Author's Notes: Holy cow… I can't believe it – 32 reviews! Am I blind or what?! (gasps) This is so awesome! Receiving your reviews makes me really happy – it feels like I'm meeting Edward Cullen or Ian O'Shea in real life! Haha. xD [The shout-outs to the reviewers are all the way down there].
Anyways, I just need to answer a certain question; this will be quick, or maybe not…
So, some of you have been asking me why the characters in this story have totally different personalities compared to the book, and why the plotline doesn't have anything to do with the original storyline.
The answer is simple. I am NOT Stephenie Meyer, and I just can't follow the 'rules' she set for the story. After all, this isn't the real deal or anything, it's fanfiction; have you not seen the headline banner? It says "Unleash you imagination". Stephenie Meyer gets all the credits since she is the creator of all the characters (not to mention, the book), but I had to alter most of their personalities to go with my story. I know that the first bit of the story seems a little flaky and wacky, but this is my fanfiction story; not Stephenie Meyer's. If you want the original thing, go grab the book. No one's forcing you to read this. I wrote this fic because I love Ian/Wanda. Not because I wanted this to be the sequel or anything like that. Pshh. xD
Hopefully, that answered most of it. By the way, the theme song for this chapter is "Look After You" by The Fray; a really, really great song! Go listen to it!
"If I don't say this now, I will surely break.
As I'm leaving the one I want to take.
Forgive the urgency, but hurry up and wait.
My heart has started to separate."
- "Look After You" by The Fray
"-Forever Dawn-"
Chapter four: Reactions (Part One)
By, modernxlove-
- Ian's POV -
A bright shaft of sunlight made its way through the holes of the moldy cave, and shone mildly on my face. Morning, already? That's weird, I thought. The last time I checked, It was evening, and Wanda and I were having our special dinner. Wanda. That's right! She had forgiven me. Thank God… My life is perfect; well, almost perfect. Later, I had decided that I would tell Lori everything – How I don't love her like I used to, and how Wanda's the only girl for me. It would all be fine, no matter what her reaction was. I cringed a little at the thought of it.
The light that had shone its way over to my face turned evenly brighter. It seemed odd, how blinding and clear it was through these caves. It felt like, I was outside.
I turned to the other side, hoping the sun wouldn't reach me, but to no avail. It was as clear and bright – not to mention hot – as ever. I reached for my shirt and found out I wasn't wearing anything but a pair of unzipped jeans, and horrified, my eyes still closed shut, moved my way slowly, to the left, and felt something oddly soft. Like a pillow, but not as delicate, warm, but not hot. Was I dreaming? Was this all just a dream?
And that's when it occurred to me.
I opened my eyes. It was definitely wide opened now, and what I saw made my heart skip a beat.
That's when I realized: I wasn't inside the caves; I was outside, where the dinner was set last night! And beside me wasn't some pillow, it was Wanda, wearing only my jacket (which was used for my tuxedo last night) and nothing else! Her gown was tossed somewhere in the rocks, together with my dress shirt. She was sleeping peacefully, eyes closed, leaning onto my bare chest now, completely oblivious to our situation. What the hell happened last night? All I remembered was seeing some shooting star, and images of Wanda smiling and blushing.
What. The. Hell?
Okay, calm down Ian. I told myself. Maybe I can sort this out, somehow…
The first question was, how the hell did we end up here, in an awkward position like this?! I looked up and down at my bare profile, and looked back at Wanda, who was still sleeping peacefully. The second question is, did we do it?
I tried to recall everything that had happened last night, forcing my brain to remember every single detail.
A flashback rose and scattered itself proportionally into my quivering mind.
It was night time. Yes, right after the star gazing. After I'd confessed to Wanda, telling her how perfect she is to me, and how much I loved her. I kissed her, and then, I remember feeling light-headed… a bit, woozy, because of the wine.
Kyle came, interrupting the moment.
I was about to punch him, but Wanda came to his defense. I stopped.
I looked down at Wanda. She had this bashful expression like she didn't know what was going on. I cupped her face with my hand, and brushed the golden hair behind. She giggled. I pressed my lips on hers… I tried to fight the sobering feeling the wine had affected me.
I lost.
Wanda gasped onto my mouth. I was sure she would pull away, but she forced to move closer. My fingers dug into her hips, gently, wanting so badly to pull her closer to me… I didn't mind it if Kyle was there. All I wanted was to be with Wanda… that all that mattered at the moment.
I felt my head spinning. Then everything turned dark.
The flashback ended there. It was all my mind knew. Or all my mind wanted me to know. I gazed back at Wanda, and frowned. Would she be upset if she woke up and realized the situation?
