fZZ
400Please respect copyright.PENANAhz0Tu3NYtr
I-I’m too scared to move. I couldn’t do anything as Sever dragged Nao out of my life. With a slam of the door, everything starts to settle.
400Please respect copyright.PENANAqkCkYlyhHv
400Please respect copyright.PENANArWt0OKaXqh
A day that was supposed to heal us is instead one where we’re damaged beyond repair. And it’s not even over yet.
400Please respect copyright.PENANARct08qXs1q
400Please respect copyright.PENANAI5Zcc7SLOy
Alyson: “N-Nell, I need to know what you meant by Nao being a mage.”
400Please respect copyright.PENANA6SBVFCEDQ8
400Please respect copyright.PENANAGaSEiPnoc8
She’s still holding me in her arms and shaking trying to hold back a flood of tears.
400Please respect copyright.PENANA5VNTBFedjq
400Please respect copyright.PENANAl8Is9DR81f
Nell: “Alyson…I’ll try to explain. But I don’t know what good it will do….Nao is gone.”
400Please respect copyright.PENANA9AZyyss0LQ
400Please respect copyright.PENANAoKYD0kcNgN
Alyson: “Not yet, maybe I-”
400Please respect copyright.PENANA18cuij0IYV
400Please respect copyright.PENANAzwckaXWuwu
Nell: “No!”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAr4jwnFEV5e
400Please respect copyright.PENANABKHLXY72k4
Alyson: “!”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAsEuhFGRU4i
400Please respect copyright.PENANAZV3vfDh4uD
Nell: “I’m already on verge of breaking…don’t make me lose you too…”
400Please respect copyright.PENANA1uftMAXowc
400Please respect copyright.PENANAs22kHp4Zpj
Alyson: “So you telling me to leave Nao to those…monsters?”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAuTyBX8OHJi
400Please respect copyright.PENANADHwqoo56qi
Nell: “…”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAN86dMT3ewD
400Please respect copyright.PENANAuag0ItdK5m
Alyson: “…Let’s drop it for now. Please, just tell me everything.”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAZNu67BCgpW
400Please respect copyright.PENANA1oriOovyji
For the next 10 minutes, the lights grew dim and the air thickened. What Nell told me seemed so ridiculous but…it’s all true. Nao killed Anton and he can use magic.
400Please respect copyright.PENANAZ2pVWXzCgp
400Please respect copyright.PENANAGHmiWZbved
So many things go through my mind. What this means for his success. How does this effects his ability to succeed? But that is not important because I realize just how much I messed up.
400Please respect copyright.PENANAiA2LH4zixg
400Please respect copyright.PENANADXv4RuxaEK
I’m the one that sent Anton to Nao…
400Please respect copyright.PENANAGvlrjnmA31
400Please respect copyright.PENANAd0ztCK0KYY
Alyson: “Nell…I have a confession to make.”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAlS0LQu143l
400Please respect copyright.PENANAJWRDrhXvRo
Nell: “No…not you too.”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAFqwyoz5ZA9
400Please respect copyright.PENANAAal5QOsNzU
I told mom about my actions at school and my queen status. I hate to see the warmth in her eyes fade away. But I…need to tell her the truth. I ran away from telling her how I behave for too long.
400Please respect copyright.PENANAX91nbezyV4
400Please respect copyright.PENANAauiVIVGmzt
Alyson: “I-I’m so…so sorry.”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAYIYQMW9tsK
400Please respect copyright.PENANADhzDO3L9Re
Tears flood my eyes. Everything hits me and I collapse into her arms. Cold but accepting. I plead for forgiveness in her arms and she answers by stroking my hair.
400Please respect copyright.PENANAerlAvSCG1s
400Please respect copyright.PENANAulJt91HYew
Nell: “W-We’ve all made mistakes. If only I wasn’t blind to it. No…I lost my only son.”
400Please respect copyright.PENANADcZog38JUY
400Please respect copyright.PENANA9S1pEfy0zk
And she’s left with me. A daughter she shouldn’t have adopted in the first place. If only, I didn’t take Lilly’s place…no…stole her place.
400Please respect copyright.PENANAULWtiJPNi8
400Please respect copyright.PENANA2gtIzLC53t
Alyson: “What…do we do now?”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAXUhhhpBMDs
400Please respect copyright.PENANA8GLo4ycJZE
Nell: “I don’t know. But one thing is for sure, we will make up for this for the rest of our lives.”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAVLmtRzg47O
400Please respect copyright.PENANADVIrqzUn5x
Yes…it’s only fair. We stayed in each other embrace for several minutes before dragging ourselves to bed. I couldn’t get much sleep at night. I tossed and turned, thinking about what might be happening to Nao.
400Please respect copyright.PENANAKBO01zbVYy
400Please respect copyright.PENANAaQJcPZtMrL
But more than that, voices from my past haunt my thoughts. Whispering perspectives that only deepen my guilt.
400Please respect copyright.PENANABlTn3yF8yE
400Please respect copyright.PENANAGVRWm3R9X4
And what about Nao’s friends? How will they take the news, especially coming from me? Is becoming queen and achieving success worth it if my family won’t be there.
400Please respect copyright.PENANA0aBd4XgWfs
400Please respect copyright.PENANAwagV0WpLIq
In the morning, we go about our morning routine without Nao. We try our best to keep appearances just in case we’re still being watched. But a tear here, a wounded glance there. We couldn’t keep it all inside.
400Please respect copyright.PENANAVqfv90r5Te
400Please respect copyright.PENANAbld64mamVi
I drag my body to school and feign ignorance as best as I can. Going through the motions as if nothing happen. That’s until the sky started to turn purple…
400Please respect copyright.PENANA7OOCwov3El
[Switch Perspective: Anthony]400Please respect copyright.PENANAiMQmqV6cKE
400Please respect copyright.PENANAWkM0V7ITx6
Mat: “Are you okay?”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAFg3GhO3os9
400Please respect copyright.PENANAOGYvZVLbyS
Anthony: “Huh? Oh, yeah. Just a bit worried that we’ll get bullied because of yesterday.”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAGnxB2o0oSZ
400Please respect copyright.PENANADTy4eHwSJG
Velo: “Don’t worry, Nao scared them away. As he said, we won.”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAKegFyoSEB8
400Please respect copyright.PENANABmsSYHvWhE
Mat: “Besides, it’s the beginning of the day who wou-”
400Please respect copyright.PENANANNRGqmFOGm
400Please respect copyright.PENANAC34dq48tHe
“Yeah guys, we want to show you something.”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAzVrnWpuh2Z
400Please respect copyright.PENANAwvekDK4Ps9
Their faces darken at the realization of what’s about to happen. But me…I crack a smile.
400Please respect copyright.PENANA043PWq8aZe
400Please respect copyright.PENANAAsLjrzpUx1
The inevitable happens as they lead us to a secluded area. Nao can’t protect us and he wouldn’t even if he could. He will leave me like so many others when they ascend to become stars.
400Please respect copyright.PENANAzwph1XQZ6N
400Please respect copyright.PENANAqpwJUPv5BX
I ignore the screams of pain and the bully’s incoherent ramblings. I ball up a fist and grin. I won the bet. No one changes and nothing will get better. Not until I make it.
400Please respect copyright.PENANAJ3oizBG8dk
400Please respect copyright.PENANA2ds80IGa7X
“So let it be written. My new owner and husband.”
400Please respect copyright.PENANA2qGKXKX3rR
400Please respect copyright.PENANApnrMS86sFZ
A gold ring emblazoned with ancient words and engraved with a purple gem appears on my ring finger. Everything goes quiet and my environment disappears.
400Please respect copyright.PENANASq7AtBV2OL
400Please respect copyright.PENANArmxeuMeE40
I push myself off as new clothes adorn my body. Something I instinctively know to be a groom’s attire. But it’s vastly different, more like a cross between mage robes and kingly armor.
400Please respect copyright.PENANAi5c6Q4SBcH
400Please respect copyright.PENANAyuiqMJI8U6
The world returns tomorrow and beneath me are my friends. In front of me are the bullies. Once filled with wrath and assurance that they would get away with this, now look at them. Fear and confusion contort their faces beautifully.
