The Real You

35. Digging Deep

Sandy

When I woke up, Alex was not beside me.  I panicked and sprang out of bed. Every cell in my body began to warn me. He is supposed to be with me - right next to me. I cannot let him go out of my sight. I never felt this strong conviction that it was somehow 'wrong' that Alex was not next to me. Just then, he entered the room looking fresh and vibrant. 

"Hey" He said and walked up to me to plant a kiss on my forehead.

"You've fed" I noticed. He is usually very crabby when he wakes up. But now, he's all bathed in his full glory, his cheeks pink and looks like he'd been on a run. 

"Yes"

"From when did you feed on anything other than me?" I snapped at him.

He paused whatever he was doing and came back to me.

"Is something wrong, Kassandra? You've been like this yesterday too."

"Oh!" I clapped my hands, "You did see that, didn't you? And yet, you left to party with your kind. Last night, you didn't even wait for me to come back and fell asleep. She tucked you in and you fell asleep"

He sighed and went to the cupboard to fetch my clothes. He placed them at the edge of the mattress and asked me to freshen up. 

"No, I won't"

"What is wrong with you!? Why are you making a scene out of things?"

"I am?" I walked up to him and glared him in the eye, "Who was the one desperate for revenge? I thought you wanted to destroy Dylan! Why is she your pole party friend now?"

"And what happened to you not wanting me to shed blood? Where did that Kassandra go?"

"I thought they didn't deserve it" I shrugged and snatched the clothes off of the bed and shouldered him. Of course, he was not the one who winced. I did.

"I think that they don't deserve it" He said and I did not miss the tense of the sentence.

"Why? Because Dylan suddenly thinks you are her pet? Remember Alex...if she has to choose between Noah and you...she'll choose him"

"I don't mind," He said immediately. 

I couldn't believe what I heard. Did he say that he'd let Noah take the upper berth? I thought he hated him more than anyone else. But now...what changed? When I asked him that, he explained that Noah had nothing to do with what happened to him. Both of them were babies and neither of them had a choice. So, Noah is also part of the pole party now. And will Noah think the same? Will he extend the same friendship to Alex?

"If you get ready, we can try our luck. Dress up and you can have breakfast" I did not complain. There was no point arguing with him and I knew it. But I just couldn't erase the hostility and hatred I felt for Dylan and her family. Everything changed with Alex's transformation. I think I transformed more than him. I felt braver, stronger and I want to punish everyone who hurt Alex. The feeling is so real...I cannot shake it off. There is something wrong with the way I felt. This is certainly not me. But what Dylan is pretending to be...that's certainly not her either. And I need some time and an opportunity to unmask her.

When we both stepped down, the house seemed like a weekend fair. Skylar and Delan were there too. They were chatting with Victor and that guy was excited about something else again. Victoria and Dylan were in the kitchen, I could see them moving from where I stood. Dexter was flipping the channels on the TV and the couple was decoding something in the newspaper. From Rochelle's excitement, I think they were looking at the entertainment column. The only person who seemed sane in the setup was Steff. He was watching Noah and Lola bicker.