Chapter XXXVI

THOMAS SHOOK HIS HEAD, unwilling to accept Joey's fate. "No. There has to be another way."

"I've already tried everything in my power," Lucinda argued.

"You're not trying hard enough," Michelle stated, marching her way to Lucinda who was hunched over in pain gripping Evangeline and Jacob's arms for support. "I've seen you heal people before."

"Never anyone on the brink of death," Lucinda shot back.

Michelle shook her head. "You're making excuses!"

"Do you expect me to kill myself to save her?" the witch shouted.

"Do you expect me to accept defeat?" Michelle yelled back, gripping Lucinda by the collar and yanking her away from Evangeline and Jacob. "I told you what would happen if you screwed with my plans."

"Let her go, Michelle!"

Michelle furrowed her brow before looking up and over towards Thomas. The younger man stood with his hands balled, and his shards summoned. "Do you want me to just let her quit?"

"No!" Thomas snarled. "But she can't do anything if you kill her!"

She glanced from Lucinda back to Thomas. "She's made it clear she isn't going to help." Softly, she continued, "I'm sorry, Thomas. I wish there was more we could do." Throwing Lucinda to the ground, Michelle yanked an arrow out of her quiver. "We'll find a way to save Joey, but it'll be without you." Michelle pulled back her string, and Lucinda threw a hand up blocking her face.

"No!" Michelle was suddenly tackled to the ground, and her slipped from the string firing the arrow. She watched as the arrow zoomed off in to the forest before her head collided with the ground. Her bow slid from her grasp as Thomas pinned her to the ground, but she swiftly drew back an elbow slamming it into his ribcage. He fell to the side, and she reached for her bow, but it didn't take long for him to recover. He pulled on her boot dragging her away from her weapon and rolled her onto her back, trapping her to the dirt with his knees on her wrists as he aimed a shard at her face.

Gritting her teeth, she pulled on her arm, but stopped when she realized the red veins in his eye around his pupil. She had seen this once before long ago. "Lucinda!" she cried.

With Thomas focused on her, he didn't notice Nathan, Alex, and David sneak up from behind and rip him off of her. "No!" he screamed. "You can't let her kill Joey's only chance!" Nathan forced Thomas onto his knees, and he and Alex held him tight.

Swiftly, Michelle sprang to her feet and twirled around to find Lucinda cowering behind Evangeline and Jacob. "Break the spell!"

"Spell?" Jenny asked, hiding slightly behind Kathleen.

Lucinda scoffed. "I'm offended you think I have any part in this. The boy just cares more for Joey then he does for you."

"I've had it, Lucinda!" Michelle balled her hand into a fist and tried to plant it into the witches nose, but Jacob stepped in front of her.

"Michelle, you need to calm down," he said. "Evangeline and I came along to insure you didn't kill Lucinda."

Michelle glared at the short man. "She's not the only one I'm going to kill if you don't move out of my way."

"You think it's a spell?"

She craned her neck around to eye Heather, and she nodded. "I've seen it before." Her gaze shifted towards Brianna who's shoulder instantly slumped.

"You think it's the same thing that happened to Chase," Brianna answered softly.

Michelle nodded. "And we all know who did that." She swung her head back around to face Lucinda. "Break it. Now!"

"Michelle!" She turned back around as Thomas broke free of the boys grasp, his strength multiplying and matching Nathan's. He kicked Alex in the chest and swept a foot under Nathan, causing them to both fall as he darted for Michelle once again.

"I would run if I were you," came Lucinda's melancholy voice.

With a huff, Michelle clenched her jaw, but before she could react, Ella ran out in front of her separating her from Thomas. With a raised hand, she spoke directly to Thomas. "Thomas, Joey needs you, but not like this."

To Michelle's surprise, he stopped and eyed the small girl. "What she needs is Lucinda," Thomas corrected. "She'll never get better if Lucinda dies."

"Then we don't kill her," Ella hastily replied. "But what we do need is for you to calm down and focus on Joey. Focus on getting her the help she needs, and that's not by killing Michelle."

"But she wants to kill Lucinda," Thomas informed through gritted teeth.

"Then maybe you should be the one that makes Lucinda do her job," Ella answer with equal force.

Michelle's brow pulled together as her gaze ventured up from Ella to Thomas. She watched as Thomas strangely heeded the girls words and retracted his shards, the red in his eyes vanishing along with her anger. He placed a hand on his forehead and stumbled, but Ella gripped his forearm keeping him upright.

"What—" Thomas glanced around before looking back down at Ella. "What just happened?"

Michelle sighed with relief. "Thankfully a spell that was casting by an already weak witch." She swung on her heels to face Lucinda's scowled expression.

"How did you know to do that?" peaked David's voice.

"I've been paying attention," Ella responded. "He's gotten close to Joey. Seems to want to do anything for her." There came a pause before a soft snicker. "Shouldn't bother you, right? After all, she "wasn't" your girlfriend."

