18 Ch. 18 The Ending Before the Beginning

Myrddin is a little upset Christin caved in so easily. But he won't complain. He's got his answers and plenty of evidence to screw over everyone involved that is guilty.

The best part is, he doesn't need to do more than leave some things anonymously at the police station. The police would have to come to school and interrogate those accused / involved and make sure the anonymous tip and evidence isn't false. And when they are proved guilty the punishments will set in.

The seniors losing scholarships? That's the least of their worry. Or at least the least of Zack's worry. He's got possession of illegal substances, sexual assault, sex with minors, and the criminal charges for dousing Myrddin in the liquid.

And when Myrddin was told all this… he just had to play dumb. And man is it easy to do. He took a few tips from Lydia's book and used them.

"Why? Zack, how could you? You even talked to me when we were in the same class, pretended to be friends for weeks… How could you look at me every day and pretend what you did to me was just and deserved?" Myrddin pretended to be shocked and a little hurt at the 'betrayal' from the Student Council President.

And turns out the reason is…

He wouldn't say. Zack Damian just wouldn't tell anyone why he did such a thing. And Myrddin was fine with that. Mostly because Zack would be going away for a long time. He wouldn't be seeing the light of day for a long time.

Ms. Christin left town 2 months after Myrddin confronted her. And the anonymous evidence appeared 1 week after she was gone.

Myrddin stayed true to his words. The photos he left on her desk weren't the ones he released. So technically he didn't lie. Christin said 'these photos' and Myrddin didn't release those photos. Those pictures didn't see the light of day. He had many other photos that he anonymously released once she left and combined it with the evidence Zack was charged with.

Ms. Christin tried claiming Zack forced himself on her. Myrddin played dumb when she brought him up, that he knew it was happening. He said he thought she was one of the good teachers and feels hurt that she wouldn't stop anyone from doing this to him. And he asked why she would try and claim he knew about her relationship with students. Obviously his words were more thought out, but that's the gist.

A bonus from this was how happy his mom was when she found out the police caught the bastards that did such a cruel thing to her son. It was one of the few times Myrddin saw his mom cry with joy. Other times was when his father came home.

The media exploded a bit. But it also just got swept into the whirlwind of news around the US. Sure some people saw it, but they just moved onto the next more interesting topic after they got bored.

The school was shocked by what happened between Ms. Christin and students and had to do of PR recovery. Parents weren't happy. That was a pretty big mess for a while.

It was something Myrddin enjoyed. The school had been too lax in the past, and with this they would have to be on their toes for a change.

——————

Myrddin is at the vet clinic in the kennel with a cat on his lap while he checked on its bandage. It was purring and enjoying some treats laced with the good stuff so it wasn't in too much pain and the wound wouldn't get infected. It also had to wear a cone around its neck so it didn't aggravate its wound either.

Deaton walks through the door and sees Myrddin on the ground with the cat. He grabs a clipboard from the wall and begins to do some daily checks on some of the animals. "I heard about the kids that… as you put it… 'Carrie-ed' you got what they deserved at your school the other day. Something about receiving a lot of anonymous tips and evidence all of a sudden?"

Myrddin re-wraps the cats wound and responds. "Yes. There were 16 other students besides the first 5 that were caught and there was even a teacher involved too. Me and my family are glad to have some closure"

Deaton gives Myrddin a side-eye. "And you wouldn't have had anything to do with the 'closure' would you?"

Myrddin scratches the cats chin. "I believe the tips and evidence was given anonymously? So who's to say"

Deaton's gaze goes back to the cages of animals and he begins taking down the things only he, the vet, can write down. He also checks the work Myrddin did and doesn't see any errors. "Well I hope for that anonymous person that they stay anonymous. Some people aren't too happy about this. Specifically a handful of parents and some group in the next town over"

"Good thing that person did this anonymously then" Myrddin places the cat into its cage and watches at it sticks its paw out to try and keep Myrddin's attention. Myrddin sticks his finger into the cage and the cat rubs it's cheeks against it and playfully bites it.

Deaton silently sighs. "It's a very good thing. I'm happy your family got the closure you were all looking for"

"Thank you Dr. Deaton" Myrddin gives him a smile.

