A/N: Okay, I want to warn now there will be quite a bit of magickal things in here. And I'm not talking Aladdin. I'm talking about witchcraft. It's not going to be anything serious (I refuse to go into details because of reasons) but there will be mentions of such in here. If you're uncomfortable with it, I suggest you leave now.
Btw, there's no Satanism. Just putting that out there now.
Chapter 1: The End
Arthur's eyes snapped open and air roughly filled his lungs. His body was coated in a thin layer of cold sweat, causing his sleeping pants to attach themselves to his skin along with his night shirt. His hair was plastered in places to his skull. His stomach churned, threatening furiously to give up its contents. It was a good thing he hadn't eaten the night before.
Arthur sat up slowly so as to not further upset his stomach and gazed at his hands. He half expected to find them soaked with blood and a nail missing completely. But they were clean. He could see his pale skin was normal and uninjured. They were trembling wildly, however. He inhaled slowly and deeply, curling his fingers into fists and clenching them. He took the next five minutes to calm his racing heart, not daring to close his eyes and instead gazing dully at his trembling fists. After five minutes the movement calmed to a stop.
He threw back the cover of his bed and sat up to hang his feet over the side of his bed. His room was dull, he noted. The walls were white with dark brown wooden flooring. A dresser sat against the opposite wall on top of which had various candles of different sizes and shapes and colours. Arthur could name his specific witch's brew candles by colour along with the respective spells to activate them. Bottles sat on a homemade wooden shelf next to the dresser low enough for Arthur to easily reach but high enough so that his cat Elizabeth couldn't reach them. Inside of the bottles were many various herbs that Arthur could identify not only by sight but also by smell. A small closet off to his left at the back left-hand corner of his room contained his clothing that he needed to hang up as well as two stacks of books and a backpack. Arthur reminded himself again to get a bookshelf.
Arthur finished taking in his surroundings. He had half-expected to spot the daemon in his room although it had been seven years since he had last seen it. The back of his neck had hairs that stood up quickly as he narrowed his eyes. The daemon wasn't visually around but Arthur still sensed it. The connection was still there. But he couldn't focus on the feeling else it attracted the beast's attention. Even so he had to check. He had to make sure his spells on the creature still worked. He stood up and moved to his closet to dress in his new school uniform. He then moved to the mirror over his dresser and slipped on an earring of a dragon. The earring was more of a dragon going through the hole in his ear and around the shell of his ear to connect to the pierced part at the top to watch out for wear Arthur was going. He sighed, a feeling of relief and protection washing over him. It was a gift given to him by his grandmother before she had passed away and he had moved. Arthur knew there was a protection charm over it. His grandmother was truly the only one who had understood his feelings towards the Craft.
He grabbed his pendulum bag and pocketed it –she was still asleep and he didn't want to disturb her- and grabbed another small bag full of various other stones. Smokey quartz for grounding, quartz for amplifying, kyanite for energy, and obsidian for protection… He listed a couple of the stones off in his head as he felt them with his fingers, recognizing the polished stones by the shape and the rough stones by texture. After a few moments of feeling them he turned away and exited the room.
As he descended the stairs to the kitchen he crinkled his nose at the scent of smoke. His brother Allistier stood pouring cereal as he smoked a fag. His bright maroon hair seemed to glow in the low light. Neither brother cared to have bright light in the morning. "Must you smoke so early?" Arthur grumbled, going for his own bowl of cereal. Tea was already brewing in the kettle but Arthur didn't like that kind. He stopped getting his breakfast and instead started making his own tea with the tea leaves he kept in the cupboard.
"Shut your mouth." Allistier growled back at his younger sibling, his Scottish accent thick especially in the morning. He wasn't dressed in his suit yet which meant he wasn't going to work yet. "It's my house." Arthur didn't reply but he was irked. He and his brother didn't get along. His whole family knew of this but it hadn't stopped them from sending him to America with Allistier. Anything to get him out of their hair, really. Arthur grunted soundlessly at the thought. He didn't blame his family at all. With a child like him Arthur would have sent him away as well. It was for the best. Truly.
He shook his head and poured his cereal as his water boiled quickly. He had his milk in the bowl by the time the water was boiling. He carried the pot over and poured it over the herb leaves into the canteen before placing the lid on to let it soak. In the meantime he began eating.
"First day of twelfth grade, eh?" Allistier commented, putting out his fag in a tray. He looked amused by the thought but he wasn't happy. Arthur knew that his brother was wary of letting him go to school. Especially after…
"Yes." Arthur agreed. His final year of high school would be in a new school and a new country. How worthless. He wasn't looking forward to it any more than Allistier was. He didn't like to be around people. Everywhere he had gone he had been treated like a freak, a monster, or an outcast. His "religious" stance as he practiced the Craft was partly the reason why but it was mostly the reputation that had followed him. Death followed him.
