Chapter Seven

It all happened so fast. Gunshots peppered the air. The four didn't waste any time; they turned around and ran. Bushes smacked Leigh in the face, thorns got stuck to her clothes, and she almost tripped over several logs hidden in the moss. Madelaine and Oliver had gotten a headstart, while Ash and Leigh were lagging behind. Leigh could taste the fear in the air, feel it gripped around her heart. She was too terrified to think or say, or do. They almost made it to the road when Ash tripped. Leigh skidded to a stop, helping her up. Ash gripped Leigh's hand tightly, and the two girls ran as fast as they could.

They were too late. A man and woman came up behind them, throwing themselves on top of the two girls. Unfortunately, Madelaine and Oliver hadn't noticed Leigh and Ash fall back, so there was no means for help. Leigh glanced to her left, where Ash was being pinned to the ground. Tears of terror rolled down her cheeks and out of the corner of her eyes. She looked at Leigh with such desperation and fright, that anger radiated through her. Who did these people think they were, attacking young kids like themselves? The lady looked Leigh in the eyes, and suddenly she felt sleepy. She fought off the feeling, adrenaline getting the better of her. Without realizing it, Leigh had wriggled her hand free.

She didn't think. Just swiped her hand across the air like a cat playing with yarn. The two people flew back, hitting their heads on trees and slumping down. Bloody gashes appeared on their chests and arms. Leigh helped Ash up and kept running.

"How did you do that?!" Ash cried over the din and panic.

"I don't know!" Leigh yelled back.

Madelaine and Oliver had slowed up ahead, glancing back to see their two friends, but still moving. Their faces broke in relief when they saw them. The happy reunion didn't last long though, as at least ten people charged out of the woods and down Pyramid Road. Ash yelled, Madelaine shrieked and Oliver's eyes grew in fear. The only one not whelping was Leigh. Three more people burst through the woods in front of them, blocking their escape. Running back into the woods was unquestionable, but the small group was too scared to try. Ash's hand was still clutched firmly in Leigh's. Leigh planted her feet, narrowing her eyes at the attackers. She thrust out her hand, and a column of fire erupted.

She hit the three in front of her, and they dropped to the ground, howling in pain. Leigh turned to the attackers behind them, blasting another column of fire from her fingertips. The first row went down, but the second row had recovered from their inital shock, taking action. The kids were thrown back, pinned to the ground by some invisible force.

"Sis?!" Cried a young voice. Leigh turned her head in shock. Skylar stood at the edge of the crowd, clutching her favourite teddy bear to her chest. "Sis! I can't move!" She yelled, reaching her tiny hand out to Leigh.

"Sky! Skylar! Stay right there, I'm coming for you!" Leigh wriggled, but the grip was like iron. She couldn't move a muscle in her body.

"Sky!" Leigh cried. Ash squeezed her hand.

"Leigh! Leigh! There's no-one there! You're seeing an illusion!" Ash's deep voice resonated over Leigh.

As soon as she said it, Sky flickered and shimmered, becoming nothing more than a hologram.

Leigh blinked, and she was gone. Anger resonated through her, and before she knew it, Leigh was up on her feet, dark brown roots wrapping themselves around the remaining enemies. When they were all tied up, Leigh blasted them with frigid water, long enough for them to go unconscious from lack of air. The four of them didn't waste any time running away, making their way back to Leigh's house.

Suddenly, the yard didn't seem so dumpy and ugly anymore. The peeling paint looked beautiful, and the glowing light inside even more so. Leigh, still clutching Ash's hand, ran inside after Madelaine and Oliver, all panting and pink from the cold. The panic and adrenaline was still coursing through Leigh's body, making her movements jerky awkward and quick.

"What." Oliver chocked out between breaths. "Was that," he asked, looking quizzically at Leigh. All three pairs of eyes landed on her, making Leigh feel a little uncomfortable.

"I don't know." She admitted.

"You blasted them with water, and fire and - and," Madelaine couldn't choke out the words staring at Leigh in amazement.

"Powers," said Ash so quietly you almost would have missed it. "You have powers, Leigh. And I'm assuming those people do too. They created an illusion, causing you to see Sky. They held us down with that weird force. And now you have powers too?! This is crazy!" Ash stared at her in amazement, and it occurred to Leigh that she was still holding her hand. She didn't really mind though, Ash was sweet and warm and seemed to be the only thing holding her upright.

