Why?

[Will Wright]

Will kept hearing the shouts; the blood, the screams, the gunshots, metal scraping metal, the stench of death, the stale, dried, blood. The bodies.
Crunch, crunch, cunch...
People flying over head. Arrows whizzing past or bullets. Smoke, fire, winds, ice, water, lightning, explosions, earth moving beneath your feet, boulders flying past, people sacrificing themselves for their loved ones or their friends.
Crunch, crunch, crunch...
Healing, caring, saying goodbyes. Saving some, losing more than they liked. Responsibilities. Her friends, everyone she cared for back home, dead. Godparents were nice enough but they weren't home.
Crunch, crunch, crunch...
"Hi Will," Jessen called out.
"Hey Jessen. How are you?" Will gave him a hug and stepped away.
"Fine, bit cold, how are you?"
"Not the best, but fine," Will replied truthfully. Well as truthful as she felt like being.
"Come with me," Jessen trudged around her and down the hill some more, towards BlueBerg forest.
BlueBerg. Out of all the names why BlueBerg?
Will had far to much spare time now days. She spent most of her time thinking about death and war. She wasn't emo but she did have time to think.
What happened to the old days where she thought about happy things?
"Soo, what are you going to show me?" Will broke the silence.
"Show you? What makes you think I have something to show you?" Jessen stopped and stared at her.
"Well, why else would you want to meet me here and why would you be dragging me near to the forest?"
"You are smart, you know that?" Jessen smiled at her and put her arm around her neck.
"Thanks, but I'm not as smart as one of my friends. She's really smart and she's a really good friend to have," Will told him fondly.
Well she was.
"Who is she?"
"Macy,"
"Macy?"
"Macy!" Will replied.
"Macy Macy, I guess her parents had some humour calling her Macy when her surname is Macy too,"
"Noo! Macy, isn't her surname dopey,"
"Then what is it?"
"Not telling!" Will replied quickly. She had enough sense not to share surnames of the pupils. Especially not the Heads.
"Secretive, aren't we?!" he asked rhetorically.
"Very,"
"It was a rhetorical question, you weren't supposed to answer back,"
"I know it was but I still did," Will nudged him.
They got nearer to the trees and she started to wonder what he was going to show her. It was weird, she'd explored around here and there was nothing to see.
"Jessen, where are you taking me?" she felt uneasy with every step she took now. The hairs on the back of her neck started to prickle.
"You'll see, don't worry, it's nothing bad," Jessen replied but different thoughts were running through his brain as he said this.
"Have you ever killed someone?" Will asked.
"What?"
"Have you ever killed someone? Or stabbed anyone?" Will repeated.
Yes, plenty of times, "No, why would you think that?"
"No reason, just wondering,"
"No, you have a reason, what is it?"
"Look, I've had a bad past and I'm more aware of people I meet now," Will looked into his eyes. He was hiding something, she could sense it.
"No Will, I haven't," Well your present isn't going to get any better!
"Ok," Will still didn't believe him. He was acting weird. Too weird.
"Will are you ok?"
"Fine, why?"
"I dunno, you seem on edge, that's all,"
"I'm fine,"
"Ok then. So how is Anton?"
"What? How would I know?" Will asked defensively.
"Well, aren't you telepathic or something?"
"No, anyway how do you know I have powers?"
"Instinct?"
"I don't think so," Will was apprehensive now, "Have you been looking up on me?"
"Now why would I want to do that?"
"I don't know, but did you?"
"No, don't you trust me?"
Did she?
She was getting uncertain by the second. This guy was starting to give her the creeps more and more now. It didn't make any sense.
"Well, do you or don't you?" his voice rose slightly.
"I don't know," Will was now scared. She had seen people in rage but Jessen was not like any ordinary person, there was something...unusual about him.
"You don't know? I've treated you nicely. What's the matter? What's new?"
"A lot, what's the matter with you Jessen?" Will asked again.
"Nothing bad, unlike you,"
"What?" Will asked in a shaky voice.
"Oh, your past, your mum and dad, Anton,"
"Stop it," Will was tearing.
"Hit a nerve have I? Well I see Major has some weaklings in the school"
"Why? How do you know those things?"
"Think,"
"You live in Cardsdale, you couldn't possibly know all that unless...unless..."
"Unless I'm in with the enemy!" Jessen finished for her.
"Why? What do you want?"
"Why? Because the enemy are right. Marius is the stronger of the two and the wiser. He knows what he's doing and he can make the world better. But Major doesn't see that, the fool. As for what I want?" Jessen's eyes glinted.
Will's eyes were drawn to a dagger lying in his hand. Her eyes widened and she turned to run but Jessen caught her.
"Ah, ah, I've waited too long. Besides, I don't think anyone would miss you too much," Jessen had her held tight on the upper arm so she couldn't escape.
"Say hi to mum and dad for me now and Anton,"
Will sank to the ground. The knife slipped into her like nothing. Easy as jelly. Just like that.
Blood ran down from her stomach. Her face contorted in pain.
"Oh and don't try to heal yourself, it'll only make the poison spread faster," Jessen took the dagger out of her and threw snow over her to try and hide her.
She heard him walk of, she tried to speak but couldn't. Tried to move, nada. Tried to heal herself, well he could've been lying. No, she could feel the warm stinging feeling spreading through her.
She wasn't going to let herself pass out.
Her thoughts were flying in her head and this was one of them,
Somebody find me! Please...

