Benevolence

Chapter 11

Will didn't get that. He supposed James was close to discovering something that he had been observing for a while now and he conveniently told Will this after taking him to his room, like he was sure he'd find out about his assumptions. Brilliant and as he looked up James locked the door.

Sighing he watched James sit back down and asked him what he wanted of him.

James looking surprised at his bluntness, shook his head and gave him a look filled with determination as he said, ‘Look Will, these past few days weird stuff has been happening and you don't seem at all surprised. Today with mom and dad you weren't at all taken aback like ‘Livia and I were, in fact you looked a bit pleased with yourself. And then you've somehow got everyone round your finger at school even getting a girlfriend.’

Will shaken by how James had looked into his life so thoroughly, was about to defend himself when James put up a finger to shush him.

‘And then R becomes your best friend again after weeks of loathing you especially after the tantrum she threw at you last month after which you were caught in hospital with Theo's life support electrode....’

James's face took a paler pallor and his gusto faded away as he realised he shouldn't have said what he had. Meanwhile Will was shell shocked. How did James remember what had happened and not anyone else? That shouldn't have happened......he had made everyone forget.

Staring at James searchingly his pause had given James enough time to gather his courage and begin his tirade again.

‘Yes for some unknown reason that isn't on the records anymore and no one remembers that you killed him but me. I suppose keeping a journal with complete faith in yourself helps you realise things, which gives me a niggling feeling that you're behind this, especially since for the past two days I have seen you with people who have become happier because they found extra change or a crazy idea that made their life better. YOU WERE ALWAYS WITH THEM AND THEN....AND THEN MY GIRLFRIEND BROKE UP WITH ME OVER THE STUPIDEST REASONS AND I SEE YOU WITH THIS TENSE YET KNOWING LOOK AT THE STAIRS COMFORTING ME. NONE OF THIS MAKES ANY SENSE BUT IT IS YOU. I KNOW IT. I MEAN PEOPLE THINK I AM STUPID I KNOW YOU DO TOO BUT I CAN PUT IT TOGETHER, ALRIGHT? I SAW HOW THE TRIAL SWAYED YOUR WAY AND THOUGH I HAVE NO f*****g IDEA HOW YOU CAN DO ANY OF THIS YOU DID BUT I WANT TO, ESPECIALLY AS I WANT MY GIRLFRIEND BACK!!!’

Will sighed and looked up at James's breathless face not knowing what to say. He couldn't tell him but maybe if he did he wouldn't feel so alone and scared about this whole thing. Deciding to do the right thing he turned to James and said in as steady a voice as he could because damn, James's frustrated and vulnerable expression made him want to hug him but he had to be strong and chill whilst telling James so he replied to his exclamation.

‘Look James I know how it sounds and really I am the obvious culprit here but honestly you think I had some secret power to enable me to whizz through all that like you said? I mean if I did I would have cleared myself of Theo's case ages ago but see I don't which sucks. Look James maybe your skills of deduction aren't as infallible as you like to think and I talked to all those people you saw. Maybe i slipped in some cash or put in a great word who knows, alright? I'm trying to redeem myself here and your accusations aren't helping at all.’

James stood frozenm staring icily at him with a flabergastered expression on his face. It was a dangerous look that darkened when Will didn't say anything more and his jaw twitched a couple of times before he fisted his hand and told Will to get out of his room.

Will being much obliged to do so proceeded to leave when James tugged him back a little saying, ‘I don't for one minute believe any of the crap you've just dished out to me but I will get to the bottom of this because everything has your name on it, Will and even if you've gotten rid of your tell tale ear twitch I know a fibber when I see one.’

With that he was flung out into the corridor and yet again the door was slammed into his face. When he was sure James wasn't around Will stared into a mirror and tried to figure out what had happened. He had meant to tell James everything but the words stayed literally lodged in his throat. Then a sort of calm had come over him lulling his senses and numbing him.

He heard everything his mouth had said but it wasn't him. He was so drowsy when he'd said what he did but sounded very clear. This was scary and eerily connected to his black out where Theo had said he had hurt him which he didn't remember because of the blackness.

Staring in the mirror he took a step back when he saw his eyes. His normally forest green eyes had a slight sliver of black dancing around them only observable to the intent onlooker. He hadn't uttered what James had heard because he was hazy at that exact time and his real phrases were stuck in his throat. Whatever or whomever had spoken with his voice had also caused him to black out and used him to hurt Theo.

Like a puppet controlling his actions.

He wondered if that same force gave him the power to wish. Trembling he put a hand to his cheek and wondered what he had done to deserve this. He had tried being the good child his entire life and so ignoring his efforts some weird force or voodoo was performed on him to enable him to get possessed, to wish for stuff and also control his actions.

Every teenagers wish come true. God James must be feeling like he's an absolute jerk right now and Will felt even more scared- if that were possible – because whatever this thing was didn't want him getting help and James had come so close, so close to figuring it out that with the slightest nudge he would have and then he would have someone to help him with this mess he was in.

