SALLY.

Back at the cave, a lot of them were already panicking by the time we got there. Rayne approached Cameron immediately she spotted us. “What’s the status?” he asked.

“They’re already climbing up the mountain, they’d spot the cave anytime now,” she said. Her face was scrunched up in confusion but under that confused face, I could see even she was scared. Since I had known Rayne, I never saw her as the type to be scared of anything. Now, seeing the barely concealed panic in her eyes, my heart palpitated with my own increasing panic.

“We’re all going to die,” a boy cried.

“No,” Cameron reprimanded him. His face was back to the stony expression he always wore, his blue eyes glaring fiercely. “We’re not going to die. I just need some time to think.” He looked around, ruffling his hair in thought.
Murmurs rose the longer it took him to come up with a plan. The look on everyone’s faces said there was nothing he could do and we were all going to get taken back to the Underground. I knew who was coming and I wanted to get out of here more than anyone. Going back to the Underground was not an option for me. Kowalski would be there and then there was the underlying threat Dr Reynolds had warned me of.

“We need to leave,” I said.

“Yeah, but where?” Cameron replied. “You heard her, they’re going to be here any moment from now and we won’t get far. Damn it!” he kicked a fallen rock in anger.

His sudden burst of emotion scared me a little and I jumped back. “I know that but we can’t stay here. I could...I could take us somewhere else. All of us.” I looked around at their faces. “I could create a portal out of here.”

“No, thanks,” Gail protested, glaring at me harshly. Her stance was defiant and it stunned me for a moment. “This is all your fault in the first place. After all the raucous you created earlier, did you think no one was going to notice?”

“I bet they’re here for her. She’s different from the rest of us,” she continued, “I say we hand her over to them and they’ll back off.”

What? My eyes rounded. They couldn’t possibly do that, right? Cameron would never agree to it.

“Are you out of your mind, Gail?” Ryan glared at her.

“Yeah, that’s not a good plan. You’re just saying that because you’re scared,” said Cameron. He faced me. “How fast can you create that portal?”

She backed down but her glare didn’t lessen. “I–I don’t know. I’ve never transported so many people before.” Now that the idea was out, I was nervous. I had only ever used that ability in panic, I’d never opened it intentionally. What if it didn’t work?
“Sally,” he placed his hands on my shoulder and I looked down at them, “I know you’re scared, I’m scared too but we need you right now. You can do this. Everyone is counting on you.”

I looked away from him and truly they were all looking to me for help. Their scared faces made me even more jittery. I swallowed and squeaked out an okay.

“Good,” he said and gave me a small smile. I stared into his blue orbs and the green flecks in them, he wasn’t scared. He was confident, confident in me. He was certain I could do this. He trusted me and the realization felt like a punch to the gut. I felt his confidence seeping into me and I nodded at him.

“I can do this.” His smile widened and he nodded. He stared at me for a moment longer and that moment felt like an eternity, his gaze took away all my anxiety and replaced it with self assurance. I didn’t want him to stop staring at me. But all too soon, he looked away and I was rushed with a flood of nervousness.

“Everyone go pack your stuff, take only what’s necessary not too much stuff. A lot of load is only going to slow us down,” he said.

They all scattered after that, everyone going back to their various tents to pack their things. The little they could salvage after I’d destroyed everything earlier. Cameron called Ryan and whispered something in his ear.
I looked away and focused on my task. I took a deep breath and concentrated. I knew where I wanted to send everyone, I just had to visualize it.

I pulled my hands open and a line split the space in front of me but closed back. I tried again and the same thing happened. I tried a third time. The space opened, I could see the place I wanted to go slowly materialising then all of a sudden, it closed again.

“Damn it!” I groaned. I looked behind me to see if the others were ready. They were all busy packing up. I saw Petra standing by a tent, glaring at me.

I looked away. I tried to open the portal again and failed. The noise around me wasn’t really helping with my concentration. It was just typical of me to be powerless when people needed me. Everyone needed me and I couldn’t even get the portal open but I could do it when it wasn’t needed.

“I–I’ll head to the back,” I announced and walked out. I went to the meadow, back to the spot we’d been earlier. I stared at the little mound that was Max’s grave and tears pricked my eyes. He had come to my rescue when I needed him and had paid with his life. Margot had tried to help me and she had died too. The tears fell and I didn’t bother wiping them off. I was pathetic.

“No one else is going to die because of me today,” I said to myself.

I closed my eyes and breathed out slowly. I pictured the place I wanted to go and imagined it was right in front of me. I pulled my palms apart. The wind whistled, blowing tendrils of my hair around my face. My skin prickled and I opened my eyes. Max’s grave was gone and in its place stood a portal to San Benito High School.

“Oh my God! I did it,” I exclaimed. In my excitement I dropped my hands and it closed again.

“Shit!” I opened it again and this time it was easier than the last time. The school stood in front of me like it used to, bold, sturdy, but this time it was covered by snow and there was debris everywhere. I stepped through the portal and breathed in. The air smelled clean, the same as the other side of the portal but it was different, it was peaceful here.

I could see the others running out of the cave on the other end towards the portal and I smiled. The smile faded as I saw who was behind them, Kowalski was leading the cavalry chasing them. I knew I should do something, go back and help them but being anywhere near Kowalski was something I didn’t want to do. I looked behind me and realized they could see the school. It wouldn’t take long for them to come after us again if they knew where we were.

I created an invisible shield covering the whole school and shielding it from sight. I had never tried to make something else other than myself invisible and never something as big as the school, the action was straining. My muscles clenched, pain spread from my core to the rest of my body, my arms hurt but I knew I couldn’t drop the shield.
I looked behind me to see how the others were faring. One by one they ran through the portal.

I watched in dismay as the ones far behind fell back and were captured. Ryan ran through the portal carrying a girl who was covered up. He nodded at me in passing.

Cameron and Rayne stopped and faced Kowalski. A storm appeared out of nowhere raining down thunder and lightning on the men. Ryan ran back through the portal to help the others, his palms ablaze with two fireballs.

I looked back at the school and took short deep breaths as the pain got unbearable. They were protecting us back at the cave and the only thing I could do to protect everyone here was to hold up the shield.

“Come on, Sally, you can do this,” I said to myself. A wet liquid trickled down my nose. The pain got unbearable and I groaned.
I fell to my knees and whimpered.  The cold seeped in through my legs. My vision was getting blurry. I was tired, everything hurt but I couldn’t let them down. I forced my legs to stand shakily and gritted my teeth.
Cameron and the others ran through the portal just in time and I dropped my arms. I turned and used the last of my energy to close the portal. As I did, I saw Kowalski’s battered and livid face as he glared at me and the portal closed. I fell and Cameron caught me before I could hit the floor.

“You’re bleeding,” his voice sounded muffled as my eyes closed.