Third Person's POV
"Jo" Ryker screamed running towards her. He tapped her a couple of times but got no response. His heart clenched in pain and he just had to let it out
"Fucking hell Vera. Why the fuck would you do this?"
"I didn't do anything babe" Vera said stepping closer to him and batting her eyelashes seductively.
"She just happens to be weak" She added taking another step towards Ryker in an attempt to draw patterns on his arm
"Don't you dare or I'd rip your heart out this instant" Ryker said, his self -control hanging on a thin line.
Jude let out a snicker from where she was.
"Words don't teach Barbies a lesson, fracture does" She said coldly and gave Vera a slap on her cheek, one so hard, she staggered. Since it was getting out of control, Kairo stepped in.
"Jude, why'd you hit her?" He said pulling Veronica to his back
"So I'm the one at fault here?" Jude asked biting her lips in anger
"You should have at least respected my presence as an adult here"
"This is so fucked up" Jude murmured walking out of the room.
Ryker, on the other hand was carrying Jo out of the room.
Vera was his girlfriend at some point and even if she had the looks, she had a pretty rotten personality.
Flashback
"What do you mean?" Vera asked her eyes stinging. Ryker bit his lips thinking of the best possible way to tell her this.
"You are a really pretty girl I must say, blonde, blue eyed, pe-"
"Get to the point Ryker" Veronica said
"I can't date you anymore. It's not like you're a bad person but-"
"It's because of Juno, isn't it?"
"Huh?" Ryker asked rubbing his neck
"It's because of that bitch right?" Veronica asked her voice getting louder. She was met by silence. "Right" she mumbled biting her lips. Tears strained down her cheeks. The anger, the pain, the hurt. She'd tried so hard to be his perfect doll but he only increased his standards as she put in more effort. She dabbed her tears with a tissue and stared into the dark night sky.
"It's alright. Go have fun with that little slut but I'm so going to make her pay and you'd wish you never left me" She said coldly and walked away with a new motive.
End of flashback
Ryker bit his lips until he could feel some liquid paint crimson patterns on the surface of his tongue. He could feel his veins carry a mighty surge of pain round his body and he felt so much guilt. He was the cause of all this. Love was meant to heal but the love he could give her only hurt her and left her heart hanging on a thread.
This anger still in him, he kicked open the door to the infirmary.
"Who the fuck is that madman?" Lilith said
"Fuck, why is she here?" Ryker mumbled under the breath. Lilith walked out of the nurses section towards the main unit.
"Can't you respo-" Her eyes widened as she saw an unconscious Jo in Ryker's arms. "What the fuck happened to her" She said, emotion laced in each word.
"It was Veronica" Ryker mumbled as he placed her on the bed. Side by side, they walked towards the nursing section once again.
"Explain" Lilith said in a cold voice that could even give the dead shivers.
"Is everything alright?" Audrey, a young nurse interrupted their convo.
"Nothing is, Jo is unconscious"
"Wow" another nurse said.
"Let's first give her some fluid and we can think about spells later." Audrey said thoughtfully. On cue, two other nurses- Nyx and Iaso started getting materials ready and they all returned to Jo's room
"""
The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop but this silence wasn't a comfortable silence, it was one that caused you extreme discomfort, one that birthed a powerful demon called tension. Lilith cleared her throat before asking once again.
"Can someone be brave enough to tell me what this Vera bitch did. Jo isn't responding to treatments and we aren't going to work up a random spell without even knowing what's wrong"
The room remained silent.
Annabelle who was sitted in the middle of Jude and Alan kept shifting in her seats and if she spent any more minute in that room, she could actually pee her pants... yeah, it's that bad.
"They still aren't talking?" Lucerne asked her twin as she walked into the room. Lilith simply shook her head in response whilst biting her red lips. Lucerne looked at all of them one by one. From Ryker, to Jude, Anna and then Alan. She let out a breath then said
"Jude, explain this instant"
"Fuck" Jude mumbled and then stared ahead. "We were having martial arts and Kairo told us to do a couple of warm ups and stuff, then he picked Jo and Ve...Veronica to have a hand combat" She clenched her fists and dug her nails into her palm as she said the bitch's name.
"Carry on" Lucerne chipped in
"They had an easy fight for the first round and Jo won easily. During the water break, she spilled some water on Jo but since she's known for her stupidity, it wasn't all that surprising. During the combat, she pulled Jo by the hair and before I could even say anything, she electrocuted Jo and that's it" Jude narrated, obviously grieved.
"Lemme get one thing straight, she used her powers doing a hand-to-hand combat?" Lucerne asked
"Yeah"
"And what did Kairo do?" Lilith asked. Alan scoffed shaking his head while Jude replied
"He chastised me for hitting her"
"The fuck!!" Iaso said speaking for the first time.
"This is terrible" Nyx said
"He needs to be queried" Lucerne added. Nyx clicked her tongue and shook her head at Lucerne's remark.
"He does, but that's not what bothers me now." She begun "Juno only got to Hendrix two months back and has no identified powers yet-"
"Which means she's still human with practically no extra strength and her life is on the line" Audrey completed.
The room went dead silent at that moment and if you listened well enough, you could hear the heartbeat of everyone in the room.
"Arggghhhh" Annabelle cried out breaking the silence. She let a stray tear fall down her cheeks and before anyone could say a thing, she teleported out of the room.
Audrey let out a sigh. "She'd be back. You guys should go clear your thoughts. We adults would try our best to revive Jo." There were a few groans of disapproval but after some time, they all left.
Short Annabelle's POV
I ran deeper and deeper into the forest as the images of Jo's eyes closing kept playing in my head on repeat. I had seen this but I didn't warn her, I didn't tell anyone.
It's your fault
You caused it
After all she's done for you Anna, you couldn't even protect her this once
I clutched my head trying to shut the voices
"It's not my fault" I said collapsing on the floor. I fell into a puddle of mud but that was my least worry at this point.
Would Jo be okay?
I had predicted it, I had seen the images but I didn't want to say a thing.
I was scared if I did, I would sound dumb
I was scared no one would believe me
I was scared they'd see me as a lunatic
But, here I am
Scarred because I let my self- doubt overwhelm me
Scarred because I can't even protect a friend
Scarred because I put my friend's life on the line because I didn't want to sound dumb...
I let out another loud scream and dug my fingernails into my skin. I plunged myself deeper into the mud as I drowned myself in self loathe. I could feel my heart bleed and all I could do at that moment was cry.
I failed in the human world, was given a second chance and failed Underworld once again.