Chapter 2: 33 days left

Agatha shook her head. "Mom, you can't be serious," she said despairingly. "Besides the fact that he's an absolute prat and cares about nothing besides his own appearance - oh, does my hair look okay? - he has a life too. He's what, a senior? He's going to be going to college soon. Pendragon has his own life. He has his own problems. We don't have to involve other people in my... situation. We can, um, manage just fine without asking other people."

Callis didn't seem to have heard her daughter. After hearing the word 'problem' and 'situation', her eyes glittered like cold diamonds. "I'm sure Arthur would understand. We... we have our own history. And Agatha, I don't want to hear you speak so flippantly of your life again. I..." She lost her composure for a second. "I don't want you to be thinking of these things."

"I'm not speaking flippantly," said Agatha, slightly stung. "I'm just saying that - for heaven's sake, when I was nine he drew a witch and a cat all over my lunchbox! In fifth grade he got everyone to call me an Evil Witch!" She looked down at her frayed black t-shirt and ugly, gray-black leggings. She'd stopped wearing her baggy black dresses a few weeks ago because of how she seemed to be outgrowing them all. And for some reason, stores around them didn't seem to be selling them anymore. Of course, she thought wryly, maybe it's because they don't sell clothes from the late nineteenth century.

Callis smiled gently. "How much long ago was that, Agatha?" asked her mother gently. Agatha grumpily agreed she had a point. When they'd gotten older, he stopped bothering her as much; their schedules and classes were too different for them to truly walk into each other. Ignoring her whenever she was in school was only a step higher than relentless teasing and mockery, though. She balanced her hot chocolate cup on her lap as she put down her phone. "It's getting too hot for this," she said thoughtfully.

Agatha was still in shock.

"I'll drive you over to Arthur's house. It's probably best if we go there within the next hour, or it'll be close to dinnertime. Would you like me to stay there for the first few minutes?" Her mother scrunched up her face. "Dr Sader already informed Arthur" - she ignored Agatha's splutterings to why their doctor would tell the Pendragon's something like that - "he's an old friend, really, dear. But I doubt that Tedros would know about it so soon," Callis concluded. She smiled at her daughter. "I'll talk to Arthur while you're discussing this with Tedros. It really is a big thing to ask for him, seeing as he's going to Disney World soon..."

"He's already prepaid the money," said Agatha quickly. "It wouldn't be polite to ask him to just cancel his trip with the rest of his class, in fact it'd be downright rude. So it doesn't look like things will work out."

"But then again, you could come along with them. These are very special circumstances," Callis mused. "I can schedule a talk with your principal. You've gotten good grades this semester, haven't you?" Her sharp brown eyes fixed onto Agatha's face, which turned beet red instantly. While Agatha was still stuttering out a reply, her mother smiled brightly. "Then she'll make an exception."

A sharp ping made them both look at her phone. "Excellent. We should get going now; their house is almost half an hour away." Agatha tried to smile. It came out more as a scowl. Callis stood up and took her mostly empty hot chocolate cup away from her, heading towards the kitchen. "Get ready, Agatha," called Callis. She stopped and turned around, face softening. "I do think this is the best for you, you know."

•t•a•g•a•t•h•a•

Agatha tried not to peer out the window, but like she always was, she was unable to stop craning her head to see the large, castle-like house. There were at least five floors, with a mini garden near the dark, elegantly formed gates. The Pendragons had always been rich, the most generous sponsors to all the organizations in Gavaldon. They always appeared at any social meeting that had any bit of importance. Of course, they were always viewed as the most perfect family miles around: Arthur, a tall, stern looking but handsome man; Guinevere, his wife: though she wasn't as elegant or stately as her husband, she was still beautiful; and their only son, Tedros.

