[the past] | completed

i can't be...

{veronica's pov}

I woke up, my own gasps for breath filling the silent room.

I quickly looked around, blinking rapidly to release a few tears.

I soon felt that I didn't feel comfortable in my own body. It didn't feel right. Nothing felt right.

It was at that moment that I realized that my neck hurt like crazy. It was a sharp and piercing pain in my neck. And as I turned it, it cracked.

I instantly felt different. I felt so misplaced and as if I was a stranger in my own body.

I felt a weird feeling in my blood. It was cold and menacing, but it slowly began to grow warm.

I brought my hand to my neck and I felt a deadly cold touch of my fingertips. I sprung my hand back in front of my face and watched as it changed from a pale light blue tint to a reassuring, still light tan.

I spun my head to look around the room, and my body jerked back when I saw someone.

Jughead.

My throat was dry and when I opened my mouth, I could barely speak.

"Jughead?" My voice was so weak and scratchy I couldn't tell if he even heard me.

But then I realized something I've never seen before— at least not on Jughead.

A tear.

One stray tear was streaming down his surprisingly translucently pale and white face.

His expression... it was just...

I was stunned.

He was stunned.

But he was also relieved, it appeared.

Curse my bad memory, but I can't remember why.

He took a long and deep breath before I saw a bright shine form in his eyes.

Then in a split second, he whipped his arms around me.

No words came from his mouth— he was just hugging me.

I failed to remember much about anything.

My arms reluctantly found their way around his back.

He pulled away quickly, and another tear fell onto his face.

Even after all I currently remember about him, his face was so sad, I just wanted to hug him again.

But he brought his hand to my face and began to stroke it, cleansing me of my tears.

"You're alive," he whispered softly. "I can't believe you're alive."

I narrowed my eyes a bit at him, and he just continued to stare at me with what appeared to be admiration and relief.

All I wanted was an explanation.

There were fast footsteps getting closer, and I turned my head when they stopped nearby.

"Jughead what's-"

He stood in the doorway, staring at me. I took a fast look at Jughead and he was still glaring at me with that same expression.

When my eyes met Damon's again, I got a sharp pain in my head and remembered something.

My neck. It was snapped. Something happened and... I... died.

"I died?"

I couldn't keep the words from falling out of my dry mouth. My voice cracked at the end.