Torn (Alaric/Open)

[Helena Albertyne Ravenclaw]

It was nine thirty in the evening and Helena was awoken by a fit of cough and a grumpy stomach. She swallowed and discovered for herself that she had an ongoing throat itch. Groaning, she willed herself to get out of bed and decided to get some help. The young Ravenclaw had been trying to ignore her colds by sleeping it away but a throat itch was always a different story.

After having caught an all too familiar dizzy spell that came with a headache upon sitting up, she knew she had a fever to combat too. She muttered incoherent phrases and went to the mirror to assess her appearance. The young Ravenclaw found out that she looked like poo, a very stressed out and depressed poo. Sighing, she grabbed her brush and started untangling her hair. As she stared at her reflection, her mind wandered back to the fateful day Peeves opened a door to make her see something as awful as it was true. In her mind, she saw Justin doing the unthinkable with Viola and felt the mixed emotions it instigated in her chest again. For 2 days, she just slept in her room, shed tears and stared at the ceiling. Yesterday, her third day of absence, she just stayed in her room to sleep away her colds with the hopes of recovering and coming to class the next day. Apparently, that was not going to be the case.

After thirty minutes of trying to fix her appearance and two hours of holing up in her room, staring at nothing, she found herself standing on the third floor corridor in her long dark blue night shirt and bunny slippers, not knowing if she should go one floor up to her mother’s room, go one floor down to the hospital wing or Helga Hufflepuff’s office or go down to Salazar Slytherin and ask for a potion that might help her. All of her choices involved possible interrogation and she still did not want to talk. All she wanted was a potion or two and to recover. She made a popping sound with her lips and sighed, of course, she’d been MIA for three days… anyone would interrogate her if they saw her…

[alariclarsstouner]

Alaric lay down on his bed, tossing and turning as sleep was still eluding him. Deep in his mind, he still could feel the seething pain he felt when he was turned down by Prue during their meeting at the Astronomy tower. Still, he knew that he was still hopeful that she would answer his feelings, for he knew that she was just afraid of admitting it herself. Even though I’ve failed for the first try, I’ll still be waiting, even if it takes me days, months or even years, he thought, as he remembered saying these very same words to her back there. As he turned to stare at the ceiling, he realized that he had been moping for three straight days now, and that he was always in a trance when coming to class. His roommate always left him alone because they sensed that he really needed some space.

Sighing loudly, he realized that he couldn’t be going on like this forever; he still had a life he needed to go on with. He then got up from his bed and stretched his body; he realized that it was the first time he actually got up from bed since the incident. He then strode over to his closet and extracted a bottle of a potion he made for himself that cures colds and calms him down. He laid it on the table and went to the mirror to look at him. He was surprised to see how emaciated he looked and that was indeed a bad sign. He then went back to his closet to choose his clothes. He finally settled for a white dress shirt and black pants, his usual attire for school. He intentionally left the tie out since it was night and he did not intend to look formal and intimidating. He then laced up his suede oxfords and he was ready to go. Pocketing his wand and picking up the bottle, he went out of his room and out of the common room.

As he walked, with the light from his wand serving as his guide, he felt more relaxed and in control of his emotions. He figured that maybe his days moping around made him more apathetic and relaxed than usual. He then thought that maybe there was someone else who was having the same problems as he did. When he found himself in the third floor, he was surprised for it was not deserted and that the figure standing there was a familiar one. He cautiously walked over to her. “Good evening, Helena. What brings you here at this time of night?” he inquired, his instincts as a prefect showing, although he was smiling at her. However he knew that she would be able to see through that sad smile of his.

[Helena Albertyne Ravenclaw]

To prevent unnecessary contact with other students or anyone else, she walked over to the darkest shadow that she could see. Helena kept still as she tried to decided where she was going to go or who she was going to turn to. As much as possible, she was hoping it would not involve anyone… she was partially wanting to just go ask the school nurse for some potions but she knew that once the kind nurse lay her eyes on Helena, the nurse would make her stay in the infirmary and chastise her for not coming earlier.

You know, Salazar Slytherin does not have to know anything… She shoved the idea aside before it even formed fully in her head. She, Helena Ravenclaw, was not a thief. She was not going to steal potions from Salazar Slytherin or anyone else for that matter. Sighing, she hugged her teddy bear close to her chest. She probably looked like a first year. Her bunny slippers, her teddy bear and dark blue night shirt that did not even reached her knees made sure of that.

