“No!” My scream echoed across the mountainside as I watched in horror as my sister fell. I cannot guide what I cannot see, and I didn’t have a chance to get a grip on her before she plummeted. My hands shot out in her direction, but the surge of power I’d sent to grab her went over her head. I saw a streak of blue do the same and knew Jamie had missed as well.
Fumbling through Cadence’s stream of consciousness, I tried again, hoping I’d be able to figure out how to get my powers around her before she hit the ground, but she was moving too fast, and without my eyes on her, I wouldn’t be able to get a grip.
Part of me wanted to at least jump into her head, to be with her, to let her know she was okay, but then, the thought of what she was about to endure, when she hit the tops of the trees and then cascaded down through them to the earth, I couldn’t bear the thought, and I knew she wouldn’t want me to see it.
I was already moving that direction, flying as quickly as I could after her, hoping we could reach her in time. Jamie must’ve taken off in a sprint before I even realized what was happening because he was almost to the edge of the drop-off well ahead of me. “Got me?” he said and jumped before I could even answer.
“Yes, I’ve got you.” I did, too. I had him before he left my field of vision, so I could lower him even if I couldn’t see him. But I got to the edge before he hit the ground and was able to lower him down as I went over myself.
Heather assured me she had Aaron, but I didn’t respond. Jamie was down there now, and blue light glowed from between the trees. My feet touched the ground, but I didn’t move yet. I was too afraid to know what lay ahead of me.
“Cass? Can you help me down, or are you....”
“Yes,” I said to Brandon and looked up over my shoulder as he came over the side of the cliff. Elliott was already on his way, too, and I assumed Heather had him because Aaron was standing beside me, also not moving. He didn’t even seem to notice me standing there, and that was okay. If anyone in the world was more worried than me, it was him.
Brandon’s arms came around me as Aaron started to move toward Jamie’s light. I could hear the doctor behind the trees, talking to her. Telling her she was all right now, that she could open her eyes. But I knew. I knew without feeling out into the universe, without using any special powers, without utilizing my IAC. My sister’s body was lying on the ground on a pile of leaves and pine needles. But Cadence was gone.
My mind traveled backward in time, through the years, through everything we’d been through, to when we were younger. Vivid snapshots of her filled my mind. A visit to the zoo, Christmas, a birthday party. Her smile and those warm brown eyes had stayed the same over the years. I remembered, even when I was very little, I knew she wasn’t just my big sis, but she was the best friend I’d ever have.
She was always so much more confident than I was, so outgoing and friendly. Cadence never worried about what anyone else thought, never cared. She just did what she wanted to do, and people still loved her for being herself.
Everything she did, she did so well, from cheerleading to choir to any sport she ever tried. She’d played basketball in middle school, then decided to focus on cheer in high school, but she could’ve done both. In the summer, she’d played softball for a few years and even tried cross country running in high school. The medals were nice, but she didn’t want to stick with it.
I thought back to that night when I heard an unfamiliar voice in her room which turned out to be Aaron. The night Drew had died, and Cadence had been whisked back to the house by Jamie on a motorcycle, only to be taken away in a Lamborghini by Eliza a few minutes later. I had eventually come to the conclusion that my sister must be a Vampire. If Elliott hadn’t set me straight a few months later, I’d probably still think that.
I’d probably be home in Shenandoah, Iowa, a human girl, a junior in high school, still going to classes, still crushing on Liam White, still thinking my sister was a bloodsucker.
What if I hadn’t heard the conversation at all? I wouldn’t know any of these people, know that this world even exists. I was standing here because of my sister. I became who I am today because she decided to become what she is—a superhero. Humanity will never know how many lives were saved because my sister was brave enough to answer the call and become the greatest Vampire Hunter to ever live.
That’s probably why Daunator did what he did.
It didn’t take me long to put it all together. He had wanted her to attack him, by herself. He had let her get through his creatures and then closed up the path so she’d be alone—essentially. Christian didn’t count. And then, when he died, he took her with him.
I should’ve been paying better attention. I shouldn’t have been so far away from her. I should’ve flown up there and helped her instead of staying in the back fighting those stupid minions. I stood there, in the forest, for a really long time, thinking about all the things I could’ve done differently. I assumed that’s what Aaron was doing, too, because it took him longer to step through the trees in front of us than I’d expected.
After Aaron finally moved forward, I followed, staying back a little bit. I didn’t want to see her like that. I had never seen a person’s body after they’ve fallen that far, but I could imagine what it was like.