The ground beneath us suddenly cracked, leaving me no choice but to jump back as the others attempted to get out of the way.
"Time to say bye-bye!" the woman screamed as her body shifted before our eyes - until an Elijah lookalike with black spots all over his flesh clapped his hands.
"Bri!" Elijah called out, and I looked to see her and Jax as the ground beneath their feet suddenly shattered into mini rocks. Suddenly, a large mouth came up from the ground.
"NO!" I screamed and tried to even take a step, but their bodies were swallowed as the gigantic purple cobra shot further up into the air before it hissed in delight.
"Brianne! Jax!" Elijah screamed and tried to race towards the beast.
"Elijah, wait!" Eliyahu cried out to him as he followed his lead to try and stop him. I watched in horror as a sharp purple needle struck through both of them. Their bodies were lifted up by what I realized was the tail of the beast before it hissed loudly and tossed the twins into its mouth.
"No...no." I backed up in horror before I fell back on the cement of the hall that had yet to crack from the intense shaking. Arrows of black crashed into the snake, and my eyes immediately looked to see Finnick as he sent more arrows to try and distract the beast.
It hissed and raced towards him, and I caught onto Kaito, who had both swords in his grasp and was charging towards the creature. With a cry of war, the snake took a huge inhale before it spat out threads of venom.
"Kaito! Finnick!" My screams wouldn't do a single thing to save them as Finnick and Kaito tried to avoid the attack but were caught in the white-green threads that burned their flesh.
Their screams were joined by all those that were drenched by the poisonous liquid. I was left in a state of shock as I watched their skin begin to melt off their bodies until there was nothing but bone.
Not a second later the entire field collapsed, and I watched it all as people fell into the sinking hole.
I fought to breathe as panic overtook me - my cheeks already wet with tears as I realized no one was going to come and fix this. I had to do something. I had the power to do something, and it had to be done right now if I wanted to ensure this wasn't irreversible.
Lifting my shaky hands, I watched as they seemed to double in vision, which only made me realize I was on the verge of passing out.
"No. I can't fail again. I can't...I can't fail! They're all relying on me! I can't let them die!" I placed my hands to my temples as I closed my eyes shut to try and concentrate. "Please. I beg of you. Work!"
"Why should I?"
My eyes shot open as I lifted my head to see my surroundings were now black and there stood a little boy.
The boy that reflected my childhood self.
"You..." I whispered as the little boy approached me. "You're me."
"I'm your inner child," the boy declared with power. "And I don't see the need to help you."
"Why not?" I questioned. "Our friends. Our loved ones. Innocent people just died and we have the power to change it!"
"And what happens when you make another mistake and they all still die?" he questioned. "Then what?"
"That's not going to happen!"
"What if I told you that this is the forty-ninth time you've tried to save your friends?" His revelation silenced me as the boy shook his head in disappointment. "Again and again, you've gone back and lived the semester with the agreement you'd forget going back. I told you I'd give you fifty shots, and today is your last one."
I was speechless as the boy simply shrugged. "If you're going to waste your last chance, I might as well let the present happen."
"Let me try one more time," I pleaded. "Allow me to remember."
"The only way to remember is by having magic in this realm, which you don't," he replied as he lifted his hands to show their thrumming force while his energy burned around him.
"Why...why don't I?"
"Everyone's magic comes from the inner child within. Unless you incorporate an outside source, only your inner child can carry the magic inside your body. So as of now, you're nothing but a catalyst."
His words for a boy were heavy in their emotional toll on me as my mind begged for me to admit defeat, especially now that I knew the truth. I'd done this almost fifty times and lost, reset, and made it all the way here to fail again.
What would one more chance do?
The urge to give up grew stronger and I lowered my head to my shaking hands. What caught my attention was the tattoo on my wrist and I recalled how each of the most important people in my life perished.
Closing my eyes, I fought hard against the sting that threatened to make me shed tears. My heart sank at the feeling of defeat. Why couldn't we prevail? I simply couldn't grasp the reasoning.
There had to be one way out. This couldn't be the end to the Notorious Five.
We've been able to get through everything together...wait. Together...all of us...
Staring at the tattoo, my mind immediately began to formulate a plan - the pieces coming together.
"I need the last chance," I whispered and looked up to the little boy as I worked on standing up. He seemed annoyed by my stubbornness as he crossed his arms.
"I didn't think my older self would be this stupid," he huffed. "You're not going to win!"
"You're right," I replied. "I'm not going to win on my own. If what you're saying is true, and I've been here, again and again, that only confirms that I haven't changed my mindset. I've been trying to go back to a time when I could make a domino change effect that would give me a different ending, and thus far, it's done nothing of the sort."
"So what is going to make this time different?" the boy huffed.
"I'm not going back to the night of death experience," I voiced. "Return me to the exact time when Jax was in the hall waiting for me and Brianne."
"Why?" He gave me a mocking look. "So you can tell him that he's about to die? Oh right, you're not going to remember."
"I will remember," I vowed as I clenched my fists to ground myself with this newly formulated plan in my head that continued to grow as the seconds ticked by.
"You have no magi-"
I lifted my arm up to show him the mark on my wrist, and he looked stumped by its appearance. "When did you get that?"
"Meaning I haven't had this tattoo previously," I whispered.
"You did not," the boy admitted and watched me carefully. "What are you planning?"
"To save all the victims of the catastrophe that's about to happen. Only this time around, I'm not doing it on my own, but with those who've gotten me this far."
I went on my knees then, which confused the boy even more. I reached out to offer my left hand to him.
"That includes you."
"M-Me?" The boy looked offended as he took a step back and glared at my hand. "You just want to use me for my power!"
"No." I shook my head as I looked him in the eyes. "I need your help as well."
"After forty-nine times, why would you suddenly be inclined to ask for my assistance?"
"I realized that my ultimate fear is letting down all those I love. That I'm unable to protect them from harm's way, and because of this fear, I always want to try and do everything myself. Protect those I love, aid in making them feel better and being the comforting individual they need in their lives. If I could be the carrier of their burdens, I'd do it in a heartbeat. That was until I soon began to realize that I wasn't allowing anyone to aid me when I struggled to keep my head up high. I didn't want the aid of others because I'd accepted a role I created for myself and wouldn't let such a role be taken by anyone else. That decision blinded me from realizing that it's okay to rely on my friends and those I care about. That I'm not a superhero or a god that has the ability to carry the world's burdens. I have to accept that my role isn't to protect everyone in the world. My role is to work on myself and the goals I wish to achieve, which will lead me to situations where I can aid others, and that includes needing assistance in those intense times."