Fatefall - 32

Chapter 32 - Jett

In a cruel twist of, well, Fate, I became the captive of my own prisoner.

“I’ll take one of everything,” Sage stated plainly, somehow managing to keep a straight face while Jett had to hide his laughter with a cough.

The baker stared blankly at Sage. “One of…everything?”

Sage didn’t react. “That’s what I said, isn’t it?”

“You want one of every single pastry?” the baker clarified, unable to hide his disbelief. 

“You’re right, that is ridiculous,” Sage laughed. “Just one of each of the cakes, if you will.” 

Jett could’ve lived off of Sage’s laughter alone. 

They took their seats by the window overlooking the beach to wait for the baker to deliver the cakes. Sage was wearing that golden scarf again and Jett was having trouble focusing on anything else. And the worst part? Sage seemed to notice. 

“Like the view?” Sage asked, raising a brow.

Jett blinked, hastily glancing out the window to the ocean waves lapping at the sand and the setting sun. “Oh, yes. It’s beautiful.”

Sage rolled his eyes. “Y’know, for having the Grace of Deceit, you’re a horrible liar.”

“Y’know, for a rich kid, you’re not very good at playing the damsel in distress,” Jett shot back.

“Oh, really?” Sage crossed his arms. “Please enlighten me as to your expectations.”

“Well, for one, the damsel doesn’t save himself,” Jett said. “He generally has a handsome prince who comes along and rescues him.”

“Calling yourself a prince is a bit of a stretch.”

“Secondly,” Jett continued as though he hadn’t heard. “The damsel generally rewards the prince with some sort of prize.”

“I’m literally buying you a bakery worth of cakes.”

“And lastly, the damsel and the prince fall in love and live happily ever after,” Jett finished.

“Happily ever after, huh?” Sage repeated. “What exactly does happily ever after entail?”

“Kissing,” Jett answered simply, feeling a blush rise to his cheeks. 

Luckily, the baker chose that moment to return with the cakes, sparing Jett from any further embarrassment. He sat a dozen slices of cake on the table before disappearing, evidently bothered to actually have to work. 

To be fair, most of the other shops that Sage and Jett had passed on their walk had been closed. It probably had to do with the missing people that Koda mentioned, but to Jett it was a bit of an inconvenience. How was he supposed to take Sage to sample all of the bakeries if only one was open?

At least this bakery had a good selection of cakes to choose from.

Sage poked at a slice of blue cake and made a face. “Isn’t blue generally nature’s color for 'don't eat me’?”

Jett shrugged. “I doubt this guy would still be in business if he poisoned his customers.”

“You never know,” Sage said suspiciously. He shoved the plate of blue cake toward Jett. “You’re welcome to try that one first.”

And so the taste-testing began. 

Later, Jett couldn’t recall half of the jokes he made or the majority of the flavors he tasted. Chocolate was still his favorite by far, but he had a new respect for vanilla, although that may have been Sage’s doing. 

Also Sage’s doing was the frosting now crusted in Jett’s hair. 

Okay, so maybe that had been partially Jett’s fault too. Neither of them had dared to touch the odd blue cake, and in an act of desperation, Jett had flung a forkful at Sage, nailing him dead in the cheek. So, naturally, Sage had retaliated by grabbing the rest of the slice and smashing it over Jett’s head. Soon, they were both covered in icing and the floor was sticky. Needless to say the baker had been furious and they were given a lifetime ban from the bakery. 

Determined not to let the evening end there, Jett suggested they walk along the beach and Sage took him up on the offer. 

By now, the sky was dark and the wind had picked up speed. The ocean waves were unruly, and instead of lapping at the shore, they attacked it viciously. Clouds hid the moon and stars from view. Jett sensed that a storm was coming. 

Meanwhile, Sage scoured the sand for every seashell he could find. It was so adorable that Jett didn’t have the heart to tell him that half the “shells” he was finding were actually other people’s trash. 

“Ooh, that looks like a big one!” Sage exclaimed, gesturing to a lump in the sand not far away. Jett stifled a laugh as Sage ran towards it…and suddenly froze. 

Jett followed his gaze. Three, no, five figures approached at a leisurely pace.

Sage returned to Jett’s side, his expression a mixture of worry and anger. “We need to go. Now.”

“What?” The word was louder than Jett meant, but he was really hoping that their walk could last a little longer. He hadn’t even got the chance to offer Sage his jacket yet.

“Jett, please listen to me. Just this once.”

“Is it those people? Do you know them?”

