Erina lifts the gun to point it at the target. The thing is, when she goes to take her shot, something about what Raz has just said makes her startle. She fires the gun nearly forty feet to the left of the target, and I watch in sick horror as the bullet hits April right in the chest.
Red blooms on the white of her dress shirt as her eyes go wide and she crumples forward, almost in slow motion. Her brunette braids trail behind her as she falls into Luke's arms. My best friend catches April before she can hit the ground, but I can already tell this is going to end poorly for everyone involved.
“She's been shot!” Luke screams as Sonja helps her lay April on the forest floor. “We need a fucking phone; get the gatekeeper!” Luke turns back to April, sobbing and shaking as I stand there, thunderstruck.
Clearly, the universe hates me.
Why else would it do this to me? All I was trying to do was help. I just wanted to fucking help.
Barron takes off at a full sprint, clearly heading back to grab the phones. Raz stumbles a bit before seeming to shake himself out of a stupor.
“Give me the fucking gun, Erina,” he says, moving toward her slowly. Erina just stands there, ignoring him and clutching the gun in two hands as she stares at April's still form with wide eyes.
Pearl takes off, dropping down to the ground in her new emerald gown and leaning down to put her ear near April's lips, already flecked with pink spittle.
Calix isn't looking at Erina. Instead, he's staring at me, like he knows this moment is going to destroy me, like he’d do anything to change that.
He must’ve heard Raz shouting about me being pregnant, but obviously, he won’t believe that, considering we haven't had sex in a year. The expression on his face says that maybe he's already forgotten about that part of the conversation though. I sure as fuck have, all of my attention focused on April.
“Karma,” he says, his voice almost … tender? Calix takes a step toward me, reaching out for my hand.
“Don't touch her,” Erina says, and my attention snaps over to Erina and Raz. He has both hands raised in surrender and a deep frown etched into his handsome face. As I watch, Erina swings the gun from him and over to me and Calix.
Fuck.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Sometimes I forget that I go to a school full of delinquents and psychopaths. Sometimes, but not often. I mean, they don't let me forget often enough.
“Erina, give me the gun,” Calix says, frowning as he holds out a hand, his imperious attitude making me extremely nervous. This isn't going to go well if he cops the dark faerie prince of the forest bullshit. “You made a mistake; don't turn it into a crime.”
For a split-second, Erina's pale blue eyes lower and I feel like she's this close to giving Calix the gun. She lifts her gaze just in time to see him flick his own toward me, that same sort of fragile tenderness in his eyes. My friend has just been shot, and Calix's hard shell is falling aside like it was never there.
April is dead.
The thought doesn't even penetrate my foggy brain. Besides, today isn't the day, is it? It can't be. I won't let it be.
“Why do you love her?” Erina asks, sounding sick to her stomach. “What is it about her that makes her better than me?”
“Are you kidding?” Calix asks, his face tightening with anger. “You just killed a pregnant girl with an illegal handgun, and you're asking me about Karma?”
“Answer me!” Erina screams, gesturing with the gun in Calix's direction. He closes his eyes briefly, only bothering to open them when Erina presses the barrel of the gun against his forehead. I desperately want to say something, do something, but clearly, I'm at least partially responsible for Erina's anger. I'm afraid if I draw her attention, she won't hesitate to shoot Calix and me both. For his part, Calix doesn’t seem particularly concerned, more pissed off than anything else.
Raz makes a move, like he's planning on tackling her to the ground, when Erina swings the weapon around and fires a round into his leg, dropping him to the leaf-covered earth with a howl. I drop down beside him, putting my hands over the wound, trying to stop the flow of hot crimson.
“Tell me,” Erina says, turning the gun back on