Forgiveness

  “What a coincidence.”

  Feeling the words that involuntarily left her mouth finally sink in, Ty turned her head to see two figures walking down the hallway toward them while Luci let go of her.

  “Well, well, well,” he said once the two other students approached, wiping his face with his hands and not once turning to face the two boys behind him.

  “H-hey, Luce,” spoke Cyril softly, eyes averted and in Faris’s shadow, “S…sorry about earlier.”

  Luci chuckled once, almost sarcastically, and then gave a final knowing look to Ty before walking away with a simple, dismissive wave. “No, no,” he cooed, “It was nothing. Just a small mistake. I forgive you.”

  And then he was gone, leaving Ty with the most unbearable ache in her chest.

  “Hey, lead.”

  “Hi, Faris,” she replied emptily, looking up at her caster.

  “Guess you heard.”

  “I did.”

  “Why are you on the floor?”

  I can’t feel my legs, echoed a voice in her mind. Please don’t hurt me.

  “No reason.” She could hear how despondent her voice was.

  “Here, let me get you up,” offered Cyril, crouching down to meet her eye level and extending her a hand.

  But she didn’t take it. She wanted to see Theo. She wanted him to tell her it was okay, that she hadn’t done a bad thing. That she was okay. He was the only one who could chase away this dread.

  “What was in Luci’s room?” she asked, looking at her own hands. They were clean, of course. Luci had left no trace of himself, the true person who was beneath his guise of indifference. The one who suffered.

  “Listen, about that, Ty…”

  Faris cut in impatiently. “This dumbass said he had a stack of books that were filled with stupid sketches. I told him I didn’t believe him, he said he’d prove it. We got caught.”

  The forthrightness was refreshing, but the present circumstances prevented Ty from doing any praising. “Did you find them?”

  “We did.”

  “So you saw what they were of?”

  Looking away, crossing his arms across his chest, Faris stated bluntly, “Yeah, they were of you.”

  Ty turned to Cyril, feeling the dread return as she gazed into her healer’s eyes. “Cyril, how did you come upon this?”

  He was silent for a moment, eyes wavering. “I was hanging out with him last night.”

  “…Did you hurt him?”

  More silence.

  “Did you hurt him?” she repeated, enunciating every word clearly.

  Cyril still did not respond, his wavering eyes watching her. Afraid. Afraid of her, the monster.

  The truth was, she somehow wanted to laugh, absurd as it was. Everything was upside-down, she could feel herself slipping away to reveal the abomination she was born to be, the one that Nate said she wasn’t. And yet a part of her wanted it, wanted to lean toward taking the bad route instead of the good one. Yes, a monster—flowers so brilliant it hid the beast in the background. Empty. Unfeeling, uncaring.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  “You should probably go see the Headmistress,” chimed in Faris quietly, pointing a thumb over to the end of the hallway. “She’s waiting for you.”

  “Yes,” said Ty quietly, slowly getting up and walking up to Faris.

  His eyes were impartial as ever. Cold and unsympathetic. Nothing missing. She was sure of it.

  “No,” he said clearly and without hesitation, answering a question she didn’t ask. “Never have and don’t intend to.”

  She skipped to the next question. “Where are the books, and does the Headmistress know what was in them?”

  “They’re in his room, and not to my knowledge.”

  “Please don’t break into anywhere else ever again.”

  “Can’t promise that.”

  A faint smile finally broke through Faris’s stoic face, and Ty couldn’t help but shield her own, remembering that she was meant to be reprimanding him.

  “Ah, there’s the smile. Would worry Theo to see you so angry, after all.”

  She let her hand and grin drop, taken aback. “I didn’t—”

  Faris nodded toward the staircase behind her.

  “I—why, t-the…ten, ten st—”

  Theo collapsed on the middle landing between floors nine and ten, back to the ground, struggling for air.

