Author's Notes: I wrote this while I was sick and without much thought at all, and when I wasn't feeling so up to it, so I apologize if the plotline for this chapter is kind of poorly-written, in my point of view… Well I did try my best though, and some parts might not make any sense at all. But, I hope you readers will still enjoy it! But, I can't believe it! After posting up the last chapter, and when I checked back, I couldn't believe I got 11 reviews and lots of people putting 'Forever Dawn' on their favorites list! I was so happy, I was practically jumping! Haha.

Also, I love the reaction I got from all of you and let me tell you that I enjoyed reading your opinions – If I made you guys hate Lori and feel sorry for Wanda, then I accomplished my task! But I didn't intend to make you hate Ian too… I was aiming all the hatred at Lori! I swear! But I think all of you dislike her, am I right? I don't really like portraying a character as an enemy. Each person has his/her own feelings, but the world isn't easy enough to accept the differences of opinion to everyone. That's why those characters can never become heroes. The POV's my change anytime too.

By the way, the theme song for this chapter is the song "Why?" By Secondhand Serenade. Listen to it while reading! And again, review and let me know what you think!

"I didn't think I knew the chaos I was getting in.

But I've broken all my promises to you…

I've broken all my promises to you."

- "Why?" by Secondhand Serenade

"-Forever Dawn-"

Chapter Two: Feelings

By, modernxlove-

I heard voices… voices of people I know… but I didn't mind them all that much…

"Is she alright?"

"No, I don't think so."

I heard lots of them talking and whispering. But I found it hard to open my closed eyes and to identify which one was which. I didn't know where I was – but I knew I was lying down in a soft mattress. It didn't feel hard like those cots.

"Where's Wanda? Is she still upset?"

"She's asleep now."

"What happened to her and Ian?"

"We don't know."

"Poor, Wanda… she must be in a state of confusion right now."

"Jared found her in the once shattered cave floors – you know, where Kyle once tried to kill her? We found her crouched to a stone wall."

"Oh, you must feel sorry for her… that poor girl."

Stop it already, I thought. Stop feeling sorry for me… I tried my best to open my eyes, but I was so tired. Doc must've used 'The Sleep' on me again… After countless of tries, I gave up… but before sleep claimed me, I swear I heard Ian's voice and Ian's hand stroking my face.

"I'm sorry… Wanda…"

Ian… Ian, why? Why?...

And I drifted off to sleep, my conscience still yearning for answers... and still yearning for Ian…

Ian's POV

I walked into the dark, quiet room, which was supposed to be mine and Wanda's room. It wasn't supposed to be quiet or dark. It was supposed to be cheerful and bright, because Wanda was always there, sitting on the cots, giggling and laughing; her smile was enough to lighten up the dark room and her voice was enough to brighten up my day and ease my troubles. She was my good-luck charm, I would always say. But Wanda isn't here; she left this room deserted to stay with that Nate guy and that Burns Living Flowers Soul days ago. How long has it been since I yelled at her? About a week, I think.

I never wanted to see Wanda cry… and I never wanted to hurt her either. But I did, and I can't erase that! I wish I can just, turn back time… God, I'm so stupid.

I'm so sorry… Wanda… I closed my eyes and imagined her smiling face…

"Hey, Ian…" I turned around, hoping to see my Wanda again, with her cheery sweet smile. It was just Lori. "This will be our room now; I talked it over with Jeb, Ian…" She said with a grin.

"Oh." Was all I could say.

"C'mon," She said, tapping my back. "Be more happy, you know. It's a first time in a long time we've stayed together like this."

I bit my lip. "But you made me lie to her, Lori! This isn't fair! Not to you, not to me, not to Wanda, and not to everybody else too! You know it, Lori!"

She sighed. "Ian, Ian, Ian. Three words, sweetheart: Get. Over. It. Without me here, you'd still be all over that alien bugger and people would've think you've lost your mind. Good thing I was here to stop you. Now, you're normal, like everybody else-"

"But what about Kyle?!" I snarled.

"Kyle's not you. Plus, you'll be happier this way. Trust me."

I clenched my fist. "But I'm not happy, Lori! I'm not happy! Maybe I don't love you after all! Maybe, I'm just telling myself to love you because I've loved you before! This was a mistake and I screwed mine and Wanda's relationship big time!" I wanted to punch somebody, no, I wanted to wreck the whole place and kill everyone.

