Gabriel Sera and Oliver had just left the car in quite a hurry. I still didn’t realize why they had been arguing so violently. It really wasn’t a pleasant thing to wake up to. I scrambled over to the window, and watched the two of them in the half-light. They seemed to be having a very intimate conversation. Every time their hands brushed together, I felt my stomach churn. I was about to exit the car when I noticed Jem in the seat behind me. He was just laying there, breathing heavily. I unclipped my seatbelt and opened the door next to me, slipping into the back seat silently. I bent over to look at the boy who was once my best friend. His skin was at least three shades paler than it had previously been, and newly-decorated with long white scars. I put a hand on Jem’s shoulder, my eyes brimming with tears. I shook my head, shamefully. This had all been my fault. The boy began shivering uncontrollably after a few moments. I looked down at him, noticing the shirt he wore. There was a large area, just by his heart, where the fabric was shredded and covered in dried blood. I staggered back, in a moment of horrible realization. Luce had killed Jem. I saw her do it with my own eyes. I tore Jem’s shirt from him frantically, searching for the wound. It was gone. As if everything that had happened in the past day was just a dream. Somewhere in my mind, I wished for that to be true. I wrapped my arms around Jem, weeping onto the unconscious boy’s shoulder. I felt a cold hand press against the small of my back. It took me a moment to realize that it was the very boy who had followed Oliver to rescue me a day ago. That same boy who had pointed his gun at me for the first time, nearly a year ago. Jem Benedict was alive. Juliet I woke up to see a pair of large, golden eyes staring at me intently. I backed up against my headboard, only to whack my head against the spray-painted metal. I winced slightly as my eyes focused on the figure leaning over me. My eyes met a grave-looking Damien. His flaming hair was loosely braided and slung over one shoulder. I raised my head, feeling extremely dizzy. Before I could object, Damien took both of my wrists, and held me to the bed. He did all of this quite slowly, however. It was almost as if he didn’t want to startle me. “What are you-” I began, but he interrupted me. “Remember when I told you to be careful around Odin?” He asked. I nodded, silently wondering what he was getting at. “Well, there was a reason for that. I wasn’t just being over-protective, Juliet,” He whispered, sighing deeply. “when Odin bit you earlier, he broke the magical bond between you and I.” “So that means I’m free?” I asked, ecstatically. He frowned, and nodded slowly. “Thanks to your ‘donation’, you are no longer under my control,” He began. “though it also means that you aren’t protected by my powers. You are at risk now.” I stared at him, astonished. “At risk of what?” I asked. He shrugged. “Well, basically every non-human can sense you in these woods now. Before I was able to disguise your presence, but I’m no longer able to.” Damien whispered, loosening his grip on my forearms slowly, until he let go all together. I looked up into his golden eyes, tears of confusion brimming in my own brown ones. “So, what do we do now?” I asked, feeling dizzy. I wasn’t prepared to go back home. Not after seeing what these people were going through. I had to stop Luce, one way or another. Damien smirked, running his fingers through my hair. “Well, ‘we’ won’t be doing anything. You will stay here, where it’s safe.” He explained. I turned my head sharply, causing him to pull his hands back. “And what will you do without me?” I questioned, feeling anger rise within me. Damien smiled devilishly. “I will fight.” ----------------------------------------------- “It’s gone, gone, baby it’s all gone. There’s no one on the corner, and no one at home.” Blah. Blah. Blah. Yet another chapter finished, though it’s extremely short. Comments and constructive criticism are appreciated.