I can't believe this story is almost over! :O I hope you like this final chapter guys! Thanks to all the voters and commenters! (Don't think commenters is a real word...) And all my silent readers as well! I love you all ;)

Chapter 17

Tina's POV

Thanks to my enhanced sight I see Jayden turn straight away by the side of the stage. He runs on to the stage and to me. I nod to him just as the door bursts open and our 'reinforcements' as such coming racing through, I just have enough time to quickly scour the faces. There are quite a few I don't recognise. However, here are some that I can guess.

Darren is at the head of it all, leading them as we planned. On either side of him are two people that I don't know, but I'd guess they were his parents as they all look very similar. To the left, next to Darren Mum, are my parents (Tim and Jill). And to the right, Next to Darren's Dad, are two people who look like they could be Jayden's parents. Behind them are two people, both very alike and I'd guess they were twins, they also look very similar to Jayden, so I guess he must have younger, twin sisters. And behind them are rows of people that I don't know, but I guess they are all here to fight for the cause, to fight for what's right.

God, I sound so cheesy right now.

Just as I jump to run and help them fight, two arms grab my waist and pull me backwards. To my surprise, though, they are not rough in pulling me back, they are... almost protective, loving. I turn to the left and find that my brother has managed to break through Phoenix's control.

"Stephen!" I cry happily.

He smiles at me, not saying anything, but just smiling. It was a happy, proud smile, yet it was sad at the same time - as if he was telling me that this was the last time I'd see him.

"No. No, There has to be a way, I will save you, Stephen!" My eyes start to water, but I refuse to let them fall.

He shakes his head, "It's too late."

"No! It can't be! I can't lose you, not again!" I can't help it now, a tear runs down my cheek, followed by two more, until they were running freely down my face.

"You've been doing fine without me, Tina. I'm so proud of you, you know that, right?"

I nod, unable to speak with a lump in my throat the size of a golf ball.

"Good." He resolves, relieved, "I love you, Tina. Always have, always will. Some stupid, evil spirit inside of me won't change that."

"Please, just fight! Hold him off. I'll find a way! I will! Darren and Jayden and Kaycee and everyone else, we'll find a way! Together."

"You like him, don't you. Darren?" It wasn't a question, not really - it was a statement.

I remain silent for a few seconds, then nod. After what happened in the car earlier, I can't deny it, I did. I liked the idiot. Stephen smiles at my answer.

"Thought so... I'll always be with you, Tina, always. Watching over you."

Even though I knew it, I still couldn't believe that there wasn't a way to save him.

"There has to be a way!" I whisper, though it was more like I was trying to convince myself, not him.

Stephen shakes his head, "There isn't. I'm sorry, Tina." He doesn't wait for a reply, he carries on hurriedly, "I can feel him taking over now, Tina. I'm going to let go, you'll have about two seconds to kill him."

"How?"

"I know you'll think of something. You're smart, unlike me. You mustn't blame yourself for this, if it's anyone's fault, it's mine. I fell for his tricks all those years back, it's time for me to face the consequences. It's actually quite relieving, in a way. I won't have to worry about him hurting people; I won't have to worry about him hurtingyou. Dying is... it's peaceful. You'll see me again; though, not too soon - I hope." He playfully warns me, before becoming serious and asking me the dreaded question, "...Are you ready?"

"Are you?"

He smiles in confirmation.

"Goodbye, Stephen. I love you." I murmur, almost inaudible.

"I love you, too." He confirms what I already know, in the same tone of voice.

It was as if we were immune to all the fighting down on the ground below the stage, I didn't even blink as someone was thrown onto the front of the stage.

"Bye."

"Bye."

He gives me one last smile before giving in to Phoenix.

The 'witch' part of me immediately takes over again, just as it had when I made that healing potion in the science room.

My hands rose and a tiny ball of glowing light formed in my hand, I knew it was my magical energy, I don't know how, but I knew.

Then I started to speak,

"Cum Virtus vested in mihi,

EGO transporto vos tergum ut quo vos venit ex,

Ut exsisto illic pro totus infinitio.

Vos may nunquam licentia.

