Chapter Thirty Four
Blaire
BeaconGrovewasmayhem.
Movement Members held the advantage in numbers, but they lacked the gifts we had. They didn't share our passion or devotion, either.
In fact, they appeared to lack any sort of emotion at all. They fought against us like mindless zombies, hardly even reacting to the blows they were given. It was a jarring sight.
Time and time again, I watched them take hard hits—to the face, torso, legs, everywhere—and simply get back up as if nothing happened. As if they were under some kind of war trance, programmed to self-destruct. To run themselves in the ground fighting for Rayner’s cause.
But Quarter Supporters fought with spirit and grit.
With their hearts.
I was proud to stand beside my neighbors—my family—as we defended our town and coven.
Grammy and Mom hung back, not seeking physical altercations, but taking them on if need be. Storie and Remy worked on the west side, siphoning their powers from the ocean to drown Members where they stood. Lux drew wisps of wind on the east side that knocked groups of them onto their backs, allowing Quarter Supporters to rush in and unarm them.
Rhyse threw flames from his hands on the front line, scorching the earth at their feet to scare them back and burning their skin if they got too close. Enzo fought right beside him, churning up the earth beneath them so they tripped and fell. Vines grew out of nowhere and wrapped around their limbs, holding them down as Quarter Supporters came behind and attacked.
The Quarters may not have been working with the full capacity of their powers, but they were still a deadly opponent.
I harnessed all my gifts—throwing fire, kicking up the earth, splashing water, and pushing air at my opponents as they came. Those who fought beside me were surprised to see such magic come from my fingertips. They paused and gaped at the strange girl, who had always been treated as more of a nuisance than anything, now saving their lives. I didn’t stay in one spot long enough for anyone to question me.
The most aggressive Members received the most vicious defense, often resulting in their death.
But we tried our best not to get to that point, especially the Quarters. We were fighting for life—for good. It wasn’t lost on us that the enemy consisted of those who were once our friends. The baristas that served our coffee every morning. The chefs that fed us. The police that defended us.
Deep down, we knew they were still in there.
We only wanted to take down one man, and he was too much of a coward to show up and fight for his own cause.
Kyle and his police officers fought beside Rhyse and Enzo, the only ones comfortable enough to wield their weapons. I kept him in my line of sight the entire time, often bobbing or weaving to ensure I could still track him down in the wreckage.
He was fighting this war for Beacon Grove, but he had a past with Rayner that most of us didn’t understand. A long history of pain and suffering at the hand of the man who was hellbent on turning our town to rubble.
That was why I knew that when I saw those two men pulling his mother and sister into the woods, it was a trap. One that would lead right to Rayner.
And when I turned toward the man I love and saw his horror-stricken face, I knew he’d fall into it.
I knew he’d take the chance to end it.
I called out to him, screamed and pleaded for him to stop, uncaring of who heard. I loudly begged him to think about what he was doing, to wait for one of us to come with him. But he ignored my screeching, only increasing his pace as the four figures disappeared behind the brush.
And I had no choice but to follow.