The Elements Trilogy: The Secondaries

Chapter 61: Ice

As soon as Skylar collasped to her knees and started crying, I began possibly one of the dumbest actions of my life. I spun around on the floor, and grabbed the chain connecting my handcuffs to the wall. Electricity immediately shot through my body, and every fiber of my being begged me to let go of the chain, but I didn't. I held on like my life depended on it, and with a sudden burst of adrenaline, I yanked the chain out of the wall.

The chain sparked and crackled, the electricity dying out of it. I dropped the chain, and ripped my wrists apart, the tiny chain connecting the two handcuffs snapping clean in two. I then grabbed the actual cuff part adorning my left wrist and pried it off, doing the same to my right, making my way over to Skylar in the process.

I heard Evie grunt in pain behind me, followed by the sound of several chains snapping. Tony swore loudly in Spanish, which was followed by Evalynn telling him to "toughen up".

Ignoring them, I knelt down next to Skylar in the spreading water, and gently placed my hand on her shoulder. "Hey," I said softly.

Skylar looked up, teary eyed. "She's dead, Harry. She's dead because of me."

"Hey, hey, no. She's not dead because of you. She's dead because she saved you. You're alive because of her."

Skylar looked dully back down at the dead bodies on the floor. "What's the difference?"

The sound of someone screaming, and a muffled grunt came from behind me, and Skylar and I both turned to look. Thomas was holding a sobbing Pip back, who was desperately trying to get free to see her dead mother.

"Get her out of here," Skylar ordered. "She doesn't need to see this."

"No, no! You can't do this, you have to let me see her!" Pip screamed, struggling against Thomas.

"Skylar," Evie began.

"No! Thomas, get her out of here! She shouldn't have to see this!"

"Skylar, you bitch!" Pip sobbed hysterically as Thomas slowly started steering her out of the room. "You can't do this to me, Skylar, that's my mother!"

Skylar froze in the act of standing up, eyes trained on Peggy, lifeless in front of her. Several seconds ticked by, and just Thomas reached for the door handle, she spoke. "Wait," She sighed heavily. "Let her go."

Thomas's grip on Pip loosened, and she tore away from him, rushing to her mother's side, crying silently, Thomas trailing slowly behind her.

I turned away, partly because I didn't want to intrude on a private moment, partly because I was clueless when it came to consoling people.

"Skylar," Tony said, his voice raspy. "Skylar, can we go home now?"

Skylar and I turned around and faced our friends. We'd been beaten, bruised, bloodied, starved, and electrocuted, and it was finally time to go-

"How?" Skylar asked helplessly, throwing her hands dejectedly up in the air, eyes glittering with tears. "The building is still on lock down. We have no way to get to an airport, and even if we did, we still have no money to get a flight home. There's no way to get home from here. We're trapped."

"I think I can help with that," a voice called out from the doorway.

Instinctively, everyone jumped, conjuring elements and reaching for weapons that were no longer there. Calvin threw his hands up in the air, and jumped several feet back, looking scared, yet slightly amused. "Take it easy, guys. I'm not here to hurt you."

"Why should we believe you?" Skylar hissed. Her eyes were burning, her entire body tensing. "You tried to kill some of us before, what makes this time any different? Bryner loved you and Gavin like you were her own sons, and-"