*Hides face in hands* Oh god, I'm such a loser. I'm so sorry I haven't updated in forever. I actually forgot that I had to update another chapter because, well, on the other story I had a pretty steady stream of reviews and they'd pop up in my email and I'd be all, "Oh damn, they're expecting something." But now I don't get any so I forget that I even have a story. So remember, the more reviews I get, the fast the new chapter comes. Okay kids? Great. Love you *kisses foreheads*
A Broken Encounter
It had happened on a Saturday.
Actually, the more Balisk thought of the fateful day, the more he began to think that it was a Friday. He remembered it was a holiday, because Antony and Viktor weren't at school. It was the summer, he knew that much.
But the date didn't matter, it was what happened on the date that mattered.
*break*
It had begun as a normal day—Anthony had greeted the baby and his mother when he came down for breakfast scarcely dressed in boxers and a ratty Weird Sisters shirt. He'd smiled at Balisk and ruffled his hair before kissing Simone on the cheek and sitting down for breakfast.
When they'd finished eating, Anthony had said something about going to hang out with Criss and Nicholai for the afternoon.
"Balisk, dear," Simone said, sounding slightly weary as she balanced the baby on her hip and held out a piece of paper to him. "Can you go by the market for me? I've got my hands full here."
"Yeah, of course." Balisk had nodded and smiled, an action that Simone returned.
Balisk had never regretted something more.
*break*
When he'd returned from the market an hour later, he saw Anthony standing in the yard with Nicholai standing next to him stoically and Criss vomiting in the street while the local police went around the yard.
"Criss," Balisk said, horrified. "What happened?"
"I don't know," Criss choked out. "We came by to see if Simone wanted us to do anything a-and we found…Oh God, they killed everyone Balisk. Even the baby…"
Balisk dropped the groceries and covered his mouth.
"It was Ruby and…Someone else. That fucking retarded slut couldn't tie her shoes by herself." Criss spat venomously. "She had to have someone else."
Balisk walked away as Criss ceased to speak to him and spoke merely to himself. He walked over to Anthony.
"They wrote on the wall," Anthony said, strangely serene and calm. "In Simone's blood. It said, For harboring that monster."
"Anthony—"
"I can't say it isn't true," Anthony looked at his hands. "This wouldn't have happened if she'd just passed me on to someone else.
"You know she wasn't even my real mother? My biological mother was from England—that's how I knew Dumbledore. She couldn't stand what I was, so she left me to die. Dumbledore found me and left me to Simone. She…She loved me like her own son. I hurt her so many times, but she never stopped caring for me. I could've killed her and her family, but she only cared that I had a good home."
Nicholai placed a hand on Anthony's shoulder and the two seemed to have a silent exchange before Nicholai removed his hand and went to comfort his brother.
"He needs it more than I do. Poor Criss has a weak stomach." Anthony explained, leaving Balisk with more questions than answers.
*break*
So on that day—be it a Friday or Saturday—Balisk left Bulgaria and left behind yet another crumbling family and haunting past. He thought that all his troubles had finally ended, but he knew in his heart that he should've expected this. Even if it was no fault of his own, death and tragedy seemed to follow him like his own shadow.
He hated to think that this was his fault—that somehow his father was behind it in the end and that Balisk himself had dragged innocent people into his own screwed up life.
Balisk stood on the side of a muggle highway with no direction or knowledge of where he was or where he would go. He only knew that the farther away from humanity he was, the safer everyone else was—even if he himself was in grave danger.
*break*
Anthony sat on his second-story window sill and stared after the police as they left the crime scene. They hadn't even noticed him going up to his room, but that was the point.
He looked into the sunset and imagined Balisk was miles away by now. Of course, the younger wizard had put the blame on himself, merely stating that he should've known better than to think that he could stay in one place with such good people without something bad happening.
The same thing had occurred to Anthony, but about himself.
His birth mother had abandoned him and left him to die and the woman that raised him since he was knee-high was killed the most violent of manners with her blood splattered on the walls and her only daughter and grandchild massacred not three feet away from her.
Anthony mulled over how horrid it would've been to see the only flesh and blood you had being killed as you slowly bled to death, unable to help them.
He then decided that he'd rather not find out.
Anthony sighed and picked up a piece of paper and a quill. He touched the quill to his tongue and dipping it in the ink, scratching it across the parchment in fine, neat letters before hopping off the window and landing on the ground far below.
After a quick stop at the most important place he could think of, Anthony looked off into the sunset, thinking that Balisk must be miles away by now.
And thinking that he should be, too.
*Owari*
So? How was it? So sorry it took so long for me to update, but I had a parade to prepare for and reports to write and…Ugh. My week's just been all kinds of fucked up.
I love you kids :3
Remember, voting is still up. And I'd like more votes before I make a final decision because I haven't gotten that many and it makes me paranoid.
Thanks 3 Love you kids!~
-Auntie Riddle
