The metallic taste of blood increased the further I let myself drift into the nightmare of pitch black forests and wolves howling.

Numb. Cold. Alone. I was drowning in darkness that seeped inside me, swallowing me as my blood pooled around me. Death seemed so easy, so inevitable.

Somewhere, I could hear screaming. Whose voice? Is that mine…? It's… Mine. Everything suddenly became more vivid, more tangible, as if a great hand was pulling me out of the black abyss that had been pushing me deeper and deeper into unconsciousness. All I could feel was panic. I didn't want to disappear.

"I don't want to die!"

The softest of touches, warm, chasing away the cold, helped keep that last flicker of life burning. Warm, so warm. "You're not going to die." It was so stupid, so ridiculous to guarantee life when there was next to no chance of survival. "I won't let you. I will keep my promise." Of course, it was impossible, but I believed the voice. I trusted it.

"Ange, get her some water. She's coming to." Evelyn was clutching my arm, trying to shake life back into my limp body. Still as determined as ever. I think I managed a smile before letting my eyes close out the real world again. "Jade! Hey, don't you dare give up yet! Please, god damn it!"

I wanted to tell her to stop being a hysterical idiot. I was fine. It had just been a dream, hadn't it? Right? "Eve…" I couldn't finish the sentence. Everything hurt. Talking hurt, moving hurt. This wasn't supposed to happen after a dream, was it? I didn't know anymore. Nothing was making any sense.

"Heath! Heath, help us!" No. Not him. I couldn't remember why, but he couldn't touch me. I tried to shake my head, but it went unnoticed as my body was raised off the bed, into his arms.

He held me together, as if I were a as fragile as a china doll, collapsing into the palms of his hands. I needed to remember why. I needed to remember why I had to stay away from him. "Heath… don't…"

He silenced me, placing a finger against my lips. "Don't force yourself right now."

That should have sounded friendly, but the hostility in his voice made it sound foreign. It wasn't like him. "What are we going to do when she finally comes around…?"

"We have to tell her." Tell me what?

"No. We don't." Heath asserted, resting me back against the mattress. What are you hiding from me? My fingers furled around the sleeve of Heath's shirt. I could barely see the expression on his face, just a blurry haze masking the figures that moved around me. As figures disappeared out of view.

"Heath…?"

Nothing could have prepared me for the kiss he placed on my lips. Chaste, brief, emotionless.

Then he was gone, and I was alone.

But one thought echoed through my mind as I let myself go once more. I had felt fangs.

Waking up was almost impossible. The my body felt so heavy, accompanied by a lethal migraine. I had been through extremely disturbing experiences, I had been purposefully wounded, but this was a new level of pain. Even so, I continued to struggle to get to my feet.

Too exhausted to concentrate on anything other than the feeble attempt I was making at moving forward. The door juddered open before I was even able to reach for the handle, to reveal a very anxious looking Eve. "What on earth are you doing out of bed, young lady?"

"Just give me a hand, will you? I don't want another one of those crazy nightmares. At least not for another twelve hours." Begrudgingly, she took me by the arm, looking a little more than peeved. It's not my fault that she has serious issues with meddling in everyone else's problems. "I really appreciate what you've done for me, though." The long exhale made me flinch away, as much as I could with my arm slung over her shoulder and a stupid limp.

"Whatever you want." That didn't sound like her at all. "Sit there, I'll fetch you something to eat." So I sat. Not complaining. Trying not to move too much.

I watched her figure retreating to the darker corners of the room, where the daylight didn't reach. Everyone else was gone. It was just us. When had it ever been just me and Eve? I couldn't remember. "What happened?" She had said nothing, but everything she did gave more and more away. "Eve?"

"You… you fell off the bridge." Her eyes glazed over, fists clenched. It made sense, in terms of discomfort. "When you heard that Lynn fainted, you tried to run back here. I didn't hear all the details… but you slipped, and fell through one of the dorm roofs. Gave Amber and Kelly the shock of their lives, not to mention Andrea. I think she's permanently traumatised." The last part was a half-hearted laugh, but I had stopped listening after Eve said the word 'fainted'. My heart still hammered away in my chest, but my breathing had stopped completely. "You could have fucking died, you moron!" Eve screamed suddenly, her rage filling the room. "What the hell were you thinking? Everyone has been so worried about you!"

I couldn't speak. I couldn't breath. I couldn't even hear her.

Lynn.

Lynn.

"Wake up!" The sting of being slapped across the face stole my attention long enough to meet her eyes. "Just because they treat you like a disposable life doesn't mean you are. Stop putting everyone else first and look after yourself a little, eh?" It was impossible to look into Eve's eyes. How long had I been unconscious for…? It had only been a few days since it started… it didn't make sense. It didn't make sense!

The sound of her palm connecting with my face a second time reverberated throughout the entire room. My face stayed in its position for a while, before I mustered a pathetic "sorry."