He only just realised how bad his situation was. His trial, redemption and reputation seemed like minor things in light of new discoveries but he was adamant that James would find out with his subtle help.

With brevity he didn't know he possessed he made a vow to stop wishing no matter how tempting it was because whatever this thing was appeared to be getting stronger with the wishes he made.

Well he wasn't completely sure but it was the most logical reasoning he had. He would try his hardest to cut it off.

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The next few weeks were the calmest weeks of his life as well as the most stressful. In those weeks he got to live the life he had always wanted to but was pushed away from except a few blips slightly ruined them.

From getting into the hottest and most popular gang at school, bunking chemistry with them to shoplift at Debenhams, river island or nine west and living up the dance floor at the wildest parties that Bella threw he had it all whilst still keeping to his no wish policy.

It strickened him to see the stark contrast in the changed lifestyles of his and James's. Where James had done all that Will was finally doing the tables had turned 360 degrees and James was now the one moping around and withdrawing into a shell.

He hadn't wanted that. He knew people missed James and his friends constantly tried to get him back. The only time the light in James's eyes were truly alive was when he was attempting to win back Sara.

It was painful to see James reduced to the desperate mess that he was. Will had to walk past Sara's house almost every other day to drag James back home before or after he embarrassed himself. Being an aspiring musician and singer James tried to win her back by singing to her and once on the weekend spent the night asleep on her porch.

And it was all Will's fault so he took care of James feeding him chocolate, dinners and trying to make him laugh but his every attempt was pushed back in his face with the sad look that James gave him.

All the plates and empty wrappers were returned through the door and Will accepted that some of the help was received.

Everything was sort of fine until the string of dates came. It was February 9th and Bella decided to make a new valentine's tradition for them. That they would go on a date every day of that week and end on the 15th.

And she would post it on i********: for a challenge. Well it sounded nice and so he indulged her. If he'd known how the nights would go he would never have agreed to the nefarious idea.

Okay the idea wasn't nefarious. At all.

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On the Monday the 12th of February they went out to the cinema where they watched Love Rosie; a perfect romance movie for the two of them.

Unfortunately halfway through the film he made a comment on Bethany's sleaziness and sluttiness which Bella took offence to saying that for some people that wasn't sluttiness but normal however society condemned them with foul names creating a bad image for them. Like he had just then. To add to the mortification she stood up and walked out with him running after her whilst apologising to annoyed viewers for the inconvenience. Once outside he apologised profusely and they kissed making up.

The second night they had gone ice skating with her friend and her boyfriend. When the girls had gone for hot chocolates he was left alone with the guy who made snarky comments on his status and sexuality, even trying to hit on him. This infuriated Will and he let out his annoyance about the ‘ponce’ in quite a crude and spiteful manner until Bella yelled at him, telling him that he was her cousin who was nothing but an angel what with the couple being together for 2 years. Again he apologised and they made up.

The third night consisted on a warm restaurant dinner and absolutely nothing would go wrong here he had thought to the sweet music coming from the band. The food was delicious but again the night was an utter disaster. He had noticed a bit of sauce on her lip and when he pointed it out she had looked around pissed before scrunching her nose to lick it off. Her movements were hilarious making him burst into peals of laughter and they had then successfully gained the attention of the entire room which went much noticed by a humiliated Bella who rose to her feet and slapped him hard before hurrying out of the restaurant in tears.

That had been Valentine's Day and she refused to answer any texts that night, leaving him wondering whether she was going with him to the Valentine Dance. As it turns out she was ready in a deep red mini dress when he arrived in his classic tux. God they looked a picture. After begging for her forgiveness he showered her in roses before packing her, giggling into the car and strutting into the hall with his ‘queen’.

He never knew girlfriends were such trouble but the last act of a horrendous week had to be the punch he spilt on her when spinning her too close to it during the dance and ruining her expensive silk dress. Yeah he sucked big time.

Funnily enough ‘he’ hadn't done any of these things yet the words did fly out of his mouth and the actions were performed by his body yet not by him.

By the thing he was trying to suppress and it scared him that it had such control over him even when he didn't ‘feed’ it.

To make matters worse James knew everything yet hadn't said anything since the time Will had pushed him off.

Even stranger and terrifying were the frequent blackouts he was experiencing in places unknown to him; even in an alley in Blackpool!

And it was often accompanied with bruises and scars upon his face and sometimes fresh blood dripping of his knuckles. This happened about six times before the incident.

Although once another guy lay bleeding in front of him and he quickly dialled 999 before going home.

He had persuaded Dad to end his therapy sessions after secretly recording a session and showing him. Everything seemed normal but wasn't really because he was having a battle internally with his taken over mind as he walked down the stairs, as he ate breakfast and as he hung out with his friends.

Everywhere and at anytime he was fighting a battle he was close to losing.

And before he knew it his world shattered before him as he lost in the cruellest way imaginable.

As if Theo wasn't enough....

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