The Murder Of Willowstream

Ch.25. Fire and The Void

It hurt. But what Alaric found was that, far worse than the hurt, was the sudden hollowing he felt within his chest cavity. Like an infinite void, filled only with teeth, that gnawed further into his flesh the deeper he looked. He couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was that hurt the most. The betrayal? Or the fact that he had finally found what he could only describe as "home" and it had been taken from him almost as instantly as it had been discovered?

Anger came next. Whether it was at his own self-awareness of how dramatic he felt he was being, which curdled the anger with shame, or at the very idea that he still could forgive Rhys in a moments notice. He'd only have to ask.

Maybe he was stupid. Maybe he really did know nothing. Trust Rhys to cause someone to wax philosophical in the ruined bones of a shattered heart.

"Whatcha doin?" Alaric's thoughts were brought immediately to the present by the chiming sound of Lily's inquisitive voice. There was the gentle clack of a lollipop against teeth as she shifted it from one cheek to the other.

He arched his neck to get a better look at her, her eyes glittering to match the backdrop of stars behind her as she tilted her head to the side in a curious manner. Her once playful expression dropped almost immediately upon seeing the ruefully, tear-stained, cheeks of Alaric. He hadn't even been aware that he had been crying, but now became shamefully embarrassed at the realisation.

"Alaric? What the fuck happened? Where's Rhys?" Lily asked worriedly, and Alaric hated how bitter the sound of Rhys' name tasted in the air.

"Just get me out of this, Lily." Alaric grumbled, coughing to clear his throat. The only thing that would make his weakness all the more apparent would be his voice cracking, and Alaric would not allow that. He'd rather die.

"Okay, Okay. Just tell me what happened." Lily said, dropping to her knees by Alaric's hands and rummaging through her bag briefly before procuring a small pocket knife emblazoned with glittery flower stickers along the handle.

She began to saw carefully at the vine around Alaric's right wrist, stumbling back slightly as it came free with a snap.

"Rhys is in trouble." Alaric whispered, because even at the root of it, he didn't want to lose another friend. Even if that friend had ripped his heart from his chest a few hours ago: going against his father was almost certainly a death sentence, and a painful one at that.

A brief thought was spared for the fact that if Alaric had told Rhys of his mother's untimely arrival, and how she was currently protecting against, and possibly circumventing entirely, the eventual confrontation with his father: this would have been avoided. Rhys wouldn't have suffered with the weight of that secret and Rhys wouldn't have left.

Anger spiked within Alaric. Rhys should've trusted him to deal with it. Should've just listened. But instead he chose to betray him in the most cruellest of ways. Alaric knew Rhys wasn't gay, and yet Rhys must've figured out his feelings apparently long before Alaric did. And Alaric fell for it. Rhys used him. Manipulated those feelings to get Alaric just where he wanted. Who cares if it was for his own protection? Hypocrisy be damned, these ends do not justify these means.

"The others aren't too far behind, and you still haven't told me what happened by the way." Lily said, followed by a small whoop! When she cut through the final vine that held Alaric down. Taking a mental note to get a sharper knife, before standing with a pleasing pop of her knees and offering Alaric a hand up.

Alaric ignored the hand and pushed himself off the ground. He stood with a stretch of his spine and cracked his neck pleasantly as he shifted his head from side to side.

As malicious anger twisted beneath his cool countenance: he did the unthinkable. Vengeful spite possessed him completely, and before he could even register what he was doing the words had already left his lips: