When I looked around, everything was bright, and I could see long, black hair and white clothing. The inner side of the fabric was a crimson red, all flapping and flowing with me as I fell. That's when realization struck me—I was falling. Clouds everywhere rushed past me, some white, some black, and some gray. I thought I'd be panicking because of how quickly the ground seemed to get closer, but I felt this strange calmness. It felt like falling was the right thing to do, yet it felt as if I was suffocating.

Was this a dream? Or maybe it was real life? I couldn't remember no matter how hard I tried, but as I looked up, there was a huge cloud above me. It was extremely puffy, more than the others, the colors were half white and half black, and there was a woman there. She had gold horns and white hair. She was wearing a mix of red, white, and black fabrics, and she looked panicked. Was she this disheveled, this upset, because of me..? There were two men holding her by the arms; one had black hair while the other had red, and they both had black horns coming from their heads.

There was another woman with long blue hair holding a screaming toddler who had the same blue hair; she was holding onto another person. They looked just like Aspen. Was it them? They had the same blue hair as them, with black horns like what I had seen in the woods, and they looked panicked too. I was confused about how I could see so much detail on them while being so far away.

I could feel myself fall faster the further away I got, and I saw Aspen jump off the cloud above me with the woman nowhere in sight. They looked so small from where I was, but I could see one white and one black wing coming from them. It looked pretty, with the clouds seeming to glow around them as they grew closer. It was a beautiful sight, like one I could never get tired of seeing.

Then I woke up. The calmness of before was gone. I sat up quickly and looked around; that fear from falling hit me at that moment, my heart beating so fast I thought it'd break out of my chest. When I looked down, Ben was still asleep on the ground, hugging his now half-eaten chicken. I would never understand how he ate so perfectly in his sleep. When I realized the room was dark, I laid back down and looked up at the ceiling. That dream was so strange; it felt so real…

I closed my eyes for a second, and when I opened them again, the room was lit up by the morning sun outside. Ben was still asleep on the floor, and I was guessing Rory wasn't awake yet either. I looked at the clock on the wall across from me and saw it was already eight a.m., which meant Rory had to be at class in an hour. I stood up and jumped over Ben, hoping I wouldn't land on him. When I didn't, I stood there, impressed with myself, before I walked out of my room.

I cracked the door to Rory's room to see if there was any light from her window, but since it was closed, it meant she was still asleep, and that gave me time to make breakfast. I knew as soon as Ben smelled it, he would be up, and he always takes Rory with him when he's on his search for food. I grabbed the eggs and bacon from the fridge and used a match to make a fire under a pan. I put the bacon on first, letting it sizzle as it cooked.

I leaned back against a counter and looked at the floor. Would I really be learning magic now? It was such a strange thing to me, and it made me anxious. I used to hate myself as a child for not being normal. My parents would try to comfort me and tell me I'd do great things even without magic, but it never helped. I just wanted to be normal.

When I heard a crashing sound from the bedrooms, it snapped me out of my previous thoughts. I looked up and saw a wide awake Ben with no chicken and Rory, who looked like she was about to fall asleep again.

As soon as the food was done, I gave both of them their plates and grabbed the brush from a cabinet in the bathroom. I went over and started to brush Rory's hair, smoothing it out before putting it into small braids. I then pulled them back, pinning them to the back of her head like I did every day. I sat with the two and ate the food I left for myself. I watched Rory stand up and walk to her room to change as Ben finished whatever she didn't eat. I gave Ben the rest of my food before walking to my room to change. I grabbed a new white dress, black tights, and a lavender jacket. The jacket had holes where my shoulders were; they opened up in the front, and the back reached down to my ankles. After I had finished changing, I slipped on my black knee high boots.

I walked out of my room and saw that Rory was ready to leave with her bag on her shoulder, and Ben had a plate of spaghetti in hand, happily eating. I didn't even have spaghetti in my house.

Rory walked ahead of me and Ben to the tavern. I looked around as we all walked quietly and watched as people around us started opening up their shops for the long day ahead. The tavern was decently close to my house, so it didn't take long before we reached it. We all walked in and saw it was empty except for the lady with long pink hair, which she had put up in a ponytail again, loose pieces falling over one of her eyes.

She was standing behind the counter, refilling empty bottles. Rory walked over, waving to her. The lady gave her a smile before Rory disappeared into the back room. After a few seconds, she reappeared, with Aspen following behind. Rory walked back into the room after saying something to Aspen. They walked over to me and Ben, the lady following behind Aspen and looking extremely excited.

