Well, crap.

Here I was, in a car with my three best friends, engaging in a car chase with suspicious people who were shooting at us. If this didn't spell trouble, then I didn't know what would. I almost felt as though I was in one of those dramatic action movies, except I wasn't. This was real life.

Brandon swore as whoever was in the truck shot at us again, causing the sound of metal on metal to be heard as the car pitched forward.

"W-What was that?!" Addison gasped as we screeched to a stop near the side of the road.

Aiden looked grimly at the side-view mirror, assessing the damage.

"They shot our tyre. We can't move."

I watched the blood drain from Addison's face as she glanced out the rear windshield.

"W-What should we do?! I... I'm too young to die!" Addison shrieked as she turned to me, eyes wide with fear.

The panicked tone of Addison's voice only made my heart beat faster. Not because I was scared, and not because I was currently in a situation which could result in my death. No; I had experienced that all before. But what I hadn't experienced before was the lives of my best friends in my hands. I only had a few more seconds before I had to decide whether to use my powers or not unless I wanted whoever was chasing us to catch up.

I risked another glance out the windshield and frowned. The car that had been chasing us had stopped about a hundred metres away and the engine cut. It was lucky that there wasn't any traffic to witness this whole ordeal; although I doubted it would have mattered much. The crime rates of villains were rising by the day, and it wasn't unusual to stumble upon a classic hero-villain battle in the city. That thought made me frown harder. The road we were driving on had been relatively busy just moments ago, and now...

I glanced around again, feeling a sliver of apprehension run down my spine. Now, the road was completely empty and a disconcerting silence filled the air.

Then, I felt the air ripple, causing my skin to prickle. I turned around and my eyes widened as I saw the white Holden that had been tenebrous and immobile moments before give out a loud whirring sound as the windshield split down the middle in a neat line. The two halves of the car extended out to each side as a large barrel-like nossel poked its way out the centre. There was an ear-piercing shriek causing the air around me to shift and leaving my ears ringing.

It was as if it all happened in slow motion. The cavity in the centre of the cannon-like apparatus lit up white hot, causing me to squeeze my eyes shut at the sudden assault of blinding light.

Bad choice.

In the next second, a huge tremor filled the air, followed by a large shockwave which exploded a centimetre in front of the windshield. Gravel exploded on the pavement, causing the vehicle we were in to launch into the air.

I choked as the car landed on its side, the seat belt digging into my stomach. The windows splintered from the impact and I winced as a shard of glass grazed my cheek. A bead of blood formed on my skin and I felt it trickle toward my ear.

Although whatever that strange cannon-like object shot at us had missed by a hair, the damage it caused was still indescribable. I glanced and noted that the metal frame of the car was twisted, unrecognisable. There was ringing in my ears from the sheer resounding clash the explosion had made and it took me a while to realise that my leg was bleeding.

Through the fog in my mind, I remembered that there had been others in the car with me. Others... The gears in my head creaked and started to work again.

My friends.

I felt the blood drain from my face in horror as I turned to Addison beside me. She had just barely recovered from whatever had happened to her in the car, and now she was unconscious again. Her bangs were clumped up, sticking together as thick red liquid oozed from her head...

It took me a while to realise that she was bleeding from her temple. The airbag that had meant to cushion her as the car tumbled had been punctured by the shattering of the glass windows. There was a huge shard impaled in the cushion of the car seat in front of her, inky red staining the jagged tip. The gentle rise and fall of her chest reassured me that she was at least still alive.

I hoped her wound wasn't deep.

I struggled to unbuckle my seatbelt, knowing that as soon as it released me, I would tumble down and collide into Addison. While I knew I wasn't particularly heavy, the sudden impact of my weight would most likely worsen her wounds.

I braced my foot on the side of the front car seat as I tried to gently release the seatbelt. From this angle, I could see with relief that Aiden's injuries weren't as bad as Addison's; just some minor scratches - and a broken pair of glasses. It was only when I saw a pool of dark red spreading from the front car seat that I realised Brandon's form was completely blocked from my line of sight by the car seat.

Dazed, I reached my hand out, placing my fingertips against the stained material of the leather seat, my body turning ice cold when it came back slick and red. I felt my heart thudding in my chest as I slowly maneuvered myself so I could see the driver's seat. It took my brain a second to register what my eyes had told them.

Blood. There was so much blood...

I could only stare, horrified as I took in the sight before me. The front windshield had a crack that spanned out like a spiderweb and one of the shards that had broken free, was imbedded deep into Brandon's stomach.

I felt my stomach churn as my brain registered the metallic scent that filled the air. Blood pooled from his stomach, staining Brandon's shirt and the steering wheel a dark red. His breaths were thin and raspy as blood continued to seep out from the wound in his stomach and I could feel my own start to pick up.

I couldn't bare to think about a world where Brandon - one of my best friends - was no longer there. My mind involuntarily started running through all the times where I had snapped at him, ignored him, pushed him away and then through the times he had helped me, supported me and cheered me on.

