Chapter Eleven: Exactly The Same Situation
Two-Bit sat down on the front steps. He tried humming to himself to drown out the faint sounds of Carmen sobbing inside.
He waited for what seemed like hours. He wondered if he should step inside and make sure she was all right.
He was about to stand up and do so when Carmen stepped outside. "You okay?" Two-Bit asked softly. Carmen nodded, sitting down next to him.
They sat in silence. Carmen appeared to be deep in thought, but Two-Bit was a different story. He was like a four-year-old, fidgeting all over the place. He did not take kindly to boredom.
He couldn't take it anymore. He had to break the silence. "So," he started, and then immediately wished he hadn't. It was too loud, too uncalled for, even though it broke the silence.
"He can't get away with this," Carmen said softly. Two-Bit turned to her. She was wearing an expression that he had only ever seen before on Dallas Winston.
"What?" he said, not believing his ears.
"He can't get away with this," Carmen repeated. "I won't let him. He can't murder my mother and expect me not to do anything about it."
Two-Bit sat in stunned silence. Carmen must have sensed his shock, because she turned to him, saying, "You don't have to help me. I'll do it alone. But I have to do it." She turned back to staring fiercely at the horizon, where dawn was breaking.
"Carmen," Two-Bit said hoarsely. "You can't do this." He wouldn't let her. It was all a cycle. They hurt her, she hurt them, and they hurt her again. When was it going to end? Who could bear to live like that?
We do, Two-Bit realized with a start. Socs versus Greasers. It's exactly the same. Well, I'm going to stop it here. I'm not going to let Carmen die.
"I appreciate your sentimentality," Carmen said quietly, "but it's not going to stop me." Two-Bit cursed inwardly as he realized she had been reading his mind again.
"Carmen, you're not going to do this," Two-Bit said loudly. He would stop her if it was the last thing he did.
"Yes, I am, and you can't stop me," Carmen retorted.
"Yes, I can!" Two-Bit shouted. He then employed the one weapon he had against Carmen. "I order you not to!" he announced triumphantly.
Carmen burst into peals of laughter. "That won't work anymore," she said giddily. "That won't work anymore."
"Whaddya mean it won't work?" Two-Bit demanded. He was currently walking the thin line between concern and insanity.
Carmen grinned at the approaching sun. "I'm free. Go ahead, say something. Order me to do something," she challenged.
"Uh, do a cartwheel," Two-Bit said off the top of his head.
"No way!" Carmen yelled. "I don't have to!"
Two-Bit's jaw dropped. She really was free. "Carmen, that's great!" he exclaimed. He stood up, taking her hand and pulling her up as well.
"Yeah," she said, her grin fading. "You don't have to help me anymore. You did only promise to help me until I broke the curse."
Two-Bit nodded. Words seemed to have escaped him. Was she saying what he thought she was?
"You have your wizardry books and everything. You can teach yourself. Oh, here's your wand," she added, producing it from her pocket.
Two-Bit clicked it open. It was good as new, shiny and razor-sharp as the day he had shoplifted it. "Thanks. You know, for fixing it," he said awkwardly.
"No problem. So, I guess this is goodbye," Carmen said. "It was nice knowing you."
"No," Two-Bit said. Carmen raised her eyebrows. I can't believe I'm doing this, Two-Bit thought.
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Carmen was genuinely shocked. This was the last thing she had expected. Two-Bit had fulfilled his part of the bargain. After all she had put him through, was he saying what she thought he was?
"If I let you go off to let you get revenge on your own," Two-Bit admitted heavily. "I'd never be able to forgive myself."
Carmen couldn't stop a large, ridiculous smile from spreading across her face. He cares, she realized. He wasn't just doing this because I made him a wizard.
"I'm starving," Two-Bit said suddenly. Carmen rolled her eyes. When was he ever not hungry?
"Okay," she conceded. "Let's go get breakfast. But first let's clean this mess up," she said, indicating the debris inside that had once been the contents of a house.
Two-Bit groaned. "That's gonna take all day!"
"Excuse me? Are you a wizard or not?" Carmen snapped. Two-Bit grinned sheepishly. "Oh, yeah," he said.
Together, they put the house back together in a matter of seconds. Carmen was glad she had thought to take care of her mother's body before she had come out.
Two-Bit hadn't asked about it, and she hadn't told him. She wondered briefly if Two-Bit, by not asking, was merely being tactful or had just forgotten.
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Russell stirred the cauldron half-heartedly. His arms were aching from performing the repetitive task for hours. He was already sore from the previous night's activities.
Mordred was in a terrible mood. Russell couldn't see why. He had been victorious, killed Azure and left Carmen and the mortal shattered from the defeat. What more did he want?
"Curses! Blast!" Mordred was bellowing. His shouting was echoed back, bouncing off the stone walls. "The curse is broken! That was the only chance of my plan to work!"
Russell started. Carmen's curse is broken? He thought in amazement. No wonder Mordred's so mad.
"Stir faster, boy," Mordred ordered disdainfully. "She will be coming to avenge her dear mother. And then," he said with a cackle. "Then we shall truly be victorious!"
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Uh oh. Anyway, kindly review now that you have read…next chapter will hopefully be up soon. But only if you review.