“I’m just,” he pauses. Beckett looks up at the ceiling, a wave of relief washing over him. He found it funny that it wasn’t even a full 24 hours, but he realized just how lost he’d been without her. How could he put his feelings into words; did he feel safe?
“I’m happy you’re still here, Charlotte.” Beckett looked at her, his eyes soft. After one last lingering look, he left the dorm. She looked down at the ground, a wide smile on her face. Her cheeks were flushed and surely, she’d be revisiting that moment sometime soon.
Charlotte opened the door to her room and it slammed shut as soon as she got in. “That was disgusting.” Charlotte spun around to face her twin, who scowled. “Were you spying on us?”
“Obviously, but not for that reason. If I could forget about that, I would. Just, don’t get anywhere near him again.” She raised an eyebrow, fiddling with the beads of her bracelet.
“Why, are you jealous?” Atlas pinched the bridge of her nose. “Of course I’m not! Do I need to spell it out for you? He’s bad news! He’s working for Raife!” Ouch. Atlas never hesitated to tell the truth, maybe she should have thought it out this time. Charlotte’s face fell, “You’re joking.”
“Do I look like one for jokes? If I’m lying, why have I seen him before? Listen, I saw him in the mirror dimension more than once. He was even wearing that same bracelet too.”
“You can’t just waltz in here and point fingers at my friends! I’ve only known you for an hour, why is it any different?”
Atlas took a step closer, but Charlotte didn’t back away. “How could I be making this up? You’ve seen what we’re up against! I wouldn’t lie when my life is in danger too. This isn’t just about you.” She ended, a venomous tone to her voice. Charlotte clenched her jaw, trying to hold back from doing something she’d regret.
“If you’re so hellbent on insisting that it’s Beckett, I’m going to need some damn proof.”
“So my word isn’t enough for you? You don’t believe your own damn sister?”
“I don’t know who to believe or even what to fucking do, okay?” she exclaimed, her volume raised at least ten levels. “Imagine hearing from someone you just met that your boyfriend, one of the only people you can trust, is the one to blame for this mess? Do you know how ridiculous you sound?” Past the fury and fire of her words, she knew that there was a slim chance of her sister telling the truth. Hell, Charlotte didn’t even know that magick existed a few months ago.
“Fine, I’ll show you the proof tomorrow. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Knocking on Professor Swan’s office door, Charlotte was filled with dread. He wouldn’t, she kept telling herself; but she couldn’t ignore her gut feeling. No response. She knocked again, this time the door swung open. From behind, Atlas stealthily held it open for Charlotte. “This is one of the only portals to the mirror dimension on campus. I highly doubt that golden boy will risk his GPA by going into the Dean’s office.”
“Are you sure about this?” Her voice wavered.
“200% sure. Just trust me for once.” Charlotte opened her mouth to protest, but Atlas cut her off. “If Swan gets here, I’ll distract her. She’d believe almost anything I’d tell her. I expect a good apology at the end of this.”
“Don’t get your hopes up.” muttering as she entered Swan’s office. There were piles of books on the wooden desk followed by the posters and diagrams hanging at a slant on the walls. All she had to do was play the waiting game.
Keeping herself busy by reading ‘confidential’ studies about sun-attunements, Charlotte paced around the office. Still no sign of Beckett. “This is useless.” Putting down the papers, she went to open the door before a high-pitched noise rang out.
The mirror wobbled, glass turning into putty. She stepped behind the desk, preparing herself. With a purpose to each step, Beckett stepped out unscathed. Her breath hitched and she felt faint. This is just a nightmare, she willed herself into believing. His hazel eyes scanned the room before seeing her, eyes wide.
“Charlotte? Wh-what are you doing here?”
“Looks like I could be asking you the same thing.” Folding her arms, her vision fogged up. He waved his hands in front of him, the tips of his ears red. “I assure you, it’s not what it looks like. If you would please just let me explain-”
“No! I don’t need your excuses!” She backed away from him. “Charlotte, I know what this looks like, but I promise,” he took a deep breath “I promise that you’d understand.” She willed herself to look him in the eye. “You’ve got one minute.”
He looked distraught and genuinely sorry, but she knew better than that. “It was before I ever knew you. My parents,” he sighed “they were very adamant about what I need to become. I tried so hard to please them that I figured I needed something to help me out.”
Beckett sat down in one of the chairs and continued, “I came across this book regarding the different dimensions and attunements. I assumed that by knowing about them, it would set me apart. One thing led to another and I was in the mirror dimension. That’s when I met Raife.” The name itself sent shivers down her spine.
“He offered me something I couldn’t turn down. He taught me about everything that they hid from us, but there was a catch.”
“Let me guess, all in exchange for me?” He nodded solemnly, “I promise you that I didn’t mean to hurt you. I still don’t.”
“It’s a little too late for that now, isn’t it?” Beckett stood, taking steps closer to Charlotte as she took more steps back. “How do I know that you’re not lying to me? How do I know that what we had wasn’t just part of your plan?” He grasped for her hands desperately, but she shook them away.
“Charlotte I care for you, I really do. If you were in my shoes-”
“Bullshit. You know what I would do, and it’s definitely not that.” She was an utter mess. Her heart felt as if it were in her stomach; she felt sick. Sick of him and the lies he’d spread. Scolding tears poured down her face, no air left. She was blind to not see this coming, there were two sides to each coin after all.
“You can’t fix this! You can’t get out of it no matter how hard you try, Harrington.” she scoffed and looked directly at him.
“I trusted you!” She poked a finger to his chest, “Hell, I even loved you!” she panted. Beckett froze. She’d never said that to him before; love. Now he wouldn’t be able to hear it again.
He knew that he messed up big time. His mind went into overdrive, thinking of any possible solution. There was nothing, some problems have no solutions. “Charlotte-”
“You know what you are, Beckett Harrington?” Her voice was vile. “You’re pathetic.” He tried to hold on to any word he could, reaching out to her with no success.
“Let me go.” she replied in a cold tone. He knew what he had to do, but he couldn’t. Looking at her for the last time, “I’m so sorry.”
“Save it. I’m fixing this myself.” She looked at the mirror, breaking free from his grasp. “Charlotte, stop!”
She didn’t need to hear the rest of his story, it would have led up to this point anyways. As she stepped closer, the mirror began to tremble. The office door burst open, Swan followed by Atlas. Despite their cries and efforts, she disappeared and the mirror shattered. It was too late now.
She was gone and he was to blame.