“Elva, this is Leta. She will be teaching you about your magic, and Ben…I didn't think you would actually come. What's yours?” Aspen asked Ben in a cold yet curious tone.

“Hello master Aspen! I have animal magic. I don't have the normal elemental magic because my family isn't originally from this area. I'm able to talk to and control animals,” Ben said while standing like a pencil.

“Don't call me master,” Aspen said, annoyed.

“Okay…I'll admit, my animals don't do much fighting, but they bring me food when I'm hungry.”

“Why would you need to fight?” Aspen said quietly, as if asking themself. “They bring you food?”

“Yes, any food I ask for.”

“Why—”

“Well, I saved them from a breeding area when it was burning down, so now they just do whatever I want; I barely have to use my actual magic for it,” Ben said as a bird flew through the open window, landing on his shoulder with a popsicle in its beak.

“So that's how you keep getting random foods…'' I whispered before turning my head when I saw Leta get really close to me.

“Uh- hi,” I said with an awkward smile.

“Hi! I'm Leta! We've never talked before, but I see you and Ben here every day. Hey, you look so much like my friend Elva who died. Are you related to her? You just look so similar, it's like a clone. Well, she had longer hair when she died, so it's not exactly the same. Hey Aspen, doesn't she remind—” Leta said in a rush before Aspen walked over and smacked her on the back of the head, pulled her close, and whispered something to her. “Alright anyways, I've never been able to use electrical magic, but she left me all her books of research and how she learned. I'll be here to supervise your learning and help you with what I can remember! Sound good?”

"Yeah- thank you." I replied.

Leta led me into the back room and through a hall that led to another room full of books. It looked like a library, with every shelf packed tight with books. She motioned for me to sit at a table while she walked off, looking at the books on the shelves, eventually bringing one over and putting it in front of me. It was a medium-sized leather book, with a one scorched onto the front. I opened the cover, and inside was a small note.

Property of Elva,

If you're reading this, you're either like me, or you are me.

Learn the basics, but don't go past book six, or else…

The warning at the beginning was strange; the page it was on was almost completely burned except for that short section. What did she mean by “or else”? I tried not to think of it too much as I read through the first page. It was basic stuff on how to make a ball of electricity in my hand. After some careful memorizing of the steps, I tried it. Leta sat to the side with a bucket of water and watched me. The first few times I tried doing it, nothing but a few sparks popped out, but eventually I was able to make a ball like the book had explained.

I looked back at the book, having left it open on the table, and read over what it said to do next. I had to try and toss that ball of electricity. I took a deep breath, and as soon as I tried, I dropped the ball instead of catching it. I watched as it landed on the floor in front of me, disappearing, a fire bursting to life on the spot.

I felt a cold splash on my right side; the fire was now gone, but my clothes ended up wet. I sighed and sat down again. It was harder to do magic than I thought it would be. I couldn't say I was surprised, but at the same time, I hoped I'd be able to do it on the first try. I looked over and watched as Leta seemed a bit disappointed in my failure, but at least I wasn't alone in that. She looked like she wanted to say something but chose not to, walking out of the room instead.

While sitting there, I could hear something coming from the main room, where Rory and Aspen were working. I stood up from my seat and walked to the doorway so I could see exactly what was going on. Rory was standing over a bucket of water, and Aspen was a foot behind her with their arms crossed, watching. It took a moment, but Rory moved the water from the bucket, twirling it around in the air above her.

Aspen then started to hit random objects around the tavern with fire, and Rory followed hastily behind, putting out the flames before they had a chance to grow. Once that was done, I watched her carefully move the water back to the bucket. As soon as it splashed down, a large smile grew on her face, and she jumped around happily. She turned around and hugged Aspen, who surprisingly hugged her back with a smile. That smile was definitely a new sight, but it was a good one.

I walked back into the room, not wanting Rory to see me and be a distraction to her. As I reached the table, Leta walked in and tossed a towel to me before leaning against the wall behind her.

“How long have they been practicing that? With the fire?" I asked as I dried my clothes.

“About a week. She had a nightmare before, of someone she loved being stuck in a fire. It made her paranoid, so she would come here and beg Aspen to teach her how to put out fires before they could spread.”

“That explains why she keeps painting fires…” I muttered, just loud enough for Leta to still hear.

