| CHAPTER 62 : EVELYNN |
An ill feeling settled deep within my chest. I couldn't breathe properly. I couldn't think properly. I couldn't...what happened to King Alpha?
Drew kept driving to God knows where. I couldn't bother. I sat dazed the whole time he pulled me out of the mansion, sat me in his car and drove away.
Katia's warnings circled my head.
'They're planning on executing the entire werewolf race. For good. We have to do something before that happens'
'Time is going on and we're wasting most of it. Derek and Rowena are still out there. They're still out there and they're preparing to strike.'
'You need to tell me what my brother is planning'
My chest constricted of various emotions as I thought about how much Katia was right. I should have listened to her. I should have started snooping and searching instead of getting all close with King Alpha.
"I know this is an irrational question," Drew started for the first since the throne room, creases of worry and tension on his face, "but are you okay?"
"What happened to him?" my voice came out as shaky as a leaf.
A sigh came out of Drew's lips, "I'm not sure, chérie. But I can tell King Alpha has been...brainwashed."
I turned my head towards Drew with a frown, "Like how Ace is?"
He gave a nod.
"Who is Amber?" I asked.
A flash of anger passed through Drew's face before he masked it, "I don't know but I'm going to find out."
A long and deep sigh came out of my mouth as I put my face in my hands. I wanted to cry but I also didn't.
"What am I gonna do now?" I mumbled into my hands.
Drew glanced at me with a sorry look before shrugging and looking back at the road, "You're exiled from Saludom which means no more werewolves for you."
"I think King Alpha made that very clear," I replied dryly.
"Hey for what's it worth, think about it," he shrugged, "you always wanted to leave our world and have a normal life, didn't you?"
"Yeah..." I furrowed my eyebrows.
"This might finally be your chance to do so," Drew said, "King Alpha won't even come looking for you or stampede in your life ever again."
"What about that Amber?"
"That's werewolf business, chérie. You're exiled from that too."
A sting of pain bloomed in my chest, "Yeah."
"Now you can finally stop thinking about this all and continue your life. Go to school, make friends, grow up and all that." He started sounding like a dad at this point.
He turned towards me with a smile when the traffic light went red, "You'll finally get your normal life that you always wanted."
I thought about what he said.
Am I finally cut off from Saludom? From the werewolves? From King Alpha? I've always wanted this since the day King Alpha kidnapped me from my apartment.
My apartment.
"I don't wanna go back to my apartment though." I bit my lip, "There's still no Collin and that apartment reminds me too much."
A grin spread across Drew's face, "Good thing I wasn't taking you there in the first place."
I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, "What do you mean?"
He stayed silent but smiling as he continued driving.
After a while, I started recognizing the neighborhood and the surroundings. This all looks familiar. Why does it look familiar? Why the hell everything looks so familiar?!
A feeling of excitement crossed my chest when I realized why everything looks so familiar.
Jade's house.
"You brought me to Jade?" I exclaimed, wide-eyed as I gazed at her brown and white painted house.
"Yup." Drew grinned, cutting off the engine.
A smile started lining on my lips at the sight of my best friend's house.
But that soon cut off, "What am I going to tell her? I can't just waltz in there and announce that I'm going to be living with her."
Drew shrugged, "Your wish. I thought spending time with someone close might help you forget about King Alpha."
My chest tightened at his name.
I'm at my best friend's house. That should loosen me up right.
I'm at my best friend's house!
"Why don't you go knock on the door and see?" Drew suggested, jerking his head in the direction of the door.
My palms turned sweaty as I slowly clambered down the car and walked towards Jade's house. I stepped up the porch steps and towards her door. I turned my head towards Drew and he gave an encouraging smile. My finger hovered hesitantly on the doorbell before I finally pulled myself together and pushed the doorbell twice.
Seven seconds. I counted.
I waited seven seconds.
Seven seconds until the door flew open with an annoyed-looking Jade standing in front of me.
"I swear if you don't-! Ezlynn?" Her eyes widened as her mouth dropped open at the sight of me.
My chest swelled up looking at her petite frame clad in an oversized hoodie and shorts. Her green eyes turned darker under the evening sun with her brown hair pulled into a messy ponytail. Oh god how much I missed her.
Without warning, she threw her arms around me and squeezed me to her.
"I swear I'm going to freaking kill you, bish!" She yelled making me laugh. Tears formed at the brink of my eyes, and I tried blinking them back, "If you don't give me a proper explanation, I'm gonna skin you alive and torture it out of you."
That kind of sounds like what King Alpha would-I should stop.
Warmth filled my chest with Jade's arms around me and I almost wanted to sob. How long has it really been without my best friend? This felt so warm, real and normal.
"I'll tell you everything." I promised and pulled back, wiping away a tear that escaped, "Just give me a second." I turned around and walked towards Drew who was leaning against the door of his car.
"So?" He raised an eyebrow, smiling, as I got near.