Why him?! Why couldn't it have been me?! It was no question that I deserved it more than he did. Me; someone who left their own father to fend for himself. Someone who sent their own father to his death.

No. No, NO!

This was all my fault! If I hadn't roped all my friends in with me, this would never have happened. Aiden was right. And I was just a stupid girl who brought misfortune to all those around her.

Stupid Levi, stupid.

Then, I felt a deadly calm wash over me, heightening my senses. Whoever did this to my friends would have to pay the price. I wasn't going to lose anyone else because of my stupid decisions.

This time I would take matters into my own hands.

I felt power pulse through my body and there was the sound of crunching metal as the door to the car wrenched off. I would apologise to Brandon for that later. I transferred my focus toward the only other vehicle in my vicinity; the white Holden. My power surged as I reached out a strand of my focus and tugged.

Hard.

There was a disconcerting sound and the smell of rubber filled the air as the other car was dragged forcibly in my direction. I leapt out of the opening in the ghost of a car that I had created earlier, landing softly in front of the white Holden.

Steam was rising from the nozzle of the glowing cannon, causing me to eye it warily. While the other shot hadn't hit us directly for whatever reason, this time it was close enough that I was sure it wouldn't miss.

The door to the car opened, breaking me out of my thoughts and giving me a first glance at the attacker. It was a man, clad head to toe in black. He was slightly round around the middle, and wore a black ski mask on his head, almost making me choke out a laugh at the ridiculous sight. Almost. His eyes locked with mine and he reached for his gun.

Too slow.

I was already in his blind spot and I kneed him in the back, effectively pinning him down and sending his gun sailing through the air. He grunted as his face came in contact with the hard cement, and I smirked. Served him right. I ducked as his fist attempted to knock me off his back, and pinned his arm behind his back.

"Who are you? Who are you working for?" I growled, tightening my hold around his wrist and digging my knee into his back.

"Get off," he spat, twisting around in my grip. Annoyed, I slammed my knee into his gut, causing him to choke and pressed my arm to his neck.

"I said," I snarled, feeling my anger engulf me. "Who are you working for?!"

He opened his mouth, looking as if he was about to answer and then a slow smirk crossed his face. I frowned. He was planning something.

Suddenly, a purple-tinted bullet whizzed past my cheek, causing me to loosen my grip on his wrist as I tried to dodge it. I bit my lip, tasting blood as it got closer than I would have liked to imbedding itself into my skull. Whirling around, I turned to face the attacker.

Crap. There's another one.

I leapt up from my kneeling position and into a fighting stance as I eyed the two black-clad men. To a simple observer, it was blatantly obvious that I was outnumbered, and overpowered. And unfortunately, the knife that I had tucked into the sole of my boot wouldn't do much damage against a mechanical weapon.

Wait. The gun.

Glancing around, I saw the strange glowing pistol the first man had dropped earlier in my peripheral vision. I tugged and the pistol flew straight into my waiting grasp. Smirking, I turned to the two men.

"I wonder what would happen if one of these," I cocked the gun, releasing the safety. "Accidently found its way into your skulls."

I saw their eyes widen from behind the thick ski masks, and smirked internally. Throwing the gun into the air once, I watched as their eyes followed my every move. It seemed that I had gotten my hands onto quite a dangerous weapon. I tilted it towards the second man, regarding the slight tremble of his hand on his gun.

There.

Not wasting any time, I sprinted straight towards him, firing a warning shot at his feet and causing him to stumble back. Catching him off balance, I aimed a kick to his groin and then brought my fist up to his temple. A groan escaped his lips before he collapsed to the floor, unconscious. I caught the other gun with my free hand and advanced back towards the first man. Training the two guns on his trembling figure, I stopped a few feet away.

"So... you gonna talk now?"

He glanced at the guns warily, the one in my right hand still smoking slightly. Slowly, he lifted his hands into the air.

"D-Don't hurt me..." he stuttered, suddenly looking very afraid. I smirked, stepping closer.

It seemed that I had won.

Suddenly, the air around me shifted, causing me to squeeze my eyes shut as a wave of nausea passed over me. When I opened my eyes again, I saw that the life had reappeared on the street; the road and crosswalk filled with movement. I glanced back at where the white holden had been, but it was gone, cars driving over the spot it had been as if it had never been there. The unconscious form of the second man had also disappeared along with the first. I blinked. But it couldn't be! They were just there...

A honking of horns brought me back to my senses. Startled, I darted back towards the pavement, memories of the wreck suddenly resurfacing. While at first I had wondered why no one had dialed the ambulances yet, I saw that the car had landed inconspicuously inside an empty lot; the overgrown bushes creating a suitable cover.

I saw red staining the shattered windshield and colour drained from my face.

Brandon.

I didn't have to walk any closer to confirm it because it was obvious from here. It was too late.

He had lost too much blood.  

a.n

Ok, I finally updated, and I'm pleased to say that this is the longest chapter yet! 

What do you think guys? I hope my writing style has improved... :/

Drop a vote or comment if you liked it, follow for more!

SpiderPrincess

~Dedicated to SilverSloth for helping me edit!