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T h e H o l l o w s I n 
O U R F R E E D O M
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Next to me, Jace—who was also stunned—unfroze. He ducked his head as a gesture to welcome her, and I watched her laugh in response.

"Oh, aren't you two adorable?" She exclaimed, showing off a thick British accent.

I cleared my throat, acknowledging that this was not a time to be bashful. "We need your help."

"Well, of course, I do know. In fact, I know everything." I stared at her. "I know what you've planned, and I know what you've done—Miss Abbot, how did you ever doubt me?" I gulped. Having heard her say more than just a few words, I could detect a slight northern accent. It wasn't huge, but some of her vowels were jaded by it, though I could tell that her roots dug into England.

"To be honest, I had no idea who you were until twenty minutes ago." I couldn't stop the joke from slithering up my throat, but she didn't seem to mind.

Jace cleared his throat, ignoring my last statement. "So, Mrs Beaufort, you can help us then? You can help you're daughter?" The woman's lip twitched at the word 'daughter' but she said nothing more on the matter. Instead, she hummed.

"I can help, of course, why would I be here otherwise?" I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders as I watched her brush past Jace. "Also, please call me Elle."

Heels clicking, she walked up to the front desk, and was greeted by a different receptionist, a seemingly new employee, who fumbled when the poor girl laid eyes on the glorious woman.

She registered, and then a doctor came to collect her for her blood transfusion. And that's when the anxiety kicked in once more.

I paced around again, noting that Jace's eyes followed me as I did laps.

"You can really tell that she's Sky's mother." Jace acknowledged suddenly.

I nearly tripped, but recovered by rolling my eyes. "Yes, I'm sure that was easy for you to figure out." I thought he would just take it and leave it, like any other person who was intimidated by me would do. But Jace was not just any other person. He kind of reminded me of Jameson in this circumstance. Aside from Sky on the odd occasion, Jameson is the only person I've allowed myself to get close to, but also challenge. And he takes it both ways, managing to be brutal but still understand where we both stand.

Jace, however, obviously does not know where he stands.

"Excuse me?"

I sighed, pausing to turn to look it him. "She's your light, your wildest dream, your queen, etc, etc, I don't care, I don't care." I think I realise, after I spoke, how stupid and pathetic I sound. Kill me now.

I groaned, clutching at my hair. "Stop distracting me!" I rose my voice at him, watching his eyes widen. "I have better things to worry about!"

Moments of silence passed. I think he was just waiting until I calmed down.

"So you worry about how I perceive Sky?"

Yes. Yes, I do. Because I–

"It's done." The voice startled me, for I had not been expecting anyone else to witness the inevitable break of my barely beating heart.

If not by her voice, then it was by the waft of her perfume, of which overwhelmed me, that I recognised our spectator.

Elle Beaufort.

I turned to see her a metre or so away from us, stood in such a stance that made it look as though she was modelling for the front page of Vogue.

As they had done when I had first met her, her looks struck me. If there were ever an epitome of beauty, it would definitely be Elle Beaufort.

Her lips unturned into a smile, but it was difficult to tell whether it was a warm or cold one. Unlike her mother, Sky had always been an open book. I harbour immense skills in the field of 'reading people', but Sky just makes it too easy. Her mother, however, is the complete opposite. I cannot gauge a specific reason or intention from her. I can't even tell what she's feeling.

With my skills put to shame, I seemed to hold less of a stake in whatever hierarchical game we were playing. Whilst Mrs Beaufort sat upon her gold accented throne, I was left mopping the bottom floor.

Jace, in his uncanny therapist ways, sensed an immediate shift in the room, and angled himself so that I was included in whatever conversation we were about to have. He doesn't know that I like his therapist-influenced abilities.

"Would you like me to stay for a while longer?" The woman then asked.

Amazed at her disregard for her daughter, I took a warning step forward. Screw Jace and his therapist abilities. I can involve myself in a conversation.

"I'm acutely aware that you don't actually know how parenting works, so let me give you a rundown," I think Jace sensed it in my body language before I began, but he was far too late to stop the storm that was unfolding before his eyes.

