V
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"light is easy to love;
show me your
darkness."
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A WEEK WENT by without hearing anything from Zane. I attended every lecture, in the hope that he would reappear, but he never showed up. Around campus, there was no sign of him or his housemates, and even when we decided to go to Holo once again, he was nowhere to be seen. I'd attempted to reach out and find Zane or Isarius on Instagram and Facebook, but I couldn't find them anywhere. It was as though they didn't exist - as though they'd disappeared off the face of the Earth.

I told myself that it was all a matter of wrong place, wrong time. But my pessimistic self kept worrying that the worst had happened, and my stomach churned at the very mention of Zane's name whenever Luci or Eve brought him up. I was saddened by his sudden lack of presence, but I still had a sinking feeling that something wasn't right.

And then there was the whole mystery about his tattoo.

I had yet to tell someone about the illusion, and for some reason, I wanted to keep the information to myself. I itched to get the secret out, yet some part of me knew that I should keep my mouth closed.

Zane was a plague on my mind, something I couldn't cure. I couldn't keep him out my head, couldn't stop thinking-

Thud.

Evie slammed down the pint of cider on the wooden table, the golden contents spilling onto the beermat. I jumped a little, but played off my troubles with a broad smile and took a sip of the sweet liquid.

"One Thatchers for my favourite scouser," Evie beamed, taking her own pint and sipping at the froth. She looked stunning, as always. For one of the sweetest people I knew, Evangeline Munroe certainly did not dress the part. Her favourite colour was dark purple, and with a amethyst choker around her neck, high-waisted jeans, and a purple bandeau to match, it was no secret. Her honeyed locks were entwined into two dutch braids, bringing attention to her sculpted face. She had a small bump in her long, elegant nose, and her wide eyes always sparkled like the sun melting onto water.

"Thank you," I smiled at my friend, glad we had decided to skip our lecture to go to the University Union bar instead. "But I owe you a drink."

"Yeah right you do," Evie rolled her eyes and glugged more of her cider.

I would've bought the round of drinks if I wasn't having money troubles. Back at home, we were just clinging on to our small semi-detached house. We were just staying on top of the builds, but with my father out of the picture, my mother was struggling to look after my twelve-year-old brother and work full time. I felt guilty moving away to study, but my mother and Abuela had urged it. They didn't want their money troubles to become a burden on my education.

"What're you thinking about."

I pursed my lips, thinking about whether to tell her about the wings. "Zane."

Evie's ocean eyes rolled once more. "Come on, Nad. He'll be fine."

"I know, I just want to make sure."

"He's not worth it," The woman shook her head, eyeing up the other people in the large bar. A group of five boys played pool in the corner of the rectangular room, one hissing as he failed to pot the black. It wasn't overly busy for a Thursday afternoon, and we had managed to grab a booth before it became heaving. "I want to know if he's ok, too, but I'm sure he's fine. He's just one of those dickhead guys, you know? Gives you attention for a second then pretends like you don't exist."

I nodded my head. "I know the type," I exhaled, feeling the conversation turning dark. I knew that type all too well, my ex being a prime example. "But Luci's birthday, what we doing?"

"Sure, change the subject. You like him."

"He's attractive."

Eve brought the glass up to her lips and widened her eyes. "That's one word for it."

"I just feel like something's wrong. And after my dad-" I trailed off.

Evie solemnly looked down and took my hand in hers, my complexion suddenly looking much more tanned compared to her white skin. "I know, I know." Silence, then Evie's broad smile reappeared. "Luci's birthday."

One hour later, we had decided to throw a surprise party at Evie's flat with an Under the Sea theme, and walked back to the centre of campus. Evie gave me a final hug before we said our goodbyes and heading back to our halls. I started the fifteen-minute walk with a smile plastered to my face, deciding what to wear to the occasion in my head. But Zane began to creep back into my mind after sixty seconds, and before I knew it, I found myself walking down the road leading to his house.

I willed my legs to turn around and take me back to my cosy room and single bed, but they didn't listen. My mind was set on finding out the truth - not only if Zane had managed to get his back fixed up, but why I could see his tattoo and Evie couldn't.

The street looked a lot different in broad daylight. The detached houses were the opposite of identical, with one withered stone dwelling sitting next to a modern box-build. Hedges of emerald leaves bordered the sidewalk, providing little privacy to the house beyond. The air was tainted with sea-spray, the saltiness stinging my eyes and making me shiver. It was a cold day, but the sun had managed to force its way through the clouds and bathe the city in its light.

Zane's house was the last house on the right, as the road came to an end, and merged onto a walkway beside the seawall. I didn't stop to look as the sea - after all, I had never been good with water, and something about the sheer extent of the sea petrified me.

I walked up the path to Zane's house and banged on the white door. When no one answered, I knocked again and grunted in frustration. The rare time I actually gave a shit about someone, and they wouldn't even let me know that they were alive.

I didn't hear any footsteps before the door swung open. "Yes, yes, calm down. We can fucking hear you," The boy moaned as the barricade moved, but his words trailed off the moment his green eyes found mine.

Isarius was dressed in a stylish white dressing gown that appeared brand new, with a towel wrapped around his head and water glistening on his skin. My stomach tightened into knot as I noticed the beautiful structure of his face, and the way his smirk made his eyes even more noticeable.

"Zane's fine. Goodbye," Isarius moaned, his happy expression falling. Why was he being so cold?

I rolled my eyes. The man's arm was placed across the door so that I couldn't get in, but I grit my teeth and barged into the house before slamming the door shut behind me.

