Jesse collapsed the moment her feet touched the ground, the world spinning around her wildly. For a moment she just lay there, her eyes squeezed shut as she waited for her stomach to get used to gravity again. Alright, teleporting was so much more nauseating than going through a portal.

Jesse's eyes short open, inhaling sharply. Teleporting! She had actually teleported!

Quickly sitting up, Jesse looked around herself. She was lying on the grass, dark oak trees surrounding her. The forest, she had teleported right out of Beacontown!

It only took a second for Jesse's face to fall again as she got to her feet, eyes coming to rest on the buildings in the distance. What she had done hung over her like an immovable cloud.

Tears pooled in Jesse's brown eyes, the former red glow having dimmed to just a haze. She had no way of knowing if Petra even survived the third attack. What if she had killed her best friend?

Jesse's legs slowly buckled beneath her, and she sunk back onto the grass. She buried her head into her hands, giving way to the tears. Her sobs echoed through the empty forest.

For how long Jesse sat there, she didn't know. Her lungs were wheezing, sobs coming out raspy and almost completely inaudible. While her body was physically not affected, she was emotionally exhausted. All the regret weighing her down, hurt.

Reaching up, Jesse wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her T-shirt, before shakily pushing herself up from the grass.

She couldn't go back, she couldn't face any of her friends again. If Petra didn't make it, she'd never be able to live with herself. And if she survived, Jesse couldn't imagining looking her in the eye again.

I'm sorry.

More tears began trailing down Jesse's face as she turned her back on Beacontown. Walking deeper into the forest, while resisting the urge to look back.

------------------------

Lukas had completely lost track of time. Minutes felt like hours, hours felt like eternities. He wasn't sure for how long he paced up and down the same room, or for how long he sat slumped forward in one of the chairs with his head titled down and hands grasping at his blonde hair. Nothing had been able to take his mind of the situation he was trapped in. All he could do was wait, worry, assume the worst. Replay those awful memories in his head, finding them more horrifying each time, as he waited to hear whether his friend would make it out alive or not.

"...broken ribs... ...internal bleeding... ...concussion...."

Lukas closed his eyes again, gritting his teeth. He couldn't take the suspense any longer, it was absolutely killing him.

"...really bad blow to the back and neck... ...potential spinal cord damage...."

His grip on his own hair tightened, trying to pull his thoughts away from the awful memories.

"...surgery... ...life-threatening... ...risks... ...no other choice..."

"Lukas?"

Lukas's head shot up upon hearing his name. He manage a quick, flustered smile, standing up to face Axel and Olivia.

"How's she doing?" Axel asked.

"Petra's hanging in there, for now." Lukas said, taking in a deep, shaky breath. "But it's not looking good. And if she survives this, there's... there's no telling if she'll walk again."

"God, I can't believe this." Olivia said, biting her lip and shaking her head. "I was fighting with her yesterday and now I might never see her again."

"We have to stay positive." Lukas said, pulling the engineer closer and enveloping her in a hug. "Petra's a fighter. If anybody can come back from this, it's her." Despite his words, the tone of his voice was uncertain and fearful.

For a moment it was silent between the three of them. Still holding Olivia in his arms, Lukas looked up to meet Axel's eyes.

"Any sign of her?" He asked softly.

"Nothing." Axel said, his big shoulders slumping. "We've combed the entire Order Hall and the forests surrounding Beacontown, all her favourite places. But Jesse's gone like she was never there to begin with. Even Radar came to help."

"How did he handle it?" Lukas asked softly, putting his focus on Radar rather than the situation surrounding Jesse.

"He's shaken up, understandably." Olivia said, sniffing and reaching up to wipe her eyes on the back of her hand. "You know how he felt about Jesse."

Lukas only nodded, sinking back down onto the chair where he had formerly been sitting. He took a deep breath, taking his fingers through his blonde hair.

"You've been here all day, dude." Axel said, taking a seat as well. "We can take over instead."

"No, I want to be here." Lukas said, shaking his head. "Petra would do it for me."

"Listen, what are we going to do?" Olivia asked softly, sitting down. "Jesse, she... she obviously did this."

