MCSM One Shots (2018-2019)

Golden Glow

Petra sighed, looking away from the stars. They never shown brightly, seen from Beacontown. There was just too much light from the city itself. Days ago, Petra had dreamed about going out to adventure again, to see the stars shining brightly out in the middle of nowhere. But at that moment, leaving was the last thing she felt like doing. If they somehow managed to save Jesse, Petra wouldn't leave her as easily again.

A heavy sigh left Petra's mouth as she drooped her head. Her reflection stared back at her from the shining golden surface of Miss Butter. Regretful blue eyes, pooling with so much anger for herself and the world around her.

"Why did I push you away?" Petra whispered softly, closing her eyes.

More than anything, Petra wished she could do the one thing that wasn't possible. She wanted to go back in time and try to be a better friend to Jesse.

But alas, she couldn't. The only thing Petra could do was make things up to Jesse if they ever managed to save her. If.

Feeling the familiar prick of tears in her eyes, Petra let out a bitter chuckle. She balled her hands into tight fists, angered at herself. She screwed up, she made one hell of a mess out of her last remaining friendship. And now she was resorting to crying about it. How completely and utterly pathetic.

Opening her eyes again, Petra reached a hand up to wipe away the tears before they had a chance to fall. She thoughtfully bit her bottom lip, glancing around the dark alley. Hesitation was visible in her movements,

There was a reason Petra chose to be at the entrance that night and it wasn't for the sole purpose of needing some fresh air. She needed to act, and she wasn't about to wait for the others to make up their minds.

Petra glanced back at the shop one last time, before pushing herself off the wall she was leaning on. Sheathing Miss Butter so it's glow wouldn't be a dead giveaway, Petra crept through the shadows along the walls. Fortunately none of her friends had questioned the all-black attire she wore that day. She was almost invisible in the dark.

Petra hunched down behind a hedge, carefully peering through the leaves. From there she had a clear view of the floating tower that the admin had constructed above Beacontown. It was the only place Petra imagined the Admin and Jesse would be at, at that hour. She didn't care where the Admin was or what he was doing, as long as he wasn't close to the person she really was after – Jesse.

Petra's eyes moved to a large jungle tree, its top branches lightly brushing against part of the tower. The perfect way of getting up, it was a good thing Petra had the world's experience in scaling trees.

Slipping out from behind the hedge, but still remaining in the shadows, Petra carefully made her way around the Order Hall. She couldn't help but feel a wave of nostalgia as she crept through the garden, remembering the time when she still used to live there.. .when all of them used to live there. How lonely did Jesse become in such a large building?

Gritting her teeth, Petra shook her head. That wasn't the time for emotions, she could wallow in the past and sob over her regrets later, if she wanted that badly. But at that moment, she had to remain focused.

Petra jumped up, grabbing onto a vine that was making it's way down the thick trunk of the jungle tree. Expertly getting into a position where the vine supported her weight, Petra planted her feet against the trunk and began to hoist herself up. Her movements were confident, but her breath was held as she prayed the vine wouldn't snap beneath her weight.

The moment Petra was high enough, she let go of the vine and jumped over onto a branch. Swinging her legs up onto it and expertly balancing on the thin strip of wood, Petra reached for the next one. By the time she reached the top, Petra's arms were quivering ever so slightly, her muscles exhausted.