Traces Of Magic

~Chapter 14~

-Grayson's POV-

There is a sudden flash of light. I feel my shield disappear as it spreads out rapidly. I take a deep breath and wipe the sweat off of my forehead. I look over at the other guy, I think his name is Derrick, as he does the exact same thing. There is splash beside us. We both look to see Mandy hit the surface of the water and start to sink. We rush over to the edge of the lake. Derrick gets there first and takes his shirt off.

"What are you doing?" He takes a quick look at me. "What do you think? I'm saving her. Just...stay out of my way." He shoves me backwards before gracefully diving into the lake. I stumble and fall, landing on the ground. The world around me is tranquil and still for a moment until two more people emerge from inside the cave. The first one out is a ginger haired guy followed by a ginger haired girl.

"What the hell just happened? It sounded like a bomb went off!" The girl runs up and grabs his arm. "Jarron! Can't you tell that he is mundane?" The man called Jarron stops and looks at the girl before looking at me. I quickly try to find the right words. "M...Mandy fell into the lake..." A worried expression appears on both of their faces as they rush to the edge of the water as well. Jarron looks back at me as he takes his shirt off. "Why didn't you go in after her?" "The other guy with black hair went in after her." In diving position, he stops and relaxes slightly, his back remaining stiff. The girl speaks first.

"It's okay Jarron. Derrick will get her." He rolls his eyes and snorts. "Of course Derrick is the one rescuing her..." He turns around and begins to head back into the cave. Just then, we hear a splash as Derrick surfaces with Mandy's limp body in his arms. Jarron turns and comes back. "Jarron! Quick! Carry her in and lay her down on the couch!"

Derrick places her in his arms gently. He rushes her inside as Derrick gets out of the water and tells the girl about what happened. Neither of them say anything as I follow Jarron inside. To my surprise, there is large room at the end of the cave. As he lays her down on the couch, I notice her body shiver. I take off my shirt and wrap it around her.

"What are you doing?" My face turns slightly red. "She was shivering, so I...uh...put my shirt around her." He rolls his eyes at me before sitting down in one of the chairs. "Great. Exactly what we needed. Another shirtless guy running around the place..." I sigh before taking her hand in mine.

Just as I intertwine my hand in hers, Derrick and the girl come inside. "Jarron, I told your sister what happened outside. Keep an eye on him for a bit Sage." As the two guys start to walk off, Mandy's eyes slowly flutter open.

-Mandy's POV-

I open my eyes to the blurry image of three shirtless guys. "Am...am I in heaven? I see angels standing around me..." "No Princess. You wish you were in heaven." Immediately, I recognize Jarron's snarky voice. My cheeks turn red at the thought of calling him an angel. I turn my head to the side to see Grayson's blushing face.

"Why are you blushing Grayson?" His face turns redder as he looks up at me. "You...you called me an angel..." I giggle and smile. "Yeah. I did." He chuckles before looking back down. "Oh good. She's awake." Soon, Derrick's face enters my limited field of vision. "Mandy. Do you remember anything about what happened?"

I close my eyes to think. "I remember a bright flash of light, flying, and then being surrounded by coldness." Derrick frowns. "So you don't remember anything?" I shake my head. "Nope. Sorry." He scratches his head. "It's fine..." Jarron suddenly appears with a towel and moves him out of the way. "Here. You might want this." He offers me the towel as I sit up.

"No. It's okay. I have..." I look down to see what's wrapped around me as Grayson finishes my sentence. "...my shirt..." I look over at him as he blushes slightly. "Thank you Grayson." I lean over and hug him, making his cheeks turn deeper pink. Jarron scoffs, making me pull away from him. "Whatever. Here Derrick. You look like you could use it." He throws the towel at Derrick's chest before walking off.

Grayson gets up and follows him, leaving me alone with Derrick and Sage. Sensing the tension between us, Sage leaves as well. Wrapping the towel around him, he walks over and sits down beside me. I rest my head on his chest as he wraps his arm around me. We just sit there like that. I listen to him breathe as he runs his hand through my hair. I let my thoughts wander off.

What if I actually like him? After seeing what he and Grayson were doing, my acceptance of liking him could drive him over the edge. And what about Jarron, the jerk with a soft side? After my first training session with him, I don't know what to think of him. Then last but not least, there's Grayson, my ex who's still in love with me and who I might still be in love with, too. I sigh and frown.

"What's wrong Mandy?" He tilts my head up to his and kisses my forehead. "Oh. I'm just stuck between my heart and a hard place." He nods his head, clearly not understanding what I mean. "I'm glad to see that you're okay Mandy. I was afraid that I wouldn't get to you in time." Derrick looks away from me, his eyes distraught. "But you did get to me in time Derrick. You saved me." "I know, I know..." He looks back at me and sighs. "...I guess what I'm trying to say is that... I love you Mandy."