Chapter 136
Alexa woke up and all the memories from last night came flooding back. Isadora was asleep sitting on the chair with her head on the bed, and she was hldong Alexa's hand. She stayed by her side all night. Alexa felt bad for being an inconvenience to her. Isadora was doing her best to be her support. She was feeling better and the pain she was feeling was gone. The pain was so intense that it knocked her out. She didn't know she felt that way. It felt like the emotions she was feeling were not her own. Could they be Mercedes's emotions? She wondered.
Something must have happened to her in the dream space. Without realizing it, she must have contracted her pain from there. That's the only explanation she could come up with at the moment. While she was still consumed by her thoughts, she felt her hand tightening. Isadora was holding on to her tightly and started mumbling in her sleep.
" Don't worry. I won't leave you. I'm right here."
Alexa couldn't help but smile. She really cared about her that much. She didn't mind that Isadora was starting to squeeze the life out of her hand.
She continued to talk while sleeping. Alexa was about to wake her up. She didn't feel it was right for her to keep listening to her talk while she was unaware of what she was saying. God knows she wouldn't want anyone to hear her talk nonsense while sleeping. She would be embarrassed to face whoever heard her sleep talking.
When she was about to shake her awake, she heard her say, " I don't like it when you cry. It breaks my heart."
Alexa's hand froze. She found herself contradicting her thoughts and wanted to hear what she was saying.
" If I could take all your pain away, I would. I don't want your beautiful face to be ruined by tears. Every tear you shed is like a stab to my heart. I feel pain too. So...please don't cry."
Everything faded away. The room was silent. Alexa could only hear the sound of her heart beat faster. She was confused for a second, not understanding why her heart was beating that way and what she was feeling.
Her heart fluttered, and she gasped, touching her chest with her free hand. The other one was still secured in Isadora's grasp. Alexa blinked, looking down at her.
" What is this I'm feeling?" she muttered under breath.
Isadora groaned in her sleep and lossened the grip on Alexa's hand, giving her the chance to slip it out of her grip. Alexa looked at her free hand, still warm from Isadora's touch. Her hand was buzzing with its colour returning because of regular blood flow. Soon the warmth disappeared, and her hand was back to normal. Alexa swallowed, but her mouth felt as dry as paper.
Isadora didn't say anything else and Alexa kind of felt relieved. She wasn't confident she could hear anymore of what she was saying. It was too much for her.
She wasn't that clueless. With everything that has been happening, it all adds up to a conclusion Alexa doesn't want to reach. Her mind was a mess, and she couldn't sort out her own feelings. How could she deal with someone else's feelings? At that moment, she felt that some things were better left unsaid. She didn't need to do more than she already did.
Alexa slipped out of bed and left Isadora sleeping. She needed to freshen up and get some air. After last night's ordeal, she just wanted to clear her head. A strong brew of coffee would be great as well. After freshening up, she couldn't bare to wake Isadora up. She took care of her the whole night, so she must have been exhausted. So, Alexa let her be. Besides, she still needed the time to process what she said earlier and try to find a way to act normal around her. She doesn't need to know that she had her talk in her sleep. She would only get embarrassed and things would get awkward between them. That wouldn't be good. They needed to work together and for that, personal feelings should be set aside. It just wasn't the right time to delve into it.
So, Alexa took the decision to pretend she never heard anything. It was for the best. For as long as she can avoid it, she will. At least until everything is over, and she can sort out her own feelings. Giving someone false hope would be evil, especially in this dire situation they were facing. Who knows if they'll even make it out alive? Alexa shook her head and cleared it of all unnecessary thoughts.
Later, Isadora woke up alone. Her abrupt movement made her sprain her back, and she moaned in pain. The position she was sleeping in was not ideal. She then noticed that Alexa was no longer there and the bed was cold. She woke up a while back. Isadora stood up, yawning and stretched her body to release some tension. Alex's absence meant that she was fine now. Isadora wanted to go out and look for her, but she saw a written note lying on the bed. She recognised Alexa's handwriting.
" Thank you for staying by my side last night. It means a lot to me. I left you some breakfast on the table. Have it before you go."
After reading the note, her eyes searched for breakfast and there was a covered plate on the table. Shd opened it and found a sandwich with some carved fruits and syrup, and a thermos of fresh hot coffee. Isadora smiled with joy, knowing that Alexa personally made it for her. She happily dug in and ate everything on the plate. She was satisfied after eating what was made although she kind of wished Alexa had stayed to join her. Her happiness would have increased.
Once she was done she went back to her house. Yuna was there, waiting for her.
" Where did you go last night? I noticed you didn't come back home. Is there something wrong?"
Asking those questions, Yuna doubted anything was wrong. Her mother looked rather chipper, as if she had woken up on the right side of the bed. The real question was whose bed did she wake up on? Even Yuna couldn't think of an answer. It's not like her mother had a lover. The only one she spends most of her time with is her friend, Alexa.
" Yeah, right. I got held up somewhere. Anyway, you don't need to know about it. Just go to class," Isadora said, brushing her off but she couldn't hide the smile on her face.
" Before I go, tell me. Is there any progress in finding Mercedes and the baby?"
Yuna was also worried sick, about Mercedes. It was killing her that there was nothing she could do to help her if the elders were having a tough time as well. Isadora's expression changed, showing Yuna that it was still not good.
" Unfortunately, there is no progress. I'm afraid...we should all prepare for the worst."
Hearing Isadora say those words made it even worse. Was there really no hope? Yuna didn't want to believe that it would simply be the end of Mercedes. It was unacceptable. She is the last white wolf blessed by the Moon Goddess herself. She had been giving her all in training and sacrificed everything to get strong enough to defeat her enemy. This couldn't be how her light went out. Yuna couldn't believe that.
" No, that's not right. I don't believe that she will give in that easily. She will fight and she will come back. I believe that she is strong enough."
The determination in Yuna's eyes amazed Isadora. Listening to her talk, even she wanted to believe that she was right. Hopefully, for everyone's sake, especially Alexa, she hoped that she was right and Mercedes's light wouldn't go out just yet.
" Yes, you are right. I can't be the end of the Last White Wolf. No way."