The song is by Evanescence and it is called holding my last breath. Disclaimer, I can't remember if I did one in the first chapter.
Chapter Nine: The Amber Light
Will saw the kids running out of the building and sighed with relief. Hay Lin and Irma ran to help the children. Will searched franticly for Jess. The little blind girl was trying to go back inside. "Jess is still inside," she told Hay Lin.
"She's still inside?" The girl nodded. Taranee tried to make the flames die and Irma was trying to drown them. Will suddenly heard a terrible groaning sound as the building swayed. The support beams bent and broke, the house came down and was engulfed in flames.
It was dark now as Will and the other guardians sat huddled on the ground. Will was holding Nadia in her lap.
"She promised." Nadia cried. "She promised she would be ok." Will kissed the small child's forehead, tears streaming down her face. Cornelia and Hay Lin had the two boys while Irma held the baby and Taranee was cradling Cindy. The other children were asleep, but Nadia refused to be pacified. She was crying into Will's chest. Will looked up to find Alex, Caleb, Vathek, and Aldarn searching for Jess in the burnt rubble. Even Will knew it was pointless searching, but she refused to give up. She knew deep down Jess was dead, no one could survive that, but she couldn't just give up. Sunny crawled tiredly into her lap and Nadia patted her softly. Hay Lin sniffed and Cornelia wiped silent tears from her face. Nadia placed her hand over Wills heart, where the Heart Of Candracar rested inside her body.
"Your chest is burning," she said, and Will nodded. The Heart had been feeling very hot since the house had fallen, but she didn't know if it was because Jess was dead or if it was because she was still alive. Sunny clambered out of her lap and bolted to the wreckage, yapping. Will was to tired to chase her. When she reached Alex, he lifted her off the ground.
"I don't think we're going to find her," Caleb whispered to him, scratching Sunny's ear absently. Alex placed Sunny, who was wriggling very hard, down on the ground and she took off, wagging her rear and sniffing the debris. Alex nodded reluctantly, tears dotting his ocean blue eyes.
"Come on you mutt," he said, trekking over to where Sunny was digging at the ash and burnt wood. She was barking and wagging her short tail. Alex tried to lift up but she nipped his hand. "Caleb, come here," he said, pulling back some of the burnt wood. Will stood, lying Nadia on the floor, and bolted to them. "Will, stay back."
"Did you find something?"
"Maybe." The other girls materialized behind her and Alex reached to move the hot wood again. Cornelia saw blisters forming on his hands and she began to summon her powers.
"Back up," she instructed. The boys and the dog obeyed. Using her powers, Cornelia slowly and carefully removed the hot planks of wood. As she dug deeper, Will saw a swell of hot pink light and the Heart of Candracar suddenly burned sharply. Caleb and Alex reached into the hole and pulled Jess out. She was burned badly, Will noted. Her breathing was very shallow, but she was alive. Will realized that the Heart of Candracar had protected her from being engulfed in the flames or crushed as the house fell. Alex cradled her to his chest as he carried her away from the hot wreckage and placed her on the ground.
"She can't breath. Hay Lin-"
"Way ahead of you," said the air guardian cupping her hands over the dying girls mouth and nose, oxygen emanating from her hands. Jess took a few ragged breaths and Alex gripped her hand.
hold on to me love
you know I can't stay long
all I wanted to say was I love you and I'm not afraid
can you hear me?
can you feel me in your arms?
holding my last breath
safe inside myself
are all my thoughts of you
sweet raptured light it ends here tonight
Will placed her hand on Jess's heart and felt it skip a few beats. "She's dying," she whispered. Cornelia tried to keep Nadia, who had come to help, back.
I'll miss the winter
a world of fragile things
look for me in the white forest
hiding in a hollow tree (come find me)
I know you hear me
I can taste it in your tears
holding my last breath
safe inside myself
are all my thoughts of you
sweet raptured light it ends here tonight
"We have to keep trying!" Will insisted. "Hay Lin, keep going with the oxygen."
"Will!"
"What Caleb?"
"She's not going to make it."
"The Heart of Candracar wouldn't have protected her if there was no way of saving her."
closing your eyes to disappear
you pray your dreams will leave you here
but still you wake and know the truth
no one's there
Will felt Jess stir. She turned her amber eyes, full of pain, to Alex. "I love you," she whispered, her voice husky.
"No Jess!" He snapped, "You're going to be ok." She shook her head.
"No Alex. I won't. I love you."
"I love you too," he said through his tears.
"Will, tell Jillian…tell my mother… that I forgive her. Tell her I love her."
"Tell her yourself." Will said, grasping Jess's other hand.
"Will please!" She said gently. "I love you, my sisters," she said. Her hand went limp in Will's.
say goodnight
don't be afraid
calling me calling me as you fade to black
"No!" Will whispered and Cornelia started to cry. The other girls were already crying, as well as Alex. Caleb pulled Cornelia into his arms to comfort her. She cried against his shoulder. Tears welled up in the corner of his eyes.
Suddenly the Heart of Candracar gave a painfully hot throb as Jess was engulfed in pink light. The light dissolved into amber and Will gasped. Jess's burns were healing. She could see the redness and the blisters smoothing out again, the skin turning creamy white.
holding my last breath
safe inside myself
are all my thoughts of you
sweet raptured light it ends here tonight
Will placed a hand on Jess's chest and felt her heart beat tentatively, without rhythm at first, but steadily finding it's pace.
She took a breath…
…and opened her eyes.
"What did you do?" She asked huskily.
"You did it, Jess. Your healing power, remember. The Heart of Candracar must have awakened it in your lifeless body just enough to heal you." Jess smiled gratefully as Nadia clambered into her arms. Will had forgotten about her.
"You're ok!" Jess hugged her. Alex pressed a kiss to her forehead and Hay Lin giggled excitedly.
"She's ok!" Will through her arms around Jess, and Jess groaned stiffly.
"Ow!" Will was to happy to notice. Her sister was alive and that was all that mattered.