"I can't wait! He's going to be happy," I gleefully announced, feeling excited to see my best friend. We'd known each other for as long as I could remember.
We reached a large fountain that was surrounded by little flowers in various colors. A woman stood not too far away and was wearing the same long cloak uniform Mommy did. She even had a similar witch hat but Mother's had embroidered symbols which she said was because of her position at the school.
"Jewel, wait here for a moment. I need to have an adult conversation with Ms. Lansford," Mother announced. I nodded distractedly, too concerned with staring at the large castle structure and passing students who smiled at me.
Some came over and complimented me on my pink poofy dress that had blue roses on the skirt part. Brother loved blue and I liked pink, so I was happy to wear it for the special occasion.
"Okay, Mommy. I'll stay near the fountain," I replied. She walked over to the woman with long purple hair and they began talking. I walked over to the bench and sat down, kicking my legs happily as I hummed.
Alice was doing her own thing, but I knew she'd be back before the show, wanting to participate in the activities with us. She was a familiar with a mind of her own. I was happy she at least listened to me. She rarely listened to Brother or Mother.
I glanced up at the side tower closest to us, staring at the highest balcony. Brother had taken me up there when he had his school tour and said that was where they would train how to use levitation magic and other flying spells. There was a magic circle that would activate if anyone couldn't accomplish the spell, which would make some wind thing that would catch them so they didn’t fall.
It was one of the many cool things that the school had to offer. I just wished it wasn't an all-boys school. The girl school was on the other side of the city, which meant I'd be far away from Brother.
He wanted to become a professor here just like Mother, but I wanted to be here with him too. I continued pondering the situation as I saw a few students walk out onto balcony.
"Hmm? Brother!" I cheered, spotting him. I jumped off the bench and ran over to where mom was. I began tugging at her cloak while I continued staring at Brother’s figure high above.
"Mommy! Brother," I announced.
"One second, Jewel sweetheart," Mother replied.
"Good morning, Jewel. You look lovely today," I heard Ms. Landsford say. I tugged my eyes away from the scene above to give her a courtesy bow. "Hello."
I looked upward again and tilted my head in confusion. "Mommy?" I called again, feeling a little worried about how close brother and another male with orange hair were to the edge.
It didn't look as safe as last time we'd come. I looked around to look for the other teachers who were supposed to be present during the flying sessions, but I couldn't spot anyone else in black cloaks and hats.
I tugged on Mom's cloak again, harder than before, biting my lip nervously. They didn't look like they were having fun up there. Brother and the other boy looked like they were fighting.
"Jewel, please. One more minute," Mother soothed and my eyes widened when the orange haired male pushed Brother, who toppled over the edge.
"MOMMY!" I screamed, causing everyone around us to look in my direction before I pointed up. I didn't wait for anyone to reply before I began running as fast as I could.
"WIND!" I shouted, using all my power to create anything that would catch Brother, directing my hands out as I sprinted towards the entrance.
A little whirlpool of wind formed but it wasn't strong enough. I skidded to a stop and my heart seemed to stop when my brother hit the ground. It was like everything stilled; the sounds of people screaming and the loud noise rang in my ears as I stood there in shock.
Mother and Ms. Landsford were at Brother's side and I lowered my gaze to the blood that began to pool beneath him. I couldn't help him. I didn't save Brother!
Tears began to well as I walked closer, ignoring the students that began running around, calling for help.
Brother was on his back and Mother and Ms. Landsford were using some spells to try and heal him but deep within, I knew he wouldn't make it. He'd leave just like Father had.
His head rolled to the side and I saw the stream of tears staining his face. His gold eyes locked onto my desperate ones and I wanted to run to his side, to give him one more hug, but I couldn't move any closer. I was afraid of the blood. More importantly, I was scared to accept that he would die and leave me and Mommy alone.
"Brother," I whispered, my voice barely audible. He blinked and opened his mouth which was stained with blood that began to run down the side of his face to the ground.
He mouthed something that I didn't understand and my chest grew hot. I looked down at the necklace and it glowed a bright gold before a third symbol appeared. It looked to be a heart in blue.
I looked back to see him smile at me and his voice entered my mind.
"I'm sorry Jewel. I don't think I can have my necklace back. Keep it safe for me and Father, okay?"
Brother! No. No, don't leave me and Mommy. I'm sorry I couldn't make a stronger wind. I tried! I'll do better. Just don’t die.
His eyes began to close but he continued to smile. "You did good, Jewel. Take care of Mommy for me. I love you."
Gabriel... I love you too, Brother. Don't go! Fight. Please? We have to go see the magic show together!
"I'm sorry," his weak voice whispered and just like that, the feeling of him in my mind faded.
"Brother?" I whispered with trembling lips. I stared into his gold eyes that dulled and watched him take his final breath. His eyes remained open and all I could hear was Mother's agonizing scream.
I didn't move. I remained frozen as I watched people crowd around him, trying to wake him up, but his eyes remained open and his chest was still. I stared intently, as people whipped past me until I couldn't see Brother anymore as a crowd of adults crowded around him.
I slowly looked up and the same orange haired boy was looking down from the balcony. Instead of looking shocked, he actually smiled. A wicked smile that made him look evil. He killed Brother! My brother. How dare he? He took my brother away from me. But he's happy. Happy that I would never see Brother again and neither would Mommy.
As if he could feel my gaze, his eyes met mine and I narrowed my eyes at him. If he thought this was funny, maybe he should give it a try himself.
I didn't know where Alice came from, but she flew straight into Orange Hair. He tried to hit her but she continued to slam into him over and over again. I saw the other boys try and help him but it was as if they couldn't get to him. Or maybe it was because I didn't want them to.
Alice flew up and shot back into Orange Hair, but this time the force pushed him completely off the edge.
"Jewel!"
A boy appeared in front of me with gold eyes that reminded me of brother. He blocked my gaze, preventing me from seeing the tragic end of the person who killed my brother. My hearing returned and with it came multiple screams, then a loud thump as the boy hit the ground.
"Logan," I whispered, breaking through my haze to finally see who was in front of me. He removed his hands and we both stared at the orange haired boy who was on the ground screaming in agonizing pain. I frowned, realizing someone had saved him. He didn’t deserve it, though. He took Brother from me.
Logan cupped my head in his hands. "Jewel. Stop."
"He took Brother. He killed him," I announced in a monotone voice, feeling devoid of any emotion other than the anger and hatred I felt for the boy who killed my brother. A woman knelt next to us and I slowly met her pink eyes.
"Jewel, sweetheart. It's okay, come here." Logan's mother pulled me into her arms and lifted me up.