Happily never after [zaney]

[Deleted]

These past few weeks had been a rollercoaster of emotions for Braelynn. On one had they'd been the most amazing in her life. She spent all of her free time with Zander. He had this way of making her forget everything else. As if they were the only two that existed. On the other hand, there was that growing fear. Desirae knew about him, and was using that knowledge to force her cooperation with the Purifiers. The guilt and dread was constantly on her mind, eating away at her. And then, there was Ethan. He'd disappeared, and there were rumored he'd gone to Professor Longbottom. He'd told him. He'd done what she couldn't. His death was on her, and it made her sick to her stomach...

Today she and Zander were in there usual spot. He was sitting on a desk, strumming away on his beloved guitar as she sat in a chair next to the desk, her shoulder pressed against his leg, listening. His playing was soothing and helped distract her from the knot in her stomach. For some reason though, she'd felt on edge all day, like... Like something bad was going to happen. She'd brushed it off as simply due to what day it was, but it felt like so much more...


@zander

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"Hey. You've been quiet today," he stopped playing in order to take his hand and brush his fingers through her hair. She let his finger slide under her chin, turning her face up toward him as he bent down to kiss her. Before his lips touched hers, however, a loud sound erupted just outside the door. He jerked back, turning his head in the direction of the sound. He slowly moved to stand, lifting his guitar off his shoulders in order to place it on the desk. He reached a hand into his pocket, pulling his wand out slowly. The loud sound happened again, something large was breaking.

"Braelynn..." he muttered, reaching his hand back as an offer for her to take it. "We need to get out of here..."

@braelynn

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Zander speaking surprised her, breaking Braelynn from her darker train of thought. "Oh. Sorry, just been distracted..." How she wished she could tell him everything.... How would he react though? What would he think? She couldn't dwell on that though, the touch of his fingers under her chin like electricity, and she instinctively turned to gaze up at him. She leaned toward him, to kiss him back but before their lips touched he jerked away. A sound echoed through the room, loud, and obviously not natural. What was that? Another April fools day prank? She followed his example, rising to her feet as the sound died. "Maybe it's just another prank-" she started, but stopped as it happened again.

It was louder, closer... Her gut told her it was right outside the closed door. And whatever it was... It wanted in. Taking Zander's hand, she took several steps back, pulling him back with her. "How?" she responded as she tried to think. There wasn't another door to this room.... Finally an idea come to her. "We need to get in the corner, out of sight." she was whispering as she pulled out her own wand. She moved faster, pulling Zander along into the corner. The first wave of her wand locked and reinforced the large doors. The second extinguished all the lights in the room. And the next filled the room in a thick darkness to hide them from sight. There wasn't enough time to cast an effective protective charm.

Hopefully this would work...

@zander

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Zander followed Bays lead, letting her take them to the corner. As the thick darkness started to gather around them Zander pulled Braeylnn closer to him, wrapping his arms around her. "Okay..." he muttered, praying that this was going to work.

Suddenly they could hear voices, and the door burst down. Several figures stood in the doorway, holding their wands, "Lumos," they said. The light coming out of the wands did nothing to penetrate the darkness. Zander tightened his grip on Bay, silently smiling. She really was a talented witch, something about her that Zander had always admired.

"She's up here, somewhere. Desirae said this was the room. Come on," one of them said, and three people stepping into the room, clearly running into desks as they tried to find them...

@braelynn

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Normally, Braelynn would love having Zander's arms wrapped tightly and protectively around her. She'd lean into him, holding herself close to him. It was different right now. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. She didn't feel that usual safety. Instead, she was afraid. Of what was at the door, of what was about to happen whether they liked it or not. As they stood there, his arms wrapped around and Bay holding tightly to her wand, her dark eyes never looking away from the door.

Dead silence followed, as if like a void. The seconds were agonizing, ticking by...

The doors weren't just blown open by a blasting spell. No they were ripped off the hinges, hitting the ground with thunderous thuds. Dark cloaks, masks. She knew, with out a shadow of a doubt what was going on now. This wasn't a prank. The school was under attack. Braelynn pulled herself tighter against Zander, holding her breath as they tried to dispell her darkness. Their attempt didn't work, and she had to admit it was a rather pathetic attempt... But that didn't matter! Who were they? Why.... were.... they....

