^ It's Alexi's time to shine ^

"It was the anticipation, I think. I already knew what I had to say. But the anticipation I felt when imagining the fate I'd be condemned to after was worst than admitting the secret itself."
—I did something
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H o l l o w s I n
T I M E
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"So can someone tell me why we're playing Where's Therapist?" Lexi asked in the middle of our search as we neared the reception.

"Just pay attention." Jameson muttered. Lexi sighed, but complied nonetheless.

Then I spotted him.

"Jace!" I called, dashing out to the reception, where Jace was three people away from the front desk.

Jace glanced over at me, then behind at Jameson and Lexi.

"Can we talk?" I asked, approaching him as he became two people away from the front desk.

"Sky, I think it's best if you get a new therapist." He told me. Those tears started to blur my vision once more.

"I don't want a new therapist." I told him defiantly, hoping to distract him as he became second in line.

Jameson stood by my side, sizing up Jace.

"Jace, please." A lone tear fell as my voice cracked.

Without looking me in the eye, he said. "It's Mr Clarke to you."

And the tears rushed out.

"I need you." I whispered as the person in front said their thanks to the person at the desk. Jace turned away from me, as if he didn't even want to look at me. And it hurt. It ripped flesh from healed scars. It tore good memory from bad. It set the secrets on fire, and they scalded my skin.

"You need to let go; I'm leaving." He approached the desk, "Goodbye, Miss Forest."

And with that, I watched my whole world set ablaze, just like that mansion did.

So I ran. Just like I did when the building burned. I dashed past people, only turning when the mood turned dangerous. And when I did turn, I saw Jameson throw a strong punch in Jace's face. He'd be punished for that.

I caught a glimpse of Alexi trying to reach me, but I dodged past people, ran into the glass door with such a force that it hit the wall, knocking the handle out of place, before I launched myself out into the Academy's outside grounds.

Then I sprinted.

I had to get away. In that moment, it all crept up to me, and no matter how fast or how far I ran, it just kept reaching me—kept beating me.

I knew that Jameson and Alexi were trying to follow my trail, so I dashed into a forest, where my tracks would be covered by the trees.

I ran and ran and ran. I ran until I fell legs first into a ditch the size of Wonderland itself.

I landed, thankfully, on my back—which knocked the wind out of me, and would bruise, but was better in the long run since it didn't break any limbs.

I curled up and laid there for what felt like an eternity, watching the sun set over the top of the ditch, the blood-red streams of light staining the shadows in the sky.

Then I heard heavy footsteps. Someone came to an abrupt halt at the hollow, and I felt as dirt landed on my body. But I no longer cared. I'd like to be buried. At least then I can actually take my secrets to the grave.

"Sky?" Someone called from the top. I laid perfectly still, hoping that the person who had found me wouldn't notice me. But who couldn't notice a burnt up girl? An angel on fire. With ashes to camouflage my body, and secrets to hide my scent.

Also, it was still light out.
They could definitely see me.

So they jumped down, their feet landing with a heavy thud. They didn't hesitate, and took me into their arms. Then I cried.

"Lexi, you have no idea what I've been through." I sobbed into her arms. "I'm not the same Sky you knew back home." I cried.

"Well, you do look the same." I shook my head at the joke.

She placed her palm on my head, stroking her fingers through my hair to calm me. "I'm sorry. For everything. From the moment I let you go on the twenty-ninth of March, when I failed to keep you safe." She pressed me close to her and I relished in her warmth in the freezing November temperatures.

"You're my first and only guard. And from the moment I met you, I wanted to keep your heart safe, because your beauty isn't just in your looks, Sky—it's within." She whispered, gathering more of me into her firm hold.

I whimpered. "Jameson said a similar thing, but you both don't know the places I've been, the things I've done." I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to get rid of the memories.

"That's why I needed Jace; he keeps it all at bay. I still don't know why it's him, but he's my life support." I explained with regret and sorrow.

Lexi pulled away so that she could look into my eyes. "You're Sky Forest. You don't need him. I don't care where you've been, or what you've done—and neither does Jameson. We love you, true, maybe in different ways," I tried to ignore her subtle dig at our past relationship.

"And this is our fault," I frowned. "No," she silenced whatever I would have said. "It is. Undoubtedly. And nothing you say will change that."