"You're doing it again." Eve whispered. "When will you realise that you're not immortal, Jade? You're human, just like me, just like everyone else. Your body's just an organised jumble of flesh and bone. No metal. No magic. If you keep pulling stunts like that, your life expectancy will be no greater than 25 measly years." Even though one part of me knew it was bad, I couldn't help but think that it was a hell of a lot longer than that of some of the other girls here.

"How long…?" I could see that hardness return to her countenance, as she contemplated whether or not to tell me.

"About a week. Just over, I think." I swore under my breath, beating my good hand into the sofa cushion. Tears threatened to spill. I promised myself I wouldn't do anything stupid, I promised myself I would see Lynn's last days through to the end. "Stop being a baby. You're alive, be fucking grateful." We probably both thought she was going to slap me again, but she faltered with her hand hovering in the air behind her head. "I never wanted to have this conversation with anyone. Ever."

"I'm sorry…" those were the only two words that I seemed capable of forming.

"Stop apologising." Getting to her feet, she disappeared back into the shadow before returning with a mug of piping hot soup. "Wait for this to cool down, then start. If you spill it, you clean it up."

"Thank you, Eve."

Looking over her shoulder, on her way to her rooom, her eyes met mine. "I wasn't supposed to tell you this, but Lynn requested specifically that you stay away. She wanted to make sure you knew that, no matter what. If worst comes to worst and she doesn't make it… you would be the one to kick up the most fuss about it. She doesn't want that."

My eyes strayed towards the steaming, red-ish, orange liquid, unable to correct her.

"Promise me you won't do anything stupid." From new-found experience, I knew I couldn't keep that promise, so I said nothing. The poker face that Eve wore was forced, cracking. "I should have guessed as much."

Heath was out on the balcony, as always, in a cloud of his own slowly dissipating smoke, watching the fading daylight.

"You have my pendant, don't you?" I stepped forward, bravely, waiting for him to face me; even if I didn't want to see his face. I could accuse hime of that much, even if I wasn't prepared to look him in the eyes and tell him that I thought he might have been lying to me all along. It was the only conclusion I had, and it sounded ridiculous, but I didn't want to doubt him. Not really. He was my friend.

At least... I thought he was. "That's a tall assumption, don't you think?"

"I want it back." When he finally turned around, I wasn't staring at familiar, warm eyes anymore. I was staring into the eyes of a stranger. "Now." He didn't move. "You know, I can't remember much of what happened last night, but if you even consider lying to me then - so help me - I will hunt you down and kill you in your sleep."

Every movement he made was relaxed and fluid, as if everything before had been an attempt to look vaguely normal. It made me notice the little things; right now, he was beautiful in a way that Isaac couldn't be. More mysterious, more cunning, and suddenly I felt like I should be afraid.

I had never felt this self conscious before. Like, somehow, he was manipulating every feeling and emotion. Up until now, I hadn't really noticed Heath… as if he had been shielding himself from me. "Don't come any closer." I threatened, stepping back.

"Why? Are you afraid of what I'm capable of?" He challenged my threat, bursting my bubble of personal space as soon as he grabbed my arm. "That I might scold you like everyone else? I thought you knew better than that, Jade."

"I do." None of the energy that I could muster was enough to fight him off. That mocking smile formed on his lips, making me wince away. "That's why I've come to the conclusion that staying away from you would do me good." I began, watching that smile contort into a still surprisingly flattering frown. "A whole lot of good. You're bad for me, Heath, and you know it."

"We might both know it, but that doesn't mean you can just walk away, can you? You'll always come running back." I wanted to tell him he was wrong, but he had struck a chord. Hard. "I intrigue you. You can't figure me out, so you hang around, waiting for me to give away signs. It's baffling really how, from that, you still manage to find it in you to trust me."

The sound of waves crashing beneath us kept reinforcing the reality of this, even though it felt so unreal. "I trust you because you're my friend."

"I like you, Jade." He murmured, pulling me closer to him. "How long are you going to shrug off my feelings? Are you going to keep denying everything?"

"What things?" I spoke too soon. His tall, lean form had me pinned against the wall, as he leaned in closer, allowing me a whiff of cigarettes and the subtler undertone of men's cologne.

"You like me too, Jade." The blush that crept up to my face made my skin burn. "What's one more scratch in your black book to anyone? They won't care."

"Stop it, Heath." But did I really want him to stop it? I was so confused that none of my actions held as much punch as normal. "Heath, I mean it."

My breathing became shallower when he rested his head on the crook of my neck, staring up at me with dark eyes. His fingers grazing the small of my back. "I want you, Jade." He kissed the base of my neck. "So until you change your mind, your pendant is mine."

"Heath…!" Was my exasperated yell as he withdrew, returning to the kitchen.

"I have work to do, Jade. Maybe some other time."

A/N: OOOOOOH! Plot twist!

Sorry for the wait again - finally on holiday! Three weeks off! Whooo! heheh.

Do you dislike/like Heath? Do you dislike/like Isaac? :D Or do you dislike/like the mystery wolf? and who do you think was the mystery person at the beginning of the chapter?

I would love to hear any of your thoughts and opinions. Criticisms are welcome too :) there's always room for improvement.

THANK YOU FOR READING!