"This is insane! How did you not know this before?" Asked Oliver confused.

"I don't know, ok? Maybe it was because I've never been in a dangerous situation like that before?" She guessed halfheartedly. In reality, all Leigh wanted to do was crawl under her covers and cry. The adrenaline was slowly subsiding, and the reality and terror of the whole situation was starting to set in.

"We need to get some rest. Let's discuss this in Leigh's room," Madelaine suggested, seeing Leigh's destroyed state.

Leigh's mind was buzzing, trying to rationalize what happened. She couldn't easily accept that she herself had powers, or that magic or whatever it was existed at all as Ash had. The group silently walked back to Leigh's attic, making sure not to wake her dad. Leigh let go of Ash's hand when they had to climb up the ladder, but she regretted it in an instant. Without Ash's solid... realness to keep her grounded, Leigh felt like she was floating, and not in a good way. They sat down in Leigh's room and discussed things.

"So," Oliver started. "You have powers. They have powers. And I'm assuming they have Sky. Meaning she is alive." Madelaine nodded along in agreement like she usually did.

"Leigh, when you saw Sky, did she look like the day she was taken, or different?" Madelaine asked intrigued. Both friends sat on their sleeping bags, but Ash sat next to Leigh, obviously sensing that she needed someone warm and solid next to her.

"Yes. She looked... older. Other than that..." She wasn't sure if I wanted to include the rest. "Other than that, nothing," Leigh replied. Madelaine's eyes lit up.

"Meaning she has to be alive, right? How else would the person who created the illusion or whatever, know what she looked like? And she was older too, proving it. Meaning... what exactly?" Madelaine and Leigh both knew she had already made a stab at the answer. She just wanted to hear the confirmation from someone else.

"Meaning," Ash said, who had been silent this whole time. She stared at a spot on the wood floor. "That Sky is alive, and being held captive somewhere, for one reason or the other." She bit her lip. Leigh sucked in a breath, willing herself not to cry.

All this time. All this time, Sky was bieng held, maybe hurt or tortured, while I was living a normal life. Enjoying myself for christ sakes! I didn't even try to help her!

The guilty knot in Leigh's stomach tightened. She got up abruptly.

"I'm going to the bathroom, and then I need to sleep," she announced, already moving for the trapdoor. "Ash, I'll get something for you too sleep on. It's not safe for you to go home."

Before anyone could say anything, Leigh was out of the room and in the narrow hallway. She made her way to the kitchen, palms on either side of the sink, tears streaking down her face.

Jesus. She thought. Jesus.

All this time, Sky was alive somewhere. Had Leigh told someone that she had watched her dissapear in the woods, they may have found the plastic piece. Leading them to find Sky, wherever she was. Leigh tried not to sob, but it was hard. Her chest felt like a weight was crushing it, but she wasn't sure if that was from trying not to cry, or guilt. So much guilt...

It wieghed down on her like a thousand blankets, smothering her till she couldn't breath. Her breaths were short and uneven, and her knees felt weak. Her legs gave out, sending her crumpling to the floor.

"Hey," said a soft voice. Ash stood at the kitchen corner, looking at her with sympathy. She slid down next to Leigh, cradling her head.

"It's ok. We'll find her, I swear," she whispered in Leigh's ear. Her breath tickled her neck. A wierd tingle ran up and down her spine.

"It's not that," Leigh replied, her voice thick and heavy from the sobs. "I just feel so... so guilty," she admitted.

"All this time, while I was concerning myself over who to invite to my birthday party and stupid things like that, Sky was being held captive somewhere. Christ, for all I know, they're torturing her. I tried so hard to put all of this behind me, but..." she didn't need to finish. Ash cradled her head, rubbing her shoulders.

"Listen, we'll find her, ok? I know you feel guilty, but finding her will ease that. I lost my cat once, and I felt super guilty about it, but when I found her again, I felt better. I know that's a bad comparison, but still. I'll help you find her. That's a promise," Ash whispered. Leigh nodded.

"Ash." Leigh straightened so she could look her friend in the eye. "I wasn't completley honest. She - Skylar - had changed. A lot," Leigh admitted. Ash kept her face expresionless. "Her... her hair was all shaved, and she was wearing a sort of... uniform. And she looked... she looked so scared and - and broken, Ash. What did they do to her to make her like that?" Leigh sobbed again. Her little sister, who had always been fidgeting and hyper, had been totally still. Her eyes didn't flick around like they used too. It was like someone had taken out her soul, and snapped it right in half.