A voice snapped her out of her reverie. She was so busy clearing her indecisive head of all thoughts that she did not even hear anyone approach. Helena was surprised that he recognized her. Apparently, the dark shadow she was in was not so dark. Upon realizing who the speaker was, she rolled her eyes and regretted it the moment she felt pain behind her eyes. Annoying boy was towering over her and he was smiling… sadly?! “Good evening to you too.” She sighed and leaned on the wall coolly, he was the last second to the last person she wanted to encounter. “Oh, I was just gallivanting around the castle, enjoying the view.” She said it like it was a normal thing to do and even managed to force a cute lopsided smile. He was a prefect, she was a rule breaker and she was was aware of that and the fact that his curfew was two hours ago...

[alariclarsstouner]

Lars just continued to smile at her, not caring whether she knew if that smile of his seemed to be really lopsided, as opposed to his usual smile. “So I’m still annoying boy to you eh?” he asked, as he also leaned on the wall. Apparently he was quite surprised to see her clad in sleepwear. “Well, isn’t it unusual to be gallivanting at this time of night, clad in sleepwear and enjoying the view of a blank wall?” he stated, trying hard not to mask sarcasm. He then sighed and took out his watch. He realized that he was already way past his own curfew as a prefect. “Well, looks like I can’t give you punishments or take away points since I’m also breaking the rules myself,” he then said, sighing loudly.

An uncomfortable silence then ensued between the two of them. He couldn’t understand why of all people he wanted to see, Helena Ravenclaw would materialize right in front of him. He then looked at himself and realized that he was indeed bringing himself down, with his unusual choice of clothing and how he looked like. He then averted his gaze and realized that he would have to engage her in conversation if he wanted to mask the feelings he wanted to hide. Suddenly, as he turned swiftly to look at her, he noticed that she looked nowhere like the arrogant Helena he encountered in class. Not because of the sleepwear, he saw even beyond that.

“I just want to ask you though, what would you feel if you had to turn down someone who loved you very much?” he then asked suddenly. As if on cue, he knew that he was able to ask a leading question…a question that would be able to yield sensible and substantial answers. He then prepared himself if ever she asked him why he did not seemed like his usual annoying self.

[Helena Albertyne Ravenclaw]

She raised an eyebrow when he asked about him being annoying boy to her. As a matter of fact, the events that happened in the past few days made annoying boy seem like an angel. But, of course, Helena would not say that to him, at least not right then and there. Annoying boy’s sarcastic remark made her chuckle, much to her surprise. “Who said it was a normal thing to do?” She raised an eyebrow when he checked his watched. “That’s what I thought… like patrolling the much?” She smirked at him, quite happy to talk to someone after being alone for three days.

Helena kept looking at him, as if she was making sure he was real. She just could not believe that she would encounter him, of all people, along the third floor corridor after curfew. The cold stone wall gave her back the chills. She turned her head away from him and sneezed. “Excuse me.” She said as she hugged her teddy bear closer to her chest absently. She stared at her teddy bear for a while. What she liked about it was its eyes, they looked inquiring and intelligent, very unlike other teddy bears. It was then that she realized that she wasn’t the only one who was acting strangely. She eyed annoying boy and wondered what was in his head. She sighed, this was indeed unusual for she actually found herself wanting to know what was inside his head.

His question made her look at him with wide eyes. “Who does that?” She blurted out. “I mean if you know the person loved you…” She trailed off, shaking her head. Then, something occurred to her and she automatically turned her full attention back to him. “You didn’t get turned down, did you?” She asked, actually concerned.

[alariclarsstouner]

Lars just laughed at what she replied to his awful sarcasm. He knew that she would be able to perfectly counter him. “Well, who would really want to patrol corridors at night? Gotta admit that I’m pretty scared doing it,” he then said in jest, smiling right at her. He could feel that she was still indeed the Helena he knew, despite the obvious difference. He then figured that maybe it was because she was clad in sleepwear and that she was acting very unsure that made her different right now.

He just nodded in response when she sneezed and said “Bless you” when she was done. Now, it was apparent that she was sick and she needed some form of relief for it. He then remembered that he brought along the potion that helped cure his colds. He then opened the jug, poured some of its contents into the glasslike lid and offered it to her. “You seem to be sick, here have some. Don’t worry, I did not poison that and it tastes like hot chocolate,” he the said, smiling at her. His eyes then moved from her towards the teddy bear she was holding. “If I were you, I would be talking to that bear all day, it seems like it was a person trapped in that bear’s body,” he then said, chuckling. He then remembered that he was not exactly the type who had a security object when he was a young kid.

