This is work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright© Avery Song , 2020

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Cover Design by Yocla Cover Design

Editing by

Rainlyt Editing

Format: Avery S.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgement

BLURB

Prologue: Welcome To The Club, Blazing Horseman

1.  Peer Through The Same Window

2.  Therapy With Cloverspell

3.  Burdened With Holiday Sorrow

4.  A Father I Need And Christmas & New Year’s With All Of You

5.  Heated Experience And Cold Tea

6.  Perks And Bouts Of Jealousy

7.  Sweet Date Of Competitive Irony

8.  Blazing Carnival

9.  Entangled Pasts And Shining Future

10.  Starry Meeting And Dark Quaking Confrontation

11.  Connect The Dots Regarding Our Power

12.  Burning Horsemen

COMING SOON - BLAZING ACADEMY 3

COMING SOON - BLAZING ACADEMY 4

Witchling Academy - SNEAK PEEK

Chapter One: Typical Evening

ABOUT AVERY SONG

Also By Avery Song

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thank you for purchasing BLAZING ACADEMY- SEMESTER TWO!

Thank you to all my amazing supporters for being awesome and encouraging me to write every day.

Special thanks to my amazing Mom for blessing me with the gift to write and supporting me in all aspects. I pray to continue making you proud as I strive towards success.

Finally, I thank God for giving me the strength to achieve my goals. Without Him, I would be nothing.

AVERY SONG

BLURB

“Welcome to the club, Blazing Horsemen.”

Those cursive words written in dark red ink continued to haunt me day after day with my new role within the walls of Blazing Academy.

I, Alice Blaze, always dreamed of lasting long enough in a school to learn, grow, and make a few friends. My wish is granted at the academy for all things blazing, but the consequences are heavy.

Semester two is only weeks away, but I’m stuck staring out a single window and enduring daily therapy sessions from Headmaster CloverSpell herself. I’m also forced to look forward and begin to unlock the secrets left behind.

Grief and bitter mourning are hard to endure when you’re all alone, but I’m soon reminded that I’m not the lonely sixteen-year-old I was four months ago. With Gabriel, Kerberos, and Westley on my side, I’ve decided to turn my frustration and sadness into fuel as I train towards the duty I’d been appointed to carry.

Now it’s my time to rise above the blazing obstacles before me, unlocking the gifts of my flaming traits and opening the chest of secrets my mother left behind. As a hot blazing witch, the enemy that lingers in the darkness will find out how scorching things can get with me in the picture.

Let’s fight fire with blazing fire.

PROLOGUE: WELCOME TO THE CLUB, BLAZING HORSEMAN

~WESTLEY~

FEELINGS OF APPROACHING doom seemed to cut through the calming dream that captivated my attention - my lips locked on the woman I’d once loved and lost at the hands of selfish beasts. I fought hard to remain in the striking atmosphere, to be lost within the swirling emotions of love and devotion.

My subconscious knew the truth, that this wasn’t the reality I lived in - that time and age was far away in the past - yet I clung to every moment until I was awakened to the present.

Today’s awakening was abrupt, a loud boom of force rocking my surroundings. I immediately sat up, blinking away the sleepiness as I let go of the romantic moment with my love within the depths of my dreams.

I knew something was wrong based on the sensation of magic floating around us. The temperature was off, the movement of air seemingly different for the time of night, and the odd feeling in the pit of my stomach told me something bad was about to happen.

No. It had already occurred.

“What was that?”

My eyes turned to the woman sleeping next to me - the woman of my present and the one I was beginning to fall madly in love with. She didn’t understand the extent of my devotion or how sensational she was - not yet.

Alice H. Blaze.

She was our Blazing Queen and new girlfriend, one we’d bonded with in order to save her from the shattering seal that threatened to kill her. She was the savior of many students at Blazing Academy, risking her life and sanity to save many students from an apparent “mix-up.”

That was all being investigated. But because of the dreams I continued to have of the past I had once lived, I hid away my cautious nature by acting like a sleepy fool.

None of them knew of my paranoia, the fear of losing those I began to love and care for. It was amusing to think of because I was basically setting myself up for failure. It felt that way at least, and now as I sat on her bed trying to figure out what had just occurred, that anxiety shot through me.

I didn’t think of it as a weakness, but instead it was the motivation to protect what deserved my utmost attention. As of now, that was the woman blinking her weak eyes, which looked like they could barely remain open.

“GRR!”

My eyes caught onto Cyrus, Alice’s familiar, as she raced off the bed and began clawing at the door within seconds. That immediately alerted me that something was terribly wrong, and all I needed was a second to close my eyes and heighten my senses.

My ears caught onto rushing footsteps, sensing the foreign waves of magic that didn’t belong to anyone I knew. A stranger in the darkness was in Alice’s home - a predator with a purpose that had something to do with the woman I cared for.

What suddenly shot worry and potential fear was the metallic scent that I knew with one sniff: blood.

My eyes opened immediately as energy coursed through my irises. I knew they had to be silver as my magic rushed through my body in preparation for a fight.

Jolting out of bed, I rushed to the door and was already out and moving down the ladder in a swift movement.

“Westly?”

“Call 911 now!” I ordered with urgency, my feet dropping to the ground as I raced to the set of stairs that led to the living room. The scent of blood grew stronger, and the spike of magic told me the intruder knew I was heading their way.

I crossed my arms like an X as I charged my magic in preparation for a fight, but the moment I entered the living room, I was thrown through the air. I went flying and fought to correct myself to land on my feet, but all that did was put me in the perfect spot for the intruder’s attack as a black dragon came surging at me.

I cursed and my crossed arms suddenly became my shield as I pushed as much of my magic forward as I could, to protect me from the assault. The room shook from the collision, the impact too much for me to withstand as I went flying back and crashed into something.

My body dropped to the floor as a groan escaped me.

That hurt…

I had to fight to keep conscious as my eyes opened slightly to try and get any type of hint of who this individual was. They looked as though they wanted to finish me off, their body cloaked in black as they pointed something in my direction.

Racing footsteps caught my attention, my saving grace as the surge of energy sprinting towards this very area in the house was enough to make the intruder retreat. They turned away, but that was the moment I noticed the tiny tattoo that was located behind their ear, just below their earlobe.

My eyes squinted while I urged them to focus on the very symbol, and lo and behold, a tattoo of a key approaching a lock that was up in flames was revealed. I took in every detail before the intruder disappeared in a portal of darkness.

I fought to get up, but pain surged through me, which only made me groan yet again. Temporarily giving up on the idea, I let myself relax against the wooden floor before seeing Alice come to a dramatic stop, dropping to her knees.

The phone in her hands went skidding across the floor, but I doubt she cared as her eyes quickly scanned me and she reached out her hands to try and heal me.

This selfless woman.

I stopped her immediately, knowing she wasn’t in any condition to spend such energy on me. I decided to distract her the best way I could.

“I’m fine. Did you call 911?”

“Ya. W-What’s going on? Was someone here? Where’s grand…” she began to ramble the list of questions before her words suddenly trailed off as we both seemed to peer over to what was parallel to us.

My breathing came to a halt while my eyes expanded as I took in the scene before us.

There was Alice’s grandmother, Violet, from what I recalled. She was on the floor while a pool of red surrounded her limp body. A gun was next to her right hand, but I immediately knew it wasn’t suicide by her position.

I soon realized it didn’t matter because the sign above her dead body only confirmed that this woman didn’t kill herself.

Far from it… Someone killed her in cold blood.

It only took a second to read the words in red, which were surely from the blood of the woman below the hanging white banner.

“Welcome to the club, Blazing Horsemen.”

The words seemed to echo in my mind, again and again, as I tried to figure out who could have done this. My immediate thought was the very group that was threatened by our approaching takeover, but doing such a thing would easily make them bait.

It also made no sense to make Alice’s grandma a target, but there she was.

Dead in the pool of her blood.

My attention was stolen by Alice as she slowly rose up on shaky legs and began to head to the woman’s body. I gritted my teeth and fought to sit up, clenching my waist that had to have been injured during the collision, but my physical pain was surely nothing in comparison to the growing agony thrumming through Alice as she stood in the pool of blood over her grandma’s body.

“G-Grandma?” she questioned quietly, and I noticed how her hands trembled. Her whole body shook as she fought to keep it together, and she suddenly took a step back as if she didn’t want to ruin the scene.

Her breaths were erratic, going in and out rapidly while the movement of her aura went from minimal to ballistic.

Dammit.

I forced myself to rise up, hearing the sirens in the distance. They sounded far away, and even if they arrived, there would be nothing they could do to fix our current reality.

We’d lost without realizing we were even on the battlefield.

I was going to walk over to Alice, my mind fighting hard to fathom words of comfort, but a surge of energy came from our right. The two of us followed the movement before Cyrus jumped through a golden portal, her mouth carrying a piece of clothing with blood on it.

“Cyrus!” I exclaimed, but suddenly cursed and was pushing off the ground and catching the familiar before I lifted my unoccupied hand to protect us from the beam of flames that came out of the random portal.

“URGH!” I went flying back and immediately braced for another impact before words sliced through the air.

“WINDANDA PROTANDO!”

A spinning force of wind caught me before I hit the solid wall, but my eyes widened at the black shadow heading straight at me. I took in a sharp breath as I held Cyrus against my chest, but suddenly Alice was before me and her fist was punching towards the approaching opponent.

There was no way her punch would defend her against what seemed to be a dagger in the person’s grasp, but Alice’s clenched fist ignited in flames that danced with black and orange. The flames grew from small to a deadly mass of power that triggered an explosive collision which sent the person flying back into the portal they came from.

Alice screamed and charged towards the portal, but I knew without a doubt she wouldn’t make it as the black portal began to close with haste.

I muttered a spell so swiftly that I couldn’t comprehend what I was doing until a golden-and-teal lasso was jolting forward and wrapping around Alice in a nanosecond, giving me enough time to pull back with enough force to save her from running straight into the wall as the portal shut out of existence.

Her body was pulled back, which left her screaming, but I quickly ran forward and moved Cyrus away from my chest so I could catch her. The impact made both of us grunt as we were sent back and fell to the ground.

We skidded all the way to the wall of the staircase. We crashed into the wall, which only left me groaning once more.

“Ow…” I groaned and tried to remain conscious as dizziness assaulted my senses, but my body grew defensive as I sensed another approaching force coming our way.

The door to the house suddenly burst open, and Gabriel and Keru were skidding into the living room before their eyes locked onto Alice and me.

“Fuck! Alice! Westly!” Keru exclaimed as Gabriel looked over and immediately stopped Keru before he ran through the puddle of blood.

“Shit!” Gabriel actually cursed and Keru soon followed his gaze to see why he’d stopped him. “Oh fuck…”

The lasso holding Alice disappeared, freeing her from my grasp. She immediately got up and began speed-walking towards the wall.

“Alice!” I snapped, which caught the others’ attention. Gabriel was in front of the very spot on the wall in a second, stopping Alice from whatever attempt she was trying to conjure up in her frazzled state of mind.

“Alice? What are-”

“Open it up!” she demanded with clenched fists as her whole body shook uncontrollably. “Open up the portal!”

“What portal?” Gabriel demanded.

“The person who killed Grandma went through the portal!” she screamed. “Move!”

“Alice that’s not how it wor-”

“MOVE!” she screamed, and the whole house shook before the windows shattered.

We all nervously exchanged glances before another set of footsteps emerged. I took the risk of looking away to see Chambers rushing in. One look to his side had him frozen in place before he immediately looked around until his eyes landed on Alice, whose aura was raging at a dangerous level.

