The devastating sound of glass cracking rapidly and violently, filled Corentineâs ears, mixing with the roaring monotone of the earthquake. Her eyes only managed to widen in response before Max was there, grabbing her and shifting them both around, and crouched down, her arms over her head as Max leaned over her, as though he was trying to⊠cover her? Yes, that was exactly what he was doing. âFuck,â She breathed, realizing this just as the showerâs door cracked completely and the energy transferred to the glass, was expressed through the sharp shards of broken glass flying in both directions like small missiles. Cor could only imagine how much of it had hit Max, because even she had had a few cuts from there Maxâs body hadnât been. Her whole body trembled with unused adrenaline as they both straightened.
The glass had cut a few shallow gashes across her arms and legs, blood trickling out wherever it could. Cor breathed quickly, looking up at Max, wide-eyed. She could see the blood on his arms already. Gods, how many cuts did he have on his beautifully sculptured back? He was visibly in pain, and still he spoke to her, grabbing her hand to pull her out of the bathroom. The physical contact broke this odd, panicked numbness sheâd been experiencing and she shouted at him, her concern for him evident in her angry voice, âWhat the hell did you do that for?!â She dug her nails into the back of his hand, and even as he let her go to hand her a t-shirt and don a towel, she continued. âAre you suicidal or something?!â
But her words stopped entirely when she saw his hand flying to his head, and she quickly threw on his t-shirt, which barely covered her bottom, but she didnât actually care much about coverage; Cor had always been exceptionally comfortable with her body⊠and nudity in and of itself. Instead she focused on Max. The way he was clutching his air indicated this was a power-thing. She frowned, nearing him slowly as he stood there, obviously trying to control whatever pain he was experiencing, because this was not due to the cuts. She knew physical pain. Hell, she dealt more than enough of it, and this wasnât physical. Not like that. âMax?â She inquired, not even bothering to hide the subtle worry in her voice as she reached out, her hand gentle now on his upper arm, her eyes seeking his.
She knew Maxâs power, and she knew people had to be freaking out everywhere, but⊠couldnât he tune it out? He was too old not to have control of his ability, right? Or not, perhaps? Suddenly she was torn from her thought of Max, when Drakeâs voice sounded and she jumped in surprise, turning her head, about to reply something, when Max called back that they were both in there. But his voice sounded almost weak. This was starting to grow really creepy.
The blonde didnât bother adding anything to Drake as Max grabbed her again and dragged her along, and for once, she didnât put up a fight about being treated like a damsel in distress; he already had enough to deal with it seemed, and if dragging her along like some helpless girl helped him cope, then she wasnât going to take it away from him. She was trying this new thing where she wasnât a complete and utter bitch to people she cared about. It probably wasnât going to last long though.
When Max swung open the door, revealing her brother, she saw relief on his handsome features, but it disappeared when his eyes scanned her and Max. He knew her better than most others, and he probably had a pretty good idea why she was with Max. He also most likely had already noticed their cuts. âWhat the hell happened?â He shouted back, already moving with them, and Cor, as she ran with, her hand still in Maxâs, replied âwe were in the shower. It had a door made of glass. It broke.â She only vaguely noticed her brother shaking his head, but he said nothing.
As they ran, hitting the stairs quickly, Cor detected a louder crack. She looked around her quickly, trying to find the source of the sound, and just as she did, a large piece of ceiling had torn itself from the rest and fell towards the three of them. Her free hand flew up instinctively and a powerful wind picked up, tossing the giant thing away from them, then she picked up speed, suddenly very, very aware of the danger of being inside right now; the place was a death trap. âCâmon!â She shouted at the guys, suddenly angry that he brother had put himself at risk to come find her. She could handle herself. He didnât need to end up dead for her sake.
Once they were finally outside, Cor closed her eyes to let her powers clear out her lungs, as she leaned forward calmly, exchanging all the air in her lungs easily. Then she hurried to grab Maxâs shoulders. âGet into the forest. There are no people there, so you can be left in peace,â she told him hurriedly before letting go of his hand. She couldnât join him right now even though she wanted to, and as she turned around to scan the grounds, the first person she registered was Erin, fortunately awake and she looked. She was about to head over when she spotted⊠Jake. Her lips fell apart as she stared at him. âJake!â She then called out without thinking, grinning suddenly. The kid was sort of like a younger brother to her. In fact, he was to Drake too. The lost third Quellen⊠in a way.
He looked way confused. Had he just arrived? In the middle of an earthquake? âTiming never was your strong suit, was it?â She taunted him playfully as she skipped over, not caring one bit that she was literally only wearing a t-shirt and that she probably looked like a mess. Sheâd missed the guy.
It felt like he had waited forever, when Maxâs voice finally flittered through the wood of the door. But no reply from Cor? She was fine. She had to be. Max hadnât said anything about her, so that had to mean she was with him, and safe. Alive. Cor was probably better off than Max was. That was just Cor. She wouldnât let a little earthquake bring her down. She simply wouldnât. She was far too proud and far too stubborn. Drake had to tell himself these things because the sudden silence on the other end worried him. Awful, it was.
