Chapter 3

Jace:

I watched Selene leave the building. I was reluctant to follow her, but my heart was worried for some reason. She seemed too messed up during class and I couldn't help caring for her.

"Jace, go." Will tapped my shoulder and I shook my head.

"Why?" I faked a smirk.

"Stop being a jerk. You know you want to." Will hissed and my heart paced with speed.

"Fine." I tried to sound cool and got up to walk out, "I mean-whatever."

"Yeah." He nodded and I walked away.

I paced to the main doors with full speed and dodged Hailey's sight as she was approaching my way from the other end of the hall. I ran out of the building and crossed the road to walk on the foot path near the main street. I looked around and there was no sign of her. Just when I was about to walk back, I heard a familiar laugh. I staggered towards the waiting cubicle at the bus stop, right on the next block, to find her standing there.

I frowned when I saw an elderly man approach her. When she took a step away from him, I felt that to be my cue and ran to her.

"Baby? There you are!" I exclaimed, reaching her. Her worried expression abruptly turned to a stunned and pale one. I held her waist just when we were close and then engulfed her in a hug.

"I'm so sorry, I was just talking to Mr. Lancaster about something." I muttered on her head so the man could hear. She clutched onto my shirt on my chest and her other hand captured the cloth on my back. She was freaking out.

"Is this your boy?" The man asked pointing at me. I kept my face normal and gave out a pursed smile. Selene moved out of our hold and stood next me. I felt delighted when she chained her arm into mine. Taking my arm out, as subtly as possible, I ran my arm around her waist. She gasped slightly as I pulled her in.

"Yeah. This is Jace. My... boyfriend." She introduced and I smiled cheekily; it felt funny.

"Hey, man." I raised my hand and he shook it.

"This is Levine." She pointed at him and he nodded.

"How you doin'?" I tried sounding nice but Selene's uncomfortablness was poking me to do otherwise. I didn't like the way he was staring at her.

"Selene told me you are a wrestler." Levine chuckled and I grit my teeth.

"Actually a champion. Won medals and all." I shrugged, trying to sound casual. His mouth formed a perfect 'o' and I felt Selene shiver in my arm. I looked down to find her stifling her laughter in my shoulder.

"I think we should go babe. We'll be late." She uttered, looking up at me and I nodded.

"Well, nice to meet you, sir." I nodded, before tightening my grip on her waist and turning to walk.

We were walking away when I felt a strong gaze on me. I turned my head slightly to find the man looking at us. He was smirking and his eyes weren't leveled with mine. Pissed off, I pulled Selene into me who wasnt aawareof the situation. She gasped as I lowered my head.

"Don't hate me." I muttered before capturing her lips in mine.

She was shocked at first, so was I, it was such an abrupt and weird feeling. I instantly pulled myself away and she looked at me as if stroked from the tip of a lightning bolt. I found her eyes watery but then my stare went back to her lips. They were parted, dry and trembling.

"Shit." I hissed and clashed my lips with hers, again.

Selene:

My body trembled, my heart was beating faster than the thumping of a leopard's feet against the ground and my breathing, well, that right was taken away from me.

Jace's lips were so unexplainable when they collided with mine. It was like being electrocuted all of a sudden. I moaned as he bit my bottom lip and his strong arms circled tightly around my waist. I locked my arms around his neck and my fingers found their way into his golden brown curly locks.

When we broke the kiss, our breathing was still in sync. Our foreheads fell against each other's and our panting and lack of breath pulled us to keep our hands on each other.

"I-I should go." I pulled myself away from him. He looked at me different and I was so scared to figure it out. I mean what if I was bad at kissing? I wasn't ready to kill myself yet. I walked away without any glances. I was scared and I just wanted to make it home. I heard Jace hiss something under his breath but I didn't stop to listen.

Aaron:

I was patiently sitting in the train, sipping on my latte and reading my book. My eyes would drift to the doors, every time as they would slide open on a stop and let people in or out of the train box. The train was almost empty which meant not many people were done for the day this early.

I was about to sip on my latte when the doors slid open and the first person who entered was that girl.

That gorgeous little muffin; Selene.

She was still the same, even after a week, she was the stranger whom I remembered clearly. Her golden brown eyes lurked in my dreams like a drug which my brain was addicted to. She found me and I smirked at her. Her jaw dropped lightly but then it turned into a tight smile. I cocked my head to the spot next to me and she nodded before walking over and taking a seat.

"Hi, again." I poked her shoulder with my finger and she smiled.

"Hi." Her voice was faint.

"You okay?" I noticed slight traces of tears in her eyes.

"Yeah. Just a rough day." She nodded, sniffing up her red tiny nose.

"I hope you remember me." I nudged her shoulder with mine.

"Yes, Aaron, I remember you." She emphasized on my name and I gave out a huge grin.

"Good, then lunch's on me." I stated and she whipped her head in my direction.

"I already got lunch." She lifted the bag in her hand and I smelled something incredibly delicious.

