Traces Of Magic

~Chapter 36~

-Jarron's POV-

I could tell as soon as I step out of the house that something is upsetting Mandy. The letter she's holding falls out of her hand as tears roll down her cheeks. "Mandy, what's wrong?"

She starts to cry harder as she turns her back to me. Unsure of what's going on or how to comfort her, I lean down and pick up the letter before glancing over it briefly.

"Dear Miss Shade,

We are very sorry to inform you, but unfortunately your parents, Brian and Lisa Shade, were pronounced dead Sunday at 9:36am and 12:24pm, respectively. If you would..."

I don't bother reading the rest of the letter. I toss it to the side as I wrap my arms around Mandy and give her a comforting squeeze. "Mandy, I am so sorry. It's a terrible thing to have happened."

She sniffles before looking up at me. "Thanks Jarron, but it's not me who I'm worried about." She pauses as she glances down. "It's my little brother Adam..." I think back to when I met her little brother.

He reminded me a lot of her...

"I don't know how he's going to handle it." Pulling me out of my thoughts, she turns around and grabs my hands tightly. "Plus, how am I supposed to raise him? I can barely take care of myself and-"

"Mandy, listen. You take great care of yourself. It's as plain as day. I know for a fact that you'll take even better care of your brother. Besides, I'm sure Sage and I will be willing to lend a hand every now and then."

She wipes away the remaining tears as she chuckles bitterly. "I can't believe I forgot why I was coming this way." Her eyes look up into mine. "Enough worrying about me. Let's go get your sister."
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-Mandy's POV-

As we get closer to Dustin's house, I pull Jarron to the side. "Listen Jarron. I think it would be best if you stayed here." He rolls his eyes as he crosses his arms. "And why's that?" I glance up over the fence we're hidden behind. "Because you look too much like Sage. What good would it be if they discovered you had powers as well?"

Jarron scratches the back of his head. "Well you've... you've got a point there..." I give him a kiss on his cheek and sigh. "Stay here. If I'm longer than five minutes, go get help, okay?" He nods his head silently as I slip into the backyard.

There's tension in the air as I tiptoe across the lawn, my eyes darting around for any sign of movement.

If only I knew how to control my invisibility powers better...

My eyes find a metal shed located far back in the yard. I slowly approach it, unsure of what I'm going to find inside. A subtle smell of burning flesh drifts through the air in my direction.

This is not good.

I race over to the door. The doorknob feels hot as my hands fumble to turn it. There's a pop as the door finally swings open. Inside, Sage rests on the floor, a puddle of blood forming around her as it pour from her wrists.

She looks up at me as a piece of glass falls from her hand, her emerald green eyes missing their normal shine, void of life. Her ginger locks are tangled and dull. "Mandy?" Her eyelids flutter briefly before they shut closed.

"Sage! Sage, stay with me! I'm going to get you out of here!" In a desperate attempt to save her, I tug my jacket off of me and wrap the sleeves around her wrists. As I tie them tightly, I see that a large burn is forming on the palm of one of her hands.

My eyes glance around the container. There's some sort of harness resting against the back wall and a table to my left. A broken microscope rests beside Sage along with shattered slides. A pair of scissors peek out from on top of the table.

I reach up and snatch them off before proceeding to cut the sleeves off of my jacket. I tie them even tighter before scooping her up in my arms. Her head lays heavily against my chest. I place my fingers against her neck, seacrching for any sign of her being alive.

"Mandy, it's been over five minutes. The police are on their way. We need to get..." I turn around to face Jarron. He stops midsentence as he sees Sage laying lifelessly in my arms, the blood starting to dry on her arms.

"Is...is she..." He gently takes her from my arms into his. I hang my head. "I'm so sorry Jarron." A single tear falls down his face as he looks up at me. "You told me she was still alive Mandy! You lied to me!" He stops and sniffles as he looks down at her. "Looks like I got my hopes up for nothing..."

I step towards him and try to put my hand on his shoulder, but Jarron shooes me away. "No! Don't touch me Mandy!" I back off, surprised at the way he's acting towards me. "But...but Jarron...I thought we were..." He cuts me off. "I need a break from this, from us. See you later, I guess."

In the blink of an eye, Jarron dashes off, leaving me alone. My heart shattered into a million pieces, I crumple to the ground just as the sky opens up and lets the rain it's been holding come down upon the Earth. The raindrops that land on my face mix with the tears that flood down my face.

My parents are dead...

All of my friends are dying...

The guy I fell in love with just up and left me...

The other guy I like is revealing his true colors...

My ex still cares about me, but I'm not sure if I feel the same way.

I'm all alone with my little brother...

None of this would have happened if I never had powers...

Magic isn't a blessing, it's a fucking curse...

How did I get stuck with this life?