Harry's Shortcoming (Pt. 15)

Harry remembered Silica as always being a firery sort. But always maintained the ability to keep her temper under control, hidden behind a mask of a neutral expression. Unless of course she happened to be in the heat of battle.

Born into a higher position of her people, the instruction to maintain a pleasant demeanor around any and everyone was branded into the very marrow of her bones.

Through all the years of Harry knowing her, she'd maintained that mask. Always having a pleasant face, even in the rare event she disagreed with him about something. Remaining polite with the smallest hint of friendly aggression.

To see her now...

Mask torn away to show the anger truly suppressed all this time...

Made Harry feel like an insignificant stone about to be kicked off of the pathway.

He didn't know how to react for the second time in the past couple of days. What to say. Or do.

He remained on the ground, staring up at his friend who now was a stranger. Someone he wondered would take their Weapon to him.

"Just what do you think you're doing?!"

A voice...

Someone spoke.

Harry finally gasped for breath, realizing it was Silica who spoke, her hands now on her hips as she leaned forward.

"Do you know what I said after Sarah told me what happened last night?! 'You're joking right? You and I both know Harry wouldn't do that! He wouldn't run away and give up either! '"

Silica lurched forward, bending down to grab Harry's collar of his shirt and shoving her nose against his. "I told her you wouldn't be doing this now! I told her the first thing you'd do was try to find the girl and apologize. But this is how I find you?"

Silica reached down and yanked the satchel of food off his arm, slamming it to the ground and food spilling out.

Harry stared down at it, a lump stuck in his throat.

This isn't me...

How can one change so in just the span of a day?

"Silica... I---"

"No! You have no right to defend yourself. How could this of all things make you give up your life here? Since when did you become such a spineless coward?!"

Harry's first response was to fight back. To yell at being called such a thing from someone he'd cherished all his life.

But when he looked back at Silica, the anger gone from her eyes but the passion remaining, tears sparkling in the light. He couldn't fight back.

He knew she was breaking apart inside.

Unable to understand what was going on.

Trying to figure out how he'd changed so much. And who this new person was.

How she could fix it.

How much it was hurting her heart to look back into his eyes right now.

All her life Harry was someone she could depend on. Someone she shared everything with. He'd been her rock as much as she was his.

And now he was crumbling away at the first breeze.

The lump in Harry's throat grew. He knew he'd have to make a break for it quickly.

I can't make this even worse for her by crying like a baby.

There's no way someone could depend on such a weakling...

A weakling I've become...

He couldn't take it.

He had to leave.

Leave Silica.

Leave the Academy.

Leave this life.

Harry ripped away Silica's hand on his collar and jumped to his feet. He ran with all his might down the corridor.

To Lady Katayama's office.

It didn't matter if she was there or not.

He was getting that key.

And leaving forever.