No reply came, but her head whipped to the side as Thomas stepped up next to her, his anger boiling over. "What did you do to me?" He took another step, but Jacob's whips were quickly exposed. Instead, Thomas jabbed a finger. "You used me!"

Lucinda gave a half shrug. "Eh, I've used a lot of people."

"Well, not anymore!" Thomas raised a fist and his shard protruded until it reached under Jacob's neck. Jacob held up his hands in defense as he slowly stepped to the side. "What you said about Joey ... is it true?"

Lucinda's cold stare portrayed her voice. "Pulling her out at this state would be fatal. The process of putting her mind back into her body could kill her. If I tried it now we'd be sending her to her death."

After a quick moment of thought, Thomas said, "I don't care." Michelle eyed him puzzled. "Leaving her like this is sending her to her death! If we can do something about it, if there is any chance of saving her ..." He paused before nodding. "Do it."

Lucinda narrowed her eyes, but Michelle cut her off before she could speak. "You heard him."

Lucinda glanced between Michelle and Thomas. "You're okay with this?"

Michelle took a step closing the gap between her and the witch. "I don't have any choice," she whispered. "She is my ticket to freedom, but I'm sure Claire will offer something for your head on a platter. You've been a thorn in her side for years."

Backing away, she could almost see Lucinda gulp. She looked down, pretending to play with her fingernails. "It will take me hours to bring her out safely." She looked up, crossing her arms. "And it will not be pleasant. But if I happen to overcome the spell, pulling her out could leave her in a very dark place." Once more, she exchanged glances between the two. "But if this is what you want ..."

"We're out of options, and I'm out of patience." Twisting around to leave the witch at the hands of Thomas, she said, "Do everything you can. I'm tired of waiting."

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JOEY GLANCED AROUND THE forest of the Dome and watched the snow fall and litter the ground. Flowers closed shut for the night, and the air briskly became frigid.

She furrowed her brow noticing that her friends were nowhere around. "Hello?" She spoke softly, but her voice boomed off the surrounding trees. A sudden loud explosion and a bright burst of white light spilled over the treetops in front of her. Gasping, she took off in a sprint towards the light and as she neared the clearing, her eyes met branches and grass engulfed in flames. Running amongst the fire, she skidded on her heels to a halt and her heart pounded wildly against her breasts as she gazed around at the horrid scene before her. Tears would've formed on her eyelids if the heat didn't dry them instantly.

"No!" Joey screamed, dropping to her knees, a puff of smoke ascending into the air from the burnt grass beneath her.

Lying in the blazing grass was her friends. Scanning their bodies, she found each one of their dead faces, and blood spilled pooling underneath them. David, Ella, Alex, Jenny, Kathleen, Heather, ... even Thomas. All of them. Gone in an instant.

"No!" she screamed angrily, pounding the ground. This wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to save them, lead them to the exit with the help of the poems and her dad's compass to lead the way. Not get them killed. They trusted her to get them out of here, and look what happened to them.

A shadow loomed over her from the front, and she glanced up to find someone standing before her only it was hard to make out who they were with the burning embers dancing around and clouding their face.

Joey flinched as the shadowy figure knelt down in front of her, the only thing showing in the darkness was a pair of white teeth as the figure smiled. "No!" She shut her eyes and raised a hand over her head.

"Joey!" Her mouth fell agape as she opened her eyes and looked up at the face that became clear as the smoke parted. The woman raised a magenta colored hand, indicating she was the one keeping the fires and smoke at bay as a bubble swallowed them. "Joey, it's me!"

"Lu-Lucinda?" she asked.

Lucinda nodded and dove forward embracing her tightly. Shocked, Joey slowly returned the embrace. When Lucinda pulled away, she asked, "What happened to you? Where did you go?"

"Uh ..." Joey wasn't sure how to answer. Her gaze was drawn over Lucinda's shoulder back towards her friends bodies. "What happened her?"

Lucinda shook her head. "Nothing happened." Joey's brow pulled together puzzled. Lucinda gripped her forearm tenderly. "Joey, this is the future."

Joey chuckled. "Right." When Lucinda didn't join in in laughter, Joey's smile turned in a frown. "You're serious?"

"Deadly," Lucinda responded with a nod. "You trust me, right?"

Joey searched for the right words. "Uh, I guess so."

"I tried to teach you to control your fathers compass." Lucinda shook her forearm. "You remember that?"

Joey lowered her head as flashes oh recent events played through her mind. The compass, Thomas and David, the feeling of it twisting her mind ... She slowly looked back up at Lucinda as reality finally settled in. "I'm dying." Lucinda sullenly nodded as she released Joey'd forearm. Sighing, Joey rubbed her forehead and closed her eyes. "What did David do?" she whispered. Looking back at Lucinda, she asked, "Is there anything you can do? Is that why you're here? To save me?" The spark of hope died as her shoulders slumped. "Or ... are you just a figment of my imagination too?"

Giving a half grin, Lucinda once again nodded. "Yes, this body is, but my subconscious is here with you. I'll find a way to get you out of here. I promise."