Illic est haud effugi.

Vos have been profugus illic insquequo terminus of vicis!" *

With every word I spoke, the ball of energy in my hands grew bigger and bigger, until I was almost stretching to reach my arms around it.

Phoenix was frozen in place as soon as I started speaking, he couldn't do anything to stop me.

I thrusted the magic towards him with all my strength and it crashed into him, full speed.

I expected blinding light, maybe for him to just disappear. However, neither happened, what happened was much, much worse.

Phoenix collapsed to the ground, flames engulfing him and I couldn't tell if it was him or my brother screaming out in pain. I was frozen in place in horror, and in one second light flashed and I was watching my brother die right in front of my eyes. And it was my fault.

What Stephen had said to me repeated itself in my head,

"You mustn't blame yourself for this, if it's anyone's fault, it's mine..."

But I couldn't help it.

Finally - after what seemed like hours, though it was probably only a minute - the flames were extinguished and there was nothing but a pile of ash left on the floor.

I couldn't get the thought out of my head that I had just cremated my brother alive...

It's what he wanted...

At that thought I collapsed to the floor and cried. The tears were a mixture of relief and pain.

I cried for my brother.

I cried for the fact that it was over.

And I cried for me.

For the first time, I cried for me.

For my pain, for what I had been put through and for what I had lost.

For the first time I wasn't only crying for my fake-parents, or for my brother, or for the hell I'd been put through. 

But for me.

And it was a release, I felt a weight lift off of my shoulders. I heard the shouts and cries of the fight being continued below, but I didn't look up; I just  kept on crying. I'd held it in for so long. It was good to finally let go.

"Tina!" Somebody yelled and it seemed as if everything went in slow motion. I looked up and my heart stopped. There was a man holding a gun and it was pointed straight at me, he pulled the trigger and the bullet came soaring towards me. Jayden - in his wolf form - tackled him to the ground, but too late, the bullet was already on a direct course for my head. 

I'd like to say that I reacted quickly and dodged the bullet, but I didn't.

I froze.

By the time my mind started registering everything that happened it was too late. I closed my eyes, preparing myself for impact. But, nothing came. I heard a thud and opened my eyes to find some body lying in front of me.

A familiar body.

With dark brown, almost black hair, that fell into his ice blue eyes along with kissable lips.

Eyes that were usually full of humour and arrogance; lips that were usually curved up into a smirk.

But, neither of those were present at this point.

His eyes were heavy lidded and full of pain; his lips turned down in a grimace.

Horror filled me once again.

Darren Bowler, whom I had only a few minutes ago confessed to liking, had taken a bullet for me.

"No! No, this is too much! I've just lost my brother! I can't lose you too!" I cried, my eyes filling up with tears yet again.

He tried to force a smile and managed, for the most part. However, it only lasted a second before he winced in pain again, clutching his stomach where the bullet had pierced his skin.

And there was blood. So much blood. Too much, surely no one could survive this?

"At l-least you're o-okay." He managed to croak before he passed out.

"No!" I cried, "I will not lose you too!"

Using all the strength and energy I had left - I don't know where I found it, because banishing Phoenix took up all my energy - I hefted him over my shoulder.

I jumped off the stage and knew exactly where I needed to go. I dodged through the fight that was ever continuing in the ballroom - though it was coming to an end - and ran out into the hall. 

Bursting through the main doors and into the coolness of the outside, I was relieved to see Darren's car parked not too far away.

I carefully lay Darren down across the back seat and jumped into the drivers seat.

I knew I was only running on adrenaline, but I didn't care; as long as I got Darren where he needed to be - and fast - I could crash then.

With shaking hands I found the key in his back pocket and thrust it into the ignition, turning it, the car roared into life.

.     .     .

She was here, how could she know I needed her? Darren probably thought ahead and knew the injured would need to be tended to. 

I bet he didn't think he'd be among them. I thought to myself bleakly.

She rushed through the school doors and took him from me, which I was thankful for, as I was about to break down again - I could tell.

She rushed inside with him, disappearing into the first aid room - her office. Yes, I had taken him to the school nurse. I followed my instinct, she probably knows about us, or Darren wouldn't have trusted her that time he took me to the nurse's office when I passed out due to my 'magic overload'.

