The next part of Soul and Scott's adventures!
I am still editorless so there will still be mistakes, but I am working on it :) I hope you enjoy!
Charcoal pt. 12:
Soul looked around the dining room with new eyes. It was truly beautiful. He leaned into Sylvia and laughed
lightly. How could he have ever
disliked her? She was so
nice. Sylvia pulled a chair next
to her own at the head of the table and pushed Soul gently into it, and sat in
her own.
She spoke as she piled food onto Soul’s plate.
“I know you are upset at my son. And you should be.
But I would ask that you do work with him today. It is very important that we figure out
what is happening.” Soul
nodded. Here away from Scott and
in Sylvia’s soothing presence he could imagine working with Scott and the
thought wasn’t too bad.
“Okay.” He
smiled at her again and began picking through the fruit on his plate.
After lunch was finished Soul was lead to a library and
settled in a chair to wait for Scott.
He hummed as he waited.
Struck by the room’s beauty.
He ached to get his hands on some of the books, but Sylvia had told him
to sit, so that was what he was going to do.
Scott entered after indeterminable amount of time. He looked properly contrite. Soul considered being angry, but
figured it wasn’t worth the energy.
After all it wasn’t all Scott’s fault.
“Hello.” Soul
said pleasantly.
“I am so, so sorry.”
Scott said, refusing to meet Soul’s eyes.
“Don’t be.”
Soul smiled at him. “We
have work to do. I know that I
have to trust you. So I choose to
forget this morning.” Scott looked
stricken.
“Forget it? You
would do that?” Scott sounded
incredulous, and not as happy as Soul would have imagined him to.
“You hurt me, and I am forgetting. Why are you not happy?” Soul didn’t quite feel himself, but he didn’t think Scott
was acting rationally either.
“What did she do to you?” Scott asked.
Soul frowned.
“Who did what?”
Scott shook his head and walked closer.
“We should begin.
She will be coming to check soon enough.” Soul didn’t know why Scott would say such a thing in such a
way. Why would he be so worried about
someone checking in? They were
only doing what they were supposed to be doing. But he ignored the thought.
“Okay.” He said
and they began.
**
Soul sat at a table in the library. There was a piece of paper in front of
him and a pencil in his hand, he couldn’t draw a thing. As the day had gone on Soul had begun
to feel more himself, and his anger and hurt toward Scott were growing.
“Just draw something!”
Said Scott, his hands tightening in Soul’s hair where they had rested
for the past hours.
“I can’t just draw something! And you have no right to demand anything from me!” Soul’s restraint crumpled. He pushed his chair back and whirled to
face Scott. He could feel the
color rising in his cheeks. He was
humiliated, frustrated, and hurt.
It was not a good combination.
“You said you had forgotten.” Scott said, backing up slowly, his hands held awkwardly away
from him, as if he didn’t know what to do with them.
“How could I forget such a thing? Such a violation.
I said no. Clearly and
several times. I can’t just forget
that. Now you keep telling me to
do things and demanding my trust.
What have you done to deserve it?”
Soul had to keep talking, talking or crying seemed to be his only
options at the moment.
“You didn’t feel that way earlier.” Scott let his hands drop. One of his eyebrows rose and Soul was reminded
of the expression Scott had worn when he first met him all those months
ago. The loathing that he had
experienced then returned.
“I want myself then.
Your bitch mother did something when I was in shock. In shock that my supposed beloved
assaulted me.”
“I asked you, and you said you had forgotten. Things might have been different if you
hadn’t assured me-“
“I hate you.”
Soul felt calmer now. His
anger and desperation had faded.
“I hate you and I hate this house.
I hate that you turned art into something that it isn’t. That you manipulated my feelings. That you are too stupid to realize that
you will never hold me and know that I am yours. I wont do this for you. I wont stay in this house and pretend that I don’t realize
that there are things no one will tell me.” Soul finished his speech with a sigh. All this time he had been used. Well that time was over. He walked from the library leaving a
stunned Scott behind him. He
trailed one hand down the wall as he walked down the hall. He hoped he could find his way out.
“Hello”
“We missed you.”
Soul froze. He
looked up slowly at the familiar voices.
Michelle and David smiled at him.
“Hi.” He said
softly. He should have known that
they were somehow involved. With
all this mess he would have been surprised if they hadn’t been.
“We came because we knew you were feeling a bit torn. We want to tell you walking away is a
very good idea.”
“Because then we get to convince you to stay.” David and Michelle had never been this-
unified when Soul had known them.
“What if I decide to stay on my own?” Soul didn’t think he would like the
twins’ persuasion.
“Then we won’t bother you.”
Soul turned slowly and went back the way he came. Maybe there was another way out of the
house. Maybe there was someone
else that would help him. He
thought of the different people in the house. There was Josie; she had said that the others were on his
side, if his side was the same as theirs.
Soul still didn’t know how many sides there were. But even if she was, she was in no
condition to help.
