Chapter 35.2: A lesson well learned, the hard way

Jason, who had been watching by his car, was thinking to himself, she was after all a teenager and it was a normal thing for her to experience dating guys of her age. He couldn't help but to feel angry and disappointed but he told himself after what he did behind her back, who was he to ask Ivy to trust her future with him.

While he wanted to turn away, he caught a glimpse of Ivy fighting to get loose. He saw Kyle, who had lost his patience, begin to use violence on her as he slapped her, sending her laying on the ground.

Ivy was trying her best to push Kyle away but the drug was making her head spinning so much that it became a struggle to lift herself up from the ground. Kyle got impatient as he wanted to tear her dress while she managed to pull all her remaining energy to slap him. He was furious that he slapped her back again and was literally pinning her to the ground as she kept wiggling out, fighting him. 

"Nooooo, stop! Stop! Help!" Ivy kept screaming as she pushed him away with all her might as tears began to fall from her eyes in fear.

Instinct made Jason run towards them as he flipped the guy over and gave him a punch flying him off into the air. He was furious at how Kyle treated Ivy with violence as he continuously gave Kyle several punches.

Andrew was anxious about Ivy being too long in the loo. As they waited they heard a commotion outside which made Sandra and him both run outside to find Ivy lying on the ground while unexpectedly found Jason punching Kyle back to back. 

Ivy was struggling to get up while enduring the dizziness and pain. 

"You bloody son of a… !" Jason kept giving back to back punches till Kyle's men came by and surrounded Ivy and Jason. 

Ivy knew she must stop Jason otherwise he would get severely injured as she forcefully pulled herself up from the ground and managed to catch hold of Jason's hand while he stopped punching Kyle.

"Jason… Jason… Stop, stop…." She mumbled in a weak voice loud enough for Jason who was supporting her wobbly self to hear. However, the sight of Kyle and the gang made his adrenaline rush even faster as he wanted to continue to fight only to be pulled back by Ivy's weak gestures. 

"Hey, that's enough… Let's leave…" Ivy said with her eyes closed, enduring the dizziness.

Ivy held on tight to Jason from behind as she pulled him to the car but he stopped midway to turn back and look at them as he could feel the mob was slowly creeping up on them.

"Jason, please..." Ivy was praying hard that Jason would leave quickly as her heavy head began to spiral even more and she was worried they would injure Jason. He could feel her trembling body hugging on tight to him as he reluctantly walked her to the car but turned back to check on the mobsters who were close but halted their pace when Jason was watching them.

"Jason, leave... Let's go..." Ivy whispered in her shaking voice as she couldn't stand straight while she stumbled to stand before Jason caught her in time.

"Get the authority to deal with them. Beating up adolescents could end up in jail." Ivy said as she closed her eyes, enduring her dizziness. She continued to pull him to the car while he was so overwhelmed by rage. 

Andrew knew the guys wouldn't let go of them knowing how close they were trailing Ivy and Jason. He decided to blast the police siren from his phone and screamed. "Police! RUN!" 

He went into the house to alert the rest of the fake news as he watched Jason being pulled to the car by Ivy hastily.

Jason stormed into the car as she entered the passenger side. She instantly tilted her head down as her dizziness overwhelmed her.

"You're alright?" He then realised Ivy was looking very unwell as he asked. She was cupping her face into her palm while her tears leaked out from her fingers. She was overwhelmed by fear but yet uncomfortable with her spiraling dizzy head.

He pulled her in for a hug to comfort her.

"It's alright. You're safe. I will drive you home." He started to pat her back.

She instantly grabbed his hand as he moved away while holding her pounding head with another hand. "Can we not head to my home? I don't wanna be alone. Just not tonight." 

He sighed as he flipped her head up. "Who said we are going to your home..." He wanted to comfort her but he was shocked to find her red face as she kept holding on to her head. 

"Ivy, you're alright?" 

"I'm feeling really dizzy. I think, my drink..." Her words trailed off as she fainted while holding out for his hand.

"Damn that kid!" Jason cursed as he drove as fast as he could to reach the hospital. 

He carried her and rushed all the way to the emergency room. 

"Help! Help! Emergency!" He yelled as a few nurses rushed towards him with a bed.

