15th August 2019

RENEE

"Renee, apparently they've already searched the Earthly Realm," Noah spoke telepathically. "Which buys you even more time."

"Good," I smiled, sealing the letter that I'd just written to Clover. It would reach her three days later, along with a bouquet and a get well soon card.

"I've uploaded the PDF onto a website," I told Noah. "It's called www.EnglishHomework.com."

"You're putting up the whole story there?" Noah questioned in disbelief. "Split it up, Ren. Don't put all your eggs into one basket."

"That's actually good advice," I grinned. "Okay, I'll change it."

A while later, Sam came up, looking curious that I'd called him up suddenly.

"This is the meditation stimulator," I told him, giving him the device wrapped up in gift wrapping paper. "Give it to me on the 18th, at 11 am."

"Can I ask why?" Sam questioned.

I paused. "Sam, the police are all over my house, trying to search for anything that would've led to my brother's death. And this device emits electricity, and I don't want it to be confiscated... And no, I didn't kill my brother, if that's what you're wondering."

Sam nodded like he'd understood. I gave him another letter along with it, another clue that would guide me in the right direction.

Once Sam left, I began to work on the PDF dividing it accordingly into sections.

It was nearly midnight when I was done. No one at home had bothered to check in on me, too busy with the media and Mike.

It was easier that way. It gave me an ample amount of time to focus because tomorrow I would be busy.

It was Mike's funeral after all.

*****

16th August 2019

Mike's funeral felt surreal like it held no meaning. My parents sobbed, and I cried too, not because I missed Mike, but because of the cruel reason behind Mike's death which no one would ever know about.

The LOLtube gang turned up, giving me sour looks like it was my fault Mike had killed himself. I had half a mind to put the police on their trail, but I didn't want it to backfire on me.

Clover had suffered enough. I didn't want them to lash out at her.

Seeing Mike's pink hair, artificially handsome face and calm smile did break my heart a bit. I had believed him to be my brother at one point, and Mike had occupied this body before he had left it for good.

However, despite this, I got the inexplicable feeling that it was all pointless and that this wasn't an end to Mike's life.

Thankfully, the media had retreated, since the funeral was a sombre occasion. My parents were busy attending to our guests, and I wandered around, trying not to think about how I would be turning myself over to the ISA tomorrow.

I mean, I did miss Mike. However, my life was also at stake.

That evening, I went back to the Before Realm and informed Mike about the events. Although he was sad about his funeral, he was also impressed with his fans who had shown up.

Clover was furious at Possessed Mike's note, which had blamed her for his death. Despite the fact that I'd cleared her name with the police.

"He's determined to make my life hell," She muttered darkly.

I nodded. Clover was still going to visit the Before Realm every day, whenever she got a chance. We figured out that if my memories got erased, we could at least depend on Clover to tell me everything.

At last, after talking to the LOLtube gang, and Shay and everyone else, I found Noah, uploading the last part of the pdf into the website.

"You still need to write about Mike's funeral, Ren," He told me as he glanced up.

"I'll do it," I shrugged, tired of everything.

He extended his hand, and I took it, using this as a chance to pull him into a hug. As I rested my head against his chest, I heard him whisper, "Do you want to escape?"

"Escape where?" I whispered back.

"Escape Reality," Noah answered.

We retreated to the icy cliffs, and I felt the cold air upon my face, slapping me repeatedly as if it was asking me to go away. I huddled closer to Noah, trying to sink into his warmth, remembering that these would be the last few memories I would make with him before they were all erased.

"Ren, what if we don't find each other?" Noah asked. "What if our punishment is to be separated for eternity?"

"Noah, don't say that," I frowned at him.

"I'm serious," He looked at me, those ocean blue eyes flooding me with emotions I couldn't name. "What if this is it? This is the end to us?"

"It can't be. Lady Teresa-"

"I don't give a f*** to what Lady Teresa says. I'm asking you, Renee Durvont," He replied firmly.

"I love you," I told him immediately. "I don't want to lose you, and I don't think I will."

He turned towards me, a little smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "I like your confidence."

"Why? Do you think that we won't find our way to each other?" I asked. "Don't you dare tell me that we won't..."

"We will," Noah corrected me rapidly. "We will find each other."

"Then, what?" I asked. "What's bothering you?"

Noah sighed, before resting his head upon my shoulder.

