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Artie and Gerri were keeping an opening clear as everyone was able to get through the enclosure that the Oracles had created. It was the first time that I had seen Gerri put any effort into anything. Her teeth were clenched and she was holding Artie's hand. They both had their palms turned to the opening that was swiftly closing. The other packs got through and when I got a glimpse, I saw that Gerri was leading them into her court.
Artie was panting and sweating and finally, everyone was through. The only people that remained were Gerri, Artie, Billie, and myself.
Gerri looked over her shoulder at me. "Go."
I looked back at where the town square was and saw clouds gathering over it. There were dark gray and angry looking. I could hear my sister's voice down there, faint and angry. I knew that she was demanding my return, unable to realize that I had made my choice, a long time ago.
I stepped back away from the opening and shook my head. "I have to go. I have to help them."
Gerri narrowed her eyes and me and under any other circumstances, I probably would have buckled and done as she asked. But this didn't feel right. It didn't feel right to leave them behind.
Whatever new senses I had gained from being part of whatever Gerri was, were screaming out to me. I could feel them losing. I knew that Eli was already hurt, knew that Celia would not leave his side. That left Dante as the only fighter and if I knew anything else about Bianca, I knew she would bring Jessica with her tonight.
Jessica was born from a long line of witches is herself. She was powerful, but probably not as powerful as Lou. But she definitely had more knowledge than Lou did. She knew what she could and couldn't do and had honed her own strengths to a razor-sharp point.
"I have to help them."
Gerri was angry at me, I knew. She was giving me safety and comfort and I was pulling away from her.
"If you knew them like I do, you would do the same thing."
Artie turned and looked at me. "Celia told us to go."
"She told you to go. I'm not part of her pack, not yet."
I looked over at Billie. She seemed like she was on the verge of running back too. I gave her a small smile then I picked her up and pushed her through the opening. She screamed at me in indignation and tried to come back through. But I was faster than her now, faster than Artie too. I did the same thing to him, pushed him roughly through the opening and then it was closed, like a crack of lightning.
Gerri looked at me, exasperation written all over her face. "I can't open it again. Not by myself."
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
There was a glimmer of respect in her eyes she stared me down. "No, you aren't."
I wasn't. We turned away from the opening and ran for the town square.
***
WHEN WE GOT TO THE town square, it's chaos. I could hear Bianca screaming but I couldn't see her. Just as I thought, Jessica was standing high on top of the vehicles. Stephen was there too, with a large gun against his shoulder. He kept trying to aim for Jessica but was being buffered by harsh winds.
"This is why I stay out of the affairs of mortals," Gerri said calmly.
I looked for Celia and Eli, but could not find them anywhere. The rain and the wind were overpowering and I stumbled for a moment. Gerri set me up straight and I looked around for Lou. He seemed to be at a loss and when I saw what he was looking at, I understood why.
There was a man in a suit and he had Azolata pinned against the wall. They were speaking quietly and rapidly to each other, cursing each other, in a language that I didn't understand.
The ground beneath us rolled again and at this Gerri finally looked concerned.
I was horrified when I saw the man grab Azolata's neck. Azolata struck out and it was like I was seeing everything in a strobe light. It kept going dark and then bright again, over and over. I saw Azolata strike out at the man but he remained unmoved.
Too late, I realized I wasn't the only one watching. Stephen let out an animalistic scream and turned his gun on the man holding Azolata. He shot him over and over and when he was out, he reloaded smoothly, barely pausing. The man turned, his suit ruined by all those bullets Stephen was shooting, and I realized that he was going to kill Stephen.
In the short time that I had been turned into whatever Gerri had turned me into, I realized how fragile humans were, how fragile I was, and how easy it would be for this man to kill Stephen.
Azolata struggled against whatever was holding him to the wall. It was clasped around his neck like a collar and held him pinned against the brick wall behind him. It was bright white and I could barely stand to look at it. Then, Azolata stopped struggling when he realized what the man in the ruined suit was going to do. His eyes scanned through the wind and the rain and saw Gerri and I standing near the shadows. His eyes were pleading and I didn't need to hear him to know what he was asking me.
Please. Please.
I headed straight for Stephen, barely beating the other man to him. I wrapped one arm around his waist and jerked him back, just in time. Stephen gasped and I heard his gun clatter to the ground. He clawed at me and then realized who I was.
“You have to go,” I whispered but we were already gone, leaving the man and Azolata far behind. Before I did though, I caught a glimpse of the man and saw the anger in his eyes, the deep, cold rage, and ran.