"Yeah," I said, giving out a small shaky laugh.
"You will be great here. You got your friend, you can start going to school again, that bakery you always worked in," Drew smiled, "Finally normal?"
I thought of the mess back at Saludom but pushed it away just as quick. Whatever happens there is not really my concern. It's werewolf business and I'm not one. Even then I couldn't help but asking, "What about King Alpha?"
Drew gave a grim look, "I'll have to look into his brain to see what screws he lost. But don't worry, he's lucky I'm here. I'll see to it."
I nodded in response.
"So this is where we detach, chérie." Drew smiled, holding his arms out to me. I stepped into them, wrapping my hands around him as he hugged tight, "Believe it or not, I'm really going to miss you." He spoke.
"I'm gonna miss you too," I said and pulled away.
"But not too much," Drew warned, "forget about everything, you don't need to worry about that. You got your life back. Enjoy." He bumped my arm with his fist.
I inhaled and nodded, "Yeah, okay."
"Now, go. Your friend is frowning at me."
A smile came to my face as I turned around and indeed Jade was standing at the threshold with a big frown on her face. I walked towards her.
"Say," I stopped in front of her, "you don't mind if I lived with you for a couple days or months, right?"
"Are you kidding me?" Jade gave me a 'really' look, "my mom literally begs you to stay at my house! But you never!"
I smiled.
"Come in," Jade grabbed my hand.
I looked back at Drew who still stood in the same position. I waved at him and he waved me back.
And just like that, Jade pulled me inside the house and closed the door, cutting me off from the outside world.
My eyes met the familiar interior of her house, and I couldn't help but smile. How long has it been since I've been here? Her house was a mess with pillows and things here and there but that's what made it look cozy.
"Mom and dad are still at work, but they'd be excited to have you here." She pulled me up the stairs.
"Can't wait to meet them." I smiled.
She pulled me into her room. Her room was a décor of cream, white and pink. It wasn't neat at all with clothes gathered in a corner, too many books opened on her desk, her covers and bedsheet messy and unkempt. Exactly opposite of King Alpha-I should stop.
Nevertheless, her room looked like one of those in which you enter and get lost into hominess and comfort.
I kicked off my boots and climbed onto Jade's bed with mountains of pillows. She jumped right in front of me, her eyes ready and awaiting.
"I would really love to ask you if your hungry or thirty or sleepy or need to poop but you've been gone for almost a month, and you also came here with that hunk of a man and I've seen you with him twice. So yeah, tell me what's been going on."
I smiled at her enthusiasm, "Yeah, okay. First I wanted to apologize for leav-"
"Yeah, yeah, you're forgiven. Story time. Talk. Now."
I shake my head at her before making myself comfortable on her bed and going into a long-detailed story from the start from where King Alpha had kidnapped me, to how many creatures I met, to the Royal Ball, to the seven warriors and Levi, to Katia and the family drama, Ace, Diego, my magic, and every other thing.
I even showed her the tattoo on my arm.
Jade sat mesmerized the whole time, her eyes wide as she listened to everything I said. When I got to the part where King Alpha exiled me, I had to hold in back my tears.
Jade suddenly sprung up on her bed, her hand raised, "Who wants to join me on a werewolf hunt? More specifically, the King of the werewolf hunt. I see we got some dog to pick."
I shake my head at her. Other times, I would have joined her, and we would have even decided the name to our army tank but I just wanted to get over with this and never speak of this ever again.
"But I got out and now I'm finally here, so that's something right?" I ask.
Jade flopped back down in front of me, "You lucky bish! Getting all the adventure for yourself while I sat here wasting my butt off."
"What happened with you and Cole?" I asked.
Her eyes narrowed into slits, "he's a dick. I finally saw it. We got together but then his true colors started showing. He was cheating me with so many girls," Jade rolled her eyes, "I slapped that motherlover and broke it right off."
I gave her a sad, "I'm sorry I wasn't there."
"Nothing can upset this ice-cold heart, bish." Jade patted her chest, "It's fine. I just spend a few days crying myself to sleep, stuffing my face with ice cream, watching Netflix all day...wishing my best friend was here so we could have the traditional breakup aftermath..."
"Wow your heart is purely ice-cold," I muttered dryly.
"But!" she threw her hands up, "this just proves that if an alien apocalypse happens and you all die, I'd be able to survive all on my own."
A moment of silence passed before Jade spoke again.
"So looking at your face, I'm guessing you want no more talking about Elias and the whole other thing?" She asked.
"He's gonna kill you if he heard you say his name," I muttered.
She gave a challenging look, "I'd like to see him try."
A small chuckle came out of my lips before I nodded, "Yup, no more talks about the past."
"Although I did know there was something about you," Jade stated, getting off her bed to grab her laptop from her desk, "your name sounded too...historic." She climbed back in the bed and beside me.
She opened Netflix on her laptop and to my utter relief she played something contemporary. I don't think I'd ever watch any supernatural stuff without feeling it's horrors crawl over me.