Lori was going to be the one to keep me company now. But there was just, something about her that made me feel uneasy… and uncomfortable. It's like a feeling of bad luck and karma going your way and I just couldn't shake it off, and I had no idea why...

Wanda's POV

How many days has it been since that incident with Ian? I didn't really know… all I knew was that every day seemed like eternity. I didn't sleep in his room anymore. I stayed with Burns and Nate; their room was the only one available. Melanie was with Jared, and I didn't want to bother them… so I decided to stay with Burn and Nate. It was really nice of them to approve of my staying, they didn't protest at all. But was bad was that they were persistent on knowing about Ian and I, and would often ask me if I'm alright. I swear, if anyone asks me if I'm okay, I'm going to explode.

"Are you sure you don't need help?" Burns asked from behind me. I finished rinsing the bowl and I placed it on the rack to dry. Eight more to go, I sighed.

"No, thanks." I said to Burns. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Nate asked. "You look tired. C'mon, I can do it for you."

I shrugged. "No, it's okay."

Melanie approached us and grabbed the plate from my hand.

"Hey!"

"You're not up to this." She said. "Look," She pointed at the tiny crack evident on the side of the plate. "You're doing this absentmindedly. You've been scrubbing this plate for an hour."

"Oh."

"Are you sure you're alright?" Melanie asked. I clenched my fist.

"Yes, Mel. I'm alright." I said sarcastically. Why do people keep asking?

"You're lying." Jared said from behind me.

I jumped a little in surprise. I didn't see him coming. He was always sneaking up from behind me, and I found it very creepy.

"Sorry," He apologized. "You're a bad liar, you know that?"

I didn't bother responding.

"You're not really alright, are you?" He said.

I didn't respond. Again. Why did I have to answer him? I've been answering questions like that all week!

Jared put a hand over my shoulder and gazed into my eyes. His sienna-colored eyes were holding mine and they were lighting up with worried expressions. "Are you?" He repeated himself.

I faced the ground, not wanting to get any more eye contact with him…

"Answer him, Wanda." Melanie pushed.

That's all it took to snap me of my anger. "If you really want to know, I'm NOT alright, okay?! I'm not! I just had the man I love break my heart! And I'm sick and tired of having to explain myself in front of all of you!!" I burst, tears already spilling from my eyes. "So please, just stop asking me already!!" The tears were spilling down so much now, and I didn't bother hiding them. I just wanted to hide away from the rest of the world.

"Wanda…" Everyone muttered in unison.

"J-Just leave me alone!" I yelled, taking flight.; I was ready to kick up and run, until Melanie intervened.

"Wanda! Wait-!" Melanie ordered, grabbing hold of my right arm.

I did my best to shake her off, and surprisingly, I was able to let her go. I ran as I heard them yell for me. Couldn't they just leave me alone? Couldn't they let me decide for myself? Decide for my own actions? I ran out of the caves, I didn't know where my feet would take me. I couldn't see anything, because the tears I was crying were blinding my vision… but I didn't care. I just wanted to be alone. I just want to cry myself out without anyone telling me to stop and assuring me that it's okay. No, it's not okay. It wasn't okay at all!

I passed the inner borders of these caves and I stopped until I reached the cliffs, where I could see the tiny waterfall that fell down through the cave floors. There, I cried and cried. I cried for a really long time, my body was wrenched with the force of my grief and sorrow.

Ian… I cried for him inside. Why would you do this to me? Why would you do this to us? Why?...

I wish I had the answers to everything… I never imagined how painful it would be for your loved one to leave you, to betray you. It didn't hurt this much when I first met Jared; when he rejected me and betrayed me; I cried, but the tears didn't last this long… I didn't understand why. I loved Jared the time I was in Melanie's body… but then I guess, it was Melanie's feelings that made me love Jared. But now, loving Ian were my feelings; they were my true feelings. Not Melanie's.

As the hours flew by, my tears lessened. I was able to stop myself from trembling already. I slowly stood up, tucking golden strands of hair behind my ears. I took little steps and started walking away from the cliff, my head was spinning and turning. I didn't even know which way I was heading until…

"Wanda! What the hell do you think you're doing?" I heard Ian's voice yell.

