👑CHAPTER TWELVE👑
•Wanted•

Rochester, New York

8:00 p.m.

-Saturday; night-

-Jack-

As I flee the scene of my flame-filled home, I find myself looking over my shoulder every few seconds, hoping--praying that the disaster would just disappear. But the sound of sirens bouncing from ear to ear, bullets flying from the guns of crooked cops, and the sight of passing firetrucks keep forcing me to believe this is reality rather than a sick nightmare.

I look down at the locket wrapped tightly around my hand as it sits on the steering wheel. "If you ever find yourself in a sticky situation, read the words engraved on the back of your locket, they will keep you safe." I remember Simon saying just before I fled the scene.

I flip the locket around, revealing the back-side but found nothing but weird, unreadable words. What--what is this? The longer I stare at it, the more questions I have that remain unanswered. Why are people after me? Who can I trust? What really happened to my parents? Who am I? But now, thanks to this situation, here I am, driving to who-knows-where, with a head full of questions and a mind full of negative thoughts.

Flashes of Simon's final moments rush in and out of my mind, bringing tears to my eyes, the same tears I hoped would heal him as I sat by and watched him bleed out. At that moment, I didn't want to believe, but Simon wasn't going to last much longer. I couldn't do anything but make things worse. I didn't even get to say goodbye. "Damnit!" I repeatedly bang my fist against the top of the dashboard and the force of it opens the Glove Compartment, revealing it's contents. I pull the car over and slowly lean over into the passengers seat.

Within the opening of the compartment, beyond a clutter of paper and a well-conditioned owner's manual, sits a strange-looking, black book with symbols and weird writing, similar to the ones engraved on the back of my locket. Near the bottom edge a sticker sits that reads: "Property of the Daemon Society"; "Do Not Open" sat underneath it. I try opening the book but for some reason I can't, like all the pages were glued shut or something; possibly sealed by magic.

There's got to be a way into this. Who knows what kind of stuff I'll find. Hopefully something that can explain what's going on.

After spending nearly half an hour trying to pry the book open, every attempt was a failure. "Forget it!" I toss the book into the passengers seat and merge with the rest of traffic.

In our final moments together, I saw a side of Simon that stunned me. He risked his life for me. Even with multiple holes in his chest and a puddle of blood underneath him, he saved me. And in those final moments I realized that could actually be the end and there was nothing I could do about it. All I could do was watch and cry and cry, as if my tears could actually heal him. Now, Simon's gone and nothing is going to change that. Nothing will be the same without him. I won't be the same without him.

Time is running out and I'm not sure how I'm going to be once this spell wears off, so I have to end them all before that happens. Every last one of them.

8:35 p.m.

The intense flames of my burning home had shot my temperature through the roof as the heatwave surrounded me, but now the cold breeze is showing no mercy as it sends chills throughout my entire body, slowly turning me into a human popsicle. I continue driving--freezing, until I stumble upon a small clothing store. The sign overhead read: Reggie's Wardrobe. I pull into the parking lot and turn the key backwards. I step out of the car and walk inside. A bell "dings" as I pull open the door and an employee yells aloud, "Welcome to Reggie's Wardrobe: The Ideal Wardrobe."

I ignore him--head down, as I head over to a group of circular racks, spotting myself in a full-body mirror. My clothes covered in residue, a combination of garbage and smoke fills my nose as I sniff myself. Disgusting. 

On the other side of the store, next to a rack of designer shirts, I see a girl with short, black hair walking around; shopping. Her beauty instantly catching my eye, drawing me in, like a moth to a flame. Even with the effects of this spell, part of me wants to approach her and the other half just wants to hide and observe from a distance, like a young schoolboy admiring his crush. I sneak off to the counter, hoping she didn't see me. I give the clothes to the cashier and he starts to ring up the items.

"Rough night?" He says, with his eyes planted on my dirty clothes.

"You have no idea."

As he's finishing up, the TV mounted on the wall is blasting the local news station.

