Disclaimer: I diss any claims.
A/N: What has it been, like, two weeks? :O I know, I know sorry to keep you hanging! It's almost done…just one more chapter after this one I think! Sorry again, I know this one's wicked short, but it's all I've had time to do. Very emotional, though. Feedback is much appreciated :) Enjoy!
Chapter 11
Sophie was home by herself again and had clambered out her bathroom window onto the roof of her house, just because she could. The incident a year ago hadn't affected her love for heights—and flight, apparently—and was much less painful now that she knew the truth. Well, she was still confused about Justin. She sighed. Her ex-best friend. What a cliché! But it was so accurate in this case.
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Justin paced restlessly in his room in the Witch's castle. The Witch had said that they need not expose themselves by staying in Sophie's world and they could get there any time they wished. Well, he wished otherwise. He couldn't help that Sophie was his friend. Okay, so maybe he wanted them to be more than friends, so what? He hated trying to keep up with so much going on at once! He kicked the wall in frustration.
He knew that the Witch wanted Sophie dead. Disapproved. And he knew that she wanted Justin to play some kind of role in it. Definitely disapproved. He knew that she wanted Howl for herself. Disapproved for moral reasons—even if he didn't particularly like Howl, that was just gross. He knew that that night was the biggest festival of the year in Sophie's town, like, its birthday: a hugely public event with lots of people and lots of potential tools for murder around. Majorly disapproved.
He knew that the Witch was pretty convinced of Justin's loyalty. And Sophie's own eighteenth birthday was in two days. It was just too close. The Witch would be trying something tonight, he just knew it.
And he knew he had to do something to stop it.
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Howl lighted on Sophie's roof and nearly died when he saw that she was up there as well. He hadn't seen her at first, concealed as she was by the lengthening shadows from the fast-fading light in the sky.
God, but she was amazing. He couldn't even stand how much he loved her—or should have loved her. His heart was probably going insane.
Suddenly Sophie turned and looked straight at him. Howl felt like she pierced right into what should have been his soul when she did that. Of course she could see right through the invisibility spell.
"Howl?" she tilted her head to the side. "Where have you been? I—"
"Sophie," he began quietly. She immediately stopped and knew something was wrong. He looked at her for a long time while she waited patiently. Then he spoke again. "…I won't put you in danger any longer."
"Wh-what?" she stammered, utterly confused, pivoting to fully face him. She hadn't expected him to say something like that.
"I won't deny that I'll miss you. But I can't put you through this any more and I was too blind to see the solution earlier."
"What are you talking about?" she asked more firmly. She didn't want to acknowledge the little part of her that knew exactly what was going on.
"I'm leaving you, Sophie." He loved to say her name; it just rolled right off his tongue. "I know you probably won't mind me being gone, so just…live a normal life, okay? Forget about me. You won't be bothered by me again, I promise you that."
"N…No… No, you can't, why…? I won't be any safer!" she blurted out. He wasn't leaving! How could he? Was he trying to get her killed or something? She didn't think through that thought and didn't bother trying to.
"Yes, you will. It was all my fault. I was the problem, not you. You could never do any wrong…so I'm doing this for your sake."
"Howl, you're crazy, you're not thinking straight! I…" She just didn't know what to say. How to make him stay. It didn't even occur to her why she found it so urgent that he not go away.
"You'll never hear of me again. And, Sophie… Thank you."
What?
"…Goodbye."
And he disappeared, even to her eyes.
How?
Why?
Caught in an endless whirlpool of her thoughts, she suddenly thought she glimpsed the barest outline of a winged figure soaring through the sky. There! She jumped from the roof, casting her own wings spell at the same time, as well as invisibility. She took off after him into the rapidly darkening sky.
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It was over. He had done it. Somehow, he just felt a lot worse. He only wanted to protect her…it was for her sake; for the best.
Wings? Sophie—?! He was halfway into doing a one-eighty in midair but was greeted only by shockingly unfeeling blackness. He was out cold in a fraction of a second without even realizing it.
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Howl tried to groan, but found that he couldn't make a noise. He felt terrible. Drugged. And he was in a prison cell with stone walls. A cell with—
"You!" he snarled, crying out with his mind as well as speaking, and lunging for the boy across the room, his pain temporarily shoved aside. The blonde stepped back calmly as Howl was yanked back by the chains that encircled his wrists and led to the wall. Howl consented to fiercely glaring through the raven hair that was falling into his eyes. "I knew it. I knew it all along. You were never Sophie's friend," he accused.
Justin fought to keep his face devoid of emotion. Of course he had been her friend… She was the best thing that had happened to him in a long time. But he couldn't say that now, not here, where certain people were without a doubt listening. "I did what I had to," he said calmly.
"Naturally. I suppose you feel no regret for that, either," Howl spat.
"I refuse to have this conversation with you." He turned and left the cell, striding briskly down the dank corridor, his back rigid.
"Don't walk away from me!" Howl yelled after him. "Some hero you are, always running away." He noticed with satisfaction that Justin stopped in his tracks and went absolutely still.
"I didn't run away from her," he said quietly. He didn't need to specify the 'her.'
"Oh, so it wasn't your fault, either."
"There was no fault to be spoken of."
"What, hurting her doesn't count as wrongdoing? You never loved her." This guy ticked Howl off an incredible amount. How could he be so horrible to Sophie? Sophie, who would never do anyone or anything harm. Justin—he hated the name now—had let her into his life, befriended her, made her trust him, believe in him. Only to turn around and have a hand in attempts on her life.
Justin struggled to keep a hold on himself as he tried to calmly open the door.
"Traitor!" Howl screamed after him as the heavy door clanged shut.
A/N: …And suddenly it ends. Hm…what shall happen? These angsty men. *shakes head* Well, whatcha gonna do. The next chapter will be the last, I think :( But you'll know what happens then! :D It will all become clear… Let me know your thoughts, speculations, rants…whatever. Reviews always make me happy! Thanks for reading.