The Last Alignment: Cry of the Scorpions (22 page)

“
What do you mean,”
Natalye frowned. “Can’t you do that too?”

“
I-I guess. I’ve never
done anything like that before,” Zander said putting a hand on his
knee; his leg was throbbing.

“
Well, what in the world
were you going to do to it? Zander, it’s called
Mind-
Molding
for
a reason.”

“
My mom only trained me to
levitate stuff. She never taught me how to change anything. I was
just going to keep it pressed against the door, but that’ll do,” he
said feeling secure enough to turn his attention to his leg. He
raised it up and sat it on a desk that was close to him.
“Son-of-a-
bitch
,”
he said gritting his teeth.

“
You have got to be
kidding me,” Natalye groaned looking around once more. “This is a
damn classroom! How is there not a first…aid….kit…..”

She trailed off while staring fixedly at
Zander’s leg.

“
Uh, Nat? You alright,” he
asked panting, but then a bizarre sensation started in his toes and
slowly started to make its way upward. “Hey! Natalye, are you doing
that?!” She didn’t answer him. The sensation was now in his ankle
and it was rising to the bottom of his wound. “Nat, what are
you-”

Zander screamed at the top of his lungs.

Chapter
16

Natalye

A minute or two had passed. Zander had
fallen off of the desk to the floor and was lying on his back
breathing heavily. Natalye blinked rapidly feeling light-headed.
Her stomach churned and she doubled over thinking that she was
going to vomit.

“
W-what did you do to me,”
Zander yelled.

“
I don’t…I don’t know,”
Natalye said clutching the desk. Focusing, she took a closer look
at his leg and saw that his slash had become a long, thick scar.
Zander sat up and upon seeing his healed wound, he furrowed his
brows. “I think…I think I healed you somehow,” Natalye said
incomprehensibly.

“
How?”

“
I don’t know…what’s wrong
with me,” Natalye moaned, her head lolling back and forth. “Zander,
I
neee
…I need
help.” She couldn’t catch her breath.

“
Nat, what’s
wrong?”

Everything went dark. She collapsed to the
floor, but before she blacked out she heard the sound of more glass
shattering and Zander screaming.

Chapter
17

Awbrey

“
I’m s-so s-sorry,” she
whispered through quieted sobs. “I d-didn’t know that-”

“
Stop
talking, Chelsea,” Awbrey snapped, still fighting back her
own tears. She had to stay calm. She wasn’t sure if Amanda was
close by or not, and on top of that, she had no idea where Hudson
or Androse were or if they had been shot.

“
N-no,” said Chelsea. “I
mean it. I had no idea that it was bad enough to make her do this.
I should’ve been n-nicer to her.”

“
Shut the hell
up
,
Chelsea
!” The last thing that Awbrey
wanted to hear was how Amanda “should have been treated,” or how
people should’ve “given her a chance” and been “nicer.” People were
never penitent until it was too late, and Awbrey was torn between
hatred and compassion, detestation and empathy.

“
I just want to go
h-home,” Chelsea cried clutching her arm. She had been shot in the
shoulder and had already lost a lot of blood. Awbrey personally
couldn’t think of a time where Chelsea had been directly mean or
rude to Amanda, but she was best friends with some girls that were
which made her guilty by association. However, it didn’t seem like
Amanda was going for just anybody who had ever been mean to her; it
felt like she was targeting her and Hudson which hurt and confused
the hell out of Awbrey. Why would Amanda target her best friends?
Was she that incensed that she was driven to do something like
this? Did they push Amanda to this point by not showing up and
leaving her here to fend for herself? Was all of this their fault?
Awbrey’s eyes welled up as she thought about who all had been shot,
fearful that someone that she may have been close to was hurt or
worse. A sob rose to her throat as she thought about Hudson, but
she swallowed it; she had to keep a cool head.

“
Aw-Awbrey,” Chelsea
stammered, “I c-can’t stay awake.”

