Author's Notes:
Welcome to Sinister Shadows Chapter Fourteen! This one is shorter than the last, but believe me, the buildup to the climax of this arc starts this chapter, so I see no reason to delay. I hope you enjoy the chapter! I'll see you at the bottom of the page!
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Chapter Fourteen: Chase
The days following the bonfire were quiet.
Apart from Angie and Rafael, Star was alone on Sunday and kept to her new routine. When she finally rolled out of bed, she dialed her mother's number and changed clothes. Then, after changing clothes, she called again. She brushed her teeth and called again. No answer. She brushed her hair and called again, but nothing came of it.
She kept this cycle for as long as it took to get ready and a while after that, and since she didn't have any plans that morning, she kept going even after that.
Eventually, noon came, and she was still staring at her mirror, absentmindedly continuing her cyclical calling. She'd been replaying the events of the night before for a while by that point, and as she stared into her own eyes, all she could feel was frustration.
This is too much, she thought. The magic was gone, then her mother, and now, Marco. She wanted nothing more than to talk to him, especially after the bonfire.
Jackie knew, and what made it even worse was that Janna was who told her. It wasn't the first time her gothic friend had loose lips, but somehow, she still trusted her more than that. She thought Janna could keep a secret, especially from one of the two people who weren't supposed to know, but after Janna let Alfonzo and Ferguson know, she should have seen it coming.
Humans are unreliable. It was unfortunate, but it was the truth. It wasn't like Mewmans were any better, but she was sure her friends on Mewni wouldn't have made such a monumental mistake.
Still, even if it wasn't Janna who told her, now Jackie knew about her feelings. There was no undoing that.
She had to do something. Jackie was a ticking timebomb with a hidden timer. She was sure to tell Marco, but there was nothing Star could do. He was with her in every sense.
She groaned, leaning back in her chair as she stared at the ceiling. It was quiet. Usually, that would have made things worse, but for once, when she closed her eyes, her mind stopped racing.
She breathed—really breathed. A deep inhale, a pause, and a deep exhale. Only then did she finally realize she hadn't caught her breath since arriving in the human dimension.
The silence was a gift that she cherished for hours. She still couldn't reach her mother, but at least she had that.
When the following morning arrived, it was just as silent, perhaps even moreso.
It was Monday, which meant school. Usually, this would have put her off, but today, she had a mission.
Operation: "Talk To Marco" would start as soon as she got to school.
Walking alone didn't feel as weird as she expected, as Marco was still on her mind enough to wash away the loneliness of the foggy sidewalk, but as she arrived in front of the school, her mood worsened.
Before she reached the front doors, a familiar voice called to her.
"Leah," she muttered, trying to smile as she faced her.
"Star!" she exclaimed with unsettling enthusiasm.
"I've been waiting for you. I wanted to talk to you. You know, after Saturday night, I-"
Star's eyes narrowed as Leah trailed off. The second she blinked, Star dashed away, hiding behind a pillar by the front doors.
"What?" Leah questioned, gazing from side to side with genuine confusion.
"Crap," the girl remarked, and as soon as Star peered around the corner, Leah was gone.
A sigh turned to a groan as she leaned against the pillar, holding her face in her hands.
She checked once more that Leah was gone, then approached the doors. She reached for the handles, but just before making contact, she spotted her friends through the glass out of the corner of her eye.
Janna's beanie, Ferguson's ginger hair, and the glint of Alfonzo's glasses gave just enough warning for her to stop herself, dodging backward as Janna glanced at the door.
Again, she groaned, glancing from side to side, then making eye contact with a nearby nervous-looking girl.
"Hey," Star whisper-shouted, the girl's eyes widening.
Star felt remorse, but not enough to stop. Not when she was in the middle of such an important mission.
"Can you do me a quick favor," she asked with a friendly smile.
The girl loosened up a bit but still hid inside her thick winter jacket.
"Umm…-"
Star interrupted before she could say no.
"Thanks a ton," she shouted, pulling the jacket off the girl's shoulders.
She threw it on, pulling the hood over her head as she gestured toward the door. The girl shivered.
"Don't worry, I'll give it back. I just need you to walk inside with me."
The girl nodded, then stepped toward the door.
Star smiled, following her lead, and pushed through.
"Well, I'll be!" she shouted in an exaggerated accent. "It's mighty chilly out today, huh?"
She side-eyed her friends to make sure she wasn't spotted, and to her delight, her disguise worked like a charm.
Proud of herself, she led the girl a little farther, returned the borrowed jacket, and thanked her.
She walked down the hall and kept her head on a swivel for her pursuers and the person she sought.