"We don't know what happened." Lukas pointed out.

"It doesn't matter what happened, nothing justifies what she did to Petra." Axel responded seriously. "You said it yourself, Lukas, Petra is fighting for her life right now. Even if she makes it, she'll never be the same again."

"Jesse probably doesn't even know if Petra survived the fall or not, and yet she's just ran." Olivia added, shaking her head and wrapping her arms around herself. "Why am I even calling her that? Jesse would never do anything like this, she... she obvious died in that battle."

"Liv's right." Axel replied softly. "This is the Admin, not Jesse. We have to accept that and stop playing with fire."

"So we're just giving up on her?" Lukas asked, looking up at them desperately.

"Lukas, I... I don't think we were fighting for anything achievable to begin with." Olivia said softly.

Lukas lowered his head into his hands again, breathing in deeply. To some extent, Axel and Olivia were right. And no matter how much he still wanted to try and help Jesse, he had to focus on Petra at that moment. She's going to need all the help she could get to get back onto her feet.

That's if she'd still be able to stand.

"Alright, let's say we let Jesse go." Lukas lifted his head again. "What then?"

Axel and Olivia exchanged glances. Neither responded.

"Exactly." Lukas said. "We need to come up with a plan, because we have to face the fact that Beacontown is in our hands right now." He took a deep breath. "Go back to the Order hall, talk to Radar. He's been Jesse's right hand for long enough, he knows this place better than any of us. I'm going to stay here until I can get any news on Petra. Once I know what's going to happen with her, we can plan ahead."

Axel and Olivia both nodded, agreeing with the plan. They didn't need much telling twice, getting up from their seats, and soon leaving all together.

Lukas remained seated, and for many hours to come. Occasionally he'd get up, pacing up and down, sometimes getting himself something small to eat and drink. Worrying, waiting, hoping, praying.

It felt like months had passed, only hours really did, by the time he heard his name called.

Seeing Petra, unconscious and wrapped in bandages beneath the white hospital sheets, didn't make things easier. And while it wasn't as devastating as he feared, neither was the update on her condition.

And so Lukas's next wait began. At Petra's bedside, watching for any stir from the redhead. Dreading what he had to say when she finally came to.

After nearly twenty four hours of waiting, Petra showed the first signs of beginning to wake up.

Lukas was somewhere between being awake and asleep, slouched down in the chair, with his head tilted to the side and his eyes closed. He didn't notice as the redhead's facial features changed, her breathing pattern faltering. It wasn't until he heard a soft groan, that he realised what was going on.

Blinking the grogginess from his eyes, Lukas sat up in the chair. For a moment he wasn't sure if he had dreamed it, Petra remaining as peaceful as she had for hours. But then her features tensed, letting out another soft groan.

"Petra?" Lukas asked, his voice cracking slightly.

Reaching out his hands, Lukas folded them around Petra's pale right hand that was limply resting at his side. Her fingers twitched slightly at the touch, that small action causing Lukas to break into a relieved smile.

"Come on, Petra, you can do this." He encouraged softly, voice a mere whisper. "You gotta wake up, okay? You gotta wake up."

Lukas wasn't sure what he was going to say to Petra when she woke up. He's gone over his words and plans so many times, yet he was terrified of telling her what happened. How would she take the news? How much could she even remember?

Biting his lip, Lukas ran his thumb across Petra's hand in his. She hadn't moved again, eyes still closed.

Seeing such a strong warrior looking so defeated, was almost devastating enough in itself. Her skin was pale and dull, several tiny cuts and scrapes blending in with the many freckles that decorated her face. The crisp white bandages a harsh contrast against the fiery colour of her hair.

Then suddenly, her eyelids fluttered open.

Only for a moment, before they closed again. Lukas was holding his breath as Petra groaned, squeezing her eyes shut before weakly blinking them open again. Her usually bright blue irises appeared dull and confused.

"Petra?" Lukas asked softly, finally finding his voice.

Petra's eyes closed again, squeezing tightly shut for a moment. Lukas couldn't tell if it was from pain or confusion.

"Lu... Lukas?" Her voice was barely audible, a raspy whisper.