He laid her down in bed and called up Marcel to get the police to deal with the kids at the party. He also reminded Marcel to ensure Andrew and Sandra's safety.

"Ivy will be alright… Don't worry Phoenix… It was her first time trying out her magic skills and it lasted very long. It was a good start…" Grandma comforted Phoenix as Ivy could catch a glimpse of their blurry look.

"Grandma… I want to take Ivy back to the kingdom… I want to bring her into the tower of reflection…" Phoenix echoed as grandma looked worried. 

"Phoenix, you know the consequences of entering there… There is a high possibility of memory loss and if the both of you enter…" Grandma's voice broke as she explained to Phoenix. 

"I know grandma… I was thrown in there before they sent me here… I recalled the past memories I saw and recalled. I want to give Ivy a chance to live for once. I no longer want her to be my protector. I no longer want her to make the sacrifice… I want to be all that for her at least once… Even if I lose my memory again…" Phoenix's turn for his voice to break at the thought of the gruesome sacrifice Ivy made for him all the while.

"Grandma understands… not forgetting, it might trigger another side of her…" Grandma's last sentence was muffled by Phoenix's cries as she hoped the worse scenario would never happen. 

Ivy could hear Phoenix's cries and it was her first time hearing him cry as she drowsily tried to cope with the exhaustion she felt all over her body. She felt helpless and weak at the situation as she struggled to recuperate quicker only to find herself spiraling down a never-ending abyss. 

Ivy finally gained consciousness the next day as she jolted up in bed trying to push the sight of the never ending spiraling abyss away. She felt like she was hit by a truck as she looked around, knowing it was a hospital room. 

Her mind slowly recalled last night's event. She beamed, smiling knowing Jason was home only to be quickly frightened and furious about Kyle.

Jason walked right when she was still absorbing it all. At the sight of him, Ivy didn't hesitate from hugging him. 

The frightening event from the night before was playing over and over in her mind as she gripped tighter to him with her trembling body as she controlled her turbulence of emotions with wailing tears in her eyes. 

"It's alright… It's all alright now, Ivy… Did you wake from a nightmare?" Jason comforted as he tightened his hug. She shook her head forgetting the spiraling abyss as she absorbed the warmness of safety in his arms.

He breathed a sigh of relief. 

"Thank you." She whispered as she snuggled deeper into his chest.

He let her go to see her face. "I have taken things to the authorities. Those guys from your college?"

"Not Kyle and his boys… They are from the mobsters… That's why I was so worried they would severely injure you… Why didn't you just leave quickly?" She nagged at him as a few tears slipped from her eyes. 

He wiped them away as she noticed he looked very haggard and there were plasters all over his hand and face. She knew he must have jet lagged. 

"You should have let the law take care of it." She said sadly as he smiled. He hugged her again.

"Number one rule in a party, you should not simply grab a drink from a stranger. Be careful of your drink. I trust you should know this don't you since you're such a good drinker…. Number two, scream for help loudly as though it's the end of the world...." Jason started to nag as she hugged him tighter before sobbing.

He wanted to continue nagging but he could feel her fears on her trembling body as he comforted her and knew the trauma had not ended for her. 

"You will be discharged today since you have regained consciousness as the doctor said... Stay over at my place alright and skip the exams?" He let go of her, as he suddenly felt he was pushing her too much to absorb, considering she had just regained consciousness and was so frail and pale.

"No. Don't. I am going to take the exams… I have prepared a lot for it..." Ivy explained as more tears trickled down when she released their hug and faced him.

Jason nodded as he led her to sit on the bed and wiped away her tears. "Alright. Alright. We will get you discharged first then we talk. Wait here alright while I run the procedure at the counter."

She nodded as she looked sad when he walked off, trying to control her emotions from breaking her. She thought about Andrew and Sandra to distract herself instead. She wondered if they were alright from last night while checking her phone only to find messages from them reporting that they were safe and they knew she was also with Jason.

She let herself breathe a sigh of relief as she counted her blessings for having Jason by her side. She also counted the days remaining where she would then have to leave him. 

"Reality was always this harsh… Isn't it normal to endure what else is coming?" Ivy asked herself as she looked out at the gloomy skies by the window with a sad face.