Souls of the Fallen

Turning the Tides

As Manny whips his hair out of his face, it is met by Riku's fist. He stumbles for a bit but readies for a fight with his classmate. Reno rushes to Lucas and drags him back to Hailey and Tasha. Meanwhile, Hailey is trying to tend to Tasha's injury but Tasha is politely fending her off.

Oh! I'm sorry! We didn't recap what was happening... Huh? You don't mind jumping straight into the action... Great! Let's keep it moving!

"Please stop Hailey, I'll be fine. Trust me!" She pleads as Reno returns with Lucas.

"Take care of him. I'll be back," Reno commands after dropping Lucas and before running back to assist his little brother. Manny starts taking swings at Riku with his switchblade. Riku keeps his distance and dodges when necessary until he spots a chance to close the gap and attempts to disarm his opponent. After Manny takes another swing, Riku darts into close range and uses his left hand to grip Manny's right wrist. He tries to overpower Manny to make him release the blade but isn't strong enough. His grip starts to weaken and Manny spins the switchblade downwards to attempt to stab Riku. The shard in Riku's right palm suddenly emits a bright light and a high whistle. He then instinctively places his right hand on Manny's chest. A deep pulse is heard and Manny is sent tumbling backward.

Riku pauses and looks into his palm in amazement. Colors are dancing in his now active shard. He clenches his hand and feels the energy starting to course through his body. He prepares to charge at Manny but is interrupted by Reno. "We need to leave! Kip and Max are getting up and this may get too far out of hand for us."

Riku looks at his brother and then at the other students, "Yeah, let's get out of here." The brothers retreat to their friends behind them. Reno puts Tasha onto his back and starts to head deeper into the forest. Riku and Hailey prop Lucas on their shoulders and follow suit. After traveling for nearly ten minutes, the group slows and finds a small cave to settle in. It isn't deep but it's enough to shelter them comfortably.

"Thanks for saving us, guys," Tasha says with a mellow tone. "I don't know what would've happened without you showing up." They all find spots in the cave to sit and get a little rest.

Hailey responds, "Yeah, no problem, Tasha." Her attention quickly shifts to her side. "Uh... What do you think you are doing?" Lucas starts scooting up next to Hailey and caresses her leg. He closes his eyes and also rubs his face across her thigh. "Stop!"

"What? I'm injured... This is therapy," Lucas says with a cheeky smile.

"No, that's just... the-rape-y. HA! Get it?" Riku waits for a response from his friends and they all stare at him with disappointed faces. He pouts and says, "I thought it was funny."

Hailey adds, "At least Riku asked first." She pulls away from Lucas and walks to the other side of the cave near Tasha and Reno. Tasha has recovered from her injuries and is having a more casual conversation with Reno. "What are you guys chatting about?"

"I'm telling Reno about what happened to Bou," Tasha answers.

"Oh yeah! Weren't you going to join his group?" Hailey questions with a shocked expression.

Tasha sighs and replies, "He went to join Jaime's group as I walked up to him. Didn't even acknowledge me." She lowers her head, upset by the memory, and Reno flicks her ear.

Reno consoles her, "Don't worry about that. Keep your head up. It's his loss."

"You're right, Reno. I won't let that get me down." She smiles and nervously scratches her head. "How's Lucas doing?" Tasha inquires. They all turn their attention to Lucas. He is still in the same spot flicking rocks and fiddling with some grass growing from a nearby crack.