You Really Do Have Beautiful Eyes

"Hey," Albert says, sitting down beside Julian, his tray scraping against the table. "Why'd you skip class?"

"I wasn't feeling well," Julian replies, his voice flat, like it's not his own. There's something strange about him today, something off.

"Are you better now?" Albert asks, his brow furrowing as he studies Julian closely, noticing the faint tremor in his hands.

"Yeah, fresh as a daisy," Julian says, but the words come out strained, the usual playfulness nowhere to be found. His eyes—those familiar, mischievous eyes—are clouded with exhaustion.

"Hey, Sera," Albert turns to me. "How was your class?"

"Good," I reply, my voice a little too bright, but I can feel the lie sticking in my throat. The weight in my chest is unbearable, the kind of pressure that makes everything feel heavy and slow. Nothing feels right, and the effort to pretend is exhausting.

I force a smile. Just get through this. Just keep it together.

"Hey, guys," I greet Sir Alexander, Sir Wilfred, Sir James, and Sir Christopher as they approach. Anything to distract myself from the tightening in my chest.

"Hello, Lady Seraphina," Sir Wilfred nods politely.

"Wow, I can't believe you're eating that whole slice of chocolate cake!" Sir Christopher exclaims, his voice carrying a note of playful disbelief. He looks at me like I'm some kind of spectacle, which only makes me want to curl up and disappear.

"That's my sister for you," Albert says with a laugh, leaning back in his chair, his tone mocking but affectionate. I slice off a piece of cake, waving it in front of them to lighten the mood, but it feels like the air around me is closing in, thickening with unspoken tension.

"The lunch lady put extra chocolate in it, look." I say, trying to sound casual, but the smile on my lips feels like it's about to crack under the weight of everything.

Julian suddenly leans forward, his eyes lighting up with that playful glint I've missed. "That looks good. Give me a bite," he says with a grin, reaching for my fork before I can react. His teeth sink into it, and I catch a glimpse of the familiar mischievous smile that always made him so easy to love.

But then, something changes.

In an instant, his face goes pale. His eyes widen, shock flashing across them. It's like he's been hit with something invisible, something devastating.

And then—he gasps.

A strangled, desperate sound. His hand flies to his throat, his body immobilising as if it no longer obeys him. He chokes, struggling for air, each breath coming in desperate, jagged bursts.

"Julian!" I shout, my heart slamming against my ribs. My body moves on instinct, but my mind refuses to catch up. This can't be happening. Not Julian. Not him.

"What's happening?" I whisper, my voice trembling as I watch him fall to the floor with a sickening thud, his eyes wild with fear. The pain is clear on his face, his chest rising and falling in uneven, tortured gasps.

A wave of nausea crashes over me. I want to help, but I don't know how. He's dying, and I'm standing here, paralysed by terror.

"Julian!" Sir Christopher shouts, his voice cracking as he rushes to his side. His hands glow with light magic, but as the magic pours from his fingertips, nothing happens. Julian's body convulses violently, his skin turning a sickly shade of gray, the poison sinking deeper, refusing to yield.

"It's not working!" Christopher screams, his voice breaking, his panic palpable. His magic flares brighter, pushing harder, but the poison remains, smothering Julian from the inside out.

"Albert, go call Housemaster Gilbert!" Sir James orders, his voice tight with fear. Albert hesitates, his eyes flicking from Julian to me, before teleporting away in a flash of light.

Housemaster Gilbert arrives with Albert almost instantly, striding into the cafeteria like a man prepared for battle, but the moment his eyes land on Julian, his face tightens. The worry in his gaze is stark, his composure slipping.

"What's going on?!" he demands, his voice cutting through the panic like a knife.

"It looks like Julian's been poisoned!" James replies, his voice thick with fear, his hands hovering uselessly over Julian, unable to do anything to help.

Without a word, Housemaster Gilbert places both hands on Julian's chest, summoning his light magic with a force that lights up the room. The magic should've worked. It should've healed him. But it doesn't.

"It's not working!" Christopher's voice cracks again, rising in frustration. He pushes harder, desperation building, but the poison refuses to leave. It clings to Julian like a shadow.

"Try again!" Housemaster Gilbert roars, his voice strained, his hands shaking with the effort. He presses deeper into Julian, his magic flaring, but it's like fighting an impossible tide. The poison is too powerful.

"Does anyone else know how to use light magic?!" I scream, my voice rising with panic, the walls closing in around me. The cafeteria is silent, too silent. The students stare, frozen in place, their eyes wide with shock and confusion. No one knows how to help.

This is my fault. Someone tried to poison me, and Julian took the blow instead. I feel the guilt gnaw at me, eating me alive.

I can't let him die. I won't let him die.

Without thinking, I kneel beside him, my hands shaking as I reach out. His breath is ragged, each inhale like it's his last. His body is trembling beneath my hands, and I feel it—his life slipping away.

I can't let him go.

I can't.

I press my lips to his, desperate, urgent.

The gasps around me are deafening. The students are whispering, murmurs of shock and disbelief rippling through the crowd. The space around me feels suffocating, heavy with their eyes.

I don't care. All that matters is Julian.

"She's glowing!" Sir Wilfred's voice cracks with a mix of awe and fear. I feel it—the magic surging within me, rushing out like an unstoppable tide, pouring into Julian like light flooding darkness. But as the magic leaves my body, I feel the poison—dark, foul, and suffocating—pouring into me.

It burns.

It burns like liquid fire, coursing through my veins, eating away at me from the inside out. The pain is unbearable, but I hold on, forcing myself to stay connected to him.

"I can't... stop..." I whisper to myself, but the words barely reach my own ears. The poison is too much, too strong. I can feel myself fading, the strength draining from my body with every passing second.

"How does she—what is she doing?!" Albert's voice is filled with panic, disbelief, and horror. He looks from me to Julian, unable to comprehend what he's seeing. His body moves as if to pull me away, but before he can reach me, Housemaster Gilbert summons a barrier of light magic, locking Albert in place.

"Seraphina!" Albert screams, banging against the barrier with frantic desperation. His face is contorted in terror, but I barely hear him. The world is spinning, my vision swimming. The room tilts, everything growing distant, blurry.

I feel my body give way, my breath turning shallow. The poison is consuming me. The light inside me is flickering.

And then—Julian's eyes snap open.

His gaze locks with mine, and for a moment, everything else fades. The confusion in his eyes is overwhelming, his shock more than I can bear. He's alive. He's breathing. But he's still gasping for understanding.

He's awake.

And then, before I can think, my body collapses beside him, the poison pulling me under. My last thought before everything fades to black is his voice, weak and distant, calling my name.