“Rory's dreams seem like they become real with how scared she is. Has this happened before?”

“Yeah, a few times, actually. Normally it's just small events like someone falling or storms, but the last time she dreamed of people's deaths was when our parents disappeared; our mother used to do the same, so I guess that's where she gets it from.”

“I'd keep an eye on her for a while then. Just now, she talked to Aspen about her dream last night. She said it was her, burning in her room.”

“Oh, she's never told me about this, never the dreams,”

“She seemed uncomfortable bringing it up; I doubt she would have if she knew I could hear her.”

“I'll talk to her about it tonight. If it's getting more specific, then whatever it is will be happening soon.”

Leta nodded and looked down; it seemed like she was deep in thought, but when she looked up, she just called Rory over.

“Yes?” Rory asked, appearing in the doorway.

“Will you take the water from your sister's clothes?”

“Of course,” she said with a smile,

Rory walked over to me and held out her hand, the palm facing the ceiling. It took a moment, but soon all of the water from my clothes, the floor, and the towel formed in the air above her before dropping into the bucket as it had been before.

“Thank you,” I said, patting her head as she smiled, proud of her magic.

Rory ran back to the room she had been in with Aspen once she had finished. I took off my jacket, laying it over the back of the chair I had been sitting in, before taking a deep breath and holding out my hand. I focused on the magic, how it felt when forming, picturing what it had looked like, and eventually the ball formed, hovering an inch above the palm of my hand. I took a deep breath, then I tossed it up again, as I had done the first time.

I focused hard on how it was falling and where it would land, and I caught it in my other hand. I exhaled and looked up at Leta with an excited smile. Her calm, focused face faded, and she smiled back, clapping. Her eyes drifted from me to the doorway behind me. I turned and looked to where her eyes had been and saw that Aspen and Rory had been watching too. Rory was excited for me. Leta carried the bucket of water over to me, as I wasn't sure how to get rid of the ball yet. I stuck my hand in the water, hearing a quick sizzle as the ball disappeared.

When I looked up, both Rory and Leta hugged me while Aspen walked off. They looked as if me learning that was a normal thing, like they could care less about what I had been doing. It was a bit annoying; I didn't want their praise, but if they were going to watch, they could say something about it. When the two released me from the hug, Rory ran after Aspen, and I grabbed the towel, drying off my hand before putting my jacket back on. It wasn't cold in the room, but it was more comfortable to have it on than off.

“Now that that's done, let's take a walk,” Leta said, her hand on my back.

I nodded in agreement. I wanted to ask her some things about the Elva she knew. If I knew more about her, then maybe I'd be able to learn more in less time. With her hand still on my back, Leta led me out of the room and to a stained glass door, where the sunlight from outside made the colored glass reflect on the floor and wall inside. The door opened, and outside, there was a stone path leading in two directions, with flowers and trees on both sides of it. Leta's hand fell from my back, and we both walked side by side down the right path.

“Leta, could you tell me some stuff about the Elva you knew? I thought that maybe if I knew more I could find some way to figure out how she did things and I could do more, faster,” I explained after a moment of silence.

Leta looked at me with this sad look behind her eyes. I felt bad for asking, but it was too late not to. She looked ahead of us again, silent for a few seconds. “Of course I can. Let's see… She was a friend of my parents and was thirteen years older than me, if I remember right. She would babysit me a lot when I was a kid, up until I was seven, when she died. We used to do so many things together. When it was dark out, she would make little fireworks on her hand for me, and she always had the best stories about adventures, angels and demons, and a realm where everything floated on clouds. I used to wait by my living room window for her every time she came to visit or watch me. She was pretty popular too, and because of her rare magic, a lot of people loved her, but some also hated her for it; they called her a demon, said her magic was unnatural and needed to be exterminated.”

People wanted to exterminate her? Hearing that, I wondered if anyone would feel the same about me if they knew. “She sounds amazing. It's dumb of me to say, but I hope I'll be as successful, assuming that she was by how popular you said she became.” That's when what Leta said really processed in my mind, “Wait, did you say a realm of clouds?”

“I think you'd be able to become more than she was able to be, but she was amazing. I always wanted to be just like her. I thought she was perfect, but the more she achieved, the more attacks happened. Her house burned down when I was four. Her parents died in that accident, and she was heartbroken for a while because of it. She had only been seventeen when it happened. There were so many more attacks over the years. A lot of her life was hidden from the world because of them, because if people knew, then she and the people she loved would be at risk, just like her parents, and when she died, her cause of death was hidden from the world. If people knew she fell, it would start a war between the ones who loved her and the ones who hated her,” Leta said, pausing for a second. “Yeah, clouds, but it was just a story.”

