The Last Hero (Villains & Monsters #2)

Chapter 43

TW for stalking, obsession and some filthy thoughts. Definitely one of the creepiest chapters I've written so far. Short, but still. Uh... don't forget to vote? Lol. Love you guys. -Rae

- Late June, 2045 - (Eleven months ago)

Jamie walked up the stairs quietly, grateful that the apartment complex was heated. Kunross quickly adapted to the sudden blizzard in the middle of summer. On the way, Jamie passed tons of children playing outside with their parents. The coffee shop was closed because of the weather, but he imagined a line of people waiting to get their hands on some sweet hot chocolate or a warm mug of tea. He also imagined Devin switching on the electric fireplace and playing Christmas music, simply because he could.

It had been nearly a day since Daija exploded, and she still wasn't answering. The heroes had spent the rest of the afternoon and the entire night searching for whoever could be Frost. Jamie stayed back at the facility, waiting anxiously for an update that never came.

He reached the correct floor, and his body knew where to go from that point, bringing him to the front door of the apartment.

Was he really about to do this?

He stretched out a gloved hand towards the silver doorknob. He hesitated for moment, going back and forth between, This is wrong and fucking weird, and, I'm only just making sure she's okay. The latter ended up winning, and he used the pin he came with to silently unlock the door. Finally, he stepped inside of Daija and Violet's apartment.

Jamie knew that Violet was at work all the way in west Kunross, indulging herself in chemistry, projects, and whoever she was with during her trip. He shut the door behind him, then rested against it. He took a deep breath, then exhaled before scoffing and chuckling to himself.

She wasn't home. She would've been at the door in seconds if she was. So, if she wasn't here, then where was she?

Slowly, Jamie walked towards the living room of the apartment. He took a quick glance at the kitchen. Everything was clean and tidy; no dishes in the sink, no clutter, even some fresh flowers resting in a gorgeous glass vase on top of one of the counters.

Memories of their game night crept into his brain once he reached the living room. That afternoon, Fiona had crumbled under pressure and revealed Daija's existence to the entire public. That morning, Jamie had been struggling to keep his own irritation at bay after discovering what she and Simon were up to at the bases. That night, he couldn't sleep, angry at the heroes and stewing in jealousy at his latest discovery.

Jamie inhaled, then shook away any additional negative thoughts. He wasn't going to think about Simon too much; at least, not here.

His feet carried him to the room that he'd seen only a couple of times, but memorized almost square inch of. He gently pushed the door open, stepping inside and once again taking in the space that was Daija's bedroom.

For a moment, he stood there silently, his eyes flickering to random spots and items in the room. He saw some books piled up in the corner, her journal lying on her desk, saw that her bed wasn't made and saw... empty liquor bottles?

He walked over to her bed, bending down and picking up one of the empty glass bottles. The rim of it had hints of faint shimmer on it, and Jamie immediately knew that it came from Daija's raspberry lip gloss -- a gloss that he'd been craving to taste for weeks now.

Wow, he thought to himself as he put the glass down. Drinking straight from the bottle. Gosh, what the fuck even happened? Is she alright? Where could she be?

He sat on the ground near the bed, his head nearly spinning when he caught the scent of lavender from her bed sheets, then the softer lavender vanilla scent of her body wash and the tiny hints of peppermint from her leave-in conditioner. Fuck, the smell of her was everywhere in here, threatening to consume him more than she already has.