Shock {12}

That was the first time I had truly panicked; truly felt the despair of of the unknown because I had no wings to carry me to him.

Running through those corridors I felt nothing but an undying fear flowing through me to my very core, and when I stumbled upon the sight... I couldn't stop the tears prickling in my eyes as they were fixated on the debris, an arm bloody and bruised poking through.

I couldn't think.

He should have been safe. That was my duty, and yet there he was, lying limp within the rubble while I stood metres away in horror.

My instinct was to grab him, to tear him free, but I knew I could not be hasty, not when he could still be breathing.

My arms tightened, my breathing erratic but I steadied myself. I couldn't loose him again. Not now, not ever.

~

Staring blankly, Skye dived into the fray, her angelic strength that remained provided an edge to limber through the gaps; pushing and pulling objects out of her way. The smoke was thick, puffing from the fiery flames that scuttled everywhere. She held back the coughs, ignoring the heat and charging forward on all fours. Finally gaining closer, her mind payed no attention to her clothes that were being torn or caught on shards of debris poking at her, or the fact that the ash was settling on her skin and nesting in her loose hair.

She forwent the pain.

None of that mattered, not when she managed to get his arm free with a grunt.

She winced at the sound of the crumbling concrete she had thrown off him. Everything was so fragile and unstable as she held his bloodied hand.

But what it trailed to was a face paler than death. A face that should have died with the blood splatters covering him.

Skye wanted to cry at the sight in front of her, faintly gracing a hand across his face.

Instantly at the touch her breath hitched; some sort of energy was pulsing inside of him, keeping his heart afloat. The energy felt familiar, an ethereal sense that she herself could wield before.

Her eyes widened, lip trembling as she followed the energy throughout his body. It had pushed away the flames surrounding him, surrounding her... its signature was elemental...

"Elementa!?" She cried, head bobbing over the flames...

She could recognise her own sister's power anywhere.

"Elementa!" She cried again, frantically searching without leaving Lev's side. How was she here? What happened? Was she the one to cause this?

Lev twitched beneath her, having some of the load lifted from his crushed state. It drew back Skye's attention.

She gripped his palm with both hands, "hang in there Lev, I will find a way to get you out of this I promise you"

She kept talking to him, not once letting her hope fade; her own stained hands matching his as she held it to her forehead. The trace inside of him grew as she concentrated on it, but she could tell it would not last long. It was dwindling by the second.

Skye panicked, praying to herself that he would survive this...

She called for help. Screaming toward the corridors where an unconscious Jax had sent her running. The blood entangled in his hair had widened her eyes to a sight she had dread, immediately looking for Lev. It was what led her to be in her very situation.

She called again, her voice croaking at the sheer volume her lungs pumped to scream. Facing Lev once more, she whispered, a tear collecting in the corner of her mouth, "Help is on the way I promise you"

Eyes pinned to the hallways direction, she continued to shout.

Thankfully, that time she got an answer. A scuttling of feet outside the door. Three voices...

"I heard a scream, didn't sound goo- holy shit!"

Heavy breathing proceeded.

"Jax! Shit! Wake up man, look at me, look at me. Can you hear me?"

It was Damon.

Relief swept over her, a smile glowing as she called one last time with the draining energy she had.

She could barely hear them through the cracklings of the flames.

Gasps of shock sparked the noise until another answered, sounding closer, "Skye, is that you?! Are you in there? Are you ok? What's going on?"

She trembled, "I'm fine, but Lev is stuck beneath the rubble, I can't get him out on my own!"

Another string of curses, and another voice.

"Evangeline?!" Skye cried, hearing the angels voice approach the boys.

Her running came to a halt, pushing past Chongan standing where the door should have been, panting heavily, "Skye!? Are you hurt?"

"No! I'm fine, but Lev... he-" she chocked back a sob, groaning to herself from the weight of everything around her, "-he's stuck, and badly injured!"

Shaking slightly, Skye reached for his face, focusing her remaining energy on the one flowing within him. Because, as of now, that was the only thing keeping him alive.

Evangeline cupped her feather, staring to the floor in shock and disbelief.

Fate had come. Fate had shown its wrath...

