“What the hell, Ivy?” Ezra cried. He dragged me to the side, near the brick wall of the foyer, and smeared his hands on my cheeks, on my forehead. “Are you okay?”
I huffed, flustered, knowing that every second I remained in the foyer, I wasted time. I gazed into his beautiful blue eyes and said, “Ezra! What happened? Why is everyone running? Someone’s hurt?”
“It doesn’t matter what happened,” Ezra spat back, exasperated. “There was an accident, obviously it’s dangerous, and we’re all running away. I don’t know why in the hell you think it’s a good idea to run the opposite direction.”
If I wasn’t mistaken, there was a glimmer of understanding in his eyes—a glimmer of knowing that I wanted to be brave, that I wanted to fight all of this. I wanted to overcome it. It was where all my stubbornness came from.
“I have to go upstairs, Ezra,” I said, my words solid as rocks.
“That’s ridiculous, Ivy,” he shot back. “Please. Just, for once in your life, listen to reason.”
“But what happened up there is my fault,” I insisted. “I know that’s hard to understand, but it’s true. All the thunder. All the lightning. The general malaise around here—it’s all my fucking fault!”
Outside, another clap of thunder shattered through the grounds. I shivered in response, volatile, angry. Ezra’s blue eyes burned into mine. He grabbed my hand and said, “Ivy, I understand that you want to save the world and rectify all that you think you’ve caused. But remember, this isn’t your fault. None of it is. You were thrown into all of this without anyone’s asking...”
“Well, fuck them. And fuck all of this,” I returned. “But I’m going up there. And you can either come with me, or you can run away with everyone else. It doesn’t really matter what you do.”
Ezra sputtered. My locket burned so brightly, I thought it might scald my skin. He lifted his wrist, so that I could see how his bracelet glowed. His eyes were watery, strange.
“I don’t know how to control you. I don’t know how to protect you. I...”
It was all wasted time. I suddenly threw myself back, through the crowd, staggering toward the staircase. I couldn’t let another moment pass, not with someone potentially hurt upstairs.
Behind me, Ezra cursed loudly. His anger shocked and frightened other students, who leaped out of his way as he thrust himself after me.
“Fuck you, Ivy!” Ezra called.
If I wasn’t mistaken, though, I could hear an element of humor in his voice. What he’d said about “controlling me,” I knew he’d said in anger. Still, it was true. Nobody could control me, just like I couldn’t control the events that happened to me. This was just another one.
I tore up the steps as quickly as I could, nearly toppling into other runners and students and teachers alike. I could hear Ezra huffing and puffing behind me, but I refused to slow down just for him. I gripped the locket, trying to will it to stop its reckless burning.
When I reached the third floor, I stalled at the landing. About fifty feet away, I could see that one of the turrets had collapsed, so that one-half of a student lay beneath it—moaning in pain, with piles and piles of rubble over her legs. Her gorgeous blonde hair spilled out around her, like a halo, and her eyes stared straight into the ceiling, as though she was praying to a god that none of us could recognize anymore. My heart hammered with fear as Ezra joined me on the landing. It was up to us to get this girl out.
It was obvious that everyone else was spooked. They had every right to be. After all, since I’d joined campus, it was like wherever you turned, darkness lurked.
Chapter Four
“We have to dig her out,” I told Ezra, my voice firm.
Ezra balked and pointed, saying, “If you go much closer, it’s possible that the whole thing next to it will collapse over you. See how the other portion doesn’t have any support beneath it now?”
“Fuck off,” I blurted, before rushing toward the girl.
By the time I’d reached the girl, it became clear that I’d never seen her before in my life—or, if I had, I’d forgotten her face each and every time. She wasn’t plain looking. In fact, that gorgeous blonde hair formed over a beautiful, angel-like face. Her eyes continued to search the ceiling, and her teeth bit down hard on her lower lip—apparently a way to ease the pain in the rest of her body, if she could still feel it at all.
