Jack's point of view
I take a deep breath as my foot taps at a slow but steady pace, “They’re gone.” I take a steady breath keeping my mind focused on telling Amanda the story but can I really trust her, trust her with everything? “Everything is spinning in my head but I remember it all.” A short spout of silence envelopes the room as I hesitate on my next words; Amanda gives my shoulder a slight tap, a comforting tap jolting my body awake. Pushing my hesitation aside “It turns out that there was a secret our parents kept from us.” My eyes darted to the floor as I tapped my leg up and down nervously. “And when the wizard guild found out about the secret they…they decided it was best we disappeared.” My mind feels hazy as I recall the events. My eyes wandered around seeing everything but not processing anything as my thoughts ran amuck. Why would I trust Amanda? My nervous taps quickened. I can’t trust anyone else, never again. But besides my attempts at holding the truth in my mouth moved on its own, “While we were leaving the guild attacked us and our parents stayed behind.” A cold sweat starts to sling down my leg, I try to look at Amanda but nothing is visible to me except pulsing blackness, “To make sure we were able to get out.” I take a deep breath as I move my hand upward to my face resting my face on my palm, while Amanda whispers, “I’m sorry to hear.” Her posture is relaxed as she listens closely to my words.
Locking eyes with Amanda, “It's fine.” It isn't fine. “My Mom always told me she would always come home.” I give a weak smile in my attempt to appear strong. My attempt to keep it together. Amanda notices the facade I am putting on, offering me a comforting hand.
“She will.” A long pause takes place but after a while, Amanda clasps my hand and asks, “What was the secret?” Amanda moves a strand of her jet-black hair behind her ear, her voice taking a softer tone, “If you don’t mind me asking?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” I can't trust her. “Anyways,” I push my feelings away as I sit up straight staring off towards Amanda. “Let's talk about Angel now.” I need to focus on what's important. Sitting here wasting time talking about me isn’t going to help protect Angel from that thing.
“Before we go to Angel,” Amanda moves her hands towards my direction offering a hug, “Are you sure you're ok?” Deep concern showed on her face and her soft tone.
“I’m fine,” I say declining her attempt to soothe me. “Don't worry about it.” I give a slight smile but the soft sound of regret travels in my words; I shouldn’t have told Amanda about us. What was I thinking?
Amanda gives a defeated sigh breaking the tension, “I understand, if you ever want to talk about being fine again just ask.” Amanda gives a soft, bright smile, the same type of warmth that I would never be able to experience again. Amanda places her palm outward and with her other hand balled into a fist she smacks it drawing my attention and giving her time to focus her thoughts. “Back to Angel, yes I believe she is having some amnesia.” My eyes are awake as I listen to each word of Amanda’s. “I think she is blocking it from her memory though since she broke down into tears ear-” I zone out of the conversation at the mere thought of Angel crying. Clenching my fist, my whole arm shakes with anger. Who the hell made Angel cry? I give Amanda a side eye, my body sowing the tension into the atmosphere. I shoot up knocking into a nearby nightstand, causing a screeching sound as it slid across the wood floors. Amanda is taken aback shooting her arms to her chest with a look of confusion.
My teeth seething, “Amanda.” My voice seething with rage as my eyes narrowed forward into a gowl, “Who made Angel cry and why?” The anger is evident in my words but I keep my eyes focused away from her direction, after all, I don’t want Amanda to think my anger is directed at her.
She takes a second to regain her composure to answer me but she is starting to look like herself. I guess my reaction just startled her normally composed self. “Whoah whoah! No one hurt her I promise. Please sit back down.” A sudden commotion outside “Frickkkkkkk” could be heard echoing through the words, Amanda and I made eye contact, and her flustered composed self started to give a slight giggle, “Speak of the devil.” Amanda gives a small tap next to her again, I take her up on her offer once again as a smile crept up on my face, at least Angel it sounds like Angel’s fine for now.