And he hated waiting. It was the worst thing in the world, it really was. You just stood there, idle while adrenaline pumped through her veins, and you had no idea what could come out that door. He had no idea what state his sister would be in. Not mentally, and not physically. Well, mentally he didnât expect her to be too well off. If he was right, Jay had messed her up again. Drake might be a cold jerk, and he didnât usually pay the girls he slept with much mind, but he didnât toy with them the way Jay did with Cor. As someone who had been there when Corentine had her first breakdown over that dick, Drake wasnât too happy that they were falling back into some dysfunctional pattern.
Perhaps Max really would be a better option for her, not that he could ever see the two in a genuine relationships⊠much like he couldnât see himself in a genuine relationship with Lulu. Ah well, it was none of his business until his sister decided that it was. Until she chose to include him, Drake didnât meddle. Then the door was swung open and Drake felt relief flood him briefly as he scanned her, making sure she wasnât too hurt. Then his expression changed, watching the two of them. They were both bloody, but Max much more so than Cor. What the hell had the two of them been up to?
He nodded at Maxâs words. Hell yeah they were getting out of there. There were no more people inside he gave an actual fuck about. As he turned to run, he blinked, surprised to see Mr. Marinos with Miss Roerig in his arms. They both looked like someone had just killed their dearest possession. Miss Roerig especially was completely out of sorts, but it seemed neither Max nor Cor had noticed, because they were already running off. Drake took off after them, shouting to his sister, âWhat the hell happened?â He watched her wet hair fly through the air with her pace, Maxâs hand still connected to hers â odd in itself.
Her explanation made him shake his head, but he didnât pay it more mind as he sped up, bringing himself up to run in front of them, gathering every shadow he passed on his way; he might need them, but Cor was faster. Before Drake had actually registered the fact that they were going to die, Cor lifted her hand in the air and he heard a loud smack as the piece of ceiling hit a wall behind them. He was about to compliment her timing, when she instead rushed them all, speeding up. He kept pace, and soon found himself outside once more.
As he stumbled into the green grass in front of the academy, he fell to his knees, coughing up all the dust and debris heâd managed to breathe during all his running through the halls. His back was also calling to him, reminding him that heâd been smacked by a giant piece of ceiling only ten minutes earlier, if that. It hurt like a bitch and his hands grabbed the earth beneath him, keeping his body from falling all the way to the ground.
Her pain was all-consuming. It settled itself in her lungs, making it difficult to breathe, in her legs, making it hard to move, in her head making it hard to think, and in her heart⊠completely annihilating any other emotion outside of his complete and devastating pain riding her very being. It completely shut out anything else. Never had Amy experienced anything like this, and she could practically feel herself falling apart slowly, bit by bit, her soul tearing itself to pieces. Into nothingness. Numbness. Amy would give anything to be numb to this pain. Anything in the world. She gasped for air even as Leo came in. She barely noticed him speaking to her over her frantic screaming. She couldnât stop. She couldnât accept this.
She looked up briefly, her screaming stopping only to be replaced by crying. Heart wrenching, painfilled, broken sobs raked her body the second she laid eyes on her boyfriend. How could she ever tell him? He would hate her. She hated herself. It was all her fault. Their⊠their baby was gone⊠because sheâd moved⊠because sheâd wanted to help everyone else. How could she have put anyone else above the safety of her little bump? The pain and guilt filled her eyes even as she stared at Leo, her arms going to her stomach the second the bookcase left it. She cradled the now lifeless bump, her sobbing only intensifying.
Amy folded herself into a ball, not even able to move herself. In fact, she couldnât even think enough to understand that she should move. The fact that there was still an earthquake didnât matter anymore. All that mattered was that she had killed her own baby. Sheâd killed her unborn little boy or girl. The thoughts ran on repeat in her mind, driving her insane, completely consuming her. So much guilt. How would Leo ever forgive her? How would she ever forgive herself? She clenched the fabric of her silk night gown, caught up in her own pain. So much so that she only noticed Leo when he picked her up. She let her head fall onto his shoulder, resting her forehead against his neck as she fell into his embrace, the warm embrace comforting in a way.
But then, he didnât know what she had caused. He didnât know the damage her stupidity had done to them. To the life they had created together. She needed to tell him; she had to. If she didnât, everything would get worse. The young nurse began speaking then, her sobs causing her voice to jump and pause all the time, the words broken and uneven, but she couldnât stop crying. Not long enough to speak. She simply couldnât. She wanted to though, more than anything, she wanted to speak with Leo. She⊠she wanted all of this to be over.
âLe-leoâŠâ She began, looking down at his chest, her face completely out of sight. She couldnât face him. âI⊠it⊠itâs⊠itâsâŠâ She couldnât say it. The word. She couldnât say it, she couldnât force it past her lips, so instead she leaned in close and whispered heartbrokenly âgone.â She trembled in his arms, her body reacting outwardly to the pain in her heart and mind. It was too much for her to handle. She didnât know how sheâd ever move past this. She cried harder as she suddenly exclaimed âIâm so sorry⊠so sorry, Leo⊠so sorryâŠâ She could hardly breathe. It felt like someone was crushing her lungs.