"Smells delicious." I pretended to taste the aroma. She giggled.

"Seriously, you are giving me your number or taking mine, we have to meet up. Please. It's a request." I muttered lowering my head a little, near hers.

"Request?" She mimicked my accent and I bit my lip.

"You think you are funny, don't you?" I squinted at her and she chuckled.

"Very, Mr. Blane." She winked and I cocked my brow.

"Sharp memory." I commented and she clicked her tongue.

"You're just that memorable." She smirked.

"I feel honoured, madame." I fake gasped. The train stopped and everyone started getting off. She looked up and muttered a swear that I didn't catch because she flashed to the open doors. Without thinking, I picked my bag up and ran after her.

"This is your stop?" Her nostrils flared as she spoke and caught her breath.

"Nope." I popped the 'p' and she furrowed her brows. I pulled my phone out and unlocked it.

"Number." I ordered and her cheeks went pink but she laughed.

"You're crazy, Mr. Blane." She snickered and started shuffling through my phone.

"Here you go." She gave me the phone and I saw that she had typed up her number but there was no name.

"Here you go." I turned the phone to her and showed her how I had named her Ms. Arly in my phone. She smiled brightly and I took the chance to take a beautiful picture of her as a contact thumbnail.

"Hey!" She whined.

"What?" I shrugged.

"Let me make a good pose though." She pouted.

"No." I knew she was going to delete it, "I am not letting you delete the picture."

"Fine, then I want one of yours too." She crossed her arms across her chest, like a child.

"Aha, okay m'lady." I bowed lightly and her eyes twinkled. She leaped on me and we took a selfie together. Her arm was slung around my shoulders and her head was pressed against the side of mine.

As she moved away, I inhaled the sweet scent of her hair, just like that of a flower. I couldn't distinguish which, but it was definitely a fresh flower's scent.

"I'm going to change and save your name as Flower." I uttered while typing it up in my phone.

"Why Flower?" She looked confused.

"Because you have the scent of one and it is-" I lowered my head and stopped when my lips were near her ear, "-very intoxicating, m'lady." She gasped lightly as I moved away and I noticed how she had started biting her lip and her cheeks were now red.

"I-I-"

"Its okay, Flower. Good bye, now." I winked and jumped in through closing doors of the newly arrived train.

Jace:

"You okay brother?" Will cornered me, as soon as I entered through the main doors.

"I did it." I uttered with wide eyes which did not get the opportunity to close or relax, since that kiss.

"What did you do?" Will looked at me with fear.

"I scared her away." I shook my head.

"What?"

"I kissed her man." I palmed my forehead but the reaction that met me was unexpected. Will burst out laughing.

"Damn, that's brilliant." Will laughed.

"Screw you, man. By now, she must be camping by the hills." I tensed up and fell into a chair nearby.

"You're over thinking it, man." He shook his head.

"But, she just-"

"Did you think maybe she got scared of the thought that you might've not liked what happened between the two of you?" Will raised his brows.

"You think so?" I scratched my head.

"Yeah." He nodded assuringly and I took a breath.

"Jace?" Will called as I sagged into my seat.

"Yeah?"

"How serious are you about Selene?" He questioned while taking a seat next to me. His face was expressionless but voice was stern.

"I don't know, to be honest." I sighed, straightening up in my spot.

"What do you mean?" He furrowed his brows, "Look bro, from where I see her, she cannot be one of Jace Anderson's flings. She seems to hold more to her than that." He shook his head and I smiled at his response.

"You seem to know the ladies." I patted his shoulder and he chuckled.

"No, I seem to know humanity. Innocence." He pursed his lips and stood up. My jaw dropped at his words and he walked away, keeping that stern expression, plastered to his face.

It was weird though.

The way that kiss had felt, it was almost something magical, like straight out of a book. She was completely taken by it, just like I was. Whether I admitted it or not, Selene was dazed by the kiss.

I found myself reminiscing the moment when I pulled her into my arms. She was so weak and easy to catch. Her breath escaped those lips and her arms collided with herself as her palms slapped against my chest. Her eyes stared into mine, like they were the only thing she could see. The hazel brown colour of her orbs, sent a shiver down my spine as she inhaled a small piece of air through her nostrils which flared up lightly, making her look all the more gorgeous. Her gentle sigh delighted me and I pushed myself further to do what I was about to do.

In that second, I had forgotten about the creep staring at us and all I could think about was lettng my lips touch hers.

When I uttered those words, I was going to wait for a reply from her but as soon as her lips parted, I lost all sense and captured her. The electrifying shock, pushed us apart for a minute but what I had felt wasn't something I could contain.

"Jace!" A harsh female voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Hailey?" I looked up at her annoyed expression. She was pouting in anger and I noticed the little twitch of her eyebrow at the mention of her name.

"I have been calling you out for so long. What is the matter with you? Ignoring me?" Her teeth were gritting and her lips were thin.

