OH MY FREAKING GOSH~!

I'M SO SORRY.

I DIDN'T EXPECT MY BREAK TO BE THIS LONG.

AND I ALSO DIDN'T EXPECT FOR THIS UPDATE TO BE SO LATE.

I'm so sorry~!

The Price of Beauty 4

"What the hell?" Willow whisper-yelled at Jerome after they were alone. After Jerome introduced himself to the other housemates, everyone decided they would help Willow and Jerome bring their bags into their own rooms, Willow grabbed Jerome by the arm and she swore she saw him flinch a little by her action. "Look, it's not that I'm not grateful for everything you've done but–"

She was cut off by Jerome's infuriating laugh that made her see red spots with annoyance. After calming himself down, he looked at her with his blue eyes that could melt ice. She looked into his eyes– the same eyes that made her feel a certain longing. A longing to know what was behind those eyes. Her heart stopped beating and was still as a statue and that was then she realized what was happening.

She let go of her grip on his arm and her breathing became ragged. She could feel him draining her of her energy and her memories started to become a blur of lines and shapes.

What was happening?

Before she could ask him what was happening, she saw nothing but black before she passed out in his arms.

Linebreak

Willow opened her eyes to find herself lying on the ground. She saw nothing but pitch black around her and no matter how long she tried, her eyes couldn't adjust to the darkness.

Nothing.

Empty.

She felt empty.

"Hello?" She called as she stood up from her position. She heard a familiar laugh and turned around to see no one. "Jerome? Where are you? Where am I? This isn't funny!"

Her voice broke as she finished her sentence.

It was amazing how in a short period of time she'd forgotten what she truly was.

A scared little girl with no one to love and comfort her.

Suddenly, a flash of green light hovered above her from a distance. She looked up to the light and her eyes burned. Her hand went to shield her eyes from the light and before she could, she felt tears on her cheeks.

Was she crying?

When did she star?

When did she stop?

Questions whirled around her mind like the hands of a clock. A constant tick that she could get rid of.

"Willow Jenks," A voice called her name and when she turned to the sound of it, she saw a shadow of a familiar figure. Jerome.

He stood– no! Floated in the air, a mist of smoke surrounded him and the temperature felt like it dropped 100 degrees.

"Jerome…?" Relief washed over her like a wave, "What's going on?"

"Your remaining eight wishes; you need to use them now!" The voice boomed.

"What? Why?"

"Because: your soul is already crying out for help." Was the reply, "You heart has already given up."

Her hand went to her chest, where her heart was but she couldn't feel it beating. She tried for her pulse but it was the same with her heart beats. Nothing.

"W-What do you mean?" She stuttered.

"I gave you ten wishes to make you happy and in return you give me your soul." The green light suddenly filled the room and Willow could see Jerome properly. He wore dark black clothes and when Willow looked into his eyes, she couldn't see the beautiful cerulean blues that she admired so much; in replace, the only saw black.

Like the color of his soul. She thought

"But unfortunately, your soul has already given up." He said with a menacing tone in his voice. It made Willow shiver. "You became happy with the things that I gave you and it ate your soul up. You're not meant to be happy."

"What do you mean?" Willow asked her voice weak.

Jerome looked at her for a moment before he spoke with nothing but coldness laced around his words. "You wanted beauty, power, to belong in society but it isn't meant to be…" His words felt like someone stabbed Willow in the stomach. "You see, some people were born because of wrath and only wrath on those people destined to live not knowing the feel of happiness."

"No…" She heard herself say before she could even process it.

Jerome laughed. "Yes." He said almost joyfully but the coldness was still in his voice. "And you, Willow Jenks are one of those people."

"That's not true!" She protested. "I wasn't born because of wrath!" Tears were streaming down her face again and her throat felt like she swallowed a bucket of sand.

"Oh but you were," He replied, "Your parents hated each other. Their love wasn't love at all. It was pure hatred. But because of your grandparents–especially your beloved grandmother–, they were forced to marry and create a child and that child was you.

"Their marriage was filled with nothing but wrath, envy, pride, anger, avarice. Hate. And you are the creation of their hatred. You were destined to be unhappy because of the sins your parents committed." He smiled at her but she couldn't feel the warmth she used to feel when he smiled at her. Now, she just felt an icy coldness that covered her heart. "And when your grandmother died, it was the time when your soul had given up. It was the time for you to die."

Willow's mind was reeling.

Memories flashed before her eyes and she remembered why her parents sent her to boarding school.

So I couldn't see them fighting.

"No!" She screamed when her mind started to function properly again. She looked at Jerome with dead red eyes "No, but that's not what happened! You said you were there to save me. Not to take my soul because it was my time to die. You wanted to save! Why?"

She didn't remove her gaze from him, she could see his mind reeling; fishing for the perfect answer to her question.

"You humor me," Was his reply.