My eyes widened. Was it… Ian? I turned around, the thumping in my heart was incredibly fast.

But no… it wasn't Ian. It was Kyle.

"Are you trying to kill yourself?" He asked, placing his hand on my right shoulder.

I shook my head. "No," I said stiffly. "But the last time I checked, you were the one trying to kill me."

Kyle laughed. "Hey, I apologize didn't I?" I gazed at him – he had the same sapphire-blue eyes as Ian, the same pale skin, almost the same voice… It was hard to stop looking at him. Because he looked like Ian… because he reminded me of Ian. The mere sight of him made my eyes swell up with more tears.

"What the hell are you crying for?" He asked. "C'mon, I already apologized." He raised both arms up. "See? No guns or knives, or any other weapons. I won't kill you. You're one of my friends now."

I was stunned. Was this really Kyle? He seemed… too nice and kind. "Oh." Was all I can say.

"So," Kyle started, gazing out at the view, "Were you planning on jumping off that cliff or what?"

"I wasn't trying to jump off or kill myself okay?" I said. "I was just… reflecting here." I explained.

He grinned. "By reflecting, you mean sulking? Don't sulk, Wanda. It's so… human."

I bit my lip. Ian said that to me once. I faced down.

"Hey," Kyle said. "Don't be offended, but by all means, you're not human. So don't cry and sulk."

But I couldn't stop myself. Because I did cry; no, I was already crying... His voice, his words… his aura, was so much like Ian's. And Ian's aura right now was like Kyle's before. Now, it's as if, both of them switched.

Kyle sighed. "C'mon, stop crying already." He nudged my head. "It makes me feel pitiful, seeing you like this…"

I nodded.

"Is this about Ian again?"

"Yeah…"

"What exactly happened? C'mon… you can tell me all about it."

Ian's POV

I walked into my room, after having finished doing all of my chores. Lori had been clinging on to me like a baby and its kangaroo and it was nice I had time all to myself now. But when I walked into the dark room, I was surprised to see a familiar face sitting on my bed.

"Sunny? What are you doing here?" I was surprised to see her inside my room. Thank God Jeb had Lori do the chores. I needed space to breathe. "If you're looking for Kyle, he's not here." I said.

"I know…" Sunny replied innocently. "But I'm not looking for Kyle…" She said. "I was looking for you…"

"For me?" I asked skeptically. This is rare. She never talks to me that much, and now, she wanted to see me?

"Yes." She nodded, approaching my bedside. She lounged a seat next to me. "I… umm, wanted to talk…"

"About what?"

"Well, you see… I am a Soul…"

"Yes, I know that." I said. Where was this conversation heading to?

"We, Souls, are not necessarily human…" She started, "But, regardless of that, we Souls have feelings too… we learn how to love, we learn how to hate… we learn how to feel happy, and we learn how to be sad…"

"Your point?"

"Well, how do I say this?..." Sunny trailed off, thinking. "Do you remember when Wanda was in Melanie's body? And that she had to sacrifice her body's sake just to be with you, even if she was already in love with Jared?"

"Yeah…" I said.

"Well… even if Wanda had another love, she gave up everything – no, she tried her very best to move on and to unlove Jared, so that you can be happy…"

I sighed. "I know that… but…"

Sunny smiled and held her hands in mine. "Ian, I know you weren't serious when you said those things to Wanda… because I know that you love her very much… so, please tell me… what happened… between you and Wanda…"

I shook my head and sighed yet again. "Sunny?" I asked, my voice serious. "Do you love Kyle?"

Sunny smiled and nodded. "Yes, in part because Jodi loves him too… but, loving Kyle is also my feelings. Not just Jodi's. I'm falling in love with Kyle… me, the Soul. Not Jodi… but why do you ask?"

I clenched my fist. "Does… does Kyle love you back? Does he treat you good?"

"Yes. Kyle is very protective of me… just like you were to Wanda… oh, I think I know where this conversation's heading to…"

I blinked. "You do?"

Sunny nodded and looked up to me with her silver-colored eyes. The room was dark, but her eyes looked as if they were lit up. "Yes… you know, Wanda's very kind… even too kind, for a Soul. She does everything she can for the people she loves, even if it means risking her own life… Ian, no matter how many times you had yelled and lied to her then, she still loves you, you know. She's always, always talking about you… telling herself it was her fault you didn't love her anymore… Wanda doesn't care if you don't love her back. As long as she knows you care for her, it'll be enough."

