Powerless

Ch.8

Amity's head throbbed. The last thing she remembered she had collapsed in Luz's arms. Then everything went dark. Her ears rang and her brain racked for answers. She tried to make sense of the situation.

'Am I dead?' she asked herself.

She couldn't feel anything, could it be she had gone numb? She had tried calling out to Luz but she had no idea if she had succeeded. That was when the voice returned. 

'Your'e still alive...'

Amity, instead of cowering, confronted the voice. 'Surprised?'

'Quite,' the voice responded.

Amity was beginning to get annoyed. 'So you took my powers, care to tell my why.'

The voice didn't respond. 

Amity had anger in her voice. 'Do you?'

'Are you sure you want to know is the real question?'

Amity thought for a long, hard moment. Did she want to know the truth? She knew that whatever happened from now... things would never be the same again. She took a deep breath.

'I'm sure.'

'It wasn't your powers I was sent to take that night.'

Amity stopped the voice. 'You said you were sent, by who?'

The voice hesitated. 'I cannot tell.'

Amity snapped back. 'I'm dying, who would I tell?'

The voice chuckled. 'Your'e smart, I'll give you that.'

'Continue,' Amity commanded.

'The Emperor, he sent me, gave me the power I needed to do the deed, promised I would be free for Eternity if I did as I was told. But here I am, with no power myself. I keep trying...'

Amity was hit by a sudden wave of fear, the same fear she had felt that night. Vivid images filled her head. She saw Luz tearing her note apart ,rejecting her. She saw her parents disowning her and calling her a failure, she saw herself... powerless. The images stopped suddenly and she gasped for air.

'But I am so weak... he said the powers would be mine, make me stronger...'

Amity shuddered. 'Grometheus.'

Grometheus huffed in approval. 'The one and only.'

Amity carried on with her unanswered questions. 'You said you weren't meant to take my powers that night, you were supposed to take someone else's powers... whose?'

Grom responded with mischief in his voice. 'The human's, Luz.'

Amity listened in disbelief. 'What? W-what happened, why did you take mine.'

Grom laughed. 'Foolish girl, I could feel the power surging in you, you are so POWERFUL.'

Amity didn't know what to say. She had just one thing on her mind. Rather her than Luz. She could never bear to see Luz die. Then it hit her... how did Luz feel? Amity felt like crying, her heart filled with pain. Pain... all she felt was pain. Overcome by it she drifted back into the darkness.

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Luz woke to find Amity in a fit. She was shuddering and had broken out in a cold sweat. Luz hurriedly put a damp cloth on her forehead. 

"Just breathe Amity... Luz is here." 

But Amity didn't calm down. She grabbed Luz's wrists in a panic. Amity began to cry as she slept. Luz lifted her gently and held her in her warm embrace. She stroked Amity's green hair and tried to calm her down.

"Shhh, it's okay Am. Everything is okay!"

Amity buried her head in Luz's shoulder crying and and shaking. Luz held her in her arms.

"Amity please... you don't need to cry... I'm right here... I'm right here."

Amity took a shaky breath. "Luz... help..."

Luz began to panic. What if Amity needed her... No, she shook out of it. The best she could do was be there for Amity when she needed her. But yet she still felt guilt that she couldn't save her, she looked back at the book at the head of bed. 

"Third time lucky?" she said while picking it up and turning to the page she needed. She lay Amity down on the bed and stood up.

She closed her eyes and outstretched her hand to Amity.

She was about to begin the incantation when her window suddenly cracked and glass spilled onto the floor. She whipped around only to feel a tight hand grasp her mouth. She tried to scream for Eda. But nothing came out her mouth. The last thing she saw was Amity falling out the window beside her, held by some figure, then the ground beneath her feet..... and then total darkness.

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