"But this is a new country." A voice said into his mind. Arthur nearly smiled. His pendulum was awake. "You can start over. You can make friends here."
"No." Arthur replied mentally knowing that she could hear him. In his mind's eye he could visualize her. She had short dirty-blonde hair cropped in a pixie cut with blue eyes. Her outfit was rather boyish but the shirt was frilly and white to balance out the khaki pants. Although she had a French accent (he would admit that he was prejudice against the French) he cared for Jeanne greatly. She was one of the stones he had the longest and she was his oldest friend. However he was wary of holding her in his receiving hand. She was a rose quartz pendulum. She honestly wanted to help Arthur any chance that came up –potential friendship, someone that Arthur found attractive, or family life- but Arthur couldn't accept her help. He couldn't accept love in any form. It was his curse to bear for his horrible past.
"Arthur, this is a lovely opportunity." Jeanne said, frowning at her owner.
"It doesn't matter. After this year I'll be living without people." Jeanne sighed at Arthur and faded from his mind's eye signifying the end of their conversation.
"You're going to miss your bus." Allistier said as he stood to clean his bowl and head upstairs. Arthur followed suit and dumped the rest of his meal. He grabbed his tea and poured it into a travel cup before placing it next to the sink. He could reuse the leaves. He didn't add anything but a bit of honey to the tea before going upstairs to grab his backpack and then head back downstairs. Allistier grabbed him before he could exit the house. His face was shadowed in the dim hallway causing his green eyes to stand out more. "Watch yourself." He warned, his voice intoning deeply. Arthur nodded, feeling a chill. This would be his only warning, he knew. Vaguely he was reminded of his father.
Allistier released him and Arthur left the house going to his predestinated bus stop. Although the household owned both a pick-up truck and a motorcycle, Arthur couldn't use them. He had his American license but the motorcycle was completely Allistier's and he didn't allow Arthur to so much as breathe on it let alone let him touch or see. The truck Arthur could use whenever he wanted in exception to when his brother worked, which meant he had it on the weekends. He couldn't ride a motorbike in a suit. It would cause the outfit to become a mess.
The morning had a slight chill but Arthur could feel the humidity the sun would bring. The sky was still fairly blue-black but it was lightening in the East. Arthur greeted the sun as it began to poke an orange head up over the horizon. He glanced up at the stars to see which constellations he could name as he waited for the bus. When it arrived, he climbed on quietly. The bus ride was uneventful. Arthur sat by his self with multiple other kids dressed in similar uniforms. A pair of girls chatted quietly. Most listened to their music. Arthur closed his eyes. The energy around him was swirling. It made him somewhat nauseous. He dreaded school.
The bus jerked to a stop jolting Arthur awake as the lights in the bus came on. He blinked and watched as the other students filed off the bus before following along behind. It was already loud outside with chatter as people greeted friends they hadn't seen since before the summer. Arthur looked around at the place he would call school for the next nine months.
"It's called the World Academy, Arthur!" His mother had chirped, smiling. It seemed strained, but then again Arthur hadn't seen his mother truly smile in many years. "It's in America but it's very exclusive! They only want certain children from around the world and you've been accepted! You should thank your father for having such wonderful connections!"
"That all sounds rather expensive." Arthur had mused, looking at the flier for the school. It looked rather grand. "Will I be boarding there?" Just the thought made Arthur terrified. He didn't want to live around so many others. It would be better if he didn't.
His mother must have thought the same. "No, you'll be living with Allistier!" Arthur blanched.
"Never!" He cried. Live alone with his elder brother? Impossible!
"You can't say no!" His mother shrieked suddenly, causing Arthur to reel back. She held desperation in his eyes that made Arthur's heart sink. She wasn't just getting him into a new school but sending him away from them. They were practically abandoning him. His mother's hysterical voice was enough of a cue.
"…Yes, mother."
He sighed through his nose and walked towards the main buildings. He pulled out and unfolded his schedule to glance at his list of teachers for the semester. It appeared that his school had block scheduling so he had four classes. His first class's teacher's name vaguely sounded familiar to him but it was probably only because it was it was a British Isle clan name.
Arthur hadn't been paying attention as he stood reading over his schedule and glancing at his map to know where he needed to go for the day and so he didn't notice as laughter approached him and the last second he looked up as someone yelped, "Al, watch it-"
A body slammed into him and sent him tumbling onto his bottom with a grunt. Bloody hell, the bullying already-? He clenched his eyes shut in fear.
"Oh shit, you okay?" Arthur's eyes snapped open at the sincerity in the question and looked up to see bright blue eyes. His heart jolted in surprise before he focused on all of the features. The boy above him wore square wire-frame glasses and was grinning slightly, reassuringly. His hair was wheat blonde and a single strand seemed to be curled up. Beside him Arthur saw what had to be the boy's twin brother. He held out a hand for Arthur to take.
