The porch stairway was long and rickety, with two turns before the top. Hunter was almost halfway down, and when I was almost to him, our glances met: we were both feeling the first prickle of alarm, our senses processing the unnatural feelings of shakiness and sway in the staircase. Then Hunter was reaching his hand to me in slow motion, and I reached back even as I heard the first, thundering crack of wood splitting and felt the steps fall beneath my feet leaving me to drop endlessly into darkness, away from the light and my friends.
Chapter 1: Sawed
My senses tingled, and I felt Morgan's awareness too. I reached out to grab her hand, to pull her out of danger. Everything seemed to have faded and all I could see was Morgan reaching out for me. I reached to pull her into safety but her fingers were liked melted butter. I saw her falling gently backwards, as if time slowed down, then fast forward, as she tumbled down the stairs. "Morgaaaaan!" I shouted, praying that she was alive and dreadfully regretting that I had missed her.
A rampage of commotion seemed to blow in my mind. I turned round and was frozen on the spot. I couldn't seem to focus.
"What happened?"
"Oh my Goddess!"
"Holy shit!"
It was all too much. Just as quickly as I was frozen, I managed to regain my control. "Shit! Morgan!"
"Morgan?" Confused voices questioning. I didn't bother answering them. I had only one thing on my mind: Morgan.
My powers seemed to have shut down on me, blinded by emotion. I tried to sense her, and felt nothing. I tried to use magesight to see her. NOTHING. Shit, what the hell was I going to do? I resorted to the most humanly tactic I could think of: manhunt. I jumped off the platform, sprinted to the pile of wooden rubble and started moving it with my bare hands. My eyes were stinging from the sawdust and I tried desperately not to break down. Goddess, please don't let her be hurt, mot my mùirn beatha dàn, I pleaded.
As I begged for mercy, I was aware of members of Kithic helping. "Here, she's here," someone shouted. I was just able to make out Bree's voice, and I sprinted across, pushing people out the way. At first, I could only picture her trainers. I blinked to clear my eyes. She wasn't moving. Morgan wasn't moving. I rushed to to lift the rubble the rubble to free the body. I pulled her face and cradled her in my arms.
Members of Kithic gasped, the girls screaming and the boys cursing. I couldn't understand why. Her Morgan was, just a little bruised and they looked at her like she was dying. But she wasn't. she was Morgan, my mùirn beatha dàn.
Out of the blue, sky's white blond head came into focus. She lifted my left hand, so I could see it. Even in my tears, it still hit me hard. My hand was red, as red as crimson…. As red as blood. "Hunter, she's dying. We have to take her in. someone call an ambulance.", her voice sounded soothing as she patted my head, while I nodded and cried at the truth.