——————

Myrddin is walking between the trees of the Beacon Hills Preserve.

There was a vision, and it sort of told him where the stump is.

The stump suddenly appeared in a vision that he had as soon as he woke up in the morning. Or to be specific, just before he woke up. Myrddin thought it was just a dream, however, he was able to hear, smell, and feel with a bit of disconnection or distortion. This was how he knew it was one of his visions. And it lasted longer than usual this time.

It showed him walking into the Preserve with the twig in hand until he eventually reached the stump. Once at the stump he walked up to it and placed his right hand on it. And after that…. He woke up back to reality.

Myrddin remembers the route he saw in the vision and follows it to the best of his memory. What helps is that there is almost a pull on Myrddin towards a direction that happens to be the way to the stump.

Is he freaked out? Not necessarily.

With the visions he already thinks he's crazy, so if he finds his way to a magically disappearing stump in the middle of the Preserve without a map or compass what else is new?

That would be new. But that's besides the point.

After 10 minutes of walking he knows he is close. The feeling has only gotten stronger with each step forward.

The sun is beginning to set and the darkness begins to creep closer and closer to Myrddin. The cloudless sky changes colors as day begins to turn to night.

Myrddin continues to walk on until a mist creeps in from nowhere and only gets thicker the longer he keeps walking.

If he didn't feel like he was right next to the stump he would have stopped and been concerned. But it felt like it was right there, only a few more feet in front of him.

The beating of his heart grew louder and louder as he drew closer to the stump. He felt almost as if he was in a trance at this point. Like it didn't matter how far away it was, he would continue until he reached it.

The mist stayed on the forest floor for a while but then it rose up. It eventually got so thick Myrddin couldn't see more than 15 feet in front of him. And it was at around this point that he saw a light through the mist.

Unknown was the time it took for Myrddin to get to the clearing where the stump is. The moon was in the clear and starry sky and shining down onto the stump. The mist stayed at the border of the clearing and gave an even more mystical feeling to the surrounding and view.

His hand holding the twig feels a little tingly, but then again so does his feet. He isn't sure how long he's been walking but he won't stop now that he finally made it to the stump.

Walking up to the giant stump he felt something well up in his chest and abdomen. It was unlike anything he had felt before. It was growing more and more restless by the second.

Reaching out his hand towards the stump, this feeling just grew more and more intense. The feeling was euphoric and kept building exponentially until he placed his hand on the stump and the feeling began spreading out from his chest and abdomen to his arms, legs, and head. But after that it began dissipating.

Myrddin looked strangely at the stump and then down at his hand. He took his hand from the stump and looked at his palm. There wasn't anything there. Nothing. No tingling or euphoric sensation building up inside anymore. In fact, he felt more sober than he had ever felt before.

His body felt… better.

Like a weight had been lifted off of his everything, physically and mentally. And he felt so full of energy. His mind feels like it was just given a deep cleaning. His thoughts weren't muddled down and he felt… happy. For seemingly no reason.

Myrddin takes a deep breath as he looks up at the full moon hanging high in the sky above him. Basking in the moonlight he closes his eyes and enjoys the moment.

But all good things must come to an end. He opens his eyes and looks at the surrounding trees. There is a path through the mist and at this point he's kinda just accepted this strange type of thing. What this is? Who knows.

He half expected that weird voice in the back of his head to talk or convince him to do something. But he's glad it didn't. Listening to the weird voices in your head don't exactly lead to good things most of the time.

After taking in the atmosphere of this giant stump he walks back out into the woods.

After he walks into the mist he looks back and isn't surprised when the clearing and giant stump have mysteriously disappeared. And the mist itself begins to dissipate back to wherever it came from to begin with.

Looking around all he can see are trees, trees, and more trees.

"Ruh-Roh" Myrddin mutters to himself as he realizes he doesn't exactly know the way back.

"Caval?" He half-heartedly asks the empty woods around him.

A cricket and gust of wind is his only response.

Knowing that there is only one way out, he begins walking forward as he takes his phone out and sees it's already 9:37pm even though the sun just set what felt like minutes ago. Thank God for that portable battery.

——————

"I'm home" Myrddin says as he gets inside the house.

"You really like cutting it close nowadays do t you?" Ada jokes from her recliner.