Yet how did no one hear this? How did no one see it, feel it's tremble?

Moments earlier, Evangeline had felt a sudden force down her spine beckon through the feather so sinister she had lurched over, startling the people beside her. It was over in an instant but left a bitter feeling, something had gone drastically wrong.

That- that feeling had led her here, and when she heard the blood curdling screams for help, she knew what it was and what had happened.

"Stay with him, keep him breathing, we'll get you both out!"

That's when she caught sight of it. The reason for that absentminded pain.

Through the fog and the flames, through the ash and rubble layed a single feather atop a pile.

Past the cursed human and the fallen angel, she caught a glimpse of a feather that if regular... would be burning.

But there it was, white stained ends amidst a fire unharmed, like it was immune.

It was similar to the one she gripped with her life dangling from her neck.

Only the feather of an angel could survive the cruelty of the human world and its dangers alike, which made her words sink through her throat and onto the floor besides her.

She had vomited.

A feather.

An angels gravestone.

Something happened here. Something so sinister she refused to imagine.

Who... would kill an angel? To then set the place on fire and bring it to ruins?

It was a good thing the contents of her stomach were empty or she would have hurled again.

Wiping her mouth shakily, she looked up at Chongan in horror.

He stammered, "Are- are you alright?"

No. Gods above no.

This was a matter beyond human control. She needed help. There had been a murder.

Sucking in a breath she called softly, "Skye... we need to call the others, this is too dangerous for humans"

"Humans?" Damon piped up behind them all, his jacket placed over Jax who had been slumped against a wall, pocket tissues used to wipe the bleeding from his head while applying pressure.

His words were not heard however when people of the masses flooded out from the other lecture rooms; their faces unfazed.

Oh no.

Damon internally expected a stampede of students to charge and survey the damage or crowd around the unconscious person, but to his avail, no one acted differently.

They just walked past the three inside the corridor, chatting to their mates like usual.

Were they ignoring them? How could they not see the fire?

Damon was so focused on following the students with his eyes that he didn't see a trio walk straight at him.

Gasping while shielding his arms to reduce the damage, he braced for impact as he had no time to move. But none came.

They phased straight through him like a hologram.

Damon froze, his limbs going cold and his face sweaty.

He gazed upon Chongan at the door who was prematurely-occupied with the same befuddlement.

A pregnant pause, but not in the way of sound.

Again, and again, people walked past; the chatter dying down as stragglers caught up with the leading flock. It was as if they didn't exist.

Using the wall to steady his shaky legs, Damon breathed, "How did they...?"

Chongan stared at his body, "He just walked straight through me..."

Damon's head turned dramatically, locking eyes with Chongan. "I just had the same happen to me... it's as if... it's- gosh..." a hand stroked his hair, lips quivering, "it's as if they couldn't see ANY of this- or... that- that we... we didn't exist..."

"How is that possible?"

They both swallowed hard.

Hearing their confusion, she knew what had happened here; pieced everything together with the feather giving it all away... and if they were apart of it... there was no point hiding the truth.

She spoke up, "There is a concealment around this place that hides you from human eyes, and because you have ties with..." she paused, "an angel... you were able to see through the illusion, and therefore became apart of it"

Never in record had that happened. A human seeing past the illusion cast by an angel, a powerful one at that. She slammed her hand against the crumbling wall, "Dam you Skye, why did you bring them into this!"

"W-what?!" They yelled in unison, dumbfounded expressions laced with a multitude of others that made them feel as if they would go into cardiac arrest.

Evangeline groaned, her face worrying her words, "I will explain everything if you stay silent and let me think"

"Wait- what the hell do you mean angel? An illusion... people moving as if they don't see us... what is going on!?" Damon pushed, his tone concerning.

Leaning her head against the wall and colliding her fists into it in frustration she shouted, "I promise you I will tell you everything if you just, please, do as I say!"

Chongan gulped.

Was she really about to expose herself? Expose Skye?

Did she have a choice? No.

She didn't.

Her fingers stretched onto the wall, sighing gently in apology, "I'm sorry Skye..." her voice faded, "but as usual... this is your problem, and all I'm here for is to fix it... nothing more"