Soul tiptoed past the library, and found himself without any
idea of where to go next. Past the
library there was a perpendicular hallway, closed doors lined both sides. Soul frowned and went right. Each of the doors were locked. He continued, and at the very end he
found that the hall curved to the right.
He followed it again, only to find the twins.
“Where are you going?”
“Do you need help finding something?”
Soul shook his head and turned again, he walked slowly. Something gave him the impression
sudden movements would invite pouncing.
Feeling he had no choice Soul made his way back to the library. He found Scott where he left him, only
now there were tears tracing down his cheeks.
“Tell me who in this house doesn’t want to destroy my
life.” Soul spoke quietly and
deliberately. Scott didn’t move.
“I don’t think anyone wants to destroy your life.” Scott spoke almost too softly to hear.
“Well tell me then, who wants to help me?” At this Scott slowly raised his head.
“I want to help you.
I just need one more chance.
One more chance and I’ll help you.” There was so much hope in Scott’s voice Soul couldn’t help
but believe him.
“I don’t want to give you any more chances. I have nothing to tell me that you have
tried with any of the others. I
know nothing of your motives-“
“That is a lie!”
Scott interjected. “You do
know what I want. I want to be
with you. I want to love you, I
want you to love me.” Scott began
walking toward Soul as he spoke.
Soul flinched but didn’t back away.
“That’s not enough.”
Soul whispered. Scott
ignored Soul’s body language and cupped his face in his hands.
“Look at me, really look, and tell me that I don’t want what
is best for you.” Soul
looked. He really looked, and
hoped that the talent his mother had seen in him wasn’t wrong. Soul looked deep into Scott’s blue eyes
and thought. Did he believe him? Did he have any choice not to?
“One more chance.”
Soul whispered. Scott’s
face lit up.
“You wont regret it!”
Scott ran his fingers the rest of the way through Soul’s hair and took
his hand.
“We do need to get out of here though. Mom will know her mojo didn’t quite
work, and if the twins are here that means that the others are coming too…”
Just then the door to the library opened. Sylvia was in front of the crowd, and
with here were the twins and several others Soul had never seen.
“What is going on in here? This doesn’t look like progress.” Sylvia had dropped her overly kind demeanor and looked every
bit the evil villainess. Soul
couldn’t stifle a nervous giggle.
Sylvia glared and it was obvious she wanted an answer.
“I umm, umm.”
Soul took advantage of the blush that he could feel building. “I felt restless. I cant think with Scott so near, I umm
just-“
“Wanted a quickie.”
Finished Scott. Soul’s face
flamed.
“Why don’t I believe you?” Sylvia eyes were like daggers. Soul imagined them cutting into their excuse.
“I’m sorry mother.”
Scott spoke in a defeated tone.
Soul shot him a look. It
seemed the last chance would be short lived. “I couldn’t bear my guilt. I have to make it up to Soul. I’m sure you can understand.”
Soul didn’t think that Sylvia would, or could understand a
thing like guilt but she did soften slightly.
“You may have today.
Tomorrow I expect results.”
And with that Sylvia and her posse departed.
“Tomorrow isn’t going to be any better.” Soul began as the door closed behind
the pack.
“I know. But we
wont be here.” Scott’s face lit up
once more. “We must talk to my
siblings.
**
Soul held his duffel bag handles loosely.
“Scott, there is no way this is going to work.” Soul said. Josie was too weak; Nova was too concerned about Josie. Soul had no idea where they were and
didn’t have any experience on his own. Melissa was okay, and Thomas seemed okay if a bit demanding,
but the others hadn’t wanted to come, or hadn’t been around. Soul was concerned that a group of six
being too conspicuous.
“Soul, we have been waiting to do this for ages.” Said Melissa. “You have just given us an excuse.”
“Is the plan to just leave? Or do we have some kind of distraction?” The group was silent in response
to Josie’s question.
“Well,” Melissa began after a long pause. “When we first planned this we had
planned for Scott and Soul to finish the bond, the backlash of power would have
put Sylvia out of commission and would have made her think everything was going
with her plan.” Scott looked
stunned, and more than a little guilty.
“Is that still the plan?” Soul asked quietly.
It was a good plan, but one he wasn’t really fond of.
“We couldn’t ask that of you, of course not!” Josie answered at once. The others remained silent. “Really? You would ask that?
I cannot believe such a thing would even be suggested-” Josie would have
gone on if her husband hadn’t brushed a hand over her lips.
“We hadn’t thought of an alternative.” Nova spoke quietly, almost
apologetically. Soul stood
silently. He couldn’t think. Just when he thought things were
getting better.
“There is a way to fake it, it would wear off quickly and
most likely have other side effects, but I read about it earlier. If Soul and Scott were to exchange
blood it would cause a similar rush of power, but leave the bond
unfinished. If we were to act
quickly enough-” Melissa trailed off slowly
“That is rather dangerous isn’t it, especially because- well
the trust isn’t quite there yet, and neither have done something so powerful.” Nova also spoke quietly. The mood in the room was decidedly low.
“Can we try it?”
Soul broke the silence. “What
does it entail?”
