The hospital's entrance had no glass doors, rather, it only had a pair of rusted frames covered by a heavy curtain to prevent the rain from getting in.
Jake stepped in and immediately noticed how warm it was inside compared to the cold weather outside.
A nurse sat behind a desk and glanced at him but didn't say anything.
She knew his face well because she was used to seeing him in the hospital, so she knew who he had come to visit.
Jake had been coming here for years, so her face was very familiar as well, but he swiftly turned his gaze towards the narrow hall in front of him.
As he walked down the hospital halls, his boots echoed against the tiles as he stared at the old walls which had paint peeling off in several places, showing just how old the hospital was.
When he got to Room 6, Jake stopped and took a deep breath.
He stood in front of the entrance for a few more seconds, staring at the metal door in front of him before mentally gathering himself to step through the door.
He finally calmed his nerves and slowly pushed the door open to see Alice sitting on her bed while glancing out of the window.
Her blonde hair was long and as beautiful as the early rays of sunlight that filtered into her room, making her look even more mesmerizing.
"Good morning, beautiful. You miss me?" Jake asked as he stepped in.
A beautiful smile appeared on Alice's face at his voice; she had indeed been missing him before she heard his voice.
She quickly closed the book on her lap, and Jake watched her place it on her bedside table. Then she turned toward him, only to be shocked by the bruises and cuts on his face.
"Jake? What happened to you?" Her sweet soft voice was filled with worry and concern, but Jake didn't want her to worry about him and his problems at the moment, so he tried brushing it off.
"It's nothing, Alice. I'm fine." He replied casually, but Alice wasn't satisfied with that answer.
"Who did this to you?"
"It's no one. I simply...." Jake tried to respond, but once again, Alice wasn't pleased with what he was about to say.
She knew that he was about to lie to her again and that made her really unhappy.
Her pretty face instantly turned into a cute frown as she stared at him deeply with her stunning blue eyes.
"Jake St Patrick. You know I don't like it when you lie to me."
"I-" Jake blinked in surprise. He knew she didn't like lies, and it made him very sad that he had even been thinking of lying to her. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."
Alice nodded in understanding and swiftly decided to improve the tense mood between them. "It's alright. Big sister forgives you this time."
A cute smile appeared on her lips and Jake couldn't help but roll his eyes with a smile on his face.
He had always wondered why Alice regarded herself as his big sister even though the two of them were clearly not related by blood.
Of course, he found it endearing, so he could never be upset by the fact that Alice always treated him as a sibling.
Alice was two years older than him, so she saw Jake as her adorable little brother since the two of them basically grew up together.
Even now, if it weren't for her medical condition, she would have stood up from her bed to give her little brother a knock or two on his head for trying to lie to her.
Then, after she was satisfied, she would give him a tight hug simply because she wanted to.
Luckily for her, Jake felt the same way, and almost like he could read her mind, he initiated the hug and Alice couldn't help but smile as she hugged him tight in return.
"I've missed you." She said loud enough for only Jake to hear.
"I know," Jake replied teasingly and Alice couldn't help but roll her eyes with a smile tugging at her lips.
"Aren't you supposed to say you've missed me too?"
Jake let out a chuckle and tightened his arms around her before saying. "I've missed you too. Happy now?"
"Mm." She nodded and Jake smiled before pulling away.
"Have you eaten?" He asked as he pulled a chair to the side of her bed and sat down.
"Yes, I have."
"Do you need anything else?"
"No, I'm fine. Thanks."
"You sure? Cause I'll be more than happy to get you anything you need."
"Thanks, but I don't need anything right now." Alice's smile broadened because she was used to Jake always asking these little questions and wanting to help out anyway he could. She always felt touched anytime she saw how much he cared about her.
And this was exactly why she adored him so much.
Jake was simply the kindest soul she had ever met and she wouldn't trade their relationship for anything in the world.
'Ever!!' The beautiful young lady thought fiercely before calming herself.
Alice clasped her hands together with a smile on her lips, but when she raised her head, her eyes drifted back to the bruises on Jake's jaws and cheeks. A frown appeared on her face, and she asked in a soft, gentle voice. "You ran into them again, didn't you?"
Jake simply nodded and didn't say anything else.
She knew about the Dark Shadow gang, so it was easy for her to conclude that they were the cause of the bruises on Jake's face.
Her clasped fingers tightened with pent-up frustration as anger slowly brewed deep within her.
She didn't like how the Dark Shadow gang was treating Jake, and she knew that they were doing all these things to him because he was young and couldn't do anything to them.
That was why Alice had asked Jake to leave the sector countless times in the past, but he had refused to listen.
She wanted him to move to a different sector, but he always insisted on staying in this sector so that he could remain close to both Helen and Alice.
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A/N:- Thank you so much for reading to this point. It's my first urban styled sci-fi novel so I'm definitely learning a lot as I write. Also, I'm sure some of you would have noticed that this novel is participating in a four-month contest, so please, I'll be needing as much support as possible.
No power stone is too small and if you can't do that, I'll still be happy if you can drop a review, a comment, or if you simply add the book to your library.
Thank you so much in anticipation.