All train of thought died as one of the masked men spoke to the others. Braelynn stiffened, and sucked in a sharp breath, the horror evident in her voice. They were looking for her. That wasn't the worse part though. Desirae had sent them. She knew who these masked people had to be now. She felt her heart sinking with each second that passed, all the color having already drained from her face.

They were getting closer, running into desks and chairs as they delved deeper and deeper into the room. Slowly, painfully, Braelynn to tore herself out of Zander's arms. She raised her wand again. "Serpensortia." Several snakes shot out of the end of her wand. They scattered through the room quickly. When they were 'in position', another softly muttered spell, and the snakes shot out, striking the man closest to them. He didn't see it coming, the blindside taking him down instantly. Sadly, it wasn't fast enough to stop his alerted cry.

They'd made one crucial mistake when they entered the darkness. And that was thinking Braelynn would come quietly.

@zander

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The horror struck even harder when he heard the name of Braelynns sister, and the claim that this was the correct room. It was obvious, they were here for Braelynn. As she let out the snakes Zander tightened his grip on her, fearful that it wasn't going to work. The snake seemed to have succeeded, but the man gave a shout as well. Zander knew that sitting still wasn't an option anymore.

"FLIPENDO" he shouted, aiming his wand toward the sounds of shuffling footsteps. He hit a desk that seemed to knock into his target, slowing the villain down. "Come on!" he said, releasing Braelynn in order to roll to the side, ducking anything that was going to be heading their way. The question was, how was Zander going to get them out of this? Bay was a much better fighter than he, in reality, he should be the one taking orders from her...

@braelynn

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While both her own, and Zander's spells were admirable attempts, they did not stop the other men in the masks. Braelynn did smile a little as she heard the desk smack into a body though, but that smile vanished as a stunning spell was sent their way, the red sparks showering the spot the pair had been in only moments before. She reached out with out thinking, taking Zander's hand once again and pulling him a few feet away, in case any other spells came there way.

Think, Braelynn, think! You were a Ravenclaw! Smart, clever! There had to be something! Holding her wand out, she dared not firing another spell though, so as not to give away their new location. "What can we....." Finally, inspiration struck midsentence. The idea was crazy, but it just might work. She turned back to Zander, tightening her grip on his hand as she drew close once again. "I have an idea. Just.... stay quiet, okay?" She whispered, trying to sound as reassuring as possible. "And don't freak out..." She added before taking a step back and raising her wand again.

Not into the darkness though. At Zander.

A quick swish of her wand, and a quietly muttered incantation followed. Bones shrunk, skin turned to dark fur, and soon Zander was nothing more then a petite mouse on the floor, and probably confused as heck. One benefit to his new form would be his impeccable night vision, so the darkness would be far less crippling. But it also meant he was more then capable of seeing Braelynn own transformation. One that required no incantation or wand waving. A Fennec fox stood in her place, with her same brown eyes. It was obvious that she kept many secrets from Zander, but being an animagus? Well, that might be a tough one to swallow. But hey, he was a mouse, wasn't to much he could do about it right now! With out hesitating, she delicately picked him up (with her teeth, no hands, remember?) by the tuff of fur on he back of his neck, much like most animals when carrying their young.

The men were getting closer, and they were getting angry, more stunning spells being cast into the darkness at random, but all soared clear over their heads as Braelynn scurried across the room, literally carrying Zander. Unnoticed she sprinted out of the room and into the well lit hall outside. Thankfully no one saw the strange scene of a fox carrying a mouse. Bay didn't set him down immediately, instead running as fast as her little legs could carry her, trying to find a new, safe place to transfigure back while ignoring the echoing screams and spell fire.

Finally she came to a stop, and gently set him down. A quick survey to make sure this passage was still clear, and she transfigured back, drawing her wand quickly and returning the Hufflepuff boy to his normal form. The girl didn't say anything, instead retreating back a few steps. Partially to let him recover from the effects of the spell, but also worried just how he was going to react...

Braelynn could feel something breaking, cracking, deep inside. She knew what it meant. This carefully spun web of lies, of secrets and withheld information.... Everything was starting to crumble...

@zander

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Of course Zander was going to freak out when she told him not to freak out. And then... he really did start freaking out. He wasn't human and neither was she and he was panicking like crazy as she carried him out of the room. He didn't make a sound though, because he was more scared of being found out. When they were back in the light he looked up at her little fox face and he felt a surge of panic go through him again.

