🎃 HAPPY HALLOWEEEEN 🎃

H o l l o w s I n
T I M E

Everything stilled. Everything was quiet. Even our inhaling and exhaling made no noise. I stared at Jace. He stared back.

Jameson broke the silence.

"Do you guys know each other?" He asked. Do I know the person I told all my problems to? Well, I'd hope so.

"Know is an understatement." I said, not breaking eye contact with the therapist who had successfully managed to sneak back into my life right under all of our noses. My eyes raked over his form. His brown, almost black, hair combed over to the side—smart, yet messy—his skin had a olive tinge, but not at all dark, to it that was so foreign to me. Literally and figuratively. His piercing, bright blue eyes were the stark contrast to his whole appearance. I took longer to marvel in those. He wore a shirt, tucked into his apparent version of smart bottom attire—black jeans. Obviously.

The whole time, Jace's eyes were also taking in my appearance. I took my eyes away, nervous about him seeing me seeing him.

So I turned to look at Jameson. He was standing, angled towards Jace as if he was a threat, his eyes flitting between the two of us, trying to figure out what was going on.

I gestured to Jace with a sigh, "he was my therapist back home too." Jameson just about balanced himself. His lips became agape. He clamped his mouth shut.

"That's.." But he didn't finish his sentence.

"Same." I muttered under my breath.

"Well, at least you know each other already." Jameson put in. I smiled but hid it as I ducked my head.

"The hour starts now," Jameson announced, "I'll be outside." He told me, giving me a nod, and a once over, then he turned. With his hand on the door handle, he looked between me and my therapist. And he came to a conclusion—one that I wasn't aware of. Then he left.

"So," Jace began, I turned around, "shall we begin?" He asked, picking up a pen from a pen pot and a notebook from the desk. I answered silently by sitting on the sofa opposite him. As always, he had his own chair.

"This is your secret, then, yeah?" He asked, arms out as if he was gesturing to the building that we were currently in. But he was talking about the Academy. I found myself giving him a smile of pity.

"Yes, and now it's yours too." I told him.

He nodded. "I know, I've been given the talk." He told me, then apparently regretted his words as he pulled a face. I shook my head at him and laughed.

"Hi, my name is Sky." I told him.

He frowned, "I'm aware." He spoke slowly, as if I were insane.

I rolled my eyes. "I know, but we should introduce ourselves again, maybe this time I can tell you more about me." I gave him a hopeful look and he rubbed his chin with his thumb.

"Okay." He agreed, "Hi, Sky, I'm Jace." He told me.

"That's nice." I responded, and he rolled his eyes.

"When's your birthday?" I asked him.

He frowned. "I'm not sure that's in the job description." Jace responded as he raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I just wanted to know." I shrugged.

He smiled. "Well, if it's so necessary—July the twenty-second." He told me.

"That's a nice birthday." I responded, and he chuckled.

"And yours?"

I gasped. "I am your patient you should know this kind of stuff." I spoke in disbelief.

Jace laughed. "Aren't we trying to get to know each other?"

I narrowed my eyes. Good tactics—using my own idea against me. "Okay." I resigned. "August twenty-third." I told him. He nodded as if he was interested. Then he clicked his pen.

"Let's talk about the Academy." He announced suddenly. I peered at him, but nodded nonetheless.

"Who's your shadow?" He asked, gesturing to the door. I followed his hand and frowned—then I understood.

I chuckled. "That's my Guardian."

Jace rose his eyebrows in realisation. "Ah, that makes sense." He nodded.

"Nah, he's my favourite sidekick." I mocked sarcastically, and Jace bellowed.

"That's hard to imagine." I smiled ruefully with my head hung low.

"It really is." I whispered. If he heard me, he dismissed it.

"So let's start with something easy. Tell me about your friends here at the Academy." My therapist gestured around with his pen.

I raised my eyebrow, "Is that supposed to be easy?" I asked, and Jace rolled his eyes.

"What are your friends names?" He asked.

"Why are you so interested?" I asked in response, crossing my arms over my chest. Jace threw me an annoyed look.