"Your daughter goes through hell on earth to earn her freedom, it goes wrong, embers are thrown. Your daughter is severely injured and is on her way to literal hell. Do you, A) go to your appointment to re-dye your roots, B) say prayers and thank the lord that she even survived the trip to the hospital, or C), start a fight with her already pissed off Guardian?"

I thought my argument was pretty damn good, but when Mrs Beaufort let out sultry laugh, I knew I had successfully screwed myself over. It isn't a great day until Alexi Abbot makes a mistake.

"Well, I'm here, am I not?" She asks, an amused smile upon her lips.

I scoffed. "Just barely. To even have the nerve to question whether or not you should stay—you make it seem like this is just a drop-in visit, a mere checkup." I spat, not afraid to show her that I was now way beyond angry. I'm up in hell roasting marshmallows on the bonfire with Satan.

Mrs Beaufort raised an eyebrow at me. "I think what you meant to say was: 'yes, you should stay, Mrs Beaufort'."

I tried to keep my cool, but I knew that I didn't have an argument unless I had successfully had the last word.

"The fact that you couldn't figure that out yourself is what is worrying, Mrs Beaufort."

After that, nothing more was said, but I had a feeling that that was down to Jace's forever calming presence. Even when he isn't being the therapist, he will always be the therapist. The best kind of therapy is the unspoken one. The kind where you just stand beside someone and instantly feel healed.

"Here." The voice pulled me away from my phone, which I had been using to check in at the Academy via Jonah, who assured me that, although the place was thrown into chaos, our covers remained viable. But that would all change soon. And when it did, we needed to be ready for the lightning to strike us when it does.

Refocusing, I saw Jace holding two hot drinks, steam smoking out from the tops. 

I reached out for one, but he handed me the other one.

"Coffee." He told me as I peered at it. I raised my eyebrow at him, then flinching out of shock as he took a seat beside me.

"I don't drink coffee. I find that it alters your brain too much."

I rolled my eyes at that, "that's because you're a therapist." As I took my first sip (and gave my tongue third degree burns), it was time was Jace to raise his eyebrow.

"Psychologists and scientists study the brain; I'm not too sure what you think I do in my spare time." I swallowed my first sip as a way to think of a response. Of course, I already had a response—but I had to think of something a little more... appropriate.

Oh, screw it.

"I can think of a few things."

Jace choked on his hot chocolate.

I blushed, but hid it behind a curtain of my black hair.

"You could..." Crap. Why, Alexi? Why?

"Start..training..?"

Well done. Just–

Jace hummed. He pointed at me. "That's a good idea." He acknowledged, looking thoughtful.

I stared. "Wha–yeah, I mean yeah. Duh, that's why I said it." I inhaled, trying to compose myself. I couldn't, so I flipped my hair, trying to summon my inner confidence back.

I didn't have long to do it though, because the doctor returned.

I shot up, barely holding onto my coffee. In a flurry, I couldn't decipher the doctor's feelings.

He exhaled. "We have news."

I gulped.
This is it.
To live, or to die.
You reap what you sow, but I can't remember killing anyone's best friend.

So, with my final strand of control gone, I sent a prayer along with it, hoping anyone would answer. 

Please, don't let Sky Forest die.

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IM 17 TODAY #driveacarstageoflife

And so I decided to give y'all a present

(I mean, I think maybe I've done this the wrong way round but I was told birthday included presents so)

Anywho

TA DAHHH

okay so here we go

Thoughts on Elle Beaufort?

Thoughts on Alexi and Jace?

Thoughts on Jace?

Thoughts on thoughts?

(Just like have a brain dump here if you want ^^ for any of these lmao)

Anyway
That was fun

They only annoying thing for y'all is that this is quite a big cliffhanger and the next update is three days away

Oops!!

(Whereas if I had posted on Wednesday it would've only been one day...)

-sorry, it's my birthday

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Next update: Wednesday
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CHAPTER FIVE SPOILER:

Are Jameson and Sky dead or alive?