TRIGGER WARNING: Blood, and lots of it. Death.

"I, UH, ACTUALLY WANTED TO TELL YOU SOMETHING." Fred started, his thumb tracing small circles on Dev's knuckles.

"What is it, Freddie?" Dev's words came out no louder than a whisper. She watched him intently, taking note of the way he gulped a bit while eyeing her back.

"Well, uh," Fred started. "I wanted to tell you that—" Dev waited with bated breath, wondering if he were dragging out the interaction so long just to torture her. "That you have the boniest knees ever."

"Fred." Dev groaned, swatting lightly at his chest with her free hand. Normally, she was endeared by his joking, but in this moment, it just frustrated her. Dev untangled their intertwined fingers and began to shift her weight to move off of him, not intent on torturing herself with forbidden fruit. Fred didn't see her the way she saw him, and it wasn't worth it to keep getting her hopes up.

"Dev, wait," Fred moved to steady the girl, as if he weren't ready for her to leave his lap quite yet. Although Dev wanted to bask in the thought, she was distracted by a realization.

"We're at the top." She noted. Whilst she was still halfway rested on top of the boy, she peered out of the window at the entire festival below.

"Huh? Oh, right," Fred simply nodded. "Anyways, what I actually wanted to tell you—"

Dev had every intent to turn back to the boy. In fact, she wanted nothing more than to hear what he had to say. But, the invisible forces of the universe seemed to have another plan for her as her eyes spotted the frozen lake for the first time. The frozen lake where her other two best friends currently were.

No.

Dev did everything in her power to urge away what she knew was coming, but it was no use. The familiar tingles crept through her body as her eyes began to glaze over. Fred's voice became a distant echo as Dev was mentally sucked somewhere far from the comfort and warmth of their Ferris wheel booth.

Dev stood in the middle of the frozen lake, people ice skating around her. She narrowed her eyes, trying to search through the muggles for something, anything, that she recognized. The sound of May's familiar laughter filled her ears, causing her to spin around. On the outskirts of the frozen lake, May and George were skating clumsily, hand in hand. George continued to wobble, but it was clear he was just trying to throw May off balance.

"George!" May shrieked after nearly tumbling over.

Dev began to make her way closer to them, walking right through various muggles along the way. It was strange, she noted, to be somewhere while simultaneously not being there. She saw everything, heard everything, but she didn't physically feel anything.

Dev spied trouble long before May or George did, seeing as their heads were focused downward on their feet. A kid, probably around the age of 12, was barreling straight towards them. Despite it being a fairly calm, beginners-level atmosphere, this boy was seemingly trying to prove something. He was skating fast, just nearly dodging people as he skated by, ignoring their shouts at him to slow down. Dev raised a hand to her mouth as he seemed to get distracted by a friend behind him, nearing closer to her best friends.

The boy whirled back around at the sound of George's warning shout, but it was too late. He hurled straight into May's shoulder, sending her back into the ice. Her feet flew in the air, her head colliding thickly with the frozen ground. It was impossible to determine if the loud crack heard was from May's skull or the ice.

Dev tried to scream, but it was futile. She rushed forward, dropping to her knees directly in front of her best friend. Immediately, Dev noticed the flowing blood that trailed its way through the cracks in the ice. The girl began to seize, her limbs convulsing wildly as her eyes rolled into the back of her head. George was shouting for help desperately, sinking to his knees and cradling the girl in his arms, one hand behind her head with the other supporting her back.

"Is there a doctor here?" Someone shouted out as a crowd began to form around the two. No one came forward, instead they all just watched in horror.

The crowd began to part as a worker pushed his way through, dropping to his knees on the other side of May. Dev sucked in a deep breath as she took in the sight of the worker, noting he couldn't be much older than them, and seeming completely out of his element.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," The worker repeated, his hands trailing over May's body hopelessly.

"Do something!" George roared frustratedly.

"I'm only 17, mate! They taught me basic CPR for this job, I don't know what to do for this!"  The boy replied in an exasperated tone, throwing his arms in the air. "I called for help, just—just keep her still, yeah? They should be here soon."

"She's only 16." Tears began to well in George's eyes as he finally looked back down at the convulsing girl in his arms. "You cannot die, Kimura. You hear me? Dev would kill me. Dev would kill you. Hell, I'd kill you. You cannot die."

