The Little Lightning Girl

9-Reckless, Reckmore

Alana's POV

It was a last ditch effort plan, and I wasn't sure if we would make it out alive, but I had thought of every possibility, of every outcome, and this was our best option. Our only option. My determination was only strengthened by the fact that last night, James and I sat in our cells and didn't say a word as we listened to Pietro screaming. He was caught sneaking to my cell, and then they found the notes that we'd written to each other, that he'd foolishly not destroyed. And so they thought that he knew something about us, something we'd told him but wouldn't tell the rest of them while they tortured us.

I had heard when they took him away, and I'd heard when he started getting tortured. But for my own survival, and for James's, I didn't say a word. If we tried to put a stop to it, it was highly possible that they'd just put more guards on us and our whole escape plan would be worthless. I knew that it would be my greatest shame, that I wouldn't help a friend to save my own skin. But logic overcame loyalty once again, and I knew that even if I had intervened, they still would have killed him sooner or later. And I still would have heard it when they did.

The next day, I pulled Pietro's wand from my pants and stood in my cell. I softly knocked three times on the wall that stood between James's cell and mine, our signal that the plan was in motion. Then I blasted the lock off of my cell door and burst through, quickly going over to do the same to the door on James's cell. Pietro had managed to negate all of the containment spells they'd put on our cells a few days ago, but I couldn't think about him right now.

James and I rushed towards the end of the hallway on the west end and just as we'd discussed at least ten times, James lifted me onto his shoulders and boosted me into the air vent. Then he ran.

I crawled through the vent until I could see into the room where they dined every meal, the long table full of death eaters, each one silent, but feasting. Pietro's wand was basically in rigged to explode. It was going to be an explosion powerful enough that if I were anywhere near it, I wouldn't survive. So I carefully placed the wand down and started scooting backwards, out the way I came in. It was all going wonderfully until I heard a shout.

"THEY'RE GONE!"

I'd spent enough time around him to know that it was the bald fat man that shouted. And I knew he was talking about me and James. I also knew that if I dropped out of the air vent now, he'd see me and there would be no escaping. But if I didn't... they'd go searching for James, and I couldn't let him get captured. Without letting myself think about it any further, I jumped from the air vent and landed with a thud, right behind the fat man.

He froze, and then turned around. I was sure I looked like a deer in headlights, but there was nothing to be done when he grabbed my arm and started hauling me towards the dining area. I couldn't be in that room when the explosion went off in two minutes. I couldn't be in there or I would die.

So I fought. I kicked the fat man in the kneecap and bit his hand when he tried to slap me. Then I pulled every last ounce of energy I had into the crackling electricity that I formed into a ball with my hands. I could feel it draining me as it grew but I poured my desperation into it. The fat man's eyes widened in confusion, then, just before he reached to grab me again, I slammed the ball of lightning into his chest with a roar and ran towards the east.

But not fast enough. I felt the floor start to shake and despite how fast I ran, it didn't stop me from being blown sky high, through the roof with a blinding pain, and when I screamed, I fell.

James's POV
The Explosion

I had never run harder in my life. Down the hallways that I'd mentally mapped out these past few weeks, my bare feet thudding against the concrete as I sprinted.