Agatha still remembered the first time they'd met, very faintly. Her mother had met Arthur and Guinevere with a courteous nod. Tedros had hovered near his mother, staring at Agatha with an expression she'd never seen before. After the adults had talked for over ten minutes, Tedros had pointed at her and asked loudly, "Are you dressing up for Halloween?" Even at her age, she could understand the slight insult. Her neck had burned red, a rash spreading rapidly across her entire neck. Callis had mumbled something and pulled Agatha away. They'd sat down near the table with food and started eating, but Agatha hadn't been able to forget that incident. After that, Tedros had teased her constantly. She'd only gotten back at him once, when he'd poked fun at her cat; he'd made the mistake of reaching down towards Reaper, and in return, Reaper had scratched him. She smiled, but then frowned as she felt that something was off about the house. It was only when Callis got permission to bring the car past the gates that Agatha realized what was wrong.

The windows had always been sparkling and immaculately cared after, but now they were dusty; she had trouble even seeing through them. The gate used to be a gleaming, dark black, but now it looked almost... rusty. The garden that surrounded the road leading up to the house had what seemed to be withered up and dead plants. She saw flowers with droopy petals and dead grass as their car drove past. There was a distinct feeling of neglect in the air.

They parked their car near the house. Agatha looked down at the circular driveway and saw plants growing on the cracks. She hadn't been here since she was twelve or thirteen; Tedros had hosted a party to celebrate the beginning of seventh grade. But she was pretty sure it didn't look like this.

"What... happened?" she murmured. Callis didn't hear her.

They got out of the car. Her mother walked swiftly up the stone steps, pressing the doorbell once. They waited. Agatha silently counted the seconds ticking by: 20, 30, 60. When nothing happened, Callis knocked on the door twice.

This time, the door opened. Arthur stood there, a broad smile on his face. "Callis, it's lovely to see you," he said. Agatha stood there uncomfortably as they exchanged brief pleasantries, before he gestured for them to come in. Again, she had that feeling of unease. He wore a a crisp black suit, with shining shoes. He had an immaculate haircut, and Agatha had the same feeling that she always had when she looked at him: that he was too perfect, always looking as if he was posing for a magazine. No, it was that feeling of world weariness: that way of holding himself so stiffly as if afraid he was about to fall apart. He seemed like what the outside of the house had looked like - a shadow of what he had used to be.

They walked through a hallway that was positively shining with wealth. Chandeliers sent light sparkling all around the white, blank walls, and the ground had the softest carpet that Agatha had ever felt. A large, plasma t.v. seemed to be mocking her, placed somewhere in the far left of the room. Agatha inhaled as quietly as she could, but the sharp air conditioned atmosphere still managed to make the breath cut through her chest. All of this wealth swam in front of her, drowning her and making her dizzy. But through all of that, one emotion pushed its way in front of her.

There were no personal touches. On some of the tables placed around the room, there were actually frames for photos, but no pictures. There were no clothes strewn around the couches like at her home, and it was almost completely silent. The crushing sensation of loss surrounded her. Agatha blinked twice, eyes actually watering.

Arthur smiled at them. "Please, sit down. I'm going to call Tedros downstairs."

Agatha gingerly sat down onto one of the couches. They looked as if they had never been sat on. She waited for him to leave the room, but instead he crossed over to the doorway and pressed a button on a sleek, black panel. She gaped at him as he spoke into it. "Tedros? Tedros, you have a visitor."

The irritated voice that replied made Agatha jump; he was practically shouting. "Tell her that I'm not interested."

"It's not - "

The volume increased. He was definitely shouting now. "We broke up weeks ago, Beatrix," the voice yelled. "I don't care about what you have to say, we were together long enough! Stop coming to my house and bugging me all the time!"

Arthur looked at Callis in apology before snapping briskly, "It's not Beatrix. Get down right now, young man."

A loud sigh came from the panel and then Arthur turned and gave a strained smile. He crossed over the room and sat down on one of the other couches across from Agatha and Callis.

