Lia looked up, tears still falling on her cheeks. "You think I don't know that? This is my fault. Not yours. Not Ella's. Not anyone else's fault but mine. I came up with the idea to explore. I let her come with me. I'm the reason she got shot." She dropped her head into her hands and let out a sob.
"He what?!" Eli exclaimed, glaring at the ringmaster. "Why haven't you guys shot him yet?!" Ana ran over to Ella, giving her and Griffin some space but still checking on her.
When Lia began crying, Ana ran over to her instead, patting her shoulder softly. "It's not your fault Lia. It's the ringmaster's. He's the jerk who did all of this."
Griffin turned to Lia. “The only person at fault here is the mother*****ng ringmaster.”
"Then why haven't you shot the bastard?!" Eli yelled at everyone. "If none of you do, I will!"
Lia gave a weak smile to Ana. "Ella said not to shoot him," she tells Eli.
Jace felt the ringmaster start to move under the gun and he pressed it farther. "Move and I shoot," he threatened.
Ana nodded, smiling slightly. "I understa-" Eli butt in. "Well, I think we should. It gets rid of our whole issue here."
Ella's eyes flew open. She rose unsteadily to her feet, gripping Ana for balance. "Eli, no," she said weakly. "No one deserves to be shot in cold blood."
Griffin gritted his teeth. “He does.”
"He does!" Eli pointed to the ringmaster, glaring as he looked around the room. "Where is it? Where's the gun? If no one's gonna shoot him, I will!"
"Please guys, the police will be here any second. They'll take care of it," Lia pleaded, looking at everyone.
Ella faltered. "Please, guys." She stumbled and sank back to the ground.
Ana glared at Eli. "Shush! You're not helping Ella." She signed to him. Eli ignored her. "Give me the f***ing gun."
Jace shook his head. "I'm not giving it to you. Ella's the one that who got shot, and she said no. I agree with her and Lia. We can't kill him."
Eli glared at Jace. "Give. Me. The. Gun." His anger overtook him.
Lia grabbed Eli's arm and struggled to pull him back. "Please, Eli. Stop. We're not going to let him get away. The police are going to take him, they're the experts. We're teenagers. Please." she pleaded with him, trying to get him to calm down.
He shoved her away. "This man shot Ella! How can you not care enough to shoot him? He has ruined our lives!"
Ella shook her head, grimacing in pain. She closed her eyes again. She hung her head.
"And if Griffin hadn't tacked him, he would've shot me too! We would've both been dead, and you guys probably would've been soon! He doesn't deserve to be able to leave this world without consequences! He deserves to rot in jail for the rest of his life!" Lia responded, fresh tears again falling down on her cheeks. "Of course I want him to pay. I want him to suffer, not peacefully die."
Eli sighed, understanding what Lia was saying. "Fine." He leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms.
Through the fighting, no one noticed Eleanore's body relax, or her eyes close, or exhale audibly.
Lia looked over to Leo and Ana, who were still sitting next to Ella. "How is she?" She asked.
Ana looked over at Ella, panicking a little. "She's unconscious!"
Leo took his head out of his hands to look over at Ella. Her arm hung limp. He took it and checked her pulse.
"What? She was just talking!" Lia yelled and ran over to them. "Oh god, oh god, oh my god where are the police!?"