Tyrant in the Shadows

Challenge 7 Part 8

Sophia was devastated. She had lost a classmate, someone she'd spent the past almost four years with. She'd lost her partner... But she couldn't think about that. She had to get the girls and get them to the transport. They would be ok. She would save them. She was not prepared for the older girl to pass out. After freezing for a few moments, she realized the fire had died as the girl's back hit the ground.

Oh. She's exhausted.

Sophia had no idea how long they had been like that but any extended use of her power without proper training would be exhausting in one of the most miserable ways. She'd felt that when she first went to the outpost and Ivan and Delaney wanted to test how strong she was. She spent nearly a week regaining her strength and got a stern talking to from the senior officers. 

Sophia knelt down next to the two girls, the smaller of which had started to stir, and grabbed each of their arms. The transport wasn't far away and there was only two extra people she was carrying but she had overworked herself so they ended up barely in the transport. The two girls were but Sophia was on the stairs of it, gasping for air as she lied on her back.

"Got them," she gasped to her commanding officers.

"Sophia... if you were this exhausted you should've got someone else to bring them," Ivan chided gently.

"Everyone is exhausted. Besides, I'm the only teleporter she's possibly seen before. I didn't want to freak her out anymore than she already was."

By now the little girl was fully awake and looking around. She started whimpering and then when she saw her sister passed out, sobbing, "Miri! Miri! Wake up!"

"Heyyy, little one," Delaney sat beside the little girl, "Miri is asleep, she's tired. What's your name?"

"J-Jul-Julie," she stammered out.

"That's a beautiful name. Julie, we're going to bring you and Miri somewhere safe. How does that sound?" Delaney asked, keeping her tone comforting.

"W-what about my mommy and daddy and Henry?"

Ivan heaved in a sigh and looked out the transport window the the ruined house. There was no way they had survived the fire, even if they had survived the shadows. He didn't say that though. He focused instead on his distraught student, picking her up off the stairs and carrying her to the seat where she could lay out. The other would be for Miri and Julie. He carried Miriam to the other next.

By the time he'd finished with that, Delaney had convinced Julie that her parents were in a beautiful place now where the shadows couldn't hurt them. She would meet them again, and now she needed to sit by her sister while they made their way back to the outpost. The small girl agreed, but complained about how hungry she was. That was fair. It was very near supper time and he doubted she'd eaten anything all day.

There wasn't anything on the transport though so she'd have to wait until they got to the outpost, then she could have whatever she wanted. At that compromise, she agreed, and sat quietly for the rest of the trip. 

He sat with Delaney, but they didn't discuss the battle. They didn't talk at all. They were going to have to plan a funeral for one of their students. For one of the people they had been solely responsible for since he had been fourteen. And the poor class... there were only eighteen of them. Nine girls. Nine boys. Now there would be eight boys and a hole. Delaney was sitting with her head on Ivan's shoulder. Usually his partner calmed him but right now it wasn't helping.

He wondered if Sophia was the one who had found him. Her soon to be partner. How would they find her another? Groups of three rarely worked out. They couldn't all get along well enough. He looked to the young woman. She was a woman now. Eighteen. That's how old they were when they were supposed to graduate. He wondered how long it would be now. Setbacks like these... they'd have to find someone with a similar potential that Sophia got along with. Someone she'd love. 

He sighed and closed his eyes. Delaney picked her head up to look at her exhausted partner. He looked worse than she'd seen him since their village had been destroyed so long ago. How long had it been? Twenty years? Thirty? She couldn't remember at that point.

"Ivan," she whispered, turning her head so she could speak in his ear. His only indication that he heard her was his eyes fluttering open and glancing to her, "We'll help her get over this. This won't defeat her."

"I know that. In my head, I know that. I just... I keep imagining what it would be like to lose you. I couldn't do it. Not even when I'd only known you for four years."

Delaney nodded, resting her head against his again, "I know. But she's stronger than us. She'll make it out."

And all the while, Miriam lay, roiling in pain that had begun from the darkness. 

She woke up screaming, holding her head like if she didn't it would fall apart.