Sammy struggles to sit up, her locks falling over her left shoulder as she looks around the room after being disposed of by Freya's earlier attack.
She immediately senses her first loss when she can't feel the vibrations of the metals surrounding her, reaching out like she usually would but being greeted with definitive silence.
At first she considers which pain is worse, the numbing absence of her powers or the constant burning under her skin that has replaced it.
When something is taken, something else is given back.
Those are the words that Justin shared with her.
She always thought it meant something good was given, like a reward or something but the constant prickling of her skin instead makes her want to strip nude and dunk herself in a body of water, the ocean preferably, as she thinks anything smaller would be ineffective.
She crawls onto her feet, her mouth left wide open as she looks at the destruction done to the building.
She heard bits and pieces over the ten minutes she spent sprawled across the soothing ground, rocking from side to side, fearing that at any moment the fire now inside of her blood would consume her.
She had time to think about her sisters and her mom, how she had so many things to say to them, surprising herself by how terrified the idea of leaving them too soon really is.
Without her she feels they'll fall apart. Susan will try her best but she's always so busy with work. Summer is...Summer. She'll be fine. Sarah on the other hand, she'll take it the hardest, just like she did with their dad.
Sammy considers herself a failure for not preparing them adequately to function without her even though she has been trying.
Looking around the room she searches for the others, spotting Sky and Neith on opposite sides of the room, sprawled across the ground just like she was a few seconds ago.
Naturally, her eyes are drawn towards the light which happens to be a small patch of sunlight cascading down from a hole in the ceiling that wasn't there before.
The candles that had been sourcing the room with light have long been snuffed out and the lamps they were originally mounted to have mostly fallen over.
The ceiling of the cathedral continues to crumble away, creating a spotlight that lands perfectly over Justin as he lays motionless on his back.
He squints his eyes, the light intense and blinding, gradually bleeding out from all the damage he earned from using his ability.
He struggles to find comfort when his situation is the opposite, his shoulders ache, his vision pulses in and out and he can feel the internal bleeding whenever he moves too much.
His eyes start to flutter closed until he feels hands feverishly trying to lift his shirt and pack the bleeding.
When he opens his eyes he finds Cloud and Sammy above him, suddenly feeling the urge to tell her the truth before his time is up.
However, before he can even utter his first syllable, he begins to cough up metallic tasting blood.
"Sammy...Sammy I'm cold." he utters softly, the diamond tear smearing down his face burning hot against his pale skin. "I'm not...I'm not ready to go."
"Justin, hang in there okay?" she pleads, cutting her words shirt as she fights to maintain her emotions. "We just need to get some help...and..."
"Here." Cloud can see that she's struggling so he places his hands over Justin, sharing with him a fraction of his warmth by conjuring up Holy fire, ignoring the knock back effect it has on him in order to help in the only way he knows how.
YOU ARE READING
The Initials | Nanowrimo 2023
Fantasy[Book 1 in the Displaced Angels Series] "You took the life of my best friend, made her life a living hell...so I took your building and everything inside, and turned it into ash." °°° Being abducted the first time was already crazy enough, but twice...
