WHEN THE WORLD ENDS

26.1

Raven tore the radio from Jaxx's steely grip, bringing it to lips before Jaxx could stop her.

"You're lying!" Raven spat, swallowing the lump in her throat.

Despite Raven's determination not to cry, tears were already beginning to slip down her cheeks. She wiped them away angrily, furious at the situation. Of all people, why did it have to be Jaxx?

Jaxx reached out to stroke Raven's palm, to reassure her that everything would be okay; even if he wasn't sure himself. It had meant to be a comforting gesture, but Raven didn't seem to think so. She flinched, clutching her palm to her chest as if she had been burnt.

Jaxx froze. He found himself retreating, falling into the depths of himself. It felt as if he was being held underwater.

Without Raven, Jaxx didn't think he could hold his head above the waves.

"I'm sorry, okay?" Katherin spoke softly through the radio. "I didn't ask Jaxx to take a bullet for me. I would have rathered it hit me."

Raven's bottom lip quivered.

"You took a bullet for her?" Raven mumbled in disbelief. "You told me that the man shot at you - not at her. Why would you lie to me?"

"She's just a kid!" Jaxx responded, an ache beginning to resonate in his chest. "I couldn't just stand there and let her die!"

"She just killed a man! We both heard that gunshot, Jaxx. The newspapers were right. Katherin is a murderer."

"Stop," Esther snarled, her tone laced with fury.

"She killed her parents, didn't she? Why do you trust her? She killed people!"

Esther pressed her knife against Raven's throat. She felt Raven's heartbeat through her fingertips; erratic, afraid.

"I told you to stop."

Raven whimpered, swallowing the lump in her throat. She looked to Jaxx, pleading him to help her.

Jaxx was frozen. What was he meant to do? If he sided with Raven, he'd lose Katherin, and he doubted that Esther would ever forgive him. Would he be able to live with that? Jaxx wasn't sure he could.

Ivory wrapped her fingers around Esther's wrist.

"She didn't mean it, Esther," Ivory soothed.

Esther stiffened.

"You know nothing about her," Esther spat at Raven.

Raven held her breath. Fear choked her, preventing her from spitting out insults at the girl who threatened her. Raven felt confronted with the reality that she was going to die.

Raven had overstepped her boundaries. Esther was going to kill her. No one would stop her. They didn't see Katherin like Raven did; someone who was truly capable of murder. Everyone seemed to think that Katherin was innocent, that she was just a little girl. Even Jaxx had been fooled-

The knife clattered to the floor.

Esther stepped back, slouching against the wall of the van. She wrapped her arms around her knees, burying her head into her chest. Her body shook silently, chest heaving as she tried to calm her sobs.

Gwynth watched the scene unfold in silence. This wasn't like Esther. The Esther she'd known wouldn't have tried to kill anyone. She wouldn't have had the guts to do it.

Rosabelle had grabbed the radio in the struggle. She had meant to silence the signal when the argument had started but had forgotten to do so when Esther had pulled out her knife.