It still felt like she was being watched, and she was sure she was, but she pushed on through the disgusted glances and mutterings of her classmates.
She reached her first class, where she knew Marco would eventually show his face, and sure enough, after a couple minutes, she spotted the crimson-hooded boy rounding a corner with Jakob at his side, chirping over his shoulder.
When Star caught his eyes, they widened. Jakob glared in her direction, but Star was busy. She spoke to Marco without uttering a word.
Talk to me, her face said, but he didn't even reply.
He broke contact, his gaze falling to the floor as he walked past her and into the classroom.
She watched him lazily walk to his seat, refusing to look her way. Jakob remained at his side, his glare still firm when Star finally met his eyes.
She squeezed her fists, sure that Jakob was responsible for his silence, but a familiar voice echoed from down the hall before her anger could boil over.
"Star!" Janna called, jogging her way.
She winced, then ducked into the classroom, knowing she wouldn't be followed.
Her classmates watched with judgemental expressions, but that was nothing new. What was really annoying was that she couldn't find a seat beside Marco. So, from behind him, she tried whispering his name, but to no surprise, he wouldn't answer.
She continued following him all day but never found a chance to talk to him. Between classes, and even during them, Jakob managed to always be around. At lunch, Jakob was the only one beside him. Even when Marco went to the bathroom, Jakob guarded the door.
It seemed extreme. Star was sure she wouldn't walk into a bathroom under normal circumstances, but that day, she might have done anything to talk to him.
Still, no matter what she did, it was like Marco had a protective barrier around him at all times, and whenever there was a crack that she thought she could exploit, Janna appeared to distract her, each time seeming more desperate than before.
From Monday to Thursday, this cycle repeated. Every day, she woke up and called her mother, then walked to school alone, evaded both Leah and Janna, and followed Marco around only to find herself less successful every time she tried to talk to him.
By Friday, it had gotten so bad that she couldn't sit one, two, or even six seats away from him. Jakob had a complete hold on Marco, and with every day, her hope dwindled.
That morning, she went through the usual motions. She failed to reach her mother, walked to school, and lazily evaded Leah by walking around the school to find another entrance.
She meandered through the halls with tired, half-lidded eyes.
She barely made it to her class before the bell rang, and came even closer to getting caught by Janna.
It seemed like her day would just be the same as the last two, but as she slid into her chair, she made a sudden realization.
Marco wasn't there, and for that matter, neither was Jakob. There was a gap in the crowded classroom where they'd usually sit. If it was anyone else that was missing, Star would have assumed that they were late, or not have batted an eye in the first place, but this was Marco.
He wasn't someone who could be late to class, let alone be absent altogether, but as the minutes passed, it became clear that Marco wasn't coming.
Her eyes lingered on the door throughout her entire class, but it remained closed until the final bell.
Her mental fatigue dissipated as she jogged to the hallway before the teacher stopped talking. She glanced from side to side, as if expecting to see him, but the only person she saw was Janna, who turned a corner and gestured for Star to stay put.
Of course, she refused. She turned the opposite way and ran, but in her hubris, she forgot that Janna wasn't her only pursuer.
As soon as she rounded her first corner, she ran straight into Leah so fast that she accidentally knocked her onto her butt.
She wanted to keep running, but after having avoided her for so long, Star couldn't force her legs to move.
She grimaced, holding out a hand to the floored girl.
Leah reached out, confused when Star effortlessly yanked her back to her feet.
Star quickly turned away, returning to her sprint, but to her chagrin, Leah remained at her side.
"What are we running from? Are there… monsters, or something?"
"Janna," Star remarked, keeping her eyes ahead.
"So, yeah. Monsters," Leah joked, suddenly slowing down.
Star stopped in her tracks and gave a quizzical expression, to which Leah merely smiled.
Janna rounded a corner and met Star's eyes.
Leah stood between them as Janna gasped for air.
"St- Star," she struggled out. "Jackie… she-"
Star's eyes narrowed with curiosity, but Leah stopped Janna from saying anything more.
"That's enough," Leah interrupted, stern.
"But-" Janna tried to argue.
"Star, go!" Leah shouted, to which Star finally obliged, sprinting down the hall without looking back.
Only when she ducked into her next class did Janna's words register in her mind.
"Jackie… she-"
Star could only imagine what could have followed.
"Jackie… she hurt Marco…"
"Jackie… she said she's gonna hurt you…"
"Jackie… she hurt herself…"
Her eyes widened before the school bell rang again, corralling her attention once more.
She sat down and mulled over Janna's words, then continued to do so through the rest of her classes, between which she secretly hoped she'd run into Janna again.
She was mad at Janna for spilling her secrets, but no amount of anger could have made her not want an explanation.
