Square one

Kicking and Screaming

Hope's POV

Giggles pull me into a place, familiar, though now it's all dark, almost suffocating. As my eyes begin to focus in the dark, I realise where I am, still in school, at the top of the stairs, but the real question is, who has brought me here? The giggles blur with screams now, getting louder and louder, until I bring myself out of my trance, and begin to walk down the steps, children appearing in front, chanting a little song. Something about a hero dying, evil rising? I beg for them to stop as they circle around me, closing in, then all of  a sudden there's absolute stillness and silence, the handful of children all pointing at me, my right hand feeling heavy. I glance down at it, an arrow clenched in my fist. I slowly bring it up close and observe it, the gold gilding its frame. The children disappear, another body appearing... Landon. A part of me sighs in relief. I feel guilt trickle in at the thought that I was glad it was him over Josie. I had dated him yet felt not a single butterfly, or at least, not that I can recall. I no longer feel any sentiments towards him, as much as I have tried to be amiable. I run towards him, having been stuck in my head for far too long. 
"Landon?" He's holding his side, pierced with what could only be the arrow that had been in my hand, now on the floor beside me. He gasps for air, applying as much pressure as possible, a trickle of... maligoo? seeping from the corner of his mouth? "Hold on Landon. Please." I apply as much pressure as I can muster, which seems to only be aiding the process, more maligoo spilling from the wound, and his lips. He goes rigid, and I hear the sound of footsteps. 

"Hope?" I immediately spin around, to see Josie, coming towards me. "Josie!" Her eyes are dark, dark as anything I had ever seen before, and she seemed... different. She stands a couple feet away, staring into my soul, eerily muttering what I think I could make out as, "I'm not here." With a flick of her wrist, the world turns upside down and goes dark, jumping me back into reality and out of the dream, slamming my knee hard on the desk. "Fuck!" I cry. "Fuck, fuck fuck, fuck... fuck." I whimper, wrapping my arms around myself. I wanted to scream. I wanted to lose control entirely. I wanted to hurt someone. I pick up a piece of ascendant, looking at it for only a moment, before slamming it on the desk, absolutely frustrated. I storm out of the office, Lizzie style, running as fast as I can to get outside, because lord knows as soon as I make it outside those doors, I will erupt, and lose my absolute shit.  I speed off near the woods, rushing by the Old Mill, and I let it all out. I scream and scream, letting myself go, magic swirling around me like it once had done in the church when I'd killed a man, and injured Declan. The sun is rising at this point, and the energy flow, nor my magic has stopped. I just let everything go, not particularly worried of the outcome. 

I find myself walking back to school, a lot more grounded than I had been previously, but not necessarily at ease with Josie still stuck in the prison world with the  ticking time bomb of black magic. I find myself walking into Landon's room, curious to see if he's alive, only to find him hopping about with papers, string, and push pins. "Morning, Landon... are you hopped up on something?" He turns around with a large grin, "Hi Hope. To answer your question, no, I am not, however I am currently testing the ability of flight that I have-" "Ah yes I forgot the phoenix can fly." He holds his wrapped wrist, pinning another thing up. "What did you do to your arm?" He chuckles, waving it about, "Well I couldn't sleep, so I thought if I tried to recreate the jump, maybe off the roof, something might happen? Don't worry, I'm ok- Hope what's wrong?" I glance at him, and he takes one look at me and knows. "The prophecy." I nod, adding, "I saw Josie. She doesn't look okay. I'm worried about them. I haven't been able to fix the stupid thing, and I don't know if she's trying to reach out..." He sits me down on the bed, and I pull my hands from his, looking down. "Look, for all we know, I am not the hero that rises. It could be Wade! I'll be okay. I've got you. And you've got me-" "It's not about that Landon! Sure, I don't want to lose you, my friend, but I can't lose Josie. I can't. She's my hero. She's in the prison world with her father and Lizzie, lord knows how she's doing- how she's feeling? That golden arrow... it could bring hell. So I need to get Josie, Lizzie and Rick out, so we can figure this all out together. All we know is that the golden arrow has been taken from our arsenal, and that we need to find it and keep watch over it. If I could just talk to J- to them, I could figure out how to  help, how to bring them back. I'm failing as a hero right now Landon, and I need them back."  He places his arms around me, pulling me into a hug that I surprisingly needed and obliged to, "You're not alone, ok? You have me. We'll figure this out." I changed my mind I don't want the hug. I pull away quickly, "No more jumping off buildings." He nods, adding another thing to his little pin board clutter, "Our finest men are on the case to find the arrow. It's as good as found, don't worry Hope." 

He really doesn't get it does he? I am more focused on Josie and less on the supposedly phoenix killing arrow. I don't care. It may seem irrational, it is of course, but I have this feeling something terrible is going to happen, and I can't risk losing her.