"Please stop!" Mickey cried.
"Alright fine, I'll stop, let the boy go," Jimmy fell to the ground next to her.
"Stand up," The man commanded him. He stepped aside, and the guard behind him took a step forward.
A dagger soared towards Mickey.
"NO!" Jimmy dived in front of her, the dagger burying itself into his own chest, leaving red dots as he fell to the ground.
Mickey screamed and crawled over to him.
"Jimmy!" He looked at her, and weakly smiled.
"I love you, remember that. But don't wait for me, you now he's been waiting for you," His eyes grew distant and unrecognizable.
"No!" She cried. "I'm sorry, come back, please!"
"Looks like we got a hero over here," The man was picking at his nails. "Never did care much for his type."
Suddenly, he fell flat onto his face, Bryan standing behind pointing a wand at his head, holding a stack of wands in his other hand.
"Come and get 'em!" He shouted, and a few kids scrambled forward to retrieve their wands. Others were too close to the guards to risk it.
Mickey stayed where she was, hardly aware of thumping feet, shouted spells, and eventually the presence of several ministry wizards who dragged away any hooded figures still present.
"Mickey?" Bryan placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"
She looked up, hardly seeing him through misty eyes. At that moment there was a scream from across the tent. Avery stood over her cousin's lifeless body, and then spotted John's, and fainted.
*.*.*.*.*
"She's alive?" Delia asked, her tears drying.
"It's a rare side affect when someone shoots the same spell twice in a row, they have a delayed, minimized or totally opposite affect. Lucky for your sister, the shock of the spell had not entirely recharged, and your sister was merely stunned," The nurse left Delia then, hurrying to attend to a swollen-faced student.
"Julia?" Delia squeezed her hand, and on the other side of her bed, Tyler looked down at her face as her eyes blinked open.
He released a big sigh. "Thank god!"
"What happened? What happened to John?" She asked, sitting up.
"John's not-" Tyler started then turned away.
"Where is he?" Julia asked.
"He's dead, Julia," Delia sighed.
"But how am I-?"
"It's a rare side affect of two spells in a row, he took all the charge, and you were only stunned," Tyler turned back.
"Who else-?"
"Amelia and Jimmy,"
"How are they taking-"
"Avery's crying in her dorm, and Mickey's somewhere with Bryan I think, also crying,"
"They're organizing a funeral service, too,"
*.*.*.*.*
"What are you doing here Chester?" Mickey stood up from where she sat in the library, spotting her brother come towards her.
"If you don't remember, I also went here, and someone had to check on you," He ruffled her hair, and led her outside.
"Why are you really here?" She asked.
"Really? Honestly? I want to beat that piece of sh-"
"Bryan?"
"Is that his name now?" Chester ground his teeth against each other.
"He never actually kissed-"
"I don't care what he did or didn't do! I'd like to talk to that girl too,"
"She's dead,"
"What?" He looked at her in utter disbelief.
"A total of twelve students were killed, and five stunned, one with permanent brain damage,"
"Still going to kill him," Chester muttered.
"Please don't," She begged.
"See you later," He ran down the corridor, and by luck ran across Bryan.
*.*.*.*.*
The next day, a funeral was held on the lawn. It was just starting as Bryan slid in next to Mickey.
"You're late," She whispered. He was wearing a scarf, beanie pulled low, sunglasses, and a heavy sweatshirt. "What's all this?"
"What?" His voice was muffled by the scarf, which Mickey tore off to reveal his split lip. She then grabbed the beanie and sunglasses, revealing his bruised face.
"Did Chester-?" He nodded.
"I'm sorry," She said, and then she spotted them carrying the casket, and fell silent.
A few minutes into the funeral, she slipped away, and somehow Bryan followed her.
"Are you alright?" He asked as soon as he found her sitting on the stairs.
"What do you think?" She sniffed, sliding to the side.
"What's so different about this year that it had to end up like this?"
"What?"
"Jimmy and John?"
"What about Amelia?"
"I don't think I'll ever understand what was wrong with her, but it doesn't mean I'm not sorry she died. But last year, everything was normal; everyone was here, no one was dating, and our biggest worry was how much homework we had,"
"You want to know what's different? We grew up. We figured out everything can't always be easy, or perfect. Do I miss it? Heck yeah, but I wouldn't go back,"
"You've got everything figured out. It seems like you know everything sometimes,"
"Not even close, I just know enough for now,"
"Doesn't seem like it,"
"He told me you've been waiting for me," She blurted.
"Jimm-"
"Yeah, I'm really sorry if-"
"Why are you sorry?"
"I should have just-"
"No, please don't-"
"But-"
They kept cutting off the others sentences, and finally they fell silent.
"So are we going to give this another try?"
"I owe it to you to do that much,"
"You owe me nothing,"
Mickey shook her head, looked up and smiled.
"No secrets this time, we'll tell everyone,"
"Well," Bryan scratched his neck.
"What?"
"I love you every bit, but I just don't know. . . " He exhaled loudly.
"It'll work this time, promise," Mickey held up her pinky, offering it to him. A smile crept across Bryan's face, and he put his own out.
"Alright, should we go back there?"
Mickey nodded.
"Hey!" Chester came up behind her. "Can I talk to you?"
She glared at him, glanced at Bryan's bruised face, then hissed, "What?"
He pulled her out of his earshot, then spoke very fast.
"I believe him, and I know you do, but if he ever does anything to you again, I will beat him-"
Mickey put her hand up. "I get it,"
She walked back out to the funeral, side by side with Bryan.
Author's Note:
I'm getting slower. . .
I LISTENED TO "She Wouldn't be Gone" BY BLAKE SHELTON THE WHOLE LAST HALF! I AM IN LOVE WITH THAT SONG!
Most of Blake Shelton's songs are ear candy (get it?)
But the actual song I had in mind for "Ear Candy" was one a guy from Quest Crew wrote. Maybe "Memory Rain" or "Lady Lovely"or "My Miracle"? Ryanimay Conferido! Check him out!
THANKS!
ace axel