Letting out another soft sigh, she glanced down at the charred grass. Her gaze was drawn to Lucinda's hand as her magenta flickered in and out replaced by a pale hand covered in red paint. She furrowed her brow. No, not paint. Her eyes widened at the realization. Blood!

Flinging her head upward, Lucinda suddenly gripped Joey's shirt tightly in her grasp. "You always were a smart girl. I should've known you'd see through my illusion."

"What did you do?" Joey asked, feeling tears fill her eyes.

Lucinda lifted Joey off the ground, and the bubble around them disappeared exposing them to the sparking fires at their sides. Joey's feet dangling inches from the ground. "Nothing yet. This is just a dream, remember?" She released Joey, and Joey's ankle rolled causing her to smack the ground on her side. A boot then met her ribcage and she winced, grasping her side as it irrupted in pain.

Lucinda's laugh could be heard clearly through the roaring flames. She bent over resting her hands on her knees as she spoke down to Joey. "The dream state shows you your worst fear. First, it was your death by your friends hands, and now ... it's the fear of losing them." She gripped Joey's shirt once again and dragged her a couple feet off the ground. A quick punch in the jaw sent Joey crashing back down, her palms slapping the dirt.

Joey spat and wiped blood from her chin. She broke out in an unexpected coughing fit as the smoke began to seep into her lungs making her lungs burned. She twisted around to face Lucinda. "You killed them," she accused, slowly rising to her feet. "Or ... you're going to kill them. Even after helping David. Why?"

Lucinda's crooked smile dipped into a frown. "Because you were supposed to come to the Dome alone! They got in the way! I was going to make you die in agonizing pain, but they foiled my plans. They were never in the visions. The plan was for Michelle to bring you to me, and then I'd get to destroy Claire's prize possession."

"Michelle? Claire's possession?" Joey shook her head confused. "What are you talking about? Me and my friends ending up here was an unfortunate accident. We not a part of any plan."

"Ha! You'd like to think that, wouldn't you?" Lucinda rolled her eyes.

"You were never planning on saving me."

Lucinda snickered. " Thomas thinks I'm in here trying to pull you back." She chuckled lowly. "Please. The last thing I'm going to do is save you after the spell I used to get you here. Claire made a mistake putting you in here with me. She should've known I was going to kill you."

Lucinda averted her gaze, turning to the right, and Joey quickly twirled around attempting to run. A strong, invisible force gripped her around her waist, and she was suddenly flung backwards, ramming her back against a tree. She slid down the trunk landing close to the flames. Her back stung, not only from the impact, but because she knew some skin had come into contact with the parts of the bark that were still aflame. Her vision swam in and out of darkness as Lucinda strode towards her. "You ... put me ... in the dream state?" she breathily asked.

Lucinda arched a brow mischievously as she knelt in front of Joey. "I have to admit, it wasn't the easiest spell in the world, but when David landed in my lap on a silver platter ..." She laughed cheerfully. "Well, everything fell into plan."

Joey sucked in a deep breath, feeling the burning all the way down through her chest. "I won't let you hurt them, Lucinda." She swallowed. "Please. I'll do anything."

Lucinda looked up like she was thinking before responded. "Tell you what, you won't get this now, but you will soon." She tapped Joey's nose. "Don't follow Thomas through the light, and I'll let them live."

Joey shook her head, hardly able to keep herself from falling unconscious. Lucinda placed a hand around Joey's ankle, and Joey felt a rush of wind slam into her from above. A familiar face instantly appeared in her vision.

"Joey, wake up!" That dark hair and dark eyes were unmistakable. It was Thomas. "Don't give in! It's all a dream! You have to wake up, Joey! Please!" His voice grew soft and his face disappeared as her eyes closed and unconsciousness took her.

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THOMAS WITHDREW HIS HAND from Joey's shoulder, and he felt Lucinda's hand loosen around his wrist. Peering down at Joey's paling body, confusion contorted his face. He looked up at the witched and demand, "Wake her up!"

Lucinda's hands, which had been hovering over Joey's body, lowered to her lap. "I thought I made it clear I couldn't?"

"You put me in her mind so I could see what was happening,"
he argued.

"But you could only see what was happening," Lucinda interrupted. "You couldn't hear anything." She paused. "Thomas, Joey doesn't want to be saved." His mouth fell slightly open in shock. "She wants to die. She feels like this is her fault. What you saw ... your deaths ... she believes it will happen if she comes ba—"

"No!" Thomas screamed. His face twisted with rage and he clenched his fists. "You said it was going to take you hours to pull her out, well, now you have minutes."

"It can't be done!"

With a growl, he lunged forward and grabbed Lucinda's collar pulling her closer to him. He held a fist a foot from her face, and his ice shard shot through his skin slicing through her ear. Crying out in pain, a hand flew to her ear as it bled.

Thomas's hand shook with her in his grasp and his blood boiled. He had never felt so much anger before. "Wake ... her ... up!"