Interior by KLeenaGirl (list of e readers .TXT) 📖

first drop of salty liquid slid down my cheek. ‘Jared.’ It wasn’t much of a word I whispered. It sounded more like a croaked sob. ‘Is it really you?’
When he took my hands in his, my tears flooded even more. A strong feeling of happiness rushed through me. His face was just the way I remembered it - blue eyes, showing true concern, his fine nose, which looked so cute to me and those lovely lips which were slowly pulled into a genuine smile.
‘Alexandra’, his smooth voice called out to me again, ‘please, listen to me, my love.’ He wiped my tears away with back of his hand, though it didn’t stop my crying. ‘It’s going to be alright.’
His statement promised hope, yet I looked down in shame. ‘Our friends’, I sobbed, ‘Look, what I’ve done to them.’
‘It wasn’t you’, Jared hushed me, ‘You’re a good person, despite what you think. You always were and will always be.’ He closed his embrace around me. ‘That’s why you deserve a second chance.’
I pulled away slightly. ‘What do you mean?’ I asked confused. His eyes beamed at me.
‘You’ll live again.’ His words were meant to comfort me, but I couldn’t see the point in it.
‘What does that help anyone?’ I cried. ‘My friends are all dead and I’m nothing but a horrible monster!’
‘Ssh’, Jared patted my back. ‘There’s still one important person left. He would be running on empty, if you died.’
I threw a puzzled look at him. Did he mean - ?
‘Yes’, he answered ‘Sebastian. Alex, he needs you. I’ve seen the way he looks at you, how he talks…I can tell he is honest about his feelings.’
‘But what about you?’ My voice quivered. ‘What about us? I love you.’
‘I know’, Jared flashed me a sad smile, ‘that’s why I let you go. And you have to do the same.’
‘No’, I protested, ‘I don’t want to lose you again. I want to stay with you!’ My fingers closed around his torso and I held him tight. His heartbeat was a tad faster than usual.
His hands ran over my back. ‘I will always be with you, Alexandra.’ He cupped my chin and made me look into his eyes which had become sorrowful. ‘But I don’t want to hinder you from living the life you deserve.’
His words angered me. ‘I don’t deserve any life!’ I shouted madly. ‘I killed them! I killed them all!’ Tears spilled again. ‘I killed you!’ In a mix of fury and sadness, I buried my face in his chest.
He took my right hand and pressed it gently against his lips. ‘I forgive you’, he whispered.
I wanted to answer him, but I couldn’t. The words were stuck in my throat. A pressure so heavy was taken away from me. The burden I had carried with me since his death was lifted from me. My ever-lasting feeling of guilt left my soul. It was an indescribable feeling. I could tell that Jared knew what he had just done to me. His eyes sparkled just the way Sebastian’s did. ‘Alexandra’, he said in a serious tone, ‘please accept this. You will be returned to life soon. Your spirit shall be no longer possessed by the demon. Live your life and make me happy. I want to see my smiling, always glowing Alexandra again.’
I stared at him, emotions pent up inside me for so long bursting out. I had needed Jared’s understanding so badly.
‘Just promise me one thing, Alex’, he pleaded, as he pulled me closer, ‘Give him a chance, he is the one who can make you happy.’ I knew about who he was talking. Still too overwhelmed to speak, I slowly nodded.
‘I love you’, he confessed before giving me the sweetest kiss I had ever received. His lips pressed on mine so softly and he deepened the kiss by slightly licking my lower lip. I could feel his soft breath on my skin and his body heat filled me with content warmth. My eyes were closed and when we finally parted again, his figure was fading.
I smiled through my tears. My heart beat loudly and I felt alive. ‘I love you, too’, I replied before he disappeared. The white light was becoming weaker as well.
‘Jared’, I called him again, but he was gone. I was released.


