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H o l l o w s I n
T I M E
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"So let me get this straight, Jameson asked you to the Ball?" Avery asked as we stood by a rack of ball dresses, seeking out the two we most liked.

"Plural, Avery," Saph interjected, "there are two Balls." Avery rolled her eyes at her whilst Cassie stifled a laugh.

"Balls." She said, before erupting into giggles. I shook my head and laughed at her, jabbing her with the hanger that held a dress that I had been looking at.

Nonetheless, we returned to the conversation. "No, Jameson asked me to go to the Ball." I told Avery.

Saph gave me an odd glance. "You do realise that adding three words doesn't really change the facts, right?"

I threw her a glare. "Okay, yes he asked me to go, but not with him." I said, distracting myself by turning back to scan the rack of dresses, hoping that something would jump out at me.

Bria tapped a hanger on the rack, which held a very vibrant red, but beautiful, dress. I picked it up off the rack and rose an eyebrow at Bria.

"What?" She asked, "would you rather go in blue again?" She gestured to the hanger beside it, which held a blue dress. I had been eying both of them.

I sighed in resignation. "Okay, fine. I'll try it on." I told her.

"Wait," she called, just as I turned. "She picked up a gown, "I'll come." I eyed her curiously but I let her and her five metres wide dress follow me into the changing rooms.

We said a quick goodbye before dispersing into our rooms. I drew the curtain in, hung the dress up, then sighed at my reflection.

I soon exchanged my home clothes for my red gown, and then stood in front of the mirror, just peering at myself.

I played with my hair, somehow finding fault with every place I positioned it in. Then I awkwardly tried many different poses. Nothing looked right.

Suddenly, the conversation that Jameson and I had had earlier this week came back to me. There was nothing wrong with the dress. I was just too afraid to admit that. I was too afraid to go to the Ball, just as Jameson said.

I closed my eyes, inhaled and exhaled, then opened them again. I straightened my back, pushed my shoulders back and poised my head at the right 'jawline view' angle.

The dress was gorgeous. It was just a bonus that it actually suited me.

It was simple, yet completely wild. The bold red was just that, and it'd certainly give me a bold entrance. But what way to enter a Ball that I was afraid to go to than by being the main attraction there?

Or, at least, the dress would be. Without the sleeves, my collarbone complimented the look exquisitely. A few months ago, I would've absolutely hated my collarbones sticking out; now I loved them.

The red went perfectly well with my pale complexion—since I haven't seen the sun since Jesus died—which did surprise me. I thought the contrast would be too much. Maybe blue was too safe for me, maybe I'm destined to be an angel on fire. In a flaming red dress.

The simplicity was adorned by an almost bouquet effect at the very top of the dress. 

It was elegant yet daring. Simple yet striking. It's also a Christmas kind of colour, which was the point of the Ball.

I took the dress off knowing exactly what I'd be attending the Crystal Ball in.

I pulled the curtain back to see Bria waiting for me, leaning against the wall, dress in hand.

We both gave each other the same expression. The 'so?' expression.

"I love it." We both squealed at the same time. Then we both reeled backwards.

I linked my arm with hers. "Let's go pay then." I told her with a grin.

And then I literally bumped into Jonah.

Bria groaned next to me. "I'm fine." She said. It was funny, because their relationship almost echoed that of Jameson and I. Almost.

"Actually, I'm here for this." He said before prying the garment bag with the red dress in out of my hands.

"Why?" Bria demanded as I watched my dress get farther and farther away from me.

"Sky's fund hasn't been updated. But I'll put it on hold for you." He told me before actually running away.

"Well then." I said after a while.

Bria squeezed my arm. "If there's anything I know about my wonderful Guardian, it's that he never does anything to hurt anyone. You'll get your dress at some point." She assured me, and then patted my hand before dragging me over to the till where we payed for her dress.

"There you guys are!" Avery exclaimed, holding a mountain of dresses.

Seeing me regarding the pile curiously, she said, "They're not all mine."

I nodded, as if I was convinced. "I'm sure." I quipped, watching her duck her head with embarrassment. I shook my head at her with a silly grin on my face before I faced the racks again.

"Okay, lets go try these on." Saph announced, gesturing for Avery and Cassie to follow her.

Avery started to turn to follow them, but then swivelled back around abruptly.

"Oh, guys. You should probably know, the dress code for the New Years Ball is a little more lowkey," Avery informed us. I frowned.

"Think dinner party, not Ball." She advised us. I nodded, thanking her before taking her advice as I turned back to the dresses.

