Shelland Conall has always believed herself to be ordinary, and she's never had reason to suspect otherwise. Not until an enigmatic stranger seems to show up at every corner, and he's claiming to be the one that saved her life. Thing is, Shelland do...
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Chapter Thirty
Smoke. Snow. Blood. These three elements attack my senses as I come down from the red fog of shifting. My body shakes. My head throbs. I need to evaluate the damage Boyd caused, but I'm not out of the woods just yet to do so.
The smoke is thick, suffocating the room as the fire grows. The air is dark and dense and what's left of the walls are barely visible.
I feel bodies moving before I see them. Whether they're witch or wolf or human, I'm not sure. The smoke has paralyzed most of my senses, save the heavy gut-feeling sinking in my core. Something happened when the fire exploded. As if the jolt was strong enough to wake me from my primitive stupor.
Coughing. Gasping. Crying. A barrage of sound derails my focus as kids in tuxes and heavy gowns burst through the haze. There are live bodies everywhere. Running and toppling over tables as they try to find an exit in this impossible smoke.
Someone grabs hold of me, petrified of the fire. Rain pelts down from the ceiling, but the water can't keep up with the blazing flames. Bright lights burst through open pockets in the smoke, repetitively screeching as the fire alarms warn us to find safety.
"Beck!" The voice sounds close, but I can't pinpoint which direction she's in. At first, I think it's Conall and I feel my body lurch forward, but when she yells again, I recognize the voice I've known for nearly a decade.
"Ollie? Keep yelling!" I say, pushing tipped chairs out of my way to find her. It's impossible to trace her in this chaos. My sense of smell is about as useless as boat with a hole in the floor.
"Here! I'm over here! I can't see you!"
I reach out as I wade through the debris, stretching out my fingers until they hit the swishing material of her dress.
"Oh my god, Beck!" Ollie grabs hold of me, squeezing my arms tight. "Where are the others? Where's Shelland?"
"I have no idea, but I'll find her." I promise. "Do you have enough energy left to clear the smoke?"
Though I can't see her face, she makes a noise indicating yes. "I think so. But move quick. I don't know how long I can hold it." Her hands then leave my arms, and her voices pricks against my ears as she begins her spell.
The blinding lights of the alarms break through as Ollie splits the smoke toward the exit. Quickly, I take hold of a table cloth and tie it around my bare waist.
The fire crackles, tiles falling from the ceiling like a ball of fire.
"Follow the path!" I yell out to the kids bursting through the edge of the fog. "Follow the path and don't stop until you hit the end of the parking lot!"
People flood toward the doors as I direct them out. Clearly they're still panicked. Some rush past me half-covered in soot.
I turn toward the direction of the stage. It's still coated in heavy smoke, as if condensed into that alcove to make way for Ollie's path.