After four hours of watching three movies, Jade's parents came home. I felt overwhelmed once again when they showered me hugs and fed me like I was some sort of a baby. Jade's parents were the type of parents who'd feed any dog they find on the street and shelter any stranger in their house for years.
They were the kindest and the most caring people in my life.
We had dinner and I found myself laughing at the jokes and stories Jade's dad said. They asked no questions about where I was in the past few days and why did I suddenly show up and I was so grateful for that.
After that, Jade turned on the music on her phone all the way up and we danced in her room to various songs.
I let myself forget about King Alpha for a while as I danced and laughed with her.
I danced like this with the Royal warriors-I should stop.
In all our dancing and laughing, it took me four seconds to notice a dark shadowy figure jump in through Jade's open window. Jade so happened to be standing near the window at that moment, causing the figure to bump into Jade, sending them both falling to the ground.
I would have screamed and started banging the figure if I hadn't recognized his face.
Levi laid on top of Jade and groaned, raising his head to get up. Something caught his attention, and he froze, his hands on either side of Jade as he gazed at her below. I can say the same thing about Jade. Her breath got stuck in her throat with Levi's dark hair falling lightly on her forehead.
I could practically hear the fireworks and music bursting around them with their surroundings slowly fading away with the two of them standing in a world far away from me.
The music continued and I realized, Jade's phone was still playing the music.
I pressed pause on it which abruptly dissolved the room into silence.
Levi snapped out of his trance at that and blink multiple times. He stood up and off of Jade, pushing his hair back with his hand, "I-I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to jump on you like that." He helped Jade stand up.
Jade only nodded, looking dumbstruck.
"I'm so sorry again." Levi apologized. Then realized he was still holding Jade's hand and immediately let it go, "S-sorry for that too."
"What are you doing here?" I asked in confusion and Levi looked glad to get out of that awkward moment. Even jade as she finally took in a breath.
"I didn't get my goodbye, so I came to see you," Levi replied, his tall figure stepping towards me, smiling.
"You came all that way from the mansion to say Goodbye?" I asked, wrapping my arms around him in a hug as he did the same.
"You're kinda the first friend I had except for the warriors, so yeah."
We pulled away.
Don't ask.
Don't ask.
Do not ask.
"How's King Alpha?" I asked.
Levi's face went a little grim, "Drew is trying. He's acting all normal around King Alpha to not raise suspiciousness with him while also secretly trying to use his magic to un-brainwash him."
"And that Amber girl?"
He nodded, "Katia did some digging and guess what?" he asked, "Amber's a witch."
My eyes widened. Ha! I knew that.
"Obviously King Alpha won't see it but now everyone's seeing through Amber's façade."
Levi noticed my worried look and shook his head, "Don't worry. Drew and Katia got this. They're King Alpha's family, they'll do something."
"Why'd you come through the window like a burglar though?" I asked, "I almost bashed your head."
Levi rubbed the back of his neck, "Oh I don't know...I thought the parents would be here or awake so I just saw this window open and decided to climb the wall."
I nodded before realizing I haven't introduced my friends to each other.
"Oh, Jade this is Levi. Levi this is Jade." I said.
"That's Levi?"
"That's Jade?"
They spoke at the same time before their cheeks tinted pink and they averted their eyes from each other.
"Um hi, Ezlynn spoke a lot about you," Jade said shyly.
"Same with you," Levi replied just as same.
Where is this sudden awkwardness coming from?
I frowned, looking from Levi to Jade then Jade to Levi. Repeated this twice.
A moment of silence passed before Levi cleared his throat, "I better get going now."
"Will you come back again?" I asked as Levi moved towards the window.
He shrugged, seating on the windowsill, "Maybe. King Alpha got a little ruckus going on with him since I denied his Alpha command. It'll be a lil' hard to go back and forth from here."
"You denied his Alpha command?" I furrowed my eyebrows.
He nodded.
"When?"
"He told me to bring you to him before Drake snatched you away. You start feeling some kind of pain when you deny the Alpha command."
"That's what happened to you in the hallway?" I asked.
He nodded.
"Oh."
I gave him a sorry look.
"No, worries. I'll just get going now," Before swinging his long legs out the window, Levi's eyes met Jade's and a warm color painted his skin, "G-good night Jade."
"Y-yeah, bye." Jade gave a nervous smile.
"Goodbye Evelynn," Levi said, his eyes still on Jade.
I furrowed my eyebrows.
Last time I checked, that wasn't my name.
"Ah shit, I mean Ezlynn. Ezlynn. Goodbye." Levi cursed, looking away from Jade and almost face-palming.
He threw an 'I'll see you soon' before swinging his legs out the window and jumping out.
The moment he was gone, Jade let a monstrous breath of relief, her cheeks looking red and warm.
She noticed me looking at her and cleared her throat, averting her eyes from me.
"I need some cold water."
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Date: 2nd September 2021