I bent down and began to grab the rocks that lay over her, tossing them to the side. As I worked, I tried my best to bring her back to some kind of consciousness.
“Hey! Hey! Can you hear me at all?” I demanded of her.
She hardly blinked at the words.
“We’re going to get you out of here, okay? I don’t want you to worry about it. Just go to a cozy place in your head. We’ll have you out of here in no time.”
Above us, the ceiling had collapsed so much that rain peppered in, at first lightly and then with greater speed. After only a few seconds, my shoulders and hair were completely drenched, as was the girl across the floor. No matter how quickly I worked, it still felt like her legs were a long ways away from where I worked above them.
Seconds later, Ezra reached me, his head turned upward. “I really think it’ll collapse again, Ivy. We need to get the fuck out of here.”
I flailed around and glared at him for a quarter of a second, then blared, “If you don’t want to help, then get the hell away from us. I’m staying here until she’s free.”
There was no way this girl that I didn’t even know was going to die as a result of this stupid storm.
Half-rolling his eyes, Ezra dropped along the girl’s other side and began to move the bigger rocks, the boulder-like ones. As he moved, the muscles on his arms bulged out and drew back in, illustrating just how jacked he was.
Suddenly, the girl blinked her eyes bigger and turned toward me. She swallowed hard and yelped, “Ivy! Ivy Whitestone.”
I was surprised she knew my name, although I knew I shouldn’t have been. It wasn’t like I wasn’t infamous in Origins Supernatural Academy. I’d floated out of the Halloween party butt-naked, for God’s sake.
“You’re going to be okay,” I told her.
But her words called out over mine. “Am I going to die? Am I going to die?” she asked. All the color drained from her cheeks. I’d never seen anyone more frightened in all my life.
“You’re not going to die,” I heard myself tell her, although, of course, I had no idea what state her legs were in, or what kind of magical being she was. If she was a shapeshifter—then sure! She’d probably be fine. Otherwise? I didn’t know.
Regardless, we had to get her out.
I blinked through the rain at Ezra, whose sweat and rain droplets mixed together on his forehead and cheeks. His black t-shirt stuck to his skin beautifully, and as he blinked up and his blue eyes met mine, I felt a stab of love for him. There was no way in hell he would ever leave me. None of them would.
Suddenly, the girl gasped again. I turned to look at her, at her quivering hand across the floor. Something told me to reach out and touch her hand. When I did, her green eyes flashed toward mine.
Just her skin on mine told me everything I needed to know.
The girl really was going to die.
It was horrible to feel it—her soul leaving the world.
She blinked into my eyes, and I tried on a smile—something that I didn’t feel, not in any area of my body. Even my cheeks felt strained and stretched.
“Am I really going to be okay?” she whispered, stuttering the words.
God, it was horrible to be there with her, in these last moments. As I held onto her hand, I could see everything she cared about. I could sense that she’d once had a crush on Raphael of all people—that she was harboring a crush on another classmate I didn’t recognize—that she had dreams to move to New Orleans and have loads of babies and only do magic when she really, really needed to. I could see her parents, her father calling her “Margorie,” which was apparently her name
. I could feel all the love she’d witnessed across her life, and how much she wanted to move forward into the next years.
I could feel it all—the potential, and also the fact that none of that would be.
Feeling all of that was the worst sort of curse.
“What will you do when we get you out of here?” I murmured. I pressed my hand over her forehead and swiped the loose hairs to the side. More and more, she looked like an angel.
“I’m going to kiss Max,” she whispered. “I’ve always wanted to, and I’m just going to go for it.”
“He’s going to be so into that,” I told her. “He’s going to realize all the time he’s wasted without you.”
She giggled slightly, enough for me to feel a slight mount in joy within her.
“I see your future, you know,” I told her.
My voice broke, and Ezra turned his eyes toward me, genuinely shocked. He’d realized that I’d stopped lifting the rocks and followed suit, his hands falling to his sides. He looked absolutely heartbroken.
“What do you see?” Margorie asked me.