“Did you know much about her life? Like the parts they hid from people?”

“Well, she was married at nineteen. I still know the person she married, and I was even the flower girl at their wedding. That was one of the best days of my childhood. They dressed me up in a little blue dress to match- sorry I can't explain that one but we had music and a decent amount of people. I even met a kid there my age; he works with me sometimes up here. He's in there right now, actually, in case anyone comes in for a drink. But after her wedding, she disappeared for a year. Next thing I knew, she was dead and left behind a child; well, she was adopted. That child was then given away to a different family, and the person she had married disappeared until recently this year.”

“How did she die?”

“There are different rumors about it; some say she was taken back to hell by her fellow demons; the one the news said was that she had been experimenting with magic and it backfired, killing her in her home. Her death wasn't that simple, though; I was told through the person she married that she just fell.”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“Fell?”

Leta was about to speak again before she stopped walking. I followed her eyes and saw Aspen standing ahead of us. They looked annoyed, and when I looked back at Leta, she had the look of a child who got caught doing something they weren't supposed to. She seemed scared but was equally annoyed with Aspen. It confused me, though. What could have happened to cause this tension between the two?

“Elva, why don't you go inside and clean up our work area? We can continue with your magic tomorrow, alright?” she asked with a smile, patting my back lightly before walking down the path to Aspen.

I nodded and walked back down the way we came, crossing my arms as I thought about what Leta had said. Why would they lie about her cause of death? It made no sense. I walked into the tavern and down the hall back to the room I had been in. I picked up the books from the table and placed them on the shelves where they had been before. I wanted to study more today, but I wasn't sure if that would be a good idea. It felt as if we had barely been here five minutes, but outside, I could see the sun was starting to go down.

I walked out to the main room to see if I could find anyone, and that's where I saw Ben, asleep on the floor, hugging a baguette. It was strange how he chose to hug food as he slept and not a stuffed animal, but I'd be worried about him trying to eat the stuffed animal if he ever tried that. I looked away and noticed Rory practicing with the water like before, but without Aspen here to make the flames. I walked across the room, noticing there was a window that looked out to the garden. Outside, Leta and Aspen were almost yelling at each other. It was surprisingly hard to understand what they were saying, maybe the walls and glass were thicker than they looked.

My eyes followed Aspen as they walked to the door, swinging it open, and I heard Leta yell, “She deserves to know!” The rest of what she had said was cut off when the door shut. When I looked around, Rory didn't seem bothered by it; she was probably too focused, and Ben was still sleeping. I looked back at Aspen; they looked annoyed and angry now. I felt a nervousness grow inside me as they walked over and grabbed me by the arm, dragging me to the back room. Their grip on me didn't hurt at all, so I didn't try to protest or pull away. When we got to the room and the door shut fully, Aspen let go of my arm and looked at me.

“What did she tell you?”

“What?”

“What did Leta tell you about the other Elva?”

“She just told me a few of her memories, like when she was a kid and at a wedding.”

“Did she say who she got married to?”

“No, but she told me her real cause of death—”

“Don't tell anyone about what Leta told you. If they do ask, say you don't know or don't answer at all,” Aspen snapped in a rush, not letting me fully talk.

“Why would this information be kept a secret, though? Wasn't it all at first to keep the other Elva safe?”

“That was when it was just Elva, but if people were to find out she had been married and adopted a kid, then that would ruin two people's lives,” Aspen stated with a stern tone, and then sighed, “Just stay quiet about what you know.”

“So do I get no other answers then?” I asked as Aspen was turning to walk away,

“No, you don't, so stop asking.”

“Don't you think I have a right to know? Besides, why do you even care? You're younger than me, so you couldn't have known her.” I felt an instant regret as I said it, but I had to know.

“Elva, drop it,” Aspen hissed before swinging the door open and leaving.

I watched as they walked over to Rory, their annoyed look now gone. They looked like they did before, when they were happy, and like they'd never even talk loudly. It was frustrating. When the door fully shut, I kicked the table next to me, making it slide on the floor a bit. I wondered why this subject was so important to hide. I just wanted answers. Maybe I don't deserve them, but shouldn't I be told something? We have the same magic.