Soon he was returned to his natural form and he was sitting on the ground, his hands behind him as he panted heavily while making eye contact with her. "You-you're a fox. You're an animagus!?" he was more shocked than anything, but he felt a surge of strange anger coming from him. He blinked several times, before his breath started to slow down. "Why didn't you tell me?" now it was hurt seeping into his eyes. He had been with her for what... how long now? He had loved her for how long now and he had no idea that she had this big secret? What else was there?

He pushed himself up from the ground, shaking slightly. He kept his eyes on her though, the whole time. "What's going on, Braelynn?"

@braelynn

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Braelynn wrapped her arms tightly around herself in a self hug, having managed retreat one more step back before Zander's senses returned to him and he fixed her with an intense stare. There was a few feet between them, but even from that distance that look rooted her to the ground, her eyes widening just a little as she tightened her grip on her arms. Slowly, painfully, she nodded at his first question. She couldn't deny it, not after he'd seen her in her animal form. She'd known that when she changed, but getting him out of there had been more important then her dignity in that moment. His eyes flashed from anger, to pain. And it made her feel sick to her stomach. As he demanded an explanation, she unintentionally flinched.

"Zander..." She started, her voice cracking a little, which made her stop. She wanted to look away from those eyes that seemed to stare right through her. Those eyes that she loved so much... But eyes that she was causing intense pain to. She couldn't look away though. And she couldn't offer any explanation as to why she'd kept it a secret. Why she'd refused to tell him something so important.

And then finally, the question. The one she'd been most afraid he'd ask. What was going on? She didn't know, not exactly, but she had an idea. She was sure these masked foes were Purifiers. That Elaine and Desirae had done something drastic when Ethan disappeared. And Desirae had sent some of these intruders to fetch her. They were openly declaring war on the school, announcing their presence to the wizarding world. And Zander would know who Braelynn really was....

"I'm sorry, Zander. I'm so.... so sorry..." She finally managed to say, never looking away from that intense gaze he had her fixed with. Her voice quivered, and she finally managed to take another hesitant step back. It wasn't an answer to his question. Instead it was a confession.

@zander

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He was realizing it now, by the look on her face, that she really wasn't at all surprised by this craziness happening around the castle. It was almost as if she expected it, as if she knew this was coming. Then she was saying his name, but stopped. Then she was saying sorry. His eyes widened and he could feel the emotion bubbling up in his throat.

He should have known. He should have guessed by the way she wanted to keep things a secret, the way she tried to push him away, the way her sisters were. But he had given her the benefit of the doubt. Heck, he still was giving her the benefit of the doubt! Right now, he was running through all the different reasons in his head as to why she would be apologizing so heavily for simply not telling him she was an animagus. There was more to it, that was obvious, but she couldn't be a part of all this... could she?

Deep down he knew, though. He knew that she was one of them. He felt like he had always known, in a way. He had respected her for not being like her sisters. He had loved her for being herself. But now, in this strange surreal moment, he didn't even know who she was. A part of him didn't even know who he was. He took one step backward, just as she had been doing. He reached into his pocket, hand shaking as he clasped his fingers around his wand.

His voice was surprisingly steady when he spoke, "why do they want you."

@braelynn

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Braelynn felt her heart... no her soul begin to crack as realizion struck, he expression changing with each emotion he was feeling. He knew... He had to. And he didn't know what to think yet. What to feel about her. The girl whod lied to him...

She'd never intented to hurt him. Or fall in love with him. But she had. Both times. She knew she'd have to betray him in the ned. That when he found out she was involved, he'd hate her. How could she have been so foolish? But... He'd been like a light to her. No matter how dark it'd become, or deep she sunk, he'd always reminded her that there was good in the world. That she could be happy. It'd been a dream though. A foolish, beautiful dream.

She didn't move as he took a step back, his hand moving to where she knew his wand would be. If he pulled it out.. She wouldn't blame him. "Because..." Again she stopped. Speeh wasn't on her side today. Taking a heavy beath though, she finally continued. "Because I'm one of them...." She finally admitted.

And with that statement, that cracking she'd felt turned to shattering. She was one of them.

@zander

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Zander felt a sharp pain shoot through his chest followed by a crushing in his lungs. He caught his breath, but it came out like a sort of strangled sound. He didn't want to cry, not when there were evil people around the corner ready to take them at any second. He shook his head, "I don't understand," he finally muttered, barely even loud enough for her to hear it. He finally let his right hand wrap around his wand and he pulled it out of his pocket. He didn't aim it, though. He knew that she was a much better dueler than him, so he'd rather avoid that at all costs. Plus, she hadn't openly said that she was going to hurt him. They wanted her, after all, not him.

