Ignite

Ten || Choices

Hello! How are you? Good, I hope.

So I'm not exactly super proud of this chapter. Lately my updates have been getting thinner and thinner, so I apologize for that. I've really busy for the past month or so and it's difficult to keep you guys occupied with chapters. So I'm trying - though it's not like you can tell over the internet - but I am, I promise, and this update is kind of small but it's something and I hope you guys like it despite its size.

Well anyway, this chapter is a bit late because I'm trying to fit more into the chapters. But alas...school prevents me from living the dream and just writing all day...so it's late. Terribly sorry.

Moving on, the dedication is to princess_popstarz, because they vote and comment, which is beyond amazing.

Once again, I'd like to thank all of you reading this, because I seriously appreciate you guys so much. Without you I'd be nothing. So, I hope you enjoy!

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The ride back is painful. I sit on the floor, back against the vibrating metal. My head is pounding; I probably have a knot on the back. Terra has fallen on her knees, looking sick as the helicopter rises. She barely moves as Steel takes her shoulder and gently eases a helmet onto her.

Someone sits down next to me. I don’t bother turning to look, until a helmet is pushed towards me.

I shove it away. I need the noise of the engine drown out my thoughts.

It’s shoved onto my head anyway, and I glare at Owen. He glares right back at me, not saying anything, but then Stella comes over and fusses over my leg. I vaguely hear her say something about the bullet still inside me and then blinding pain shoots up my body. Her mouth moves, I think she’s asking me if it hurts. I don’t reply. Everything hurts, her taking the bullet out just adds to the pile.

Gone.

Coal. Jensen.

Gone.

I wish it would go away but it’s better than thinking of what’s actually happening to them. I feel my back slumping, and I slide down until there’s a cramp in my neck but I don’t move. Just another pain on the pile. It’s above my head already; I might as well stack it up.

My back is lifted, in a cautious way, and then Owen carefully positions me on his shoulder so my head isn’t rattling so much, and I’m not leaning against the cold metal anymore. And the pile drops just a little.

When the chopper lands my legs are numb. My mind might as well be too; I’m in a sleepy haze. It doesn’t matter though, because Owen picks me up and carries me to my room, the one in the old house in the abandoned town.

    “Thanks Dad.” I mumble as he sets me down on the bed.

There’s a stunned pause, I’m assuming because I didn’t correct myself, but then I hear a quiet, “m’welcome” right before the door clicks shut.

~

I wake up sore, feeling like death, and hungry. Not a good combination.

I somehow make it down to the kitchen, slump into a seat, and wait for breakfast to magically appear in front of me. When it doesn’t, I lift my head, eyes still closed, and say with mild irritation, “Wake up Coal!”

And then I freeze.

What little energy I had leaves me and I bury my face in my arms. My breaths are short, mind zipping around in a million places, a million experiments, a million tortures.