I grabbed a book from the shelf and sat down, wanting to take my mind off of what had just happened. I heard Leta walk into the room and go past me, but I didn't bother to look up; she seemed as equally annoyed as I was with everything. When I turned a page in the book, I heard the door open, and I looked up to see Rory standing by me.

“Ben's going to take me home now. Did you want to come along? It's getting dark out.”

“No, I think I'm going to stay here a bit longer to read some more. Have Ben take you to his mom's house, though; you'll get dinner there, and I'll come get you when I'm done, okay?”

“Okay,” Rory said with a smile before hugging me. “I'll see you later.”

I hugged her back before she let go of me and ran from the room. I held out my hand, now standing up. I had skipped ahead in a book when reading and wanted to try something. It was risky, but it seemed simple enough. When I started the magic, instead of the normal ball, it was now an attempt to make a weapon shape with the electricity.

My first attempt was a big fail. I tried to make a simple dagger, but instead I made a stick, which then got absorbed into my hand, sending a shock of electricity through my body. Even if it hurt a little when I messed up, I continued to try. I wouldn't get better if I just gave up. With every mistake, I would get shocked by the magic. It made my whole body tense up and shut down for a second before I could move again. While it started as just a small thing, my body didn't like the repetitive shocks, and it felt worse as I continued, making me feel almost sick now even after my body relaxed. I tried again, and this time, my legs gave out from under me, causing me to fall onto the wooden floor. I sat there for a second, taking deep breaths before I stood up.

When I looked behind me, I could see Ben. I wasn't sure how long he had been there, but I hoped he wouldn't protest it. I looked away from him and held out my hand once again, focusing on the shape of a dagger. I could picture it in my head; I just needed to try harder. I opened my eyes after a moment, expecting another shock, but when I looked down, I could see a shape slowly start to form and almost look like a dagger. I let my guard down, letting out a sigh of relief, before the shape disappeared and sent another shock through my body, causing me to fall once again.

“Why don't you just give up?” I heard the now familiar voice of Aspen from behind me.

“What?” I asked, as I sat up, my body was not fully relaxed yet.

“You heard me. Why don't you give up? You're not making progress, and you're only hurting yourself more and more every time. If you keep trying, you'll end up dead.”

“I'm not giving up just because of some pain.”

“You should; getting hurt won't teach you any faster.”

“You're a horrible teacher,” I said as I stood up and looked at Aspen.

“At least I can see when someone should stop.”

I watched as a large piece of bread hit Aspen in the face. The room was completely silent as it fell to the ground, creating a soft flop noise while Ben looked annoyed. “Silence, you're distracting her,” he said before taking another bite of his baguette.

“Did you just throw bread at me?” Aspen asked, surprised.

“Yes, now silence.”

I stood up and took a shaky breath before starting to prepare myself to try making the shape again. I had to get it right this time; I had to prove Aspen wrong now, but right as a spark started to form in my hand, I felt cold water hit me, soaking my body. I looked up, and I could see Leta there, one hand on her hip and the other hand holding a bucket. Ben looked at Leta nervously before he sneaked out of the room behind her, grabbing Rory and rushing her out the door to leave, waving goodbye to me before it closed.

“Both me and the book specifically told you, do not rush ahead. You're going to make your body completely shut down, and you won't heal from that,” Leta said sternly, and she walked over and took the book from the table and put it back on the shelf. “Go home; no more practice tonight; if you do anymore, I'm cutting you off for a month.”

“I can do it, Leta; I almost had it,” I said quickly. I shouldn't have said that, but I felt like a child, and I hated it. “I had it under control. If you would have just watched-”

“I did watch; I've been here watching this whole time, and I will not stand by and let you kill yourself again,” Leta snapped.

“Again?” I asked, confused.

“Just read the book,” she said, handing me the first book and leaving the room, forgetting that she just told me to go home.

“I tried to tell you,” Aspen said after a moment of silence.

“I don't need to hear an 'I told you so' from you right now,” I responded, annoyed.

I sat down at the table, seeing Aspen walk out of the room from the corner of my eye. I felt exhausted from everything. I knew I went too far; I didn't need them to point it out, but I was fine. I would be a lot better if I wasn't dripping wet now, too.