I shook my head, and the tears fell out of these eyes of mine. I was so selfish, so stupid and arrogant… I hurt Wanda, the girl I love most in this world. I don't love Lori. I loved her before, but not now. Lori's my past… Wanda's my future… she's my everything… and I screwed things up with her…

"I love her." I told Sunny. "I love Wanda… I just couldn't admit it to myself when Lori appeared… because I loved Lori too… but then I realized that these feelings for Lori were not real. They only materialized when I kept telling myself I still loved her…" I bit my lip. Sunny tapped my back. "Wanda…" I cried.

"It's alright." Sunny assured me. "It's not too late."

"But how?!" I said, already yelling. "I lied to her, I told her I didn't love her!"

Sunny smiled. "Don't worry. All of us are here to pitch in. Actually," She grinned. "it was Jared and Jamie's plan to do this. I'm talking to you right now, and Kyle's talking to Wanda right now too… so, don't worry. We have a plan…"

"Thanks, Sunny." I said. "Thanks a lot."

Wanda's POV

I felt great. After opening up to Kyle like that. Who knew he was actually very understanding? The two of us were heading back to the main caves again, and Sunny appeared out of nowhere.

"Did you talk to him?" Kyle asked her in a whisper.

"Yes. It's set tomorrow night."

"Great. Jared owes us."

I couldn't really quite make up what they were saying because they were talking really slow and soft. But I did hear the words 'dinner' and 'night'; but I didn't really bother putting the pieces together.

"Hey! Wanda! Kyle! Sunny!" Jamie cried happily, approaching us together with Jared and Melanie. "You missed doing chores and you missed eating lunch too! You guys better go back to the kitchen now or else Jeb will shoot your sorry butts!"

I smiled. "Okay, Jamie. Let's head back then."

"Yeah!"

Jared narrowed her eyes at Kyle and Sunny. I looked back at the two of them, and they were both smiling.

"What are they hiding?" I asked Jamie.

"Beats me," He said.

"Oh." Even though I didn't really bother asking Melanie, I was still curious. When we got back, Jeb was a little furious that we skipped doing chores, but he lightened up when Jamie told him something.

That evening went on like it usually did and I hadn't seen Ian and Lori either. We had dinner, and after dinner, we had another round of soccer, and then after that, we had to sleep; Lori and Ian weren't there at all. By the time Jeb had told everyone to go to their respective rooms to sleep, Jared went up to me and knelt down, his fingers entwining mine.

"J-Jared? What are you doing?"

He pressed a light kiss to my fingers and it made me blush – my cheeks were turning pink and they were burning up. I gulped and looked around, checking to see if Melanie was evident and watching us. Uh-oh, I thought. I'm going to be smashed and grinded and killed when Mel sees me.

"Will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?"

I smiled. "Sure we can. But, don't we always have dinner together?"

He sighed. "No, not like that, Wanda. I mean, 'us'. Only the two of 'us'. Not with the others. It's going to be like a date."

I blinked. "Sorry, Jared… I don't know what the date of today is… I'm guessing we're somewhere in January… I lost track of time while I was here."

Jared laughed at my response.

"What?" I asked. "What's so funny?"

"Uh, I guess you don't know what a 'date' is, right? Well, it's going to be hard just explaining it to you… but, just meet me in the cliffs tomorrow night."

I nodded, but I didn't really understand him. His words were so… foreign to me. They were bothering me all night long, and I was thankful that Burns and Nate weren't pushing me to telling them what happened between me and Ian. Telling Kyle everything was enough…

-***-

The sunlight passed through the tiny cracks of these caves and flooded everything with brightness. A shaft of light worked its way through my face. I slowly opened my eyes and gently sat up, hoping I wouldn't wake my room buddies.

To my surprise, Sunny and Burns were on my bedside watching me like an eagle seeking its prey.

"Good morning, Wanda!" They both chirped.

"W-What are you two doing here, watching me?" I asked skeptically.

Sunny grabbed the blanket away from me and Burns pulled me up. "C'mon, Wanda!" Sunny said. "We're going shopping today!"

