Chapter Thirty: The first hug
698 Words
Monday arrived.
The halls were packed.
Students flooded every corridor.
Lockers slammed.
Conversations echoed everywhere.
Everything seemed normal.
Yet Jace couldn't focus.
Not even a little.
Mason immediately noticed.
"You look awful."
"Thank you."
"It wasn't a compliment."
Jace sighed.
The two walked toward class.
Mason shoved his hands into his pockets.
"So."
"So?"
"Are you gonna tell me?"
Jace groaned.
Unfortunately, he did.
Everything.
The fight.
The Smoke Demon.
Max.
The silver dagger.
Elara getting hurt.
Everything.
By the end of it, Mason looked disturbed.
"That's bad."
"Yeah."
"Like... really bad."
"I know."
Mason scratched his head.
Then frowned.
"Have you seen her today?"
Jace stopped.
Because he hadn't.
Not once.
Not anywhere.
His stomach tightened.
"No."
"That's not good."
It really wasn't.
---
The entire day passed.
Still no Elara.
No Sydney either.
No sign of her.
By the final bell, Jace had already made up his mind.
He wasn't going home.
Not yet.
---
The sun had almost disappeared when he reached the Vale house.
The familiar house stood quiet beneath the evening sky.
No lights downstairs.
No movement.
Jace stared at the second-floor window.
Then sighed.
"Here we go again."
A few moments later—
He climbed onto the roof.
Pulled himself up.
And tapped gently against the glass.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Inside, movement immediately followed.
A few seconds later—
The curtains moved.
Then Elara appeared.
For a moment she simply stared.
Surprised.
Then—
She smiled.
A real smile.
And somehow that made Jace's heart do something strange.
The window slid open.
"What are you doing here?"
"I was checking on you."
Elara blinked.
The answer seemed to catch her off guard.
"You climbed two floors to check on me?"
"...Maybe."
She laughed softly.
Then stepped aside.
"Come in, Silver Eyes."
Jace climbed inside.
The room looked exactly the same.
Books.
Notes.
A slightly messy desk.
Everything familiar.
Then he noticed the bandage.
His smile vanished immediately.
The bandage wrapped around her stomach.
Right where Max had stabbed her.
The guilt hit him instantly.
Elara noticed.
"It looks worse than it is."
Jace didn't answer.
Because it wasn't supposed to be there at all.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then unexpectedly—
Elara stepped forward.
And hugged him.
Jace froze.
Completely froze.
His brain stopped working.
His body stopped working.
Everything stopped working.
The only thing he could think was—
She's hugging me.
It lasted only a few seconds.
Yet somehow...
it felt much longer.
When she finally pulled away—
Jace still hadn't recovered.
Elara smiled awkwardly.
"Thank you."
His voice failed.
Completely.
"What?"
She laughed.
"I said thank you."
"Oh."
Brilliant response.
Absolutely brilliant.
Jace mentally wanted to throw himself out the window.
Elara was trying very hard not to laugh.
Eventually he recovered.
Somewhat.
"You don't have to thank me."
"I do."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
They stared at each other.
Then both laughed.
The tension disappeared.
For a little while.
Then Jace became serious.
"Elara."
She immediately noticed the change.
"What?"
"Be careful."
His silver eyes met hers.
And she knew he meant it.
"Max wasn't himself that night."
"I know."
"But until we know what's happening..."
His voice softened.
"Stay away from him."
Elara nodded slowly.
"I will."
A moment of silence followed.
Then she pointed toward the window.
"You should probably leave."
Jace looked offended.
"Already?"
"Yes."
"Rude."
"My brother and sister could come home any minute."
"Fair."
"And if they find you in my room..."
She pointed dramatically.
"They'll end you."
Jace considered this.
Then nodded.
"Also fair."
Elara laughed.
The sound made him smile.
Then he climbed onto the windowsill.
Halfway out—
He looked back.
Their eyes met.
For a brief moment neither spoke.
Then Elara smiled.
"Thanks for checking on me."
Jace smiled back.
"Anytime, Blue-Black."
The nickname made her laugh.
Then he dropped from the window.
Disappearing into the evening.
Elara remained standing there long after he'd gone.
Touching the bandage on her stomach.
Smiling despite herself.
And outside...
Jace walked home with a ridiculous grin on his face.
Because for the first time in one thousand years...
a simple hug felt more powerful than any battle he'd ever fought.
- Writer