Upon hearing her response and follow-up question, he just sighed, crossed his arms and leaned against the cold stone wall. He could feel the pain of the rejection come back right at him and he almost felt numb. “Well, I guess that statement of yours pretty much sums it up, I think,” he just said, smiling that sad smile of his. He knew that in order to get a move on he would have to spill the beans again on anyone, and it seemed that Helena would be the perfect listener for him.

[Helena Albertyne Ravenclaw]

Helena observed him, not really having any idea on anything about him. In fact, she did not even know his name. Relative to her at that moment, he was a face and nothing else. His reply made her smile. At least he was not brave to the point of stupidity. “It is quite scary… especially after the events that had been happening…” She said with a sigh, her mother confirmed a couple of days ago that a 12-year-old, under the influence of the imperious curse, really attempted to murder her.

Helena had to smile when he muttered ‘bless you’ for those would have been the words she would have used if their situations were reversed. Her simple smile turned into a curious look as she watched him transfer a potion to some other container. “Thank you.” She managed through her surprise as she accepted the glasslike holder of the liquid. She brought it to her face and sniffed. It actually smelled enticing, if you have no clue how a cure for colds potion smelled like. She knew the smell of potions, at least the ones she was acquainted with, and the potion he just handed over smelled like the cure for colds potion gone aromatic. “You mentioned it tastes like hot chocolate. What’s in it?” She raised an eyebrow at him, curiosity apparent in her eyes as she kept eyeing the liquid.

Helena suddenly felt guilty. In fact, her insensitivity rendered her astounded. She looked at him for a while and she saw, in his eyes, her companion lately, pain. Leaning back against the wall, she knew she had to apologize. “I’m so sorry about what I said, really.” She eyed him, sincerity showing on her face. “It was just, I was surprised… I mean, her response to you… It is not normal…” She trailed off and leaned back against the wall, wanting to feel relaxed for a moment. “I don’t know who you were talking about, but I think she just made the biggest mistake in her life. In love, there are two mistakes that can be made. One would be trusting the wrong person and the other would be turning down the right person.” Helena eyed him, trying to gauge his expression.

[alariclarsstouner]

Alaric just smiled and lightly brushed his hair. He knew that he was about to show a side of him that he never shown anyone before: his weak side. And Helena Ravenclaw would be the first one who would see it. Although he did not like her attitude, he could see that she was being her rare pleasant self that night. And that has made all the difference. He wondered what happened to her that made her show this rare side of hers. “Well, we all have to be in constant vigilance one way or another,” he then said, as he continued to lean against the wall and tap his right foot impatiently. He knew that being in the corridors at this time of night was a huge inconvenience.

As he observed Helena eyeing the potion he was offering, he could feel that she was indeed curious with what was on it. He just smiled knowingly and sighed. “Well apparently potion brewers like me does not really want to give away trade secrets isn’t it?” he asked her, still smiling. He then reached into his pouch bag and extracted a bottle with mushrooms inside. “Since you asked, I decided to drop just a teensy tiny hint. This bottle here,” he said, putting it on her hand, “contains a rare mushroom called Agaricus. Apparently, I was experimenting with potion flavors. That is why I chose muggle ingredients to experiment on. I guess they kind of worked. This mushroom intensifies the flavor of the cocoa powder I added on the potion and apparently also had healing properties.” He then added. He just chuckled as he realized that he gave away a very important trade secret of his. “Well, this is only between you and me huh?” he then said, his index finger on his lips.

Judging from the way she looked at him, he could see that she was empathizing with him and not merely showing sympathy for his plight. He knew that it was hard to mask the pain that he felt and that she had seen too much of it already in him. He was surprised by what she said and deep inside, he was touched. For some stupid reason, he felt like crying. He then willed himself to look at her, almost teary-eyed. “Well I guess I am not really sure whether I am the right person for her. Maybe she’s right; I am not the right one,” he finally said. He then sighed loudly and took out his hanky to wipe the sweat and tears about to fall off from his face.

