Turned

“It’s not just me, Jess.. Mum and Dad too..” A slight, small smile crossed her lips as she wiped away her tears. “We all thought-” Camila shook her head, sniffling heavily. “It doesn’t matter, what matters is that you’re here and- you’re alive.” She spoke, more to herself in hope of allowing the details to sink in. Listening to him speak, Camila’s gaze softened as she peered up at him. “Do you know who.. Who attacked you?” She questioned, sucking on her bottom lip anxiously.

A smile came to the wizard’s lips, somewhat sad and mixed with guilt, but a smile nonetheless. He couldn’t believe that for the past three years he had just accepted the fact that his family had died -- that they were gone. He had just believed them when they had told him. What else had he just blindly believed? “I -- I thought you were all gone.” He bit the inside of his lip. It was all getting a bit much and he was feeling overwhelmed. Camila’s questions caused him to look down at the floor and away from her. “...I don’t remember.” He said, after a moment. “They told me it was the Order...” He sighed, realising that the resentment he had held, and the things he had done as a result were possibly not even true. “But they also told me you were dead.” He frowned and could feel his eyes stinging, out of both sadness and frustration.

The male felt bad for having to say it, knowing it would be hard for the male to hear – that was if he even believed it. “Yeah, I mean, I can’t be positive as it’s been hard to see her properly face to face because she’s just pulled back and not wanted to talk to any of us but when I have seen her around she’s looked drunk.” He couldn’t help the frown that came to his face. “I know and I’m really sorry, I wish I could have done more or helped her in some way but I just didn’t know how.” Owen admitted rubbing his forehead. “I know this is probably really confusing for you, you’re probably being told so many different things and I wish there was a way to make it easier for you but you’re just going to have to go with your gut on this one.” He gave a shrug not knowing what else he could say. “I honestly couldn’t say, you’d be better off asking her or someone closer to her.” 

The frown gracing his features grew as Owen began explaining. Still, he nodded along in understanding. It wasn’t something he wanted to believe, and he couldn’t imagine his sister turning to alcohol. But, grief did do awful things to people and he wouldn’t have blamed her for doing so. “Thanks for trying.” There was a tough line between feeling like he was just falling in line with lies and actual concern for his sister. And, truthfully, it was difficult. “No, it’s okay. It’s not your responsibility. I should have been there.” He said, sighing. “I could have been.” The last words were a bit quieter, but still audible. He brought his drink up to his lips and took a long sip. Jesse knew that the other wizard was probably right about trusting his gut, but that was hard when he had spent so long being lied to -- about everything. He just didn’t know where to start. “I wish it was easier than that.” He told the other honestly. “Maybe.” He nodded. “If only I knew who that might be.” Jesse didn’t know who his sister would even consider a friend anymore.

As soon as he felt his back hit the wall, Elliot’s face contorted into a snarl. In one swift motion, he had pushed the male whom he had considered a friend off of him and had him pinned against the opposite wall. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing laying your hands on me?” His voice came out as almost a snarl, animalistic and harsh. “I did as I was told.” The male retorted, voice lacking any sign of care for Jesse’s obvious torment.

Jesse had seen this vicious side to the other wizard before, but had never been on the opposite end of it. Truthfully, he hadn’t even thought about the confrontation -- it had just happened and well, he couldn’t contain himself now. “As you were told?” His voice grew louder and he ripped his supposed friend off of him. “You lied to me!” He pushed the man away from him, gritting his teeth. Elliot didn't even care. There was not even a glimpse of remorse for it, and there was no attempt to deny it either. Jesse never had been one for starting fights, or even participating in them, but the anger had taken over him and he found himself without thought punching the wizard square in the jaw. Something he immediately regretted. 