"Leigh..." Ash started. "I will do, whatever it takes to get your sister back, ok? No matter what. No. Matter. What." She gritted her teeth. "And that's a promise."

Leigh stared at the tall girl in surprise. Promises had always meant nothing to Leigh. She had heard them a million times in her life, and seen them get broken a million times over. Her father, her mother, herself...

"Thank you, Ash. That means a lot," Leigh replied. Ash had said the promise with such steel, that Leigh believed her. Even if it meant it would shatter whatever remained of her heart again if the promise broke.

"Leigh," Ash began, her voice rising a notch. "I know this probably isn't a good time, but..." Ash looked uncomfortable, an expression that didn't frequent her face very often. Ash was confident and loud and obnoxious, and couldn't care less what people thought of her. But now, she just looked scared.

"What is it, Ash?" Leigh braced herslef to hear Ash tell her that she couldn't keep her promise.

"I - I just haven't been completley honest with you. I thought maybe I should tell you, to give your mind something else to think about. I'm... well, I'm not... biologically a girl," Ash stated awkwardly, her face turning pink. For a moment, Leigh was dumbstruck, proccessing the information.

"I'm sorry," Ash said quickly. "I knew this wasn't a good time. Stupid," she scolded herself.

"No, no! Ash, it's ok. So you're trans. That explains a lot actually. Thank you for telling me. That actually helps ground a bit of my brain." Leigh smiled.

"So... you're ok with it?" She asked, almost a little surprised but relieved.

"Of course!" Leigh replied. That bit of information calmed Leigh's mind somehow. It was something she could easily process, instead of all this powers and kidnapped sisters.

"There's more, actually..." Ash said. "I'm also pansexual." She said this with more confidence. Knowing Leigh was ok with it must have gained her back some self-assurance. Leigh nodded.

"Actually, I've questioned my sexuality a lot. Even when I was little," Leigh replied, a little bashful. She didn't know why she said this. Maybe to make Ash feel less emberassed or alone, or maybe because she needed a different conversation topic. Ash actually laughed.

"So, are you straight, or...?" Ash asked. Leigh shrugged.

"I don't know. I guess I just don't fall into any 'category' or 'label.' I don't see a reason to label myself or anything. I'll just like who I like because I can," Leigh replied evenly. She was a little surprised at herself, since she had never even told her freinds that, and she told them everything. Even her mother hadn't known...

"Well, this conversation took a rapid turn," Ash joked after a moment of silence. Leigh couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah, but thanks anyway. I needed something normal to clear my head. Plus, it feels good to get that off my chest. I've never told anyone." Leigh felt a little lighter. The guilt still weighed her down, but the euphoria of coming out felt nice too. Now that her head had been cleared, and some sense of normal returned, Leigh felt tired. Her and Ash found some blankets and a mattress, then dragged it up into the attic.

"All good?" She asked Ash sluggishly. Ash laughed lightly, trying to be quiet since Madelaine and Oliver were sleeping soundly.

"I should be asking you that," she responded. Leigh smiled weakly.

"I'm ok. Just a little... guilty, I guess." Ash nodded. Something about Ash made Leigh want to open up. Which was a little scary, considering she had only known the girl for a few weeks. Ash made her feel happier, lighter, and open. Something about Ash made all of Leigh's iron walls crumble to dust, just by smiling. And she did smile. Brightly, and prettily, everyday when Leigh saw her. And electric current coursed through her, but she blamed it on the long night.

The minute the light was off, and Leigh was underneath her covers, the panic set in again.

"Ash?" Came her strangled voice.

"Yeah?" She responded.

"Can I sleep with you down there? I'm just... I'm scared," Leigh said out into the darkness.

"Of course." Ash's voice sounded almost relieved, like she had wanted the same thing but was too afraid to say it.

Leigh slipped out from underneath her duvet, carefully and quietly making her way across the floor. She soon found Ash's bed, and slid underneath. The mattress wasn't particularily wide, but that was fine with Leigh. She liked the feel of Ash's warm solid body pressed against hers. The panic subsided a bit. Ash stroked Leigh's hair, like her mother used too.

"We'll find her. I promise." She whispered into Leigh's ear. Warm tingles erupted, and she smiled into the night.

I'm coming for you Sky.