Chapter 32 #2
“Yes!” I whispered excitedly when I found it. I removed the manuscript from the shelf and started flipping through the pages, not lifting my eyes as I moved to sit at one of the desks.
Sawyer mirrored my movements, taking a seat next to me. “Willawood, what are we doing—”
I shushed him again, and this time, he listened.
I found the page Stoll had shown me, with the image of Blythe and the constellations. I read it over a few times, not finding anything beneficial. I flipped through the next few pages, still not finding anything.
I huffed a breath, reconsidering that maybe my dream was really just a dream, but I flipped a few more pages, and my eyes widened as I read.
Although there is no written proof, word of mouth has told a fable of Blythe, passed down through centuries of storytelling.
Centuries ago, as the creation of the world became more meticulous, the brothers and sisters of the goddess believed her to be too powerful.
She could erase their doings with the use of her mind and she would often do so if the balance of nature and humanity was being threatened by her siblings.
The seven of them before long, had enough. They could not see the bigger picture of what their sister was doing for the world, and took action to stop her. Blythe predicted her fate and set a prophecy in place to ensure the use of her magic was never truly lost when her soul was hidden.
Of course, this is just a fable, but one may consider the possibility that all stories start from some truth.
Unbelievable.
I leaned back in my chair, absolutely dumbfounded.
How had I been in the same room as this information for months, but never discovered it?
This proved that my dreams weren't really dreams at all. They were visions. A gift from Blythe to prepare me for what was to come. She had mentioned that the prophecy would be fulfilled soon. The visions may have been her twisted attempt at preparing me to meet my demise. If that were the case, I’d haunt the shit out of her when I was gone.
Sebastian would scold me if he were here, but I ripped the page from the book anyway. I'd add it to the collection of notes and various manuscript pages that I’d seemingly created.
I skimmed the pages to see if there was anything else useful. When I determined there was not, I tucked the book safely back into the shelf, just one page shorter.
“I'm done,” I stated, turning my back to Sawyer and exiting the classroom.
He followed after me. “Woah, woah, woah. Stop.”
I kept moving.
“What the hell was that about?” he called after me.
“Don’t worry about it.” I left the academy, stepping onto the grass outside.
“I am absolutely going to worry about it!”
“Trust me, you'd rather not know,” I said to Sawyer, then muttered to myself, “I sure wish I didn't.”
Sawyer caught up to me and grabbed my arm, stopping me in my tracks, pulling my attention towards him. “I'm all for a bit of sneaking around, breaking and entering, you know—all kinds of illicit activities. However, I do like to know why I'm doing them.”
“Any chance you’ll let this go?”
“Fuck no.”
“Fine,” I growled. “But are you actually capable of keeping a secret?” I recalled when he let it slip that Sebastian had feelings for me.
Sawyer hesitated, and that was a good enough answer for me.
“Yeah, that's what I thought.” I pulled my arm from his grip and resumed walking.
“No wait.” He stopped me again. “I can.”
I glared at him in suspicion.
“I promise.”
“Fine. But if you tell even your imaginary friend, then I will compel you to cut your own tongue out,” I cautioned him, not entirely serious but not fully joking, either.
Sawyer grimaced. “Point taken, you psycho.”
I breathed out deeply, praying to the gods that he didn't make me regret telling him this. “I found a prophecy a while back in a book in the archives. It describes me perfectly and is claimed to be the word of Blythe.”
Sawyer stared at me, letting me continue.
“It says that there will be a sacrifice, but I haven't been able to figure out what or why. Then I remembered this book that Stoll had shown me at the start of the year, and I figured there might be something useful in it.” I shrugged.
“Turns out there was.” It wasn't the entire truth, but I was not going to tell him about my visions—I hadn't even told Sebastian about those yet.
I passed him the page from Stoll’s book, then gave him a moment. Sawyer looked flustered as he read, his forehead furrowing and rising repeatedly. He handed the parchment back to me, shaking his head in confusion. “I feel like you're leaving a lot out,” he said.
I stuffed the paper back into my pocket. “Basically I'm just trying to figure out if I should be arranging my own funeral.”
Sawyer gawked at me. “How are you so casual about this?”
“I've had a while to process it, and worrying about the situation won't change anything.” As the words escaped me, I realized how much I'd changed since the summer. All the shit situations I'd been put in since I got my jewels must have desensitized me.
Fear coated Sawyer’s expression as we continued walking. “You're right. I would rather not know.”