I blinked. "Shopping? We can't shop in these caves!"

Burns laughed. "Well, we're going out to town of course!"

"Are we allowed?"

Sunny nodded. "Yes, Wanda! Jared and Kyle already gave us the go-signal! Plus, Jeb's okay with it."

"Are you two sure? This isn't some kind of joke, is it?"

"No it's not, Wanderer." Burns assured.

"Yeah, but, if we go out of town now, won't it take us about two to three days to get back home?"

Burns shook his head. "Nope. Apparently, they built a new shopping center just right out the deserts. It's just a 60 minute drive.

I nodded. "Okay… but is this really okay?"

"Wanda! Stop being suspicious and dress up already! We have to go buy you a nice beautiful evening gown for tonight!"

I gulped. "Evening gown? For what?"

Sunny sighed. "Well, don't you have a date with someone tonight? Someone special?"

Oh yeah. I forgot about Jared! "You mean, Jared?" I laughed. "Jared is Melanie's partner. Not mine. I don't want to steal someone else's lover."

Apparently, Sunny and Burns weren't listening at all. "C'mon Wanda! Hurry!"

"Okay, okay!" I said, sighing. "Fine. If you insist." I took a quick shower and then I dressed up. It was early in the morning and not many people were up yet. I headed to the kitchen but Burns and Sunny pulled me out.

"Aren't we going to have breakfast?" I asked.

"We can have breakfast while we're in town." Sunny said. "We can go eat Chinese or something later. After we buy your gown."

"But I don't want to wear a gown," I complained. They weren't listening. They pulled me to the small cavy corridors and out to the area where the trucks, cars and other vehicles were usually parked secretly.

"Do we really have to do this?" I asked.

"Yes, you do."

I groaned. I wasn't in any mood to go shopping. But two of them insisted and I had to give in. Burns sat in the driver's seat of the van, while Sunny and I sat at the back. Burns had already started the engine when I caught a glimpse of Ian watching us from inside the parking space. I turned away, avoiding his gaze, though I was confused as to why he was there…

It was a long drive, but with talkative Sunny as my companion, the minutes seemed to speed up, and eventually we were out of the deserts and we arrived in town shortly.

The town was called "Sun Ville" because it was located very near to the deserts. It was just like every town I've been in – there were malls, shopping centers, small restaurants located in the blocks, other food places, theatre houses and a few mini hospitals. Not very exciting but it was pretty cool to have one near the deserts. I thought how easy it would be to have raids now that the Souls have opened up a shopping central near the desert's borders.

"Think of it as a Soul's-day-out." Sunny said smiling.

I nodded. "This is the first time, right?"

Burns chuckled. "Yup."

The first few hours were spent looking for a decent evening gown. I didn't even help Sunny and Burns look, all I did was sit down and let them do all the work. After a few more minutes, Sunny found a very beautiful one – it was a knee-level fancy and elegant light-pink colored cock-tailed dress, with white frills below the end of the skirt, with gold, pink and silver gems embroidered on the bodice; it looked simple, yet very elegant and beautiful. Like it was that of a princess'.

"It looks beautiful," I said, holding the gown up.

Sunny grinned. "I know, eh? Well, I'm good at picking out clothes."

With that over, we spent the remaining hours having lunch. We didn't have much money anymore (most of them were spent for the gown), so we decided to think cheap – we ate lunch at a fast-food restaurant. After, Sunny insisted we go walk around and look at the different shops since it was a bit too early to decide to go home. Burns and I agreed.

The mini adventure was fun while it lasted, but time flew by so fast, before I knew it, we were back home. It was already 6:15 in the evening when we got back. Jamie was the first to greet us. Melanie, Kyle and Sunny had literally towed me over to Lily and Trudy's room, once I got inside the caves, and they literally pushed me on to a wooden chair and tied me up with ropes.

"W-Wait!" I said, "Where are we going now?"

Melanie smirked. "You have to be pretty and beautiful when you have dinner tonight." She explained.

"You mean, you're not mad?" I asked, my left brow up.

"Mad? What are you talking about?" She looked confused.

"You know, I'm going to be having dinner with Jared tonight."

Melanie frowned. "With Jared? Who said that? You're going to be with – ow! Jamie Cut it out!"