"Sorry about that" Myrddin takes his shoes off and goes towards the stairs.

Ada looks at her soon and squints. "Did you get taller?"

Myrddin raises his eyebrows. "I don't think so… why?"

"Because…" Ada pushes herself up from her comfy seat and walks over to her son. "… I'm your mother. It's a superpower to know when my kids change"

"That's some superpower" Myrddin jokes as he rolls his eyes.

"You're like, an inch taller!" Ada exclaims. "I used to be taller than you, but now we're almost the same height! Poo…." She slouches her shoulders after comparing their height.

"Are you sure?" Myrddin feels like he's still shorter.

"Unfortunately, why do you kids grow so fast?! Pretty soon you and Gwen are gonna grow taller than me, and then I'll shrink…. Oh wow is me~" Ada dramatically complains.

"If I actually am growing taller it's a miracle. I'm going to bed mom, big test tomorrow. Love you" Myrddin makes his way up the steps.

Ada rests her right arm on the railing at the bottom of the stairs. "Good night smarty pants. Love you too"

——————

Last class the next day

Myrddin is in his usual P.E. clothes. Just a plain black tshirt and black shorts.

Erica exits the locker room in her gym clothes as well. She's wearing a baggy shirt and shorts.

"Are you feeling alright Erica? You look like your a little under the weather" Myrddin asks as he walks over to the girl.

"Wh- oh. I'm fine. I think I'm just running a little hot today or something" She puts the back of her hand to her forehead for a few moments before lowering her em back to her side. "Did you get new shoes or something?"

They both look down at his same old Nike running shoes.

"No, why do you ask?" Myrddin watches as Erica tucks some of her hair behind her left ear.

She shrugs before explaining. "I used to have to look down to look you in your eyes before"

Myrddin sighs. "I still have to look slightly up to look you in the eyes Erica"

"I meant I had to look down MORE" Erica explains.

"Wow, thanks…" Myrddin knows he's short.

Erica waves her hand. "That's not what I-!"

*Loud Whistle Noise!!!*

"Everyone get up and get a move on! You know how this works!" The P.E. teacher shouts as he sits down on a chair that groans under the weight of the man.

Myrddin and Erica end their conversation and begin running.

Much to Myrddin's surprise…. he's even slower today. Erica leaves him in the dust along with every other student.

All that feeling good yesterday and it's doing no good.

Amazing...

——————

As the days turn to weeks the weeks turn to months and the months eventually lead to the end of the school year.

He did grow an inch. And then didn't grow for a month. Then grew an inch the following month. And then nothing the next. It was a cruel cycle that left him confused and his mom laughing after she came to terms with him finally being her height. A nice 5'10" tall.

His mom wasn't the only one to notice his height growth either. Erica noticed it too. But she remained faster than Myrddin.

Deaton also noticed. Not because he saw a difference in Myrdinn's height compared to his own, but because he saw a difference in Myrddin's height. Deaton is a very observant and perceptive man, and he would be concerned if he didn't take notice of Myrddin's sudden growth over the last months.

Caval was… well Caval was Caval. The coyote didn't seem to care about Myrddin or his talking and just used him as a pillow or a makeshift chew toy. Even when Myrddin brought a bone or real chew toy Caval chose to play bite him instead. Myrddin didn't know whether to feel happy or mad at the coyote for choosing him.

——————

The finals were a breeze. Shocker, right?

Anyway, Myrddin plans to continue working with Deaton at the vet clinic through summer break. And since he turns 16 in a few days he can work more hours.

He also has his drivers test set up on his birthday, the 6th of June. He will get his license and will be able to drive around instead of walking.

Now walking isn't a bad thing, but if he can drive then he can free up some extra time. And when it rains he won't be stuck under an umbrella that threatens to take him off the ground when there's a strong wind.

His hair at this point is ready to be cut. But it would be very short if he wants to get rid of all the red. So he decides to leave it until the beginning of the next school year.

Speaking of the next school year, the Wyllt family will be staying for a bit longer than a year! His mom even said it's likely they'll spend a 2nd year at Beacon Hills, much to Gwen's chagrin. But Myrddin likes hearing that.

Beacon Hills has this unique allure to it that seems to have ensnared Myrddin.