[Helena Albertyne Ravenclaw]

Helena still felt feverish. The hot air that she breathed out made her uncomfortable. At the moment, her muscles and her head hurt, and dear merlin even her eyes hurt. She made a face, her decision to get help seemed to be wrong. She should have just stayed in bed and prayed to merlin that one of her roommates would care enough to help her. She sighed, feeling kind of pathetic being stuck with annoying boy while she was not feeling well. Not to mention, her clothes were inappropriate. She held her intelligent looking teddy bear closer to her chest and nodded at his words. He was right, in fact, both of them should be very careful that night.

Helena blew as stray lock out of her face impatiently. She did not like it when people withheld knowledge from her. To learn, you have to share. She almost glared at the other Ravenclaw when he uttered the words teensy tiny hint. How old did he think she was? Seven? Her annoyance was forgotten when he started elaborating on the rare mushroom in the bottle. She nodded at the right times and when he was done, she was impressed by his knowledge in muggle ingredients. Helena just never considered muggle ingredients as potion ingredients before so his idea fascinated her. However, when he talked to her like she was five, this time, she pouted. “I know, I know. Trade secrets are supposed to be kept.” She said impatiently. “So, have you tried drinking this yourself?” She asked, eyeing the potion once again.

Helena was completely caught off guard when annoying boy started crying. The young Ravenclaw stiffened and looked away from him, feeling like she was violating his private moment. After a few seconds, she realized how cold she must have acted towards him. She for one preferred to cry alone… but what about annoying boy? Was he expecting her to comfort him? Helena, knowing the pain brought by broken relationships more than anything else, understood him so she went near him and gave him her teddy bear. “Here.” She said softly, patting his back. “It’s going to be okay.” She remained silent for a while and kept patting his back.

[alariclarsstouner]

Lars knew at that time that crying would not be a manly thing to do. However, with everything that happened, he just could not control himself. Emotions always get the better of him and at that exact moment, he did not mind being seen like that. He was rather surprised when Helena handed him her intelligent looking teddy bear. He then looked into its eyes and realized that he hasn't held one ever. "You know, I haven't had one of these bears when I was young," he then said. He just let his tears flow as he felt her hand patting his back. He did not know why he was being helpless at that exact moment. After a few minutes, he wiped his face once more and he was glad that the tears stopped flowing at least. He then looked right at her, smiled and gave the teddy bear back to her. "Thank you very much. Maybe I really needed that," he said. He was glad she was there to empathize with him. Speaking of her, he then wondered whether she also experienced the same thing or knew what was like to be heartbroken. He just decided to save the questions for later.

As he looked at her, he then realized that she was exactly the type who does not like information being withheld from her. What was actually worse was that he was talking to her like she was a young kid. He just laughed, and gently took the bottle from her hand. He knew that she was beginning to get annoyed with him once more. "I'm really sorry that I treated you like a little girl, I know that you are much more capable than what meets the eye," he said shyly. He knew that if he wanted her to stop being annoyed with him, he had to treat her like a lady already. Besides, she was gifted with remarkable intelligence and that intellectual pursuits like what he was doing would absolutely pique her attention. "Well I just drank that a couple of hours ago, I also have colds at that time. Don't worry, I can assure you its effectiveness, although its your prerogative on whether you would drink it or not," he added, his face looking serious. After all, he couldn't blame her if she decided to get suspicious with the potion he was offering her.

Lars took out his pocket watch and looked at the time. It was indeed very late and they just can't risk staying out of their dormitories at such a time. He then casted a glance at Helena and noticed that she did not look well at all. In fact, he could feel the hot air she was breathing out. He then placed a hand on her forehead and he was surprised for he knew that she was indeed running a fever. At this point, potions would not help her and at that moment, she needed to get immediate medical attention. "Helena, you are running a fever, why did you not go the Hospital wing immediately?" he asked quickly. "Come on, you need medical attention, Madam Duboise knows what to do," he added hastily as he tugged at her hand, urging her to go.

[Helena Albertyne Ravenclaw]

“It’s going to be fine. I know everything’s going to be fine.” She said in the most soothing tone she could muster. Helena felt horrible and awkward. She shook her head at her inability to comfort him or anyone else. She knew it was due to the fact that she rarely received comfort. “Well, Berry is the only one I’ve got. Judging by the number of your friends, I doubt you’d need a teddy bear.” She replied and gestured to the bear. “I gave her to you, hoping she would comfort you too.” Helena gave annoying boy a small smile. She could only imagine how he must be feeling at that moment. Being turned down… that had to hurt. “You know, love fascinates me. It can’t be quantified and yet you know it is there for you feel it deep within yourself. However, I think it turned too much people into fools.” Including me. She thought bitterly. “I hope you find a girl who would love you back. As for me, I’m definitely done with it.” She said in a firm tone.

