"My eyes were shimmering?" I wonder if it had anything to do with that strange energy I felt.
"Yeah. It faded away after a little bit though. Either way you should tell me why you kissed me." As she speaks she takes a step back. I never realized how warm he is… No, don't think about that. I can't let anyone make me weak. It's already bad enough that I feel like they are my friends. I can't let petty crushes get in the way.
"Well… Um… So Morgana was saying that what was happening was a blessing and I thought it sounded like a curse. That's when I remembered that the Beast, Aurora, Snow, and Neveane were all cursed and a kiss solved their problems so I just thought…" I hope she doesn't get mad.
"You decided that since all those heroes were saved with a kiss I could be too?" She sits on the 'spare' bed. See it was just out of utility. If he could have thought of something else he would have done that instead. The kiss meant nothing.
"Well yeah. I didn't know what else to do. I just wanted… I wanted to bring you back." As he is speaking he sits on Gale's bed a couple feet away from her. She's reacting well… I wonder if I'll ever get the chance to- nononono don't think about that. Remember what happened last time… Never again.
"Thanks." I wonder why something that normally only works on heroes worked on me. Though I don't think she's gone so it's not a perfect fix.
"No problem." Jay says with a smile before his expression turns serious. "So wanna tell me what I stepped in on?"
"I don't know how but she says that she's Morgana La Fay… and I guess she's my mom." Though frankly parasite or burden would both fit that sentence better.
"What? She's your mom? How?" His surprise is evident in his voice.
"Well she said she birthed me so…" She responds awkwardly with a faint blush painting her cheeks. How else would she be my mom? I didn't start out fully formed.
"I mean how is she in your head? Has she always done this?" He looks away to hide his own blush. I know how that works… jeez
"I don't know how she got there but if by 'this,'" she makes air quotes with her fingers, " you mean being annoying as all hell and trying to get control of my body then no, she hasn't always done this. Me even knowing she's there is a recent development."
"How recent?" He says looking at her once more. Some of her hair came out of her braid. Maybe I could- Nope definitely not, it's not even an option.
"Since we left the Isle. That was the first time she actually managed to get free though." Gale says sliding off the bed and crouching down to grab the book stored underneath. She brushes the small amount of dust off the cover before sitting back on the bed.
"Isn't that the book you nicked from the museum?"
"Yeah. It helps keep her under wraps." Not to mention that it helps take away the wretched headaches.
"May I see it?" He asks and she hands it to him. He looks at it for a few moments before speaking again. "I think it's a grimoire."
"Why do you think that?" She cocks her head slightly to the left and looks at him with a blend of curiosity and confusion.
"Well I can't read any of this but this looks like the welsh spelling of 'Merlin.' If the Fairy Godmother donated her wand then who's to say that Merlin didn't donate his grimoire?"
"Why would it have the welsh spelling of his name then? Wouldn't it just say 'Merlin' and not 'My-rd-din?' How are those even the same word?"
"It's pronounced the same way as the english version. Welsh was his first language but over time he became more familiar with english so he started spelling his name M-E-R-L-I-N instead of M-Y-R-D-D-I-N since that was simpler for everyone else." Jay explains patiently.
"Oh." So Merlin speaks two languages? That's kind of impressive. Though if it really is Merlins then that means… If Melinda finds out she is going to kill me. "How do you know all that?"
"Carlos finds some of the autobiographies in the library really interesting. I'm the one who listens to him gush."
*two days later*
Jay returns to his room after tutoring Gale and sees Carlos studying at their shared desk. He walks over to his bed, grabs out his sketchbook and sits down letting his mind wander as he draws.
"You've spent a lot of time with her lately." Carlos says turning towards him.
"Well she needs a tutor, and honestly do you think there are a lot of people she would actually listen to?" Jay says dismissively.
"That's my point though. You two have gotten really close." Carlos' tone isn't accusatory instead it's calm and a dash hopeful. He deserves to be happy. They both do.
"Not really. I'm pretty sure she just wants to learn so she doesn't get expelled." Jay says refusing to think he has a point.
"If that was the case she wouldn't care who tutors her." I would have tutored her if she came to me, though maybe it's for the best that Jay tutors her. They understand each other.
"Maybe. You never know though. She is pretty stubborn after all." Why is he making a big deal out of this? We talk but it's mostly about her handwriting or what a word is.
"Sounds like someone else I know." Carlos says with a small smirk on his face.
