Power

Chapter 5: Fire

Emma POV

I snap out of my daydream. Lauren taps me on the shoulder. "Did you hear me? The next arena. It's on fire." My face goes blank. The last fire arena this sweet little girl named Sophie whom I had kind of taken in as my little sister, fell into the flames, and I couldn't save her. Ever since, I've been rueing to have to go in another flame arena. Every time I see flames, I totally loose it.

"Hey, you can do this. Just concentrate on getting to the other side, that's it. I'll be right beside you the whole time." James puts his hand on my shoulder. I nod slowly. I stand up slowly, but I accidentally think of her small body falling to her death, and I collapse into James' arms. "I can't. I can't. I can't..."

James sets me down on the bed. He looks me in the eyes. "You can. I promise. And if you can't, I'll carry you across, okay? You're getting to the other side." I imagine myself choking up and falling, burning. "What if you can't?" I whisper. "I couldn't save her." Then the tears just come without my permission, flowing down my face in a steady stream. "Hey, it's okay. Come here." He pulls me into his arms and whispers into my ear. "I'll get you across, I promise."

We stand in the doorway to the arena. James is squeezing my hand tightly and Lauren is holding my hand on the other side. It should make me feel better that I have my friends here to face this with me, but it just makes me feel worse. They are the closest things I have to family, and what if I can't save them? Then what? I wouldn't be able to go on. I'm not planning on ever letting them go. "Alright. It's time. You ready?" Lauren shouts to the group. There are a murmur of yeses and we all get to work. The whole arena is on fire. Literally, the whole thing. I can't see a single non-flames part of the whole thing.

Olivia and Brant, the streams, rush to the the front and start spraying water at the large flames. It seems to work a little bit, at least enough to clear us a path to the other side. The flurries shoot a path of ice across. The ice is melting quickly so we go one at a time. The flurries wait at the beginning and keep adding layers of ice. Finally it's my turn. I close my eyes and run across the ice. "Emma go faster!" One do the flurries yells at me. The flames are getting bigger we can't hold the ice up much... Longer..." No, no, no. This isn't happening. Again, I see her, falling down. I reach for her and she slips out of my grasp. The tears have come back. I sink to my knees. I can't do it. I deserve to die, I couldn't save her.

Everything becomes blurry after that. I think I see James, he looks worried. Lauren sits in the corner, shaking, looking traumatized. I lay on the cold stone floor. I try to speak, but my voice is hoarse and it hurts to talk, so I just close my eyes instead.

Hours pass until I finally feel I have the the strength to speak. "Are... You..." I choke on my words. "Emma you're awake! Guys she's awake!" James puts his hand on my forehead. "You're fever has gotten much better. Your burn doesn't look great..." I wince. A burn. "Are you...okay." I breathe. "Yes, yeah, I'm fine don't worry about me. You fell into the flames, but I dove in after you and I was able to get you up with only a few burns. Told you you would make it." I smile. I did it didn't I. I survived the fire arena. "So everyone survived?" I manage to say. Talking is getting easier and easier. "Let's not talk about it know. Everything's fine." But his voice betrays him. Behind his sugar coated tone, there is sadness. But I don't argue. He survived. James is alive. Thank god.