Oh
,
no
,
Awbrey thought.
I have to get her out of
here
. As terrified as she was, she had to
put it aside and help Chelsea.
Okay
.
I can
do this
.

Awbrey listened as best she could as she
turned the doorknob, and gathering her resolve she stood up.
“L-look, I think we’re clear,” she lied, slowly opening the
janitor’s closet door. She had to get Chelsea outside where she
would be seen and hopefully helped; surely the police and
ambulances were there and waiting? Awbrey looked up and down the
hallway listening for any sounds that she could. When she heard
nothing, she helped Chelsea to her feet and carefully assisted her
out into the hall. “We can get you out of that window,” Awbrey
whispered, rushing her along while adrenaline started pumping
through her.

“
Whaboutyou
,” Chelsea asked, trying
her best to stay conscious.

“
Don’t worry about me,”
Awbrey responded as she sat her down with her back against a wall.
She quickly opened the window, her heart beating rapidly for fear
that Amanda would show up at any moment, and then she got Chelsea
back up to her feet. “Okay, come on now,” Awbrey said helping her
to get a leg through. “Chelsea, work with me here,” she said sure
that she was now supporting her full weight. “Chelsea? Hey,
Chelsea,” she said slapping her cheek.

She was out cold.

“
Shit.” Awbrey pulled her
back through the window and laid her down on the floor. “Okay,” she
breathed. “I can do this.” Her nerves were horrible, but she forced
herself to calm down and focus. She slowly levitated Chelsea until
she was at the height of the window, and then she gradually floated
her through and placed her out in the grass. “
Lord
,” Awbrey sighed, but then she
dropped to the floor; two SWAT Team officers had rushed around the
corner.

“
I’VE FOUND ANOTHER
STUDENT,” she heard one of them shout into their radios. “She has a
gunshot wound to the shoulder! And…she’s still alive!”

Looking up, Awbrey slowly sank the window
down praying that the officers were too busy with Chelsea to
notice. When it closed completely, she locked it and started
crawling away. It was now that she saw how much blood that Chelsea
had lost as she scuttled alongside the trail that went back to the
closet. She too had blood all over her arms and shirt, but she
didn’t care. All that mattered was finding Hudson and Androse now
that Chelsea was out of the way. When Awbrey reached the end of the
hall she stood up and broke into a run, but then abruptly
halted.

“
Ms. Donson,” Awbrey
asked. Her gray pants had blood flowing down them and she was
stumbling while clutching her right hip. “You’ve been shot,” Awbrey
said covering her mouth.

“
I’m okay. I promise. I’m
more worried about Amanda,” Ms. Donson said limping forward.
“That
poor
girl.
I knew that she had been having problems, but I never…” Ms. Donson
closed her eyes, breathing steadily and purposefully as if to still
herself. “Where are the others?”

“
What others?”

“
Hudson and Androse,” she
said moving to stand against the wall. She was panting and
sweating.

“
I…I don’t know,” Awbrey
answered taking a few steps forward wanting to help her. “When
Amanda opened fire, everyone started screaming, running, and
pushing. We got separated. You know, I can help you get out of that
window back behind me. There are-”

“
You have no idea where
they could be?”

“
No, Ms. Donson,
but-”

“
Were they
shot?”

“
I don’t know. I didn’t
see if they-”

“
Do you think that they
were?”

“
N-no, Ms. Donson. I don’t
think they’re hurt,” Awbrey eyed her; Isabel seemed as if she were
disappointed by the news.

“
Well, then,” she said
standing up off of the wall. “Looks like all that fucking
ogre was good for was bait.”

Awbrey took a step backward, shocked by
Isabel’s sudden change in temperament. “B-bait,” she asked.
“What…what does that mean?”

“
It means that this was a
trap, stupid,” Isabel said walking toward her. Her limp was
completely gone and her whole demeanor had changed.
Oh
,
no
, Awbrey thought. Everything
started clicking in her head. She turned to run, but then she found
herself face to face with Isabel.