Chapter 20


I woke up with somebody crying next to me. My head felt a little dizzy and I was exhausted, but other than that I was fine. Without much effort, my eyes fluttered open. I lay on the floor, my clothes torn and dirty. The soft grass was cold and the air was chilling. I glanced at my arm. The blood strains still covered me and the scar was there, too. I slowly tried to prop myself up on my elbows. My limbs were trembling, but I managed it anyways.
The person next to me looked down at me. His blue eyes widened in both shock and happiness. Sebastian gasped and quickly wrapped his arm around my torso, helping me to sit up. He pulled out of his jacket and used it to cover my shivering, half-naked form. The heart-shaped pendant pressed onto my skin gently. Wait, hadn’t I lost the necklace, when I had transformed? I instantly forgot my thought, when Sebastian began to speak. ‘Alex, you’re back.’ He held me tight. ‘Don’t worry. It’s going to be alright.’ Those words were the same Jared had told me. So, Sebastian understood, too. I smiled at him weakly.
Then, for the first time, I looked around the place. The night had brought along darkness, but in the dim light of the street lanterns I could see people rising up. One after the other, all of my friends stood up again. How was that possible? I had killed them, hadn’t I? Startled, my gaze wandered back to Bastian.
‘How?’ My voice cracked thinly.
‘I’ll explain’, he said reassuring me and pulled me into his lap. The others walked over to us, before he could start. Each of them was unharmed and alive. I sighed in relief. ‘Jack and the others are on their way to pick us up.’ I wanted to cry, out of happiness and shame. ‘Matthew, I’m sorry…’, I trailed off quietly, ‘No, that isn’t even enough. How could I ever beg of your forgiveness? Of everyone’s forgiveness?’
‘We’ll deal with that later.’ Emily spoke up and smiled. ‘We’re all safe now. Thanks to you.’
‘I-I don’t understand…’, I replied.
‘Me, either’, Sebastian commented, ‘but I’ll tell you what happened. You were dying, Alex. And you actually did. Your breath had stopped and your heart didn’t beat anymore. I was thinking about killing myself, when your necklace grabbed my attention. I can’t say why, but I picked it up and tied it around your neck.’ He gulped, a look of awe in his eyes. ‘Suddenly, everything was illuminated. The light’s origin was somewhere near you. It was intimidating and comforting at the same time. I heard your voice, as if you were speaking to someone, but I couldn’t find out who it was or what you said. And now, you’re here, alive, just as the rest of us.’
My eyes shone with unshed tears. ‘It’s the necklace you were given by Jared, isn’t it?’ Colin asked.
I nodded. ‘Yes.’
‘I told you, Jared would forgive you.’ Matthew answered. All my comrades smiled at me.
That was my time for the truth to be told. I turned to face Sebastian. He glanced at me surprised. One hand touched his chest, the other one held his face.
‘I just don’t know how to say this any other way.’ His eyes threw me a confused look at this. I took a deep breath and gathered all the bravery and strength left in me. ‘I love you.’
It was a simple statement and yet it demanded so much more power than any fighting moves. Expectantly I stared at him. And when he finally replied, my heard almost jumped out of my breast. ‘I love you, too, Alexandra.’
I don’t remember how the others reacted, since everything except Sebastian didn’t matter to me right now. He lowered his head to bring our lips at the same level. The distance between our faces was almost closed, when John spoke up.
‘The others are arriving. Let’s bring you to Eileen for a check.’
I sighed in disappointment, but held onto Sebastian. He slowly lifted me up. ‘Don’t you dare to scare me like that ever again. Taking your own life’, he murmured, ‘I don’t want you to die.’
‘Don’t worry’, I grinned tiredly, ‘I won’t.’ He carried me over to the ambulance and sat me down onto the stretcher. ‘Sebastian?’
‘Yes?’ He pulled out a blanket and tucked me in.
‘I-‘, I began, not knowing how to explain this, ‘when I was…when I was dead, I saw somebody. It was Jared. He told me to let him go and to give you a chance. He freed me from the demon. I don’t feel Debbie anymore. I believe it was him who saved us all in the end. It was so amazing. He was there, in front of me and he held his promise. He saved me from myself and protected, just like he had always vowed. And then he kissed me and I knew he was an angel to give me a chance to make everything again…’ I trailed off, as I realized I was babbling. ‘Sorry. You must think I’m crazy or something.’
‘No.’ He took my hand in his. ‘Actually, it sounds pretty plausible to me.’
‘Really?’ I smiled. ‘I’m glad I came back.’
‘Me, too’, Sebastian answered and placed his lips on mine.
This time, nothing held me back. I was free.
And happy.


Epilogue


I grabbed another portion of peas. Maria hurried to our table, excited and blushing. I looked at her. ‘Hey, what’s the matter?’
But it was Lucy who answered me. ‘Don’t you know? Maria and Julian have kissed last night.’ She giggled.
‘Finally’, I smiled, ‘this tapping-around-each-other game had been on for too long by now.’
Then my amused voice turned honest. ‘I’m happy for you, Maria.’
The beautiful, blonde girl blushed even more. ‘Thank you, Alex.’
‘So, when do you get your man, Lucy?’ Emily chimed in. ‘Since Maria, Alex and me are already taken.’
‘How about Simon?’ I suggested laughing.
Lucy’s eyes went wide and she shook her head. ‘Hell no!’
‘Then what about Matthew?’
‘Have I heard my name somewhere over there? Does any of these gorgeous ladies need the help of a real man?’ Matthew’s cocky grin appeared as he passed us by.
‘Actually’, Lucy stuttered, which was a first in her entire lifetime, ‘John asked me out this morning.’
‘No way!’ All of us girls shouted. Lucy’s face went red. After some time, we had regained our composure. Emily cleared her throat. ‘Well, way to go, Lucy.’
I gulped down the last of my water. ‘Sorry, girls, I’ve gotta go.’ I stood up and waved at them. ‘I’ve got to fetch Ben to repair my beeper. Bye!’
As I arrived in the Great Hall, Benjamin faced me. ‘Hey, looks like you’re sober again’, he grinned.
‘Dangerous ground, Benjamin’, David added knowingly, ‘dangerous ground.’
A few weeks ago, some statement like that would have made me really mad, but now I simply shrugged it off. Ben was always one to joke, those things weren’t meant serious. And well, actually he was right. I may have been drinking just a bit too much at the weekend. ‘My beeper’s malfunctioning. Can you fix it?’
‘Of course. I’ll take a look at it.’
‘Thanks, Ben.’
‘Oh, by the way, Alex’, David looked up from his computer screen, ‘Colin looked for you.