"What? No! I just... I feel sick Hailey. Thats it. I'm sorry." I widened my eyes lightly and popped my lower lip out to give my childish look.

"Aww, my baby boy." She kissed my head and wrapped her arms around my neck.

I know it was mean but I always thought that Hailey was easy to charm one's way through, or maybe she did really like me.

I could never get myself to return a true feeling, though. Hailey was beautiful and amazing. She was smart and matched my family's lifestyle. Infact, we were family friends, but it's just, I always pegged her to be a friend, nothing more.

"I'll be fine. Don't worry." I stood up to pull myself out of her embrace. That didn't work out because she wrapped her arms around my torso and rested her face in my chest.

I jumped when I felt a kiss pressing on my chest, through my clothing.

"Ha-haily, I'm fine." I smiled and moved away from her, this time, actually managing to pull myself out.

"Jace, what's wrong?" She asked politely and I saw some spark in her orbs.

"I-I-" the bell rang and I sighed a breath of relief.

"I got class, Hailey. I'll see you later 'kay?" I pressed out a smile and ran away.

Selene:

My heart couldn't stop racing. I was out of breath but my heart kept up. My dumb little beating heart and I; we both knew what being kissed by someone you really adore, feels like.

"He kissed me." I uttered to myself in my bedroom, as I sprawled on it after I came home.

"Honey?" My mom knocked on the door, catching me off guard.

"Yeah?" I uttered breathlessly.

Suddenly, the door barged open and my mom came in, frantic.

"Baby, you okay? Why are you breathless? I told you to wear your nasal tube, but you won't lis-"

"Mom, mom!" I jumped from the bed and cupped her face.

"I am okay." I emphasized every word. Maybe too damn okay! My subconsciousness mocked.

"Tobias said he was worried as he saw you frantic. Sean told him that you left early." She breathed and I inwardly cursed that idiot; Sean.

"I was just getting tired today." Shit, wrong statement, Einstein! My mind scolded as my mom's fearful expression widened with her eyes.

"Its a good thing we are going to see your doctor today." She removed my hands from her face and enveloped me in a hug.

I sighed.

"Selene?" My mom pulled me out of my trance.

"What?" I looked at her, dumbfounded.

"Get ready baby." She kissed my forehead and turned on her heels before exiting my room.

I changed my clothes into a sleeveless shirt and knee length shorts. Looking at my slim and pale figure in my mirror, I pushed myself to cover my body in a thick, grey cardigan style sweater. I changed my shorts into jeans and headed down stairs, to mom.

"So how are you feeling today kiddo?" Dr. Anderson asked nicely as I took in a deep breath.

His name kept on knocking in my head. Dr. Baltazhar Anderson was my new doctor, he was my new neurosugeon, and he was to perform the entire surgergical procedures on me. My previous doctor, Dr. Hendricks had called and told that he was leaving the country for a while on an emergency so therefore Dr. Anderson had taken over.

"I'm goo-"

"She's dizzy and tired and breathless, Dr. Anderson." My mom added and I huffed at her with a sigh.

"Is that true?" he looked at me with suspicions crawling out of him.

"I just grew, merely, out of breath today, sir." I uttered.

"Are you wearing your oxygen tank every day?" He asked, sitting in front of me on a metal stool.

"No, I don't wear it to school." I confessed and he nodded.

"Can I convince you to wear it for the next week at least?" He looked at me with apologetic eyes.

"Can I know, like why? As in-"

"You have to wear it so we can see if it helps." He pursed his lips.

"But, that's just temporary, doc. There's no point in there then."

"There is, Selene. It will increase the capacity of your lungs. You will heal, honey. We know these are small steps but they help." He assured me with tight confirmation. Tears made their way in my orbs.

"Okay." I croaked.

"Attagirl." He smirked and patted my head. That smirk, it was so familiar.

"Do you, by any chance, know a boy called Jace Anderson?" I found myself asking before I could hold the question back.

"Why, yes." He nodded with a bright smile, "My son is Jace Anderson, supposing we are talking of the same boy." He chuckled.

"Alrickson High, grade 12?" I reluctantly uttered.

"Yeah!" He smiled and I felt my insides churning, "You know him?"

"Yeah, yeah. Um, he's in one of my classes. You two look alike so that's why." I felt my cheeks turning hot but I ignored it.

"Well I am glad you and him are friends." He patted my shoulder.

"Thank you, Mr. Anderson." I appreciated his niceness as I slid off the stretcher.

"Thank you for your time, doctor." My mom shook hands with him before he turned to me joined hands with me.

As my mom exited his office, I followed but was stopped by a voice.

"Selene." Doctor or Mr. Anderson stopped me.

"Yes, sir?" I turned to him.

"You'll make it honey. I'll make sure of it." He patted my shoulder and I walked out.

In that moment, I could see what his eyes could see.

A seventeen years old girl.

Who could die, in just a couple of months...