Chapter 12

Lia~

I can't believe I forgot! One of the most important days of the year and I forgot. I run outside and dark clouds start swarming around me, "go see mate, he'll calm us down" Raeya tries to reason but I can't listen. I can't control it, I can't fight it anymore. I scream at the top of my lungs.

"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh"

Lucas~

"Hey Lucas, have you seen my gray shawl? I washed it two days ago but I can't seem to find it!" My mother yells from downstairs. I can hear the racket of the draws opening and closing as she frantically searches for her favorite gray shawl that's probably still in the washing machine.

" Never mind, I found it! It was in the washing machine." I can't help but laugh at my mom. I love the woman but she seriously needs to hire someone to help her run this house. Dad is always away on business trips so it's always just me and her at home.

I hear a knock on my door and look over to see Nicole, one of my close family friends. She and I have known each other forever, she's like a big sister to me seeing as she's almost 20 years old, although with her faded green eyes and dark brown hair, people constantly think we're siblings.

"Hey, Maxie." I roll my eyes at her stupid nickname for me. She's been calling me that for as long as I can remember and hasn't stopped even after me constantly threatening to steal and hide the cookie jar. Okay, in hindsight, that was a pretty weak threat but in my defense, I was eight.

"Hey, Nic, what you doing here?" I know she hates me calling her nick because it makes her feel like a guy.

She rolls her eyes right back at me, "Whatever I just came to check up on my home away from home, see if you haven't wrecked the place yet." she smirks and we both start laughing, remembering the time I almost flooded the house when I was nine. She came over one afternoon and saw me in the bathroom with water everywhere and me crying hysterically because the drain ate my dinosaur.

"By the way," she's suddenly standing in front of my bed, arms crossed while giving me the look, "Is that what you're wearing to your date with Amelia?" she looks at me up and down and scrunches her face up in disapproval.

I look over at her, confused. "How do you know I have a date with Lia?" she looks flustered for a moment before quickly replacing it with a duh look.

"Your mom told me now I ask again, is that what you're wearing?"

I look down at my jeans and white t-shirt, "What's wrong with this?" girls always go crazy for this look. Although it's never been about them, it's always been her.

She shakes her head and gives me a look that basically screams the fact that she's questioning my intelligence.

"I wouldn't say there's anything wrong, I'm just saying I see so much room for improvement." and with that, she practically dives into my closet and starts rummaging through my clothes. She walks out moments later with a white polo shirt and leather jacket along with my new black jeans and boots. "Here, put these on."

I go change and come out to strut my stuff. I walk out of the bathroom with my hands on my hips and pout. Nicole starts laughing and catcalling and I blow her a kiss. We both flop down on the bed and start laughing so hard my lungs feel like they're on fire. "Okay let's get serious for a minute, Max, how did you finally work up the courage to ask the girl out after like years?" Nic asks and if I'm being perfectly honest I don't know either. Something came over me when I saw her in Henry's arms and I attacked like a man possessed.

And the kiss! My god, the kiss was incredible. Up until now, I'd felt sparks whenever I'd touch her but that... that was something else. When I crashed my lips into hers I saw stars and when she tugged on my hair I felt more alive than I'd felt in a long time. My every nerve ending was on fire and having her delicious body pressed against mine drove me crazy.

Her soft lips,

"Lucas"

her delicate curves,

"Lucas"

the slope of her graceful neck I'd love nothing more than to sink my teeth into...

wait what? My teeth?

"Lucas!" *slap*

"Fuck, Nic, what was that for?" I scowl at her as I rub my stinging cheek. She smiles slyly at me and holds up her hands in mock surrender.

"Hey, I didn't want to but you were daydreaming about goddess knows what and you weren't paying attention." I playfully glare at her and she shoves me off the bed and laughs, "Go on go to your little ma- I mean girlfriend." She smiles sweetly, too sweetly after her slip up. What was she going to say? Ma- something. Whatever, I have a date to get to.

