A/N: First of all, I would like to apologize for uploading this chapter so late. At first I was caught up in so many exams and then I got my new computer and I couldn't stop messing around with it. Don't worry, I haven't abandoned it XD! I will most likely update sooner now. This was just a small hiatus I took I guess. It's over now so please don't worry!

Also, thank you for the previous reviews! Please keep reviewing! More reviews makes me type faster and gives me more motivation. This chapter is relatively short and it may feel rushed. It's not because I wanted to get it out as fast I could but because I wanted to continue the story in the present day (story wise) if that makes sense. Anyway, please enjoy and forgive me for not updating much sooner _.

Chapter 7

Everyone thinks that I have it all,

but it's so empty living behind these castle walls

These castle walls

If I should tumble, if I should fall

would anyone hear me

screaming behind these castles walls

there's no one here at all

behind these castle walls

~T.I. feat. Christina Aguilera – Castle Walls

The next few months were the most depressing. She didn't feel like talking, eating, doing magic or even doing art.

Without magic, she really didn't get into the usual trouble. She didn't use magic either because she was too depressed or because the guarantee of a fix was gone. It was probably a mix of both.

The saying "you don't know what you have until it's gone" kept popping up in her mind. It was the only thing that made sense.

Life had become normal. Too normal. Wake up, eat, go to school, do "homework", eat again, sleep and then repeat.

Harper had tried to get her to cheer up but to no avail. Alex became annoyed of Harper's attempts and then eventually, unresponsive.

Overall, Alex began to talk very little. If someone asked her a question, she would give either ignore them or give them a very straight forward answer so they wouldn't extend the conversation. Her parent's wanted to talk to her about her condition but she would say that "everything was fine" and run off to her room. They were not known for their firm hand.

She was becoming and outcast in her own home and she started to loathe herself for that. Everything was lost and the blame was on him. "It's all his fault," she would tell herself.

One day she was in her room looking for her MP3 player. It could not have possibly been under her bed but it was nowhere to be found so what harm could come from looking? There was something there that she did not expect to find. It had been forgotten.

Under the bed, she had found the little black box that was found on her bed the day Justin left. It brought back memories as if they happened yesterday. Memories that should remain within the deepest parts of her mind.

She opened it hesitantly, still not sure whether or not she should be doing this.

In the box was a silver ring. It was a very plain ring with no designs on the outside but there was an engraving on the inside. It read "I'll never leave you".

This immediately made her think of when that line was used in the Caribbean. When she had lost all hope and he was still there supporting her even without knowing who she was.

She took the ring out of the box and placed it on the palm of her soft hands. One would normally wear a ring right after discovering it but Alex just stared at it with a guilty expression. What had she been doing to herself? Was this what she wanted? Was this what Justin would have wanted for her? No.

She stood there, motionless, questioning herself about everything that she was doing lately. The ring had opened her eyes. She had been consumed by fear, guilt, and eventually self-pity. She was reminded of how he would try to push her to actually accomplish something while trying to not be obvious about it. He cared about her that much and she only let him down. She finally realized that she had sabotaged him whether she knew it or not. Subconsciously, it may have been what she was really aiming for.

And that's when she made the resolve to change for the better. It was like making a new year's resolution except this one would actually happen. He would want her to do her best and strive in life.

The most important part of the "resolution" was that the next time she saw Justin, she would apologize immediately. After that she placed the ring on her right ring finger and rarely took it off.

The ring had, in some sense, saved her from a mental self-destruction. It brought her out of the dark hole that she had isolated herself in. It gave her a goal to reach. A goal that would actually get her somewhere. Her old attitude was back and with it her love for art.

She started to care more for where she was going in life and also reconnected with Harper. Alex had actually called her and apologized. It wasn't hard for Harper to forgive her for two reasons. One, she was usually very forgiving. Two, she knew Alex was going through a rough time and that she didn't mean anything.

Alex started to do better in school and tried to get her art recognized. Putting her art up for display was something she never wanted before but it would be hard to become an artist if no one ever saw her creations.

Over the next few months, her paintings were so loved by her teacher that they recommended that she be given an art gallery in the school but she declined. Her creations were not allowed for the entire public, yet.

College had finally become a feasible option so she applied to the NYIA or the New York Institute of Art and got accepted. Even though her grades had been low for the majority of her time in high school, her art was so beautiful and awe inspiring that even the admissions board saw the natural talent that was flowing out of her. People would ask her what her inspiration for her art was. She'd say it was her family but would be looking at her ring which was the true root of it all.

After Justin left, he would either call or write letters to them. Over time, they became less and less frequent until eventually they stopped all together. He stopped all communication with them and never came back home. They all assumed that he was still at college in Chicago but really had no idea of knowing. Technically, his parent's weren't paying anything so he could take care of everything himself if he wished.

It was as if he was trying to distance himself from them as much as he could. This broke the hearts of their parents who would take on a melancholic mood when reminded of him.

Max did not show much change. He was actually sad because he wouldn't have a brother to pull pranks on as much. Pulling one on Alex would be near suicide.

His name had become some sort of a taboo. Saying it would bring upon an awkward silence which seemed unbreakable at times.

This is how the Russo household was after Justin Russo had left. This is how it would remain for the time being.

Well that's the laster chapter for the flashback. Please review and thank you!