She grew pensive for a moment as she brushed hair out of my face, tears shining in her eyes. "You're hurting because of us. So please don't shut us out; we only want to help you."

I closed my eyes, feeling the tears trail down my cheeks. "I can't let you help me. This is too much."

She squeezed my shoulders. "What's too much?" When I didn't respond, she pressed her fingers to my cheeks, ridding my skin of the tears.

"Talk to me. Talk to us. We want to protect you. Even if that means from your own self." At that, I opened my eyes.

"That's a exactly what I need," I whispered. "I need you to protect everyone from me," I gulped. "Including myself." I told her.

She stared deep into my eyes, and I felt as if she finally understood. She is, after all, my best friend.

Lexi picked up my frozen hand and held it in her warm ones. "But you need to trust us. Can you do that?" She asked. I was hesitant to reply, and then she pulled away.

No. Now she's leaving me. She's given up on me.

"I thought it would be hard," she said. The thoughts stopped. "So I brought this." She produced a folded sheet of paper from her pocket.

"It's still light out, so you have time to read it here. But you'll have to be quick, the winter sun doesn't wait up." She smiled at me, pushing, what I believed to be a letter, into my hands.

I glanced at it curiously, then, with her silent persuasion, I unfolded it. 

It was a letter.

Written in familiar writing.

Sky,

My breath caught. And then I continued reading.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry that we were so close, yet so far. And I know that probably hurts more than the rest of it hurts. Yes, we are still separated, but it's the fact that we were so close that is the biggest heartbreak. Because it makes the separation a whole lot harder when it happens again.

I want you to know that I'm always here. I know you're scared, and I am too. But you should know that I'd never let anything bad happen to you. If you die, I die. That, or I get arrested for poor treatment of a Special One.

You don't know this, but I've seen you a few times lately. I've been guarding you, so of course I've seen you. And you have no idea how many times I've noticed my fingers trembling, because they're reaching out towards you. It doesn't matter how close together we are, I can never hold you again.

By the way, Alexi seems funny. I can see that she makes you happy. That makes me happy. I'd like to think that you're not crying everyday of your life, and Alexi is the person I rely on to prevent that from happening. Don't ever cry over what happened. Neither of us could have helped it.

This next part is going to be hard to write. But we're never going to see each other again. So I want you to promise me, even if you can't promise me physically, that you'll find another love. I don't care who it is. Just please find someone who will make you happier than I ever could. And you'd better tell them everyday just how lucky they are to even know you're name, Sky Forest.

Despite this, I am a hypocrite. Because I could never find another love. Simply because I could never find anyone else like you. Because I love you. And I always will. And I'll never stop loving you, no matter what.

–Jameson.

It was the letter that Jameson had written to give to me when I was in hospital. Tears fell from my eyes as I held it close to my chest. It brought back all the horrible memories. But it was also the only proof I had that Jameson still cared about me during that time. And back then, in the hospital, in that house, in that cage—this would have saved me.

I stared at the letter.

"He never gave up." I whispered, fresh tears falling from my eyes.

"He loves you, always has, always will. Why would he give up?" She asked.

I frowned. "How do you have this?" I asked.

She smiled. "The nurse gave it to me. But back then, every time I looked at you, it looked like you had just fallen apart again. Even when you were smiling." I ducked my head, releasing a small smile. "So I kept it, for when you needed it most, for when it wouldn't break your heart more than it was already broken."

I held onto the letter so tight that it could have ripped.

I stood up shakily with Lexi's help.

"There's something that you and Jameson should know."

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"–I'm not a special one lol Carter part two"

Y'all I typed CARPET INSTEAD OF CARTER HAHAHAHAHA

"All you ever did was walk all over me. I am Carpet HAYES HAHAHA"

Anyway

Ye cliffhanger but we can discover more on Friday will be fun

Also happy half birthday to me I 16 and a half how amaze

Wait

I'm 17 this year

What's also great is that I actually mentioned the word 'hollow' for the first time since the end of the first book lolol

#dedication

-more like deadication you looking rough b

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Next update: Friyay
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CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR SPOILER:

'It suddenly became so real that I was about to tell my two Guardians my biggest secret.

The secret that made me a monster.'

WHEN YOU CANT BE BOTHERED TO SPOILER SO YOU TAKE SOMETHING STRAIGHT FROM THE CHAPTER LOOOOL