"I don't believe you." She said sternly, "There's something you're not telling me. A demon wouldn't just help a person without anything in return."

"Like I said before, I came for your soul."

"My soul? My soul is empty. I have no soul!" She laughed manically. She could feel her mind falling to the other side of sanity. "Tell me the truth!"

"The truth? Ha!" Jerome looked down and when he looked up, his eyes were back to the color of the ocean during a storm. "What I'm telling you is the truth."

"But that can't be!" She said, "There has to be more…" She could feel herself starting to give up but she forced herself not to. She couldn't give up. There had to be something more.

"There's nothing more." Jerome replied, "Accept it and we can move on."

Accept it?

How could she accept that there truly was nothing more to the story?

Was it really just that simple?

She was born not to be happy.

How could someone accept that?

She thought about her life and every event that took place before now and she tried to think of a happy memory but couldn't. She tried to remember her birthdays with her parents but her birthdays were only spent at school and her housemates never even gave her a present. She tried to remember herself smiling during her prom but no one asked her out, no one asked her to dance. She just spent most of the time alone in the corner.

There has to be a happy memory!

But as she thought more about it, she truly couldn't find a happy memory in her mind and that was when she could feel herself slip into the coldness of her own soul and heart.

"You said I have to use up all my remaining wished before you could take my soul," She said "Why?"

A look of amusement passed through Jerome's face.

"Because even I, a demon, keep my word," He replied, "I told you I wouldn't take your soul until you use your ten wishes, so be it."

A million thoughts were processing in Willow's mind and that was when she thought of something.

"My wishes, I could wish for anything, right?"

Jerome nodded.

"Then I wish for happiness."

"But, that's not possible!" He yelled

"Oh but you said I could wish for anything. And I wish to be happy!" She said, a smile tugging its way up to her lips. Hope was in her tone but she could still feel a tinge of uncertainty in herself. "You never said that I couldn't wish for happiness. You only said that after my wishes are gone, you take my soul and if I'm happy I wouldn't need my wishes, right?"

For a moment Jerome just stayed silent and she was afraid that she was wrong and it truly was her time to go. She had nothing left. Her family, friends–life. Gone.

She was gone.

She was just left alone, with no one by her side.

She was going to return to her old self. Unhappy, lonely and dead inside.

A laugh snapped Willow out of her thoughts and when she looked at Jerome, he was smiling.

"You really are a clever girl, aren't you?" He said and with a snap of his fingers black smoked covered the room, the green light vanished. So did Jerome and Willow could feel the smoke envelope her and saw a blinding white light.

Time seemed to still and the next thing Willow knew she was standing at the same alley where she had saw Jerome. It was a dark night but when she looked up she could see the moon shining ever so brightly.

She looked at a shop window and saw her appearance. She gasped as she saw her appearance returned to its original state but she didn't mind. After the initial shock of it, she just smiled.

She heard her phone ring and picked it up to hear her mother's voice.

"Honey, I'm here at the hospital where you're grandmother's staying. I just wanted to tell you that after I called you earlier that her heart monitor stopped, it began to beat again after a minute. The doctor says it's a miracle and I'm so sorry for worrying you. I just didn't want to call you while in school"

She couldn't believe her ears.

Was this really happening?

"Mom, what date is it?"

"Third Friday of the month," Her mother replied. The same as it was before. "Why?"

"Oh, no reason," She said

"Darling, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, mum. Promise" She could feel herself smiling.

"That's good to hear, I suppose." Her mother said.

"Ah… Mum, how are you and dad doing?" She asked her voice hopeful.

"Me and your dad? We're the same, I guess."

"Oh…" Willow breathed. Did they still hate each other?

"Yeah… He's still driving me crazy but I love him."

"What?" She asked,

"Willow, just because we don't say it that often doesn't mean we don't love each other." Her mother said in that I'm-your-mother-and-I'm-going-to-scold-you tone. "You'll understand when you're older.

Willow stayed silent for a moment before saying; "Sure mum, but I've got to go. It's getting late and I need to get back to the house."

"Okay, be safe."

With that she made her way pass the alley and when she was in front of the gate to their boarding house, he turned and saw a figure next to one of the burned out lap poles from across the street.

She recognized the figure anywhere and she just smiled and said to herself. "Thank you."

From far away Jerome watched Willow enter the house with a smile on his lips.

He knew what he did was wrong and there were going to be consequences for his actions but he didn't care.

One couldn't alter or rewrite time and destiny but he saw something in Willow that made him decided that if it was for her, he would do anything.

Though, she was right about one thing.

There was something more.

Something more to the story that no one's ever going to know or figure out.

No one except maybe Jerome.

Again, I'm so sorry~!

This is in fact the last chapter and I know it feels unfinished but I'm so busy right now that I felt like I should finish this story so I could focus on other things.

Anways~

R&R~