"I can't imagine losing you. I can't imagine not being with you, not being able to talk to you -"

"Noey-"

"Renee, I love you so much," He said, lifting my hand, and kissing the inside of my wrist.
I closed my eyes, trying to imagine the feel of his lips. My mind would forget, but I wanted my heart to remember every little feeling, every little flutter of butterflies and magical sparks.

The stars glittered above us, whole galaxies shimmering above our heads, giving us the feeling that we were deep into space, in an alternate reality. Occasionally we saw shooting stars zooming into the horizon, and I made the same wish repeatedly.

I want to be with Noah for eternity.

"I should shield your memories," Noah reminded, taking out a flask of the silvery material.

I watched him steadily, bits of his dark hair falling onto his forehead. His nose was straight and his lips were soft with a tinge of pink that also adorned the hollows of his cheeks. His mouth was pressed in a firm line, his dimple more prominent in the starlight, just like the angle of his jaw.

I loved him. I sounded soppy and desperate and I didn't care.
I loved him so much.

He drew the material out, his fingers dancing as it moved into my head. I could feel it in my head, hovering over a part of my memories and sealing them shut.

This was it. Noah sighed, leaning back and watching my face with a weary smile.

"How do you feel?" He questioned.

"Fine," I said, staring at him and trying to remember every bit of my Noah Stark. The way his arms were relaxed, the way his black t-shirt clung onto his lean torso. His neck was a splay of bones, his collarbones akin to swords. His long legs fell over the rocks, and his shoelaces were untied.

I laughed. Noah's shoelaces were always untied.

"What is it?" He smiled, moving in closer and brushing my hair away from my face.

"Why do you never tie your shoelaces?" I asked.

He turned, somewhat surprised that they were untied. When he looked back at me, a mischievous smile danced across his face.

"Cause I'm a rebel," He smirked.

The smirk morphed into something deeper, more desperate and longing and so very familiar, almost like an ache, a physical pain at the little distance between us.

He sucked in a breath, before his lips found mine, kissing me like he'd never kissed me before.

It was everything, fire and ice and love and chaos and love, so much of love, my heart felt like it was going to explode. So much that I needed more of it, not caring about the consequences; just him, only him, that was all that I needed at the moment.

My hands were on his shoulders, and his were on my waist, lighting me on fire like I was a beam of light set ablaze by him.

And we ascended. I don't know how, but we ascended, into our beautiful seventh-dimensional form with the White robes, and metallic hair, and marble skin.

Noah didn't even pause for a second, he continued to kiss me like his life depended on it, like I was a strange source of oxygen, and he was an astronaut dying in space. I could feel the intensity increasing, as he moved on to kiss my chin, my jaw and lower down my neck.

He was beautiful, angelic, his dark hair glowing gorgeously in the dark. I brushed them away, feeling them between my fingers, wondering how they felt so soft. Noah looked at me, only just realising that we'd ascended.

"That was pure?" He gaped at me. "Seriously, who controls these things?"

I laughed, realising only then that I was sitting on his lap, my legs on either side. I blushed at the thoughts that swarmed into my head, I was technically straddling him.

He seemed to realise it too.

"Ooohhh, what do we have here?" He wiggled his eyebrows knowingly, but beneath that cockiness, I saw him blushing just as hard as I was.

"You should ask yourself that," I said swiftly lowering my glance, before meeting his gaze.

Immediately, Noah lowered me back onto the ground, looking highly embarrassed as I laughed at him. I turned towards the sky of pitch-black darkness, feeling extremely relaxed for the first time since Mike's death.

Maybe things would be okay.

"What's the schedule for tomorrow ?" Noah asked me.

"We go to the Spirit Realm in the morning," I told him.

"The ISA catches us," Noah said.

"We are sent in for questioning."

"Then we have the hearing, at dawn the next day. "

"They announce our punishments."

"That's it?" Noah asked.

"Yeah, hopefully," I answered.

Noah pulled me closer, wrapping his arms around me like I was a stuffed toy.

"You're my lucky charm," He smiled. "With you, things will be okay."

"They will be," I told him sweetly. "Because you're my lucky charm too."

That was all that we needed next.

Luck. And loads and loads of it.

*****

(A/N: That's the last chapter in Renee's POV.
Any guesses as to whose POV the next one is going to be in?)