Helena looked at the older Ravenclaw and smiled at his apology. Annoying boy’s attitude changed for the better, she realized. Her calculating gaze focused on his face for a few moments. “It’s fine. How about we start over? Hi, I’m Helena Ravenclaw.” She introduced herself formally, stepped back and offered her right hand for a shake. She raised an eyebrow and eyed his face for a while. She could see no trace of sickness, so, if he was sick and he really drank the potion… Helena smiled and drained the vial of its contents. “Here,” She handed the empty container back to him. “Thank you, but remember if I die because of you, I will come back as a ghost and haunt you everyday of your life.” She jested.

She leaned on the wall and it supported half of her weight. “I don’t want to show myself to anyone… yet.” She sighed and eyed annoying boy and when he started urging her to go, she added. “I’ve been absent for three days now and I know any adult who would see me would start asking questions about my whereabouts.” She eyed the Ravenclaw boy, hoping he understood what she meant by not wanting to be seen. “Plus, the nurse might go wake mother up. I just can’t talk to her about this.” She gave him a looked that begged him to understand.

[alariclarsstouner]

As Lars started to recover from the wave of emotions that gotten into him, he realized how overwhelming Helena’s concern for him was. Although he could sense from her that she was not exactly the type who was comforted also. He then wondered what could have happened to her in the past that made her like that. He merely nodded at what she said about his friends giving him comfort. However, he then took the bear from her gently and squeezed it tight. “I am all alone in this problem of mine, no one really knows except you, me and the girl I loved,” he said. He was successful in hiding his problem from the others however he knew that he was merely deceiving himself. “Well, I kind of take a liking on this teddy bear of yours. However, I guess she rightfully belongs to you,” he added as he gave the bear back at her. “I hope she would comfort you as well as she comforted me,” he then said, smiling at her. As he listened to her tell him about how fascinating love is, he couldn’t help but agree at her words. “Yeah, you’re right. Well in that case, we both fell into its trap,” he answered, although he wasn’t really sure whether she apparently had the same problem as his. When she said that she hoped that he would find a girl who would love him back, he just smiled. “Well I guess it would work, however, I am still ready to offer my love to her, no matter what the cost,” he then said.

Lars’ smile grew even wider as he could see that Helena was starting to forgive him from what he had done in the past. He then took her hand and shook it vigorously. “And I want to thank you for comforting me in my time of depression. My name is Alaric Stouner. But you can call me Lars for short,” he then said to her, smiling once more. He then saw her quizzical expression and realized that she must have been inspecting him for any sign of sickness. He was then relieved when Helena emptied the contents of the glass he offered her and handed the glass back to him. He just smiled at the warning she just uttered. “Well, if you dropped dead right in front of me, I’d poison myself immediately,” he replied with a chuckle. “Besides I wouldn’t offer you a potion that I haven’t tried myself,” he added.

As Helena looked at him while he was urging her to go to the Hospital Wing, he knew that there must be some grave reason why she wouldn’t like to be seen. His suspicions were then confirmed when she told him of the reason. He then released her hand and sighed. “You know, I was absent too, for a couple of days also because of what happened to me recently. I was on a bout of depression; I drank a lot so that my pain in being rejected would become numb. I understand your circumstances, however. What happened that made you delude yourself right now?” he then asked, hoping that she wouldn’t think about him too prying.

[Helena Albertyne Ravenclaw]

Helena could not help but smile at the manner he hugged her teddy bear. However, her expression changed the moment she learned that he was alone in his problem. The young Ravenclaw was somewhat surprised at this since he seemed to have more friends than her and yet he was all alone. “I understand. I’m almost always alone when I have problems. I prefer to deal with them on my own.” She said truthfully. Helena Ravenclaw was not the type who trusted random people with her problems. Once again, Helena smiled as he gave her teddy bear back. “Oh, she does.” Helena nodded solemnly upon hearing his agreement on her views on love. “I know you would that was why I said I’m the one done, not the both of us.” She looked at him, wondering what he saw on the girl he loved that made him want to be foolish again and again.