"GET UP, LAZY BUMS!" Jeb's voice boomed from the inside, and I shuddered. "Up, up, up! Time for chores, chores and more chores! I don't keep you here for free! Get your butts out here and start workin'!" He shouted. "But get some chow first," he added as an afterthought.
Even from here, I could hear the moans and grunts, and complaints of the people inside, who had no choice but to get up from sleep. I gulped. Sooner or later, they would all be out here… and Wanda and I would be the center of talk.
"C'MON!" Jeb pressed, his voice still booming. "Get out here or I'll have no choice but to shoot ya! Up, up, and at 'em! Burn the fuel! Times a'wasting!"
Wanda jumped a little from her sleeping position and turned to look at me with wide sliver eyes. "Ian?" She said innocently, still half asleep, as she sat up. I blushed furiously seeing her bare chest and turned away immediately.
"Um.. Wanda," I started to say…
She blinked in confusion, and then looked down. She gasped and covered herself using her arms, but to no avail. "Ian… what happened? Why are we outside? Why are we… naked?" She shrieked. Her cheeks flushed a shade of red. She trembled slightly, clasping her hands to her mouth, and I put my hand on her shoulder. I couldn't imagine how confusing and terrifying this all must be to her.
I shook my head. "Not sure. I'll apologize later wh-"
"Ian? Wanda? You two still sleeping?" I heard Lily and Trudy's voice echoing from the caves, cutting my sentence short. The voices grew clearer and I realized they were heading outside. With my heart beating fast in panic, I forced Wanda gently beside me.
"Ian! What now?" She demanded, her voice shaking.
"We just have to get out of here." I said, sweeping her off her feet, as I carried her in my arms. I decided we should head for an abandoned place – a place where no one would be at the start of day. And there's no place but the cache where we place the hidden vehicles we used for raids. Surely, neither Jared nor Melanie would be there. If there was a raid, I would have been notified. But then, it would be too risky leaving these caves. I sighed. What about the pool? Yes, the pool! That's it, I thought. Then maybe we'll have an excuse for being naked.
"First, we have to wait till everybody gets outside… and then we can sneak in."
Wanda nodded, though she still wouldn't look me in the eye.
"IAN! WANDA!" Jeb shouted from inside. "Get your lazy asses to work! I believe there's a field to be done and clothes to be washed!!" He was probably knocking in our bedroom, and knowing Jeb, if none of us were to reply in a few seconds, he would burst the door and shatter it. I started running as fast as I could, and started cursing under my breath.
Wanda frowned. "Ian… Jeb's angry." She muttered.
"Let him be." I replied. "Let's just go with the flow first." I ran towards the main caves with Wanda tucked in my arms, and decided to take a shortcut since it'd be the fastest way, and just as I was entering the end of the tunnel, someone came running towards us and I knocked him down, accidentally.
Thump!
"Hey, watch where you're going next time!" Two voices joint together shouted in annoyance.
I flinched in realization that I had accidentally hit someone; two persons, actually. I looked up and my jaw dropped. It wasBrandt and Aaron. Great. Just the two I needed right now. I froze in silence. I felt Wanda tremble.
"I'm.. s-s-sorry," I stuttered, terror evident in my voice. "Umm.. we were just… passing by and…" I ended there, not knowing what else to say.
I could se both Brandt's and Aaron's eyes roll. They were grinning right now; they were grinning so hugely it looked like it hurt their faces. Then, the expression turned into a scowl.
"Um.. I f-felt t-the urge to.. um, to take a bath." Wanda finished, stammering flatly. She was such a bad liar. Anybody could see through that.
I groaned, but went along. "Yeah." I said, "Now, if you'll excuse us… we'll be going over to the bathroom…"
"Not so fast," Brandt said, pulling me back.
"Yeah." Aaron agreed. "As if we'll believe that lame excuse." He snorted. I could just imagine the motivations behind such words.
I shot a panicked glance back at Wanda, who turned back to stare at me, her eyes just alarmed as mine. I had to do something quick. "What excuse?" I asked, sheepishly. "There is no excuse!" I struggled to get Wanda and me out of this situation. Apparently, my attempt had been in vain. Brandt and Aaron could not be tricked.
Brandt rolled his eyes, ignoring my last sentence. "Ian, you're sick."
"I am not!" I argued.
"Then why are you two half naked? Well, almost naked, I mean."
I glared at him. "It was hot."
"Then why are you carrying Wanda, while you two are almost naked?" He emphasized the last words, and I shuddered.
"Because I want to," I reasoned. "Plus, we were just heading into bath so-"
"You did it, didn't you? He asked cautiously.
