The Other Side - A Jamilton Fanfiction

Chapter Twenty Five

This is all my fault.

The thought was persistent, like a broken record that kept playing long after you've had enough. It tore away at me, clawing gouges into my mind.

I tried to focus solely on fighting against the forcefield by pulsing my energy through it, but the thought was fighting for my attention, fighting for me to make a mistake so it could eat away.

This is all my fault.

After what was just too long, Thomas's voice finally broke over us. "Just forget about it," he murmured. He had given up, and it wasn't hard to figure that out, which was so terrifying.

I stopped to stare at him, mostly to catch my breath, but also because the submission surprised me.

It appeared that his breathing was hurting him. He attempted a smile and failed miserably due to the panicked look in his eyes. "Guys, seriously. Go find the others. I'll be fine."

"Don't be an idiot," James returned. "Or at least don't be more of an idiot."

"How endearing," Thomas returned, and the remark would have been normal from him and nothing to worry about if it hadn't been forced out around a groan of pain. "I'll take care of myself. Go and find the others before you guys get—" He let out a whine, cutting off and contradicting his words nicely. "Oh that hurts a lot. Like more than the normal amount."

"Thomas, shut up," snapped Angelica. It wasn't hard to see how the frustration gripped and molded her under its will.

"Don't worry about me. Alexander, tell her." His eyes met mine. I couldn't stomach the absolute trust in his eyes, the faith that I would make the right decision.

"Thomas," I whispered, stopping to catch my breath. It wasn't like I was much help anyway in trying to break the invisible barrier keeping me from him. "We're not leaving you here." I was afraid I wasn't loud enough, or that my words were too tentative or meek.

But he turned away from me.

I was surprised at how well he was keeping himself together. He wasn't crying or sobbing or screaming. He was just sitting there, his breathing hard and body shaking, but he was sitting there calmly.

"Is this working for all of you?" the king asked.

Elizabeth stopped with her persistent attack on the barrier and rounded on him. It was like something vicious had taken control of her with the way she glared daggers at him. Smoke began to drift through the air from her fingers as she held up her hands. I saw her slide something from her sleeve, and the knife she held caught a glint of the sun. Then the handle turned red.

It might have been the first time I saw anything but absolute surety in his expression. But a beat later and he was gone once more.

"What are you going to do?" his voice came from my left.

"You want to find out?"

"Not particularly."

A flaming knife whizzed past me just far away as to where it didn't singe my skin or hair, though it left a path of heat in its wake as well as the distinctive scent of smoke. But just before it hit the king, he was gone and displaced once more.

Then it became a game of cat and mouse, but more burning fiery knife and evil tyrant king.

"Eliza!" Angelica snapped. "It's not working!"

"It could! Just give me like... a minute or two!"

"You should really listen to your sister before something happens to you too!" chirped King George, smile one of a young boy playing a prank on his friends. That stupid damn smile made my blood boil.