Fight For You

believe.

Ariana's feet pounded against the pavement as she did her best to ignore the way her lungs struggled with her attempts to increase her pace. She didn't have time to slow down right now, not with her lack of superhuman speed and not when she had no idea of the chaos she had possibly created. If she had created any at all.

In the back of her mind she knew it was possible that it had just been a weird vision, an odd hallucination, that there was no real-life meaning to it. After all, she hadn't really destroyed the hospital the other night. But something about this vision of Violet had felt off. The warning felt too real.

As she ran, Ariana felt her chest heaving, struggling to keep air in, but she kept running, tearing past familiar streets and cutting a few corners until the harsh bricked structure of the high school appeared in the distance, all sharp shadows and unfriendly features, far too unwelcoming at this time of night.

There was no sign of chaos, no burning embers, no screams of fear. No hint of any danger yet, but Ariana couldn't relax until she saw Liam safe with her own eyes.

"Liam?" Ariana called out as she ran, her voice slightly hoarse, fear undercutting the desperation in her tone, not to mention the lack of oxygen in her lungs now highlighting just how unfit she was.

"...A lot of hard-to-believe things. Really hard to believe..."

She knew that voice. Ariana's heart leaped in her throat as she neared the corner of the building, cutting across the empty parking lot, knowing Liam was finally close. She wasn't too late.

"Liam!" Ariana called out as she spotted him with Mason near the school bus zone. She picked up her pace, sprinting towards them, her heart pounding with relief as she came to a skidding stop beside Liam.

"Ari?" Mason frowned, his head tilting slightly in confusion as she hurried towards the two of them. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I just...I just, um..." Ariana faltered as she scanned the two of them, both seemingly unharmed, safe from whatever chaos she'd feared had occurred. It really had just been a dream. Just another weird hallucination. Again.

Liam rested a hand on her back, steadying her as she leaned into his touch, even as he remained just as confused as Mason. "Hey, it's fine. You're fine," he said quietly, locking eyes with her, something in his eyes indicating he could hear just how hard her heart was racing. Could he feel the slight tremor of aftershocks in her body too? Were they real too? If he did, he didn't give anything away, other than reaching down to squeeze her hand.

"Guys?" Mason interrupted their moment after a small beat. "Um...a wolf?"

Ariana felt her expression swift from soft to accusatory in a heartbeat. "You told him?" she said to Liam, eyes widening in disbelief, betrayal sinking into her bones. She'd told him her thoughts on this. He knew how strongly she felt about this. He knew the danger of telling Mason.

"What? No, I didn't," Liam protested, his eyes widening. "I mean I was going to...but, no I didn't. I didn't say anything!" He shook his head as Ariana pulled her hand from his grip, stepping away from him with a small shake of her head.

"Uh guys?" Mason pushed again, "There's a wolf."

"I can't believe you went behind my back like this," Ariana said, ignoring Mason for a moment as she stared at Liam, her heart rate increasing all over again. "How much did you tell him?"

"Nothing," Liam insisted, frowning as he tried to reach for her but Ariana took another step away.

"Guys!" Mason said slightly louder this time, his voice sharp enough to draw their attention back to him. "There's a wolf. Right behind you." His voice wavered slightly, uneasy. "Look."