With a new perspective, I started searching for the perfect dress. I even managed to escape Bria to do so—whom had become particularly clingy ever since I'd actually decided to leave my room.

I was stuck between two dresses yet again when someone's voice startled me.

"Don't you think you should buy a ticket before you purchase an expensive gown?"

I span around, surprised by no less than Alexi Abbot. Great.

I groaned. "I thought I lost you in the East Block." I complained, referring to earlier, when Lexi and I were apparently playing hide and tag.

She laughed, shaking her head. "No, you just managed to get yourself lost," she jerked her head to the right hand side. "Jameson's by the entrance." She told me.

I let out a frustrated groan before glaring at Lexi.

She smiled. "Would you rather be guarded by people you didn't know?" She asked.

"Yes!" I responded, "At least then they wouldn't want to play chummy with me in the corner of a dress shop." Lexi watched me with amusement. I paid her no more attention as I returned to the dresses.

"If it helps, I like the white one—very virginal." Lexi spoke up as I continued to stare at the dresses.

I rolled my eyes, even though she couldn't see my face. "Why would you even have a preference? You're not going."

When she didn't answer I turned around slowly. Her face told me it all.

"No." I shook my head, barely believing it.

"Yes," she nodded. "There's a reason that I bought three tickets." Lexi waved three strips of glossy card in front of my face.

"So that you could invite both your boyfriends?" I asked her with no serious note in my voice.

Lexi frowned. "Both? I don't even have one."

I rose an eyebrow. "Jonah?" I prompted her.

Lexi dropped the arm that held up the tickets. She averted eye contact. "You know." She said as her shoulders sagged.

"So does Jameson." I added.

She frowned. "I don't care what Jameson knows or doesn't know about me." I gave her an unconvinced look.

"Wait," my eyes widened. "Jameson is the second boyfriend?" I asked in disbelief.

"Sky!" She exclaimed. "You should know better than to accuse me of dating such an atrocity!" She continued to complain.

I stared open-mouthed at her. "He is not an atrocity."

Lexi stared at me for a few moments, before both her eyebrows quirked up, almost in realisation.

"You're jealous." She stated, sounding as if she didn't even believe herself.

I stuttered over incoherent words before finally saying. "I am not."

Lexi looked as unconvinced as ever, "Sky, feelings don't fade that fast." She told me. "At least, yours don't." She added.

"What do you mean?" I asked, feeling my face heat. "It's been a long time since I...since we..."

Lexi scoffed. "Right, because you stopped loving him as soon as you left the Academy—it's been an entire year since you last had feelings for him." She was mocking me now. I only gave her a nod in response.

Her expression softened suddenly. "You can't seriously tell me that you stopped loving him then and there," I didn't respond. "Do you remember the mansion story? You escaped from that man because Jameson appeared to you, like some sort of Angel Gabriel or something."

I looked at anything but her. "Your point?" I asked.

"My point, Sky, is that he was the reason that you killed someone." I clenched my jaw. "I know that's a fresh wound, but it's true. No one else but him. Not me, not Carter, not any of your friends—Jameson." Again, I replied with silence.

"You must have still loved him then, or at least regarded him as some sort of God or something, otherwise he wouldn't have had an influence over you—and that's proof that you still loved Jameson, on May eighteenth of this year." I could barely get a word in as Alexi seemed certain to analyse my love life.

"That's still a long time." I said futilely.

Lexi flashed me a small smile. "He broke your heart." She suddenly said. "When he didn't come to save you." She continued. My heart started to beat widely. "That's why you can't accept that you love him, because you're still trying to find a reason why the love of your life could possibly leave you to die."

With my heart suddenly on show, I felt unexpectedly shy.

Lexi outstretched her arm. I looked up to see her holding two tickets. "I think it's time to ask your boyfriend out on a date."

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Amen
Amen
Amen

Thank you lord

You have given us Alexi Abbot
And she has promised us the return of Skyson

Thank you.

THIS WAS A LONG CHAPTER AND I DIDNT GET IT UP ON TIME OOOPS

I STILL MANAGED IT THOUGH

JUST A DAY LATE

WAS IT WORTH IT ?

-no it was shit

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Next update: Wednesday
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CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHT SPOILER:

With the trio starting to spend a lot of time together, it's no wonder that tempers begin to run short.

But when the opposing side tries to stitch up the wound, the wounded rips out the stitches and decides to live without.

Even if their heart is an empty void after.