Chapter 48: Bones (Callum's POV)

Nate came to get me. He told me that Atticus and Wyatt had a fight. And the fool I am, I fell for it. I shouldn't have let him drag me away. And then he cut himself to distract everyone. He had a dagger on him. He looked guilty. But he didn't act like it. 

I ran back out and into the bathroom but she was gone. "No, no, no," I mumbled, running back out. I started running through campus. "Clara!" I yelled, looking through each room on each floor. 

I've been running around for forty-five fucking minutes. "Clara!" I screamed again, my feet slowing down in the hallway. At the end was the auditorium. I don't even want to think about what he could have done to her in forty-five minutes. So I pushed myself forward, my mind going back to the curse and everything that I read and learned about it. 

That's when I heard it. I heard her scream. 

It's so far from anywhere else on campus, of course, I didn't hear it earlier. I stopped, closing my eyes and leaning against the wall, catching my breath before throwing the coat off. I have to channel it. The power to heal. She really is my soulmate. I have to channel it and give it to her. She needs it. 

After that power drained from me, I felt even more exhausted. 

"How is that possible?!" Atticus yelled. His voice is one I would recognize from anywhere. I ran the rest of the way, stumbling through the auditorium doors. "Stand up!" he barked at her, threatening her with the dagger. 

She tried but she sank to her knees almost immediately.

"She's going to die, where is he?!" he growled. 

"Atticus," Finn said, glancing at me. 

Atticus looked over, sighing in relief. "Finally. A few minutes late and she would already have died. Then this would be useless, wouldn't it?" He hopped off the stage and over to me. "I'm afraid you're late, my friend. She's too far gone to save. Look." 

She's still awake, still conscious. She is in tremendous pain. But she's alive. 

"Do you want a minute with her? To say your goodbyes?" I

 turned to him, feeling more rage than I have ever felt, ever in my life. "I'm going to kill you. I told you I would if you did anything to her." One punch. Then another. And another. And a thousand more rained on his face. He didn't even try fighting back and that only pissed me off more. "You don't get to act like you fucking won!" I punched him in the gut and he stumbled, crouching on the floor to compose himself. "Get back up," I ordered, rolling up my sleeves before reaching into the waistband of my pants and pulling out the gun my father gave me that day. 

I shouldn't have let her come tonight. I should have fought with her and locked her in the room. 

I cocked the gun, holding it out and watching his face pale. "You can't use a gun," he stuttered. 

"You want to test me right now? That doesn't sound very smart." I ripped my tie off with my free hand and threw it on stage. I glanced at Finn. "Pick it up," I ordered. 

He was even more scared than Atticus. He scurried and took it from the floor. 

"Tie it around the wounds. Rip off the fabric of her dress and tie that around the wounds too." 

He looked to Atticus for permission. 

"I'll blow your fucking head off, Atticus!" I yelled, stepping forward, putting a finger on the trigger. 

"Do it!" Atticus yelled at Finn. 

He scurried, Isaac and Ethan now helping her sit up while Finn ripped off the first layer of her dress and tying that with my tie over her wounds to slow the bleeding. 

She screamed in pain when he tightened it. 

"Sorry, sorry. I'm sorry, Clara. I'm so fucking sorry," he mumbled, taking his tie off and using that too. 

I was watching her, making sure he did it right. Until I felt a stab in my side. I let out a yell in anger more than pain and grabbed the dagger out of his hand, slashing his abdomen with it without hesitation. He groaned in pain, stumbling back again. 

"You fucking psychopath! Are you insane?! How the fuck could you do that to her?! She didn't do anything to you! She didn't even blame you, she felt fucking sorry for you!" I yelled, my finger pulling the trigger. 

It hit him right in the arm and he screamed in agony, holding the gunshot wound. 

"Get up!" I growled. He stood back up after struggling and I stepped closer, slashing him once more before throwing the dagger into the seats. I glanced at the stage. 

She's lost too much blood, there are pools of it on the stage. 

"Take her to Nora and then go get Daisy, Wyatt, and Principal Michelle. Take her to the hospital. Now!" 

Isaac picked her up in his arms, ready to follow my orders. 

"No!" she screamed. "Put me in that fucking chair!" 

Isaac listened to her over me. 

I groaned, glancing at Atticus to make sure he was far away. 

"I'm not leaving without you," she said, trying to breathe while watching me. 

"Lay her down. Do it now!" 

They lay her flat on her back and she winced, crying all over again. 

"Go get Nora!" 

They all started running. 

"One of you!" I roared. "Only one of you fucking morons. Go!" 

Ethan was the first one out. 

"Put pressure on her wound!" I ordered Finn. "Clara, can you hear me?" 

"Yeah," she grunted. 

"Can you see me?" 

She turned her head this way, squinting her eyes opened, looking right at me. 

"She said yeah!" Isaac yelled. 

I heard Atticus getting closer and I blindly pulled the trigger again, not lifting my gaze from Clara. I knew I got him. I heard his yell. "You'll heal!" I called out. "Do you hear me? You're going to heal!" 

