*I need to go to Mrs. Leonardo. I need to find a way to bring my friends back.* My mind was unraveling, every thread snapping at once. The weight of it pressed against my skull as if my brain might burst from the swarm of thoughts.
I couldn't think straight. First came the agony of losing my friends, then the hollow wound of losing my brother. But above all was the terror of the vision I had seen—the Zinnia who razed everything to the ground. That future was no longer a nightmare. It was already becoming me.
At the bus stop, I looked up at the clock tower glowing against the night. Too late. The streets were silent, emptied of all life, and I knew no bus would come. So I walked. And walked. Sometimes I ran until my lungs burned, then collapsed against stone or tree, only to drag myself back onto my feet. My body trembled with exhaustion, but the fear drove me onward.
At last, the familiar streets rose before me. My aunt's neighborhood. The looming warehouse. And then, through the iron gates, the school—still standing, untouched. Relief broke over me, a fragile wave against the storm. The guards opened the gates without question, and I hurried inside.
I didn't stop until I reached the head office. Mrs. Leonardo was there, as though she had been waiting all along. The moment our eyes met, I rushed into her arms. The words ripped out of me, raw and broken.
"I ruined everything. I killed them all!" My sobs tangled with the air, frantic and breathless.
She cupped my face in both hands, forcing me to meet her steady gaze. "Shh… look at me. Sit down. Tell me everything." Her voice was calm, but her hands trembled as she poured water into a glass and pressed it into mine.
So I told her. Every detail, every horror, every mistake.
When I finished, silence filled the room. Mrs. Leonardo's hand covered her mouth, her eyes flickering with grief and something darker. After a moment, she straightened, thinking hard, as if pulling herself back from the same despair that had swallowed me.
"We will find a solution," she said at last, her tone firm, almost commanding. "Do not worry." She laid a hand on my shoulder with quiet strength, then rose. "Go to your room. Rest. I will gather the teachers. We will decide what must be done."
I did not sleep. I could not stop the images from clawing at my mind, could not silence the echoes of what had just happened. I wanted to disappear, to vanish from the world. I sat on my bed, knees pressed to my chest, rocking back and forth, repeating the same words like a mantra, like a desperate prayer: *They are not dead. They are not dead.* The sentence burned into my skull, relentless, mocking.
When it didn't ease, I sat in the bath tub, warm water washed over me, I let myself float, let my tears conceal in the water until that image of Liam leaving my jolted me up right!
I groaned and stepped out of the tub, not realizing that the water that was just hot a few seconds ago had completely frozen.
The night stretched endlessly, trapped in the storm of my own mind. Morning arrived too quickly, pale and unforgiving, and I dragged myself to the head office.
Ryan was there, emerging from the shadows of the building, and he looked at me with a cold disappointment that cut deeper than any blade. He ignored me entirely. And I felt it in every glance around me: whispers, stares, judgment. Today, it seemed as if the entire world had turned against me.
I burst into the head office, crashing into their meeting as if the walls themselves could contain my desperation. "You cannot be here!" Mrs. Leonardo's voice rang sharp.
"Punish me! Do whatever you must! But please, help me get them out of there!" My voice cracked, raw and urgent, almost pleading.
Ms. Jasmine's eyes narrowed, heavy with frustration and disbelief. "After what I've just learned, I doubt there is anyone left to save!" Her words struck like ice. "I know you care about Liam, but we cannot risk more lives to save one. We must respect his decision." She glanced toward Mrs. Leonardo, her tone final, unyielding.
"How can you say that?" My teeth clenched, anger and fear flaring, and without thinking, I stepped forward, a dangerous impulse rising in me.
"Zinnia, leave the room. Now!" Mrs. Leonardo's palms slammed the table, the sound like a verdict.
I retreated, slamming the door behind me with all my fury. And there, in the corner, stood Ryan, silent, his expression unreadable.
I ran to him, desperation searing my chest. "You are Robin's brother! That means you can open the portal too! You have to help me!"
He didn't move, didn't blink. His gaze pierced me with something sharper than hate. "Why should I trust you?" he spat, venom in every word. "You could have saved them, you made a wrong choice to lose the only person you were trying to save." His eyes burned with accusation, and I could feel the weight of it pressing me to the floor.
"If Liam had come back, I would have gone back without him! I swear I meant to save them." I said, my voice trembling but firm.
Please… just open the portal this one time. I will get them back, I promise!" I clasped my hands together, desperation curling through my chest. My voice broke as I begged, pleading with every fiber of myself.
He didn't look at me. "Even if I wanted to… we need Liam's blood. I cannot do that," he said, cold and resolute.
"He and I… we share the same blood," I whispered, every word a lifeline. Slowly, reluctantly, he nodded, though agreement tasted bitter on his tongue.
"You want to help? Let the elders handle it!" His eyes bore into me, accusing, unwavering.
"They won't! They think it's better to leave them where they are! Please, Ryan! Please! I need to make this right!" My words trembled, a raw, unshielded truth spilling out.
He spun toward me, eyes flashing, voice sharp and unrelenting. "So go away! Go away and never return!"
It wasn't his hatred that cut me. It was the truth behind his words. He was right. My chest felt hollow, but I didn't stop. I didn't sit back and crumble.
I ran. I ran without thinking, following the path the wolf had led me to in my dream. Somewhere deep inside, a warning whispered: sometimes one wrong choice leads to a series of worst ones. But I had no time to think.
Far ahead, I saw the top of the sanctuary, the place where Monroe *The strongest witch* had held me. My heart hammered as realization struck, and I didn't hesitate. I sprinted toward it, ignoring the guards stationed along the way.
The moment they saw me, one lifted his gun, finger poised on the trigger. But I didn't stop. I raised my hands high, voice piercing the night. "I come in peace. Tell Monroe I am here to make a deal!"
My voice echoed in the cold silence.