The gang left Jade's house, Tori quit her job at the motel and they tried to stay as far from her as possible. They had been able to deal with the murders because they knew she'd been possessed but things were different this time, because this time she'd been perfectly aware of what she was doing and they couldn't forgive that, it was too much. Jade felt sad to lose them but she tried to keep going with her life, in the end what she had done was meant to protect them but she assumed that since they were no longer her friends, the creature would leave them alone.

Two months passed and Jade's life slowly lost color again, she felt as if she were mourning because she had lost her friends, her boyfriend and the torments of her nature made a comeback once she stopped feeding the creatures. She hadn't seen anything but she had nightmares every night and she couldn't feel at peace anywhere, she always felt threatened. She also continued having blackouts and sometimes her nightmares were like movies where she saw herself doing monstrous things but those dreams usually felt more like memories that the creatures preserved to torment her later.

"Jade, JADE!" Sikowitz shouted almost on her face and she turned to him. "I've been calling your name for a minute"

"What do you want?" She asked annoyed.

"Careful young lady, I'm your teacher" He said and she rolled her eyes as he looked at her up close. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Why?" She asked.

"You look pale and the dark circles around your eyes are getting deeper" He commented sincerely and she looked down, the truth was she barely got any sleep. "You should eat better and get some sleep…"

"What do you want?" Jade asked again.

"Come on stage, I want you to do a scene with Beck" He said and she sighed as she walked to the stage. "Beck, you too"

"I'll pass" He said and she looked at him sadly. "Pick someone else"

"Andre, you do it" Sikowitz demanded and he looked at Jade nervously, her appearance got worse as days went by and that also made her look more sinister so he was scared of her.

"I'd rather not, thank you" He said and Sikowitz looked at them confused while Jade tried to pretend she was okay but she felt very hurt by their attitude.

"Alright, I guess it'll be a monologue" Sikowitz said and Jade nodded but she felt very dizzy and tired. "Make it up, Jade, I want you to improvise a dialogue about nature, you understand?" He asked but she heard his voice as an echo so she just nodded.

"I…" Jade started but she couldn't focus her sight and a deep sound fulfilled her ears so everything was confusing. "Nature is…" she started again but she couldn't resist anymore and she dropped unconscious.

"Oh my god" Sikowitz said surprised and the gang looked at each other worriedly, Beck was angry with her but seeing her sick always worried him so he immediately got on the stage to see her.

"Jade, Jade wake up" He demanded as he slapped her gently but it didn't work.

"Take her to the nursery room" Sikowitz said and he grabbed her in his arms, Beck took her to the doctor's office and simply left her there because he wanted to keep his distance.

Jade woke up only to find herself in the nursery room and saw a tall woman next to her. "What happened?" She asked confused as she held her head because it hurt.

"You passed out" The doctor informed.

"Oh…I'm gonna go eat something, it must have been that" Jade said.

"Maybe but still, go get tested because you're looking pale and tired, it may mean something" She responded and Jade simply nodded as she walked out. It was still early but she didn't want to see her former friends again so she left the school and went to a restaurant she'd never visited before, she wanted to break her routine.

It was an Italian restaurant and it was really pretty, a change from the Nozu which was the point of reunion for her friends. She simply sat down on a table and ordered food for one as she scrolled through her phone but then someone pushed her shoulder while walking by and threw a glass of water on her. "Oh god, I'm so sorry" The man immediately said and she rolled her eyes annoyed.

"Just go" She said trying not to explode. "Go!"

"No, please…Let me" He said and tried to clean her so she opened her eyes and saw him. He was a tall fair man with dark hair and green eyes, he looked about 24 and he was very handsome. "I'm such a fool"

"Yes, you are" Jade responded irritated.

"Please let me make it up to you" He said and smiled at her when he saw her face. "Ummm…"

"What?" She asked annoyed.

"Nothing, you're just…really pretty" He said and she rolled her eyes. "Please let me get you a new shirt"

"I only want you to leave" Jade said and he sighed.

"I'm really sorry about this, miss…?" He asked.

"None of your business" Jade said coldly.

"My name is Richard Bora" The man said and gave her a little smile but she didn't do anything.

"I think they're waiting for you" Jade said when she saw two men from a table across the room looking at them, Richard turned around and sighed.

"I can't go without getting your name" He said smiling.

"Yes, you can" She simply responded ignoring him.

"I'm sorry for the disturbance but I hope to see you again" He said smiling, she simply looked at him emotionlessly and he walked away. Some more days went by and one day Jade was at school grabbing things from her locker when all the sudden a familiar voice distracted her.

"Oh my god, my wish came true" The same man from the restaurant said and Jade turned to him.

"Did you follow me?" She immediately asked.

"No, no…one of the professors is my colleague, I'm a writer and I believe he teaches drama classes here" Richard commented. "What a nice surprise to find you"

"Whatever" Jade said and continued grabbing books.