“Alice.” Chambers’s voice was worried, but it did nothing to get through to his daughter as her hair began to levitate.

No. No. No.

“Someone, stop her!” I urged and fought to get up myself, but my body wouldn’t cooperate.

“WOOF!” Cyrus added with urgency, even with the weak cry for aid.

Gabriel was the first to grab her, but he hissed in agony as his hands seemed to burn from the mere touch.

“Alice, stop!”

“They killed her! They killed her. THEY KILLED HER!”

I couldn’t understand who she was referring to, but if Cyrus had even gotten a glimpse of the person, Alice must have surely known what she needed to track them down.

Even if she hadn’t been taught.

Alice wasn’t running off of logic. She was thriving on the energy of intuition and the blazing elements that now wanted to enact revenge for their lost loved one. If we dared let her slip out of our grasp, who knows what chaos would erupt in her wake.

“Alice!” Keru grabbed her arm, and he hissed just like Gabriel but kept holding on. Her threatening gaze moved to him and soon Gabriel was pushing Keru out of the way – dodging slices of wind that barely missed Chambers as he moved out of the way.

The wind suddenly sliced at the door and broke it entirely into pieces. We all seemed to gawk before Chambers was right in front of Alice.

“Stop this now, Alice!”

“They killed Grandma!” she screamed as tears rolled down her cheeks but literally evaporated the next second.

That only confirmed that her body was in overload, the heat of her magic so intense that it was leaking through her skin, which was why both Gabriel and Keru couldn’t stop her.

“I know!” he snapped. “We need to figure it out! Nothing will get done if you hurt others!”

“Out of my way!”

“No,” he hissed and grabbed her wrist. She fought against him and was putting up a good fight in holding off his gripping force. His eyes searched for me, pleading for assistance.

I had no choice but to push myself up, and I was behind Alice in seconds. Instead of trying to disable her, I did what suddenly felt right.

My arms wrapped around her, feeling her body grow rigid at my touch before words went flying out of my mouth.

“We get it, Alice! We understand your anger!” I exclaimed loudly.

Chambers let go of her as she tried to fight against my grip, but I only held her tighter while fighting the intense heat that threatened to burn my flesh at any second if she didn’t lower her blazing temperature.

“Alice!” I growled. “You’re hurting me.”

The statement seemed to make her pause in her rebellious struggle, and she suddenly shook even harder as heavy sobs began to leave her.

The mere sound of agony hit me hard, my sudden strength dropping to the point that my knees buckled and the two of us were suddenly on the ground. It didn’t stop me from holding onto her as she began to sob harder and shake her head.

“I have to…find…find the killer! They killed her! How dare they kill her?!” she screamed relentlessly as more sobs escaped her. “What did she do?! Why? Why? WHY!” she screamed, and the sound shook the house once again as thunder boomed through the sky. Suddenly, the sound of an ear-piercing siren went off.

“What’s that?” I asked.

Chambers answered, “Hurricane warning.”

We all seemed to look at Alice at once, and I somehow knew if we didn’t get her under control, this house and everything around it would be doomed because of Alice’s agony.

I let go of her for a second before pinning her to the wooden floor, her wild, rage-filled eyes glaring back at me like I was the culprit of her sorrows.

“Let me-”

I cut her off with my lips as I tightened my hold on her wrists, which scorched the palms of my hands. I could smell the burning scent of my flesh, but I didn’t care about the pain my actions triggered.

Not when Alice was suffering from the inside out.

My temperature dropped to combat her fierce heat, and I held her against me as she fought against my grip by kicking her legs in an attempt to hurt me. I didn’t move as I focused on the one thing that would help her realize she wasn’t in this fight alone.

I have to remind her that we’re on her side and that we won’t let the person get away with this.

She fought and fought until the two of us surely needed oxygen, but I ignored the burning sensation and kissed her even harder. She finally stilled and I opened my eyes slightly to see the way hers stared up at me.

The heartbroken orbs of sadness finally seemed to acknowledge who I was. That was when I released her lips, the two of us gasping for air while tears finally left my eyes, which blurred.

I wasn’t sure why I was shedding tears, as if I were in any position to do so. Was it the stinging pain in my palms? Or the aching, stabbing pulsations that came from my back?

Or was I feeling a hint of what Alice was enduring right at this moment?

“T-They…they…” She was trying so hard to make words as more tears ran down her face and her lips quivered. All I could do was slowly nod before I took the chance to let her go. She noticed my hands, sporting the fresh burns, blood beginning to drip from the open wounds, but I gently pressed them against her cheeks so her eyes would only remain on mine.

“They want this,” I whispered. “For you to lose control. To be lost in your rage and hurt everything you love. They want you to end up alone…and I can’t let you do that, Alice.”

My words seemed to be getting through to her. I took advantage and continued, “We don’t know who did this, but we’ll figure it out together. You don’t need to do this on your own. You’re not alone anymore, remember?”

Her slight nod gave me some hope of helping her calm down, and I lowered my forehead to press to hers and whispered, “I need you to calm down. The heat will kill you if your temperature remains this high. You’re allowed to be angry. You’re in every position to grieve…but don’t you dare let the enemy win. Don’t allow them to wreak havoc within you and bring irreversible circumstances to this very place you love and the people who want to help you.”

I pulled her into my arms, hugging her on the bare floor as the warning siren suddenly stopped but the police sirens continued to grow louder.

“Trust me,” I whispered. “Trust us to figure this out as a team. Just don’t let the enemy win by losing the woman your grandma was proud of. Please, Alice.”

I was practically begging for her cooperation, and it took me a moment to realize that hugging her didn’t leave me in burning agony. She hugged me then as her sobs got muffled against my chest.

All I could do was hold her while ignoring everything that was unfolding around us. Minutes had surely gone by as shuffling sounds and voices spoke all around, but all I did was focus on Alice’s sobs - until they slowly came to a stop, her body growing limp.

I pulled back to realize she’d passed out, and that was when Gabriel and Keru rushed to my side. Gabriel immediately moved Alice from my grasp, his eyes blazing with magic as he scanned her quickly.

Keru helped me move, but I flinched and hissed at the pain that was coursing through me.

“We need to get you checked,” Keru emphasized, and I merely nodded. I felt so drained that it was suddenly impossible to keep my eyes open.

“Westley!” Keru’s voice seemed far away as I leaned forward, but my body was caught by a pair of hands. All I could feel was the pain swarming through me like it was a newfound mission.

“They both need immediate medical attention,” Gabriel ordered.

“Take them!” Chambers ordered. “I’ll handle it here. Hurry.”

There was some sort of verbal agreement, but all I could do was worry about Alice. The devastation in her eyes, the heartbreaking cries from the loss of someone who meant so much to her.

That was the agonizing pain I feared the most. To endure losing those I loved and cherished.

When the darkness came, I didn’t dare fight against it - the need to escape from the pain consuming me was a blessing in disguise. I wished to return to the pleasant dream. To be sitting there with the woman I loved in the past, who was the same as the one in the present.

My blazing witch that smiled with pride while her dazzling, flaming eyes sparkled with admiration for me. Our love of purity and longevity, what I strived to somehow regain in this newfound world.

My goals within these dreams were as odd as my wish for them to come true, but in this fading state of wishful thinking, it seemed only right.

When I arrived in the very dream, there she was - my Alice from the past who was now the Alice of the present. No matter the shift from the past to the present, I still smiled at her appearance as we inched closer and closer.

Our bittersweet kiss always made me smile, and I was left falling into a blissful dream of memories while I let the present reality of pain and sadness fade away.

It was only temporary, but I knew when I woke up once more, I’d have to face reality.

Our first welcome gift of achieving the status of Blazing Horsemen… One of what felt like many to come.

PEER THROUGH THE SAME WINDOW

~ALICE~

THE KNOCK on the door tugged my attention from the window I’d been staring at for what had surely been hours. The sky had been bright and full of life as birds fluttered through the blue sky and fluffy white clouds moved with the passing winds.

Now there were only a few rays of sunlight left, the warm tones of orange and gold peeking through the horizon while shadows of dark blue and hints of black prepared for the approaching nightfall.

I could already catch the glimpses of stars, and the half-moon that was beginning to heighten opaquely. It wasn’t like I was in a rush to catch the beautiful sight. It was the same as the last six days, me sitting in the same bed and staring into space for hours on end.

It would have been nice to see the first specks of snow, but it seemed like winter was delaying itself.

Maybe mourning a loss like I was.

Finally turning my head, I looked to see Clara’s warm smile as she held a tray of food. I knew from the mere scent of it that she’d made something and brought it here. The one meal I’d had in this place was far too horrendously cold for me to eat, and with how fast I’d been losing weight, Clara had volunteered to bring me food since finding out I dropped a good fifteen pounds.

That was obviously just one of my many problems, but at least I wasn’t dehydrated, right? The poor medical team thought I was suicidal or trying to go on a hunger strike, but my stomach just wasn’t in the mood for cold food that they couldn’t take the time to warm up.

If it wasn’t for Clara offering to bring my meals, I’m sure Dad would have been suing this place because his poor daughter was fifteen pounds lighter in three days and somehow on suicide watch when I’d done nothing but “cooperate” with everything but eating frozen food.

Maybe he’d still sue? He wasn’t in the best of moods and had been working non-stop, like Keru and Gabriel. My poor, new boyfriends were pushing themselves on my behalf.

I should have been joining them on this hastened journey of justice, but here I was, restrained to the bed with special handcuffs that made sure I couldn’t summon the flames and go on a killing spree.

This was all because I tried to do exactly that after waking up from a horrendous night terror. Hmph. Rude.

Whenever sleep tried to greet me, I pushed it away, which led to insomnia and me feeling more drained than ever. The moment I closed my eyes, there I’d see her. The woman playing her bingo before calling out to me.

“Alice! You’re going to be late for school!”

How I wished to hear those words one last time. To groan and roll my eyes as I lay between the sheets and waited for the woman who helped raise me to climb up that ladder and listen to me questioning if her knees were still strong enough for such activities.

I smelled the scent of her quick meals to get me energized for another horrendous school day, and the simple cheap snacks and packed lunches that would ensure I’d survive without a fainting episode.

I could already see her disappointment on her face when she confirmed I’d lost my strikes at the current school and needed to search for another, and the exhausted lines in her expression as she peeked into my room while I pretended to be sleeping.

She had her own issues, ones I ignored while attempting to be a good daughter, but in the end, it was because of me - my existence - that she was now resting in the morgue.

Her death wasn’t an accident, nor was her time on this earth up. All of that was stolen from her by a gunshot to her head. What people were trying to claim was suicide because of the troublesome sixteen-year-old girl who drove her into insanity.

The town was blaming me…like always.

It surely wouldn’t have made a difference if I picked the gun up and shot her myself. The blame was always pushed in my direction because it was just that simple. A hindrance of a child, abandoned by her mother, attempted to be raised by a drunk father, only to be dumped on the grandparents.

Poor due to the instability of constant school changes and traveling, and the constant rejection only forced them to age more. Compared to my dad, who drank his sorrows and troubles away, they sought other outlets like bingo, where they smoked weed and drank whiskey and took drugs that kept their sanity.

Truthful words were leaking out into the community, and even I knew what was being said and spread around.

That child has to be switched.

An abomination for sure.

The poor woman lost her life after dedicating it to that waste of space.

That child should have been thrown in foster care instead.

Their words hurt even in tiny whispers, and I could only imagine what it would be like to try and remain living in this place anymore. There would be no future here. Not unless I did have a death wish that involved putting me up on a stake and burning me as people chanted in glee.