I could feel myself drifting off to sleep as I read over a page in the book. I shot my head up, fully awake, when I heard screaming outside. I stood up after a moment, feeling a bit dizzy, but trying to ignore it. As I walked down the hall, I looked into the bar and watched as people ran outside. I caught a glimpse of Leta running after the people. Once the door shut, the whole place was eerily silent. I rushed to the door and walked outside, the once muffled screams now louder. I looked around the area. Almost every building and house were on fire. At that moment, my heart dropped.

I rushed through the crowds of panicked people, all of them trying to push ahead to get out or find someone they were missing. I just needed to get to Ben's house. I was hoping, praying, that maybe, somehow, it would be safe, that they'd all be fine. I turned a corner and ran straight into someone. I stumbled back, almost falling over, but I caught myself on the wall next to me.

I looked up and saw that it was Ben who I had run into. “Ben? Where's Rory? Do you have her?” I asked quickly, only seeing him and his mother.

“No, I'm so sorry; she just ran home. She said she had a gift for my mom, then the fires started-”

I didn't stay to talk anymore. I turned around and ran in the direction of my house. I had to get there. I couldn't waste a second; I had to make sure she was safe. My lungs felt as if they were on fire, like the area around me as I turned the corner, and what I hoped would be my house undamaged was my house covered in flames. I felt my heart drop upon seeing it. I didn't even think before running to the front door; I couldn't stop to let myself think; I'd just have thoughts about finding Rory dead inside, or not being able to get in because it was too damaged. I felt someone pull me back by my arm as I was going to open the door. I turned around to shove the person away and saw it was Aspen.

“Are you stupid?!” They yelled at me.

“I have to get Rory!” I cried out in panic before pushing Aspen away, freeing myself.

I didn't care that they had fallen to the ground because of me; I didn't care if they got hurt. I didn't care if I got hurt or even died. As long as I could get Rory out and to a safe spot, I'd be okay with any of it. I'd risk anything to save her. She was the last part of my real family that I had left, and I promised I'd protect her no matter what. I couldn't break that promise; I couldn't abandon my baby sister in a place like this.

I swung the door open and looked around the main room as flames burned the photos and furniture. I couldn't stop to grab anything. I just had to keep going; nothing was worth the extra second of time. I took my jacket off and tied it around my face to keep out the smoke as best as I could; luckily, it was still damp from before. I ran deeper into the house. I first checked my room to see if maybe she had run there, and when there was no sight of her, I rushed over to her room. She wasn't there either. The nervousness I had felt before grew the longer it took for me to find her. I ran to the art room; she had to be there. I swung the door open and looked at the floor; there was Rory, lying unconscious in a puddle of water.

I ran over, picking her up. I held her close to me after wrapping my jacket around her body, and looked up at the flames around us. I wanted to try and run, to get out and save us. I tried to run as the ceiling above us started to creak, but my legs gave out and I fell to my knees.

“Come on, legs, work, please work,” I cried out, hitting my legs with my hand.

Did they fail because of the fear, or maybe the fact that I went past my limit today? Why, now, of all times, did they have to give out on me? I hugged Rory close, tears falling down my face as I let out a breath. I failed. At least Rory wouldn't have to suffer in the end.

I waited for the roof to fall on us, trying to shield Rory with my body as much as I could, but I sat up when I heard someone calling my name. I looked over to the door and saw Aspen there; their hair was a mess, and it looked as if they had a burn on their arm. Next to them was a wall of water, which I guessed they had used to push back most of the flames.

“Let's go. I can't just hold it off forever,” they said, a panicked look in their eye.

“I-I can't walk; I tried,” I said as tears continued to fall down my face.

“Just try, please, Elva,” Aspen said. Their eyes looked as if they were begging me to live.

I carefully laid Rory on the floor, using the wall to help me up; maybe it was from the fear. After a second, I was able to stand up. I rushed over and grabbed Rory, holding onto her as I ran out of the door past Aspen. I could hear them behind me as I got outside. My mind was all over the place once we got out; the chaos outside was somehow worse than before, with bodies lying on the ground as people trampled over them and no one stopping to help. I felt horrible that I couldn't do something. I wanted to do anything I could, but I knew I would never be able to. I watched as something black fell in front of me, almost hitting Rory. I felt Aspen pull me back by my arm; the ground where I had just been standing was now on fire.

I looked up and saw something flying circles around us. When my eyes adjusted, I could see that it was like the thing I had seen in the forest the day before. Was it the same one? It couldn't be; the one before didn't act like this; it didn't fly, and it definitely didn't start fires.