“I see happiness. I see you in New Orleans surrounded by loads of children. I see you and Max falling in the kind of love that lasts forever,” I continued.
Still, I could feel Ezra’s eyes burning into me.
“That sounds so wonderful,” Margorie murmured. “I wish I could hear more, but I really think I should get some rest.”
“That sounds magnificent,” I told her. I struggled to keep my own tears back. “You should focus on getting rest so that you can prepare for all the things you’re about to do in the future. You should know that only the bravest people get exactly what they want, because they ask for it.”
Margorie nodded her head, albeit slightly, then allowed her eyes to close. Together, Ezra and I watched as her breath faded, as the last of her color drained from her skin, as her lips parted, and she went away from the world forever.
Watching that felt like a knife penetrating my heart.
I knew it was all my fault.
If it wasn’t for who I was, and the storm, and all the bullshit surrounding my life, Margorie might have been allowed to have everything she’d ever wanted.
Fuck this. Fuck it all.
“Ivy, we have to get out of here.”
Ezra’s words penetrated the darkness in my skull. I blinked up and gaped at him, genuinely shocked that so little time had actually passed. Outside, thunder rumbled and lightning bolted. I realized I was completely and totally drenched, as was Ezra.
“We have to get her body out of here. I don’t feel right leaving her like this,” I blared to him.
Ezra’s eyes burned brighter blue than ever. “That’s ridiculous, Ivy. If we stay here much longer the rest of the wall and ceiling are going to come down on us.”
“Fuck off, Ezra!” I blared. At that moment, I realized that massive tears fell down my cheeks to join the sweat and rain. I was altogether a mess, as was Ezra. Still, I was out of my mind, ready to refuse all day from leaving that spot. This girl, in my eyes, had given her life because of me.
But Ezra wouldn’t hear of it. He shot up from his position on the other side of Margorie, rushed around, then grabbed me under the armpits and lifted me into the air. Before I could place my feet on the ground, we were already at the landing of the staircase. I thought Ezra might lose control and accidentally toss me down the steps. Thankfully, that didn’t happen, and my feet found the first step and flung forward. I gripped the railing as we rushed. When we were mid-way down the first of the staircase, the entire wall over Margorie crumbled—just as Ezra had said it would. We’d missed it by maybe ten seconds, maybe less.
The moment the caving-in sound occurred, I whipped around as the rocks flung themselves over poor Margorie, covering her completely. As it fell over her, I let out a wild wail, a cry that seemed to penetrate even the thunder above. Every single part of my being felt overcome with grief. I couldn’t believe this had happened, that any of this could continue. I gripped Ezra’s arm and felt as though I wanted to dive beneath the rocks along with Margorie. How could I go on, when so much of this was my fault?
Chapter Five
As the grief overwhelmed me, I couldn’t walk anymore. Fearful, angry, frightened, Ezra wrapped his sturdy arms around me and carried me, my legs strung over his left arm and my back across his right. I strung my arms over his neck and wept into his chest, knowing full-well that I would never recover from this moment. Watching that girl die had totally shifted my opinion of the world.
“Fuck this. Fuck it...” I muttered into Ezra’s soaking shirt.
“We’re going to get out of here, Ivy. It’s all we can do now,” Ezra called back. “Just stay with me, baby, okay? Stay up with me. We’re going to get you out...”
Ezra nearly stumbled on a few of the steps, as he moved a little too quickly and whipped toward the entrance. By the time we fell out onto the arboretum between the dorms and other classroom buildings, the rain was almost torrential. Slowly, Ezra placed me back on the ground, as the thunder ripped through us. I could feel the shake of it in my ribs, against my heart.
Ezra’s massive hands gripped my arms. He leaned forward and called, “Ivy! Ivy. Can you hear me?”
Truthfully, I hardly could. I felt like I was swimming deep under water. Finally, I forced my chin up, so that my eyes connected with his. Gingerly, I nodded. I could hear him. Just barely.
