Traces Of Magic

~Chapter 22~

-Jarron's POV-

It isn't until nightfall that I notice something isn't right. My eyes drift around the room before I figure out what's bothering me. "Hey Derrick. Have you seen Mandy lately?" Derrick shakes his head. "I haven't seen her since Derrick got me." Grayson looks over at me. I close my eyes and place my hand on my forehead as I think. Where could she be? Did she go home? Grayson's clearing of his throat takes me from my thoughts. "If it helps Jarron, I think she went outside." I stand up and pat him on the back before heading outside.

The cool air feels good against my skin. I take a deep breath as I walk through the cave. As I approach the entrance, I  start to notice an orange glow coming from the outside. The closer I get, the warmer it becomes. Heat from the outside replaces the chill of the cave once I move the stone and step out. The woods around me are ablaze with flames. Ahead of me seems to be a fallen tree covered with flames, but something feels off about it. I take a few steps closer. The farther I get near it, the stronger the smell of burning flesh. The smell starts to make me panic.

I run over to the fallen tree. When I'm right above it, I find out it's not a fallen tree, as I first suspected, but a body of someone I don't know. I look to the side to see another body. This one is closer to the cave entrance. I walk over and inspect it. It takes me a moment to realize that it's Mandy. A ring of fire surrounds her where she lays. I ignore them and step inside. The flames lick my legs as I cross over to where she lays. She seems so peaceful in the burning grass. Just as the surroundings, her body is engulfed in flames. Her skin glows an orange matching live embers.

I lean down and scoop her body into my arms. The blaze makes my skin tingle from the heat as I hold her close to me. With her eyes shut, she looks so peaceful. Too peaceful. Worried, I place my fingers against her neck and check for a pulse. Nothing. My anxiety gets the best of me. I rush quickly back inside the cave with her in my arms. I notice that the flames on her body seem to shrink in size and power as they turn into energy and use my body as a way to escape to the air.

Her body still glows as we enter the main room. Derrick and Grayson stand up at the sight of us. The worried look on my face tells Derrick everything he needs to know about the current situation. "Quick! Move the couch against the wall!" He gestures for me to place her where the couch used to be as Grayson does as he says.

Her body goes back to normal as she leaves my arms. Derrick places his fingers against her neck. "She has no pulse." He looks up at me. "I already checked." He nods his head as he begins to perform CPR. I can't stand to watch after ten minutes of failed revival attempts to bring her back, so I make my way quickly to my room.

I shut the door and sit down in my bed. Tears begin their journey down my face to the floor as all of my emotions overwhelm me. First Amanda, then Sage, and now Mandy too? It's like every good thing in my life is snatched away from me, and I can't take it anymore. My eyes find the empty bottle from earlier. I pick it up and smash it against my nightstand.

Pieces of glass scatter and fall to the floor as it shatters. My hands move through the pile of broken glass for the biggest shard I can find. My fingers close around a piece about the size of my hand. It shimmers in the light. I take a deep breath as the final tear hits the floor.

-Mandy's POV-

My head spins. I open my eyes weakly. The ceiling above me spins, or is that just my head? I try to lean forward, but I feel a sharp pain in the back of my head and lay back down. My ears pick up on something, but I am unable to make it out. I feel someone take my hand and someone else take my other hand. The one on my right squeezes my hand. I try to smile. My hand is squeezed again. I guess someone saw what I was trying to do. I try my hardest to squeeze their hand as well. They let go of my hand and kiss my forehead. They whisper something in my ear, but I can't hear what it is.

I feel the vibrations in the floor as they walk somewhere. I tilt my head slightly to the right. What I see is a blurry image on the entrance to the room. I try to lean forward again, but my head feels like it's going to explode. I feel like one of those people suffering from hangovers in the books Lexi and I read. The wheels in my head start to spin around as I remember what just happened. Lexi is dead. She was killed by Dustin, who knows about me, about us and our powers. A little bit of strength returns to my body.

"W...water..." I barely voice my request. Hearing what I said, the person on my left lets go of my hand to go get a glass of water. They come back over and set the glass down as they help me get into a sitting position. They hold the glass against my lips as I take a long sip. I instantly start to feel more of my strength returning as the cold water trickles down my throat. I reach up to take the glass and my hand touches theirs. Their rough hand takes mine for a second before they let go. From what I felt, I believe that hand belongs to Derrick.

I hand the glass back to him and stand up. I take a deep breath as I stretch. When I turn and look, Derrick has disappeared but Grayson rests in a chair. He smiles at me and I smile back. The only person I haven't seen yet is...Jarron. I make my way to his room. His door is cracked just a bit. I push it open eagerly. A smile creeps on to my face as I look around the room. It's exactly the same as it was earlier, but with one major difference.

My smile turns into sheer terror as my eyes drift to where he is sitting on the floor. Blood pours down his arms as he lays there lifelessly. A sharp shard of glass that has his blood on the edge rests near one of his hands. It takes me a moment to register that he has slit his wrists. "Jarron..." His head turns towards me slowly. His dull eyes seem to stare through me. "Mandy?" His pale lips barely move as he utters my name.

I back away slowly. His hand twitches, as if he wants to lift it but doesn't have enough strength. My back hits the wall before I let out a scream. I run into the main room and look around for someone to help me. My eyes find Grayson. He stares at me as I run towards him. "Grayson! You have to help me! It's...it's Jarron!" I grab his arm and pull him, managing to make him stand. He doesn't move any farther. Realizing that he isn't going to help me and I'm just wasting valuable time, I let go of his arm and run back into Jarron's room. His face seems paler than before, and now there's a pool of blood around his hands. His eyes are no longer dull and seem dead.

I take one of his hands in mine and try to stop the blood flow. It seeps right through my fingers. Tears roll down my face and mix in with his blood. I feel him lift his hand and touch my cheek. "Let me go Mandy..." I look at his face. It as white as snow, like he's seen death. "No Jarron. I...I love you..." More tears roll down my face. His hand falls back to the ground. "...I love you too Princess..." With the last of his strength, he leans forward and kisses me. I wrap my arms around him and pull him closer. His kisses grow weaker and weaker.

I feel hands go around my waist and pull me away from him."No! I don't want to leave him!" I struggle to stay with him, but the force is too strong. I am pulled off of Jarron before Derrick tosses me into the hall and shuts the door. Even more tears stream down my face as I pound on the door. After a minute, I realize it's not going to open and run back into the main room.

I don't hesitate embracing Grayson in a hug after I see him. He wraps his arms around me protectively. "It's okay Mandy. He'll be fine." I sob into his shirt. "No. No he won't Grayson! He's dying for all I know and it's all my fault!" His arms around me become tighter. He runs his hand through my hair, calming me slightly. His relaxing whispers tickle my ear. "Shhh. It's okay. Everything is going to be okay."