After the fire incident, Mr. Hawkeye tried his level best to put the blame on me. But however much he tried he couldn't prove that a student sitting in his class simultaneously hacked into the network system and caused a fire.
Alas, all was dismissed to overheating of the computers. But I knew he still has his eyes on me. It's kinda fun.
Now, these are the stuff I couldn't do if Blaze has actually accepted me as a mate and I was their luna. Everyone would know my powers and they would know I was the one who did it.
I didn't really feel good after my grandma incident and since Lexi was turned off, Sam couldn't get a read on what was happening. So Sam actually took the time and effort to come and visit me. In my room, at night.
He said a lot of wise words and subtle reminders to be ready for the war. But unlike all the other times it fell on deaf ears. His usually hypnotic and highly inspiring words suddenly sounded so useless and unfulfilling, I couldn't put any motivation into it. Especially after what my wolf said, I started to look at him a bit skeptically.
But still, the point to note is that he actually took the time off his busy schedule and risked a visit to the werewolf territory. It was uncannily nice of him.
This is the first time he actually acted out his sweet and charming words.
Or he is just too desperate on not losing a vital chess piece.
Zian pointed out. Touche.
Ugh, this is so confusing.
With Zarine in my room, it was especially hard with all the whispering, but Sam did stroke my head until I fell asleep. That is the most amount of sleep I got in the last few days after visiting grandma.
I am still not ready to visit her. I don't know how to approach her, whose side to take, what she expects of me.
currently, I was sitting in English class with Miss Potts who was a Malory tower rip off, and even with all this chaos, her hair was of great interest to me.
With her hair defying gravity the way it did, it made me wonder why I didn't turn out like that. Why couldn't I defy everyone around me like that?
Blaze and Jem happily stayed in their love bubble. But something in Blaze's vibe told me he wasn't as into it anymore.
He never once looked at me, but I knew he was very much aware of me. Every shift in my movement caused him to hold his breath.
Drake sat next to Blaze and showed gaging signs to his fangirls at every sighing 'romantci' comment Jem made about the literature piece that we were supposed to work on. His minions were only too happy to giggle.
We were all lost in our own worlds when Jake and Drake's dad, the former beta sought out Blaze from the class.
It must be pretty serious if the class was interrupted.
The teacher continued with the class, but I tuned into their conversation. I could see many students trying to do the same, but their hearing simply wasn't advanced enough.
They stood right outside the door, and Blaze threw a concerned glance towards me before leaving. Why does everyone treat me like I am going explode any second? They must find me unpredictable. I kinda like it.
I slipped into their conversation, which I figured Blaze didn't realize I was listening to since I strategically diverted my uninterested gaze away.
"Alpha, there is bad news, alpha Dex's mother passed away today morning in her sleep."
My mind went numb. Their voices suddenly sounded so far away.
"Apparently, she thought that the room we gave her was too constricted and had moved to a bedroom. She wanted to meet her granddaughter today, make the environment more comfortable for her visit since the doctor gave her only three days. She had all the equipment and tubes removed and the heart monitor was also turned off when it happened. She passed away early this morning."
No, this isn't happening, I can't believe this is happening.
To be honest, I didn't know how to feel. Happy that she passed away and took all my problematic decisions from me or sadness and regret.
But I didn't really have a choice because, with that, something else already crept into me as well. Overwhelming guilt.
This time, I didn't lash out. I didn't cry or get angry or make a mess. But I also strangely recalled that it was my fault. It was a strange feeling.
As I sat there, very, very still as the Blaze departed and Jem departed and Drake departed and the rest of the students and the teacher also departed leaving me alone.
I had never felt so alone and lonely at the same time. So turbulently confused and peaceful simultaneously. So much like the world fell around me and rebuilt itself all the same.
Maybe, now I am starting to understand what true numbness means.
.................................................................................
That night. I didn't return home again. Probably, they would have a funeral, especially since grandma was a luna. It would be a big event.
But honestly, at this point, I didn't think they expected me to turn up for it.
I strolled around in the forest aimlessly until even Nova who usually sticks to the upper branches of the trees revealed herself.
I knew she was trying to cheer me up but I myself didn't know where I was to raise myself up.
My body moved on its own accord. My throat remained dry.
And I didn't register a single thing Nova said. For the noise making machine that she was, she usually annoyed the heck out of me. But now she was just plain white noise that got lost in the sea of confusion in my head. Her voice, however, was strangely resonating, and that was calming.
I didn't know when we ended up on a rock overlooking the cliff. I didn't know when her jibber-jabber turned into mindless silence and I certainly didn't know when I finally started to get a grip on reality. I noticed Nova's fingers drawing light patterns on my palm only after the timelessness faded.