400Please respect copyright.PENANAIEIYGIaIRa
400Please respect copyright.PENANAFRKvI0eCxl
Thinking that aiming for the body will hide our scars from Nao. Thinking that we were so scared that we wouldn’t tell our friend what happened.
400Please respect copyright.PENANAJ4itG5HBiJ
400Please respect copyright.PENANAhzKRDyamiI
Well, no more. That time is over. As I look into their eyes filled with fear, I wonder if this is what Nao felt.
400Please respect copyright.PENANAQm3bbVR5B2
400Please respect copyright.PENANABUrqxXe8cf
But unlike Nao, I won’t waste time. With a wave of my hand, they disappear in a burst of smoke. Turned to ash by the storm summoned by my new ally.
400Please respect copyright.PENANAbNopZTit1o
400Please respect copyright.PENANANrniCxVGiA
“Come my husband, let us once again burn another world. Another blood bath for our promised wedding day.”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAmF3xfkeS2h
400Please respect copyright.PENANACgWic8a1ex
I’ll be what you want me to be. As long as I can have my vengeance.
400Please respect copyright.PENANANoyvmkBocT
400Please respect copyright.PENANA2c8x1NJpEi
Mat: “A-Anthony…”
400Please respect copyright.PENANA80415FCEIq
400Please respect copyright.PENANAzRN2jbjDUN
Oh, I almost forgot. My friends lay beaten and broken behind me.
400Please respect copyright.PENANAwgtM91B1ih
400Please respect copyright.PENANA0A68qQATTQ
“Ignore them love. I’ll keep the end of my deal. We’ll spare them but no one else may live.”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAY4uu07a1bJ
400Please respect copyright.PENANAsaK8nfZIQO
Anthony: “Don’t be scared guys. I’ll do what Nao couldn’t. By the end of the day, no one will do this to us ever again.”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAGzTgPsPDKh
400Please respect copyright.PENANA3lsRspyLGk
I ignore their pleas for answers and walk to the front of the school. I stare up at our new purple sky, crackling with lightning.
The bullies…
The bystanders…
The incompetent teachers…
The king….
The queen….
400Please respect copyright.PENANAZmkGovyrF9
Anthony: “Let none survive.”400Please respect copyright.PENANACDGCjBYg9F
400Please respect copyright.PENANAgLgFnXLaRh
[Switch Perspective: Alyson]
400Please respect copyright.PENANAotdYthvbOe
Thunder and lightning rage outside. What was just a normal day turns into a dark hellscape in the sky. Even the teachers stop what they’re doing to stare into the void.
400Please respect copyright.PENANAm4Ta0NDpqU
400Please respect copyright.PENANAXnbKhl41mw
Mumbling and questions start leaking around the class. But given what I know, I’m pretty sure that it has something to do with magic.
400Please respect copyright.PENANAp9cAcbOguh
400Please respect copyright.PENANA6oUdlwnOqO
But it’s not Nao…he wouldn’t do this. Based on what Nell said, he feels horrible for what he did. This…that in the sky…is way worse.
400Please respect copyright.PENANAWq1VaS7jL2
400Please respect copyright.PENANAgOC79JOY8V
“Okay everyone, calm down. It must be-”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAmDACdCNpHb
*SCREAM*400Please respect copyright.PENANA9UO3yiqyUh
400Please respect copyright.PENANA8oRzAtOMie
Outside we can hear blood-chilling screams and thunder. But what drove us to madness was the smell of ashes.
400Please respect copyright.PENANATcFnkug8pk
400Please respect copyright.PENANAS7zQ43FtlL
“Everyone stay here and hide under your desks. I’ll go and see what’s happening.”
400Please respect copyright.PENANA7LZWU1XI1p
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The teacher leaves the room and disappears into the darkness of the hallway. The noises didn’t stop and the smell only got worse.
400Please respect copyright.PENANAUCidO3gqYe
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I’m…scared stiff. Am I…going to die?
