A World in the Shadows

Chapter 20, Ethan

Chapter 20

Ethan

Sitting in the corner of Lyra's room with head in hands, the blunted voices from outside argue with one another. I screwed up so hard. Lyra's got cuts all over her with that gash on her face re-opened and oozing. Lyra's friend Emily- at least I think that was her name- had happily cleaned up Lyra's cuts and pulled out all of the glass. Everything had moved in a blur, I should have warned Lyra that Ammon had been in the other room. If only she hadn't come, as if she wouldn't have noticed the magic wards everywhere. Everything went wrong last night, the front half of Lyra's body was covered in glass, the worst damage happened to one of her eyes. My back got covered in glass, Charlie's car being bashed up and the worst thing, Jenna. I should have been able to do something to protect her. Though I was carrying Lyra and barely able to keep myself up while running for the car. Everything had been moving so fast through that night, only after it happened did I realize what was going on. Jenna was running behind Emily, Ammon hadn't known that Jenna's escape was also being planned on the same night. He'd been so furious standing on the balcony with his eyes red, he'd shot some weird ball of blood red shards that had shot right through Jenna, making her collapse into a coma. Well that's at least what we think it is, she hasn't woken up and has nothing wrong with her, no cuts and no organ fails from what we're guessing and reading up from. Though we haven't taken her to a hospital. She's lying on the stretcher up against the wall in Lyra's room. The whole night's events continued to swarm my head, between that and just sitting there feeling numb. Throughout the time from getting to the getaway car until now, the guy who I'm guessing is Charlie, has ignored me apart from glares of fury. I couldn't blame the dude, I'm responsible for getting Jenna in a coma and Lyra cut and unconscious. No matter how much Emily says it's not my fault, I know it is, and so does Charlie. Hearing a groan, I look up from the floor to see Lyra stirring under the covers. "Lyra?" I whisper just loud enough so she could hear. "Charlie? Did we get them out?" Lyra said in a horsy voice between heavy breaths. She must think I'm Charlie. Muttering I reply, "Ya, it's over, I'll go get your boyfriend for you." Slowly trying to stand without hurting the cuts on my back, I make my slow way to the door. What would have made her think it would have been me, Charlie's the one who she'd kissed the night of the ball, if anything, me sitting here instead of him is wrong. "Who's, who's there then?" Lyra asked as she tried looking around the room. Because she'd gotten a shard of glass in one of her eyes, we'd had to bandage it up, though it's probably never going to properly heal where she can see again. Letting go of the door handle, I take a seat on the bed next to her. "Lyra, I'm so sorry, I should have been able to protect you better. I should have been able to protect you and Jenna." Taking her hand I rub my thumb over her wrist. "Ethan. What ever happened was worth it, we risked our lives to get you and Jenna out of there, and we did it out of our own knowledge of risking our lives."

"How could you say that, because of me you and Jenna are hurt, I knew he was there. He'd told me his plan before putting one of his pain in the ass spells on me so I wouldn't be able to say a word without passing out." Pain creased her face as she gazed off in the direction of my voice. "Ethan nothing is your fault. What ever happened to Jenna and myself isn't important, what's important is that you are both out and alive. Can you pass me some water?" Grabbing the glass on the bedside table, I fill it halfway with water and lift her head so she can drink. I don't really care that it'd be one of those lovey dovey scenes from a book or movie or something, the girl is half blind at the moment. As if it'd let her reach out blindly for a glass. She's already had way too much glass impaled into her for a lifetime. Speaking of glass impales, the criss crossing cuts on my back, arms and legs are starting to burn up again. Putting the empty glass back on the bedside table, I ask "Are you in pain? I'm going to go and get myself a pain killer, want me to get you one to?"