“
Don’t waste your time or
mine trying to run from me,” she said moving a lock of hair from
Awbrey’s face. “If you’re a good girl, I might even make this
quick.” Isabel’s eyes were dim and cold and there was no mercy in
them. Awbrey inhaled, but Isabel roughly grabbed her by the
throat.

“
No
,
no
,
no
,
sweetheart,” she said forcing Awbrey back and slamming her into
some lockers. “I know that little trick. You guys really shouldn’t
make it so apparent,” she said squeezing tighter. Awbrey opened her
mouth to draw breath, but she couldn’t. She was trying her best to
loosen Isabel’s grip, but it was no use.
Fight
, she thought. Panic was rising
in her chest and she started punching and kicking as hard as she
could to anywhere that she could land a blow and Isabel laughed.
“Not bad,” she said holding her stance. “You’re stronger than I
thought considering that you haven’t even come into your real
powers yet. And now that I think about it, quick and easy is so
boring.” Isabel grabbed Awbrey’s left wrist with her right hand and
loosened her grip on Awbrey’s neck with her other to which she
coughed and gasped for air.

“
Let…go of…me,” Awbrey
choked out, trying to wriggle free.

“
Good. You can talk. Now,
I want you to scream for me.”

“
W
-
what
?”
Awbrey felt heat on the wrist that Isabel was holding. “What are
you doing,” she shouted, tears finally flowing down her cheeks.
Isabel’s hand was now very hot and Awbrey frantically tried to get
free.

“
Scream.”

“
NO!! STOP!!” It felt as
if someone had taken two hot clothing irons and pressed her wrist
in between them.

“
Scream,” Isabel goaded,
getting closer to Awbrey’s face. Awbrey sobbed but pursed her lips,
trying her best not to yell out. “No? Well, maybe I should turn up
the heat,” Isabel said tightening her grip. Awbrey punched with her
free hand and kicked out again with everything that she had, but it
was still no use. “You really are a live one, aren’t you,” Isabel
laughed. Awbrey finally began sobbing out loud, the pain too
unbearable.

“
STOP
!!!”

“
Scream,” Isabel growled
in her ear, and then she licked the tears off of the side of
Awbrey’s face making her cower. “You’re so weak,” she
spat.

“
GET OFF OF ME!!!” Awbrey
jabbed her index and middle fingers into Isabel’s right eye,
digging in as hard as she could to which Isabel shrieked and let go
completely.

“
YOU BITCH,” Isabel
shouted, stumbling backwards and falling to the floor. Her eye was
no longer in its socket and was hanging down by her
cheek.

“
AWBREY!!”

She held her arm close to her,
hyperventilating, and looked up to see Hudson and Androse running
down the hall. “H-HUDSON,” Awbrey yelled, getting up to meet them.
Hudson didn’t seem hurt, but Androse had blood all over the front
of his shirt. “Are y-you okay?! Have you been shot,” Awbrey asked
Androse while Hudson hugged her.

“
I’m fine,” he said
looking down the hall at the woman who was writhing and screaming
on the floor. “Is that…is that Ms. Donson?”

“
Androse, n-no!” He had
started forward looking concerned. “This was a trap! I think she
did something to Amanda,” Awbrey cried. “There’s no way that she
would d-do something like this on her own!”

“
Dear, God! What happened
to your wrist?!” Hudson raised Awbrey’s arm. Her hand and forearm
was shaking and her wrist was a mixture of black, pink, red, and a
brownish color.

“
She b-burned me,” Awbrey
whimpered looking at Isabel. “She s-set us up!”

“
What?! How
could…she….”

“
Ouch
! Hudson,” Awbrey shouted. “That hurts!” His grip on her arm
was suddenly vice-like and he was staring at her burn. “Hudson,
let
go,” Awbrey yelled, and then Androse
inhaled sharply, his eyes going wide. “What is wrong with you two,”
Awbrey asked as she tried to jerk her arm away.

“
Awbrey, stop,” Androse
said holding his stomach.