ARCANE

004

A burst of heat and light erupts from Thea's hands. It shoots out on the others in waves, shaking the Earth. Erik goes flying backwards, as does Jamie. The shockwave throws Cara and Eden more than a dozen feet away from the blast. June hits a tree in the air and falls on to the ground. Wesley skids across the concrete beneath him. Both Lee and her guitar tumble backwards. The girl and her dog land together in a heap on the ground. Furthest away, the girl with her scarf falls, twisting it tightly around her neck.

On the ground, she struggles to pull it off her. She can feel herself hyperventilating. Her hands wrap around her neck, shaking. She pulls at the scarf, trying to release herself. Above her, she can see stars in the sky. Actually, she thinks she might be about to pass out.

The girl with the dog gets up. She checks her dog for scrapes, examining him. He whines, his knee ripped open and bleeding. The girl looks between the others and her dog, biting her lip. Eventually, she decides to get him to walk forward. He whines, limping.

"Is everyone alright?" Cara forces herself off the ground. She slowly stands. Her fingertips run along her hairline. She catches blood on her head. Even though she is dizzy, she can stand. Hopefully, they'll be able to make it to the hospital to have them check her for a concussion.

"I'm bringing my dog home," the other girl calls, picking him up off the ground. She struggles to carry him away, waddling back down the path.

Cara stumbles over to Eden, the boy closest to her. She leans down on the ground, placing her hands next to his head. Cara snaps a hand next to her ear. Beneath her, the boy opens his eyes, if only lightly.

"Are you alright?" She asks him, leaning down. Here is not the place to inspect him for injuries.

He nods, his head scraping along the dirt beneath him. Eden focuses in on her, watching her face. "You're

Cara feels a smile form on her face, though she resists the urge to banter back. Instead, she begins to help the boy up.

A few feet away, Jamie begins to sit up. His head is pounding. For a second, he wonders if this is what Kyle feels when he is going through withdrawal. It's no wonder that his friend consistently struggles to go clean.

"What was that?" Wesley pulls himself to his feet.

He begins to look around, although he struggles through his cracked glasses. There are bodies spewed about at his feet, most are stirring but not all of them. He scans the crowd, his eyes settling on Erik. The boy looks no more battered than before, but his eyes and mouth are open. The younger boy stares up at the sky above him. Wesley doesn't move. He stares, preying to whatever that soon Erik will blink. If he doesn't, then Wesley is looking at a corpse. He watches, and watches, and watches.

Erik licks his lips.

"Is everyone alright?" Cara repeats, stepping around the crowd. Lee stirs beneath her, pulling herself into a sitting position. Cara wishes she had paid more attention to the group before the explosion. Maybe some numbers would've benefited them.

Wesley steps through the grass, making his way over to a tree. He leans down, over June. The girl lies face down in the dirt. Wesley rolls her on to her back.

"Don't do that," Cara steps, moving in behind him. "She could have a spinal injury."

Wesley ignores her, leaning down over June. He tries to put his fingers under her neck, checking for a pulse, but he finds nothing. Wesley tips back on his feet, collapsing on to the ground. Through his cracked vision, June is splintered.