I stumbled in after her, my adrenaline long gone. Now I was going into shock.

I went into the nurses office and sat down on one of the chairs outside the treatment room.

After a few minutes had passed I heard the door I came in through open and close again, but I didn't have enough energy left in me to lift my head. I was exhausted.

"Tina?!" Kaycee's horrified cry came from the entrance and she rushed over to me.

I tried to open my mouth to tell her that I was fine, that the blood that was on my hands and all over me wasn't mine. All that would come out was a whimper, I felt beyond pathetic as I started to cry.

Kaycee pulled me to her in a bone crushing hug, but at that point I didn't care.

I couldn't feel anymore. I had lost too much, this was my brain's defence mechanism; shut down. Don't feel.

Become numb.

That was how I fell asleep, my head on Kaycee's shoulder, tears streaming down my cheeks, soaking Kaycee's shirt and feeling totally and utterly pathetic.

.     .     .

3 Weeks Later

Darren is in a coma.

Has been for three weeks now. Turns out the bullet was wooden, lethal to a vampire.

I sat gloomily by his bedside, he had remained in the nurses office, as - for obvious reasons - he couldn't exactly go to the hospital. Thank God the nurse's office was up-to-date with all the medical equipment we needed.

Life at school was still going on.

I was still being forced to train for the gymnastics competition and the duet for the dance competition. Okay, that sounded like the teachers were forcing me. No, I was forcing myself - I was throwing myself into everything I could find, I even took up stamp collecting, to stop myself from thinking about what I would do if he didn't wake up. I spend every night in the nurse's  office sitting by his bedside. It's all my fault, if I had moved out of the way... 

I shake my head to clear y mind and stop myself from thinking about it.

"You were thinking about him again, weren't you?" Jayden asks with a sad smile on his face.

Now, Jayden, that was a whole other story, he literally was being forced to do the duet dance competition, as a replacement for Darren - to get his grades up, if he fails one subject he's kicked off the football team. He's a good dancer - as in, he can move - but, he's nothing compared to Darren.

I nod, knowing there's no point in lying.

"Listen, Tina, you need to go home tonight - get some sleep. I'll stay tonight, I'll call you if anything changes. The competition is tomorrow!"

That was true. 

Knowing there was no point in arguing with him - he was as stubborn as an ox when he wanted to be - I nod reluctantly.

I pick up my stuff and leave the dance studio, without waiting for anyone I trudge out of the school gates, I keep my head down and look at the ground with a blank face, void of any emotion.

"Hey, Tina! Wait up!" Someone shouts from behind me. I stop, but don't turn around. I turn my head to the side when whoever it is had caught up to me to find Selena. "You oka- Holy crap! You look awful." She cries when she sees the huge bags under my eyes and my pale, gaunt face.

"Thanks." I say bluntly, turning my head to focus on the concrete below as I walk home. I've been working on automatic pilot for three weeks, not talking to anyone but the teachers, Jayden and Kaycee - and only talking to them when absolutely necessary.

"Sorry, but you kinda do... Anyway I'm no-one to judge, seeing as how when we became friends I looked like a runny nosed pig."

This managed to rise a ghost of a smile to my lips.

She stares at me, as if contemplating whether to say something or not.

"Is this because of Darren?" She asks, softly, getting straight to the point.

I clench my jaw then nod, all the thoughts I've been pushing away come back slightly and I push them away even further, before I start crying again.

"Come on, let's get you home. You look like you haven't slept in weeks!"

"I haven't." I croak.

"Oh my God..." She starts, obviously not knowing what to say. "Okay, first thing you're gonna do when you get home is go to bed and sleep! I'm not taking no for an answer either! You'll do as I say or I'll make eat rotten eggs! And do not try me!" She finishes, pointing a stern finger in my direction.

I give her a shocked look and swallow audibly, knowing that she probably would make me eat rotten eggs if I don't go to sleep. I roll my eyes and nod to show that I would.

"I'll be checking!" She warns and I, once again, nod my head, feeling like a little girl who has been caught stealing from the cookie jar and is being told off.