[Jack Trove]

Ten minutes later...

Jack ached all over. His head was throbbing; his eyes felt puffy, and his legs wouldn't stop hurting. He'd been so desperate to get back to Orchid, he'd traveled straight through the night; not pausing once to stop and rest, except of course on the taxi and train.
He couldn't stick it, he guessed. The lack of atmosphere. The lack of... anything. He hadn't expected any more of his parents- they were always... like they were. But Mal... It got to him, how much his brother had changed- how much it proved any person could change. He felt the cheque in his pocket, and tried to tell himself that he was reassured- that he didn't need his brother, or his family.
He was going to be his own person- make his own living.
But... what if he couldn't?
Jack sighed, slowing down on the winding country roads. Finally, Orchid Hill was in sight, and he could hardly summon the energy to make it there! He stared at his path, tracing the route several times with his eyes, then took another look the other way. He was traveling around the edge of BlueBerg Forest at the moment... but god, oh god- wouldn't it just be so much easier to take a short-cut? After all, he reasoned, he was a student. In BlueBerg, students didn't come to any harm. The Carers went in there all the time- tended to animals, plants, whatever. Well, Jack was a Warrior. If a bunch of Carers could go in there, and be alright, why the hell couldn't he?
His resolve strengthened, he stretched, adjusting the straps of his rucksack; loosening then tightening them. Cutting across the fields, he broke through past the trees and into BlueBerg Forest, immediately feeling the crunch of dried leaves beneath his feet. He brushed past the trees, and their branches, getting through the denser part, until he finally broke free into an area where he could move about more easily. Above him, the snowcapped trees held the constant threat of burial, and he felt relieved that he actually had the power of fire, so he could melt his way out if necessary. Beneath him, snow was gathered in odd areas- a pile here and there- and as he walked, he soon came across a pair of footprints, their steps appearing here and there in the soft, crunchy piles of snow.
Jack looked up, trying to see through the trees, but Orchid had completely disappeared from view. Sighing, Jack chose instead to follow these footsteps, hoping they'd lead him somewhere good. Unfortunately, they seemed to be winding around again, diving back into the denser, darker part of the forest. He bit his lip, trying and failing to see in front of him. Patches of weak sunlight fell through the leaves of the canopy above, but they did little to help...
Then, suddenly, amongst the dappled light and shadow; of black and white and brown... he saw a flash of scarlet.
He stopped, squinting as he peered through the branches. A soft pile of snow, bigger than a lot of the others, had been piled up there; like a snowman knocked over by some kids. Jack stepped forward, pulling a branch out of his way so that he was able to navigate his broad shoulders through.
The pure white snow; apparently untouched; was moving.
Drops of scarlet decorated the snow; and the area all around. From what Jack could see, this was were the footprints ended. Instinct kicking in as a warning, Jack felt a slick, cold sweat break out over his forehead. Dropping to his knees in the snow, he immediately began to dig through it; heating his hands and turning it to mush as he pushed it aside. Then, he seemed to break through the the middle of the pile, and as he pushed aside another glob of snow...
The blood was everywhere.
Jack's desperate hands reached through, and his arms closed around a pair of shoulders. Grunting, Jack pushing more and more of the snow aside, began to pull the body out of the pile... and more blood fell, drops of scarlet as red as her hair.
As red as her hair.
Will.
To the touch, she was like ice; cold and numb. The snow seemed to have frozen her, and it did not seem to want to let go of her. Its flakes still clung determinedly to her hair; across her face and coat. And through her coat. Jack felt sick at the sight. Her stomach had been slashed open; stabbed straight through, and the skin had torn as he'd dragged her out. Fresh blood dripped from her wound, and through it, Jack felt his heart give a sickening throb...
... her innards glistened like jelly in the weak sunlight.
Immediately, Jack ripped the coat off of her; exposing her top, and bare arms, where the blood had stained further. Grabbing her arms, Jack let the warmth of his fire powers pass through his fingertips; trying to warm her up. Yet no colour returned to her cheeks- her eyes remained closed; her lips parted...
Like... like she was sleeping...
But he could feel it; beneath his finger- he could feel the weak beat of her pulse. It was faint, but it was there, and he could've cried for the relief of it.
Or be sick at the smell of the blood.
Being sick wasn't an option.
Focus, Jack.
Groaning, he realized that he wasn't making any difference. Giving up, Jack knew there was only one thing he could really do now. Slipping his arms carefully around Will; he picked up. Her limbs trailed; fragile and breakable- just like a doll. She was a doll. A scarlet, dying doll.
She's not dying!
Determinedly, Jack gathered Will close, ignoring her blood as it stained his jacket and his hands. Easily retracing his steps at a run, Jack found the countryside path once more.
Now all he had to do was run, and keep running...
... before she ran out of time.