Aspen put out any fires near us and looked at me. “Go to the edge of the forest and wait for me there,” they said before running after the demon.

I felt paralyzed with fear, but when I remembered I had Rory, I ran. I ran as fast as I could past all the panicked people and past all the burning homes. The whole time, I never let go of Rory, no matter how much my arms burned from her weight or how I struggled to breathe the further I ran. I just ignored it and kept going. I found a way out of town and went towards the forest. There I saw Ben and his mother, as well as a few others. When Ben saw me, he ran over and pulled me into a hug. He had never hugged me before, but I wouldn't ask him to stop.

“Is Rory okay?” Ben asked, concerned.

“I don't know; she was unconscious when I got to the house.”

Ben grabbed Rory from me and carried her over to a man. He looked young and as if Ben already knew him. I recognized him a bit, but I wasn't sure from where. I trusted him to help Rory, though. I slowly walked over to a tree and sat against it. The muscles in my body ached; I'd be surprised if they didn't, but it was the least of my worries. I held Rory's bracelet in my hand. She had made so many of these beaded bracelets and always wore one that matched mine. I wish I had the time to grab them all, but they're long gone now. I knew Rory would make more for me after she woke up, though. I didn't look up as Ben walked over and sat beside me; I laid my head on his shoulder, still looking down at the bracelet.

“The man I brought Rory to, his name is Rune; he's a friend of Leta's and knows some stuff about healing. He said he's going to try all he can to help her.”

“If Rory isn't going to be okay, I don't know what I'm going to do,” I said, my words slurring toward the end. I felt a sudden exhaustion; I don't think I could have stayed awake any longer even if I tried.

When I opened my eyes again, the sun had just started to come up over the horizon. Ben was gone, and it looked as if Leta and Aspen were there. I stood up, stumbling a bit, before I made my way over to them. Leta was now kneeling down by Rory, holding her hands over her body. Ben and Aspen looked at me with concern. I was confused. Why did they look so worried—did something happen? Before I could manage to speak to ask what was going on, I heard Leta sigh. Ben turned away from me with a hand over his mouth.

I looked over at Aspen, now more confused than ever. They reached out, grabbing my hand, and led me away from the area. I could hear small protests from Leta and Ben, but they stopped when we got to the trees. Aspen avoided looking at me at first, but eventually, when they did, they had… tears? There were tears in their eyes. It was strange; I felt as if I was still in some kind of dream.

“What happened? Is Rory okay?” I asked, seeing them struggle to speak.

“Elva, Rory has been dead for hours now. She died before the fires even started.”

“What?”

“Rune… He said that she had died a few minutes before the fires, based on what the first reports of them were.”

My eyes grew wide, and my mind went blank as I stared at Aspen. I felt something inside me break; I couldn't breathe. Rory was dead…How is that possible? She was okay when I found her. She was supposed to be the one to survive. Why did she have to die? Why not me? Why couldn't it have been me? I wanted to protest it, to tell them they were wrong, but my voice just wouldn't work.

I lost my balance and fell to my knees. I couldn't feel anything, though. I didn't feel the pain from falling, and I didn't feel the ground beneath me. I couldn't hear; there was this harsh ringing in my ears. All I could make out was muffled talking from Aspen and someone coming over to me. Was it one person? Or two? I couldn't tell. My mind was fuzzy, and I felt a rush of pain hit me, pushing away the disbelief and numbness.

I felt someone pull me sideways, and I saw red hair—Ben's red hair. I don't remember him being there, but I was glad he was. That's when I could hear things clearly again. Ben wasn't talking, but I could hear his near silent sobs. I could also hear Leta; she was crying too. I managed to get myself to move, and I hugged Ben. I hugged him as tightly as I possibly could, and I felt tears fall down my face. They wouldn't stop no matter what I did, so I just let them go. The more I tried to breathe, the harder it got. My chest felt tight, and my head was sore. I didn't deserve this. I didn't deserve to breathe or feel sad. I failed at the one thing I was supposed to do—I was supposed to protect my baby sister, and I failed.

After a while, I stood up from where I had been, letting go of Ben. I wasn't crying anymore; I felt numb again, as if I'd never feel again. I walked over to where Rory was and could see Aspen sitting near her, talking. I couldn't hear what they were saying to her, but I didn't care. Once I reached her body, I fell to my knees again and pulled her into my lap, carefully brushing her black hair out of her face.