I sighed, "so there's Avery, Cassie, Saph, and Bria—I guess."

"What do you mean by 'I guess'?" He asked.

I shrugged. "I feel like those are my friends. But I guess I have others."

"Like?"

"Like their Guardians or–" I paused, averting my eyes.

"Or..?" My therapist persisted.

I continued looking elsewhere, "or...this guy...Toby." Silence followed.

"Toby Espan?" He asked. My eyes snapped over to him. I stared.

"You know him?" Jace stared back at me. "How?" I asked.

This was Jace's turn to look away. He clicked his pen. "That is not of your concern." He told me.

I frowned.

"You're giving him therapy too, aren't you?" I asked, head cocked to the side. Then it all clicked.

That must be the reason he knows him. Jace is new here; he had no idea who Jameson was—but he knows who Toby is. Toby, the boy who just found out that his brother is dead. He'd need therapy. So the Academy killed two birds with one stone.

Jace Clarke is both mine and Toby's therapist.

"Jace.." I trailed off hesitantly.

"Mr Clarke." He corrected. I gave him a deadpan stare. He gestured for me to continue.

"I think I'm the reason that Toby needs therapy." I told him. He drew back, his eyebrows furrowed.

"And why would that be?" He asked in response, leaving his pen in the crease of his notebook, like he always would when he was interested in what I was saying.

"Because I was the one that told him that his brother is dead."

Jace stared at me, lips apart, much like how Jameson had responded to Jace and I knowing each other.

"I wasn't supposed to tell him." I told Jace, playing with my fingernails.

"Why not?" Jace asked.

I shrugged. "It wasn't my place."

"But surely you're the best person to tell him?" I looked up at him. He was watching me.

"How?" I asked.

"Because you're a close friend." He replied. I shut my eyes. He doesn't know. Oh God.

"You don't know." I repeated my thoughts aloud, eyes still shut.

"What don't I know?" Jace asked, a hint of curiosity in his tone.

I opened my eyes. "Did they give you a file on me?" I asked, and watched as Jace gestured to a folder on his desk.

"You haven't read it, have you?" I asked, my stomach sinking. Jace didn't reply. But I knew the answer.

"You're aware that I went missing again, aren't you?" How on earth would I even explain this to him? I haven't even explained it all to Jameson.

"Back home?" He asked. I nodded. "Yes, the day after one of our sessions." He seemed to grow pensive. But I wasn't sure why.

"Well, I didn't return to the Academy. I was taken...by horrible people." I told him, casting my eyes away.

He leaned back in his chair. "You just keep getting more and more complicated, Sky Forest." Jace commented and I smiled, tucking a strand of blond hair behind my ear.

"I've always been a complication." Jace raised his eyebrow at me, then looked over to his desk clock.

"And on that note," He rose from his chair, "our session is over." I stood up from the sofa and offered Jace an awkward smile.

"I'll read your file." Jace promised as I walked over to the door.

"Enjoy." I told him, though with a bittersweet edge.

"It was nice meeting you, Jace." I placed my hand on the door handle, ready to turn it and leave.

"You too, Sky." And then I left.

Jameson was waiting for me, and I suddenly grew tense. It was surprising how some people could make me feel relaxed, but others could make me throw my guard back up.

It's just another complication.
I am very complicated.

_________________________________

It's a complication

Solve it

HAPPY HALLOWEEN YAY CHRISTMAS

but y'all are probably not here for that

I hope you read up until the spoiler for your Halloween gift

-Christmas

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Next update: Wednesday
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CHAPTER FORTY-NINE SPOILER:

We're turning up the heat a little bit.

I hope you're ready, but if you're feeling a little bit uncertain, don't worry, here's a list of cautions to decrease the chances of anything severe occurring to your mental state.

CAUTION:
•Don't enter a maze without thinking you'll run into dead ends full to the brim with secrets and lies.
•Don't expect to have your hearts wishes fulfilled even when the shooting star is bright enough.
•Most importantly, don't dig through your past and expect not to reminded of deceased happy moments.

💎 OFFICIAL 'HOLLOWS IN TIME' CAST LIST LIES BELOW 💎