Change of Heart

Chapter 95

**

Sitting at the edge of Alex's bed, I stared at the floor. My mind was a complete mess. It was as if it just shut down, unable to function. A knock sounded at the door catching my attention. "Come in.." I answered quietly, but I was still heard. The door swung open and there stood Jake at the doorway.

"Hey. I just came to see how you were doing."

"I'm...managing."

He scoffed actually walking into the room. "Kind of a stupid question to ask considering, well, you know." I only nodded in return. "Well, I already told Alex, but I'll be leaving soon."

Looking over, I raised my eyebrows a bit. "You're leaving? As in-"

"This town. This place. And I don't think I'll be coming back again."

"I see.."

"Yea." There was an awkward silence. I wasn't sure exactly what to say to that. Honestly, I imagined he'd stick around a bit longer. Before another thought could cross my mind, Jake spoke again. "Look, I know we didn't really meet on the best terms, but I'm glad I met you."

Nodding, I responded. "Yea, me too."

More silence.

"Well, I'll be seeing you then. Take care, Serine." As he turned away, I called out to him.

"Jake...about Caden's message, are you sure you don't want to hear it?"

He stopped staring out the door. A long pause before he answered again. "To be honest, I do want to hear the rest but at the same time, I feel like I just can't.."

"Then how about I write it down for you." I offered standing to my feet. I grabbed a pen and a sheet of paper that was lying on the floor. Writing down his message, I folded the sheet and held it out in front of Jake. "Here. Whenever you feel like you need to hear the rest, you can just look it up whenever." He stared at it for a minute, and nodded.

"Thanks." Taking the sheet, he looked up at me, narrowing his eyes a bit.

"What is it?"

"About your hair...I'm sorry that-"

Shaking my head, I interrupted him. "Forget it. It's not a big deal. Hair grows back." I offered a small smile taking a hold of the ends. "I just need to get it evened out."

He nodded in return as a small laugh escaped. "Yea, it's quite an uneven mess." Stuffing the note in his pocket, he wrapped his arms around me. "Thank you again, and again, I'm sorry." Pulling away, he waved walking away. "Take care, Serine."

"You too." I responded, only just standing there as he disappeared around the corner. I really hope Caden's message reaches him, that he can bring himself to actually read it. Just before I turned away, Alex came down the hall and into the room. "Hey." I whispered as I backed up against the wall.

Alex took me by the hand and pulled me over to the bed sitting me down. "How are you feeling?" Asking with a stern voice, it almost felt like I was in trouble.

I shrugged. "Better, I guess." I did feel better than I had before, but I was still a mess. "With everything that's happened, it's hard to believe I'm even still here."

"I know." Alex took a seat next to me, wrapping his fingers between mine.

"Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?" His voice dropped, almost sounded scared of what it was.

Tightening my grip around his hand, I asked. "What exactly happened...with Zeke, I mean. Wasn't he-"

"He was really nothing but talk." I raised my eyebrows in confusion, and he continued. "The only real power he actually had was his tracking abilities. That being the case, it far exceeded my own which explains why he was hard to track unless his guard was down. When I was fighting with him, I realized I could've easily taken him down as I am now rather than go full demon for a while."

In the end, Zeke really had no fighting ability then. "So, it was all a bluff?"

"You could say that. Despite everything he said, and what you were told, he was nothing more than a deranged kid stuck in a demon's body with no real potential in power. And even though he was with Zander, he never really did get any benefits out of that. He saw him as his ruler, but Zander only treated him like dirt."

It makes me wonder what made him turn out that way though. Even before meeting Zander, he was already messed up in the head from what Caden told me. Becoming a demon only made it even worse.

Wrapping his arm around me, he pulled me close and I laid my head on his shoulder. "In any case, it's over...for real this time." Lifting my head, I looked up at him. His red eyes gleamed as he leaned down kissing me gently. It was quick. He slowly pulled away, biting the inside of his lip. Alex brushed his fingers through my hair. "You really need to fix this."

Pushing his hand away, a small laugh escaped. "I know I do. Or maybe I should just keep it this way only to bug you."

"I could care less either way." Placing his forehead against mine, he finished. "It wouldn't change the way I see you. You're beautiful either way." My face began to turn red and I pushed my lips together. "Strike a nerve?" He laughed standing to his feet.

Swallowing hard, I responded. "Not at all."

Taking my hand, he pulled me up off the bed and on my feet. "Come on."

"Where are we-"

"Isn't it obvious?" Splitting my hair in half, he took a lock in each hand pulling them over my shoulder. Without another word, I nodded, and he kissed my lips once more. This time, I kissed him back as I took a hold of his hands in mine. It felt as if for a moment, time stood still. The whole world around me disappeared, and it was just Alex and I.

When he finally pulled away, time raced forward, and I was snapped back into reality. Releasing my hair, he maneuvered his hands into mine and pulled me forward. "Enough dilly-dallying, time to go."

I laughed in return. "You're the one dilly-dallying." He rolled his eyes laughing along with me.

Compared to earlier, my mind actually began to feel at ease rather than confused and lost. When I least expect it, Alex is always there to save me even in the littlest ways. I can't tell what the future holds for us though. There may be a time where neither of us can stand to be near each other. Then again, it's only natural. In the end though, as long as I have him by my side, I'll always be happy.