~~~~~~~~~Noah's POV~~~~~~~~~

A week had already passed by, and things had been.. strange, in both good and bad ways.

Most of the victims had already woken up, which meant we got to speak to our dad after so long..! He was so exhausted that it was a task to even speak, but he smiled brightly as soon as he saw us, which only made us smile even more.

Mom was more than overjoyed, and had already bursted into tears when he began to show signs of movement, but we all cried when he woke up.

We missed him... so much...

I also got to see a few of my old friends like Nate, Lidia, Leo, and I was really happy they were okay, I was happy everyone was okay.

... well, not everyone...

We had been visiting Iv every day as well, who was still heavily asleep as she lied on her bed, the only movement shown being her slow breathing.

Her family would rotate in keeping an eye on her, though it was mostly Aiden who volunteered since their parents decided to re-enter the police force and try to gather more information on the still loose culprit. Alyse would sometimes join Aiden, and although Ashley kept offering to watch over, Aiden was stubborn.

Normally we'd go in a group to visit, but Lola and Gia had a family thing while Victor was staying at the hospital with his girlfriend Cynthia; so today it was only Sage and I heading over to check on how they were all doing.

Ashley was the one to open the door, smiling a little as she saw it was us. "Oh, hey.. They're upstairs.."

Nodding in understanding, we waved at Alyse who was on the couch before heading up to Iv's bedroom door, and with a slightly shaky hand, I gave a small knock.

"It's open." Aiden's voice was heard from the other side, so I opened the door.

The same sight as always greeted us, with Iv still unconscious on the bed in the same doll-like position, and Aiden sitting on a chair beside the bed with heavy bags under his eyes.

It was a depressing sight to say the least, I didn't know whether to feel happy that my dad was back, or feel awful that Iv was still gone..

I felt torn...

Sage walked over, placing a kiss on her boyfriend's head. "You doing okay..?"

"... I could be better.."

Thinking for a moment, an idea came to my head, although I wasn't sure if they would let me. "Hey, uh.. what if I watched over Iv for a bit..? You clearly need a break.."

Aiden turned to me, expression more serious than before, as if he was debated whether or not to trust me. I couldn't blame him for being doubtful after all that's happened though.

Still, Sage placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling a bit. "She'll be fine, let's get you some food and a bit of rest, okay..?"

After a few seconds, he nodded in reply, then turned to me. "If anything happens, call us immediately.."

"Will do.."

Once they were gone, I sat at the chair Aiden was at, letting out a heavy sigh. It was difficult seeing her like this, and I wanted to try and help, but I was afraid of hurting her more by using my magic..

The room was so quiet, with only the air conditioner being softly heard, and for a few minutes, that was all that was heard.

Until I looked down at her, feeling a pain in my chest..

"... Uh, hey, Iv... I-I don't know if you can hear me, but... I just want you to know that we're all waiting for you... We all want you to wake up, s-so we can properly thank you for everything you've done... So that things can be normal again, so..-"

I hadn't realized the tears on my face until a sob escaped my lips, quickly wiping them away as I took a deep breath. Finding my hand gently holding her own, I leaned down and placed a small kiss on her forehead.

"I already lost you once... I-I can't lose you again..."

What startled me was when I felt her hand grip my own. It was with barely any strength, but I definitely felt it, making my eyes grow wide. Her fingers twitched around, though the movements were so small they were barely visible.

She was trying to wake up, trying to come back..

Iv wasn't gone..

The thought alone brought a smile to my face, not letting go of her hand, afraid that if I did, her life would slip away. I was terrified of the thought of her dying, I was when Aiden told us what he saw last week, though none of us had any time to properly process it.

"Just... come back to us soon..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hours had passed since then, and I only realized I had fallen asleep when a few tapping noises woke me up, realizing I had my head on the bed, still holding Iv's hand.

The realization made my cheeks heat up, but I was too tired to pull away.

At the same time, there was a small feeling of anxiety in me. With a yawn, I sat up, rubbing my eyes so my vision would be clearer. Iv was still in the same resting position as before, but this time her hand was tightly around my own.

It made me grow a smile..

However, my small anxiety quickly turned to pure fear as a shadow loomed over us..

Thanks for reading!!! 'Till next time!!!

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