Vanished

Chapter Thirty-Five

When they walked to the plaza, Jason held Bella's hand. Kids surrounded them as if it were a schoolyard brawl for lunch money. Only Simcoe people had mainly been there, with a couple from Uden Academy watching from a distance. Greyson wasn't there yet, as he sat Bella on a bench out of range for injury.

"I'll be fine," he reassured. She didn't say anything but looked up with tired eyes.

Jason could tell Bella wasn't sleeping and barely looked up. He had considered checking on Cindy and how she was doing after Melany was shot. Esme had said she would be helping him out in this fight if Greyson brought thugs to do his dirty work.

This meant vanishing today. Soon, people would see them vanish into an unknown place. Did they die or wake up from this nightmare?

Jason knew he didn't want to leave. If something or someone tried to convince or force him, he'd refuse. He wanted to stay, even if this place had been considered wreckage and fearsome.

Hearing a vehicle pull up, Greyson climbed out with a proud smile. Scarlett stood next to the SUV, with dozens of other kids from both sides coming to watch.

"Quite a crowd we have," Greyson said, grinning. If this got Greyson at least out of Simcoe, they'd have some relative peace.

"Maybe they'll blast some fireworks for our birthday," Jason said dryly.

Greyson laughed and raised his hand. One large piece of the water fountain came flying toward him as he placed his hands out, and the blue and white light shot out. It broke it and made it slam beside him. Greyson appeared impatient, as Jason felt it himself.

"Do we really have to be doing this? I'd rather be having some ice cream," Jason remarked, feeling himself stagger by an invisible punch to the gut.

Jason spotted James sitting on the church staircase with Emma, and the camera was pointed in their direction. He held out his hand and directed it at Greyson, but a bench caught fire instead of him. He spotted, at the corner of his eye, one of the off-road cars making its way toward him. In a quick motion, it flew directly at him.

People screamed and ran while he put out his hands, setting the car into flames. "If we keep fighting like this, we'll burn the town down," Jason stated.

Jason heard the loud sound of water spraying the car, which was now flipped over with Zane holding the hose.

"Wait until after!" Greyson yelled.

Jason held out his hands, directing them at Greyson's arm. He couldn't burn it off but would rather burn it. Jason fired and hit Greyson's leg directly, making him yelp.

Greyson held out his hand, teeth clenched, with one wooden bench thrown toward him. Hands out, he shot that blue light, but most of the bench still knocked him on the ground.

Stumbling his way up, Greyson glared at him with a burned pant leg. "Five minutes," someone called out.

"Five minutes, then it's bye-bye," Greyson remarked.

"Eight minutes for you then?" Jason inquired. He felt dizzy, but he wasn't walking away like at Uden. No, he'd face Greyson to get him to leave.

Jason rushed to Greyson, which seemed to startle him. He faced his palms toward him as Jason felt a blow to the cheek from an invisible hand. Stumbling, he narrowed his eyebrows at his brother.

Even if he didn't know much about his killer light that could burn anything, he knew how to control it to a degree where someone wouldn't get a body part burned off. Unless it really needed to be done.

"Two minutes," Nevaeh implied, throwing a flower basket at him, which he burned in an instant. Even if Greyson was losing, he still grinned pridefully.

"Soon," Greyson rolled off his tongue.