V a p o r ▶ J. HALE (COMPLETED.)

14.

After a few minutes of eerie silence, as she placed her full attention on the powering lavender scent, she noticed the soft sound of falling water in the short distance. Of course—Oscar was bound to run towards the river! After all, he had been running around, eating dry plants, and spitting them out afterward. Dema couldn't help but roll her eyes at the thought.

She kept walking for a few minutes until she reached the river and a small waterfall in the short distance. Dema frowned, as she looked around for Oscar, but he was nowhere to be found. The scent has suddenly vanished, and she sniffled as another peculiar scent filled her nose.

Green tea and cinnamon. 

Her heart dropped almost instantly. She quickly became aware of his presence, as a twig snapped a few feet behind her. She clenched her jaw, right before turning to face him, for the first time in a few days.

"Please tell me you didn't eat my dog." Dema started quietly but fell silent once she realized he was holding Oscar. "Oh."

Jasper chuckled lightly. "Wouldn't even think of it," He said, as he carefully set Oscar back on the ground. The dog wagged his tail and barked once at him, before prancing away from them happily. "What's that smell-"

"Lavender," Dema stated. "He ate lavender flowers. And lots of them."

"Ah," Jasper nodded. "He'd probably taste like cheap perfume, then."

Dema pursed her lips together as she studied his appearance. His eyes were no longer black, but a sparkling golden. His honey-colored curls were carefully combed back, but a few stray hairs fell over his eyes and cheeks. It looked as if he had finally gotten sleep, after a few sleepless months.

"You're-" Dema started, only to be cut off by Jasper.

"Where have you been?" He frowned, taking a step closer. "It's been days, Dema. I was worried-"

"I've been here," She shrugged dismissively. "With Oscar."

"All this time?" He rose an eyebrow suspiciously.

She turned away from him, sighing as she plopped down in the grass, just a few inches away from the flowing water. She crossed her legs and propped her elbow on her knee, whilst dipping a few fingers in the cool water.

"Yup," She started. "Just waiting for the tribe's elders to come and burn me to death for imprinting on a demon."

Jasper glared at her but stayed silent.

Dema whipped her head around, with a frown. "Of course, I went home. My mother was worried sick about me." She turned back to the river and resumed playing with the flowing water. "How else would you explain the set of new, clean clothes?" She scoffed, and Jasper crossed his arms over his chest, but still kept silence. Dema turned around questioningly at him. "What? No more yelling? No more arguments?"

Jasper kept his gaze on her for a few seconds, before sighing and turning away.

"I went to your house earlier," He started, as he placed his hand in his jacket pocket. He rummaged through it for a second, before taking out a white envelope. Dema's jaw dropped ever so slightly— immediately recognizing it— and she forced herself to turn away nonchalantly. "I found this, on your desk."

"You know that's a felony, right?" Dema asked quietly, as she threw a small rock into the water. "That's private mail-"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jasper ignored her completely, taking a few steps towards her. "I didn't even know you wanted to go to college. After you phased, I just figured you'd want to stay like every other werewolf."