The familiarity of that scene made me wonder if that was my next fate after this boxed suffering ended.

“Alice.”

I blinked and looked over toward the tender voice. My gaze landed on Clara once more as she looked at me with worried eyes. I couldn’t blame her for worrying about me. I’d be worried about my own sanity if I felt like being selfish for a brief moment.

Why would I focus on myself when someone was dead because of me?

Because I’d decided to save those I cared about?

My savior efforts rewarded me and my team a perfect score, and I knew without a doubt that we’d stolen the positions of what was known as the Blazing Horsemen.

I’d made them angry…or at least made someone angry for taking their petty position that brought more clout than success in their pitiful life.

To say I was angry enough to kill was an understatement. I would kill if the opportunity rose from the shadows and my logic was taking a day off. That was why I was stuck here, though I wondered if Dad would let them keep me over Christmas?

A holiday in a medical mental institution. Marvelous.

“Yes?” My answer was more of a croak, leaving me to question if I was thirsty.

When was the last time I drank water?

Clara scrunched her face in confliction before she lifted the lid of the tray and began organizing everything she’d brought for what was surely considered dinner.

Little bowls of various foods for me to try and determine what my stomach would hold down. Having no appetite was defiantly a pain, but after a while, the hunger pain would be nothing but dull aches that fought through the fog of my pain.

After she finished setting up my table, she poured a large glass of ice-cold water and slipped a straw in the clear cup.

“Ready to eat?” she asked with a smile.

I looked at the food as if it wasn’t as appealing as it smelled, but the idea of disappointing Clara after she’d come all the way from her home yet again was enough to force me to nod in approval.

She beamed at my approval, just like she had the past four days, before the door opened once more and a nurse walked in. It was one of the observation nurses, forced to watch me for eight- to twelve-hour shifts.

How boring the idea was. To sit and stare at someone do nothing but eat, sleep, and stare out the window. Surely the first days in this cube of dull, painted walls and the single window that gave me a glimpse of the outdoors was thrilling with my outbursts and threats to burn everything to a crisp, but now?

Nothing to see but a girl silently mourning the death of her grandma.

Could this be even categorized as mourning? I hadn’t shed a tear in a while. Or maybe I had and couldn’t remember. I wondered if I’d be allowed to go to the funeral at this point, but apparently that would happen later on after the Christmas holiday.

Plans were in motion, but I’m sure no one would want me involved in any of that.

It was my fault she was dead.

The nurse worked on removing my handcuffs, analyzing me carefully like I was a match, seconds away from being lit and bursting into flames.

I couldn’t blame her for her precautions. That was her job, after all, on a mental floor like this. My eyes lowered to my wrists, which were red. I frowned while Clara seemed to follow my gaze and then looked at the nurse.

“You guys have been putting the cuffs on way too tight,” she pointed out the obvious. I surely could have mentioned the same thing, but my acknowledgment would float on deaf ears versus Clara, who’d make sure the management knew of the negligence.

“She had an episode last night and they needed to be tight,” the nurse coldly replied.

Me? An episode?

I arched an eyebrow in confusion and Clara looked at me before she narrowed her eyes at the nurse. “Why weren’t any of us contacted, then?”

“It was late.”

“It’s been noted three times that if she has any sort of episode that her father or three boyfriends should be contacted and if you can’t reach all four of them, my number was the last resort,” Clara emphasized. “I didn’t leave my contact information for it to be ignored when my best friend is dealing with PTSD episodes and flashbacks.”

Best friend.

That made me smile just a bit at her kind reference of what we were. I didn’t feel worthy of her kindness or even attention. Just because I’d saved her life as well as many other students, I didn’t expect anything in return.

Her loyalty was something I’d never really experienced from anyone, especially when we were just that: friends. I was only now getting used to the idea of having boyfriends, and that was fresh soil I worried was tainted with the blood of my grandma’s death and the stress all of the investigations, interviews, and avoidance of media spokespersons who were trying to make this murder into the next big thing for the town to discuss.

As if I didn’t have enough to my name of Blazing Alice.

“It slipped the staff’s mind. We’ll see to it that it won’t happen again.”

“Oh, it won’t happen again,” Clara declared with a threatening warning. “I’ll see to that once I’m done here and I get to talk with your manager.”

Clara was clearly pulling off what some would call a “Karen,” but at least her argument and protectiveness were valid. I didn’t feel like this medical mental health center was doing me much justice.

In fact, I didn’t feel like I belonged here at all.

With Clara bringing food, these nurses didn’t have much to do, and yet I still felt like a burden that was thrown onto their laps to deal with. My medications were trial ones, and I only got injections when I suddenly woke up straight to an episode.

I had no recollection of last night’s, which only left me wondering if I was half asleep, or if the drugs were doing something to my memory.

The nurse didn’t say anything, and Clara used her hand to dismiss her. The doors closed before Clara muttered something so quickly, I almost didn’t catch it before she pulled up a stool and sat down.

“Assholes. I’ve never seen such a facility that could neglect their patients like this. Unbelievable. She’ll hear from me, just wait and see.”

I believed every word she said and wondered how bad the payback would be on the nurses from last night and this one, who was practically lying for her fellow colleagues.

“Did you spell the room?” I inquired.

“Yup.” She gave me a proud smirk like she’d achieved something grand. “I’m not letting them hear our conversation. They currently think we’re talking about lingerie. Or at least, I’m talking about lingerie and you’re simply agreeing and looking practically unbothered.”

“Realistic,” I muttered and lowered my gaze to my food. Then I looked at my wrists, debating if I wanted to try and eat when the movement would surely spike a bit of pain.

Pain that reminded me of the crippling suffering I’d endured during the exam mess-up.

I bit my lip but noticed the spoon that was offering a full dose of warm soup. Peering over to Clara, I stared into her comforting expression as she nodded in encouragement.

“You should try the soup. It’s really nice. Our new winter special, but we haven’t launched it yet. It always sells out when we do.”

I decided to try it and inched closer to blow on the steamy liquid a few times before slurping it into my mouth. The taste was delightful as the trickle of flowing flavor left me a tad warmer.

It only took me enjoying a spoonful of soup to realize how cold I was or the fact it felt as though the A/C was on.

“I can see why it sells out,” I spoke up and looked at her with a hint of anticipation. “Can I try some more?”

“Certainly!” She looked beyond relieved that I was willing to eat, and she continued to spoon-feed me before she offered for me to try most of the various dishes. When she was finished, I realized I’d eaten everything she brought, which was a first for this entire week from hell.

“Ah! Your dad is going to be so happy you ate everything! I should take a picture,” she exclaimed and did exactly that. All I could do was grin while I shivered from the cold.

“Clara? Can we ask to put the A/C off? It’s cold.”

“Oh, right!” She seemed to jolt at the reminder and pressed the call button. “I don’t need you, but can you stop the A/C? It’s freezing in here.”

“Alright,” the voice responded. It sounded like a different nurse than before.

“Hmph. If only I could get paid to be on my phone and watch patients from a window. It’s obvious that the room is freezing the moment you walk in.”

“This place is rather…complicated,” I confessed quietly, fearing to be a nuisance for complaining.

“Complicated? Beyond that! Your boyfriends are pissed and working with CloverSpell to get you transferred to a private one or even to one of their houses temporarily. At this rate, I could try to get you out by tonight if they piss me off enough,” she huffed.

“Clara.”

“Hmm?” She looked at me with hopeful eyes, as if I had something positive to say.

“Why are you being so nice to me?”

My question did the trick of making her frown and I lowered my head just to avoid seeing the disappointment flood her expression. It would only add to my obvious depression and that would just start a cascade of troubles that would push her further away.

“Alice, you’re my friend,” Clara declared. “I know we’re not super close for me to use the term best friend, but I definitely consider you a dear friend of mine and that means a lot. I’m far too busy most of the time to maintain friendships where we’re hanging out any other day, but I know with you, we could hang out once and the time in between wouldn’t matter at all,” she reasoned. “Don’t think I’m being helpful because you saved me from death or even out of pity. I want to help you get through this rough patch. So don’t second guess that,” she reasoned.

“But isn’t it a burden to come here at this time? You have work,” I muttered, trying to think of an excuse to somehow make myself feel more shitty, which was rather counterproductive in what I was supposed to do to get out of my depressive funk.

“You’re not a burden at all, Alice.”

Her hand gently moved under my chin, lifting my head up so I could see her proud smile. “A bunch of students from our class offered to take all my shifts for the remainder of the holiday so I can make sure you’re being fed and taken care of during this time.”

“You mean the students in last semester’s class?”

“Mhm! The ones who are breathing and able to pass Semester One thanks to you. They’re beyond grateful and wanted to think of something better to say than thank you, but with everything that’s happening, none of us wanted to overwhelm you. So we thought making sure you were fed and looked after would be good, at least.”

“Don’t they hear the rumors?”

Clara groaned and rolled her eyes as a huff left her lips. “You mean the shit-talk the previous Horsemen are spreading because you and your boyfriends got the highest marks in the entire district?”

“Wait…we’re at the top?”

“Yup! You and Westley are tied with Gabriel in third and Keru in fourth. The only one not shit-talking is Damon, since he’s not the type to spread false stuff, but then again, if he joined in, I wouldn’t even be surprised,” Clara explained and shook her head. “Their grades were horrendous this year, particularly in the second half, so they would have lost their roles to begin with. They were just being dicks by bullying you while you were down. CloverSpell isn’t impressed and there’s been a ton of complaints from the student body to the point that they’re having a meeting regarding it after Christmas.”

“Isn’t it school break?”

“It is,” Clara confirmed. “But it’s bad, Alice. They’re purposely spreading word down here versus around the school district because they obviously know everyone won’t believe their foolish, made-up tales. They’re going to officially announce tonight that your grandma was murdered and that you were innocent due to you saving multiple students during a freak accident at school that left you injured. That will make this community around here shut the hell up. It’s no wonder why these nurses are treating you so poorly.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m going to sue them.”

“You can’t sue them, Clara.” I looked at her with a hopeless stare.

“Sure I can.” She shrugged casually, like it wasn’t a big deal. “My parents are best friends with two amazing judges. They don’t take abroad cases often, but I’m sure if it escalated to that point, they would definitely take on your case, if my parents referred you. Their family is basically full of law enforcement professionals. I think only their youngest is still in school, but you merely say their name and people tremble and will do anything to not get sued by them. I forgot their surname though. Something with an H? Or was it an L? Maybe a W! Man, my memory sucks sometimes.”

“So…I’m not bringing you down?”

“Nope. Not at all!” she vowed. “I’ll assist you as best I can, and many other students have your back as well. Don’t stress about school either. If you end up having to miss the start of it, we’ve already made a plan to rotate positions in making notes for you to study and recording the lectures if you learn better that way. Also, CloverSpell assured us that you wouldn’t be penalized for taking the next semester a little slower to recover. Without health, we can’t excel towards our goals, right? That means you have to rest a lot and allow yourself to mourn and recover so you can be stronger than ever.”

Her eyes focused on me as they held a slight red tint in seriousness. “Whoever did this is going to pay, but what better way to grind their gears than by proving that you’re still moving forward and getting stronger by the day?”

“I guess.” She had a point, but the mere idea of trying to move on made me fear the worst. What would people think of me for moving on so quickly?

“Alice.”

I looked up to her again and she reached out to hold my hand, being careful to not brush the red skin of my wrist.