"Okay fine, but this isn't over Nic." I shake my head at her and head down the stairs, kissing my mom on her cheek and getting on my bike, driving to the restaurant we agreed to meet at, La Diosa.

***

Half an hour later and she still hasn't shown up. I check my phone, hoping for a message, a missed call or something, anything that'll give me a clue but nothing.

***

Another half an hour passed and now I'm getting worried. Lia would never stand me up, it's not like her to just not show without letting me know beforehand. Okay well, it's not like we've actually hung out much besides group gatherings and parties but still, she's not the type. I try calling her cell but there's no answer. I try again and again no answer. What if something happened to her? I stick my hands on my hair, trying to figure out what to do, messing it up in the process.

My eyes light up at a sudden idea. Of course, I could just go to her house and check up on her. Maybe she just fell asleep or lost track of time. I get on my bike and ride over to her house 10 minutes away.

***

I stop at her house and get off the bike. It's beautiful, just like the girl living in it. It's a simple but elegant white three-story mansion with gold and red touches everywhere.

There's something different about the house through. An almost red-tinted light is cast around it that draws me to it. I start walking up the path leading to the house when I reach the... barrier? It looks like something straight out of a movie and I know I should be afraid but there's just something about it that makes me feel like it's safe to touch.

The moment I touch the barrier power surges through my veins I pull back out of pure shock. For a moment I felt invincible and I felt... her. I somehow felt Lia in that power if that even makes any sense at all. I prepare myself and touch the barrier again, feeling just as much power as before but this time I'm prepared for it. I step through and am met with pure chaos.

Long gone is the beautiful mansion with lush green lawns and waterfalls and in its wake is what looks like a battlefield with only one fighter, Lia. I step back out of the barrier and again, I see the house and the perfect lawns but when I step through again I see destruction. The house is in pieces, some walls burning, the others destroyed completely. Half the lawn is on fire or missing and everywhere around me, the light is tinted red. I hear a scream.

Lia!

I run around the house, sure this is where the scream came from but nothing could've prepared me for the sight in front of me.

"Lia?" I ask softly. I knew it was her, my sweet Leia but the girl before me was nothing like the girl I knew.

Third-person pov~

Lucas stares at Amelia with pure terror. He's never believed in stuff like magic and witches but there was no denying the sight before him. There, in the center of all this chaos in destruction, stood the girl he always thought too sweet and shy to be capable of havoc. She was floating high above the ground surrounded by a ball of pure golden light. She was in pain. He could feel it. He could see it in her eyes, no longer a beautiful blue but now a breathtaking combination of blue and gold, both colors somehow dominating her eyes. She lets out another scream and he's thrown backward, although it could've been worse. Looking around himself he notices that everything within the barrier has turned to ash with some patches of the ground engulfed in purple flames. He tries calling out to her "Amelia if you can hear me please um- uh, calm down! Talk to me." but it was as if she couldn't hear him, as if the sphere of magic kept out all outside sounds. All Amelia could hear were the sounds of her own screams and the sounds of her father's voice. Lucas wasn't about to give up, he had to somehow get her to look at him, to notice him. Meanwhile, Amelia was being destroyed by her own demons, every dark thought and every regret was released and she was being tortured by her own mind, for in her mind she felt responsible for what had happened long ago. Today was the only day she allowed herself to mourn, yet she had forgotten and it was destroying her. Lucas could see her anguish and a power unlike his own consumed him, "AMELIA!", her head snaps towards him at the sound of her mate's voice.

"Lucas?" and suddenly she falls.

Lucas runs towards her and catches her just in time, feeling the familiar sparks everywhere they touched, only this time they were so much stronger. "Lucas, what are you doing here?" Her voice is weak and raspy and he could barely make out what she had said.

"I'm here for you." He smiles at her and she smiles back before her eyes droop closed. The last sound she hears is him screaming her name, "Lia? Lia! Wake up baby girl, don't fall asleep, please. Lia!"