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Charlie felt the snow crunching under her boots, her teeth clattered as she trudged on, hugging her coat around herself. The sky was white, the sun barely shining through the clouds thronging like mobs in the sky. The student’s form was thrown about like a doll, her legs buckling under her with each step.

She felt her heart stop as she slipped into the ditch. She trembled as she stood up, heart racing, murmuring under her breath that she was okay as she looked around for a way to climb out.

Then she saw it.

The red stark against the white, splatted like ink from a faulty pen, unmistakable and sickeningly beautiful. Blood in the snow.

Charlie clambered out of the ditch, heart pounding faster than ever, mind reeling into a tangled mess. She raced across the snow, falling over, scrambling to her feet, her face twisted into a frightful grimace, tears streaming down her cheeks.

She rushed into the empty university halls, hand over her mouth, her insides churning. She screeched when she collided with someone. Her hands found his chest as she pushed away from him, staring up at him, her lower lip trembling as her body shook with tears. For once she didn’t care that she was a mess in front of him, but her hair was standing up on end, her coat slipping off her shoulders and her pants soiled and torn from the fall, with scratches down her arms and knees

“Charlie—”

“I thought you were joking [joking]!” she cried, voice raw with distress, she grabbed the lapels of his coat, “Please [Please], tell me it’s a prank, or something, anything, just—”

“Charlie. [Charlie]” Elijah grabbed her hands, pushing her off of him, “What the hell’s gotten into you?” he said, his voice stern as he glared at her. She avoided his gaze, her knuckles white with her grip on his hands, still sobbing.

Elijah groaned, pulling his hands away from her, “Spit it out already,” he snapped.

“I-I saw... I saw the- the blood...” Charlie choked out, her knees buckling as she let herself drop to the floor, “In the snow, you—”

Elijah’s eyes widened for a second, he knelt before her, grabbing her shoulders, “If you dare tell anyone [anyone]—”

“I won’t!”

“This is serious, do you understand?”

“I promise [promise], I won’t.” she sniffed, still avoiding his eyes.

She’d never thought he’d actually do it.

She thought he was joking when he said he’d killed Max. His voice had been so blank, so emotionless. He might as well have said the sky was blue. Her body convulsed in a fresh wave of tears.

“Get up, we can’t stay here—”

“You go.” Charlie croaked.

“You’re sobbing your eyes out in the middle of the hall.”

She took a deep breath, “I- I’ll say I had- had a break up.”

Elijah rolled his eyes, “Come with me.” he said, grabbing her arm. He felt her tense under his touch. He ignored the twinge in his heart, dragging her brooding form along with him to his own room.

He stepped aside to let her pass him by into the place. He couldn’t help but notice her hesitance, the way she stepped across the carpet like it might fall under her, the way her eyes darted around like she was excepting some shadow in the corners to come at her with a knife.

“You’re safe here.” he said, trying to bring his voice down to a semblance of softness. She glanced back at him, but she didn’t say a word. Her eyes spelled fear.

He could hardly blame her, that was probably the worst part. He’d had a knife to her [her] throat not too long ago. It would’ve easily been her [her] blood in the snow, mixing with Max’s.

“Charlie, I promise you’re safe here.” he insisted, a hint of desperation in his voice. She only nodded. “Tell me you know you are.”

“Does Oliver know?”

Elijah sighed, “Of course he does.”

“You really... really killed [killed] Max?”

“He was a witness.”

“A witness to you nearly killing me.”

“I wouldn’t have.”

“You nearly did.”

“I had to make it look authentic.”

Charlie’s hand traced the scar across her neck. He really couldn’t blame her at all, that really was the worst part. He’d torn this down.

“I’m sorry.” He said, voice barely audible, caught in his throat. She didn’t respond.

Keith was there too, during the damned trial. Keith was right behind him when Elijah held his blade to Charlie’s throat from the sidelines, making sure Amber wouldn’t present the evidence he had against Oliver. He’d seen her talking to Keith just yesterday, like nothing had ever happened. He wondered if Max’s blood in the snow changed that.

He walked up to her, lifting his hand to reach out, dropping it when he saw her flinch back, “I really am, I— I had to protect Oli, Amber would’ve gotten him killed.”

“Like how Max got killed?”

“That’s different—”

“How [How]?”

“I—”

“Different because my [my] boyfriend is expendable when yours [yours] should be protected at all costs?”

“Oliver dying would’ve ruined everything we’ve ever planned for, Max being alive would do the same.” Elijah hissed.

“So you’d protect him no matter the cost, right?”

“I would.”

Okay, so Elijah, Jack, Oliver, Keith and Charlie are rebels against the system of gold, silver, red, etc etc sorcerers and non-sorcerer hierarchy.

Charlie and Amber become friends, and he sort of tells her that he was a rebel himself, and she sort of tells him that she was too.

Then he finds them together in the woods, and the other four don't trust him at all.

Oliver becomes very salty with Charlie and Amber and her become closer as he defends her while Elijah and Keith mostly stay silent (Jack wouldn't be Jack if he didn't try mediating, but he didn't pick a side)

In that process, Amber becomes salty with Oliver and threatens him with snitching. He doesn't mean that, really, he was just sick of watching Oliver make Charlie cry and he didn't think about what he was saying.

The thing is, Charlie's kidnapping wasn't one attempt, there were two. And for the second she'd become cautious, and had told Max, and he'd been helping her hide. Didn't work but he'd tried.

When Amber eventually goes home to his (gold ranking, leader of the entire system) father, Elijah and Keith sort of kidnap Charlie and threaten Amber with her death to make sure he doesn't sell Oliver out.

Anyway, since Max isn't even all that well known to anyone among those five but Charlie, he's chalked down as a liability that needed to be sacrificed for the greater good of dismantling the system in the long run.

The writing is the aftermath.

If you don't know, Cornish mythology is all the mythology of Cornwall, a ceremonial county in South West England!

Some of the more famous tales from Cornwall are the tale of King Arthur and Jack the Giant Killer (neither of which I know much about). However, there are MANY other tales as well, which are the ones that I've looked a lot into!!

One of these is the legend of the Beast of Bodmin Moor: a panther-like creature that roams Bodmin Moor, attacking livestock and staying hidden from human eyes. At one point, sighting got so high that an official investigation was put into place. In the end, though, there was no solid evidence of any sort of big cat roaming the moor. There are many speculations about the origin of this tale, one of which is that a group of black panthers escaped from a zoo (I believe) further north in England earlier in the 20th century and that bloodline still has a few individuals in the area.

Another is the Land's End Light, a phantom light that floats without plausible explanation along Land's End Road. This legend is so widespread in the area that cars are sometimes spotted parked on the side of the road at night, waiting and watching for the Light. There are lots of different ghosts connected to the Light, some of which include the lost spirit of a Confederate soldier looking for his head, a beheaded Union soldier, or the soul of an unhappy enslaved person searching eternally for his wife. (Article)

The Haunted Jamaica Inn is a hotel/inn that used to be home to numerous smugglers and gangsters. There have been many reports of paranormal activity for years, though I can't remember details off the top of my head.

One of my personal favorites is the legend of Lyonesse. Similar to that of Atlantis, it was once a great city that has now been taken by the sea due to a tragic storm, hidden away from humanity.

And that's just a few of them!!! This little county has so many stories to offer :) here's some more articles and links if you're interested!! /nf

Cornish Folklore, Myths, & Legends

8 Cornish Myths and Legends

The Ultimate Guide to Cornish Folklore