400Please respect copyright.PENANABLQ7NYHagA
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???: “Alyson!”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAcdf9woMwD4
400Please respect copyright.PENANAMSabgQTFdz
A voice wakes me up from my dark thoughts. I watch the door fly open and a girl rush inside.
400Please respect copyright.PENANA2UdyPPGak3
400Please respect copyright.PENANAgstClNcMXt
Deanna: “Alyson hide!”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAE7y4BLZzYE
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She runs to me and grabs a hold of my shoulder.
400Please respect copyright.PENANAyyB8KFIhDQ
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Alyson: “Deanna? What’s happening?”
400Please respect copyright.PENANADwWJOHBfrV
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Deanna: “No time to explain but I’m sure you and Trevor are Anthony’s main targets.”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAExSq3iBP6g
400Please respect copyright.PENANA09idLP5rLj
Anthony? H-He’s the one doing all of this?
400Please respect copyright.PENANAFMm4tT60fi
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Anthony: “You’re not wrong.”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAMSAJFEdyZC
!!400Please respect copyright.PENANAXpsvf9nLQC
400Please respect copyright.PENANAoyIOwitgqV
His voice sends instant chills down my spine. But what makes it worse is that…it’s silent. The smell is still stronger than ever but the screams…they’re gone.
400Please respect copyright.PENANAK3wZFwuqNu
400Please respect copyright.PENANAGxur24NuxD
Are we the last ones?
400Please respect copyright.PENANAMgUCVJeolg
400Please respect copyright.PENANAOCAiqrVCgk
Anthony: “I don’t even need Nao’s mind reading to tell what you’re thinking. I’m sure there are more hiding but I want to kill you first.”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAw7XqJ5rIul
400Please respect copyright.PENANAXFAsehlCth
Deanna: “W-Why are you doing this?”
400Please respect copyright.PENANA9gC3ELzhXx
400Please respect copyright.PENANAQH8nxs8CXy
Purple lightning strikes right in front of Deanna’s eyes.
400Please respect copyright.PENANAesPL3G6AwU
400Please respect copyright.PENANAeH725sKPba
Deanna: “AHHH!”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAsgGWp8vXPt
400Please respect copyright.PENANAJKHlZNRtkk
Anthony: “You have a lot of nerve to ask that question. Be quiet and wait your turn. I’ll be sure to take my time with you. You deserve at least that much for your past crimes. Being blind is a good start.”
400Please respect copyright.PENANA1qozQjvWNA
400Please respect copyright.PENANAn0XMIP2c5l
Deanna is holding her eyes and screaming her heart out. Tears begin to leak out from her hands as everyone else starts to cry out. The cacophony of madness is deafening but despite it all, I can still hear Anthony’s next words.
400Please respect copyright.PENANA229NyVeIxp
400Please respect copyright.PENANA9xlcvnFuZC
Anthony: “As for Alyson. You may be Nao’s sister, but you’re still a part of the problem. He’ll forgive me eventually.”
400Please respect copyright.PENANA7pVcWeSOHb
400Please respect copyright.PENANAdx475EfO81
Alyson: “If you still care about Nao then save him!”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAJhvmW0Y5oU
400Please respect copyright.PENANAg2xJ14Y4DN
Anthony: “Save him? What do you mean?”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAqCRq3Cj104
400Please respect copyright.PENANAn9c3huoeg7
Alyson: “Sever and his men took him last night. They were searching for that magic book.”
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400Please respect copyright.PENANAcXN5saDV43
Anthony: “!”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAJInn8LVsrD
400Please respect copyright.PENANAFKu8t4zdNe
Anthony: “…No, you’re just lying to get out of this. There’s no way Nao would let that happen. Even if it did happen, I’ll be sure to save him after you’re dead.”
400Please respect copyright.PENANA7t72o7od8B
400Please respect copyright.PENANA9ttW6KuZQ8
He gathers a ball of lightning and prepares to throw it. This is it huh…all of it was for nothing? Everything I did for my success? Everything I did to Nao? It doesn’t mean anything in the end.