Angel’s Point of View
The old hag is forcing me to clean the dishes while banning me from using my magic! The dumb hag lectured me again, I flashed back in my head the old hag with her finger up in the air spouting out her nonsense, “You need to learn how to clean properly first.” I know how to clean just fine! Ugh, this is so annoying! Mom always allowed me to clean the dishes with my magic! Wait was it Mom? I can’t seem to remember who told me to do the dishes. Either way its dishes for frick sake! Ugh, I think to myself as wet fingers scrubbed away in the sink cleaning the oak mugs that the old hag insists I clean without magic! Like seriously just look at my hands, they’re just full of so much stupid gunk! Tossing the mug into the “clean side” of the sink I move on to the next one. Stupid Old Hag first made me clean the tables without magic and then the stupid dishes! Giving a light sigh I focus on cheating on the task at hand, I begin channeling my magic but I hear some noise coming from the other room that startles me. Frick, it's the old hag no way she noticed me using magic again! I pretend to go back to the “normal” cleaning but the hag never walks in, not even a yell across the room. That's strange, I could’ve sworn I heard something, I focused in on the sounds from earlier and I heard a man’s voice. Wait I hear JACK’S VOICE! I throw the mug down and sprint toward the hallway, all while channeling my magic, yes the magic I was taught by her, to remove any residue from my blouse. As I turn the corner I bang my knee on one of the coffee tables that decorated the stupid hallway. Unable to catch my balance I face plant into the hardwood floor squishing my stupid nose into it. “FRICKKKKKKKKKKKK” I lay for a few moments before I push off the ground and continue my rush to Jack’s room. Slinging the door open I’m met face to face with Jack and Amanda.
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My mind rushes to conclusions as I blink a few times taking in the sight of the two sitting side by side, almost like they’re leaning on each other. “EW WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING?!” Jack’s hands to his side he looks up and gives me a confused eyebrow raise while Amanda looks straight at me for a few moments before her face flashes a reddish pink color as her hands collapse to her chest making the x symbol. She keeps iterating this symbolic expression as she tries to find the words to describe her feelings. Finally catching herself, “Angel this is not what you think it is!.” Amanda stands up and quickly walks towards me putting her hands on my shoulder, “Why would you think that?!”
Jack just stares off doubly confused as he stares at both Amanda and I. A light bulb seems to click in his head as he straightens up and “Angel Amanda is old as fuck! That is so weird to think that!”
Amanda shoots a glare emitting the anger you would see from an angry mob. “EXCUSE ME?! I AM ONLY 19!”
“AND IM ONLY 15!” Jack shoots back this time with a defensive glare.
With her hands on her hips, Amanda puffs out her chest and wags her finger in the air, “THATS NOT THE POINT! YOU DON’T TELL A WOMAN THEY’RE OLD! IT RUDE!”
At that moment I pipe up, “Then why does the Old Hag let me call her Old Hag?” I innocently ask.
Amanda just looks at me with a defeated sigh, “I’m going to finish cleaning the dishes before the ‘Old Hag’ finds out you skipped out on them.” Amanda walks out of the room but before closing the door she looks back over her shoulder and meets Jack’s gaze. She holds it for a moment before nodding and closing the door.
I happily look over to Jack our eyes meeting, but his expression does not seem as cheery as mine. I wonder why. However short-lived his somber expression is it switched to a gleeful smile. His teeth light up the room as he rushes over to me and gives me a big hug. A feeling deep inside me stirs at his embrace as if a weight has been lifted off my shoulders, but I can not put my mind on what weight exactly. I gleefully returned the hug, but even as I smiled, something felt off. His arms were around me, but I couldn’t feel their warmth the same way I used to. It was like hugging a memory. My thoughts swirled faster, too fast, like I was trying to catch water slipping through my fingers water that my magic struggled to keep hold of. Jack lets go of me and leaves me standing dumbfoundedly with my hands hanging in the air as he returns to the bed. Arching his knee forward he braces himself as he rolls onto the bed, lying down. He lays for a breath or two when he finally asks, “So you got to tell me the story of why you’re cleaning dishes.”