"At around 7:55 p.m. the police and local fire department were notified of a disturbance in the neighborhood, and shortly after a house was set on fire and nearly burned to the ground. Although witnesses say the fire came out of nowhere, many are already speculating that the fire was caused by the wanted murderer known as Grim. No one has heard from the owners but--wait, hold on..."

"Grim strikes again. Sick bastard," Reggie says.

The camera man points the camera towards the commotion and I spot two paramedics rolling out a body on a gurney.

I'm so sorry, Simon. I'll make them pay., every last one of them. "Can you turn that off...please?"

"Sure thing. I was getting tired of listening to it anyways." He grabs the remote and turns off the TV. He looks back at me with focused eyes.

"Have I seen you before? You look really familiar."

Quickly reaching out towards the counter, I grab the "I heart NY" hat and put it on, pulling the front down to cover my face. "Um, I don't think so. I'm new to the area."

"Are you sure?"

"Can you just tell me my total, I got places to be."

"OK," he says, noticing my attitude. "Your total is: $32.28."

I reach into my pocket and come to a complete stop.I look at him with a quick glance and then back towards the ground.

"Cash or card?" He asks.

"Give me a minute..." I continue digging--searching each of my pockets touching nothing but air and lent that filled the space. At this moment, all I'm doing is delaying the situation. Losing a loved one, being hunted, and nearly dying all in one day has distracted me so much that I forgot I don't even carry a wallet; never seemed important considering I never leave the house. Now I'm alone, broke, and there's not much of a house left to call home.

In an instant, money, covered by a tan hand landed on the counter. "Hey, I told you to wait for me. What's the rush?"

I check out who it is and nearly have a panic attack. Standing in front of me with a stack of clothes was the black-haired girl I spotted earlier. A sudden smile grows on her face as we make eye contact.

"You know this guy?" Reggie asks her.

"I hope so, he is my boyfriend after all."

B-boyfriend?! I just stand here, confused, going along with everything she says. "Y-Yeah..."

She places her clothes on the counter and she grabs my hand. Her sleeve suddenly falls, revealing a rose tattoo. That tattoo...I've seen it before. Memories of the masquerade suddenly came flooding back into my mind. What was her name, what was her name? It suddenly clicks. Lisa Pendragon, but this girl looks nothing like her.

I lower my voice, making sure the employee doesn't hear me. "Thank you, but why are you doing this?" I ask her.

She pulls me in and hugs me, her arms tightly wrapped around me. I juggle my hands around, not sure if I should hug her back or not. She comes in closer, so close that I can feel her breath on my neck, and she whispers, "I know who you are...Jack William."

Without a second thought I push her off of me and back away. "Who are you and how do you know my name?"

"I know everything about you, Jack. I'm aware of your illness, your parents; everything. We need to talk, right now. We're both running on borrowed time."

"I don't know you."

She sighs. "I forgot you haven't seen me in this body before."

"This body? What are you talking about?"

She rubs her finger across her tattoo and her body suddenly starts "glitching", each feature slowly changing: her hair turns from black to brown, her height shortens, and her facial features change, until her appearance is completely altered.

Shape-shifting magic... just like that woman from before. "You're working with that murderer, Lilith, aren't you? You killed Simon..."

"Jack..."

"Answer me!"

"Look, us meeting at the masquerade wasn't an accident. I was ordered to find you and bring you back with me, alive, but plans changed."

"Answer the question: Simon's death, did you have anything to do with it?"

She stands there in front of me, facing my direction but hardly looking directly at me. She nods her head and looks back at me with an upsetting expression on her face.

"That's all I needed to know." I throw my hand behind my back and swiftly pull out Simon's magical gun.

"Jack, no!"

I hold the gun tightly to reduce the power of the kickback then pull the trigger. A powerful gust of wind shoots out of the barrel with incredible speed heading towards Lisa. Reggie quickly reaches for the store phone.

"Put it down, unless you want to get involved," Lisa says to Reggie. He hangs up the phone and ducks behind the counter.

"Jack, put the gun down. I didn't come here to fight you."

"Then what are you here for?"