“Are you okay? Can you walk with me for a while?” Ezra called.
I could hardly nod my head. Suddenly, I fell forward and wrapped my arms around his torso and felt my breasts bulge against his chest. I shuddered against him, wanting to just live in the warmth of his embrace. Regardless of the flashing lightning and the booming thunder and the volatile raindrops, our hug was the thing I needed, right there in the middle of the arboretum. I almost hoped God himself would strike us down. What did I care what happened to me now?
Suddenly, I heard my name flung out from two familiar voices. I turned slowly to find Quintin and Raphael racing toward us in the rain, completely drenched. They staggered until they reached us, then wrapped me in their arms. Nobody spoke for a long time. I knew that they’d sensed the danger through their bracelets—that they’d maybe been too far away to get there in time. Ezra had been the one. I was so grateful that at least one of them had come when I needed them the most.
Realizing my legs were lackluster at best, Raphael lifted me up and carried me the rest of the way to the boys’ dorms. Once there, he blared past several students and teachers alike, until we reached his bedroom. What did it matter if we broke the rules anymore? The world was ending.
Once in his bedroom, Raphael splayed me across his mattress. The three of them hovered in the center of the room, their eyes on me. I blinked and scrubbed at my eyes, trying to return to the world.
“What the hell happened?” Raphael demanded suddenly, his voice ominous. “You can’t just leave us in the dark like this.”
I opened my lips and closed them again. Ezra seemed shadowed, angry. I wondered if his anger was toward me or at the situation or both things at once.
Finally, realizing I was too fucked up to speak, Ezra said, “Part of the main building collapsed. I found Ivy being trampled by countless students, on her way to try to do something about it. I picked her up and tried to get her out of there, but she refused. I was forced to follow her up the steps, where we found a girl. I don’t even know if I’ve seen her before.”
“Margorie. The blonde girl,” I interjected. When I said it, Raphael gave me a peculiar look. It was clear the two had known one another, even if Raphael had never shared her particular lust.
This chilled me to the bone, recognizing that he knew her. It was like I could see memory of her, reflected in his eyes. I’d watched her die. What the hell were any of us doing there?
“I see,” Raphael said.
“It was horrible,” Ezra continued. “She was covered in all this rubble. At first, we w
ere trying to free her. But it was just too much. She died in front of us. God...” He staggered forward toward the bed, until he fell against the side of it and placed his face in his hands. I’d never seen him lose it like that.
“You just took too many goddamn risks, Ivy,” Ezra said suddenly, mostly to his hands. “I don’t know what the hell we’re supposed to do, loving you like this, when you don’t seem to care at all what we think...”
Anger boiled inside of me. My eyes turned from Raphael to Quintin and back to Ezra, recognizing that all of them felt similarly.
“It’s not like I ever asked for you guys to love me,” I blurted. “I never asked for any of this. Don’t you understand that all of this—the storms and the chaos, the fucked up nature of this entire school—is because of me? Do you understand the amount of guilt I feel at any one time? It’s horrible. I want to just get rid of myself, so that the rest of the supernatural world can go on without me. But guess what? Apparently, if I off myself, the supernatural world will actually not make it very far. So! I’m stuck with it. Can’t live with me, can’t live without me.”
I spoke too quickly, anger zipping through me like fire. I then fell forward, my face in my hands. As I gasped for air, there was a loud knock at the door. There was nothing I wanted less right then than to speak to anyone who wasn’t the three boys in front of me. Yes, of course, I was pissed at them—pissed at the world. But I couldn’t muster the strength to be anything but exactly this.
When Raphael opened the door, however, Professor Binion stood in the doorway. When I blinked up at him, I realized it felt like several days since I had seen him last. I’d been in his classroom, somehow, when the collapse had occurred. Where had he been? Why hadn’t he been there when poor Margorie had died?
He looked somber, disheartened. He opened his lips to speak, then closed them again. I could feel it in the air between us: he knew that words weren’t enough.
The Oracle's Harem Page 2