Arthur refused the hand and gathered his dropped schedule before standing up. His bottom stung a bit from the fall but it was nothing that he couldn't handle. "I'm fine." He said, brushing the seat of his pants off. "Do watch where you're going next time."
"Whoa, you're British!" The boy announced, surprised. Arthur glared slightly at the comment that had nothing to do with the situation. This one was obviously completely American.
"Al, stop it." The boy's brother scolded before he turned to Arthur. "I'm sorry about him. It's the first day of school…" Arthur hadn't expected the twin brother to be Canadian, from the sound of his accent. Maybe they weren't really brothers?
"And we're seniors now! Top of the class!" Al cheered, throwing his fist up in excitement. A few grumbles and a couple of laughs from nearby as well as the glances at the American gave Arthur the impression he needed of him. He also realized that he might have classes with the loud boy and made a bit of a face. "But sorry about running into you, man. It was an accident." He finally apologized, getting back on topic.
"It's fine." Arthur insisted once again and glanced back at his map to make sure he knew where he was going. He was finished with their conversation.
Apparently Al wasn't. "So anyway, you a freshman?" He asked, peeking at Arthur above the map playfully. Arthur glared at him.
"No, I am not. I'm a senior."
"Really? Never seen you around before!"
"He must be new." The second boy said and smiled gently at Arthur. Arthur's guard was still spiked though. He hunched his shoulders a bit and turned his head away.
"Wow! That's cool! A new senior? I've been with these guys in my class since I was a freshy! Hey, what's your name? Let's be friends! I'll introduce you to everyone!" Arthur's heart completely shut itself tightly at the word. 'Friends'. It was something Arthur had always longed for. He wanted people to talk to and to be loved by. He wanted to be a part of a group of people and know that he was accepted. But that wish would never be a reality. He wouldn't allow it to be. And so he would start with this 'Al'. He had to reject him. It would be his end before it could start.
"That's none of your business." Arthur said, causing Al's eyes to widen. Obviously he wasn't used to rejection. Probably in any shape or form. Well Arthur would just be his first, then. "Now if you'll excuse me…" He tried to move around the slightly taller American and managed to slip past the twins to leave.
"Hey! Well if you ever want help or if you wanna hang out my name's Alfred!" Arthur hesitated in his steps, baffled. He had completely ignored Alfred's question and yet he had still wanted to get to know him? It mystified him. He glanced back at Alfred and saw him grin and wave before turning and walking off with his twin. Arthur shook his head and walked in the opposite direction away from the duo. His heart warmed pleasantly. Although he knew that he could never be friends with either of the twins, it still made him feel nice to be talked to as if he wasn't a monster.
In the back of his mind he spotted Jeanne smiling at him happily. He frowned. "Don't get any ideas." He warned her. Even though he wasn't holding her in his receiving hand, she still had an effect on his mood and personality because she was on his form.
"I wouldn't possibly." Jeanne said innocently before she faded. Arthur had a sneaking suspicion that she was far too pleased with that little conversation with Alfred than she should be. He decided to ignore it for the time being and instead focused on walking the length of the school. He had nearly twenty minutes before class started. He walked slowly in the hallways keeping track of where he was on his map. He lifted his right arm and ran his fingertips along the wall as he traveled, closing his eyes. He didn't open them, instead taking in his surroundings. He could sense the multiple energies in the air from so many people. He could sense who the good people were and who the people with bad intentions were. If he wanted he could allow himself to see auras but he preferred not to. There was no point in that.
He smiled as he spotted a faerie –rather startled by the sheer amount of people suddenly in its territory for it had moved there over the summer- rush past him. It didn't stop for him but neither did Arthur for it. He inhaled quietly and quickly as he felt an energy that sent a shiver down his spine. He opened his eyes and glanced to the right to see a boy's lavatory. He would have to remember to avoid it and pulled out a pen to mark it on his map. He then continued on for a few more minutes yet.
He didn't have the chance to explore the whole school but he made a mental note to do the other half tomorrow morning. He checked his watch and where he was on his map before he headed in the direction of his first block. He wanted to arrive early so as to choose the closest seat to the door and away from the other students if possible. However with the different hallways he ended up becoming slightly mixed up before he realized that his classroom was on the third floor. Cursing his luck he instead turned to go up the stairs, climbing his way to the third floor. He had been in the right area, only he had been on the wrong floor.
He entered the classroom to find only two other students in there. Neither was talking to each other and was sitting down removing their supplies from their bags. Arthur hesitated before he sat down in the seat closest to the door. Luckily it was still open. One of the people sat behind him. He appeared to be of Asian descent and he was rather small with almond-shaped brown eyes. Arthur knew that this school took students from around the world. He wondered if all of them spoke English. This class, he knew, was world history.