Owen could see Jesse hesitate which comforted him slightly knowing he wasn’t the only one feeling nervous. He replied with a smile as he male sat down. The fact that Jesse actually came out and spoke about he was really feeling surprised Owen, he was fully expecting the wizard to shrug him off with a ‘i’m fine’. “I can only imagine.” He replied with a sympathetic look. “Wait, you thought Cami was dead?” The male paused thinking about it. “Wait, of course you did. You wouldn’t have stayed away for so long otherwise.” He added mainly talking to himself than his friend.”I’ve tried to keep an eye on her for you since you’ve been gone but she just pushed us all away. I hardly ever see her and when I have done, well… let’s just say I think she’s turned to drinking to help her cope.” He felt terrible, all that Owen ever wanted was to be able to take care of his sister for him and be there for her – for him – but Cami had never even given him the chance. 

Jesse was about to reply, but the furthest he got was a nod of the head before Owen began speaking once more. It was odd, really, to see the wizard, who was practically a stranger to him if he were to overlook their last meeting, understand him almost as well as he understood himself. Perhaps even more so as Jesse was certainly not sure of who he was. The idea that someone had been keeping an eye on his sister in his absence -- and supposed death -- was almost comforting, if it hadn’t been for the part that followed. Sure, the wizard could certainly be lying. But, there was something about what he was saying and the way it was said that made Jesse somewhat sure that he wasn’t. Of course he wasn’t even sure he could trust himself in that regard anymore. A frown formed on Jesse’s lips regardless though. For, even if it was a lie, it was not something he wanted to hear. His sister hadn’t deserved that. He hadn’t wanted to be the cause of her, nor anyone else’s pain. He hadn’t even realised. “Drinking?” His brows drew together and he looked down at the table. He waited, silent for a few moments and swallowed before looking back up at him, running a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, it’s a lot to take in... And I still don’t know what I can believe.” Jesse felt as though he had a migraine that just wouldn’t disappear. “Is she still?” He asked, hesitantly. Even if it wasn’t true, his worry for his sister outweighed his confusion.

The moment he caught sight of the person who was supposed to be his best friend, he made a bee-line towards him. The anger that had been boiling up inside of him and had no real place to go finally caught hold of him. With that, Jesse grabbed Elliot’s shoulder and pushed him against the wall. “You told me they were dead.” His voice was loud and rough. “You insisted Cami was dead -- that there was no way of seeing her, my family..”

Camila didn’t quite know what to do, or say, hence why she had initiated the embrace with her brother. Her heart pounded heavily against her chest, yet she couldn’t decide if that was because she hadn’t had a drink for a couple of hours, or if it was relief for having her baby brother back. “Stop it.. You have nothing to apologise for.” The young woman pulled back, locking her gaze with his. “What happened Jesse?” The open question could have been relating to many things, yet the only one she wanted to hear was a reason for how he could possibly have been stood in front of her, alive and well.

Jesse was just as relieved to have his sister back as he imagined she was to discover that he was alive. He would have never expected to run into her, and why would he? Everyone he had put his trust in had told him that she, along with the rest of his immediate family were dead. He squeezed her tight as a response to her comment and pulled away as she did, nodding. The question would have likely seemed vague to anyone else, but Jesse had an immediate reply. “The Order --” Though, he stopped, suddenly feeling unsure of himself -- unsure of everything. “There was an attack... And I don’t remember a lot of it, or anything really...” He swallowed, frowning slightly as he spoke.

Cassandra nodded. “Well, that goes with what I had heard… I mean, other than the whole you being alive thing.” She gave a small awkward laugh. “So, what is the last thing you remember? Do you actually remember the order attacking you?” The raven haired female didn’t know what had her questioned her cousin but there was something that made her curious about the situation. A scoff left her lips. “It wouldn’t surprise me if he did. Maybe he knew but just didn’t tell me. It seems that my father keeps more secrets from me than I thought.” Her mind wandered to the fact she now knew she had a half sister. “So where have you been all this time?” 