Helena laughed at the way he shook her hand. She was kind of surprised by his personality in general. He was a far cry from the guy she thought he was and Helena could not be happier. “You’re welcome. You don’t have to take me. It’s my teddy bear who comforted you, not me.” She smiled warmly at her housemate. “I’m sorry for my behavior in Charms class.” She did not even care to elaborate there was nothing to say anyway. Helena chuckled at his response and smiled up at him. “Thank you, I do feel slightly better.”

Helena nodded, understanding what he was saying exactly. It was hard to be depressed and drinking might help. However, when he said a statement that had an illusion of her deluding herself, she almost snapped at him. But, she realized he was right. She had been foolish enough to let Justin play with her heart. She let herself delude herself unintentionally so she could not be annoyed at him for pointing out that she had been delusional. “I fell for Justin Law’s artificial charm and I consider it the biggest mistake of my life.” Helena said with a sigh. “The first step of getting out of the claws of foolishness is admitting to yourself that you made a mistake. Failure to do so will lead to you to fall into the trap of delusion and you will be back from where you started – a minute before you made a mistake.” She added as an afterthought.

[alariclarsstouner]

Lars could not help but smile as she told him that she usually preferred to deal with her problems on her own. He was really impressed by how she had managed to take it in stride, despite the nasty rumors that she was having a strained relationship with her own mother, the founder of Ravenclaw house. “You know, I honestly do not understand why people deliberately just keep on seeing you merely as the founder’s daughter. They do not see that you are really your own person,” he then pointed out to her. He then wondered if she had her own heart broken in the process. He really wanted to ask, but it would already seem like he was already snooping so he fell silent.

“Good thing that you are feeling better right now,” he then said, smiling. It was a good thing his potion was effective in making her feel better despite the fact that they almost squabbled over it minutes earlier. “Nah, it’s okay. I do deserve that treatment, after all,” he then replied to her apology. Truth be told, he deserved her wrath for trying to be someone who knew people well. He then felt sorry for himself for trying to be a know-it-all. It was a good thing that they are already starting to bury the hatchet on that incident.

However, as he listened to her tell him the reason why she was deluding herself, Lars could not help but ball his fists in anger. Justin Law who was rumored to be interested in Helena was now known to be a womanizer, who literally breaks women’s hearts is the same guy whom he actually lost out to Prue. “DAMN IT! Why did it have to be that guy again?!” he shouted, as he literally punched the walls with both of his fists. At that moment, he did not care if she was horrified by what he was doing, he needed to get the anger and frustration he had out of his system. After a few good minutes of hard punching, he finally stopped. He then looked at his fists, which were literally bleeding. “I’m really sorry. I had to vent out my anger in some way,” he then said apologetically. “You know, Justin Law was the very reason why I lost the girl that I love so much,” he finally added, his eyes now gazing at the floor.

[Helena Albertyne Ravenclaw]

Helena leaned against the wall and listened to the silence of the night for a while. It was late and if someone saw them chatting like it was daytime, both of them would end up having detention. Not that Helena minded that sort of taint in her very perfect record… at least not after getting two detentions in a row that year. Anyway, why make an effort to be perfect when you are already tainted? Her thoughts melted to nothing when Alaric suddenly spoke up, surprising her. “I do. I blame myself for that, you know. One may say my mother casts quite a shadow, being wise and famous and all… but it was my choice to stay under her shade for too long. I tried to be like her so I can’t blame people for seeing me as the founder’s daughter. The fact that I look like her is also one factor that contributes to it all, I guess.” She added, looking him the eye and wondering why she was saying all these to him. Last time she opened up to a guy, she ended up getting her heart shattered to pieces.

Helena’s smile at his expression of gladness after telling him she was feeling slightly better melted to confusion and turned to shock. The young Ravenclaw was too shocked to move for a while so all she did was stare at him with wide eyes, her mouth slightly open, as he started punching the walls and act… wild. Upon realizing his fist might join his broken heart, she decided to try to stop him. His next words, however, stunned her, making her forget about him breaking his fists momentarily. Apparently Justin Law was not only capable of tearing girls’ hearts… he was also very competent in stealing girls from other guys and breaking their hearts. His next statement confirmed her wild guess. He lost the girl he loved to Justin Law and she could not help but feel sorry for Alaric. “You aren’t alone, Alaric. I know how you feel.” She said calmly, reaching up and patting his shoulder. “I can’t believe I let him in…” Helena sighed, feeling the weight of the heartbreak settle on her once again. “Was she your girlfriend? Did she cheated with him?” Helena asked, wanting to know what happened.