"Yeah." Lukas broke into a smile of relief, tears welling up in his blue eyes. "It's me."

Petra gulped, her forehead creasing in a puzzled frown. She didn't open her eyes again.

"I... Where am... what happened?" She asked softly, her tone dazed and confused. "I feel awful."

Gritting her teeth, Petra's expression tensed again. Finally she blinked eyes back open, gaze desperate.

"My limbs feel so heavy and... and numb. Lukas what... what happened to me?" She squeezed her eyes shut again. "I can barely feel my legs."

"Easy, calm down, okay?" Lukas squeezed Petra's hand gently.

Immediately her fingers curled around his, grasping his hand in return.

"The doctor said you wouldn't be able move right away."

"The what?" Petra's eyes opened again, blinking in confusion. "Lukas where am I? What happened?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" Lukas asked, almost uncertainly.

Petra frowned, seeming to think. Confusion was written across her face.

"I... I couldn't sleep." She said softly, her voice distant. "I opened the window, I... I watched the stars from my bed... It was late."

Lukas nodded slowly.

"When was that?" Petra asked softly, seeming to realise that a large portion of time was missing.

"Nearly two days ago." Lukas answered softly. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

Petra gulped, but then she nodded.

"I want to know what happened."

Lukas took a deep breath. Despite rehearsing those words hours in advance, he had suddenly forgotten everything he practised.

"I woke up to your screams." He explained softly, not bothering to beat around the truth. "None of us know exactly what took place, but Jesse was out on the top floor's balcony. And your blood coated the walls and floor."

Petra didn't respond, just continuing to stare ahead. Horror, best described the look in her eyes.

"From what I can tell, you were thrown over the edge." Lukas went on softly. "Jesse, she... she teleported away, the moment I arrived. The only conclusion we have come to, is that... is that she was the one who did this to you."

A tear was trickling across the side of Petra's face, and Lukas found himself reaching over to wipe it away. She gulped thickly, her breath quivering.

"Jesse wouldn't..." She whispered.

"I kept telling myself the same thing, but no other explanation made sense." Lukas said, closing his eyes for a moment. "You wouldn't be this badly hurt if it had been a fair fight, the fact that magic was used against you is clear as day. And Jesse fled the scene the moment I caught her. She hasn't shown her face, not... not even to ask if you're okay."

Petra closed her eyes, taking in a deep, shaky breath. Tears were freely trickling across her face. Lukas could only imagine how hard it had to be for her. He tightened his grip on her hand in a reassuring matter, both of them silent for a moment.

"I don't want to dump everything on you right now, Petra, not after you've just come to." Lukas finally said, looking up at her again. "But there's one more thing you need to know."

"What?" Petra asked softly, blinking her eyes open again. Tears shimmered amongst the fear in them.

Lukas took a deep breath, biting his lip and glancing down so he wasn't making eye contact for a moment. But then he lifted his head again to face Petra.

"This could have been much worse, the blow to your back and neck could have paralysed or even killed you."

"But it didn't." Petra said softly, before gulping. "Right?"

"It didn't." Lukas confirmed. "But you didn't get away scot-free either."

"Give it to me straight, Lukas." Petra's voice was small tainted with fear. "What happened to me?"

"There is still some amount of damage to your spine." Lukas said seriously. "The odds are in your favour, chance is you will walk again. But you have months and months of recovery ahead of you. And I'm going to be honest with you, Petra." He took a deep breath. "You won't ever recover one hundred percent."

___

Petra made it out alive, barely, while Jesse fled without looking back. The Order are quickly losing hope over whether or not it's worth trying to help her again.

It's hard to pinpoint who's going to suffer the most here. Jesse, physically running from her own friends with shame and guilt, or Petra, her life suddenly turned upside down? One thing is for certain, neither of them are going to have it easy for a while.

What will the rest of the Order do next, what plans will they make? How will Petra cope with her condition, how will she deal with everything that happened? Where will Jesse go, and where will her actions take her emotional state?

I'm sure this chapter left you all with more questions than answers, but I'd still love to hear any theories!

Chapter 7 will be here next week!