"Did I say you were invited in?" Isarius commented in disbelief.

I dusted off my clothes and shrugged my shoulders.

"I invited myself in."

"So to what do I owe this displeasure?"

"Trust me, I don't really want to be here either."

Isarius tried to step to open the door once more, but I shifted my body so that I was stood in his way. Up close, he towered over me by over a foot. I folded my arms over my chest and hardened my stare.

Isarius smiled at me bitterly. I could almost taste the spite in the air. "Then this is your lucky day. Goodbye."

I creased my brows, suddenly shivering from the ice emanating from the man. What had I done to make him act as though my presence was harmful.

"For fuck's sake," I hissed in my second tongue. I took in my surroundings, eyeing the stairs leading up to the bedrooms and beyond. "The one time I give a shit about something, and you're being a dick."

Isarius gestured to himself, before undoing his dressing gown onto the tighten the knot at the front. I couldn't help my eyes as they wandered over his toned, slim body. His physique was perhaps what could be described as the opposite of a bodybuilder, with narrow shoulders and an extreme lack of fat.

"Me, a dick? Never, sweetheart," The boy chuckled to himself before waving to the door. Once more, I stared the man down with my brown eyes and kept my feet firmly in place. Now if you'll please-"

I didn't wait for him to finish, and barged past the boy and up the stairs, taking two at a time. I had never ventured upstairs, but the house wasn't hard to navigate. With only four doors on the top floor, I tried to first, only to find a poster-covered room with Ace painted her nails ebony black on a Kingsize bed. The girl's eyes flew to the door, her resting bitch face making me gulp. I hadn't noticed the colour of her incredibly dark irises until now, but as her face contorted to a look of anger, I didn't linger to see what would happen.

I heard Isarius run up the stairs behind me and advanced to the next room to find it empty. Hands caught my waist the moment I finally arrived at the third door, and it flew open to reveal an over-decorated room with a man staring at the ceiling on his bed.

I bashed the arms around my waist with my hands and spun around to give Isarius my best death-glare. "Don't touch me."

"Don't come into my house without my permission."

"Then don't be a twat," I hissed, flailing my arms as the man made another attempt to grab me. "I came to check and see if Zane's alright since none of you let me know. I'm trying to be nice for once."

Isarius raised a golden brow. The light was beginning to fade fast from the world, the sun teetering on the horizon and escalating into the corridor in a rainbow of oranges and yellows.

"This is you being nice?"

I narrowed my eyes, my look so tough Isarius backed away with his hands in the air. Ace joined her housemate after a few seconds, fuming. One of her hands was painted, and the other was only half-completed. She was still just as striking with her make-up off, with a deadly beauty that made it seem as though the air around her was poisoned. I could smell her rich perfume from meters away.

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

I stuttered for a moment before turning around. I jumped out of my skin as I bumped into Zane, whose arm was resting against the doorframe of his room. His face was merely a meter away from mine, his neck craned down to look at me with a strange fascination, as though I had come from a different planet.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

My heart began to soar at the proximity, his musky scent sending my hormones into overdrive. I had never wanted to be with someone more. The chemistry between us was undeniable, and I fought hard to act cool.

"I'm fine," Zane stated, a smirk moulding onto his mouth.

I waited for the man to say more, but he remained silent.

"So that's it? You're fine?"

"I didn't need stitches, if that's what you're wondering."

A thousand thoughts raced through my mind. Was he joking? Of course he needed stitches, his back was scarred beyond repair.

"What the fuck? I saw your back. It was like someone sliced you with fifteen knives."

"I'm fine."

I folded my arms across my chest. "Prove it."

Zane faltered for a second before caving in. He spun around with an eerie grace, exposing his back in its entirety. I sucked in a breath, taking in Zane's muscular physique before I turned my attention back to the man's normal back.

Normal-

But it shouldn't have been normal at all. There should've been a scar on the left side, running down his inked wing and cutting across the feather with an ugly red line. It was as though the accident had never occurred - there was no scar to prove it. Something was definitely amiss, and I bit my tongue as my brain began to tick. In fact, the only abnormality was that there were feathers missing. It was as though twenty feathers had been plucked from the bottom of the magnificent wing, and were no longer permanently etched into his flesh. The wings were mismatched, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to notice.

I held my breath. "Zane, your tattoo."

The hair on the back of my neck stood on end as I heard Isarius gasp through his teeth, and Menace stepped forward.

"Wait, she can see your wings?" The girl enquired, her voice suddenly much quieter. "What else can she see?"

Once again, I was confused beyond words. Why were they surprised that I could see Zane's tattoo when it was staring right at me? But then again, why couldn't Evie see it? And why did Ace say wings instead of tattoo. It was as though there was a meaning behind the ink that I couldn't quite fathom.

Zane turned back around, his jaw pulsing like lightning. He was careful to edge towards me, placing his arm back on the doorframe and caging me into his mesmerising stare. He remained silent for a few seconds. The air became stagnant, and my forehead began to bead with swear as his eyes lingered on my like I was some sort of abnormality.

The man craned his neck towards me and flashed a smirk.

"She can see everything."

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I know I know how long I've made you guys wait and I'm so sorry and it's not fair at all but I have two chapters waiting that I can't wait to share 💛 plus this is unedited so please bear with me!!

I really hope you enjoyed and I cannot wait to share the rest of Nadia and Zane's story with you !!

Uni has been absolutely hectic and throw in two different illnesses within the last two months, I've been super super busy but I'm trying my best to get this little novel finished asap

I love you all lots and thank you for sticking with me always ❤️ Lotte xxxx