Hawthorne
Hawthorne clenched his jaw, biting back an angry reply. Arion didn’t even know Basil at all- they had met literally twenty-four hours ago.
I’m the one who’s taken care of her all of these years! I’m the one who stayed up countless nights when she had night terrors. I’m the one who’s been there for her no matter what. I raised Basil for d*mn sake! Hawthorne took a breath in attempt to calm himself down, though it didn’t help. He couldn’t seem to get a grip on his temper.
What right does Arion have to question how I treat Basil? She has everything she could possibly want right here. There's nothing wrong with the way I treat her. Besides, she doesn’t need that hot-headed trouble maker. He’s no good for her! What if his attitude rubs off on her? Ach, there are at least two dozen eligible bachelors right here in this neighborhood that Basil could date if she wanted to. Hawthorne ran his hand through his hair frustratedly. All he ever wanted was to protect Basil and let her have a happy life. Though, Arion’s words suddenly struck his heart hard. “ Basil said those things about me? Like I’m…. her warden? Is that how she sees me? “The captain felt as if Arion had stabbed him in the chest with his sword. Hawthorne wasn’t talking to anyone, he was standing in the hall a little bit away from Basil’s door. But, it helped to talk this out- it was too much for him to process at one time. “No.. no it can’t be. Arion’s probably lying to make himself feel better” He spat angrily.
Trying to calm himself down, Hawthorne took a breath and cleared his mind of all the bitter thoughts he was holding- a meditative technique he had perfected so that he’d have laser sharp focus on the battlefield. It seemed to work for him, at least somewhat. He was able to push most of his anger to the back of his mind. Hawthorne strode calmly strode over to Basil’s bedroom door and rapped his knuckles against the door. “ Sprout?” He said hesitantly. He could hear Basil’s soft sobs through the door, making his heart ache even more. “Basil, I… i’m sorry I upset you…. Please let me in… i want to talk” He said, turning the handle to find that it was locked- and something heavy was leaning against the door. “Basil? Basil let me in! Are you okay? ” He said, frowning deeply. But, as he remembered what Arion said about him controlling his sister, Hawthorne let go of the door handle and took a step back. “ Never mind…. We can talk when you’re ready, okay? Just.. get some rest… I’ll have a maid bring you up some food if you get hungry. Maybe ice cream and apple fritters? You… you still like that junk don’t you?” He said, his tone gentler than usual. Hawthorne honestly loved his sister deeply and tried to take care of her as best as he knew how, but he never did well with the softer, cuddly part of caring for someone. Hawthorne pressed his ear to the door to hear Basil’s reply, but she had fallen quiet.
She must have cried herself to sleep He thought, his heart aching ever worse,
Basil’s never going to forgive me for this. And Arion… he’s not going to forgive me either…. Hawthorne rubbed his face in exasperation as he trudged back downstairs
D*mn, how could I have treated them like this? He thought, guilt making his stomach twist in knots
Basil
Basil heard Hawthorne coming up the stairs, despite her anguished sobbing. Her brother was the very last person she wanted to talk to at the moment. Without hesitation, she rolled off of her bed and pushed her desk against the door. Sniffling angrily, she flopped back on the bed and covered her head with her pillow so she didn’t have to listen talk about who-knows-what.
He’s probably lecturing me about staying out to late or to stay away from Arion She thought angrily, wanting to throw the nearest object around her at the closed door.
I hate him! I HATE HIM! I HATE HIM! Basil wanted to scream and cry and throw something to deal with all of the anger and sorrow pent up inside her chest, but she couldn’t seem to cry anymore. Swiping at her eyes, she sat up on the bed and listened- her brother seemed to have given up on trying to talk to her. But, even that didn’t make her feel any better.
I have to talk to Arion… and apologize. He probably hates me though…. Basil chewed her lip, eyeing her desk.
Well… the human world’s always been good to me. And there’s nothing keeping me here any more. Basil slid open the draw of her desk, inside the drawer lay a packet of human money, a bus pass and a set or forged human ID papers she had bought on the black market from Rocket. She had always dreamed of escaping Solodin and having a pleasant life in the human world. And now was the perfect time to leave- Basil never had the bravery to do it before, but she finally had enough of her controlling brother and Solodin. Quickly, she stuck the papers in her pocket and grabbed a bag from her walk-in closet. After packing a couple outfits, she tucked a few photographs into the bag along with her mp3 player, her twin daggers, and finally her mother’s emerald circlet as well. There wasn’t any room for anything else in the small bag, but Basil felt like this was enough- she didn’t want to take anything else that reminded her of Solodin. She shouldered the bag, almost ready to leave- except… she felt bad for leaving without telling Arion. Basil took out a piece of paper and wrote out a note for him in her loopy handwriting;
Arion, I really am truly sorry about leaving without saying goodbye. I wish I could stay and tell you this in person, but I think it's better if I get out of Solodin for a while. Don't worry about me, I'm going to stay with some friends. I love you Arion, more than I've ever loved anyone in my whole life. No one will ever replace you in my heart. <3 And I am so sorry I hurt you. I understand if you're still angry and I don't blame you for it. Remember, I promised that I'd always forgive you, no matter what darling. I just hope that you can forgive me for what I've done. Love always, Basil M.
P.s Take it easy on Juniper <3 He and Celeste are adorable together and they honestly love each other
Basil signed the note in her favorite purple ink, then slid it into a lavender colored envelope and attached it to a stack of Knife Party Cds. " I'm sorry Arion... you deserve better than just a note.... but it's the best I can do for now." Holding the stack of cds and the note, Basil opened up her window and started to climb out down the vine covered trellis outside her window- just like she did nearly every night. Effortlessly, she hopped down and began to run as fast as she could towards the training hall, keeping to the back alleyways and shadows to avoid being spotted. Basil knew that Arion would most likely go to the training hall Monday for practice and he could easily find it there.
Juniper
Juniper had been sleeping peacefully, his fingers gently intertwined with Celeste's as they slept. A small smile played on his lips as if he were dreaming about something really pleasant. Exhausted, the young Howler barely stirred as Arion picked up Celeste. His breathing was calm and easy as he slept.
After just a bit, Juniper's eyes fluttered open groggily as he looked over to where Cleste had been sleeping. "Bunny?" He muttered sleepily. Realizing she wasn't there, he sat up and looked around in a panic, " Celeste?" Glancing over at Kyran, he looked a bit relieved.
Maybe she's just in the bathroom or the doctors are giving her a check up or something. Kyran will know. But, then he noticed the nurses tears. Fear gripped painfully at his heart, " Kyran, where is she? Is Celeste okay? Did she relapse?" He asked worriedly, gripping the bed sheets tightly, " Please tell me she's okay".