Jesse’s brows drew together at his cousin’s question. “The last thing I remember?” He repeated with a frown and shook his head at her following question. “I don’t remember them attacking me... I don’t remember anything about the attack.” He swallowed. “Or anything from the... nine years,” his voice was unsure since he wasn’t quite certain on the math, “before the attack.” He sighed, meeting his cousin’s gaze. Thinking about everything he had missed out on always made him a little sad. Jesse nodded at Cass’ words. “Maybe.” The thought annoyed him though. She had a right to know. “What do you mean?” He asked. In all honesty, it was odd speaking to his cousin like this. The last he could remember they were both so much younger and now here they were prisoners in a war. “I've been around, wherever they take me... They were helping me heal.” He said, referring to the Death Eaters -- a group he belonged to himself but it didn't seem right to associate himself with them during the time they had been helping him. “And, doing the other stuff that comes along with it...” He had never been okay with everything that being a Death Eater entailed. Even if he hadn’t done an awful lot in comparison because of his condition.

Jesse didn’t bother knocking as he walked into his friend’s room -- though the outcome of this interaction might change whether he would be able to call her that. He had been avoiding her ever since he had run into his sister. In fact, he’d been avoiding most people since then. He wasn’t sure how to wrap his head around the fact that his family was alive. That people had been lying to him, and what he considered the truth might be a concoction of lies. How was he to know, after all? He didn’t want to believe that Evie was a part of that, but he’d gone too long putting it off. He needed to know. Door to her room closed behind him, he simply stood looking into the room. Usually, he would have thrown himself onto the bed and made himself comfortable, but this was not one of those times. “Did you know?” He asked, biting the inside of his lip as he frowned. Even asking the question was enough to make him feel a little ill. He didn’t want the answer to be yes, but somewhere inside of him, no matter how small, suspected that it would be. He wanted so bad for her to be just as in the dark as he was. “Tell me you didn’t know my family was alive.” 

The male swallowed the lump in his throat before nodding. “Of course. Take a seat.” Owen gestured to the seat opposite him giving his old friend a small polite smile. “How are you?” He asked nervously. 

Jesse hesitated for a moment, despite being the one to ask, but sat down regardless, placing his cup on the table as he did so. “Thanks.” His lips curved up into a small smile. He was trying to be polite, but there was still that voice in the back of his head insisting that the wizard was out to fool him. Though, truthfully, he felt that way about a lot more people recently. He took a moment to consider Owen’s question, whether he should just tell him the truth or lie and say that he was doing fine. Ultimately deciding on the former -- honesty was something he would have to provide if he expected the same. “Confused.” He swallowed, looking up from his hands and meeting the other’s gaze. “I discovered my sister was alive... and now... everything seems a little beyond my control.” He wasn’t sure if that made sense, or if he should even be telling him this. But, he knew that something was wrong and it had all started with Owen.

Owen felt like he’d been winded as he saw his old friend approach him. He’d had a while to process the face his friend was actually alive and not dead, but it was still hard to grasp - it could have been perhaps easier if it wasn’t for the fact the male had no knowledge of who he was or the friendship they’d shared. He wasn’t going to take it out on the male, it wasn’t his fault and although he was a death eater now – well that wasn’t totally his fault either he’d been brainwashed. The wizard nodded feeling a bit awkward. “Nice to see you again Jesse.” 

Jesse wasn’t even sure what his plan was while he was approaching the other wizard, but what he did know was that there were a lot of things that he didn’t understand at play. And, after bumping into his sister, having previously been told that his family were dead, Jesse had realised there was a lot that he needed to uncover. The wizard nodded as the other spoke, though he could feel the awkwardness seeping into the conversation already. “Can I -- can we talk?” 

Catching sight of the familiar young man from the corner of his eye, Jesse stopped in his tracks, coffee in his hand. And out of some potentially crazy feeling inside him, he found his legs walking towards the other wizard’s table and he hovered above his table for a moment, taking a deep breath before finally speaking. “It’s Owen, right?” 

She raised a brow, “What happened?” The witch asked wondering what the truth was, she’d heard so many different stories and different rumours it would be nice to finally find out what led to her cousin’s disappearance. She stepped back slightly as he pulled from the embrace. “No, last I heard my father said that the order had killed you. I mean, there were rumours within the family that you were alive but I didn’t think it was possible.”

