Riley's POV

It has been a week since I was attacked that day on the street. I have not left my dorm since then, and I'm terrified to go outside. As far as Maya, Lucas and Farkle know, I suddenly got sick. I've been having dreams about some type of darkness, much worse than Bethany. Every night I've woken up with sweat beading down my face. What ever this force is, it is coming after me, and most likely wants me dead. 

Everyone says that they're here to protect me, but I'm not sure if they're telling the truth or not. Maya has been acting really strange lately, like she's hiding something very important from me. I've tried to talk to her about it, but all she says is that she's just tired from studying. 

We're almost done with college, and after that Lucas and I are going to start to plan our wedding. He's already asking me about somethings. Maya is going to stay here, at college, for a couple more years to study art some more. Farkle is taking over his dad's company, so it's going to be hard to see him. We're all going to be in different places, but there is no way we are drifting apart anytime soon. 

Now, I lay motionless on my bed, waiting for something to happen. Yet, nothing does. I guess that life is just a game, and for now, I'm stuck on the "skip-a-turn" space. 

--------------------

Lucas and I decided to go out on a date that night. I got dressed up in a gorgeous sparkling purple dress, which kind of resembled the dress that I wore on our first date. He wore dress pants with a blue fancy jacket, which also resembled the outfit he wore on out first date. 

"Well, shall we?" he smiled, and offered me to take his arm. I linked my arm with his, and we headed for the subway. 

"Wow. I haven't been here in forever." I said as we walked down the steps. 

"I know. It seems...smaller." he replies. He suddenly straightens his back and smiles. He pulls me back up the stairs and lets go of my arm. "Stay here." he smiles. "And walk down when I nod." I softly smile at his weirdness. He runs over to a pole by the train tracks and looks away from me "nonchalantly." I laugh and he turns his head to me. He nods, and I take that as my cue to walk down the stairs. As I do, he gawks at me. I laugh, realizing that he is reenacting our first date. I finally approach him and tilt my head as I smile. 

"There are some moments you know you are going to remember forever. This is one of them." He looks at me and smiles. 

I laugh. "Well, Lucas Friar. Aren't you a flirt?" He laughs. "Only with you." he responds as his arms wrap around my waist. "Wow." I laugh as he kisses me. 

It was like the perfect moment. Hint word, was. 

Of course, all good things come to an end. Yet, the endings are usually as...loud. 

A crash is heard throughout the subway, causing some people to scream. Lucas jumps in front of me and his arms reach out behind him. 

In the right wall of the subway is a huge hole with smoke surrounding its rim, as if someone just blew a hole in it. A figure walks through, causing more screams to erupt out of the crowd. People start filing out through the stairs, running as if their lives depended on it; which, they probably did. 

Lucas grabs my hand and yanks me towards the stairs. I don't hesitate as we run up the stairs. 

"Matthews! Where do you think you're going?" My eyes widen as I recognize the voice. From my dreams, and from that day on the streets. Lucas' head darts back at me, with widen eyes. "Run, Riles!" he tries to push me in front of him, but a force yanks me back. I fly through the crowd, and straight into the subway wall. I groan as I feel rubble fall to the ground. To my side, I see a familiar figure, with another figure behind it. I stay on the wall with something that I'm guessing is magic. 

"Riley!" I hear Lucas scream, but his voice suddenly stops, as does all sound. I look up, and realize that everything has stopped. Like, it's all frozen. Nothing is moving but me and the figures. And the figures are coming closer to me. The light shines on their faces, and I face palm. 

Ugh! How could I be so oblivious? 

"You are actually quite an oblivious person." Bethany says. 

"She's always been oblivious." Missy says. 

"What the hell are you doing here, Missy?! Haven't you done enough?" I hiss, and she cackles. 

"Enough? Enough isn't even enough! I want more revenge! If it weren't for your mommy over here, I wouldn't have escaped prison. You should be grateful." she spats. 

"Grateful? For what? You escaping jail? No way! If anything, I'm terrified for the sake of humanity!" she rolls her eyes as I speak. 

"Shut it!" Bethany yells. Her face falls into a sweet and serine smile that could fool an innocent person. "Now, Riley. My daughter." 

"Don't you dare call me that!" I hiss. 

"Hey! I would be nicer! I have you're 'fiance' over there trapped in an eternal pause. I'm the only one that can unfreeze him and everyone else." Bethany says. 

I grit my teeth and bite my tongue. 

"Now, as I was saying, we have a little surprise for you, Miss Matthews."  She smirks, which sends chills up my back. "Won't you come in, Peaches?" 

The blood runs from my face. 

Out from the hole that Bethany and Missy emerged from, comes, the one and only, Maya Hart. My best friend. 

"Oh now, peaches, don't be scared." Maya slowly walks towards Bethany. 

"Maya! Are they keeping you hostage?! Are you okay?! I can he-" Bethany's laugh cuts me off. 

"Oh, Miss Matthews, don't you see? Maya isn't really your friend, let alone your best friend." she says calmly. 

Tears prick my eyes. "What?"  I whisper. 

An evil smile grows onto Maya's face. She walks towards me, until her breath is on my face. "Well, honey, you see, I'm actually evil. I've been planning this for the longest time! Since your very first trial, actually. When I first met you, I was sent on a mission to destroy you by Bethany. And now, after all of these years, I can finally complete it." Her evil smile grew and grew with each word that escaped her mouth. Tears threatened to fall, but I refused to let them. I had just been stabbed in the back by someone that meant so much to me, I was not going to look weak. 