George moved his hand to brush her hair lightly when a realization seem to hit him. Slowly, he raised his hand from behind her head to find it coated completely red. May's head lulled back without his hand supporting it, her body finally ceasing its convulsions.

"No no no no no," George repeated, beginning to shake the girl's limp body. "Where the fuck are the healers?"

"Healers? Mate, the medics should be here any minute, she's just got to hang on—"

"She can't bloody hang on!" George roared again, sending the boy back with the force of his voice.

Dev had long since stopped paying attention to the interaction between George and the anonymous worker, her face pale as she stared at her lifeless best friend. Slowly, Dev reached out a shaky hand to May's chest, hoping to feel a rise and fall, but her hand just sunk right through her.

Then, she was being tugged back to the present.

Dev felt bile rising up her throat, unable to focus on Fred as he shook her shoulders.

"Fred, we need to get out of here."

"What?" Fred seemed relieved to hear the girl's voice, but confusion and worry laced his features. "Dev, you just completely spaced—"

"WE NEED TO GET OFF OF THIS BLOODY RIDE FRED!" Dev shouted, standing quickly. While they had begun their descent back down, their booth was still far from the ground.

"Merlin, Dev, what do you plan to do? Jump?" Fred tried tugging her back. "Just wait a few minutes, we'll be on the ground soon."

"We don't have a few minutes Fred!" Dev shrieked, tears beginning to well in her eyes at the thought of what was about to happen. No, she thought, she wouldn't let it happen.

"Just calm down, yeah? What's going on?"

Dev ignored the boy as she moved to the door of the booth, ignoring the way the entire cart began to sway. Whilst there was a lock on it from the outside, Dev fiddled with the handle anyways.

"DEVORA!" Fred firmly grabbed the girl's shoulders, spinning her to face him. "Tell me what's going on, and I'll help you, yeah?"

"May's in trouble." Dev didn't have time to explain to him, she had no idea how soon the vision would come to fruition. She needed him to be helping her now.

"How do you know?"

"I just do!" Dev cried out, pleading with her eyes for the boy to just listen to her.

Although he had seemed wary, that was all the more convincing he needed. He was much more calm than Dev, so he scanned their enclosed space, thankful as their cart lurched down further before stopping once again. His eyes landed on the window on the door, noticing the possibility of lifting it open. Rushing forward, he yanked the window upwards, Dev following close behind.

"We need let off!"

The two began to scream wildly out the window, finally garnering the attention of the worker operating the Ferris wheel. He waved them off, lamely telling them they'd be down soon, but neither gave up.

"I swear to Mer—I swear, if you do not let me off of this ride right now, I will fling myself out this bloody window, and you'll be the one scraping my splattered remains off the pavement, yeah?" Dev growled, causing Fred to eye her wildly.

While they didn't hear a response, the Ferris wheel lurched once again, only this time it didn't make its usual stops. The second their booth was at the ground level and the operator unlocked their door, Dev bounded out without another word. She pushed through the crowds of people, not pausing for anything. The lake was on the other side of the festival, and Dev could feel her desperation growing.

No. Not May. Anyone but May.

Fred was hot on her heels as they ran, shocked entirely by the pace the girl was keeping. Once the sight of people gliding over the frozen lake finally came into view, Dev picked up her pace further, surprised that were even possible. The line to be let in as one of the skaters was long, but Dev pushed through it anyways. She ignored the protests and shouts of the people she brushed past, not even sparing them a glance.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" The worker in charge of the lake asked when Dev halted before him. Bile itched its way up her throat as she recognized him as the boy from her vision, the boy who was absolutely no help in saving her best friend.

"I need to get onto the lake." Dev stated breathlessly, noticing when Fred appeared at her side a moment later.

"You need to wait in line like everyone else," The boy sneered. "Besides, we're at capacity right now anyways. So if you'll just move to the back, please."

"You don't understand—" Dev started, but quickly found she had no clue how to continue. What was she supposed to say? 'If you don't let me on this lake right now, my best friend is going to die'?

"Look, don't make me call for someone to remove you two," The boy sighed, rubbing warily at his eyes.

Dev ignored his words, peering over his shoulder. Through the crowd of skating people, she was able to spot George's mane of shoulder length red hair above the other heads on the other side of the lake. Her blood ran cold, noticing they had just rounded a corner, approaching where her vision had taken place. Scanning the crowd, she spotted the speeding boy rounding the corner across the lake, now facing the two as he picked up speed.

