"Moon Goddess, no. Mara, do you think I would have left your side for a single minute?"
I blush uncontrollably with just those words and that confident look of his. Oh crap, I have to remind myself we are still in a hospital room because otherwise, I'd definitely do something very inappropriate for the time and place... I focus on our intertwined fingers, trying to keep my crazy-beating heart in check. Keep it for later, Mara, later...
Instead, I satisfy myself with a quick kiss on his lips. Liam smiles automatically.
"Thanks," I mutter, clearly embarrassed.
"Oh no," he retorts. "I'll simply ask that you don't do something that crazy ever again. Do you have any idea what I went through, seeing you jump? Not just that, but both your bodies! Damian almost had to make sure I didn't follow right after you, I couldn't bear to think you had just died in front of me! Don't you ever, ever do such a crazy thing again, Mara! I can handle a lot of the witchcraft and crazy magic stuff, but please, your body isn't... replaceable, okay?"
I was not expecting to get scolded too... so I stay mute a long while. Not only do I find this surprising, I hadn't thought Liam would even think of jumping after me, but I didn't even take his feelings into account at all until now. No, I suppose I didn't even realize how much he already... cared for me. Moon Goddess, he's too cute...
I lean in to kiss him again, but he retreats, frowning.
"Mara, I'm serious!" he insists.
"Sorry," I mumble. "I mean, sorry I almost killed myself very recklessly... and left you behind."
"Not doing that again, are we clear?"
He looks like his older brother when he is all serious and mad like that. I nod like an obedient girl, I just want him to let me kiss him and stop frowning.
"Crystal clear," I chuckle, still a bit amused.
He sighs, staring at me as if I was some lost cause.
"And I always made fun of my older brothers for finding women more stubborn than them..."
"Maybe it's in your genes," I chuckle, leaning in to give him another kiss.
This time, he gives in, and returns my kiss without restraint. I can even feel his gentle smile against my lips, making me smile too. Moon Goddess, I missed him so much... Now I feel like we could be stuck together and I wouldn't mind at all. Perhaps the fact that I can now feel my wolf plays out in my undying desire for him too. It is a rather unique sensation, like I can feel him all the time, regardless of where he is, and I'm pulled toward him like a magnet of feelings I can't control. The only time we don't have a choice but to stop is when Bonnie comes back in the room and chases Liam out to finish my medical exams.
"Can I go?" I ask, surprised it actually worked.
"Yes," she sighs. "As unbelievable as it is, you're fine. I mean, I still wouldn't recommend too much exercise as you didn't eat for a full day, but other than that, I'd say you're... almost as good as new."
"Awesome," I nod.
Kelsi brought me some clothes earlier, and I'm happy to get into them. I don't think I'll ever get used to wearing one of these stupid paper robes they call a hospital gown... As I slowly undo it to change my underwear, I realize a lot of my scars are gone... Is that another gift from little Mara? Even on my arms, my skin is as smooth as any young adult woman's, and as I keep looking, I realize the only ones I have left are on my legs. It begins on my thighs, but as expected, the lower parts of my legs are still the most damaged. I guess it would have been too simple to wipe everything that happened in that first accident, the one that got me to replace Clarissa…
Damn, I'm going to have to tell the truth to Amy someday. I forgot about my half-sister… whom I still consider my sibling, I realize now. I guess the best part about taking over is that, unlike Clarissa, I get to pick what I still want in my life and what I don't... I'd probably be fine never meeting that shitty father of hers, or the brother I've only ever heard about… Do I really have to tell Amy, though? I don't know how she would react to all of this. Maybe I'm a bit scared she wouldn't consider me as her half-sister anymore, since I'm not exactly Clarissa... I try not to think about this too much as I put on the overalls and top Kelsi got for me. It feels a bit odd, after everything that happened, to simply walk out of the hospital. I should be dead, but instead, I'm very much alive, and mentally gearing up for more battles...
I try to chase away all the bad thoughts and instead, take this opportunity, maybe my last night of quietness, to take a little more care of myself than usual. I don't have any makeup or anything, and I regret I didn't ask for Kelsi's. I feel like making myself prettier, for any occasion I have to be with Liam... plus, he did say it looked somewhat good on me last time. Should I text Kelsi?
I walk out of the little bathroom, still mindful about my untamable hair. Maybe I should change my hairdo or something sometime... Just as I'm going through my stuff to find my phone, I realize I'm not alone anymore. I freeze, and look over my shoulder, to find a little girl standing there.
She's just standing at the doorstep, looking a bit shy. She's biting her lower lip while staring at me, with big curious blue eyes. Her little hands are pulling on her dress, and she's slowly rocking her body upward and backward.
"Hi..." I say, a bit lost.
"Hi," she mutters, still very shy.
I take a glance, but I can barely peek at a portion of the corridor behind her. Moon Goddess, she isn't an illusion, is she? I've had my share of crazy stuff lately, even for a witch... However, that kid looks very real. She's cute too, but she feels strangely familiar to me.
"Uh... are you alone?" I ask softly. "Where are your parents?"
I turn around and slowly walk up to her, but she doesn't seem scared. Instead, she keeps staring at me with those big eyes, her lips a little open.
"Mommy is upstairs," she says.