We arrive at my house and she stalks me up to the front door, into my house and to my bedroom.

She glares at me pointedly until reach my PJs. She turns around as I put them and turns back to me when she hears the bed creak.

"Now, stay!"

"I'm not a dog."

"Woof!" 

I roll my eyes and turn over, not bothering to respond to it.

I close my eyes and try to get to sleep, knowing it would be no use.

However, I'm pleasantly surprised when I fall asleep almost straight away.

.     .     .

I don't even have it in me to be nervous about the fact that I'm about to dance in a competition that has students from all over the country competing in it.

Jayden and I are going last, as you dance in the order that you arrived in. I slept through my alarm. That's right, I slept straight through from when Selena sent me to bed like a naughty child and even slept through my alarm. My parents told her to stay in the guest room next door to my room, if it weren't for her waking me up I probably would still be in bed right now.

Good thing = I'm feeling a lot better and no longer look like crap.

Bad thing = We didn't even get a chance to rehearse it on the stage.

I got into my costume for the dance, which was just a plain, white leotard with a plain, white open dress shirt over the top.

The dance was about a woman who thinks her husband is dead (Me being the woman and Jayden being the husband) then he walks in the front door and she can't believe it and thinks it's a dream.

When Darren and I were doing the dance - we actually started it during the week before... everything - we were going to be singing the parts that are usually sung on the piece of music we are using, our teacher called it 'using every advantage we can to get ahead of the competition. But, as Jayden is a musician and an actor and can't sing, we have to use the original track.** 

Finally after the other 49 cometitors have performed their pieces, it's our turn.

They call our names and I run onstage - Jayden remains offstage, as that's where he starts the dance.

The music starts and I start the dance, performing the part of the lonely, heartbroken widow.

When it gets to the the point in the music where it fades and the guy on the track sings, I have to kneel in the center of the stage at the front, with my back to the 'front door' - as we called the wing where Jayden comes on from in rehearsal. What comes next is Jayden walking on to the guy singing, but I can already feel his presence behind me.

Crap! He's come on to early! Now what are we going to do?

"Oh my love," A voice sings, as usual. Except the voice doesn't come from the track, it causes me to jump as it comes from directly behind me.

And I'd know that voice anywhere.

It belongs to the very same person who is supposed to be in a coma in the nurses room, right at this very moment.

I slowly raise my head, stunned, as I have acted so many times in rehearsal. 

Only this time, I wasn't acting. Not at all.

"My darling, I've hungered for your touch."

"I need your love." I only just recover from my shock in time to sing my line in.

"A long, lonely time." He sings, I feel his hand on my shoulder, as I had many times in that first week of rehearsal.

I didn't;t stop to worry about the fact that we hadn't actually finished the dance in that week, or that he should be in a coma right now. All I cared about right now, is that he wasn't, that he was alive!

"I need your love," He continues. "I need your love."

"And time goes by so slowly..." I overlap his singing as we both stand up, facing the audience.

"Godspeed your love," He sings on his own, then I join him.

"To me." On the last word, I can't resist. I turn to see him for myself. 

He looks exactly like I remember. Perfect.

We both face each other and I grab his face, making sure it's real. Feeling almost exactly how my character is supposed to feel.

I can't stop myself, and - it seems - he can't either. In the break of the music, where we cut the dialogue that is on the original, we both rush forward and are kissing.

To the audience, this probably looked like part of the dance. But, believe me, this was real.

We break apart and he sings his final line of singing.

"I love you."

I smile at the sincerity in his eyes and I know that this is real for him, too, not just an act.

He then pulls me to him as Jayden was supposed to and lifts me easily, I take this brief moment to wonder how he knows the routine. However, as I slide back down into his arms, I see Jayden watching at the side, an excited, knowing smirk on his face. He chuckles and winks as he catches my eye. And I know what happened... I don't know how, but they tricked me. I also don't care - at least, for now.

"Ditto." I say, even though we cut that speaking line, too. 

The music then starts again, softly and we start the rest of the dance. The music suddenly gets louder and the rest of the routine starts, with all the lifts we did in class with our teacher put together with the steps Jayden and I were supposed to do.