Jesse’s brows drew together as she questioned him. He tried, every time someone asked or he thought about the event, but each time he failed to recall any information about it. “The Order attacked me and I was hurt really bad -- but, I don’t remember.” He pressed his lips together and let out a breath through his nose, eyes flickering to the floor for a moment before meeting her gaze again. He only had the story that people had told him, and if he was being honest with himself, he was beginning to doubt those stories. Or, at least, be less sure about them. He wanted to know for himself and not from other people. Confusion found its way to Jesse’s features. He knew that his being alive wasn’t a publicly documented thing, but he would have expected her father to know. “I would have thought he would know...” He mused. It was only because he knew her father’s position within the Death Eaters. “But I was out of it for a while,” he admitted. “I still am.” It had been years now, but that loss of memory was still difficult to process. And it had certainly made things more difficult while being held prisoner, too.

Camila’s heart thrashed heavily against her chest as her brother spoke her name once again and she shook her head, refusing to believe that what she was seeing was really there. Though as she felt his touch on her arm, her gaze flickered toward it, another sob falling through her lips. “They- They told us you were..” Her words were cut back by another sob and she threw herself toward him, arms wrapping around him. 

The wizard hadn’t been expecting the woman to throw her arms around him and pull him into a hug, and yet he was entirely accepting of it. He returned the hug, squeezing her tightly as he did so. “I’m sorry, Cami.” It wasn’t really his fault that he had been pushed away from his family and yet he felt the need to apologise. “I’m sorry.”

The brunette’s eyes began to glaze over as she heard him speak her name, her entire being quivering as she took further steps away from him. “No- You’re not him- You’re not-” She covered her eyes, rubbing them heavily as she shook her head. It almost felt as though her heart was breaking all over again, as though the hole in her chest was slowly being torn back open. “This is a dream, I’m dreaming..” She spoke to herself before peering back over her hands, seeing he was still there. “You died- You’re not.. You can’t be here.” Her words came out in heavy sobs.

Jesse could almost see the process of emotions that made its way through her mind. From shock, to disbelief, to sadness and heartbreak. In fact, he felt an ache in his own chest, as if someone had grabbed hold of his most vital organ and was attempting to take it from him. He waited for a moment as she took a step back, but finally his feet moved forward and his hand came out to touch her arm -- slowly as if he was scared she might flee or flinch. Which, honestly, would have hurt him more. “Cami,” he repeated, “I’m here.” His chest was so tight it was difficult to speak and he felt his own eyes glassing over, too. “I thought you were gone as well...” Regardless, his voice remained soft, not wanting to hurt the witch any more.

Hearing the voice that complimented her choice of flowers brought a smile to Camila’s face as she continued to prune the bouquet. “Thank you, they really brighten up the place, don’t you think?” The dark haired young female spoke before turning to face the other, her heart stopping in her chest as her eyes widened. Her brother stood before her, looking almost exactly how she remembered him. Fear laced her features as she stared at him, her heart racing. “No- No.. You-” She stumbled back, hands raised toward him, palms facing him. “You can’t be-” Jesse had died almost three years ago, so how was it that he was standing here before her. 

The face that Jesse was met with when the brunette turned around took the wizard off guard. The only memories he had of his family were from years and years ago. So, when this woman turned around and looked the spitting of his sister, only many years older, he couldn’t quite believe it. Much less because he had been informed that his family were likely dead and at least missing. He supposed this counted as missing to some degree. While the witch’s reaction mirrored that of many other individuals he had bumped into during his stay at the town, it didn’t bring up anger or irritation as it usually did -- only sadness. “Cami?” The word struggled to leave his lips and came out quietly, barely audible to anyone but her. 

A light laugh passed the young man’s lips as he peered across the room toward his friend, eyebrow raising. “Yet here you are, with another empty schedule. You really need to sort that out, Jess - maybe start with that Mason girl.” Elliot rolled his eyes at his own suggestion before shrugging his shoulders.

Jesse shook his head as his friend started talking, but his eyes widened slightly as he mentioned Evie. “And what’s that supposed to mean?” He asked, raising a brow as he questioned the wizard.