Casted

Chapter 16

War cries pierced the still air. Blades glinted in the fading moonlight as they were raised. It only took an instant for the four of us to be locked in battle with our clones.

The other Harper snarled maliciously, glaring through white glazed eyes, and launched at me. I met her halfway. She swung at me with her knife. It sliced the air millimeters from the end of my nose as I ducked away. Her momentum carried her past me. I countered with a clean cut to her hip. She growled, but it only seemed to enrage her more. She spun towards me.

We quickly fell into a rhythm, slicing and dodging, occasionally landing blows on each other. I have to admit, she was a fair fighter. I could evade most of her attacks, but a few times the end of her knife would catch on my cheek or shoulder. Neither of us tired. I got the feeling she was holding back just as much as I was, waiting for the right moment to finish it. We were sparring, playing with each other. The scratches and nicks we were receiving were nothing compared to what either of us could have caused if we wanted to.

And then she saw her moment. She'd just landed a fairly solid blow on my forehead, and I had to pause for a moment to shake off the pain. Blood trickled into my right eye, staining the world red. I tried to wipe it away, but it only smeared across my skin. My clone saw her chance- she recognized a moment of weakness- and she took it. A sick smile played on her lips. I could see everything this monster wanted in the expression on her face right then. She was hungry for my fear. She wanted to see me squirm before she killed me. She wanted to feed on the panic in my eyes, the terror in my heart.

And I think I gave all that to her. I let her see everything she longed to see in me. I couldn't help it. I was so afraid. She drove her knife into my abdomen.

There was no pain as I fell to the ground. I think that was probably because of the adrenaline. I could only feel the cold metal of the blade inside my flesh, and the freezing shock of the ice beneath me. The other Harper stood over me, grinning demonically. I would never forget the sight of that sick smile, plastered to a replica of my face. The sound of my heartbeat filled my head. It didn't sound quite right. It was irregular. Shadows invaded the edges of my vision. I could see the sky, the snow, and the billows of my desperate breathing, but it was through a veil of red and black. My throat tightened. The air felt like shards of glass in my lungs.

Is this what it feels like to die? Is this what Alice felt? And Celeste and Zion and Lark? Is this how my parents felt just before they left this world? I hope not. I wouldn't wish this on anyone, no matter how much I hate them.

Suddenly a great silver something was raised, glinting in the rising light. It sliced through the corner of my vision and hit the other Harper right in the neck. I heard her screech faintly as she stumbled away. It was an ax blade. It clattered onto the ice near my feet. Ben's face came into view as well as he dropped onto his knees beside me. The vibrations surged through every part of my body, making my ears ring.

Ben bent over me frantically. Drops of icy water still dripped from his hair. His expression was distraught. His lips staring moving, as if he were forming words, but I couldn't hear any of them. His hand moved to my abdomen, out of my line of vision, but I knew what he was doing. He was trying to save me. The cold metal of the knife slid out of my flesh, and was replaced by the pressure of his bare hand. He looked back to me, putting a mask over the panic in his deep brown eyes. But I knew it was there. I opened my mouth to speak- I wanted to tell him that it was okay, I wasn't in any pain- but it seemed my vocal cords had stopped working. I didn't have the strength to push enough air through them to make any sounds.

Ben placed his free hand on the side of my cheek and brought his face closer to mine so I could hear him. "Look right here, Harp," he said. "Just keep looking at me."