400Please respect copyright.PENANAKw3dqwh21F
400Please respect copyright.PENANAcmlHj1ldSo
I can’t even shed a tear or scream. The insanity of what’s going on is overloading my mind beyond the point of crashing. I’m….long past that.
400Please respect copyright.PENANAdGhLubvfs7
400Please respect copyright.PENANAnGHbPAvRC5
Deanna: “Alyson…”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAHRA7CjrdYC
?400Please respect copyright.PENANA8u1lpdsa7n
400Please respect copyright.PENANAKYxvuNFZzj
Deanna touches around until she finds me. She then covers my head and cradles me in her arms. Is she…shielding me? Why go so far?
400Please respect copyright.PENANAInX1j9XjrL
400Please respect copyright.PENANAYFxYcQ0HoB
Anthony: “Tch, don’t pretend bitch. You haven’t changed.”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAWXxFj6Y4he
400Please respect copyright.PENANA18qhuvHo3c
Deanna: “…”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAw6ygfzfHOp
400Please respect copyright.PENANARlfIDKiANI
Alyson: “W-Why?”
400Please respect copyright.PENANArH5Pq8ksYi
400Please respect copyright.PENANAsglsEkyTfY
Deanna: “Because you inspired me to be better, this is the least I can do.”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAXGO4RkJgTk
400Please respect copyright.PENANAfVpW4fVJL1
Alyson: “Deanna…”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAbLPI0PIjlV
400Please respect copyright.PENANAQPjZbWxk2Q
Anthony: *Sigh*
400Please respect copyright.PENANAFwvyWwFo5D
400Please respect copyright.PENANA1moGYOOt1L
Anthony: “Fine, I’ll roast you both.”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAOWC6ctv2Q9
400Please respect copyright.PENANAXynwIbcgiw
???: “Wow, and I thought the bullies here were evil.”
400Please respect copyright.PENANApGa0VBMWg6
!!!400Please respect copyright.PENANA8SIzqsTwKa
400Please respect copyright.PENANAyLPELSQuYw
Everyone turns to the one who dared to sound so relaxed in this situation. I felt relief for the first time today and it came from such an unlikely place.
400Please respect copyright.PENANAPkoYPCeLmX
400Please respect copyright.PENANALKm9WSWbVd
Anthony: “King…”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAPsIS6I6Geg
400Please respect copyright.PENANA5hM54EC6o7
Trevor: “I was right, you would be a good warm-up. Maybe even the main attraction.”
400Please respect copyright.PENANA2BjRS5QHPd
400Please respect copyright.PENANAC9PkjZYkZR
Anthony: “How can you…be calm right now?”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAtytPfB7xpv
400Please respect copyright.PENANACNuqnVlihV
Trevor: “I’m not calm…I’m excited. Who would have thought magic existed, this is the fight I was looking for!”
400Please respect copyright.PENANA8Ivw5gbivA
400Please respect copyright.PENANA8GKIkajm9V
Anthony: “…Begone.”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAzkvWVLiet8
400Please respect copyright.PENANAfn4xmBmjic
Instantly, a large pillar of electrifying destruction erupts from where Trevor stood. Everyone looks away from the blinding light but there’s something strange…why are there no screams.
400Please respect copyright.PENANAGLMiYrfUmw
400Please respect copyright.PENANAMrNRFgCOqZ
When the smoke and lightning clear, Trevor appears unscathed.
400Please respect copyright.PENANATeCq91dphm
400Please respect copyright.PENANA7i7Q1ZYJlf
Trevor: “I hope that’s not all you got.”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAnz4Zi9aK32
400Please respect copyright.PENANAgkNRVsjYlN
Anthony: “!!”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAKI3JSqNSCL
400Please respect copyright.PENANA0UrdFwyPWu
Anthony: “…I see. Well, that’s not fair. But, she doesn’t mind the challenge.”
400Please respect copyright.PENANAwTXaZngZDI
400Please respect copyright.PENANA7VIHJ9pa36
She?
400Please respect copyright.PENANAXsU6g03myH
400Please respect copyright.PENANA4FPh4WqvBw
Trevor: “Still got more? Then bring it on!”
ns216.73.216.65da2