"I know you have a lot of questions, and I'm going to try and answer them to the best of my ability. It's time you knew the truth."

"Jack, I knew your parents. They wouldn't want you do this."

"What do you know about my parents? Do you know how they died?"

"What were you told?" She asks.

"They were killed in a car accident."

She shakes her head. "I'm sorry, but that's a lie and it wasn't an accident."

"Simon lied? Why would he --"

"To hide what really happened."

None of this makes sense. She's lying. She has to be. She's working with them, why is she helping me?  "Who did it. Was it them."

"They were involved, yes." 

"Even more of a reason for me to kill them all."

"Please, just put the gun down and we can talk about this."

"That's not going to happen." I shot a barrage of bullets at her, trigger-happy. Lisa runs away, dodging each blast that flies her way.

"If you won't listen to me, then I'll beat you until you do!" The rose on her hand began to glow, the light almost blinding, and then she yells, "Da mihi virtutem! - Give me your power." I was stunned as a dagger materializes out of thin air and into her hands. "re vera falsum."

"No more talking..." I ready another shot.

"As you wish... Celeritas! - Speed."

Before I can even squeeze the trigger, she vanishes. Her presence masked; she remains quiet. The only thing I can hear is my unsteady breathing and Reggie crying behind the counter. I keep an eye out, focusing on any movement, every sound. I slowly walk to the exit. I can't see her, but her magic, I can feel it in the air. Circling around the room; around me. Her power suddenly feels more intense and then I feel a fist smashing into my face. It happens again, back to back until I can't take anymore. Without a care, I pull the trigger and shoot dangerous gusts of wind throughout the store, destroying everything in sight.

"Enough!"

I feel Lisa's presence behind me and before I can turn around she steals the gun from my hands, aims it me, and then pulls the trigger. The sharp wind rips my clothes as it hits me in my chest and sends me flying backwards into a wall.

Too weak to stand, Lisa takes advantage of the situation. Before I can get back to my feet, I see Lisa standing over me with her dagger to my neck, nearly scratching the surface.

"Just do it!" I yell.

"If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead. Now, get up."

She holds out her and I grab it. She helps me up and I look around the store, observing all the damage I had caused. "Sorry, Reggie."

"Don't worry, nothing that you see right now is real."

"What?"

"You'll see." She covers my face with her hand and pushes my head back. I fall backwards, tripping over something. When I hit the ground everything goes black.

"Are you back yet?"

I open my eyes and everything is back to the way it once was. The store isn't as damaged and Lisa is standing where she was before, her arms crossed, and her dagger on her hip.

"What happened? What did you do to me?"

"You were in an illusion-- a false reality. I needed to get your attention without hurting you physically."

I check my clothes and there's no sign of me being touched. "So none of that happened?"

"No, none it, it was a fake reality. Now, can you put the gun away? It's really unnecessary."

I do as she says and put the gun back into my pants. "You had the chance to catch me--kill me, why didn't you? Why are you helping me?"

"Because we need each other. The world isn't the same anymore--happy endings no longer exist. The magic ban has done nothing but create more chaos--pain and suffering, and I want to fix it. Someone has to."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Don't you see, we're the cause of all of this, we're a part of it." She stops talking and steps closer to me. "I was there that day. I was there the day of prom--the day that changed everything. It was a massacre."

"What do you mean a massacre?"

"People died that night, Jack. Tell me, do you get weird dreams, recurring everyday like they're playing on a loop?"

How did she-- "Yeah. Almost every night. I thought it was just a dream."

"Far from it. It's reality forcing it's way back into your life."

"So, alongside this illness I have amnesia, too? Great, just great."

She shakes her head. "It's not amnesia." She reaches behind her and digs into her back pocket and pulls out a clear tube, encasing a blue liquid."

"What's that?"

"This is you--your memories to be exact. The one's taken from you. Drink this and you'll get them all back."

"How am I supposed to trust you?"

"Because I could have easily killed you or captured you just now. Like I said earlier, If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead. I'm here to help."

"Yeah, whatever, just give me the -- " I try reaching for the tube and she pulls it away from me.