  And then he swore loudly as Faris grabbed Cyril and then lightly tapped Ty, who was struck dumb by her unbelievable luck once again.

  “Er, when you’re discussing the punishment with the Headmistress,” he uncharacteristically requested, “I don’t mind missing classes or being confined, just make sure it doesn’t end up on my record.”

  Ty tore her eyes away from the almost passed out Theo. “How bad was it?”

  The caster shrugged. “Augmented trigger spell and all that. Inside a dorm, blah, blah, blah. One wrong word, level the building. Stopped listening after the first few sentences—listen, I didn’t have the time, and it had to be quiet. I had no other option.”

  For Graces’ sakes. “You’re more of a fool than the royal,” she grimaced, shaking her head. “There’s always another option.”

  Surprisingly, the noble had no objections, turning around to collect his co-conspirator. “Maybe I’ll remember that for next time, maybe I won’t. Fool number two, let’s go.”

  Before being dragged away by Faris, Cyril asked for a moment with Ty too, mumbling with his eyes downcast and face full of remorse, “I’m sorry, Ty. I…I really am. It was, he a—”

  The tactician nodded, making a split-second, easy decision. “You don’t need to explain yourself as long as you promise never to do it again.”

  Nodding shamefully, Cyril still did not raise his head to meet her eyes as he turned around and started walking down the stairs, Faris stopping one last time to pull Theo up from the floor so that he was sitting upright against the wall, facing Ty.

  “Honestly, you’re all hopeless,” she could barely hear him mutter as they finally made their exit.

  “Hi, Theo.” The words barely made it out of her lips. Her chest and throat felt tight.

  “Hey,” exhaled Theo, his breathing now steadier.

  “…How did you know?”

  Despite the effort it took him, Theo laughed, clutching his stomach. “It’s a secret.” And when he finished laughing, he noticed that she hadn’t laughed with him and tried again. “I hope you didn’t call me here for my report, because I definitely did not bring my whole twenty-word essay with me.”

  “I forgot for a moment,” she started, trying to get the words out quickly before she got more choked up. “I forgot about everything. I was so sad. And angry. I wanted everything to disappear. I remembered…I remembered why I’ve been alone my entire life. And I thought to myself that it would be better that way. I’m here because I’m a monster, and that’s all I’m good for. That’s why the Ancient people want me, because I’m a monster who’s going to destroy everything for them. No matter which path I choose, people are going to die—but then…which path is the right one? And who am I if not hope, if I can’t save the world?” Her vision became blurrier as she spoke. “Then I, I just wanted to see you. I—I don’t feel like a monster when you’re here.”

  “Oh. Oh dear.” Theo got up from his spot and went up the last few remaining stairs as fast as he could to wrap her in his arms. “No, you’re not a monster.”

  “No,” she whispered.

  “You are you, and you’re going to do what you think is right.”

  “Mm.”

  “You are more than what people want or expect from you.”

  “Mm.”

  “You deserve to forgive yourself for what you did in the past.”

  “I—”

  “I forgive you.”

  She let out a shaky breath.

  “You’re my favorite person in the whole world.”

  “You’re my favorite person in the whole world,” she echoed.

  “And you are going to make sure Faris and Cyril get in trouble for what they made me do.”

  They both giggled like children before pulling away from each other, Ty wiping her tears with her hands and Theo smiling hopelessly at her.

  “All better?” he asked once she was done.

  “Yes, thank you,” she smiled. “Thank you.”

  “Alrighty, well…I’ve got a report to do, and someone’s been staring me down like a hawk, waiting to talk to you.” He nodded his head to behind Ty, and she turned to see the Headmistress standing in front of her office. At what point she had left her room was lost on her, but it didn’t matter anymore. She could remember now the people she wanted to protect, the smiles she wanted to save, the world she had grown to love. Its people, regardless of their quirks and foibles, mistakes and wrongdoings. Even Luci, she would forgive.

  “Okay, I’m ready now.”