Fire & Ice

ch. 20

DANIEL 

At first, I refused to believe that my best friends were alive even though I'd seen them die. Jordan was powerful, but he wasn't powerful enough to bring back the dead.

Unless...he was.

"Jake?" I heard Jas sputter as she rose and leaned against the bars of her jail cell. I could see tears in her eyes as she struggled against the bars, trying to get to him.

He turned toward her. "Jas? Is it really you?" 

His voice...it sounded like him. I watched him move about as close as he could get to her, and they each extended their arms out to each other, just barely touching fingertips between the cells. Jas fell to her knees, bursting into tears, and Jake fell with her. 

"Danny?" 

No way. 

I turned, and there she was, back like she'd never left me. Amber. 

"Danny," she whispered again, standing just shy of my sister, whose mouth had dropped open. 

"Amber?" I finally said, hands shaking.

She took a step toward me. 

Before I could move, Jamie jumped in front of me. "No, wait!" 

Amber stopped moving. 

"Jamie..." I started to say, pushing her away, but she wouldn't budge. 

"She's not real," she mumbled, staring at Amber. "She's a Holo. They both are."  

"Danny, I'm here. We can escape together..." She took another step, holding up her hands. Jamie hissed, pushing me backward. 

"Jamie, stop," I whispered.

"No," she growled. "You fell for it once, back at the house with Jordan's sim. I'm not letting you fall for it again."  

She had a point. But how was it so easy for her to tell? 

"Just let me test her," I muttered in her ear. "I need to know if she's real before you attack." 

I straightened, taking a breath. Jamie moved two steps to the side, but she didn't let down her guard. 

"Amber," I said. "What's the last thing you said to me before you....before the attack?" 

Our last conversation happened right before I'd gone to watch Jamie's physical exam. They usually only let close friends and family watch in the evaluation room, so Amber, Jake and the rest of our friends were going to wait in the dining area near the fountain, where there were screens that would broadcast the exams. That's where they were when the first explosion rocked the entire building.

But before the world as we knew it was ending, Amber and I were preparing for our hundredth battle celebration.

"I think we should do it at the Fountain," Amber proposed, getting too excited as usual.

I laughed. "Amber, they'd never allow that."

"You never know! Nobody's ever done it before, and we could be the first ones!" She cartwheeled into the dining hall as Natalie and I prepared to leave them.

"Just consider it, Danny. This could be our 'go out with a bang' moment before graduation..."

"Okay, okay. You know I'm always down for a challenge," I finally agreed. I could never say no to her.

"Yes! I knew I could count on you!" Amber ran up and jumped into my arms.

Nat rolled her eyes, and I chuckled, hugging Amber back. "Alright, we'll see you guys soon."