My eyes go with a spring in my step I rush over to the side of the bed and start to recount the horrors of the Old Hag. “First thing first, this is all your fault! One, why did you drag me all the way out here, and two why didn’t you put the money in an easy spot to find!” I toss my hands up in the air exaggerating my anger after all I can’t seriously be mad at the only family I have left, maybe annoyed but never angry. That feeling from deep within started to resurface but I pushed it away as I started to explain how the Old Hag is always so judgemental! She is so much more judgemental than Mom! “Like seriously who does she think she is to try and act like my new Mom!” My lips quiver as my voice hangs loosely at the end a little too long. Jack is leaning back with his hands behind his head listening carefully to every word I say as he nods along. I take a seat on the bed swinging my legs back and forth all giddily I tell how the Old Hag and Amanda always bicker which brings a joyous laugh out from the both of us. My legs come to a standstill as they hang off the side of the bed, my voice getting quiet “I don’t know why but I started crying yesterday. It hurts and I keep trying to distract myself from remembering but I just can’t, I just can’t stop my mind from asking the question, ‘Why?’” I go quiet for a bit and I peer over ever so slightly to look at my brother’s reaction. His eyes gaze at the ceiling, no emotion to them just pure focus. He nods his head signaling that he heard me. My mood is starting to get seriously upset I have to change my focus! I straightened my back and put on a smile, “Sooooo what were you and Amanda talking about?” I cooed.
Giving a sigh Jack gives a monotone response, “Not what you were thinking.” He sits up moving his back to the wall to give himself support. He gazes at me his eyes, almost distant before he speaks with a slight quiver, “We were talking about why we are here.” Taken a little surprised but not letting it demotivate me I give a cheeky, “Oh?”
Jack’s eyes shift downwards as he focuses on his leg, the same leg I bandaged earlier. His quivering voice resurfaced once again, “Angel, I know why you cried.” His seriousness rubs off on me as I return the same shift of tone to this conversion, “You do?” My eyes began to get a little watery but I pulled the tears back.
“There is no easy way to say this,” Jack pauses for a moment as he takes a breath. I watched his chest move up and down as he began once again, “Mom and Dad” Jack hesitates but finds his grit again, “You won't see them.” a short pause envelopes the air "Again.” Everything around me started to lose color, the wooden floor once vibrant with design became grey, and the once colorful blanket now appeared as a shadow covering the bed. the entirety of my thoughts focus on one thing; memories of my parents start to flood my mind taking the shape of stilled picture frames catching embers. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry it's all my fault. I'm sorry.” Jack grabs me and holds me closely hugging me so strongly but so gently, my husk of a body stares at the wall my torso faces as my thoughts turn from embers to flames. Pictures of my parents smiling going up in smoke as the photos melted into the last memories I saw of them. Their blood-stained bodies slowly melted into ashes. Color returns to a select few of my surroundings as Jack flings his hands to his thigh as he unwraps his bandage, showcasing something different, showcasing why Mom and Dad are gone. “I’m sorry,” Jack repeats his voice quivering but never breaking, it forever keeping a steady and clear pace. I feel the life draining from my face as the feeling I kept deep inside boiled out into nothingness. A void enclasping my thoughts. My head slowly turns towards Jack’s as the tears I tried to push down before start to flow like a stream blurring my already limited vision. I feel Jack’s grasp again as he holds me tightly, his voice starting to break, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I….won’t let, let you go through this alone.” The ashes of my memories are blown away showcasing underneath a steel, cold, menacing skull laughing. I throw my head into my brother’s tender shoulder as my eyes go to darkness, closing my eyes, my body shivers, and my legs shake, as tears swell into my eyes leaking their way through my closed eyelids. My voice tries to cry out but nothing comes. All the memories of the past few days flood my mind, taking over my consciousness as the pain I kept suppressed for so long seeps deep into my consciousness. Jack places his palm on my back as I embrace him further with my sobs becoming louder. How did I forget? Why did I forget? Mom? Dad? I miss you.