𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 》 JASON GRACE ¹

ᶜʰᵃᵖᵗᵉʳ ᶠⁱᶠᵗᵉᵉⁿ

Hello! I'm at the beginning today! I'm here to give you a heads up, this chapter contains a panic attack, please, please don't read it if you think it could trigger you, I don't want anyone getting hurt. The start and end of it will be marked by a ~~~

''WHERE-''

Noleani coughed, rolling onto her side to spit up drops of blood in uneven coughs. When Noelani had come to her sense, Jason, Piper and Leo were leaning over her. She was lying in the snow, covered in mud and grease. He spit a clump of frozen grass out of her mouth. Apparently, trying to talk as soon as you woke up from a crash was not a good idea.

''Lie still,'' Piper soothed, tears in her eyes as she was nealt beside Noelani, gently rubbing the girls back as she continued to shake and cough. ''You rolled pretty hard when - when Festus-''

''Where is he?'' Noelani asked, rolling over again, despite their protests. She remembered that they landed inside the compound, something had happened on the way in - gunfire?''

''Nola-Noelani,'' Jason said, repeating it harsher as the girl ignored him. He placed his shaky hands on her shoulders, forcing her to lie back down the second she tried to sit up. '''You could be hurt. Well, you are, but it could be serious-''

Waving off Jason's hands, Noelani pushed herself to her feet, Leo catching her from behind the second she started to sway, not bothering to try lay her back down. He knew she would just stand again. Noelani winced, her hand flying to her torso, but her attention was on her surroundings.

Then she saw the wreckage. Festus must have dropped the big canary cages as he came over the fence, because they'd rolled in different directions and landed on their sides, perfectly undamaged.

Festus hadn't been so lucky.

The dragon had disintegrated. His limbs were scattered across the lawn. His tail hung on the fence. The main section of his body had plowed a trench twenty feet wide and fifty feet long across the mansion's garden before breaking apart. What remained of his hide was a charred, smoking pile of scraps. Only his neck and head were somewhat intact, resting across a row of frozen rosebushes like a pillow.

A sob escaped Noelani's throat and she span around, forcing herself onto Leo as she hugged him.

''Leo, I'm so so sorry. I tried, I really did. I didn't mean for Festus-'' A hiccup escaped her throat, causing pain to erupt in her lower spine. ''I'm sorry, Leo. I thought I could- I tried- I tried my best, man. I didn't mean. I'm so sorry-''

Leo's eyes were wide as he only just got over her sudden koala-like hug. He shook his head, blinking dumbly as he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. ''Noelani, I swear, if you apologise one more time I'm going to cry. And that's not manly, so don't make me.''

''I'm sorry,'' Noelani whispered, burying her head further into him, still shaking with sobs.

Leo swallowed hoarsely, looking up to blink tears. ''Aww, man,'' he said, voice shaky. ''I said stop.''

''Right, right,'' Noelani said, still shaking uncontrollably as she release Leo and stumbled back. ''I'm sorry. I mean, Gods, sorry, no, I-''

She couldn't keep stuttering as she sobbed again. Leo joined in this time.

''You guys,'' Piper said, smiling as she laughed sadly, wiping her own tears as she hiccuped. ''Why are your tears contagious?''

Jason placed a hand on Noelani's shoulder, softly turning her around to face him. She sobbed and Jason pulled her tightly against his chest with one hand and offered the other one out to the others. Leo sobbed, dramatically collapsing onto Noelani's back and Piper wiggled her way in between the two boys so they could all have a sappy, wet, group hug.