Sage sighed, which was confirmation enough. “Please, Jett. It’s not worth it to pick a fight with them. Trust me, I know from experience--”

“You’ve fought them before?” Jett asked, sort of surprised. He’d always thought of Sage as more of the quiet, scholarly type than the getting into petty scuffles kind of kid. “Did they hurt you?”

“It’s not relevant--”

“That’s a yes then.”

“Let’s just get out of here--”

“Sage,” Jett interrupted, taking Sage’s hands in his. “I’ll handle this, okay? I can teach this people a lesson--”

“Don’t hurt them,” Sage pleaded. His brow wrinkled with concern. “They…they’re probably drunk. They’re always drunk. I’m an easy target. They didn’t mean anything they did.”

“I want to protect you,” Jett whispered truthfully.

Sage’s hands were suddenly cupping Jett’s cheeks, the touch gentle and reverent, as though Sage was cradling a baby bird rather than a person. “I know, Jett. Trust me, I know. But this is something I have to face alone, and I’d prefer if it didn’t end in bloodshed.”

A valid concern, even if Jett disagreed. “Fine,” he relented. “I’ll be right beside you, but I won’t attack. Not unless you really need saving, my little damsel.”

Sage didn’t even blush, which made Jett sick to his stomach. Fates, Sage was expecting this to go south fast.

If Sage didn’t want him to fight with words or fists, fine, Jett would oblige him. That didn’t mean he couldn’t use his appearance, though. He allowed his Grace to swirl around him, picturing himself as taller, stronger, and more intimidating. While he couldn’t create an exact replication of a person through his illusions, he could still borrow traits. He stole Adrian’s high cheekbones and Nakoa’s piercing gaze and Poppy’s lithe stance.

“What are you doing?” Sage hissed out of the corner of his mouth.

“Doing my duty,” Jett said. “If my damsel wants to fight his own battles, then so be it. But Fates-be-darned if I won’t be by his side, ready to catch him if he stumbles.”

The figures were close enough now that Jett could make out a few features. 

They were all boys around his age, varying in size and shape but rather muscular. The one in the front wasn’t the tallest or the strongest, but he carried a knife and an ego bigger than Adrian’s and Poppy’s combined. Compared to these stocky teenage bullies, Sage seemed like more of a rich kid than ever.

“Casey,” Sage acknowledged, his voice sharp and emotionless.

The boy with the knife raised a brow. “Sage.”

“I see you brought a few friends. Were you out terrorizing innocent classmates?” Sage remarked calmly. 

“And you’ve found a friend as well. Did you buy him, or did you rescue him from an orphanage?” Casey said, ignoring Sage’s question. 

The comment hit a little too close to home. If I don’t win this Tournament, I will be an orphan, Jett realized. He hated this Casey kid already. 

Sage laid a hand on Jett’s forearm, perhaps as a warning not to take the bait. 

“Well, as much as I wish I could say it’s a pleasure to see you again, it really isn’t,” Sage said. “Now if you’ll excuse me--”

Casey raised the knife, his eyes roaming over Jett’s form before flicking back to the Sage. “I was actually just beginning to enjoy our little chat. You see, we’ve missed you back at the university. Where have you been?”

“Busy,” Sage answered curtly, his grip tightening around Jett’s wrist.

“Busy getting busy, if you know what I mean,” snickered the kid to Casey’s left with a very pointed look at Sage’s hand on Jett’s arm. 

Jett leveled him with a glare that he hoped conveyed all of his hatred for these boys. 

“Would you be jealous if I said yes, Wayne?” Sage smirked. 

The boy--Wayne--rolled his eyes, but there was no mistaking the embarrassed flush of his cheeks. 

“I’ve heard rumors,” Casey interjected, a cruel smile tilting the edges of his lips upward. “Your father has been very distant lately, Sage. Supposedly, poor Franklin’s only son has gone a bit…mad.”

Sage frowned. “Whatever you’ve heard, it’s a lie.”

“Ah, but is it? Lawrence saw something rather interesting the other day,” Casey said, gesturing to the boy on his right, who grinned maliciously. “Franklin and Jackie were escorting their son through the city when he had a fit in public---and he hasn’t been seen since. I highly doubt it’s coincidental. So let’s be honest with each other for a minute, Sage. Is this little friend of yours a nursemaid? I bet that’s the only way you’re allowed out of the house---if you’re on a leash.”

Sage’s shoulders shook and Jett’s heart wrenched. He couldn’t believe Sage was letting these boys treat him this way, but he kept true to his word and didn’t interfere. 