Jamie had punched her shoulder lightly. "Mel!" He hissed. "Don't say anything or else you'll blow it!"

I didn't really understand what they were talking about… but I was too sidetracked wondering why Jared would ask me to have dinner with him privately.

"Oh, right." Melanie said, sighing. "Sorry." She grabbed some kind of pink-colored lip gloss and I gasped.

"Wait, don't tell me – you're not putting make-up on me, are you?!" I asked. Lily and Trudy both grabbed my arms and held me still on my seat, as Melanie moved forward, brushing lip-gloss all over my upper lip and back down again. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm going to do, Wanda." She said, giggling.

"Huh?! No! Mel! I don't want to put any foundation! Why do I have to dress up?! It's just dinner!" I complained.

"Hold still, Wanda! I'm almost done! Geez! Sunny, can you please get the powder?"

Jamie giggled. I gulped.

Sunny nodded and approached us with a small kit. I gulped and feared for the worse. Putting on make-up was terrible. Especially if Melanie did it. Her expressions while putting on make-up on your face was sturdy, and you'd be afraid and wonder how you'd come up at the end. I closed my eyes shut, hoping I won't turn up looking like a monster or a witch.

After a few more minutes, the brushing, combing of my hair and powdering on my face stopped. I was guessing they were done, and I opened my eyes slowly. Melanie, Jamie, Lily, Sunny and Trudy were staring at me now.

"Oh my God, Wanda!" Mel said breathless. "You look, beautiful!" She held up a mirror and I looked at my reflection. I saw how I looked… and I looked, prettier than usual. Pet was actually a pretty petite girl, but with make-up on, she looked even… beautiful, and more mature.

"You're pretty." Jamie told me.

"Your level of pretty-ness is equal to mine." Melanie joked.

I laughed. "Thanks."

"Go put on your gown." Melanie said. "Ia – I mean Jared, is waiting for you over at the cliffs. Sunny will escort you there."

I put on my evening gown and before I had to go over to the cliffs, I gazed at my reflection one more time and I was satisfied with what I looked. I smiled. But I was so confused as to why I had to wear this oh-so beautiful gown. It's just dinner. It's so normal, it doesn't need any touch of elegance, I thought, as Sunny and I slowly made our way to the cliffs.

When we got there, I was completely stunned. On the center of the rocky cliffs, was a table set with two chairs. Everywhere was filled with candles and old Christmas lights that were hung up on the rocks; they must've been Jeb's.

"What is this…?" I asked Sunny.

Sunny grinned. "You'll see." I followed her and she led me towards the table, which was set with two plates, utensils and 2 wine cups. It was beautifully decorated, just like my gown. I felt like I was in a movie-set, acting out a kind of play for unseen audiences. I was caught up to looking around the place, that I hadn't notice Sunny leaving.

"Wait! Sunny?!-"

Before I even had the chance to go after her, I felt a hand right over my shoulder.

"Wanda?"

I froze still. I knew that voice. It was so, familiar… I slowly turned around and saw Ian. I couldn't really see him clearly, because it was dark, but the candle lights illuminated the darkness slowly. Ian's love-filled sapphire-blue eyes were penetrating, and he looked so beautiful, so handsome wearing a black-colored tuxedo, and he was carrying a bouquet of flowers – lilies, to be exact (I knew he picked them up from the field). I was so speechless, I tried to speak, but no words came out. It felt like everything was surreal, as if it was all just a dream, and Ian was my prince…

"I'm so sorry…" I heard him whisper. Such simple words. Simple sincere words that were coming from Ian… I felt the tears run down quickly. And that's when I realized, that I wasn't going to have dinner with Jared. I was going to have it with Ian. It was all just a set up; that's why Sunny and Mel wanted me to wear this gown, that's why they went through all the trouble to do this for me… He gave the bouquet of lilies to me, and he knelt down, just like Jared did to me last night.

"Forgive me?"

Author's Ramblings: I really appreciate you guys for reviewing my story! I hope you all will continue doing it! Because I have to tell you that I love recieiving reviews! Haha. It makes me soo happy; just a single review, telling me how much you like the story, makes my day! Happy 2009, by the way! Lots of love, modernxlove-. The next chapter might take a while, but I'm on the process of writing it.