He was pulling out his own supplies as more students trickled into the room. They were few and far between it appeared to him. He suspected that it would be a rather small class considering things. He looked down at his notebook and began to idly write notes about the school so far. He needed to find out what areas to avoid. He didn't need to get headaches. He wanted to avoid using an aura if he could.
"Whoa!" Arthur nearly jumped out of his seat at the loud voice and slammed his knee into his desk. He cursed under his breath and looked up to see the same boy from earlier –what was his name? Alfred- run into the class room. The boy looked at him with wide blue eyes and a grin. "We meet again, British dude!" He cried loudly, approaching Arthur. Arthur tried to ignore him glaring down at his notebook. Alfred wouldn't take a hint, though, and dropped his book-bag on the desk next to Arthur's. The English boy began to sincerely curse his fate. Alfred turned to face him. "We have first block together!"
"Obviously." Arthur grumbled and turned his head away to show that he didn't want to talk. Alfred seemed to take the hint and turned instead to the Asian behind Arthur.
"Kiku! You're here too! Hey, who else is in this class?"
"Ohayo, Alfred-kun." Kiku greeted and Arthur understood that the Asian was Japanese. "As far as I know we have Vash-san, Elizaveta-chan, and Ivan-san."
Alfred groaned next to him. "Ivan, really? Man, I thought for sure he was kicked out!"
"No, he only left school for the last few days because of his elder sister, I believe."
"Damn. Oh well." Alfred turned to Arthur to speak. "So hey, this is my buddy Kiku! Kiku, this is big brows!" Arthur scowled at the name.
"Ah-um…" Kiku stuttered, obviously disapproving of Alfred calling someone that but Arthur was the one who rounded on him.
"My name is not big brows!" He growled. "I demand that you not call me that!"
Alfred shrugged. "Okay, then what's your real name?"
"I already told you that it's not any of your business!"
"Then I'll keep calling you big brows!" Arthur turned furiously away, fuming. Already he hated school. He realized that this Alfred was probably going to be his next bully. He hated his life. Alfred next to him waited for a response and then frowned, seeing Arthur's face. "Hey, I was just kidding. I won't call you that. But what should I call you?"
"Just leave me alone!" Arthur snapped and dug through his backpack to give himself something to do even though he didn't have anything he needed to bring out. Alfred listened and instead turned to talk to Kiku, but Arthur could hear the strain in his voice. He had upset Alfred. Fine, he could live with that. At least then Alfred would leave him alone finally.
A bell rang signifying the beginning of class but still the teacher wasn't in. The other students seemed unworried and continued talking with each other. Alfred laughed and then turned to Arthur. "So what classes do you have?" He asked as if they were old friends. Arthur ignored him. "Aw come on, don't be rude. I thought all you British people try to be proper?"
"We are." Arthur blurted out before he could stop himself. "Unlike you brutish Americans. And I'm not being rude."
"You so totally are, man! You just insulted me!" But Alfred was grinning as if he hadn't been insulted. Arthur noted that Alfred hadn't taken it to heart.
"I don't care."
"You're so stingy!" Alfred jabbed Arthur's side if a finger. Arthur jumped and slapped the hand away.
"Don't do that." He warned.
"Why not?" He poked him again.
"Stop that!" Again Arthur slapped his hand away.
"I don't wanna." Alfred grabbed Arthur's side and Arthur yelped and hit his arm.
"Stop touching me!" Alfred only laughed. Arthur could do nothing but glare at him. Behind him he heard Kiku's soft chuckle.
"Just tell me your name and I'll stop." The American bargained. Arthur was fed-up with Alfred's teasing. He wanted to hit him but he didn't need to get in trouble on his first day. Even if his teacher was in yet.
"If it'll get you to leave me be, my name is-" Just then the door opened and in walked another person. Arthur stared at a familiar maroon head of hair and rough stubble and green eyes. He couldn't believe his horrid luck.
Allistier gazed at the class and a grin formed on his face at seeing Arthur in the front row. "Well, well, well, if it ain't me wee li'l brother!"
Arthur groaned and wanted to slam his face into the desk. "What the devil are you doing here, Allistier? You already graduated."
"I know that of course, you idiot!" Allistier said and walked over to the board to write down his name, 'Mr. Mackintosh'. "I'm the teacher." Arthur felt that his day couldn't possibly get any worse.
A/N: So I'm going to try to name the chapters after songs that fit Arthur's life. I'll start the party off with 'The End' by My Chemical Romance. "Now come one, come all to this tragic affair~" indeed. Welcome to my story. :D
Arthur does talk to his pendulum. That's who Jeanne is.
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