"Look, I know you're eager to know the truth--about your past, your parents, you, but just remember they were taken for a reason, and reminiscing on reality can be just as painful as living a fake life."

Her words frighten me to the point to where I ask myself, Do I even want it now, is it worth the pain? She holds out her hand, the tube resting in her palm. My hands shaking as I slowly reach out and grab it.

"If you let the painful memories get the best of you, it will makes things worse. Do not let it take control."

Lisa suddenly looks down at her sleeve. I spot a pulsing, multi-color light shining against her shirts thin fabric.

"I have to go." She rushes towards the counter, grabs the clothes, throws mine to me, and then heads towards the exit. She turns back at me with a concerned look on her face. I'll find you when I'm done. Remember what I said, I can't do this without you."

I quickly change my clothes and then hop into the car. Not sure where to go next, I see a sign a little ways down the road that reads: Trinity Cemetery. It's been a while since my last visit, but I think it's time to go back. I start the car and head down the road for a bit until I reach the cemetery gates. I drive inside and park the car.

I step back into the cold and walk through the graveyard, observing all the crosses and angels, until I stumble upon a familiar spot--two familiar graves side by side:

Eugene "Baby" Vasquez
6/19/78 - 1/2/02
"Everybody's Everything"

Jermaine Vasquez
9/20/96 - 4/25/17

between them, covered in fresh flowers, sat my mother, Lily William.

"H-Hi, Mom." Tears hitting my face before I can even say anything. "Simon's gone, he should be on his way to you and dad right now. He took care of me like he promised he would. He risked his life for me. I treated him like dirt today and how does he react, he saves my life. I'm such an ass."

I wipe my face with my sleeve and try to calm myself down.

"I thought you should know I'm going after the people who did this to you, Dad, and Simon. I know you'd probably object but it's just something I have to do. You guys didn't deserve this." I reach into my pocket and take out the clear tube Lisa gave me. "One drink and I'll have everything that was taken from me."

I remove it's lid and take a deep breath. You got this, Jack. One drink... I tilt the tube in my mouth and I can feel the liquid splashing in. At first I feel nothing, but then my tongue begins to tingle and my entire body begins to feel week. My chest suddenly feels like its on fire and my eyesight starts to fail. The pain brings me to my knees and I fall to the dirt.

As the burning sensation sets in, In the distance, I hear someone approaching--screaming. I turn my head to the sound and the closer they get, the easier it is to make out what they're saying.

"Jack! Jack, what's wrong. Please, you have to get up." They scream, as they tug at my shirt.

My vision is too blurry to make out their face and I can't see or do anything. Their voice fades as my eyes shut and everything goes black.

As the darkness fades, I find myself standing in front of a full-body mirror. I'm dressed in a tuxedo with a corsage in one hand and my black journal in the other. I look around the well-lit room and everything in sight looks familiar; posters of All Time Low and anime sat on the walls. I can't help but feel I've been here before. Nearby a voice suddenly speaks out.

"Are you almost ready, Jack?"

I feel a sudden chill run down my spine. That voice...I know that voice. I haven't heard it in so long. It can't be... I hear footsteps approaching, pounding against the hard-wood floor; the person's presence growing with each step. The corsage bounces around in its case as my hands shake uncontrollably. I don't dare turn around. The footsteps suddenly cease. And for a moment not a word is spoken. As I open my eyes and slowly raise my gaze, catching a glance of the person behind me, my heart nearly drops to the floor. Looking at the person in the mirror was like looking at a ghost.

"Mom...?"

👑

This chapter is over 3000 words
0.0
Simon started the trend of longer chapters and now it's stuck this way lol.

Sorry for the late upload, but at least it was still on the scheduled day (for the first time ever probably XD)

Give me a little bit and I'll have Scene 1 of The Unlikely Text uploaded, too. It's been a very exhausting day and I am starving.

Side note:
If you found any mistakes or weird looking notes in the chapter please tell me. I tried going back to see if I left any but I didn't find anything, so just let me know if you find something.