What Was Missing

Twenty-Four: -Max-

Jacob. You did this to us.

Anger rushing through my brain, clouding up my thoughts, I stare at my friend who I thought had betrayed us, never loosening my grip on the pulsating blade. This isn't right... He tricked us! He forced us in... But he doesn't step forward, only looks into the distance in regret. Neither Maddy or Lily move, and so I stand there, the dagger only worsening my angry thoughts. Slowly, his gaze becomes fixed again, and he takes a look around.

He studies each of us in turn, gaze lingering for a moment on my dagger, and then begins to speak, his voice slightly raspy from who knows what. "I'm really sorry. Really. I didn't think that that thing," he starts, nodding at the downed beast, "could connect to me from so far away."

I stand there, gawking at him until Lily speaks up, relieving me of the million questions whirling in my head.

"You're saying that you weren't the one who chained us to the chairs?!" She crosses her arms, letting her now-normal appendages hang to each side. "I'm not believing that for a second."

He looks down, seemingly ashamed, but then glances back up and shakes his weary head. "I'm not saying that I wasn't the one to do any of this. I'm saying that I wasn't controlling my actions."

Maddy tenses up, but then nods stiffly. "That happened with my mom, when we tried the first time. She couldn't control her body, something else was in her..."

I glance at her, and I can tell she's not lying. Her legs are shaky, remembering the moment, and her words are hesitant, gaining in composure as she continues to talk.

"I don't think he's lying."

Something hot collapses within me, and I sigh. I feel grateful to her, for trying to help me trust my friend once again and all, but I can't be sure. I stare him down, clenching the blade tight to my side. He glances at it nervously, and pouncing on his moment of uncertainty, I begin to question him. "How can we trust you? How can we know that you're really... How do we know you're really with us?"

He shakes his head, and looks down once more. "You're going to have to trust me... because if you don't..." Pausing, he looks into the sky, as if remembering the beast he was somehow entrapped within. "...Because if you don't listen to me within the next thirty seconds, we're all doomed."

My eyes widen. "What?!"

He never gets to tell me. As Lily's claws reform, a few problems occur. Small problems, but with a huge outcome. They zip by like butterflies, and I find myself lost in a moment of action.

One. The dragon stirs. Readjusting, it unintentionally flings Jacob forward to land on Lily. She gasps, stumbling under his weight, and then crumples to the floor.

Two. Maddy falls forward, tripping over the blackened tail that whips her legs from out behind her. She lands on the ground painfully, and crying out, tries and fails to rise.

Three. Jacob falls back, horror on his face. His eyes are slowly widening, and his hands are fading to black once more. Can't trust him.

Four. I step forward, holding out my hand to Maddy, and before Jacob can scream "No!" I help her up to her feet. I feel a painful jolt between our hands, but after grimacing in pain, she smiles thankfully. Something's wrong, but in this moment, I don't know what.

Five. Lily's eyes widen, stumbling backwards as Jacob falls to the floor. He looks haunted, shadows under his eyes, and pushing to his knees, he stares into the sky with a doomed look on his face. Black tendrils begin to expand from his hands, and rising to his feet, he glowers at me. "Max..."

Six. A fleeting sentence flashes past my ears, from who knows where. The meeting has commenced. Jacob seems to hear it as well, and despair shows on his face as he begins to gravitate towards me. After a moment, I realize that I'm doing the same. We're being pulled to a central point, in the middle of our stances, and I struggle against the force, grunting as my feet dig into the dirt. I fall over, and with a flash, our bodies are pulled together, Lily screaming, Jacob looking up for one last time. His pupils are widening, his eyes filling with black along with those of the others, and an endless moment passes. Lily and Maddy have gone still, and I know I don't have much longer.

As the world starts to fade, he utters these last, hoarse words:

"...Too... late."

--Yes, it's short. Yes, it's been a day since I posted. But that's only because I've been writing the next chapter, the longest in a while! Like a huge half-way climax! Sort of. Thanks for reading, the biggie chapter coming tomorrow or this weekend, depending on when I get the inspiration to edit my revealing wall of words!

--DraconisSolutus, it all fell together! So happy!!

Also think I may or may not know what happens next.

OR IS IT THE HALFWAY POINT? IS IT THE END, NEXT CHAPTER?

FIND OUT SOON!

DEFINITELY NOT DRAWING ON THIS CHAPTER.

OKAY GOODBYE! (Sorry just excited :P)
--DraconisSolutus