“Don’t worry about other’s opinions. Focus on your life, recovery, and goals to claim vengeance. Obviously not revenge, as that will leave you heading into a killing spree of all those potentially involved. Work on yourself and become more of a threat so they pull back from trying to hurt you.”

“What if they try to hurt those I love again?”

“They wouldn’t dare, unless they want to feel your wrath,” Clara said with pride. “Let them try. They would be pulling off some risky moves to try and target someone else that’s close to you. With the investigation on going and something that may take longer for a detailed inspection of all those potentially involved, it would only be smart for them to lay low.”

She squeezed my hand comfortingly as she gave me a firm nod.

“Also, if you didn’t know, Blazing Horsemen get certain privileges that others don’t. Sometimes you’re gifted with certain abilities or given further protection or aid. I’m sure they’ll think of something that will benefit your group.”

“No wonder they’re pissed off for losing it,” I whispered.

“It’s their loss. Maybe next semester they’ll work harder to try and keep their statuses, but I heard requirements change every semester.”

“Every single semester?” I inquired. “Isn’t that…”

“Excessive?” Clara offered and nodded. “Yup, but I mean they get a lot of power and are basically like the student council of Blazing Academy, when you look at it. It’s far more unique than that, but the perks have always been known to be amazing. It’s difficult for the same individuals to remain as Horsemen for their entire four years here. Obviously, Semester One is a rarity since most people have connections to get their positions so it doesn’t necessarily count, but the rest of the years? I think only a couple have been able to stay as Horsemen for the majority of their years at Blazing, and now they’re at some elite university.”

“How do you know all of this, Clara?” I asked.

She clapped her hands. “The amount of information we get in a single night of being open can ruin lives,” she whispered and winked. “If you ever need dirt on someone, just let me know. I’ve got you,” she encouraged, and her support morphed an actual smile on my face.

“Thank you, Clara,” I humbly expressed my gratitude.

“We’re tight friends and no one’s gonna get in the way of that,” she assured me. “Now all you have to do is rest!” she emphasized.

“Yes,” I replied. “I’m a little tired, actually.”

“Good. Just sleep and I’ll come back tomorrow for breakfast. Did you like the pancakes from this morning?”

“Yes,” I replied. “They were really good.”

“Excellent. I’m thinking waffles or buttery French toast with maple syrup slathered in blueberries with some eggs and bacon on the side. Yum. Now I’m hungry. I better go eat.” She rose up and took a good look at me before she seemed to nod in approval.

“You’re looking better today.” She kept her voice low. “I’ll see what my parents can do. They’re really concerned about the staff here. This hospital doesn’t have good reviews, but we had to make due because of the circumstances of how the police found you and Westley.”

“Is Westley okay?” I asked. I hadn’t seen him or the others in a few days, and I’d only gotten a glimpse of Westley through a video call since he was on a different hospital floor, getting treatment on his back.

“He’s good! I think he was discharged this afternoon. He’s probably resting if anything. I think he mentioned emailing the CEO to bypass the rules about visitors not staying the night in your case.”

“T-The CEO?” I blinked in shock. “He didn’t…or I mean…that sounds like a lot of work that he’d have to input over a silly rule. That time could be used for, well…napping?” I concluded.

“I agree with your reasoning, but that one is madly in love with you, so all bets are off,” she summarized and lifted the tray up. “From what I’ve heard, Westley’s deadly when angry, which is considered a rare sight.”

“True,” I muttered. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“For sure.” She winked. “French Toast Delight. I’ll see if I can sneak in a latte. The water here tastes funny.”

I smirked and gave a slight wave as she headed to the door. The very metal object opened up before she reached for it, and I could see her frown from the angle she was standing at as the same nurse who’d uncuffed me was back to put them on once again.

The mere sight of her seemed to dim my mood once more as I stared down at my red wrists that still proved how tight those metal restraints were. Being kept against my will in this cooped-up, dull-walled place was merely adding to my anxiety, but seeing the wounds on my flesh that would surely grow made me shiver as I fought to remain calm.

It won’t hurt like when we saved Clara and the others. They’re being placed for my protection and those I love. Protect them from me…I’m a threat.

I let out a heavy sigh and flinched at the nurse’s closeness as she reached for my hand without warning.

“If you’re going to restrain anyone, it’s best to tell them first. Otherwise you’re going against the mental health act and rules of restraining compliant patients.”

My head darted up as I looked to the door to see Westley leaning against the door frame. Instead of his usual casual attire, he wore a teal silk dress shirt, black dress pants, and black tie that went with his sleek black dress shoes.

His emerald hair had strands of silver and blue, while his teal eyes were filled with questions as his heavy gaze was specifically on the nurse.

Those light pink lips of his were grimacing in disapproval, and I knew without a doubt that he was keeping his cool for my sake.

“Mr. Simmons? I wasn’t informed that you were discharged,” the nurse nervously replied as she straightened herself.

“Why would you know if I was discharged or not when I was admitted to a completely different floor?” he countered, which made the nurse even more nervous. “I’ll let you off on that one.”

“Ah…thank you,” she nervously stated before she looked at me. “Alice, I’m going to put the restraints back on now.”

“Don’t put them so tight this time,” I muttered as I looked away.

“That was due to a mere error of judgment at the time I placed them.”

“They’ve been on since last night,” I acknowledged, my eyes still staring out the window so I wouldn’t be a victim to her furious eyes.

“What?”

The sound didn’t come from Westley. The angered voice came from Dad, which drew my attention. There he was, wearing all black while his hair was actually combed and gelled to one side to make him look like a sophisticated man within our society.

His presentable appearance only accented his growing anger as he arched an eyebrow and muttered, “Would you like to elaborate on why my recovering daughter was in restraints for what surely could have been an entire day?”

“S-She had an episode last night and we needed to control her…she was being magically combative,” the nurse defended as she tried to compose herself.

“And why weren’t we called?” Westley snapped as he moved off the door frame to stand at his full height. I had to do a double take. I swore Westley had grown another two inches because there was no way he was still 6′3″.

Unless my eyes just wanted him to be taller. Wouldn’t be surprised if they hallucinated it.

“The staff couldn’t reach you,” she defended.

“Our phones have been on the entire night,” Dad argued as his eyes narrowed. “Also, Clara Ralmera was the last resort if you couldn’t reach any of us and she was up all night and didn’t receive a single phone call, from what she mentioned during our morning exchange.”

“Ah, Mr. Chambers.” Clara’s voice could be heard outside the hall. “Perfect timing.”

She arrived with a tall woman with red eyes. From how frozen the nurse seemed, this new addition to the conversation was someone of great importance.

“I was just talking to the CEO of the health district. She doesn’t manage this particular hospital, but she was the one I contacted with my parents to get Alice a more secure safe house for her recovery. I began informing her of the mishaps that seemed to have occurred multiple times this week.”

From the way Westley smirked, I knew this nurse was about to lose her job.

I didn’t have an ounce of pity.

“Thank goodness because I have a list of things that I’d love to discuss as soon as possible. One is why my sixteen-year-old daughter, who’s trying to recover from almost dying from a freak accident after avoiding being murdered by a suspect who’s still at large after killing her grandmother, is being restrained? Instead of showing her compassion as she attempts to not lose her sanity with all she’s experienced in a short period of time, she’s thrown into this environment, which provokes her triggers, causing her to be restrained for twenty-plus hours. Can I also add the footage I have of them sitting and doing practically nothing but gossiping and playing on their cellular devices their entire shift, or is that a topic for the health board of this town?”

The nurse was practically shaking in fear as the woman with red eyes seemed horrified by the summarized concern.

“I’d be happy to discuss this right away. In fact, the remaining head members of the district are still in the board room. We just finished an important meeting regarding policies and better care of our patients. If you have the spare time, I’d love to get this dealt with this instant.”

“I’d gladly do so,” he replied and walked into the room until he was by my bedside. He acknowledged me with a smile before he gently lifted my hand to assess my wrists at a closer glance.

“I’ll ask the night nurse to get you a cream to help with the irritation,” he whispered and kissed me on my forehead. “Is there anything bothering you, Alice?”

“No,” I quietly replied. “Hey.”

“Hey.” He stroked my head. “I’m gonna get some things sorted. Westley has permission to stay behind tonight.”

My eyes widened in shock as I looked up at him. “Really?!”

He smiled at my exclaimed response as he bobbed his head in approval. “Yup. Just got it approved and it starts immediately. We’ll figure everything else out later.”

“Does that mean Cyrus can be here?”

“Would Cyrus’s company keep you at ease?”

“Yes,” I confessed.

“Then we’ll work on that as well.”

“Cyrus is?” the red-eyed woman inquired.

“Her loyal familiar, ma’am,” Westley replied. “She really puts Alice at ease.”

“Then allow it. If anyone asks, say Natalia from the board gave permission.”

“Excellent.” Dad seemed pleased with the sudden turn of events. “Now, Nurse…Joy, was it? Why don’t you come along and explain the incident from last night and why none of the team members took the extra effort to contact us when my daughter was having a PTSD episode?”

“Joy.” Natalia’s look alone told me she was a goner as the nurse quickly nodded and rushed out the door with Dad casually following. “Text me if either of you needs anything,” he encouraged.

“WOOF!”

We all looked down to see Cyrus run from the hallway and leap off the ground to land right onto my lap.

“Cyrus!” I cheered and scooped her up as she happily panted at the sight of me before she was licking my face like no tomorrow. “Yes. I missed you, too.”

“Woof! Woof! Woof!” Cyrus was so happy she wiggled out of my hold and began rolling all over my lap. Everyone seemed to smile my way, and I looked back as Dad slightly nodded my way before he, Clara, Natalia, and Nurse Joy walked further down the hall to wherever this next meeting was going to take place.

Westley waited a few seconds before he closed the door and turned back to me. I took in his appearance; those emeralds strands perfectly combed through while I took in his professional attire once again.

“Why do I have a feeling you were in court or something?” I hesitantly asked as Cyrus literally lay on her back and fell fast asleep.

“Law firm,” he replied as he walked over to the bed. He immediately noticed my wrists and frowned. “Hmm. We need to get that dealt with.”

“Can’t I just heal it?” I quietly inquired. “Like…after I’m not on blazing destruction ban?”

His look was hard to interpret but I was pretty sure he didn’t like the title of my obvious circumstance.

“No. When magic restraints burn you, they’re unable to be healed by magic. Give me a second to get some special cream. Once you apply it, the area heals within a few minutes. Do you want anything to drink?”

“If it’s not orange juice, no,” I admitted. “I’m tired of water.”

“The water tastes nasty here,” he commented and stuck out his tongue. “Never seen such a bland hospital. I thought I’d go insane from staring out the window for so long.”

“You were staring out the window, too?” I whispered.

He noticed my change in demeanor and he reached out to gently stroke my cheek. “I was seeing the same boring view as you, Blazing Queen.”

“It’s my fault you had to be stuck here,” I whispered. “I missed you.”

He crouched down and gently directed my face so that I had no choice but to look at him.

“Hey,” he softly stated as our eyes locked on one another. “I missed you, too, and it’s not your fault at all. I was injured due to the first impact with the suspect.”

“What about the burns?” I wished to look away, but he lifted his other hand to cradle my cheeks. “Healed upon arrival at the emergency department. It was before we were transferred over here, and before you ask, Gabriel and Keru are also fine. We’re all good and healthy.”

He moved up then until he could lay a simple kiss to my lips.

“Are you okay?”

The way he genuinely asked brought tears to my eyes, and we shared a sad look before he whispered, “Shuffle over.”