“She has always looked so peaceful when sleeping,” I whispered. Tears fell from my eyes and landed on Rory's face.

I just sat there, looking down at her. She looked like she was asleep, peaceful, and not in pain. I hoped she wasn't in pain in the end. I leaned down, pulling her body close to me, and hugged her. I hugged her as tight as I could, never wanting to let go. She smelled like roses and smoke. She always smelled like roses; they were her favorite flower. I hated how the smell of smoke was almost covering her scent.

“I'm so sorry; I'm sorry I was never a good sister; I'm sorry I didn't keep my promise; I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you. I don't care if you hate me or if I have to die; just please come back. Don't leave before you've gotten to really live. Please Rory.” I whispered while burying my face into her shoulder. “I should have gone with you.”

I should have been there for her; if I hadn't been so caught up in my magic, I would have been there, and maybe she would be alive now. I managed to get myself to say a final goodbye to Rory and let her go. I saw that a hole had been dug for her; it was just big enough to fit her body. Time seemed to flow by fast in the moments that Leta helped me wrap her up in a blanket, taking my jacket back. It didn't feel real; it felt as if she'd wake up any moment now and be fine, but I knew that wouldn't happen.

Before laying her down, I looked at her face again. She was pale, and her black hair was a mess, just like it was every morning when she woke up. If only I had a brush to fix it for her before sending her off. I used my hands to smooth down as much as I could before wrapping her face in the blanket. I laid a few flowers with her after she had been laid carefully in the ground, and I stepped back as Rune and Ben filled in the hole with dirt.

I held out my hand while sitting by a tree, letting sparks form and then disappear. I heard someone walk over and sit with me. At that moment, I couldn't care less who it was.

“I wish I could tell you she didn't suffer before death, but it was a quick one. That I can say,” Aspen said softly as they sat down.

“How did it happen?”

Aspen didn't say anything at first; they sounded like they wanted to, but hesitated. “From what Leta discovered, her neck was broken.”

“Do you know who did it?” I asked, the sparks now forming into a ball.

“A demon.”

“Why'd you tell me this?”

“I didn't want to, but I'd rather you know her death was quick instead of sitting here blaming yourself and wondering if she suffered.” Aspen said, pausing for a moment, “His name is Foxx, He's from one of the highest families in the demon god system. He would be considered one of the holy beings, but to me, he's just a demon. Pure evil.”

“I'm going to kill him,” I responded bluntly.

I stood up, leaving a burn mark on the tree behind me from the ball of electricity I was holding. I walked over to Rory's grave and saw that someone had taken the time to make a small gravestone with rocks and flowers. I sat down, leaning my back against the tree next to it, so I wouldn't sit on Rory. I hugged my knees to my chest. I wanted to be with Rory for that moment, just one last time before leaving her.

“I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm going to kill the demon who did this to you. I know it won't bring you back, but he doesn't deserve to live another moment after all the lives he's taken today,”

When I went back to the group, they told me that everyone had made a plan to move into another village nearby and find shelter until we could figure out what to do. Aspen and Rune had both heard of demon attacks happening more in many different areas, which meant there was a break in the royal family's protection magic. We had to go find them and tell them of this before more people got hurt, and I had to get through that magic to get my revenge for Rory.

I saw Aspen, Ben, and Leta had gotten together with the group of people who would be moving on from the town to find the royal family. Before we left, I placed Rory's bracelet on the grave, covering it in dirt, and then walked off to meet with them.

As we walked, Leta started to introduce me and Ben to the others. First off, she introduced Rune as a friend; he had orange curly hair and yellow eyes. It almost reminded me of the sun, which perfectly matched his personality as he was always smiling in non serious situations. From what I could see, he was practically in love with Leta, while she looked as if he barely existed in her mind.

Next was Tex. They were quiet and off to the side; their purplish blue hair and blue eyes reminded me of the night. It almost made me laugh how similar Tex and Rune had been to the sun and moon. They were so opposite, yet they fit together so well. Leta told me they were adopted siblings and never separated unless Tex was out for work. Even as a kid, Tex was said to be a training assassin for the royal family and was only in town for a quick visit to Rune when everything happened.

As we walked, I could see Rune following close behind Leta like a puppy. Aspen walked alone ahead of everyone, Tex walked alone behind everyone, and Ben and I walked together. We didn't talk much as we walked, but there were many reasons for that. After that morning, I doubt anyone would be in the mood to.