A/N: Once again, my depression has delayed my writing. My apologies. Anyway, not much to talk about this time. Hopefully, I'm still keeping you guys interested with this story! I'll get onto the replies first, and then the actual chapter.
Replies:
LunarEclipse22428: Seriously, your reviews make me curl up into a ball and cry xD but cry in a good way haha. Out of joy lol. As for the decision Zander may (or may not) have to make, I guess you and all the readers will just have to wait and see ;D (evil ZO laughs)
Jellybean96: Ahaha is that a good or bad thing that you "can't" xD
XxMockingjay'sliveineveryoneXx: Ahh! I see what you mean haha. Now that you mention it, it reminds me of Klaus too! Lol.
~Chapter 24~
~Things Are Different~
ZANDER's POV
Molly and I had woken up the next morning pretty close to each other. We'd spent the night outside, and I'd drifted off against a tree as we planned on how we were going to find Stevie. Molly had fallen asleep beside me apparently, because as I came to, her head was on my shoulder.
I didn't feel like being rude and moving her head off of me, so I left it and waited for her to wake up. Didn't have to wait too long. She stirred and then moved away from me. "Sorry," she mumbled.
I shook my head, and said nothing.
"Where were we last night?" she asked. "I don't remember how far we'd gotten with the plan."
I thought for a moment. "Uh. . ." I was coming up with nothing. Were we even awake when we'd started planning? Or between sleep and alertness? I wracked my brain for a few moments, and then said, "Oh. . . well, we didn't really come up with anything. She's not a vampire anymore. . . I can feel it. Well, actually, I can't feel her, and that's how I know."
Molly waited for me to continue.
"That means that she's going to be even harder to find."
Molly sighed and ran her fingers through her long, dark hair. "So, we've got a great plan, basically," she said sarcastically.
I would've come back with a joking answer, but truthfully, her sarcasm ticked me off a bit. "Is it ever too early for your sarcasm?" I replied, bitter.
She pursed her lips and dug her heels into the moss beneath her. "Guess not. Sorry."
"Forget it. We just need to figure out where to start."
"Well. . . you don't think she's gone home or something?" Molly asked me. The thought had crossed my mind several times, but if Stevie wanted to be left alone, and didn't want word getting out of her reappearance. . . she wouldn't've gone home, would she?
"Was that your original plan? When you'd made her find the newspaper with her death?" I asked. So, I was feeling slightly edgy towards Molly again. Sue me.
I wasn't going to trust her completely yet—even if she did pour her worries and regrets out to me. She just had that constant look in her eyes that said she couldn't be trusted.
Yeah, yeah. I'm judging a book by its cover. Need I remind you, I've already "read" a few pages into this book. Enough to tell me about her kind of person. "If you're going to be a jerk to me, then you can forget about my help," Molly spat.
Needless to say, her words shocked me. I knew I was being harsh, but she'd never been bothered by it. I wasn't expecting a retort. "Sorry," I mumbled. "Look, we're going to get frustrated and snap," I said suddenly. "Which means the one who's receiving the retorts has to suck it up, got it?"
Molly rolled her eyes, but then nodded her head. "Got it."
"Good. Now, where we need to start is—"
"Actually," Molly began, "I'll only 'got it' if you give me one thing."
I sighed, knowing it was probably going to be something pointless. The smug look on her face said all. "What?"
"Well, you may never find her. But if you do, what she doesn't know. . . won't hurt her," she said, smirking. It really never was too early for her to slap on a smirk and make a sarcastic, annoying, witty comment.
"You're implying what exactly?" I asked, becoming impatient. I really didn't have the time for this, and even if I did, I wouldn't care what she was talking about.
"I still remember how you taste. . . when you were human. How your skin was warm, and you smelled wonderful," she said. So, she was trying to tell me what I was like as a human meal?
"So. . .?"
"Well, I want to know what. . . what it would've been like if I'd stayed. . ." I still didn't get what she was saying. My look gave it away and she sighed.
"Guess I have to spell it out," she grumbled. "I've been lonely for ages, and you're down because Stevie's gone. What if we have some. . . relationship with benefits—but without all the benefits."
"You mean, I make you my mate? Until we find Stevie?"
"If we find her. That would mean that we act nicer to one another, and. . . kiss. We just act like we're mates," she said quietly. Obviously, she wasn't enjoying having to ask me—for fear of being rejected and then pretending to brush it off.
This was a difficult choice. I would feel so guilty if we found Stevie. If we didn't. . . maybe I could learn to love Molly. Molly decided to make the choice for me, however, and she was quick about it. Her lips were on mine in that instant, and I couldn't find it in me to push her away, or even stop myself.
So, I kept kissing her. My fingers found their way into her hair, and I held her close to me. Her arms wove themselves around my neck, and for an instant, it reminded me of holding Stevie like this, and kissing her, and every memory I had of Stevie in our short time together came back.
That's when I found the strength to push Molly off. I held her wrists in my hands and kept her at arm's length. I watched her face for a moment, and saw no regret or shame in her eyes. But she saw it in mine.
"Don't ever do that again," I said harshly, pushing her away and stalking off to be by myself.
A/N: So… don't hate me lol. But what did you think? :D