My consciousness was first noticeable through my breathing pattern when I started to take a deep breath to hold in the tears. But there wasn't any coming. Is that good?
Or plain insensitive? I didn't know anymore whether something was wrong with me. And after the emptiness that guilt created, even Zian remained quiet. She must have realized even her snarky comments couldn't save me this time.
"You know, I have been in a very similar situation."
Nova's voice broke through my reverie for the first time. I wanted to say I doubted that but I couldn't. Speaking was a power still beyond my capability.
"My teacher had died. Leaving many things behind. His wife, his daughters, me. But most of all unanswered questions, feelings, regrets. He was wise but he never was wise enough to actually open up about anything that really mattered to him. " she smiled as of remembering a sad yet fond memory.
"Ok, that's it. Let's get you home."
What? She just used that to get me fully conscious? What is the end? How did she cope up with it? What is the moral of the story which embarrassingly enough, I desperately needed?
Of all times, this is when Nova tries to pull my leg.
I didn't speak, but my questioning gaze must have got to her.
"You want the full story?" She quirked an amused eyebrow.
Leave it to Nova to tease someone who was mourning, or doing whatever I am doing now.
"There was a lot of things I couldn't tell him and side his death was more of a choice than a natural calamity, I couldn't forgive him for a long time. I was stuck with all these feelings in my chest with nowhere for it to be let out." She confessed. That must have been hard.
"But you know at the end of the day, it was all or nothing. His death could have made me say I was gonna rebuild my whole life or screw it and think everything was over. It depends on how you view death. Is there a soul, or is death just a permanent, non-awakening sleep that wipes you out of existence. Because if he was wiped out of existence, what was the point of all the drama? Or if he was watching over me, I could have shown him everything through what I built of my life... whether he existed or not, that was the safer the option. It was a win-win situation. For him or for me. Its ok to never figure that out "
That's it? That's a very logical way of seeing death. It was the most effective on me and she knew that. But most of all, however, emotionless an approach it was, it was very insightful.
She was right. Building something for myself was a win-win situation. If death completely wiped you out, all the drama and emotions you build up didn't really matter. What's the use if you worry about someone that no longer is around to care?
But what if that person was around and you wanted to show them something? Prove something? I would do something that makes them incredibly proud. And its ok if they didn't exist, because at least I can be incredibly proud of myself.
For the first time, I look at the girl beside me in a new light. She has way more than she is letting on. And I didn't mean it in a negative suspicious sense that I usually did. I meant it in an admiring way. Her humility hid her greatness. Which something told me she hid a little too well.
I was still mulling at her words when Nova's kind smiling face turned into a very serious expression. One I had never seen her in before.
Her bright green eyes held something I couldn't recognize.
"Zara, get down," she whispered.
I could feel the tension rising in the air and the hair on my neck standing up.
I don't know whether it was from her anxiety or something weird and ominous in the air.
"What?" I whispered back.
"Get. Down." She stressed.
Something is really going on. But I couldn't sense anyone. There weren't any werewolves or vampires or any living creature nearby, what was she afraid of?
"On the count of three, you duck."
There certainly wasn't any living creature. But even I could sense the approaching danger in the air even though I didn't know what it was.
"One,"
Its coming closer, I could feel it very well.
"Two"
Its very close, whatever it was. Nova's eyes grew dangerously bright. I want sure whether to was just my imagination but her hair glowed a bit too. The Burgundy strikingly contrasted with her green eyes.
"THREE."
I couldn't register what happened because it was in an inhumane speed. The swing of her punch hitting something and that something exploding in the space my head was in a second ago all happened in a millisecond.
I could hardly see her move.What was that... thing? I didn't see anything.
Before I could even begin to get terrified of my serious lack of skills in facing these creatures, Nova began pulling me to the edge of the cliff.
"Whatever you do, don't fight back. And don't shift." She says.
"There's more from where that came from."
She hardly finished the sentence before something small came zipping past her and she skilfully caught it in her hand.
How did she? I didn't even see it. There was just a slight buzz. Whatever this thing was, it was mechanical. And the only reason I could hear it was because of my gift. It was that minute.
Could Nova hear it too?
I looked that the girl who protectively stood in front of me. I was no longer terrified of her. I was awed. Something told me that she would give her life rather than let something happen to me.
I watched as a thousand more minute buzzes and came and I hardly heard any. And Nova never let any get past her. Her movements were elegant, skillful, adept and efficient. Just enough for the kill. This was the first time I saw someone more skilled than Sam. If Nova was a werewolf, she would never need to shift. She wouldn't need to.
She is just a human... or is she? She could take down Sam without a lot of effort for god's sake.
She relentlessly kept fighting off the creatures for 4 hours, or so it seemed. I could never see any of the things that attacked her. Whatever they were, they were not earthly. I figured that out now. Was Nova not from around here too?
