prince ♛ cole mackenzie

29 | oceans you haven't felt

Silas lifted an apple from the basket atop the kitchen counter and crouched to tie his shoelaces. His stomached filled with emptiness at the sight of his mother lifting a small oval picture off the soon-to-be-bare wall.

"You should start packing today," she told him vacantly.

He responded in a nod and hurried to leave, eager to see Cole and make sure he was alright. Perhaps he should have walked him home. To be safe.

Silas carried the worry to the schoolyard. He met Jane and Diana among the other girls at their table, greeting them with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. Cole was not inside at his desk, which only intensified his concern.

"Hi," said Jane, airily.

"Hello, Silas," added Diana. Josie gave him a single cold glance of disapproval.

Ruby let out a gentle sigh. "Doesn't Gilbert look just so clever with all his books? I hope he doesn't go to medical school, he'd be oh so far away."

"I doubt he'd leave without proposing to you, Ruby. You'd have to accept then," Tillie remarked.

"We could have a forbidden romance! What do you think, Diana? I read a book about it once so I could discuss the words with Gilbert."

"That's . . . romantical! You could, uhm, have a hidden wedding somewhere beautiful and invite only seven guests so that nobody finds out until you return to Avonlea." Diana's smile seemed rather forced.

Tillie's eyes twinkled. "I do hope you'd invite me. I've always wanted to be a bridesmaid. With so many ribbons!"

"I'd be maid of honour, of course?" said Josie.

"I must ask Anne first. I did promise her . . ."

Billy's voice rose over Ruby. "All those books and sculptures . . . I took out one— I shot every one."

Silas shot his head in the direction of his loathsome group. Billy seemed to notice he had gained his attention, now casually strolling towards them.

"What books and sculptures?" Silas demanded quietly.

"Oh, all those sappy poems. And I think I improved those sculptures, don't you agree?"

"You—"

A hand pushing Silas away from Billy prevented his response from being heard. Cole was attacking Billy, with the all of the rage he seemed to have kept inside for what looked like the past decade. They grappled on the wooden floor to cries of the few surrounding students that cared for either of the boys.

"Cole!" Silas exclaimed.

"Stop it!" shrieked Diana. "No, no, no! Don't hurt him!"

From the corner of his eye he thought he saw Gilbert Blythe block another boy from helping Billy. His attention was already seized, resting on the heater they were rapidly becoming closer to. "Cole, wait—"

His shout was too late. For one split second, the room was quiet but for a loud and agonising sizzle. Then came Billy's scream.

Cole's face was distraught as he scrambled away from the wailing boy.

"Cole, Cole—"

He seemed deaf to Anne and Silas's calls. In fact, he seemed unable to process any sound made; especially those by Billy.

Silas made to put his hand on Cole's shoulder, but he was already trying to escape the scene.

"Cole, Cole!" Anne exclaimed.

"Cole, please! Stop!"

Silas followed him. His cries were ignored the whole chaotic journey through the woods. By the time they reached the cliff, his ankles throbbed with the brambles that had caught against them.

Cole stopped running at last. Feeling unsure of the words to ease his pain, Silas stood beside him in silence for some time. The air was still crisp with thawing winter; the lake below was still a frozen mosaic.

Cole was the first to speak. "Everything I care about is gone. No sculpting, no school. You're leaving. You're leaving and I'm going to feel so alone. I've never felt more alone right now and you're still here."
His shaky breath was unbearable to hear. How could someone so good and wonderful ever deserve so much pain?
"What is there left for me when you leave and Anne moves on? Ruby and Diana are only friends with me because I hang around Anne. My family will never accept me as I am. I don't— I don't think there's a place for me here. I don't think there's any place for me in this world."

Silas knew that only his looming departure could have forced Cole to reveal how great and sincere those fears were. He wanted to take all of Cole's worries as his own. Every single moment of suffering he had felt. That was his one wish, he decided. Cole's happiness.

"Cole, you're more than just an afterthought to anyone. You have this idea of yourself in your head and I think it's the only thing I dislike about you. You can't see how truly brilliant you can sketch, with or without your injury.
"How your face lights up when you speak about Aunt Josephine's party. There are so many plants you've never seen and oceans you haven't felt. Cole, I love you. I can't think of anyone else I'd rather spend my life with than you."

Silas moved closer to the desolate boy, slowly. Cole turned his head, meeting his gaze. His actions stopped at once when the footsteps of Anne carried over the clifftop breeze.

"Cole, I'm so sorry," she whispered.

Cole's teary eyes left his own and flickered to Anne. She seemed anxious for his reaction, but he simply gave a small smile and uttered, "It's okay."

She began to cry at the same moment as Silas wrapped an arm around her. Cole joined their embrace; it was a kind of thank you to each other. For existing.

♛ ✧ *✭˚･ﾟ✧*.

𝓥: im really sorry about the lack of updates, things are weird right now but im going to start updating again <33 thank you for sticking around