Alice's POV

"AHHH! What the f*ck is wrong with you?!", I screamed, surprised at his sudden appearance. "Couldn't you have come in through the door like any sane person would?"

He smiled and shook his head, saying, "I needed to talk to you, and if I came in through the door, you wouldn't have listened to me. So, I had to sneak up the balcony. But don't worry, your mom and dad know."

Mom and Dad were in on this?! Weren't parents supposed to be on their children's side? They were so busted! I mentally made a note of not making cinnamon rolls for them like I had planned to earlier on.

"What do you want?", I asked, rolling my eyes and turning back around to look at the beach.

I could hear his footsteps as he walked towards the railing, standing there and watching the sea with me. My arms were on the railing and my face was in my hands, making me bend down.

"I wanted to talk to you about Stella. More specifically about what happened to her.", he whispered, sounding heartbroken.

My eyebrows furrowed, and I immediately stood upright, facing him.

"What happened to her? Is she okay?", I murmured, my heart beating inside my chest.

I was scared. Was she okay?

He sighed, leaning over the railing and letting his head hang.

"She... she's in a coma. She was shot, and the impact made her fall off a building. The building was not high, but she got a severe head injury. And... she's been in a coma for a month now.", he whispered.

My eyes widened and a surprised gasp left my mouth. She was... in a coma?! My eyes filled with tears and shock coursed through my body. How was this possible?

As Luke looked at me, I could see the tears falling out of his eyes. But his face was expressionless. I instantly felt horrible for him. Stella was his twin sister. It must've been so hard for him to see her in that state.

"We can meet her, if you'd like. She's in the hospital. Havenly Hospital to be exact. But we can't see her today. Visiting days are Sunday and Tuesday.", he said.

As he looked at my face, he reached his hand out, his eyebrows furrowing. I could see his fingers reaching out for my cheek, and he wiped away the tears that were running down them. My lips were quivering as I tried to hold everything in. For Luke's sake.

But when he sighed and wrapped his arms around me, I couldn't hold it in anymore. The tears were flowing down my cheeks again. I was a silent crier, so other than the occasional sniffles, I made no sound. As Luke rubbed my back, I didn't care that he had lied to me for two years. All I wanted to do was let him comfort me and comfort him myself.

"It's okay. Don't cry, Lissy. It's okay", he whispered, obviously trying to comfort me.

I was too busy sniffling to pay any heed to his stupid yet sweet remark. I couldn't just stop crying! I was just told that my best friend who had supposedly already died once was in a humongous, life threatening accident, and had been in a coma for a month.

When I finally stopped sniffling, I realized that I was still in Luke's arms. My eyes widened, and for a second, my heart started beating faster. I pushed myself away from him, wiping my eyes with the end of my oversized hoodie's sleeve.

"Uh... thanks.", I whispered, my voice thick from all the crying that I had done. "What are the doctors saying about her?"

"They're saying that it's a fifty-fifty chance. If her condition becomes worse, she won't make it, but if she starts getting better, she'll be able to live. Right now, they can't really tell, because she's in a... vegetative state. She hasn't responded to anything at all. No movements, sounds or reactions have been detected from her so far."

I nodded, looking away. Thinking about it made it ten times scarier. I mean, I had already lost her once, and I didn't want to go through the horrible experience again. The pain that I had felt was unbearable, and I would do anything to make sure that she stayed in this world.

"Can we visit her tomorrow? It's Tuesday, so we can, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, we can. But we'll have to skip a few classes. The visiting times are very restricted, so we need to do everything on time. Is that okay with you?", he asked, looking at me.

I nodded, wanting to visit her as soon as possible. She was like a sister to me, and I loved her with all my heart, so the entire scenario was obviously a huge blow. But I was ready to see her, even if it meant that I would break down again. Because, god forbid, if something happened, I would live with regret piercing my heart every second of every minute. I was sure of that.

Luke nodded, sending me a small smile.

"I'll see you tomorrow then. Make sure to be prepared. Especially since you're seeing her after two years. It might be hard.", he said, looking at the sea.

As I nodded at him, I couldn't help but examine his features that were illuminated by the moonlight. His high cheekbones, defined jaw, windswept, brown hair. It was like he hadn't changed at all. But I knew better than that. He had changed more than I thought possible, and it irked me like nothing else did.

I was intent on finding out the reason for his sudden, two-year long disappearance. And seeing Stella might have given me an answer. I just had to keep an eye out at all times.

Because I had to get the answer, no matter what.

Done! Hope you enjoyed the chappie! Lissy's showing some courage and curiosity, so a whole lot of drama is bound to come next, don't you think? XD Anyway, make sure to comment, vote and share! Love you guys! Peace out!