Questions

'Explain what you are on about' Hazel growled.

Thyme looked at her gravely,' I have known you since you were a child'

'I can see that, what were you to my dad?'

'I was a brother to your mom'

A few seconds silence.

'You are my uncle?' Said Hazel smiling.

'Why the sarcastic smile?'

'Just wondering where did you go wrong'

Thyme laughed, but his voice cracked, Hazel frowned.

'They never tell the villains story, do they?'

'What do you mean?' Hazel asked.

'Let me tell you something Hazel, A hero loses everything in the end, but a villain has already lost everything in the beggining'

'What do you mean!?' Hazel almost yelled, her heart hammering.

'You and I are very similar, just you chose the different path then mine, some go through things and change to the villain and some becomes the hero, I mean, where did we learn that the witches were bad, but the people who burned them alive weren't?, anyways we will talk upstairs, come' The guards seized her arm and led her, she didn't resist, she wanted to know the story.

The guys were nowhere to be seen.

They entered a normal looking room, with a bed.

'This is your interrogation room?' Hazel asked as the guards left.

'Yes, for you, i will go soft in you'

'What did you mean? that we are similar?'

Thyme smiled.

'We were both blamed for murders we didn't do, we were both left to live alone, we both learned how to live alone, Me?, I was blamed for the death of my dad, he died when i was 2 months old, i had 2 sisters, older than me, he died in a car crash, and as i got older my mom and both sisters somehow blamed me for his death, and somewhere along the way i convinced myself that i was a killer, that i was bad luck, i was abused, i lived alone, no one took the trouble to get to know me, i was s happy, smiling kid who likes to make jokes and smiled at every small thing, no one took the trouble to take off my mask, and i used to think, the day they look too deep into my eyes, what they will see might break them too, and slowly i became the villain, i hated myself and everything around me, yet i acted lovely, i hated my childhood, i was abused severely by my own mom and sisters, i cried alone at night and the next day i used to act as if everything was okay, and no one realized that i had cried, i was dying inside, i had constants battles between my mind and heart, my mind told me to be cold and heartless, but my heart told me that this is not me, in the end, my heart gave up and now Hazel, you will understand if i say i am happy as i now am'

'Is this the face of a happy person?' Hazel whispered.

Silence...'You say you are happy, tell me Thyme, the people around you, do they think of you more than you being their boss? you are still alone like before, the day you die, or something happens to you, they will abandon you, what the use of being the villain if they gonna abandon you anyways? You are still alone'

Thyme laughed, 'Then tell me what use is being the hero? They want you just because you helped them, they want something in return, in short, there is no difference in being the villain and the hero... Join me Hazel'

'What?'

'I said join me, the people you love will be spared'

Hazel shook her head, 'You are nuts'

'This is the reality, its harsh but helping them would only hurt you'

'Why are you only giving me this option?'

'Because you are one of the Last Marshalls, and you matter, the whole world will listen to you once you get to the top, and i have enough power to haul you there, something that would take years to achieve, you can achieve it in a few seconds, a rank and a peaceful life with you friends, brother and dad'

'What if i refuse'

Thyme laughed, 'This is stupidity, you are destroying a huge chance to save people you don't know, people who don't care if you die or live, you are sacrificing yourself for a world that destroyed you, Hazel, its no use, even if you refuse me, you cannot destroy this huge organization, in the end you will lose, you will lose again and again till you will give up'

'I assure you i will be the last one to give up, i cannot imagine myself losing in any fight of the world'

'You are too confident, you think of us to be weak'

'No, I don't think you are weak, but i trust that i will be enough'