The two were smirking now. I felt my cheeks redden up. I bit my lip, embarrassed. I didn't even know if Wanda and I had done it. "Um…"
Aaron laughed. "Ohh Ian, Ian, Ian… And here I was, thinking you were a gentleman."
I rolled my eyes. "Shut up, Aaron; unless you want to be beaten to a pulp." I took a quick glance at Wanda and winked, gesturing to her that everything was a joke. I knew how much she hated violence. She looked away in response and I frowned. Just as I was about to reassure her that everything was fine, I felt a strong hand place itself on my shoulder. I turned to look.
"Now you, O'Shea, better get to work, before I beat you to a pulp." I jumped at the sound of the voice. It was Jeb and his threats again. He was frowning and I can see the same angry look in his eyes whenever someone disobeys his orders.
"Y-Yes, sir." I said. Brandt and Aaron snorted at my response.
"Brandt, Aaron," Jeb demanded.
"Y-Yes, Jeb?" The two asked, now beside me.
"Get back to the field and start plowing!"
They ran off and did as they were told.
Jeb's eyes carefully traced over to Wanda's. "I believe there's some laundry and dishes to be washed and cleaned, Wanda. Get to them, immediately."
Wanda nodded. "Of course, Jeb."
He smiled at her and then he turned to look back at me again. "Do reckless things like that after chores, Ian." He said, looking at Wanda and I cautiously. And with that, he strolled back to the main caves. I sighed. Now, it was just me and Wanda.
"Do you want to walk or should I carry you halfway to our room?" I asked her.
Wanda smiled. "I'll walk."
I smiled back. "Should've known." I muttered, gently putting her down.
We got to our rooms quickly without much interference, though we did make a short stop at the bathroom/pool. Wanda had said that to start a day fresh, one must be clean; maybe Souls use that phrase a lot. But Wanda wasn't just a Soul. She was perfectly human to me. I sat down on the mattress, and Wanda lounged a seat next to me. I pulled her to my chest and gave her a light kiss on the forehead.
"Hey… Ian?"
"Yeah?"
"Is it really true… about what Brandt and Aaron said…" She trailed off, then continued, "Did we really do it? The reproduction activity, I mean?"
I snorted. "Reproduction activity?"
She nodded. "Or what you humans call it; making babies? Or something like that. I think it starts with an 'S' word? Or was it an 'F' or an 'X'?"
I laughed. "You're close… but for your sake, let's not mention the name."
She nodded. "So.. did we really do it?"
I shook my head. "I'm not really sure, Wanda… I don't remember much from last night."
She frowned. "I see…"
I cupped her right cheek lightly with my hand. "That doesn't really matter…" I said, looking at her; her silver-gray eyes swelling up with love. "All I know is that you're beautiful. I will probably always regret for hurting you the way I did… I love you. More than you'll ever know."
"I love you, too." She replied. I felt my heart flutter. I kissed her cheek and she laid her head on my chest. We stayed in that position for a few seconds.
"Do you think we should go back outside and do the chores first?" Wanda asked suddenly. "I mean, Jeb did threaten us earlier."
I grinned. "Don't worry about Jeb, Wanda." I said. "He's just messing around." I took her hand and entwined them to my own, feeling the warmth of her fingers radiating to mine. "I'd rather spend time with you."
She blushed. "Ian," She complained.
"Alright." I said, frowning. "If you think chores are more important than spending time with me, and if you think Jeb's more important than me too…" I trailed off. I didn't mean them. It was a joke.
Wanda shook her head. "No, Ian! That's not what I meant."
I frowned again, but I was grinning widely inside. "Yeah? Then what did you mean?"
She looked down. "I… don't know…"
"Does that mean you don't want me anymore?" I countered.
She bit her lip. "Aww, Ian. You don't play fair.
"You're hurting my feelings…" I forced a frown.
"I'm sorry…" She said sincerely. "But… we really, don't live here for free… we owe Jeb." She explained.
I sighed. "Fine."
"What can I do to un-hurt your feelings?"
I grinned. "Kiss me."
She clasped her hands to her cheeks. "Okay…" She said. She inched closer and leaned, placing her lips to mine softly. She brushed them back and forth, and then stopped, breaking the kiss apart. "There." She said, smiling sweetly. "You got your wish… now can we please go?"
I shrugged. "Sure."
-***-
The sun was scorching hot – maybe because we were in the deserts, but there was something about this day that made the heat even worse. As usual, I was outside, plowing the fields while Wanda was inside doing the dishes. It's sort of funny for me, because without her by my side, time always seemed to pass slowly for me; that's why my mornings always seem to drag. If I could have it my way, I would spend all my time with her. But with Wanda's fragile and delicate features, I will not allow her to strain herself with these strenuous activities. It was always a dilemma I was always struggling with, since she was – I have to admit – stubborn.