The music goes soft again and I slowly slide down from the lift and we end in each other's arms.

Grinning like idiots.

.    .    .

"And the runners up are... all the way from New York! It's Holly French and Taylor Mckenzie from the Ryan-Edwards Theatre School!"

A huge cheer goes through the audience and I begin to get nervous as the two happy looking dancers that had gone 34th came second. I watched their dance, they were fantastic. I began looking up and down the line searching out the possible candidates that could have won as we all stand on stage waiting for the announcement.

"And the winners are..." The 'presenter' paused for dramatic effect.

Number 17 will probably win it, they were amazing.

"From this very town of Orlando, Florida! It's Tina Bolaine and Darren Bowler from Peckerton High School for the Performing Arts!"

My mouth drops open and my eyes bulge out in shock. Darren has the same reaction, he manages to snap himself out of it first and turns to me grinning like the Cheshire cat. This snaps me out of it and I throw myself on him in a hug wrapping my legs around his torso. 

As an even bigger applause than the runners up got screams around the audience we both bound forward and collect our trophy at the front.

I can hear him congratulating the other performers, but I don't really pay attention as I turn to Darren and hug him again - staying grounded this time.

What a perfect end to a perfect day. I think to myself, still not fully believing he was actually here, awake, alive and standing in front of me. He was supposed to be in a coma! Not that I'm complaining.

We pull apart and walk offstage together, both of us harboring a secret smile we hoped the other wouldn't see.

"So..." I start. As soon as we're in the wings.

"So..." He mocks, earning himself a slap to the back of the head. "Ow! Okay I guess I deserved that."

"You deserve a lot more than that! You're supposed to be in a 'comatosed state'!"

"Ooh! Look who knows the big scientific words all of a sudden! Ow!" I slapped him on the back of the head again. He rolls his eyes. "Okay, I've sorta out of a coma for about four days now..." He says hesitantly, then braces himself for impact on the back of his skull.

So, of  course, I slap him in the face.

"What. Did. You. Just. Say?!" I hiss as his head snaps to the side from the force of the slap.

"Uh... I'd rather not repeat it..." He says warily, looking like a rabbit in headlights.

I turn away from him and cross my arms over my chest with a loud 'hmph!' noise. Acting like a five year old.

I could almost hear his eyes rolling in his head at my act.

"I'll make it up to you...?"

"Oh, yeah? And how do you expect to do that?"

"By... Buying you dinner?" He says hopefully.

"Like... a date?" I ask, dropping the act and becoming nervous all of a sudden.

"Yes. Like a date, Tina." He says, slowly, as if he were talking to a toddler.

My cheeks heat up and I turn away to hide it.

"You're cute when you blush." He murmurs, turning my face to his, smirking slightly.

I playfully glare at him.

"Yes." I answer.

A grin appears on his face, then disappears, falling into a frown, "To the date, right? Or were you just agreeing with me that you're cute when you blush, cos' that would be weird and-"

I cut him off with a kiss, unable to resist how cute he looked when he was unsure or embarrassed.

"Yes, to the date." I confirmed. Then went straight back to kissing him again.

I mentally sighed, smiling into the kiss. 

Perfect.

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So? What do you think? I know it was cheesy, but I couldn't resist! I found it too cute!! This is the last chapter guys! WOOOOOO!! xD

*= It means 

'With the power vested in me,

I send you back to where you came from,

To be there for all eternity.

You may never leave.

There is no escape.

You have been exiled there until the end of time!'

TeeHee, it's latin... :D

**= The song is at the side

All the dialogue is 'cut' and the 'I say it with my eyes, I say it with my touch' bit :) It's from Ghost the Musical, I LOVE ITTTTT!!!!! I'm going to see it again on the 23rd of August!! YAY TO MY SISTER FOR WINNING THE TICKETS!! :)

The Picture on the side is kind of how I imagine Stephen and Tina in their 'final goodbye' scene ;(

The external link is what Tina is wearing at the 'masquerade ball' :D

Coment/Vote/Fan? O.O