Chapter 4: A Raven's Call

Sara awakens from her fall, and shockes the crowd, as well as those watching from above.

Sara was unconsious for only a minute when she began to stir. She opened her eyes, her vision being nothing but the blurry shapes of the remaining crowd. She sat up, her head pounding, a lump rising on the back of her head. She stood up and her vision came back into focus. The lights from the jack-o-lanterns had gone out, and the barriers blocking the sidestreets had vanished. She looked over at Marietta, who had backed away slightly, her face pale and fearful. The stage was littered with the remains of the bubbles, glinting like diamonds in the dim streetlight. She looked out to see the shock etched on the faces of the crowd. She felt her face go red, then ran off the stage and through the archway the others had gone through.

 

All she could think about was Derek. She had to see her best friend one last time. She had to say goodbye, and to make sure that he would come and save her.

 

The ground was slippery as she ran down the alleyway. It was only a matter of time before they caught up to her, but she had to try. Just as she rounded a corner she ran smack into a tall boy with bright orange hair. She looked up to see a winded Derek, and before she could stop herself, Sara burst into tears.

 

"Sara, what's wrong?" Derek asked, steadying himself.

"I don't have much time to talk." Sara sobbed, hugging Derek around his middriff. "They'll be coming for me any minute now."

"Why? What happened?" Derek said, panic in his voice.

"Something happened when I went up...Derek... I need you to promise...that whatever happens, you'll come looking for me." Sara hiccuped into Derek's shirt. She looked up to see him looking down at her. His expression changed from panic to confusion, then to shock. "What?"

"Sara...your face.."

"Derek, this isn't the f*****g time to talk about my ugly-crying."

"Not that! You have markings."

"...no I don't."

"Yea, you do." Derek pointed to a mirror on the nearest bus. "Look."

 

Sara ran over to it and looked at her tear-streaked reflection. Derek was right, she did have markings. There was a small spiral branching off her right right eye, and lining just below her waterline. It wasn't blue, or green, or even black, but silver. The nearby streetlamp made the markings sparkle, almost as if there were diamonds etched into her face. She touched them, feeling the indent in her skin they made. And despite she had been crying snotty tears, her currently gray eyes looked more ornate than ever. She looked back at Derek, who was smiling. She smiled and hugged him even harder, a warm feeling of happiness and relief washing over her. She wasn't getting sent away. She wasn't leaving her best friend. Everything was going to be ok.

 

Sara and Derek had been too overwhelmed with happiness to notice the raven perched on a nearby streetlamp. The raven watched as the last few students came out through the tunnel and head towards their original buses. Sara and Derek only broke apart when the engines began to rumble, then boarded their bus. The raven took off as the last bus rolled out the wooden gate toward Salem. It soared through the tunnel, back into the square and up towards the clock tower. It flew through a hole in the roof, dodging the rafters, and rested on a patch of railing next to a Banshee. The Banshee was nothing but pure grey smoke. Her eyes were black and empty on her emotionless face.

 

"The girl is the one." announced the raven in a deep voice.

"Impossible." Hissed the Banshee in a low wisper, flashing her dagger teeth.

"She is. I saw it with my very own eyes. You saw it too."

"That Wikka couldn't cast a proper Involucro if her exsistence depended on it!" Screetched the Banshee, her voice causing the glass of the clock to crack.

"Nevertheless, I believe this girl is the one. We must tell the queen." the raven said wisely.

"No. This has happened plenty of times before. The girl will be dead within a year just like the others. No one has ever survived Silver before."

"Alright, if you say so." said the raven. "However, in case you are wrong, I will be making the effort to make myself scarce when the queen calls you."

 

The raven took off as the Banshee screamed and flew at the face of the clock. The glass broke as the Banshee changed to a skeleton of white smoke, the black eyes still shining.  They both dissappeared into the night, the clock reparing itself and the stage disappearing from the swuare below. As the clock struck one, it was as if history had never been made.

Author's Note

hope you like it!