Billy totally would have run, but he was a little busy staring at the space where Mercy had been. Finally, he snapped out of it, and scrambled to his feet. "I want to be behind the forcefield, I want to be behind the forcefield," he chanted, shutting his eyes against the dark as he felt the spell kick in.

When he opened his eyes, he was on the steps of the dorm building, breathing hard like he'd run the whole way instead. After a moment, the realization of what Mercy had done started to sink in, and he wasn't sure whether to feel guilty first, or angry. She was so getting yelled at when--if--she came back. For now, he'd just be here, thinking of all the ways he could have protected her instead.