"I don't... I don't want them to hurt you," he managed to say, this time even quieter than the last. He meant every word. No matter who she was, what she was he loved her and he knew that. A horrible painful part of him knew that he would always feel that way, even if she and he were now on apposing sides.

@braelynn

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Braelynn wasnt crying, even though she wanted her. Her whole body trembled though, which only made her tighten her arms around herself. Admitting who, or rather what she was, made her feel like she was drowning. Like it had broken her. And if felt like her heart was about to stop beating at any moment, just from his reaction. Still, she didn't move, even when he brought his wand out. Please, just let him curse her and run. She deserved it, and then he would be free. Hed get away before the men realized what had happened and they caught up. Surely Desirae had told them she was an Animagus, and they'd figure out where the pair had gone... Minutes, if they were lucky. That was all they had.

She didn't respond as he said he didn't understand, her lips pursing together tightly to stop a broken cry from breaking free. No, she had to stay strong. She couldn't break down here.. Not when he was still in danger. All because of her. But then he spoke again, and she cracked. She'd almost missed what he'd said, but as the words sunk in, her body shook in a silent sob, one hand moving to cover to lips to trap any sound from escape, though she couldn't stop the tears. She finally moved, but not towards him, she stumbled back another few steps, shaking her head.

"Theyll hurt you, though." She finally managed to say, her voice shaking from the silent tears and emotion. "If I don't... If I don't do what they want..." Zander was Desirae's bargaining chip. As long as his safety was on the line, she could make Bay do whatever she wanted. Even if it meant hurting Zander like think...

@zander

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He hated seeing her cry, but he held his ground. However, her attempts to hide the sobs only made his own eyes glisten with tears. As she stumbled away from him he wanted to follow her, but he didn't. At her words, his eyes widened for a brief moment. He knew that, a part of him already did, that she was only doing this to protect him. He wanted that to be okay. He wanted that to be enough to forgive but as of right now, it wasn't. He didn't know how deeply involved she was. Had she killed people? Had she helped with all the pain and horror that had happened this year? His mind flashed back to their first kiss-- when she tried to break it off with him and claimed it was for his own good.

He took a deep shaky breath of his own again, "then why don't we get out of here. Why don't we leave here and you don't have to answer to anyone anymore," he knew it was a completely foolish and impossible idea, but the words came out anyway. The words flowed out like a fountain, unstoppable. "Why couldn't we have done that months ago? You should have told me the truth, Lynn. I could have saved you. I would have saved you," he found his voice starting to raise as the tears finally started to fall from his face. He caught his breath again, turning his face away from her.

Just then, two men turned the corner and pointed at the two of them, "Zander Tarin Lloyd. He's one of them, too," the man said.

@zander

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What if she had told him? What if she hadn't been such a coward just admitted everything sooner? How could she though? Braelynn's lip quivered as she thought, or rather dreamed of what it would have been like if she'd done things differently. "I wanted to." She softly muttered, her voice still trembling as tears continued to fall. "Desirae never would have let it happen. She's always watching..." She'd never told anyone about Desirae's ability, but now that she'd started, she couldn't stop. She swallowed, knowing this would get back to her sister even before she spoke. "Spiders. She controls spiders." She didn't look away from him, or try and wipe away the tears as her vision blurred a bit. Moving hurt right now. But everything hurt. Her heart especially.

Zander was crying. Her eyes widened a bit, and she almost moved, to try and stop those tears, but she was still frozen, rooted to the spot. Not only that, why would he want her comfort right now? He was hurt, and angry, and confused. All because of her. "I never wanted to hurt you. I... I was going to tell everyone. Ethan was supposed to turn me in-" She let out a quiet sob right then as the thought of Ethan. Tears fell faster. "I couldn't do it. Not when Desi found out about you. And now... Ethan... It's my fault." She managed to move then, but only to the side, to lean against the wall as her body shook from the silent sobs. "I'm sorry, Zander. It's all my fault..."

Zander Tarin Lloyd. He's one of them, too.

Braelynn's eyes went wide with terror, pure terror as she heard those words. "Zander, run!" She didn't understand. Why him? But she didn't need to understand, in that moment she felt like those few pieces left standing in her life had suddenly been crushed...

@zander