She was losing consciousness. 

Nora came running in behind Ethan, looking frantically at the scene. She ran right to Clara, starting to tend to her. "Keep your eyes open, look at me! Do not fall asleep! Keep talking! Count to ten with me!" Nora said frantically while taking out a bunch of alcohol wipes and a pair of scissors, cutting open the abdominal area of the dress. 

I felt a kick over the stab wound and I couldn't help but stumble. I wish I could heal right now. But she needs it. 

"You forget I'm telekinetic," he said, spitting out some blood before the dagger came back to him, floating over the chairs. 

"And you forget I can read your fucking mind." I shot right at his hand, knocking the dagger out of it before I used my own telekinesis to send it back where it was. "You had no right to bring her into this." I stepped closer, putting the gun right to his forehead. 

"You did that all for her. You fell in love with her," he chuckled. "She's your soulmate, isn't she? Does she know, Callum? Does she know anything? I wanted to break her bones, do you hear me? Her fucking bones! You should be thankful I didn't do more. Her little body can't handle it." 

I clenched and unclenched my jaw. Shooting once more into his leg. I can't have more than two bullets left in here. I pulled it out and checked. Exactly two. I shot another one at his other leg. 

"No, no, no! Stay with me! Clara, keep your eyes open! Clara!" 

I lost all my grasp on reality when I heard Nora yelling. 

"She should heal!" I yelled, glancing at her. 

"She isn't healing, Callum! She needs more! You have more in you, she needs it all!" 

Clara's hand that was in the air in a soft fist, fell limp by her side. 

I kicked Atticus hard. Everywhere I could. Anywhere I could. 

"She's healing!" 

I looked back over, my eyes wide. 

She's healing. 

"She'll be okay. She needs to be at a hospital right now. Clara, open your eyes, keep them open!" 

She whimpered, her eyes slowly opening again. The guys carried her down and right past me. Her hand brushed my arm. And I felt myself breaking from within. This is my fault. I never should have gotten her involved. 

"Callum, just do it! Pull the trigger! Kill him and hurry! She needs you!" Nora yelled before they all ran off, rushing her to the hospital. 

I blinked quickly, ignoring the tears that were rolling down my cheeks and blinding me slightly. I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand, sniffling and keeping him at gunpoint. "Why did you do it? Just tell me why the fuck you did it!" 

"Now you know how it feels. To lose the girl you love. I know she'll fucking make it. I should have seen it coming. You gave her the power to heal tonight," he laughed. "Of course she gets to live. Kiara fucking didn't!" He stood upright, clutching his abdomen. "This is for her!" 

"She has completely ruined you, Atticus!" I screamed, giving him a hard shove. "Fuck you," I said calmly. "And fuck Kiara. I'm happy she's dead. If I had the chance to kill her, I'd do it over and over again, asshole." 

He saw red as he came at me. 

I had to say it. We both fell to the floor, fighting for the gun. I know it can't end well. "I don't regret killing her," I grunted, trying not to lose my grasp on the gun. "I don't regret it at all. I'd do it over and over again, you son of a fucking bitch!" I yelled, shoving him off of me and standing up, bringing the dagger I threw over, back to me. 

He has the gun, he won't hesitate to shoot. If he knows how to. 

I don't have time to waste. I got back to him, grabbing him by his collar and stabbing the dagger into him, at least puncturing a lung. I won't let this bastard see the light of day ever again. I panted, turning to leave. I have to get to Clara. 

"I don't regret trying to kill her either, Nikolai." 

I heard the trigger go off and I felt the bullet rip through my back. It felt like my spine was torn out. I stumbled and grabbed the wall for support immediately. 

"I know I'll—" he choked on his own blood this time. "I'll die before you. But at least I died trying. Fuck you, Callum Nikolai." 

I pushed the door open, stumbling through and keeping up to the wall for support. I fell to the floor. Something's wrong. The bullet definitely hit me somewhere it shouldn't have. I'm bleeding from my heart too. Or my chest, I don't know. It definitely went through me. I touched my chest. 

No, I can feel it. I feel the bullet inside of me. 

"Callum!" I looked up through my hazy vision as Wyatt ran over, grabbing me. "What the hell happened? We need to take him to the hospital now! Call the principal!" he yelled. 

I could faintly see Daisy running back while he helped me walk. 

"I need to teleport," I said, unable to breathe properly. I could very well die. 

"You don't have the energy," he said, supporting me. 

"I have to. I don't have time to wait for a ride," I grunted, holding my abdomen that was also bleeding. "Hold on." I panted, leaning against the wall to catch my breath. I exhaled and shut my eyes tightly. 

To Clara. Just take me to Clara, please. 

The last thing I saw was the white walls of a hospital hallway and then I collapsed to the floor, emerged in complete darkness.

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Chapter 48

my heart broke a lot writing the ending for this book, you guys.

I'll give it the happiest fucking epilogue ever

there's still two chapters to go before the epilogue tho hehe

next chapter: shattered