Witches in Training (#2 in the Witches Trilogy) [rewrites ongoing]

Chapter Ten: The Fire

VINNI

When struck by an emergency, it's like a whole other side of me takes over.

I grab Vera's shoulders. "Is there anyone else inside?" She shakes her head.

"No-"

"Yes!" One of Vera's friends-Jon?-cuts in. "There was someone with Parker. A girl. I don't know her."

I straighten and look at Jon. "Parker?" I repeat. "He did this?"

"Pretty sure." My eyes narrow automatically. Why would he want to burn down the Education Building?

Paige swiftly exchanges glances with Anne. "The spy." Anne nods. I open my mouth to demand details, but Paige quickly fills me in before I can say a word.

"I have no idea who she is either, but if she's in cahoots with Parker-" I point to the blazing building, "I somehow doubt they'd kamikaze in there." Paige shrugs. "Wait." A dreadful thought hit me like a bullet. "Russell. He comes around here at night sometimes, what if-" My words are sharply cut off by an explosion that rocks the ground. Smoke starts pouring out an eighth-floor window.

"Did you hear that?" Jon says abruptly, pinpointing the explosion source with sharp eyes. "Breaking glass-"

I don't hear the rest of his sentence; I'm already up in the air, chanelling the smoke away by controlling the air. The heat slaps me, and the flames jump out at me, but I have a goal and like the stubborn girl I am, I'm not backing down until I complete it. A flash of a wing in the window catches my eye. Thrusting out my palm, I clear away the thick smoke with a jet of clean air, then dive through the window.

Although I'm geared up for a rescue mission, I'm not prepared for the sharp pain that follows as jagged glass slices my arm. "Just once," I mutter, "I'd like to see this kind of thing happen in movies."

I turn my head slightly as I enter the room to survey the cut. The glass has cut through my sleeve and red dominates the gash, but it doesn't seem to be life or death. "Fine, be that way." I grumble at it, and use my free hand to cover the wound as I vanquish another sheet of smoke.

Then I see him. Russell. He's unconscious, lying amidst the flames, but encased by a protective shield. Thank God for fairy dust. Only problem is, how do I get him out? There's no way I can carry him. The idea suddenly occurs to me. Telekinesis. I could try, but I'd need to obliterate the entire wall in order to create a gap big enough to fly out safely while levitating him.

Jess.

My telepathic connection holds. She replies quickly. Need to get rid of the wall?

My sentiments exactly.

Hang on.

I glance out the window, then worriedly at the abnormal black tinged flames that reveal magic tampering... and then back out the window in alarm. Vera-who's hardly twelve-is the one stretching out her hand towards the wall, eyes shut. Call me unsupportive, but I've seen Vera's power in action and usually, it's blow-random-stuff-up uncontrollable.

I leap backwards as another explosion hits. Raging orange and blue fire spreads across the wall, but subsides as quickly as it came, melting the wall into nonexistence like it's paper. Well, whaddya know. Ver must have been practicing that one.

At my will, Russell's limp body floats out the building and I fly closely behind, expelling smoke when necessary, carefully making the descent.

"Are you hurt?" Jess asks, watching me.

I glance at the cut on my arm, which, thanks to this useful little magic skill called healing, has already closed up. "I'm fine. But count fireman out of my list of possible future jobs." Jess smiles and shakes her head as Kieran inspects Russell.