I did what I was asked, moving to make space for him as he took off his shoes, dimmed the lights a bit, and slipped into the hospital bed. He then had me in his arms, avoiding touching my wrists as he hugged me against him.

“We don’t need explanations. If you just want to cry it all out, you can now. No one can see you in this position. Just you, me, and sleeping Cyrus.”

“Am I allowed to cry?” The question was so stupid and yet I feared to get in trouble for shedding a single tear in this place. I wanted to go home but I knew that was no longer an option.

The very haunted mansion that I despised was now off-limits because of the investigation, and if Grandfather didn’t want to remain there, it would be sold or demolished for the better.

“In my arms, Alice, you’re allowed to cry as much as you want,” Westley quietly comforted. “Shed every tear and let your agony be soothed in my loving arms. You’ll feel better afterward. I promise.”

“Then what will we do?” I whispered. “Will you leave?”

“No. I’ll stay with you,” he assured me. “Then we’ll just peer through the same window until we fall asleep. Seems like a good way to spend a comforting date, don’t you think?”

“A date in a mental institution,” I sobbed, tears running down my cheeks as I looked up at him. His softened eyes showed his slight exhaustion, but his lips were wide with a glimmering smile.

“There’s a first time for everything, right?” he offered.

“Ya.” It was all I could say as I let my head nestle against his chest and allowed myself to cry. This was what I’d desperately needed all week. To shed tears of anguish and desolation while being in the arms of someone I loved.

I cried and cried until the tears were all dry. As the silence carried through the room, Westley kept his word. No other words were exchanged as we stared through the same window - our minds thinking afar but our hearts beating as one.

A privilege many didn’t have the chance of experiencing anymore.

This was my time to mourn, and I’d leave the decision-making for when my heart didn’t ache every second and my mind wasn’t lost in negative banter.

The minutes went by until my eyes grew heavy and I allowed them to close while in the comfort of Westley’s arms.

The beginning of a path of recovery.

THERAPY WITH CLOVERSPELL

“Are these rooms meant to look…well, pretty?”

I stared around the vibrant yet calming room as I settled into the long reclining chair. The color was a soft maroon pink, which added to the colorful artwork on the walls and the white-and-maroon theme of the furniture.

CloverSpell sat comfortably in her chair, crossing one leg to rest on the other while she put her clipboard to the side.

“I’m not sure,” she admitted. “I was surprised Gabriel’s house had a room specifically for therapy work, but then again, Angelic Owls sometimes need therapy during their youth years.”

“They do?” I inquired and allowed myself to relax against the velvet surface while my eyes stared up at the plain white ceiling.

“Angelic Owls are creatures with immense wisdom and angel qualities. A hybrid of information and holy power. They’re powerful individuals, but too much knowledge can be troubling, especially when you find out truths you wouldn’t want to learn about.”

I could imagine that, discovering what you never expected or finding out that the world was far darker than one would believe.

“It’s recommended they do therapy and lots of meditation to aid in calming their mind so it doesn’t become overwhelmed, especially during their youth years, but I wouldn’t expect Gabriel to have a room for such.”

“Glad he does,” I admitted quietly before turning my attention to the woman across from me. She was wearing another long, glamorous dress of gold that shifted to the very maroon color of the chair I was lying on, meeting my intrigued gaze.

The sparkling transition was unique and balanced to emphasize the dress’ beauty while her curly hair was up in a ponytail. Her antlers were out, and she wore a pair of glasses as if she needed them for this session.

“Do you need glasses?” I ended up asking.

“Only during sessions like these,” she confessed. “Or intense meetings. Reindeer sometimes have problems focusing on one object for too long unless they’re in fight-or-flight mode. The glasses ensure I can concentrate while having perfect vision.”

“Intriguing,” I replied. “Do I have an animal quality?”

“You do,” she revealed. “Though, neither of us know what it may be just yet. It could possibly be a wolf due to Cyrus, but we’re not sure.”

“Everyone has an animal trait?” I inquired.

“They should,” she revealed. “You’ve noticed all three of your men have their unique animal traits. Gabriel is an Angelic Owl, Keru a Hellhound Warlock, and Westley an Elemental Peacock Magician. What we can do is try to figure out your specific quality when school is in session. It’ll be easier to spot when you’re using more magic.”

“There are no clues with being a Hot Blazing Witch?” I suggested.

“Sadly, no. Those powerful beings are able to perform a magnitude of spells and there wasn’t a concrete animal or familiar used by those unique individuals in history. It’s something still being researched, but that type of information is discovered in ancient books that aren’t very easy to gain knowledge from.”

“Ah,” I replied. “Guess I’ll find out sooner or later.”

CloverSpell smiled before she encouraged me to take a few breaths. She then rose up and began setting things in a certain way before she lit up a stick that delivered a unique aroma that drifted through the room.

“For this session, we can discuss anything that’s troubling your mind. Our titles, responsibilities, and roles in the current present don’t matter. What does matter is that you’re here with me, Autumn, and I’m here to listen and answer anything that comes to your mind.”

She paused as if to give me the time to absorb her instructions as my mind continued to calm.

“Think of something that brings you calm. A scene, picture, or memory of a place that brought absolute joy to you at one moment in time. Then close your eyes until I tell you to open them.”

I did as instructed while I scurried through my memories in an attempt to discover something that always brought me fulfillment. A trickle of a scene came to my mind, and I allowed my eyes to close as I recalled the few memories I had with both my parents.

It was so long ago and brief, but the moment I recalled it, the threads of loving hope, and the images flowed all around me. Sometimes I debated whether it was a dream or reality, but the emotions the scene brought were raw and real.

We lay upon a blanket that was surrounded by roses, red petals floating through the night sky as the rich scent tickled our noses. Our spirits were high, free of any worries and stress while we looked up to the starry skies that twinkled and delivered us a magnificent view.

That was the night of a meteor shower, and my mother encouraged me to make a wish.

Even after all these years, I still remembered what I’d hoped for. The dream I had as I closed my eyes shut at the first falling star and wished with all my might.

Let my family always be together.

“Open your eyes, Alice.”

I allowed my lids to rise up, and I took in the first fallen meteor that shone above the starry sky in my sight. The view baffled me as I realized I no longer lay upon the long chair, but there I was, on the red blanket surrounded by the beautiful roses and floral aroma.

Moving my head to the side, there was Autumn, lying upon the very blanket I was. Her attire was the same, only her antlers were gone as were her glasses, leaving her beautiful, blazing eyes that flickered at my shocked gaze.

“Autumn?”

“Yes, Alice?” she calmly replied.

“How are we here?”

“You envisioned a place of peace within the depths of your memories, and this was chosen for our session,” she revealed.

“We can stay here for a while?”

“As long as you need us to,” she assured me and looked up the sky as more meteors began to fall. “It’s a wonderful sight, don’t you think?”

“Yes,” I replied as I returned to staring at the miraculous sight. The sparks of hope it brought back as a child hadn’t changed as I appreciated the view like I had back then.

We watched the meteor shower in peaceful silence and it seemed to bring forth many emotions that I hadn’t fully acknowledged.

“I’d wished way back then that my family would always be together. It was such a simple wish, and yet it meant so much to me. It was like my soul wished for that more than anything, or maybe it knew what was approaching for us. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t lose hope in wishing when my mom decided to leave. The few times she visited were brief and she didn’t really acknowledge me. All it did was hurt Dad more, and I wondered if I was but a hindrance who brought pain to him.”

I paused as if to ensure I was walking down the right path of my thoughts.

“When school started, that mindset of mine never went away. I’d wish that school would go well, and by the end of the week, I’d be sitting in the principal’s office after another incident. Again and again, I’d be waiting for that prime moment that would land me in the same hard chair that faced the principal while waiting for my grandparents to pick me up. It was like a constant cycle and even though it was beginning to have so many negative effects on my mindset, I didn’t want to give up. There just had to be a school out there that was meant for people like me. A school with a principal who saw how exhausted I was with the constant transfers and weight of defeat that seemed to make a nest on my shoulders.”

I blinked and lifted my hand up to spread my fingers out as they stood out from the starry sky. “When suicide began itching in my mind, it never really was a thought of my own. My peers told me to disappear. To die and stop being a hindrance to the world. They would say how sorry they felt for my grandparents, especially my grandma who’d go above and beyond to try and fit into yet another community for my sake.”

I rotated my wrist to stare at the lines on the palm of my hand while I frowned in agony.

“It happened so often and followed me wherever I went, to the point that it made sense to believe them. It felt like the truth because the world around me was repeating it again and again. I thought if I found a school that was meant for me, I’d be able to finally prove to my grandparents that I wasn’t a hindrance after all. That it wasn’t solely me being the problem or acting up. It was the environment that didn’t want me to thrive and move forward.”

I tried to smile, but I knew it wouldn’t reach my eyes, which were beginning to sting.

“Before Blazing Academy, I was finally at my peak. I was so tired of trying again. Exhausted with carrying that piled weight on my shoulders and allowing my hopes to rise and be knocked right down. I’d worked so hard for years to try to clear this negative aspect of myself that the community who barely knew me made…it almost felt criminal for me to want to attend any school because the image of who I was to everyone still remained, regardless of the changing environment and people. I felt like I was suffocating. Like no matter how high I put my hand up for salvation, no one would ever see it…and it was hella lonely to endure.”

My voice trembled as I lowered my hand and stared upward.

“Then out of that darkness came Blazing Academy. A school that embraced me. Blazing Alice. The girl who always caused accidents. The girl who had her nose in a book and was a smartass. The girl with anemia who got bullied all the time for being different from the rest. Like the light of a flame, Blazing Academy became my safe haven and I secretly begged for it to not go away. I prayed every day that I wouldn’t lose Gabriel, Keru, or Westley, even though we’d just met. I hoped Professor Daily would still stick around and not mind having me in his classes, and I wished really hard that Headmaster CloverSpell would remain because she was the only administrative person who wanted to listen.”

I looked over to her to see her sad eyes, and I smiled.

“The one person who took the time to hear how hard it was for me to keep playing this game. To keep striving to please other’s expectations. I don’t think my grandparents realized that, nor were they prepared for me to be given a chance somewhere else. When I started, I couldn’t wait to prove to them that I deserved to go to a school that acknowledged me. That wanted me to achieve greatness in comparison to all the ones that looked down at me before giving me a chance to spread my wings and fly.”

Returning to viewing the stars, I blinked and allowed the tears to fall as I whispered, “I was supposed to prove to them that I survived one semester and did good. I was able to save my classmates and friends instead of being mocked and laughed at for being a disturbance. I hid my anticipation for the morning to come that saw Grandma climb the ladder and finally have that conversation I was anticipating. The night went on and suddenly, boom. All of that was taken away from me with the pull of a trigger…and it all points to me being in school. Every catastrophe since my mom left seems to be related to me trying to find where I belong in this system of life…and now I’m not sure what to do.”

“What option would you take if it didn’t have consequences?” Autumn quietly asked.

“The obvious one is to drop out of school,” I muttered. “That’s what everyone will expect from me.”

“What would you, Alice H. Blaze, do if their opinions didn’t matter? If what they expected of you couldn’t be applied.”

The mere idea left me smiling through my sadness and I turned my attention to her once more and whispered, “I’d keep going.”

“Why?”