I let out a breath and wiped the sweat that was already dripping.
Today, I would tell Lori the whole truth. I don't care what her reaction would be; like it or not, she'd have to accept the fact that I'm in love with someone not of my species. I was still pondering about things while I got to the last part of the field.
"Hey, O'Shea!" Jared called out to me. He strode towards me with easy steps.
"Yeah?" I asked.
"Did you and Wanda make up?"
I nodded and smiled. "It was your idea, right?"
"It was actually Mel's." He corrected.
I held my hand out and shook his. "Thanks for doing this, man."
He made a face. "Don't you dare get all soft, or so help me, O'Shea." He chuckled; a joke. "No problem."
"So," He eventually continued, "What are you going to do about that girl?"
"You mean Lori?" I asked.
He nodded.
I shrugged. "I'll tell her the truth. Surely, I'm no longer in love with her. I've found someone new – someone better."
"You sound like a man-whore." Someone replied.
I felt someone standing behind us, from the giant shadow he was casting in front. It was Kyle, I guessed. Kyle laughed at my expression. "What?" He asked.
"Nothing."
"Kyle," Jared muttered, "Your nose looks crooked today." He said, changing subjects.
Kyle grunted. "Shut up, Jared."
I snorted. "That's direct. But isn't his nose always crooked?"
Jared shook his head. "Now that he's sweating heavily, the crookedness shows. It looks even worse, like a horse smashed his face."
I buried my face in my hands, trying to control my laughter.
Jared smirked. "Funny, huh? I know, it's a good one. But it's just the truth." He pointed out. "And the truth always hurts."
Kyle frowned and shoved Jared with the rake. "Jared, you stupid ass." He commented. "Stop mocking other people and mind your own life."
I laughed.
"That's enough plowing for today!" Jeb announced, flatly. "Ya'll can take your water break. And after, we can all go to the game room and play ball." Everyone cheered. As Lily, Melanie, Sunnt and Wanda exited the kitchen and came out with bottles of water in their hands. Wanda approached me, and I greeted her with a kiss. She held out a bottle of water. "Here," She offered me.
I smiled. "Thanks."
Nate and Burns, along with Andy, Trudy and Violetta, came over to us, and sat down where Mel had laid a big cloth for us to rest on. Nate finished all of his drink in one gulp, then he requested for more, until he finished three bottles. After he was satisfied, he lied down on his back and let out a sigh.
"That old man Jeb lets you guys work too much… I mean, in our previous cave, we didn't do much at all. We did mostly raids." He said.
Jared snorted. "Maybe that's why your place didn't stand well during rainy days."
"You're such a know-it-all, Howe." Kyle mocked.
Jared laughed. "Not as much as you are."
"Shut up, Jared!" Melanie countered. "You've been sarcastic the whole day. Ease it up, will you?"
"Babbyyyyyy…." He complained.
"I said, 'shush!'" She growled.
Everyone laughed.
Wanda, Sunny and Burns were having their own talk. I guess it was kind of a 'Soul' thing, so I decided to stay out of it. Wanda was smiling and laughing with them; I decided it was best not to interfere.
"Hey, Ian!" Kyle called.
"What?"
"Get us some more bottles of water."
I rolled my eyes. "And why should I?"
"Because you're my little brother. And I'm the oldest one."
Wanda quickly stood up. "Umm, I can get it…" I frowned. She shouldn't force herself.
"It's fine, Wanda," I said, looking at her. "I can do it."
"B-But,"
"No buts." I interrupted. "I needed to get something from the kitchen, anyways." I sighed.
Wanda nodded, but she was frowning. "Are you sure you don't want help Ian?" She tilted her head, waiting for my reply. It was such a human gesture, and she looked so adorable.
I smiled. "I'll be fine."
She smiled back, before taking a seat. "Okay."
I stood up and walked my way to the kitchen. As I passed by the others, I saw a glimpse of Lori amongst the crowds of people. She was sitting on the rocks all alone. She looked sad and miserable. I decided that maybe now was the time to tell her. I walked over towards her, and judging from the faraway look in her eyes, she didn't notice me.
"Lori," I called to her, as I sat down beside her.
She smiled. "Ian! You're here! I was looking for you everywhere…" She paused. "Um, were you with….?"
I nodded.
"Why?" She bit her lip. "I thought you loved me?"
I shook my head. "That's right, Lori. I thought I loved you. Looks like I'm in love with someone else."
She gasped and stood up quickly. She grabbed my sleeve and she shoved me to her. "Tell me everything, Ian O'Shea." She demanded, her voice cold. "That alien or me?"
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