"What are you trying to say?" Jay says his tone reflects a little frustration, and when he realizes who he had been drawing he closes his sketchbook with a huff. I only started drawing her cause he was talking about her.
"That you two are good for each other. It's sweet."
"Whatever. It wont go that far. Neither of us want that."
"Oh?" Maybe he's right but I'm not so sure.
"You know what happened last time." He frowns, willing himself not to think about it.
"She isn't Lotus." Carlos says softly.
"Don't bring her up." Jay says angrily.
"I know you don't want to talk about it but it's been a year. Maybe it's time to let-"
"Shut up!" Jay shouts cutting Carlos off. Not wanting to deal with the conversation he storms out of the room and down the hall. Soon enough he finds himself out in the abandoned tourney field. He walks over to the bleachers and buries his face in his hands as the unwanted memories flood his head.
*flashback*
Jay sits on the west beach as the sun starts to dip ever nearer to the horizon painting the sky with shades of red and orange. Soft footsteps pad through the sand to his left. He smiles as he sees the young woman walk over to him and sit in the sand at his side. He spends a long moment just looking into her sapphire eyes before speaking.
"Hey good looking. How are you doing on this fine evening." He says before pulling her closer and kissing her passionately for a brief moment.
"Jaaay. You know I have a name." The onyx haired teen says with a playful pout.
"Oh Lotus. You know how I love to tease you." He responds, earning a fond smile from his beloved. They stay like that for hours, conversations coming and going like the waves. The stars are high in the air by the time they part. When they part ways it is with a kiss and loving words and both walk away with smiles.
*days later*
Jay wakes up with a smile on his face. One year ago today, he and Lotus began dating. He knows she doesn't expect him until noon but he is bound and determined to visit her early and give her the necklace he made for her from tiny shells that littered the southern beach. Quickly dressing he rushes out the door and darts across town to her home.
He's practically overflowing with excitement as he nears her home, but just as he finds himself on the front doorstep he hears a voice from within, and against his better judgement, he listens in.
"I hope you know this will end poorly for you. Why don't you just let one of them go?" Jay hears Ulrich ask.
"Why would I? I have them wrapped around my fingers. It's fun to play queen." Lotus responds flippantly.
"Is it fun to hurt people?" The older teen asks.
"So what if they get hurt?"
"They did nothing wrong." Ulrichs tone makes his sympathy all too clear. It's at this point Jay walks into the house and approaches the living room.
"Don't highroad me when your mom had an entire garden of people who did nothing wrong. I'm stuck on this tiny island so I might as well have some fun."
"Is that I am to you? A toy?" Jay is on the verge of tears and his voice reflects as much.
"Jay honey we were just rehearsing a little play. That's all. Happy anniversary." Lotus says with Ulrich glaring at her, an expression Jay had never seen on the white haired teen before.
"She's lying. She's fooling around with both you and Hayden." Ulrich says to Jay cutting in before they could just patch things up.
Jay could see Lotus' facade slowly break and he does the only thing that makes sense; he throws the necklace he spent weeks making across the room shattering it and leaves. Hoping maybe just maybe Ulrich was lying he pays Hayden a visit that ends in both boys having broken hearts and broken noses.
*end flashback*
Gale breaks through the tree line on her way back from a jog along one of the trails. She looks to her left out of habit and she notices Jay sitting on the bleachers, head in his hands and shoulders rocking as if he is crying. She stops running and looks between him and the building. Should I go get Carlos or should I just go talk to him? I'm here now… I'll tell Carlos later. Her mind made up, she jogs half of the distance between them before walking the rest of the way.
"Are you okay?" People don't cry into their hands when they are okay, dumbass. Of course he isn't okay.
"I'm fine." He says in an irritated tone. What is she doing here?
"Yeah sure." How do I help? What should I say? Maybe talking wont help right now. "Lets spar."
"What why?" He says caught off guard.
"Well it's good exercise and exercise usually helps me clear my head so maybe it will help you." She flashes him a genuine smile and holds her hand out to help him up. He takes her hand and she pulls him up. She's almost disappointed when their hands separate and they walk into the field a little so they have room.
Jay throws the first punch which Gale dodges. This quickly becomes a pattern where one will attack and the other will dodge. Neither of them land any blows but that's okay cause neither of them really want to. To an outsider the exchange looks less like sparring and more like a dance. They continue this dance for several minutes and by the end of it they are both a bit sweaty but that's okay too. They feel lighter now and that's what they needed in the first place.