“For years, everyone’s opinions mattered. How they felt about me, their intentions, and their judgments. I strived for the world’s approval, and forgot about the acceptance of myself,” I revealed as I allowed the ultimate truth to leave my lips. “Blazing Academy rid me of all of that. Did people have expectations of me? Yes. Were their judgments of me valid? Sort of. However, the decisions I made were finally in my control. I could choose what to learn and not how much to learn for the sake of proving my intelligence. I could say no to something without the worry of it becoming a scene and being forced to accept it out of convenience. I was allowed to make friends without second-guessing myself, and I somehow managed to get three boyfriends versus being around boys who either teased or insulted me because I wasn’t like those who’d give themselves up to have the latest hottest boyfriend. The personality that I knew resonated within myself was finally given the chance to come out and play… It was so rejuvenating.”

I lifted both my arms up as if I were reaching to grasp the very stars above.

“I could wake up and feel excited for the day ahead. Be welcomed by my roommates, peers, and professors, and not be anxious of what was going to happen. My life was a living hell before. It got to the point that I felt like Fate wanted me to end it all by killing myself. Why would she then give me one semester of bliss for it to end in agony over reaching the standards of perfection the school set to achieve a specific role?”

“From the question, you believe someone wants you to quit while Fate wishes for you to move forward,” Autumn concluded.

“That’s exactly what I think,” I replied and let my arms fall as I moved them to rest behind my head. “To fall into a state of misery. To return to the deep-rooted depression and the suicidal thoughts that plagued me on the daily merely months before. Why pick the first night of my return from the hospital for Grandma to “kill” herself? She withstood all the shame and craziness that came with raising me all these years. Why when I haven’t been home for four months does she decide to pull the trigger? We know it’s obviously a murder case, but not everyone believes it. Some think she was tired of me, while others assume she got so used to the constant transferring atmosphere that the sudden stall of it all drove her insane. I’m sure that’s a fraction of what’s being said, but do I believe Violet killed herself? No. We saw the culprit with our own eyes, and I bet they want me to give up for one main reason.”

“What reason might that be?”

“I’d find and kill them,” I said with conviction as my eyes glared upward. “I’d locate the very being who thought they could take my grandma away from me and return the favor by taking their life.”

“Don’t you worry about the consequences that may bring?”

“Two wrongs don’t make a right, but does the same apply in a world like ours? If revenge is never sought, and justice ignored, all that leads to is more killing. The individual, group, or organization that does wrong realizes they can do it again and get away with it. They learn nothing while those who suffer the loss have to learn how to move forward without the person that didn’t deserve to perish. As of now, the anger is fresh enough for me to kill the person if I knew it was them. However, as time passes, I’m sure my intentions will be for justice. I think my emotions are valid, like anyone who loses their loved ones unexpectedly because of an individual and not natural causes of the universe. In this case, there’s a finger to point the blame at, and I’m going to be the one to find the person who decided upon my welcoming gift.”

I rose up then, the scenery fading away and returning me to the artistic therapy room.

“Now my only question is: will you stop me?” I asked as my eyes landed on CloverSpell.

She looked at me long and hard, then let out a long sigh.

“When it comes to the law, I should,” she began and thought about it. “But in the world of Blazing, things run differently.”

“They do?” I inquired and she slowly nodded in response.

“I wouldn’t get your hopes up, but if you’re determined to carry forward with what you want to achieve, as a Blazing Horseman you’ll have certain resources and connections that will help serve that very purpose.”

Is she trying to say she’s going to help me?

“That means you have to strive to get better before school starts,” she instructed. “We have to confirm that you’re mentally stable to attend, which requires a psychiatric review from yours truly.”

“As long as I prove myself, I’ll be able to return to Blazing?” I confirmed.

“Yes,” she confirmed. “I don’t think you’re insane, Alice. We’re looking into what could very well be foul play at the hospital you were staying in.”

“Foul play?” I inquired.

“The medications they were administering you were extremely off,” she revealed. “Meaning, the doses you were receiving were double if not triple the recommended dose and could have easily led to a mental breakdown if Clara, your father, and your boyfriends didn’t pull some strings and bring enough information to me in a swift enough manner to get you out of there. Your outbreaks were valid, but escalated because of the dose of medication that has obvious side effects of hallucinations.”

“S-So the outbreaks…weren’t my fault?”

“No.” She shook her head. “Nightmares after what you’ve experienced is normal, but the sudden outbreaks were merely enhanced by the medications they were administering. This is a big deal and already has triggered an investigation and the complete shut down of the hospital. Essentially, we know someone made sure you’d be referred to that particular hospital’s mental health unit versus the five we’d requested you be transferred to with Westley when you were both in stable condition.”

“So I’m not crazy,” I whispered like the thought was unreal.

“You never have been, Alice,” CloverSpell stressed. “Everyone has a different way of grieving loss, and old tendencies may come up from buried habits. Needless to say, I’ve completed my assessment and you’re on a path to recovery. We’re going to try some medication to aid with your PTSD and nightmares, but I don’t see it being detrimental to your school life. Blazing Academy supports mental health, and I strive to see over and above the painted picture people love to have of a person or situation. What I’m trying to say is, do not worry. Your spot at Blazing Academy is secured with your teammates. Try to focus on enjoying the holidays and continue to mourn in your own way.”

She rose up and walked over to pat my shoulder.

“These are hard times, but remember your motive. Don’t let all those who wish for you to give up, prevail. You deserve happiness like any other person, and there’s overflowing potential in you, Alice. The flame inside you is fierce and very dangerous, which gives whatever side you’re on the advantage. Sometimes in life, we have to fight fire with fire. Whoever did this has started something. Let’s see if they’ll be able to keep up with the blazing force that comes back with vengeance.”

“Thank you, CloverSpell, for always being so supportive of me,” I whispered.

“If I didn’t have the support around me when I was younger, I would have never reached this point in time,” she revealed and turned away to gather her things. “Jealousy, enviousness, and hate are just some of the list of emotions people love to project onto others. It’s harder to find those who want you to succeed and climb the stairs of a bright future than it is to discover those who wish for those stairs to crumble. It’s my mission to make sure those with dazzling futures reach the top of that staircase and open the door to a great future.”

She picked up her clipboard and looked back to me with a wide grin.

“No one believed in Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer until he led the way for Santa Claus to deliver all the presents around the world during a vicious snowstorm. Goes to show that if all those around you are wishing for your downfall, it means you have a far greater purpose than what your own eyes can see before you.”

She walked to the door as I swung my legs over to stand up. Opening the door, she gestured for me to head out.

“Surround yourself with those who want to see you go up and I’m sure you’ll begin to see the true potential hidden within you,” she encouraged. “Thank you for the wonderful session, Alice. The next visit will be after Christmas. By then, we’ll get you the proper medications. I’ve already told the others and your father to stop administering any of the medication instructed until we can get you the proper doses.”

“Alright. Thank you.” I bowed my head slightly and walked out into the hall to see Keru leaning against the grey surface with his arms crossed and eyes closed. He opened them at my arrival and looked pleased to see me as he waved.

“Afternoon, Blazing Queen,” he announced. “I’m here to take you on a shopping date.”

“Shopping date?” I inquired as I approached him. He opened his arms and I immediately gave him a tight hug.

“Yup. We’re on the hunt to make a gingerbread house!”

The idea made me laugh a little as I had to look up to question his motives. “Why do I feel as though someone bribed you to do this?”

“It’s Gabriel’s fault! He tried to argue that I’m horrible at cooking and can’t make a gingerbread house. I’m going to prove him wrong AND burn his house down!”

“Why does that combination worry me?” I questioned with a smirk.

“It shouldn’t!” Keru whined. “You have to trust me,” he encouraged with a playful grin.

“I trust you.” I actually laughed, which pleased him even more before he squished me into another hug. “I’ve missed you, Sweet Alice.” He said those words quietly.

My arms tightened around him as I let myself enjoy his comforting embrace.

“Me too.”

We shared the loving moment before he pulled back but kept an arm around me as he looked at CloverSpell, who was waiting for us to finish.

“Afternoon, CloverSpell. Aren’t you supposed to be on holiday?”

“I am. It starts today in two minutes,” she revealed. “I took an extra day to make sure I’d be the one to see Alice.”

“Aww. You’re the best headmaster ever,” Keru praised. “We won’t hold you up, though.”

He moved his arm only to grab my hand. “We’re off to our date!”

“Have fun and don’t burn the house down,” she replied with a wave.

“I won’t!” Keru pouted but then was smiling from ear to ear.

“Happy holidays, Ms. CloverSpell.” I waved goodbye as we began to walk away. “Thank you…for everything.”

She nodded and waved, and I noticed Professor Daily as he walked out of the room two doors down with a bouquet of flowers. “Oh?”

Keru paused to look my way before he followed my lingering stare as Professor Daily reached CloverSpell and tapped her shoulder. She looked back to see his blushing expression as he offered the flowers, which made her whole face light up as she began to laugh.

“Oh,” Keru repeated the gasp before he looked at me. “I should have gotten you flowers!”

“That’s what you got from that?” I questioned while trying not to laugh.

“That and Professor Daily is so into Headmaster CloverSpell.” He winked and squeezed my hand. “Just like we’re into our Alice.”

“Our Alice, huh,” I replied and leaned in to hug his arm. “Thanks for coming to pick me up. You didn’t have to.”

“And miss a potential date and an opportunity to make Gabriel jealous? I’d never do such a thing,” he declared but moved so his hands were now on my waist as he looked down at me with appreciative eyes. “I’d pick you up from every appointment if it means that you’re never alone on this journey.”

His face lowered while he looked into my eyes as if asking for permission. I remained in place as my eyes began to close, anticipating his very lips.

“You’ll always have me by your side, Alice,” he whispered against my lips. “Always remember that.”

He sealed those very words with a solid kiss.

BURDENED WITH HOLIDAY SORROW

“Keru! You’re going to make the roof sink in if you don’t place that piece properly!” I hissed.

“I haven’t seen you so concentrated since you tried to make that folded origami crane in class last semester,” Keru pointed out as he watched me line the gummies at the precise location of the diagram.

“That’s because it was hard!”

“All you do is fold the paper a few times and there. A paper crane.”

“You make it sound as if it’s the same as making a paper airplane,” I complained and gave him a look as he continued to lean against the large white marble island in his navy-blue tank top and grey sweatpants.

He casually tousled his hair and reached over for one of the instruction sheets I printed out for the gingerbread recipe, and I watched his hands move swiftly as the sheet went from its rectangle form to the folded masterpiece of a crane in its final form.

My jaw fell open as I darted my gaze between his sly grin and the crane that took me a good forty minutes trying to make back in class when we were both bored.

“How?!”

I paused in my gingerbread masterpiece to walk over to him and steal the crane from the palm of his hand to view it with my own eyes.

“Magic,” he hummed and winked when I lifted my gaze to him once more. “My fingers are bigger than yours.”

“That has nothing to do with it!” I argued and placed my hand against his to see the dramatic difference. “Oh.” I paused and then pouted my lips. “Well, maybe it does, but I’ve still got close to two years to get hit with a growth spurt or two.”

“You’re gonna grow taller but that has nothing to do with your hands.”

“How do you know? Hmmm?!” I questioned.

“I’m psychic.” He winked and hooked his arms around me. “I can see the future.”

I rolled my eyes but felt comfortable in his arms as I rested against him. “Okay. What do you see?”

“Hmmm.” He paused to stare into my eyes, giving me the opportunity to take in those short blue strands with hints of gold and the navy-blue collar he wore with a silver crescent moon resting in the middle of the leather material. “You’ll kiss me!”

“Something less obvious,” I huffed and tried to pull away, but he tightened his hold and continued to stare down at me with a mischievous look.

“Do you really want me to try?”

“If it means you get to show me your cool future-viewing skills,” I offered.

“Okay,” he agreed and closed his eyes for a moment. “I still need to kiss you.”

