31. Seperation that causes severe fever

AT THE SAME TIME

WANESSA'S POINT OF VIEW:

I shouldn't have stopped. I should have kept walking, kept pretending I didn't see him. But my feet had frozen to the ground, my breath locked in my throat as I stared at him. Xavier. But not the Xavier I remembered. His golden hair was gone, replaced by a dark, lifeless shade that made him almost unrecognizable. His once strong frame sagged beneath the weight of something unseen. He looked… wrong. And then, before I could even take another breath, he swayed. My stomach dropped. His steps faltered, his body lurching forward. He staggered once, twice, then his knees buckled

"No!" I gasped, stepping forward instinctively.