ARCANE

30

They arrive simultaneously. The three horses pull up as Hope sprints on to the grass. She is so preoccupied with the sight that she doesn't notice Erik and June walking, hand in hand, to the park.

Cara climbs off the horse. She waits on the ground for the other two to come help her with Eden. Though it is shallow, she can hear him breathing. Cara intentionally tries to breathe in-sync with him, as if somehow she can give him her oxygen.

"What happened?" Hope asks, offering Jamie a hand to help him down.

The boy takes it. Hope isn't strong but her hands help sturdy him, even if only slightly. His voice is quiet so that neither Cara nor Wesley can hear him. "He fell off the Ferris wheel."

Hope nods but doesn't offer anything except a glance to Eden before she tears off towards the pull she feels. The darkest girl sits in the shadow of a tree, only barely visible to Hope. Somehow, she can feel Percy calling to her, even if Percy doesn't know it.

Jamie tries his best to both trail after Hope and wait for Wesley and Cara. They are moving slowly under Eden's weight. Jamie spots, behind them, Erik and June walking in as well. With every step they take closer, Hope can feel the crackle of electricity in the air. Her hair begins to stand on end, and her nose tingles.

One final step and everyone is together.

The hear the pop of lightbulbs cracking above them. Glass shatters, raining down on the group. Just on the road, the streetlights ignite. Through the break in the trees, the rest of Hamilton is visible. The Ferris wheel up in the distance turns once more.

The park remains dark.

Eden grumbles something. His eyes can flicker open and shut, but he can't keep himself awake. He is sore, his head is pounding so hard that it feels like it has split open, and he is too dizzy to keep himself upright. He leans into Wesley for support, his feet slipping beneath him.

Lee, however, is not.

When she is sure that Wesley has Eden, Cara takes a step forward. Her foot crunches against the dirt. Jamie reaches for Cara, to grab her and pull her back too.

"Jamie," she whispers into him as he clings on to her from behind.

He shakes his head, unable to look. His voice is the quietest it has ever been. "Don't step closer. We... we don't know what's wrong with her. It might be contagious, or something. If we don't look, then we don't ever know. It's Schrodinger's Cat."

"Exactly," Cara answers. She roughly yanks herself out of Jamie and kneels before Lee.

The girl lies, her eyes wide open, staring up above her. Her veins are visible beneath her skin, leaving a dark black spiderweb across her arms, neck, and face. Cara swallows the gurgle of vomit in her as she stares Lee down.

"What's going on?" Wesley can't help himself. There are three bodies on the ground and Percy is hyperventilating.

Percy looks up at them. She spots Erik, her eyes narrowing.

Hope follows her gaze. "Are you covered in blood?"

The rest turn to him. Though it's difficult to see in the lighting, Erik's clothing is drenched in his father. He watches the others in his branch to shrink away from him. June grips his hand tighter. If they had had any time to think, which they hadn't, Erik might have considered changing his clothing.

"I killed my Dad," Erik tells the group. Though they wait for an explanation, Erik doesn't offer any.

Wesley can feel tries to ease the tension, and job which he normally lets Eden take. "Well, good for you. That... uh... that guy sucked. Like, he sucked real hard. Um, anyway, now, back to Percy."