I could feel goosebumps on my arm with that thought.
By the time she finished, I had observed her movements long enough to assess how she knew these small creatures were close enough for an attack. Their speed made them literally invisible to the eye. All she had was her hearing. So she must have calculated their position using the Doppler effect.
Her skill was amazing though I still couldn't figure out her techniques. To simultaneously calculate that many creature's positions according to a given set of data. I could equal only when I master the Mem-alterer.
Now I know why Sam said I was not ready. With people like her around... when will I ever be ready?
"Are you okay?" Nova's kind face was back.
I nodded.
"What were they?" I asked, eerily calm for how I felt.
"Will you believe me if I told you?" She asked.
My non-response made her sigh.
"They were tiny cameras." She said.
So those are just the cameras? I wanted to laugh out loud. Whatever world she was from, just tracking devices had this much offensive power?
"Zara, promise me that you would trust me, no matter what I do. Promise me that you would listen to me for just this time." She aid.
I didn't have much of a choice. Whoever send these cameras was coming and my only chance of survival was her.
Kudos to whoever made those tiny, evil, weapon, bomb, camera thingies. It deserves the Nobel prize.
"Well if it consoles you any, my dear IT geek, the creator of those cameras are living very well off now." She said.
Why didn't I no longer find it surprising that she could read my mind? I am taking this uncharacteristically too well.
"Who are you?" I finally asked.
"Do you really wanna know. And I don't read your mind always. This is the first time. And girl, you are a mess. There is a lot of spring cleaning you need to do in your cobweb-laden wardrobes. You are just creepy." She says.
I know she is trying to lighten the mood, but her shift from kind to murderous would make even the joker pee his pants. So I no longer had any misconception or whatsoever about who the crazy one was here.
Hey teasing worked for a mere three seconds before I sensed the impending doom falling upon us.
"Trust me, ok?" She said soothingly.
I didn't have much of a choice but still, I trusted her.
Something black, huge and heavy fell atop her. It wasn't a werewolf or a bear, it was a mix. It was dark and completely blended into the night and its red eyes pierced through me. Nova still struggled beneath it, trying to fight its weight.
Somewhere in the distance, I heard Nova screaming at me to not look at its eyes.
But it was too late. Blood. All I saw was blood, blood, and more blood. And slowly figures materialized into the scene. Gory, graphic scenes as if it was the aftermath of a war. My father with one arm ripped off, bleeding to death. Blaze with a knife piercing his heart and his eyeball scourged out, Jem's limbs cut out it enough to be barely hanging from her body.
This was bearable. But then it went to my mom, my grandma, Jason, Amelia, Raven, Drake, Jake, Stacey, and even Hails. So much blood and Massacre. Is this the future?
"Its just an illusion. It preys on your weaknesses" I could hear Nova far, far away.
They aren't my weakness. But then why did it feel like my heart was sinking down my body. It was just me and the creature. Me against it.
I saw Jake and Drake gorily bleeding to death. My baby sisters crying to death. Sam calling out my name as he was burned. His brothers calling me for help and they were bled to death.
So much violence and blood.
I saw my teachers being buried alive and even Nova as she accused me that everything was my fault as she took her last breath.
I hardly saw the mop of auburn hair that stood behind her. Zarine. He was my breaking point. But before he could stab knives into my heart with his words I felt a very strong push. The force was enormous enough to nearly puncture my lungs. And I felt blinding blue light enter the darkness in my vision.
Am I dead? Why did I feel like I am floating?
That's when I realized I felt like I was floating because I was actually floating in the air above the water of the very high cliff. Nova's eyes held me as she cupped my face.
"I... am an experiment." She said with a sad smile.
I realized she was answering my previous question about who she was.
My eyes widened. But before I could process anything, I was falling. She had pushed me into the water to save me.
As I fell, my consciousness tired from the gory scenes, the last thing that my drooping eyes allowed me to see was the disappearing form of Nova her long hair a beautiful halo around her and eyes greener than ever. And the beast which now from below I saw was right behind her, jumping to catch her when she pushed me. The blue light swallowed them both.
It seemed comical then. Even a bit Marvel-ish.
If only I knew, that I wouldn't feel so funny about it if I knew that was the last time I was seeing her.
Hey lovelies,
That was intense. It felt like an epic chapter to write. Did it feel the same way to read?
Comment and let me know.
I know, know, I am removing nova from the scene. And there is still a lot of mysteries left unanswered (They will be answered if and when Nova's book is released.) But it is essential for our main star to rise. Nova was there to show her that even if Zara is one of the strongest among werewolves, there was still a long way to go.
So what do ya think? I am very excited to know.
Comment, vote and follow. You know the drill. And I will reply when I can.
Bye lovelies.
See ya on Tuesday. :)