A minute later, a boy strode in. Agatha looked up, wondering what she would say - but before she had the chance, the boy began to talk, without looking at any of them. "I'm not interested in anything you have to say, Reena or Giselle or Annabelle, you can tell Beatrix that we're not getting back together, and please stop coming over, I actually have more important things to do - "

She'd prepared a mini speech on where she might tell him roughly that none of this was her idea, and she would tell Tedros she was fine if he said no, but everything flew out of the window as he stopped his rant and stared at her. Agatha wondered briefly if he'd make a sarcastic remark, but Arthur intervened in the quickest and most brutal way possible for Tedros to find out.

"This is Agatha, son, if you remember. She needs your help" - Tedros continued to frown at her as Agatha sat there stiffly - "because she's going to die in a month."

Agatha let out one, small, anguished gasp, almost completely silent. The words made her feel as if she would faint, put so bluntly by a single rich man. She fixed her face, but not before she caught sight of her mother's expression, which looked almost angry. Was she mad at her 'old friend's' tact? But then again, Arthur Pendragon didn't seem like the kind of man to beat around the bushes.

The boy's expression changed. His face, so annoyed before, froze in something that seemed to be half pity and half mortification. Tedros stared blankly at Agatha; she stared straight back at him with no emotion on her face.

A silence so uncomfortable that Agatha swore she could've walked through it hovered over the room.

As she stared straight back at the boy who was looking at her with so much shock, she couldn't help but notice some changes in Tedros, however sly. He was taller than she'd ever seen him - though she hadn't really gotten a good look at him for three years - and his golden blonde hair caught the light easily. His azure blue eyes were wide and surprised. Agatha mentally hit herself for thinking things like that. Azure blue eyes? More like muddy and dark.

Finally, he rasped, "Why?"

Agatha opened her mouth, and then closed it, stunned. For the briefest of moments, she'd had the urge to lie and say she was all right: that she was going to live a good, long life. But for what reason? Had she actually wanted to protect this rude, arrogant boy from the truth for a second?

Again, Arthur cut in, and Agatha wasn't sure if she should be irritated or grateful. "Why don't you two go to another room and she can explain everything to you?"

Tedros nodded stiffly, turned, and walked out of the room with another word. Agatha stood up and followed him, keenly aware of her mother's eyes fixed on her the whole time.

They passed through the hallway silently before he walked up a set of white, pristine steps. Agatha suddenly felt exhausted as she walked up the winding stairs. She felt a stitch in her side, but pushed on.

Tedros finally stopped when they reached what seemed to be the fifth floor. He walked out into the hallway, Agatha lagging slightly behind him. He pushed open a set of doors and they walked into another room. It seemed to be the loneliest of them all, with only a chandelier and carpet. And yet, as she looked around it, Agatha felt slightly... warmed. The room seemed to have felt happier days.

She turned when she saw him sit down in the middle of the room. Slowly, she sat down two feet across from him. He seemed to avoid looking at her; neither of them said anything for several minutes.

Finally, he opened his mouth and said, "Mind you, I think I would have preferred seeing Beatrix today instead of..." He shifted awkwardly. "...no offense."

"No offense?" Agatha suddenly found her voice, indignant. He looked up at her, mouth slightly open. If she wasn't mistaken... Tedros actually looked worried at making her feel bad. He ducked his head and stared at the ground.

"You mean, you'd prefer that clingy girl over me?"

He looked so uncomfortable that Agatha eventually felt sorry for him. "I'm just joking," said Agatha. He looked up and gave a small smile.

She remembered the small speech she had planned, but she'd forgotten everything about the part where she would tell him it was fine if he said no. She bit her lip and felt her neck begin to itch uncomfortably.

"My mother..." Agatha began. She suddenly wondered what her best friend would say; she was in Tedros Pendragon's luxurious house, having a civil conversation, only a few feet away from him. Sophie would likely freak out or gush about him endlessly. "MymotherwantsmstocometoDisneyLandwithyou," she said quickly.

Tedros looked confused.

"Um, like go with you and the rest of the seniors to Disney. Maybe visit the same places..?"