“Get away from me,” Sage spat through gritted teeth.

“I’m itching for a fight, though,” Casey protested, throwing his arms wide as though asking for Sage to attack him. “It’s been so long since I got to pummel your scrawny--”

“Go home, Casey. I’m not worth it.”

“Aren’t you?” Casey glanced at his friends and gave a bitter chuckle. “Always top of our class, the teacher’s favorite, richest kid in the city---perhaps maybe the royals themselves. You don’t understand what it feels like to work, beg, or want. So I will make you work to survive, beg to live, and after I’m done with you, you’ll want. You’ll want an escape from the pain and you’ll want me to leave you alone and then, just when you think it’s over, I’ll make you want to die.”

Fates. Jett’s heart pounded against his chest. Maybe Sage had been right to assume this meeting wouldn’t go well. 

Jett took a step forward, placing himself between Casey and Sage. He could smell the cheap alcohol wafting off of the other boys. They were drunk. Drunk to the point of irrationality. 

He was done being passive. 

“I’ll give you one warning,” he growled, his Grace dropping his voice a few octaves. “If you harm Sage in any way, shape, or form, I’ll make you wish you were never born.”

Casey scoffed. “As if you could take us. It’s five versus two, babysitter, and that’s if you even count Sage as a person.”

Jett seethed but made no move. He glanced at Sage, hoping his question was evident in his expression. Let me help you, he pleaded. Sage seemed to be on the verge of tears. He nodded once, the message clear. Do what you need to do.

Jett turned back to face Casey and the other boys, daring them to attack. 

Casey was the first to lunge, leaping towards Sage with his knife ready. Only Sage’s Tournament training spared him as he jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding the blade. Unfortunately, the other four boys were close behind. 

Jett threw a punch and managed to take out one of the boys, but it earned him a kick to the chest from Wayne. He stumbled backwards.

Sage, meanwhile, was now attempting to fight Casey and the two remaining boys at once. He swept Casey off his feet with a kick and ducked under a punch, but the third boy cuffed him in the side of the head. Sage lost his balance and fell to the sand, where the other boys descended on him like vultures. 

Jett could hear the sound of the punches. Could taste Sage’s blood as though it was his own. 

His Grace flared, begging to be used. Jett obliged. 

Normally it took physical touch for him to send an illusion into another person’s mind, but his adrenaline fueled his power. He flung out his Grace and twisted the world to his will. He filled one of the boy’s lungs with water and set another one aflame. He left a third blind and broke every bone in Wayne’s body. 

And Casey? Jett wanted to kill him outright for all of the things he’d said and done to Sage over the years, but he couldn’t suffer if he was dead. There were a dozen tortures that Jett had planned for Casey. He let Casey endure the pain of bleeding out and then drove the breath from his lungs, and just when he was about to pass out, Jett let him breathe again only to turn to a new torture--

“Jett! Stop! You’re scaring me!”

The world crashed around him and suddenly Jett was on his knees, panting heavily.

Around him lay the twitching forms of Casey and his friends and…oh, Fates, was that Sage?

Jett cursed under his breath, scrambling to Sage’s side. 

Sage pushed himself into a sitting position, grimacing with the effort. Jett noted that the side of his face was already beginning to bruise from the punch he’d taken. “Fates, Jett, what did you do to them?”

Jett’s voice cracked when he tried to answer. “I…I don’t know. My Grace…”

He didn’t know how to convey what a monster he was. How evil did someone have to be to be willing to torture others? To enjoy it, in some cruel way. He couldn’t very well explain that to Sage. 

“We should probably get out of here,” Sage sighed. “Whatever your Grace did to the boys, it’s not going to last for much longer.”

Jett nodded his agreement, not quite trusting his voice.

Sage paused, his eyes meeting Jett’s. “Hey, are you okay? Casey and his friends didn’t hurt you, right?”

No, I was the one who hurt them. Sage had to know that, too. Hadn’t he been the one to break Jett from his stupor? Jett! Stop! You’re scaring me! How touching for Sage to be concerned for Jett’s wellbeing when Jett had been the one to cause the most harm. The thought made him sick to his stomach.

“I’m fine,” he lied, the words bitter. “But you’re injured. We should get you to Poppy so she can heal you.”

Sage nodded, and then winced when he tried to stand up. “Would my big, strong prince be willing to give me a hand?”

Jett smiled, though it felt forced. “Anything for you, Goldie.”

Author's Note

I really struggle with writing any sort of romance whatsoever, so let me know what I could do to improve.