Even by the time her final class came around, she remained deep in thought, considering Janna's words until, mere minutes before the class was set to end, the door creaked open, a familiar crimson hoodie standing inside.
His head was inside his hood and his eyes were on the ground, so she couldn't see his face, but she knew well enough that it was Marco Diaz walking into her class, and sure enough, a second later, Jakob trailed him.
After a long week of failing, she knew it would be nearly impossible to get to him, but that didn't stop her from thinking about it, and as she remembered Janna's urgency, her urges were doubled.
Jakob caught her staring at Marco and shot her a glare, but unlike most other times, she didn't look away.
Miss Skullnick had just finished talking about integration by parts when the bell rang, and Star wasted no time getting to her feet.
Marco and Jakob were among the first to escape the classroom, but Star followed closely behind.
As the boys pushed through the school's front doors, she had gotten within arms reach, and just as soon, Jakob started trying to keep her away.
Without saying a word, Jakob blocked her path, cut her off, and otherwise stopped her from speaking until, finally, Star had enough.
She grabbed Jakob by his massive forearm and spun him away from Marco's side, surprising him as she slid ahead of him.
"Marco," she shouted. "Stop, we need to-"
She met his eyes and her words died.
Rings that matched the color of his hoodie surrounded bloodshot scleras, his nose was snotty, and his face was sweaty.
Jakob quickly stepped between them, but Marco didn't move. Their eyes remained locked with one another, and unsurprisingly Star was the first to speak.
"M- Marco, what's wrong?"
His gaze fell to the ground and he sniffled.
"You're what's wrong, ditz," Jakob scolded. "Haven't you done enough?"
Marco didn't verbally agree, but his silence was enough for Star to step back.
"Marco, I-"
Again, he met her eyes, and her throat was in knots. She couldn't speak.
After a while, Marco finally turned away, walking toward the setting sun, which peaked just barely above the thick fog.
Star's face was blank as her eyes lingered on the back of Marco's head, a gust of wind blowing through her hair as Marco's silhouette vanished inside the mist.
After a while, she sighed.
"This is my fault, isn't it?" Star questioned, feeling Janna's presence behind her.
She turned to meet her eyes and her heart sank.
Janna didn't speak back, but that wasn't for lack of desire. Pure fear was in Janna's eyes as she clutched at a piece of deep, black tape that covered her mouth.
Immediately, Star yanked at the tape from all ends, but no matter how hard she pulled, it wouldn't budge.
Still, Janna grabbed her by the shoulders, trying desperately to convey her message.
"Mphm!" Janna incomprehensibly whined.
"Mmma- mmm- nnnn!"
She groaned with frustration and Star took a step back.
"Janna!" Star shouted. "What is it!"
"MMMMM!" she almost screamed.
"Star?" Leah called, rushing to her side as she spotted Janna.
"Get away from her, Ordonia! I told you! She doesn't want to talk to you!"
Leah tried to pull Star away, but she struggled, meeting Janna's eyes.
"Janna, wh-"
Again, Leah pulled her back. Janna whined, but she was impossible to understand. She tried to lift her hands, but they were taped together too, so much so that not even a finger was uncovered.
Leah made a panicked face and again pulled Star away. Janna tried to follow but tripped over her own taped feet.
"Something's going on. We've gotta get out of here," Leah urged, meeting her eyes.
Star glanced at Janna, who squirmed on the ground when a realization came to her.
"Marco," she muttered to herself.
Finally, she turned away, sprinting toward the Diaz house as memories of Marco's abduction flashed through her mind.
She had to hurry, otherwise it wasn't guaranteed she'd get the chance to save him again.
…
Author's Notes:
So there you go, the climax begins. The next chapter will put an end to this arc! I've said it here now, so I can't really go back on my word. I haven't started on the next chapter quite yet, so I can't really say that for sure, but for now, my plan is to have the next chapter be the finale of the arc.
Either way, if I change my mind, followers of my Instagram starcovstheworld will be the first to know, and I promise, I won't make that decision unless I believe it's absolutely pivotal for the flow of the story.
So, with that out of the way, welcome to the begging section! As usual, I would greatly appreciate any feedback via comments and reviews on ffn and ao3 respectively, as it helps me make this story as good as can be. Of course, follows, favorites, and kudos are greatly appreciated as well, but nothing compares to a comment. So, if you have time, please say hi, critique me, or tell me how you feel about the chapter or the story as a whole so far in the comments below!
The next chapter will be published as soon as it's finished, but until then, we must be patient. As I mentioned, updates will be on my Instagram page, but for the time being, this is where I leave you. I'll see you soon. Stay safe.
~ lucash21