"So what do we do with Blaze?" Alec asked.
Blaze was tied up, gagged and unconscious. Where could we put him?
"Why don't we just hide him somewhere?" Cecil suggested.
"But what if he escapes? We need someone to watch him." I said. "But who?"
We were silent as we thought. The only person I could trust for this was Lance. Key word: was. I can't rely on Lance anymore since I so obviously chose Alec. I already told him bye. He can't help me.
It couldn't be Scarlet because her parents would find out. And I'm not exactly the most likable person at school. Hell, I hardly even go to school. And people know Alec as "stalker boy" so I don't think anyone would want to help us. So I had no one to trust.
"Hey." Alec said, trying to get my attention. "Lilly."
"What's up?" I looked at him expectantly.
"What about that one guy? You know . . . Lance?" I knew how reluctant he was to ask him for help. But me being reluctant for his help is more strange.
He raised an eyebrow at me. I stared at my feet then realized I was still barefoot. Apparently Scarlet and I had forgotten about getting shoes.
"Uh," I said awkwardly. "My feet hurt. Can we stop by my house to get, um, shoes?"
He folded his arms and just looked at me. Sighing, I gave him a look that said we'll-talk-later.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Cecil said. "Let's go to your house."
So we went there. Cecil dragged Blaze and stayed in the shadows because it would look weird if a foreign girl was dragging the council president. When we got there I told them to wait outside. Then I stopped at the door as I remembered no one would be inside.
"Alec." I said. More like whispered. Why was I whispering?
He slipped his hand in mine. I felt a little better. A little.
"Luke is . . . gone. He won't be in this house ever again."
Alec nodded and squeezed my hand. "Okay."
"But that's just it, Alec. It's not okay. The worst thing is, it's my fault." For a horrifying moment I couldn't speak, couldn't breathe, and my vision blurred with tears. "I killed him."
Beside me, Alec leaned forward and kissed my forehead. "This sucks. About Blaze and Drake. Luke dying. But I'm here for you. We'll make sure stuff like this doesn't happen to anyone else."
"But it already is." I took a few deep breaths. I thought it was supposed to help. It didn't. "People die from monster attacks, and the people who care about them suffer. Even if we stop it from happening again, it won't help the people who it already happened to. It won't help me."
"Yes, it will. This is what Luke wanted. For you to stop Drake and Blaze and for you to save humanity. You'll fufill his last wish."
The tears returned again but I stubbornly fought them, blinking. Alec opened the door and we walked inside. He closed the door behind us.
Oh, my God. I could feel it. It was as if Luke and Harmony were here with me. Their presence was still strong here and I couldn't stop a strangled cry from escaping my lips.
"Alec," I breathed, my voice shaky and weak.
He pulled me close. "I know. It's not okay, it feels like it'll never be okay. You're overwhelmed. It's fine. You're going to be just fine. I'm right here. Even if everyone else leaves you and you're all alone, I'll be right here with you."
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