"Jade, nice name" He said when he read one of her papers and she rolled her eyes. "Please allow me to make it up to you for the incident the other day, I promise I'm not a freak or a stalker" He commented and chuckled.

"What do you plan to do to make up for it?" Jade asked.

"Well, first I'd like to take you out for dinner and maybe go to a play if you want to, I'll get you a new shirt too" Richard suggested and she thought about it, she didn't dislike him and she felt really bored and lonely at her house so she decided to give him a shot, part of breaking her routine involved getting to know new people.

"Alright, pick me up at seven at the West motel" Jade said.

"A motel?" He asked disconcertedly.

"Don't get your hopes up, boy, I own it" She said and he laughed.

"You're very straight forward, uh?" He commented.

"Got a problem with that?" Jade asked coldly.

"Not at all, I love it…I like women with a character" Richard said and she smirked proudly.

"Until seven" She simply said and walked away.

That day Jade walked out of the reception exactly at seven only to see Richard standing there next to his car and with a little smile on his face. "Punctual, good" She simply said.

"I brought you this" He said and handed her a rose but she didn't take it.

"I don't like roses" Jade informed and he looked at her awkwardly while putting the rose away.

"You look great" He complimented.

"I know" Jade said and he smiled as she got in the car, he simply closed her door and got in as well. They went to a restaurant and as she stared at the menu, he stared at her. "What?" She asked annoyed.

"You're just gorgeous" He admitted and she sighed proudly. "I'm so happy to agreed to come, I wanted to meet you properly…unlike the first time" He added.

"Yes, well…I was bored" Jade said.

"Are you always like this?" He questioned curiously and she raised an eyebrow.

"Why would I be acting?" She asked back.

"No, no it's just…I'd never met a woman like you, so strong and determined, girls usually just smile and nod to everything I say" He commented. "It's refreshing"

"Well, we all need a night off, don't we?" Jade asked with a slight sarcastic smile.

"I hope it's more than one night" Richard admitted and Jade continued reading the menu. "May I ask, why don't you like flowers?"

"Roses, you mean" Jade said. "I don't like flowers either but roses specifically because it was my mom's favorite flower and she died, my dad died too and their funeral was full of roses and I guess you can imagine I don't need a reminder of that day" she explained sincerely.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to…" Richard said awkwardly.

"It's alright" Jade simply said. "You didn't know"

"How did they die? I mean, if I may ask" He responded.

"They died in a house fire and that's all I'm gonna say about that" Jade simply said and he nodded. "So, you said you are a writer"

"Indeed I am, I'm a screenwriter…I have worked on several films and shows" He commented. "You study I suppose, what do you want to work on when you graduate?"

"I like acting, directing and singing" Jade informed.

"I'd love to hear you singing" He said and smiled but she kept a blank expression.

"So, which play are we seeing?" She asked.

"One that I wrote and I hope you enjoy" He responded.

"What is it about?" Jade questioned curiously.

"It's a drama, it's about loneliness…what it can do to a person, how we all live trapped inside our lives and we can't find a way out, it's about love and how it can change everything when it's real…and how it can hurt when it's not" He explained and Jade nodded.

"So you're interested in that, why? Are you lonely?" Jade asked.

"Do I need to be lonely to understand?" He asked back.

"I would say so" She responded. "How can you write about something you don't know?"

"I never said I didn't know it, I think we all experience it at least once throughout our lives but there are people who must live like that, people who have no options" Richard commented and she thought about it, from the sound of it she felt he was describing her life in his play. "I tried to transmit that to the audience"

"We'll see if you succeeded…" She simply said and continued reading the menu.

They had dinner and went to see the play, which Jade really enjoyed but she found herself relating to the main character more than she would've liked. That play really made her feel it had been written for her, it was a desperate cry for help as much as it was a ray of sunshine in the darkness of her life: the ending isn't always sad, the pain and solitude won't last forever, there is a chance.

"I hope you enjoyed the play" Richard said as he parked in the motel and she sighed.

"It was good, I think you succeeded" She admitted and gave him a little smile, she was tired and that play had hit her feelings so she felt more vulnerable and for the first time during that night, she felt genuinely happy to be in his company. The idea of going back to her house, so cold and quiet, seemed terrifying but she had to face it.

"Thank you, I was hoping you would like it" He said sincerely and smiled as he held her hand. "I want to see you again, would you like that?" He asked and she felt strangely emotional, she looked at his hand and felt something she hadn't experienced in a while, she felt safe and understood, she felt she wasn't alone.

"Yes, sure" Jade said and slowly pulled her hand away so he smiled.

"Perfect, then I'll see you around Jade" He said and got out to open the door for her so she stepped out of the car and saw him close to her, he grabbed her hand, gave it a little kiss and she couldn't help but smile a little. "Good night"

I hope you guys enjoyed!

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