She waited for Tedros to look annoyed, or irritated, or at the least confused. Instead, he laughed. "You're worse than her, really," said Tedros in a wondering tone. He continued to laugh, the same mocking laugh he'd had when making fun of her. "I mean, at the least, you don't have to get my father into this. Seriously, Agatha?"

Agatha felt completely confused. "What..."

He glared at her. "I would have expected Beatrix to do something like this, but she wouldn't have enough brains," he said, his voice dripping with so much disdain that she wanted to cover her ears. "But..." He frowned. "Why would my father say such a thing? Even that's a little drastic."

She felt her neck sear red. Something was wrong. "What on earth are you talking about?" asked Agatha.

Tedros shook his head. "Why would he say you were going to die?" He laughed shortly. "But then again, these days he's not even here half the time."

Agatha felt half horrified to hear all this venom coming out of Tedros' mouth. Then something registered. Why would he say you were going to die?

He seemed to be talking in slow motion; and her ears didn't seem to be working right. She talked right over him: "Wait, you don't believe me?" Agatha stared at his face, blue eyes hard as steel. He looked over her once more, as if he couldn't believe her.

"Get out," said Tedros simply.

He stood up; so did she. But out of the disbelief, anger rose. Slowly at first, but then harder and harder until she was glaring just as hard back. How did this pretty rich boy think she was joking about her own life? She took out the word 'pretty' and replaced it with 'ugly' quickly, ignoring that part.

Fine, she thought angrily. I didn't want you to help me anyway.

Agatha stalked past him. She was almost to the door when she felt a dull throbbing and closed her eyes. A headache pounded its way through her mind, before it receded mostly.

She opened her eyes to see Tedros staring at her. Apparently she'd been standing there longer than she thought.

His face had the same expression from downstairs: mortification, and also the realization that he'd messed up. "Agatha, I'm - I'm sorry..." he managed, face softening. "I... I shouldn't have said that" - he laughed uncomfortably - "I've been spending too much time with Beatrix. I'm sorry - "

Agatha thought of sneering at him and marching out, driving back home with her mother in silence. But his soft blue eyes stared at her apologetically and she slowly crossed back over the room and sat down silently.

"Um, about going to Disney World," he said awkwardly. "Do.. do you want to go into more details?" Agatha remembered his initial reaction; at least this time he wasn't telling her to get out. A silence fell, before Agatha spoke again.

"Really, Tedros?" she asked. "Did you think I liked you or something? Dear god, Tedros, as if I could ever like an egotistical brat." Agatha snorted at the thought.

Tedros turned red in what seemed like less than five seconds. Inwardly, she laughed as he spluttered, "Well, no one would like a witch girl like you."

Agatha tried not to laugh again. His retorts had gotten so much feebler and repetitive. She doubled over and coughed twice into her arm instead of replying.

Almost immediately, he rushed over to her side, one hand placed onto her shoulder as he said frantically, "Agatha, I'm so sorry..." She coughed harder. "I didn't mean to - "

He was evidently under the impression that she was dying.

"Dear god, I'm sorry for all the things I said," continued Tedros. Agatha started laughing harder, burying her head in her lap. "H*ll, I wish I could take everything back - Agatha, I'm so sorry, I was really mean, I - "

She looked up. Something in her expression must've made him feel worse, because he looked down at the ground guiltily, still saying apologies. She wiped a stray tear away.

Then she punched him.

Tedros looked down again, and saw her rolling on the plush, incredible carpet, laughing. "What..."

"Your face," she gasped, trying not to chuckle. "Priceless..." His face, so pale before, turned beet red again. She crossed her legs again, smiling innocently at him. "And that was to get back at everything you've ever said to me."

Tedros was incoherent.

"Now," said Agatha, "let's talk for real."

•t•a•g•a•t•h•a•

This chapter was so fun to write, for some reason!

So many thanks have to go to WritingMyOwnDestiny and bandidaciega for so much encouragement! Check out their fanfictions: Imperfect Queen, Dangerous Games; and Flowers, and Partners In Crime. They're awesome!

Tell me what you think! :)

-CinnamonMaddie