“How does that have anything to do with your reading?” I questioned and fought not to laugh.

“It helps me connect to your energy,” he hummed while his eyes twinkled.

“Ugh, fine.” I smirked because I didn’t mind kissing him.

“You’re too happy,” he commented and I patted his chest like a drum.

“I can be sad if you like,” I suggested, and he shook his head and brought me right against him while his face was inches from mine.

“Don’t.” His husky command was enough to chase any sadness into another room and ignite a whole different emotion that was closer to happiness.

His lips pressed lightly on mine, a kiss that sent tranquility and warmth through me.

Since my transfer from the hospital of hell to home observation and care, things were slowly getting back to normal.

Or at least trying to.

We were staying at Gabriel’s house, a big mansion of a house that was actually in his name. How an eighteen-year-old Angelic Owl had the money to live in a home with a maid, food services, and security was unfathomable to me, and I knew I’d have to do some investigating during this holiday season, but it gave us the added sense of safety that no one would try to trespass to hurt me or anyone else who I was in close association with.

Westley was taking a nap upstairs, while Gabriel went out to run some personal errands. Dad said he had a meeting with someone and would be back shortly, which left me and Keru to work on our gingerbread house creation since we’d been delaying it.

Christmas was only two days away, but we weren’t really doing much to celebrate. There wouldn’t be any gifts and such, which was a little saddening, but it was something I requested. I didn’t feel like I deserved a gift of any sort, and I personally wanted to spend time with those I loved and that was it.

Activities like baking, watching Christmas re-runs, and doing puzzles seemed to occupy my mind, and when I was up for it physically and mentally, I’d read a spell book or two and try to play around with my magic.

Outside so I wouldn’t burn down Gabriel’s nice home.

Keru said once school started, he’d begin to help me enhance my usage in magic since this semester would be focused on learning more about the various elemental qualities of each type of flame. We’d also learn how to manipulate our flaming magic to create other spells that could aid us in the heat of the moment when fire became a weakness.

School couldn’t come fast enough. I wanted to drown myself in work while improving my own skills and qualities. I did worry a bit about what the future held for me with my classmates, but Clara was an example of the good in my friends, and I hoped that I wouldn’t have any problems when I returned back.

Especially as a Blazing Horseman for this semester.

“A spike of sadness will hit you like whiplash,” Keru revealed, making me realize he’d broken the kiss.

I peered up to notice how his eyes seemed to be in a trance of some sort, their attention far away like he was seeing through me to another realm of reality.

“The pain will be temporary, gone like the gust of wind that impacted you in the first place. Flames will ignite but be calmed by holy grace, and open wounds will be able to heal. You’re destined for greatness, a journey like no other that will lead to a path that meets with four others. Your road will cross with one of the stars, and friendships will begin to form in the name of the greater good. Do not fear what you’re destined to achieve. Do not hate who you truly are. You were carved and molded into a shining star, and the world will have no choice but to embrace your saving grace. The support of three will always be around you, and a fourth may come down the same path if they trust the darkness within them as well as the good. No matter the past, present, or future, rise above and sit on the throne that is yours for the taking. A Horseman of blazing fury, a bringer of masked justice. Ride into your awakened destiny and be proud of the future that will swiftly be left in the past.”

I struggled to fathom the words from his predicted reading as he blinked his eyes a few times until they returned to their red orbs after growing dull in color. He seemed confused for a few seconds before he bit his lip.

“I didn’t think I’d go full-on fortune teller on you,” he admitted. “I haven’t used that in a very long time.”

“You can actually predict the future,” I declared.

“More like I can see the future, but it comes out in riddles that confuse even me,” he explained. “Bad part is, the moment I see what I see, I forget.”

“So you don’t remember what you just said?”

“Nope.” He shook his head. “It’s completely wiped.”

“Nothing about flames, destiny, rising above, and thrones?”

“Still not triggering anything,” he acknowledged. “What’s this about flames, destiny, rising above, and thrones? All that tells me is that you’re a Blazing Queen, but we know that already.”

I smiled softly as I closed my eyes. “Not sure what it exactly meant, but I think with some extra time I’ll be able to figure it out.”

“Then my work here is don-” he began, but the slamming of the door cut him off.

“Don’t go slamming someone else’s door because you’re not getting what you want!”

Keru and I exchanged confused looks at the sound of my Dad yelling. Keru took my hand and we moved to stand near the kitchen entrance as another voice spoke.

“Did you really think I wasn’t going to find out?!”

Grandpa?

I’d never heard him scream like this, even when he was super mad about the loss of a match of one of his favorite sports teams.

“It’s none of your concern anymore so why are you acting as if you suddenly care?” Dad snapped back.

We peeked out further to see Dad pacing while Grandpa stood closer to the door with his fuming expression. His whole wrinkled face was red while his glasses seemed to fog up. Dad, on the other hand, looked angry due to his pacing, but between the two, Grandpa could probably make steam blow from his ears.

“I do care! Not like you, you alcoholic shit of a father! You’re trying to act like one now in comparison to the years you did nothing while we babysat!”

“Oh, so I’m the bad, alcoholic father, but you call raising your grandchild ‘babysitting?’ Oh man, you’re really spitting out the jokes this fine winter evening.”

“You don’t know shit!”

“Do you really think I’m stupid?” Dad questioned and paused in his pacing to look at the very man in question. “You really believe I’m such a naive bum that I don’t know the shit you guys were pulling underneath your desire to make sure Alice had the best childhood ever?”

“You don’t know anything.”

“That’s all you keep saying because you’ve assumed that for as long as I can remember,” Dad snapped. “You’ve hated me since the moment I entered Liz’s life. You blame me for everything as if I’d charmed your daughter to love me.”

“You probably did!”

“Just because our world is filled with mages of elemental power unique to one trait doesn’t mean we’ve gone beyond the level of witchery and gained the ability to charm people into marriage,” Dad commented. “If that were so, she surely wouldn’t have had a kid with me.”

“She never should have had a child with you!” Grandpa shouted. “All you do is work, drink, and drown your sorrows when your daughter is right there!”

“Are you seriously blind? Stupid? Conceited? Or have you lost some of the brain cells the gods gave you?” Dad inquired and barked up a laugh. “Unfuckingbelievable! The sacrifices I made for the sake of you guys! To make it seem like I’m the shitty-ass father when it really isn’t the case, huh. Did you get used to lying for so long that it became believable?”

“You have some fucking nerv-”

“I’m tired of arguing with you,” Dad declared and got ready to head to the door.

“I’ll go to court if I have to!” Grandpa declared and Dad stopped dead in his tracks to spin around. The glare he gave Grandfather sent shivers through me, and Keru gently wrapped an arm around me as he pulled me against him as if protecting me.

I couldn’t understand why, but then I noticed the walls that began to literally freeze over. The ice was black, just like Dad’s eyes.

“You’re going to take me,” Dad pointed to himself, “to fucking court?” He suddenly laughed before those pure black orbs met Grandfather’s wide ones. “I’ve done EVERYTHING to make sure Alice has stayed alive until now! I’ve given you guys money every month. Not just chump change, but THOUSANDS of dollars to raise my sweet daughter properly! What did you guys do? Oh, right. You spent it on your rather intriguing drug addiction and fishing equipment while Violet used her lot to go and gamble at the casinos any chance she got. She’d say she was going to play bingo with her friends, but she was at the clubs meeting with not-so-good people and making deals that put MY daughter at risk! Do you know how many times I’ve had to rush over or even send MY people to come to protect that shitty home on the fucking hill from being destroyed thanks to the deals your wife made in exchange for Alice’s life?”

His revelation shocked me. I noticed how the dark ice grew and the wind whipped around Dad at random as he threw his arms up in the air.

“I told you about the many schools Liz and I agreed to send Alice to that would ACCEPT her! That knew of how powerful we were, not as average humans but as blazing children. We were upfront with you! You knew just how powerful Liz was with all four flaming elements, and that’s before my unique magic and Dark Flame! Liz cried and begged you guys that if we had a child in some miraculous way after struggling for years, you’d finally act like decent parents in comparison to how you raised her! You two agreed, but you couldn’t even do close to what you were supposed to!”

“Those schools wouldn’t benefit HER. They’re challenging and she wouldn’t keep up.”

“Fucking bullshit!” Dad snapped. “Alice has been the smartest student in EVERY school she’s gone to! No matter the flaming accidents that occurred because she had no clue what she truly was, she always had perfect scores! You didn’t want to take her to those schools because of the money they involve. Surely giving the gracious allowance I deposited in your joint bank account would be a marked as a sin to your addictions, which were far more important than raising your grandchild!”

“Y-You could have taken her back, then!”

“Oh, could I?!” Dad shouted so loud the walls seemed to shake at his quivering anger. “I TRIED!” He slapped his chest as tears formed in his blazing eyes. “Again and again, I requested to take full custody of Alice and what did you guys do? You forced her to stay away from me! Threatened to harm her if I tried to take this to court or stopped the flow of money coming in. Over and over, when things would get hard for Alice, you’d say ‘Well, if you don’t do what we say, we’ll kill her in her sleep or make sure she eats poison.’ Has old age suddenly gotten rid of those threats in your memories? I’d be happy to pull out all the recordings that I’d be happy to use against you in court to make sure you’re thrown in jail for all the shit you’ve done!”

I was speechless as Keru’s arm tightened further around my waist. I noticed he was trembling, and I wondered if he was fighting against his own boiling anger.

“You don’t have shit!”

“That’s all you can say! I don’t have this. I don’t have that. I don’t have the balls to raise my own child because I’m an alcoholic who somehow manages an agent job in universal protection and makes ten thousand dollars a month. I must be insane, but I have hundreds of agents, students, and mages working under me in protective services for unique children who deal with the same fucking shit! I could have taken you and Violet to court years ago. YEARS. In fact, I could get you arrested this fucking instant for all the shit you pulled and are STILL trying to pull. You dare think that I’m going to sit there and let you try to withdraw from Alice’s fund that I CREATED so you can give Violet a ‘nice’ funeral?”

“She deserves a nice funeral after being murdered, all thanks to Alice!”

“NONE OF THIS IS ALICE’S FAULT!” Dad screamed so loud the vase in the corner shattered. It didn’t even grab his attention as he pointed his finger in Grandfather’s direction as his eyes narrowed in disgust.

“You’re trying to tell me that you need one hundred thousand dollars to START with the funeral preparations with an additional one to two grand so she can have a nice burial and can clear her debts? Oh! Debts that will now be in your name because she put you as her husband and creditors are now after you, isn’t that right? That doesn’t include the thousands if not millions of dollars in debts you’ve dug up for yourself. And now you’re going to threaten me that you won’t give me custody of Alice. I knew you were a low sleezebag, but you’re far worse than that. Even garbage is more worthy than you. At least that shit can compost and go back to Mother Earth. If you died, I’m sure she’d spit you right back out.”

“Your insults don’t scare me!” he huffed. “Stop being a selfish bastard and give me the money I need!”

“I’m actually amazed that you really think I’m playing to your threatening tunes anymore. Do you think I’m more afraid of you versus Violet? I knew that she was crazy and I only followed her orders for Alice’s sake because she’s trigger friendly!”

“How dare you?!”

Dad was suddenly in Grandpa’s face as his voice dropped to an all-time low.

“Do you think I don’t know the shit that’s going on behind the scenes? Do you know what I think happened the night of the shooting? You set someone else up, didn’t you?”

“W-What are you fucking talking about? Get out of my face!”

