The Fifth World

Bo: "It is taking too long," Janine whispers. Many people have gotten comfortable and are sitting down but all are still worrying. "Something is wrong."

Janine is sitting in one of the very corners of the room, her knees in her chest. Nancy's arm is around her. Felicity sits beside Nancy with an expression of concentration on her face. I sit in an uncomfortable plastic chair, my legs crossed and my head in my hands. It is an understatement to say that I am worried. I am worried for everyone - not just Caine or Cynric... I used to think I was selfish, selfish for only worrying about the ones I care about and having barely a care if somebody else was killed instead of the person I love most... but now I am extremely afraid... afraid for Cynric, for Caine, for Isabelle, Calhoun, Wendell and everybody else. One dead body, one innocent life taken would be so hard to accept for me and everybody else. These are good people here in Seabrooke. Nobody deserves anything less than what they had before tonight.

"I should go down there," I hear Nancy say, I turn around and almost open my mouth to say something to Nancy but Felicity has already beat me to it.

"Don't be stupid. You out of all people do not belong down there. If it is anyone it should be me."

I take a good look at Felicity. Her long and skinny body is outstretched yet somehow tense. Her hands are curled into balls whilst her hair is tied up in a messy ponytail. She is stressed and afraid... and I know why. It is because that her kind are down there bringing this terror among this town and maybe she feels to blame... or maybe she feels as if she doesn't belong here and that people will hold that against her.
I see a Time Jumper appear in the room and almost everyone stops. I stand up immediately, sub-consciously kick the plastic chair away with my foot and run towards Caine. Another appears beside him. A woman. They look tired and flustered. Caine's cheeks are red, his hair sweeping in one direction... it must be windy outside.
My hands grab for his arms.

"Caine!" I say and almost wrap my arms around him but stop myself. My fingers haven taken the fabric of the sleeves of his shirt captive. It's as if my hands think if I let go of him he'll drift away. "Are you okay? What is going on?"

"Bo, I need your help. We have to evacuate town. Everybody must leave-"

I feel my mouth fall slightly, "but we can't! This is Seabrooke. We can't leave Seabrooke!"

I let go of him and his hands take both my shoulders, quite hardly, his face meets mine and he stares at my eyes with an expression that is frightening, "Bo, we have to go now. Now. Please."

Before I even adjust the female Time Jumper has gathered everyone's attention. The room is silent. I sink towards the back, slowly, and almost fall into Nancy's arms. She holds me with strength that resembles my mothers.

"Everyone, it has come to our attention that the wall will fall and if we do not evacuate town now... we will too." I can see in the woman's eyes that it is taking every cell in her body not to cry. Tears are in her eyes... this place, her home and everybody else's by morning will cease to exist. "We are asking all of you to please, do not panic, but help us empty the town. You do not have time to gather your things. A small number of Time Jumpers will be assigned to gathering food and the remaining animals. Meet at the gate as soon as you can. Go now."

Nobody moves. Caine and the woman stand in the centre of the room, they are tired and they have had enough... but they are both surprised that nobody has moved. There is a cough from a child and then I hear a man clear his throat. He stands up nervously. He is a Shape Shifter. His clothes are a bit tattered looking and just as everyone in this room looks, he is stressed.

"I do not understand, the wall cannot fall!" He scoffs and there is no humour... the sound of his tone just makes him sound like it is unbelievable that Seabrooke's wall can possibly be demolished.

"I assure you it can," Caine announces loudly, "and it will. The wall is made of stone, only the gate holds Angelican spells. A situation like this has never been contemplated."

A female Angelican stands, she is youthful and beautiful, she holds a small child in her arms, an infant. His long dark curls only reach his ears but his bright blue eyes stare at Caine so innocently.
The woman speaks, "but this is our home. We cannot just abandon it."

Caine's eyes look away from her, he is growing impatient, "I know what many of you are thinking but we can't go to war - at least not tonight. There are too many Thornes on the other side. I will not say it again. We must go."

Nobody moves. I look around and wait for somebody, anybody, to stand. Is everyone afraid? Or are they too proud? There are whispers here and there and I see, just by looking at Caine's face, how his heart is falling. These people are his family and he knows that if they stay here each and every one of them will die.
I see, somebody very close to me, stand. Felicity is nervous but she slowly moves, her body reaches up until she is on her feet. In a blur her arm reaches up and removes the hair tie. Her hair bounces and swishes from side to side until it rests behind her shoulders. She looks back at me and with a soft expression she holds a hand out to me. I willingly take it and she pulls me to my feet easily enough. Nancy and Janine stand up too. Felicity leads the way from Council house, on the way we pass Caine and he looks at Felicity with hope. Once outside, more people begin to follow.

Cynric: It is only me, Wendell, the Thorne named Temis and Isabelle's corpse. Temis holds her small body in his arms and carries her as if she weighs a feather. Every so often Wendell stares at her or brushes her face with his hand. We walk through the night, still hearing the sounds of the Thornes behind us.
I keep an eye out in the trees, hoping to spot the two Shape Shifters that disappeared earlier. I do not hear them nor see them. I ask Temis to keep an eye out but there is nothing. Within a few minutes we reach town, main street, it is abandoned. Wendell is too preoccupied with grief to speak. I ask Temis to pick up the pace. Wendell only keeps up just so he can see his daughter.
We finally reach Council house where the population of town is gathering. Almost every pair of eyes meet us. There are cries when they see the blood stained in Wendell's white shirt... and then there are small screams when they look at Temis carrying Isabelle.
I feel my hands stick to my sides but something is strange... my hands feel wet. I lift my palms and take a look, both are soaked in Isabelle's blood... as is my shirt. I look away from myself and keep my eyes ahead. There is an even louder cry.

"No!" it is a woman's cry.

She appears, her hair is even longer than Isabelle's, possibly even whiter, she wears a long white dress with a pale grey cardigan to keep her warm. She is young and an Angelican. She pushes herself through the crowd and finally reaches Temis and Wendell. Her eyes, full of tears of sadness, stare at her daughter. Her hand touches her forehead and then she leans down and kisses her dead child. She sobs quietly, her bottom lip trembling as Wendell comes towards her and puts a hand on his wife's back. I feel the urge to look away, just because this moment is so sad and private. This family deserves their privacy, the deserve to mourn for their child... but everyone, including Wendell, know that there is no time for that.

"Cynric!" I hear a voice and instantly look towards the crowd.

Bo runs around the side of the crowd and with a desperate cry she jumps into my arms. I hold her, bury my face in her hair and realise, that never have I ever felt this sad. This broken. I have only realised, now, that my heart is aching... aching because I had just seen this young, innocent, potential for greatness girl die. She had so much ahead of her and she reminded me so much of Bo even though they have absolutely nothing in common. I guess... I guess I am just thankful that she is safe.

She lets go of me, her hands are at my cheeks and she looks down at my shirt that is covered in blood, "oh no!"

"It is okay," I say, "it isn't mine..." I look back towards Wendell, his wife and Isabelle.

Temis carefully places her body on the ground. He leaves the married couple and disappears in the crowd of people who are staring at myself, Bo, or Wendell and his wife.
Bo looks back at me, tears in her eyes, "I'm so glad you're okay."

"Me too," I say. Me too. She stares at me, her eyes so beautiful, her face so beautiful. A hand of hers strokes my cheek once before she reaches up and places a quick kiss upon my lips.