The Dangerfields

Chapter Four

I lift a shaking hand and close her eyes. I'm still stunned, and it's like I am in a daze. I pick up Alston and put him on my shoulder, and the next thing I know I am walking up the front porch steps and going into my house.

"Hi Willow, you're home soon," My mother says, coming out of the kitchen. She sees the blood on my pants and looks confused and worried. She then seems to notice the extra quiet. "Where's Livia?" She asks.

"Livia's dead," I say quietly, staring at the ground.

"What?" Mom says, looking shocked and confused, like maybe she didn't hear me right.

But she did hear me right. The fact finally sinks in, and I bring my hands to my face, covering my mouth. "Oh, my gosh," I say, my eyes widening in horror. I look up and meet her eyes, leaning my back against the wall for support. I grip my head, tangling my fingers in my hair as the agony hits me.

"Livia's dead. Oh, my gosh. Liv's dead! My best friend is dead!" I cry, getting louder and louder until I am screaming, then my voice cuts out and I start sobbing. I hear my sobs as if from a distance. They are the loud, horrible sobs of a person with a broken heart.

It works for me, because Livia is dead, and now everything has a downside.

Grandpa and Ryder run in the back door. "What happened, why did we hear a scream?" Ryder asks, and his eyes land on me, where I have collapsed on the ground in the fetal position. I am still screaming, still sobbing.

If mom tells them what happened, I don't hear it. I am too busy battling the white-hot ball of grief that is fighting for control over everything.

Mother must have told them, because Grandpa looks distraught, and Ryder and Mom are crying, but nobody comes anywhere close to my level of pain. I'm not surprised. They don't have her in every single memory they possess. I sob even harder.

I close my eyes, but open them when I sense someone step over me. When I look behind, the blurry form of Grandpa is peering through the curtains out front.

He turns around, and I think he mouths, 'quiet.'

Mom rushes over to me and puts one hand on my back, and one over my mouth, stifling my screams. "Willow, there are more black cars here. We need to go, now," she says, helping me to my feet.

I am about to follow her out the back door, but I remember the reason I used magic in the first place.

"Where's Alston?" I choke out, whirling around. I immediately see his blue feathers, the colour popping out against the dark wood of the floor. He must've fallen off my shoulder when I curled up.

I rush over to him, scoop him up, then run out the back door. Grandpa has waited for me, but he sent Ryder and Mom on to the woods already.

I hear men at the door, telling us to open up, by orders of the Government of Leocia, and Grandpa tells me we have to go to the woods as quick as we can.

I feel like we are moving really slow, but I wait for Grandpa, knowing he can't do anything about his arthritis. I can't bear the thought of leaving him behind.

"Willow, you can't wait for me. I'll just slow you down. You need to run. Don't worry about me," Grandpa says, urging me forward.

When I look back, he nods encouragingly to me, and I take off. I hold onto Alston, sprint to the woods, and quickly get to the cover of trees. I begin to search for Mom and Ryder.

I hear my name being called, and when I look up, Ryder and Mom are about thirty meters up an oak tree. The brightly coloured leaves hide them from view and pine trees surround us, partially blocking us from sight. Ryder gestures for me to follow, but I shake my head. I'm surprised I had enough energy to sprint here. If I try to climb that tree, I know my limbs will give out. I can barely stand upright without a huge amount of effort.