"MAY! GEORGE!" Dev cupped her hands around her mouth, hoping in one last futile attempt that she'd be able to garner their attention. They were too far away, especially with the chatter of other skaters and the Christmas music playing throughout the festival.

"Seriously—" The worker began to warn again, but Dev hurriedly brushed past him, ignoring his calls for her to stop.

She didn't have skates on, so walking onto the lake would be pointless. Instead, she sprinted around the edge of the frozen lake, distracting her worried thoughts with the sound of the icy grass crunching beneath her boots. Distantly, she heard the sound of Fred and the worker arguing, as he had apparently been stopped.

"MAY!" Dev shrieked again as she neared closer to the pair.

May froze, turning slowly on her skates to the sound of her name. A smile spread across her face as she spotted Dev hurrying towards her from the outskirts of the lake.

"Dev? What the hell are you doing?" May shouted back, sharing a glance with George and chuckling. "Needed to get away from Freddie that badly?"

The two began to skate towards Dev's approaching figure, their backs now turned to the wannabe ice racer making his way towards them.

"Behind you!" Dev called out, pointing her finger out towards the boy.

George glanced back first, and in one swift motion wrapped his arm around May's waist and glided her in front of him. The action was just quick enough that the boy skated by the two of them without colliding into May, but the speed of his passing figure did jostle them slightly.

"Watch where you're going!" May shouted angrily after the boy, who just glanced back and stuck his tongue out at her.

Dev crumpled into the grass, finally letting out the sob that had been threatening to spill since she'd had the vision. Her body rocked with it, unable to truly grasp that she had actually just saved her best friend. She had a vision of May's death, and she actually stopped it. Glancing up through bleary eyes at the twinkling stars above her, Dev thanked the universe for her unwanted gift for the first time in her life.

In her urgency to garner May or George's attention, she hadn't noticed that the attendant she had fought with had skated out after her, leaving Fred to be held back by another worker who had been called over. The lake was quite large, so by cutting across on skates, he was quickly able to reach wherever she went as she had toed the outskirts. The boy was screaming at her as he approached, his face flushed with fury from being disobeyed.

It seemed he was too angry to notice the foolish boy skating quickly around, who was still stealing glances back at May every now and then. As he glanced back again at the raven-haired girl one last time, he collided with the worker, sending both of them flying back.

Dev watched in horror, noting that the young boy landed only on his butt a few inches back. On the other hand, the worker fell in the exact same fashion May had in her vision, cracking his skull loudly against the ice.

Shrill screams filled Dev's ears, whether they came from her or someone else she wasn't sure. She wasn't sure of anything, in fact, as she collapsed back into the grass, exhaustion or shock or a mix of the two overtaking her.

☽

WHEN DEV FIRST CAME TO, she was being carried bridal style in Fred's arms. The group of four was quietly fleeing the horrific scene, intent on putting as much distance between them and the festival as possible. Dev had noticed the blood coating George's hands and shirt, learning that as he was closest to the worker, he had tried to help. But, it was all in vain. He was dead when the medics arrived.

Now, all four walked in silence, several blocks from May's home. Dev eyed the way George shifted between wringing his hands, to wiping them furiously against his trousers, to almost raking them through his hair before remembering what had covered them. While there was no traces of blood visible on his hands anymore, long since being transferred to his clothes, he couldn't seem to stop fidgeting.

Fred's eyes were on Dev the entire time they walked. Dev knew it too, but she couldn't bare to look at him. Surely, he was wondering what the hell happened. Wondering how she knew May was in trouble. Wondering if she were okay.

The image of the man—no, the boy—was ingrained in her brain. His last moments had been spent furiously screaming at her, trying to do his job and stop her. It was her fault he was gone, and she knew it. She felt utterly sick by it. But, mostly, she felt sick that she knew she'd do it again, if it meant saving May.

"He was only 17." Dev whispered, remembering him saying so in her vision. She needed to say it, needed to get it out in the open. Not to make her friends feel worse, but to make herself feel worse. She had tried to play God, tried to mess with fate, and this was her punishment. A life for a life. She would live with this forever.

She knew she was a monster. And her unwanted gift was nothing more than a curse.

author's note !

happy halloween! back to back updates as a celebration.

dudes I am so sorry but this had to happen.

idk what else to say really, this was heavy as fuck.

to lighten the mood, what do you think fred was gonna tell dev?

love you all.

rose <3