Someone that I had trusted with everything, the person that told me about my powers, the person that I had spent years with. They had just taken a knife and dragged it through my back slowly, and enjoyed every second of it. I had known Maya for years and years, and this whole time, she was really betraying me? 

Suddenly, I laugh. I just laugh and laugh. Maya slaps me. And I still laugh.  

"What the hell are you laughing at?!" She yells in my face. 

"You." I manage to say between laughs. "I can't believe that I couldn't see it before! I am really oblivious!" 

Maya looked enraged. She took a deep breath. "Oh, I've been waiting to do this for years and years!" She screams. 

I look up, my laugh turning into small giggles. 

"Stop laughing!" she rages. All I do is laugh some more. 

"Say your last goodbyes, Matthews!" Maya screeches. 

"Wait!" I hear Missy yell. Everyone turns towards her. She looks uneasy. Then she smiles. "Shouldn't we unfreeze her fiance, so that he can watch her as she dies?" she says as her eyebrows raise. 

Bethany gasps. "That's a great idea!" 

"Just hurry it up! I wanna kill her already!" Maya commands. 

Bethany waves her hands around, and pushes them outward, towards Lucas. Sparks fly across him as he unfreezes and takes a deep breath. 

"Wha-where-huh...Riley!" He sees me and immediately tries to run towards me. Yet, his feet don't move. He looks down, astonished, at the 200 pound weights attached to his feet. His head jerks to me and then back at his shoes. He then looks back up at Maya. 

"Wait, Maya. What the hell?" he questions her as she stands before me, ready to strike. 

"Ugh." Maya rolls her eyes. "Can we just get this over with?" 

"Wait-what are you doing?!" Lucas screams. I laugh again. Maya punches me. "I said stop laughing!" she yells. "Riley!" Lucas screams. I continue laughing. "Shut the hell up!" Maya roars as her fist meets my face. 

"Riles!" Lucas' voice cracks. 

I laugh some more. 

"Shut it!" Punch. 

"Riley!" 

Laugh. 

Punch. 

"Riles! No!" 

Laugh. 

Kick. 

"Stop! Please!" 

Giggle.

Slap. 

"RILEY!" 

Then there's a pain that I feel start in my stomach, and it spreads throughout my body. 

I hear Lucas' voice echo throughout the subway. "NO!" 

I suck in a breath and look down at my stomach. There is a spiral of black sparks around my stomach, and a hole where my belly button should be. Maya had stabbed me with her magic. I suddenly fall to the ground with a THUD. I guess that Lucas' feet were freed from their weights because the next thing I know, he is holding me next to him. I can feel the tears from his face fall onto my cheeks as he rocks me back and forth. 

"Did you guys really bring popcorn?" I hear Maya say to Bethany and Missy. 

"It was a really good show!" I hear Missy say. Their voices start to fade away, and I guess that they're walking away. 

"Oh, wait! I almost forgot!" I hear Bethany say. I hear magic come from her hands, and I see it fall onto the subway as everyone unfreezes. People stop running up the stairs and hold their heads, as if they had a headache. They then see Lucas holding me and start to form a crowd around us. 

Lucas holds me close to him, and keeps whispering into my ear. 

"It's okay, Riles. It's all gonna be okay. You'll be fine. I love you so much. Please hang on." 

I also hear whispers bounce around the crowd. "What happened to that poor girl?" 

"Was she shot?" 

"Do we need to call 9-1-1?" 

"What's happening?" 

My breathing starts to slow, and blackness starts to fill my vision. I want to close my eyes so very badly. 

"Riley! No, please Riley! Hang on! Don't go, please! Riley!" 

I feel a tingling in my stomach, and then a sudden strength rushes through my bones. 

"Riles?" Lucas' voice sounds suddenly hopeful. 

I look at my stomach, and there's gold sparks spinning around me. It's...healing me? I smile and look up at Lucas, who is smiling, too. The sparks spin around me until finally, they die down and fall into my stomach, leaving a trace of a sparkling gold scar. I feel energized and healthy, just like I had a 20 hour power nap.  

"Lucas?" I look up at him, and he looks at me at smiles. 

"Riles!" He engulfs me in the tightest hug ever, and lets out a relieved, shaky breath. "I thought I was going to loose you!" He says as his hand strokes my head. "It's okay, I'm here now." I say. 

"What just happened?" I hear a voice from the crowd say. 

"Was there just...sparks from her wound?" 

"What the heck?" 

I loosen my grip from Lucas and look at him with fear in my eyes. What had I just done? 

"Oh my god..." I breathe. 

"Oh..." Lucas says as he scans the crowd. 

What just happened? Did I..? Yes, I did. 

I had just shown the world that I was a witch. 

A/N 

So, there is a really long chapter to make up for the times that I haven't updated! I've had major writer's block, but now I have many ideas for this book! So I might update again today, it just all depends. I'm also going to create a new book after this one ends, and I'm really excited! 

Oh and I have changed the titles of both of these books, btw!!! I changed "Smiling But Dying" to "Falling Slowly," (name creds to my friend Ethan) and I have changed this story from "Catching Up" (because wtf kind of name is that???) to "Falling Faster." It will all make sense in the end!!! Thanks for reading, and I will update soon, I promise! 

XOXO <3