To Lose What You Found

Chapter 9

-Ash-

When I hear Lux scream in a terribly frightened way, my head whips around to see she's falling.

I activate telekinesis before a second thought and yank her up. I know that'll likely cause her damage, but it's better than falling to her death.

Her frantic screams become ones of shock and joy.

I pull her up and drop her on the balcony I'm on. She falls silent as she tries to slow her breathing. I kneel beside her, but before I can say a word Ace is climbing on. He looks between us, wearing a mixed expression.

Lux slowly looks up at him, but before she can say a word, he jumps at her and pulls her into a hug. She lets out a small cry of pain that he doesn't notice because he's saying, "I am so glad you're not dead... you're really annoying but I would've felt like shit because I didn't catch you."

"Wow. You would only feel shitty if you couldn't have caught me?" Lux says, pushing him away and wincing as she does so. Ace turns scarlet and says, "Totally."

Lux doesn't know him well, she can't see that he was truly worried.

"Okay, enough of these... whatever that's are and let's get going," Ace says, standing up. He looks down at Lux and puts his hand out to help her up, but she just stares at him.

I notice it before he does.

Her fingertips on the right hand are covered in blood, and her left fingers are shredded. Blood is slowly but steadily dripping from both hands.

Ace drops beside her and starts apologizing as he heals her. But they're taking too long.

I watch as three figures stand at the edge of the building we jumped from. The one in the middle seems to be pointing something at us, the other two seem to be deciding on how they're going to get here.

"Are you done, because we've got to go," I say as I stand. I can take a bullet.

I start climbing to the roof, knowing the other two will be following and knowing our chaser will attack. But our chaser doesn't start shooting until I'm nearly on the roof.

I'm thrown into the roof by what I assume is Ace, because he jumps up next. He turns to help Lux up, but she's already doing that herself.

I run to the end of the roof just to see we only have one way to get off the building, that's climbing down.

Below us is a street full of racing cars. They're going so fast that they simply look like blurs. If we weren't running away I'd take Victoria up here to show her what it's like outside her district.

"How're we gonna get out of here!?" Lux yells, looking over the edge. I let out a long breath before saying, "We can stay here and fight them or climb down."

"Climb down with what, exactly?" Ace asks with a scoff. Lux laughs lightly before shrugging, "Guess we're gonna fight 'em" she says with a heavy sigh.

I nod. I could lower her with telekinesis and let Ace use wind, but by the time she makes it to the ground I'll be too weak to lower myself with my skills.

"Ugh, great. Who is it?" Ace asks, taking a step closer to the edge. I let out a small laugh as I say, "Midnight."

"Nope," he says, taking a step back. We watch as he walks to Lux and before either of us can react, he grabs her by the waist and jumps down.

I hear her scream and I laugh to myself. Typical Ace.

I don't stop to think as I step to the edge. I hear someone behind me and I drop. The last time I did this, I almost died.

The snow should be a fine cushion, like a thin, sinkable pillow. But I already know that there isn't enough snow to make it the most comfortable, and to make it three times worse, I somehow manage to land on my foot in a weird position.

The rest of my body drops and I stare up at the sky, "Ow."

Lux gasps as she comes running toward me. She looks down at me and bursts into laughter.

"Why are you laughing?" I ask, wincing as I feel my foot burn. I'm so grateful I have self-healing.

"I just- why're you just lying there like it's okay?" She asks, slowing her laughter. I smirk up at her as I say, "Self-healing."

"Yeah and I have... healing," Ace says, walking up to me. Lux glares at him until he looks at her. They stare at each other until he says, "I helped you, be grateful."

"Well a warning woulda been nice."

"Yes, you've already told me."

"Gotta make sure it gets through," she says, rolling her eyes. She looks down at me to ask, "You good now?"

I nod even though my foot still burns, meaning it still has healing to do. My body heals very quickly, unless I've used my other skills to their 'fill point' or when my skills decide they don't want to be on my side.

"Okay, let's go," Lux says. I sit up, but she yanks me up before running down the street.

Ace and I exchange looks before following behind her. Normally it wouldn't be hard to catch up with someone like her, but because my foot was still healing I run much slower than I usually do.

Ace notices and he keeps looking back at me, but he can also tell that I'm thinking, just go.

Lux doesn't look back once. She keeps going until we make it to a dead end. She comes to an abrupt halt, gasping for air, "Wh-what the fuck!" She tells in short breaths. She runs to the wall and smacks it, "Dammit!"

My foot begins to burn again, and I know I need to let it continue, so I don't walk towards her.

Ace looks between us, and opens his mouth to speak, but it isn't him who speaks.

"Well, well, well, hello."