Golden Ice

Chapter 10

I dropped to the ground. Oliver lay there, still as a stone and deathly pale.

"Oliver!" I shrieked. Lex was at my side in an instant, gaping at her brother.

"Is he dead?"

"How should I know?" I screamed.

"You were next to him!" Lex screeched, fumbling to feel for a pulse. I placed my hand on his heart.

It was beating. Weak, but still beating.

"He's alive," I gasped.

Weeping, Lex threw her arms around her brother's unconscious body. I glanced up-just in time to slash my dagger through the air and catch the advancing demon off guard. It backed up, right into the path of another Demonclaw, who finished it off.

The battle was over. A few lay dead or injured, and the Demonclaws turned to each other in celebration.

Lex wiped away a few tears. "I'm sorry, Ella. I know it wasn't your fault Oliver got hurt."

"It wasn't," I snapped coldly. I wasn't in the mood for Lex's bullshit.

Lex looked surprised and a little hurt. "I'm sorry," she repeated.

But I'd already walked away.

...

When I was back home, in my room, cuddling Goblin, I began to reflect on how it would have felt to lose Oliver.

Losing him...I couldn't imagine it. He wasn't just Lex's older brother. He was my training instructor. He was always there for advice. He was my battle partner. He'd saved my life out there today.

An unfamiliar feeling welled up inside me. I pictured Oliver's body, lying in the infirmary wing, barely breathing, struggling to hold onto life.

I dropped Goblin into his doggie bed and stood up, not even bothering to put on shoes or change out of my nightgown. It was an old, knee-length thing, made of cotton and a dark magenta with spaghetti straps. In short, it was ugly as hell, but I wasn't bothered with changing. I slipped out of the room and fled down the hall and down the stairs to the infirmary.

I burst in, wildly scanning the room. In the corner, Oliver lay, a bandage around his head, still unconscious. I glanced behind me, and then ran over to him. A chair was positioned next to him, but I didn't want to sit. I wasn't supposed to be here.

I leaned over the fallen boy, taking in his beautiful, pale face. He didn't look alive. He looked like a vampire.

I idly wondered if I'd get to see his ice-blue eyes again.

"Oliver?" I whispered.

No response, of course. He was out cold.

"Sorry," I whispered. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I came here."

But I did. I finally realized. I knew why I was here. I'd known it from the first day I entered the Demonclaw Facility, and I hadn't wanted to admit it to myself.

I was in love with Oliver Fairen.

...

"Ella! Look alive!"

I blinked as Casey Elton waved a hand in front of my face.

"Sorry," I mumbled. "I'm out of it today."

"Clearly," Casey grinned. "What are you thinking about? A guy?"

I straightened. Casey had hit way too close to home.

"No," I laughed. "I didn't sleep last night after the battle."

"Man, me too." Casey shook her head and bit into a crescent roll. "My friend, Lacey? Her brother died."

"That sucks," I said quietly.

"Yeah. Sam was a great guy."

My eyes flew open and I scanned the table. Lewis, Matthew, Eric, James...

No sign of Sam.

"I'll be right back." I hastily pushed away my chair and thundered upstairs, orange juice forgotten.

I burst into Lex's room without knocking. "Lex!"

Lex was sitting morosely on her bed, red-rimmed eyes on her phone. She didn't answer, just glanced at me and went back to whatever she was doing.

"Lex, did Sam-"

"Yes." Her voice was sharper than an axe, and ice-cold. "He's dead, Isabella."

My heart dropped. "Oh, Lex, I'm-"

"Don't," she snapped, jerking up. "For the love of Demon, if you value your life, do not say you are sorry."

I froze, staring mutely at the enraged girl in front of me.

"He was my training instructor," she whispered, no longer looking at me. "He was the person I trusted with my secrets. I loved him. I really did."

I took a step towards her and her head whipped to face me.

"I know you're new here," she said carefully. "So I'm going to let this pass. But let me tell you about a Demonclaw thing we do here. When someone that we love dies, we leave that person to mourn in peace and dignity." She practically spat out the last words. "So go. Now."

I backed out the door and fled down the hall, barely able to hold the tears back until I reached my room.