Leif POV

"Get her."

Anger is not what I would use to describe his tone. Agitated or annoyed, would be a better word, as if this were but a minor inconvenience.

Scared is not what I would use to describe my panicked yelp as Green man jumps at me, a katana draw from its sheath. Terror, would be a better word, as I attempt to comprehend what is happening and why.

I squeak in fright, leaping back as he approaches, sword glinting like a long fang, hungry for my flesh.

The warm sensation from earlier flutters in me again as I throw up my hands in useless defence against his blade.

I expect to feel my skin split, my head to crack apart from the strike, but there is no impact or sting of open wounds. My eyes register the rich deep green object before me, a shield hovering between me and his weapon.

It's a leaf, its shape a simple diamond slightly curled in defensively towards me. From its underside, I see its veins flow strongly with gold light. Just like that of the tree.

It must be made of solid stone to be able to deflect the katana, but with a leaf's flexibility, flips, flicking the weapon and its handler back. Circling me, it glows briefly.

"Come on," I sense it urge.

It shrinks as it spirals before latching onto my arm like some sort of gauntlet. It moves, pulling my fist along to wind up before cracking a strike across Green man's hand.

He yowls, clutching his wrist with his weapon dangling loosely in his grip.

Before I can apologise, the leaf tugs my hand to the side as it extends as a blade, still wrapped and clinging to my arm. My arm is swung up, lightly slashing Green man's arm, giving him the needed encouragement to drop his blade.

Swung around by the leaf on my arm, I'm forced to spin before my foot lashes out upon the energy's prompting, catching him in the chest.

I wince upon hearing the wind get knocked clear from his lungs and his collapse onto the grass, sputtering for breath.

"I.. am so sorry-" I begin before I'm spun around again, fist raised by the martially trained leaf to throw a punch when someone else's fist lands the first strike.

I stumble back, my other arm not being puppet controlled by a flying leaf, rising to press against the part of my face that throbs. I may have bitten my tongue, tasting a foul metal flavour in my mouth.

The leaf tugs my hand forward to slash but Ginn catches my wrist, pulling it past him and driving his other elbow down on my head.

I gasp, spitting blood as I fall onto my knees.

I feel the cold lips of his gun kiss my forehead, forcing me to look up at him.

At the angle I'm at, with the canopy above leaking sunlight behind him, flushing him in cheerful yellow, I manage to see behind his glasses.

Wide, curious eyes that show an emotion of great irritation and interest in some sense.. An underlying madness as he stares at me, almost going deep in thought, trying to link whatever he's seeing to the contents of his mind.

I shudder, uncomfortable feeling my very being invaded, a question being dug into me.

"Are you?"

~ ~ ~

"HEY!"

I feel petals prick the side of my eyes, having formed full circles of blue flowers, in place of normal tears, unknowingly to me.

Is this how Linda felt?

Or did the bullet reach her before realisation did?

I almost failed to feel the static sparks of lightning as a bolt of it flies past, striking Ginn, forcing us apart.

I hit the grass, my head buzzing in dazed wonder as I slowly sit up, watching Storm explode from the bushes, a battle cry booming from her lips as she tackled Ginn.

I barely hear her. Everything is going too quickly. It all feels like some sort of dream.

I hear the gun go off in their struggle. In my relief, I see Storm unharmed, holding his wrist that clenches the pistol and the other on his throat, holding him off the ground. Though she is admittedly very tall for a 13-year-old, the man must be below the average height to achieve such a feat.

Am I dead? I wonder.

I'm losing the feeling of the ground beneath me and my vision grows unfocused, no matter how hard I try to make sense of it all. I only hear the echoing gunshots, long, hollow blows encompassing Linda's voice.

Her promise, my promise...

The static of the radio invading the steady heartbeat of rain against the window, blurting out news I paid little attention to as it rambled in the background. My eyes transfixed on the darkening world outside, looking out for the pink figure of Linda to appear up the hill.

I only heard her name, and his.

".. Linda Lithos... "

Her name was lost in a sea of others being read out, but it became my main focus as I faced the radio.

"...The shooter was found by police and had surrendered upon..."

His name...

It stood out, not exactly your average 'Tim', 'Joe' or 'Bob'. One of the only names I picked out from that night and had sealed in unconscious memory.

Hearing it again.. years later.. makes it feel like all some funny dream.

It can't be real can it? You don't usually stumble across your sister's murderer on the street on your way back from a walk.

But I guess you bump into them in the forests of a small town.

I see him and Green man leave, their footsteps seem to shake my world, one thumping step at a time. Heavy stone dropping into this tranquil lake of the world I once knew. The pool is smaller now, and instead of a friend on the distant horizon, I see him, back in this life standing over me, despite putting him out years ago.

With each echoing step fading away, his name roars as an encore, a trumpet call from the depths of suppressed memory.

Ginn Herin

Ginn Herin

Ginn Herin.