“Violet set someone else up,” Dad declared with a cold, toneless voice. “Someone arrived to finish the deed when Alice was low on energy. Obviously Violet didn’t know that Westley was with her and called upon an assassin to come to finish her off after she did such a miraculous job of saving the students from the mishap that wasn’t a ‘coincidence’. I find it so intriguing that Violet was recently in contact with the Blazing Academy Administration, but the topic wasn’t regarding Alice but what days the final exams would be.”

Grandpa’s face was pale, and Dad chuckled lowly like he’d just solved a crime.

“What are the chances that Violet was upset that Alice finally found the school she deserved to attend? Upset that after years of preventing her from attending the proper school and forcing her to constantly transfer for her ‘utmost benefit’ she finally found the school that understood her. Headmaster CloverSpell could see through to the real reason why Violet was acting up at the idea of Alice suddenly being enrolled in Blazing Academy.”

Dad crossed his arms over his chest as he continued, “I decided to be the snooping investigator I have been for years, since before Alice’s birth, and one thing I noticed was that Alice didn’t have any major burning accidents at Blazing. Why is that?”

His question made me look up to Keru, and he met my gaze with a hard one that tried to hide the truth I was beginning to untangle.

“S-She probably was learning how to control her powers!” Grandpa argued.

“Control? My child has never had issues controlling her powers. It merely took me a moment of searching her old school bags, lunch boxes, and wallet to see the spell talismans tucked in perfect hiding places.”

Talismans?

“I don’t know what-”

“Papers created with intense magic by dark witches,” Dad elaborated. “Spells that are triggered by those with extremely high Dark Flame levels. Both of you knew how powerful Alice was. You knew because you saw it in your own daughter, and history was going to repeat itself if you didn’t hinder her yourselves. If she remained at a human school for too long, she’d be scanned and transferred to a blazing school by the administration. Thus, you hid talismans all through her items so that if she got upset, nervous, or emotionally unbalanced, they would be triggered and cause chaos. You then would bribe the principals with loads of money to keep their silence. We all know the human government and professors of every human school know the signs of a blazing witch or wizard and are authorized to transfer them to the proper school of their parent’s desires. In Alice’s case, our choice was Blazing Academy’s elementary and high school programs that we’d hand-picked if her magic was triggered earlier. Again and again, Violet continued to bribe people, which seems to be a good thing because I now have the official trail and can see why my Alice had to go through years of hardship at the expense of me trying to wait for you to do the right thing. I allowed you guys to threaten me. To use my own daughter against me by threatening to kill her if I didn’t do what you said. You started this when she was a baby, and that was why Liz left. She knew that if she stayed, she’d kill both of you and go to prison and be useless to her child!”

Mom…left because of them.

“Liz left for her own selfish desires!”

“Liz left because she was having a fucking mental breakdown after her own mother threatened to kill her child in front of her!” Dad snapped. “You think I drink because it’s fun? I still remember the day you trapped Alice in a fucking glass box with talismans and almost drowned her in front of us until we agreed to give you money for your drugs! You and I both know you wouldn’t be standing here arguing with me if she stayed that night! She had to stay away because she knew her mere existence triggered the two of you because ‘you haven’t had a good life since giving birth to Liz!’ No one told you to experiment with drugs and magic shit to the point that you infected your own child!”

“Y-You’re crazy!”

“No! YOU’RE crazy, and I’m done playing these fucking games! You’re the reason why Liz is in another universe teaching children when she should be here raising her own loving child that somehow still adores her! You’re the reason why Alice had to grow up thinking she’s not worthy of going to a normal school when we knew exactly what she was and what she is meant to be! You’re the reason why the seal almost shattered. It was because of the constant talisman usage triggering her magic to press against the barrier after we told you we’d laid the seal on her to give her a chance at a normal life! You’re the reason for all her suffering, because you and Violet are greedy bastards who desired money more than giving my child the future she deserved! So if you think you’re now going to threaten me into giving you three hundred grand or you won’t sign the papers to make me Alice’s official guardian again, you’re about to see the true side of me that you’ve been BLESSED to not witness!”

“I won’t sign the papers!” Grandpa snapped. “Just you wait! She’ll be stuck for another two years and you’ll have no choice but to continue the payments for both me and Violet or-”

“Or what?” Dad interjected and laughed hysterically. “You’re still trying to threaten me?! Alice is sixteen! She is bonded to three of my knight agents. Alice is old enough to go to court and request to have me as her parent!” He shook his head and clenched his fists. “I don’t even know why I’m still kind enough to not expose you!”

“You don’t have the guts to!” Grandpa snapped. “Violet was murdered all because of Alice! In fact, everything is Alice’s fault! If you never had her, we would still have our daughter and wouldn’t be treated poorly by you!”

“Alice is the reason why Liz is fucking alive and you know it!” Dad snarled and the lights began to flicker on and off. “She was on the verge of suicide before she got the call that she was pregnant! YOU’RE the one who even told her to jump off the fucking cliff so you could get insurance money! You’re really trying to put the blame on us when we’ve done everything in our given power to make sure we protect our child even if it makes us look like irresponsible parents?! While you’ve abused Liz all her life, made her feel like a fucking outcast, hated the fact that she met me, someone who was willing to love her even with how shitty her life was and how fucked-up her mindset was due to your manipulative parenting. You told her to kill herself multiple times because she couldn’t have a child! The non-stop stress of your unrealistic expectations for a child was the reason why we did anything to bring a bundle of joy into our world. Then you continued to threaten us by using our own child against us to get money for all your luxurious items while our kid lived a life of poverty!”

“You didn’t give us enough!’

“Ten thousand a month is more than enough to have a comfortable roof over your head! You had no reason to purposely transfer her from school to school in an attempt to gain favors from anyone who would listen! I have all the recordings, all the evidence that could put you in jail for the rest of your existence, and I’m sure Violet is already rotting in Hell. She set up that assassin. She made that banner after realizing Alice and her team got the highest scores at Blazing and decided to punish her by killing herself and trying to put the blame on the Horsemen! She knew Alice had suicidal tendencies. Knew that Alice would either self-destruct because she felt guilty or try and kill herself at a later date after declining the role of Blazing Horseman! The SAME role her Mother carried with pride throughout her entire school career with me! I’m waiting on one more fucking clue and you better pray I don’t find it, or I’ll lock you right up! You should be begging for forgiveness rather than sputtering nonsense.”

“She’ll kill herself, just you wait!” Grandpa snapped. “She should have done just that in the hospital instead of thinking she’s worthy after taking my Violet away!”

“Violet killed herself! She plotted everything under your damn nose because she didn’t want to carry the financial burden that would come with me pulling out my money! Now that Alice is attending Blazing, I don’t need to send you a damn dollar, which she must have realized since I haven’t given you two anything since Alice’s enrollment, which was three months ago. You never changed your habits, and now you have nothing in your bank accounts but think you can try and get away with this. Oh, you’re a fucking joke, Henry. You would have done better at being a comedian!”

“I-If you don’t help us out of this debt, I’ll tell Alice the truth about you!”

“That I’m a Dark Phoenix Warlock Investigator that leads the Blazing Knight Organization that gets rid of universal crime? That I graduated way back when from Blazing Academy with her mother as a Blazing Horseman?” Dad revealed. “Or are you referring to the fact that her mother had to escape the clutches of her mother and father threatening to kill the one child we were blessed with having after she was deemed infertile after her own mother forced chemicals down her throat that fucked up her uterus and threw her into organ failure which was actually corrected by Headmaster CloverSpell?”

Grandpa gulped and Dad rolled his eyes.

“I’m fucking tired, Henry,” he whispered. “I’m tired of acting like a damn fool in front of my daughter, who’s growing up before my eyes. A daughter who’d have to comfort me every time I’d argue on the phone with Violet and feel fucking defeated to the point that I drank my sorrows away. I’m drained from missing the woman I love, who had to start fresh in a completely different world and has to teach other children that remind her of Alice while she assumes her own child hates her for disappearing without a word of farewell. We sacrificed so much due to your sinister plot with your wife to fuck us over, and I think it’s only because of the gods that feel pity for us that Alice is still here with us. I’m gonna have to watch as she begins to grow from a wonderful teen to a beautiful, talented adult that walks in her parents’ footsteps. I’m going to have to witness her become a spitting image of her mother and become a leader who will save thousands if not millions one day, all while I continue to be known as the drunk father who can’t even be there for my pride and joy. The man behind the curtain who would lay his life on the line just to see her smile. The husband who is trying every damn way to open the portal to the universe where Liz is just to give her one view of what her daughter has surprisingly become. I’m tired of trying to fix the layers of masks I’ve put on my face in order to play this role of a clown for a circus that hides the truth of agonizing torture we all endure to put on a show.”

He paused and his exhausted face turned into one of menace.

“I’m tired, but if you think I’ll let you kill our only child, our pride and joy, and the reason why Liz and I still live in this fucked-up world, think again. I’d kill you right this minute if I knew you had the guts to do so, but you don’t, so why not go back home, take your drugs to make you high, and you pray I don’t find what I’m looking for or you might as well turn yourself in. Just don’t lie about it and try to put the blame on someone else like you always do.”

Dad turned around and headed to the door, his composure appearing drained, as if he’d just admitted defeat.

“If you can’t give me what I deserve, then you don’t need to be here!” Grandpa shouted. Dad stopped to turn around, but everything slowed as I caught onto Grandpa’s movement as he pulled out a white gun with red markings on it. There was a small paper with a red character that seemed drawn on, but the mere sight suddenly triggered a memory I’d clearly forgotten.

“GRANDMA? WHAT’S THIS THINGY?” I asked and waved the paper like it was stuck to my finger.

Grandma dropped the plate she was washing before she rushed over to me and took the sheet out of my grasp. “Haha. A-Alice. Where did you get that from?”

“My lunchbox,” I replied and shrugged. “Is it a magic paper? It looks like the ones Rei uses in Sailor Moon. You know. The ones that get rid of evil with fire.”

“Ah…that cartoon.”

“It’s called anime, Grandma. Cartoons are different. You have to read through the history of American culture classics and Japanese culture classics because there’s a huge difference. I read about it at the library.”

“Alice. You’re only six.”

“So?” I asked. “It was interesting. Did you know that the corporation got into a heated fight over the difference because at that time anime made more money? It was funny to read.”

She merely stared at me before she nervously laughed.

“Right, right. Well, see…this is a special paper like the one in the anime. It protects you from the fire incidents that keep happening.”

“Oh.” I frowned. “So I shouldn’t throw them away?”

“No, no. They’re for your protection, Alice. Definitely to protect you from any mean bullies and fires that suddenly happen. We’re still figuring it out, so I sometimes have to put these in your bags to make sure you’re okay.”

“Alright,” I replied. “Can I go eat now? I’m hungry.”

“Ah. Yes, yes. You know what? Since you’ve been a good girl, we’ll go out to your favorite restaurant and get that sweet cheesecake you like!”

“Really?!” I beamed at the idea and hopped up and down. “Today?!”

“Today,” Grandma encouraged, “Go change and we’ll head out. Let me go tell Grandpa, okay?”

“Okay!” I ran to the staircase and rushed up the stairs but came to a stop at the top.

“That was close, Violet.” Grandpa’s whispered voice drifted to me.

“I didn’t think she’d see it. She’s becoming more curious. Just like Liz was! Damn genetics,” Grandma muttered. “I’ll hide it better from now on. We can’t slip up. At least we were able to transfer to the other school.”

“Why did you reject the one closest to here?”

“That school is run by CloverSpell. She’s not there often, but she’s our last resort. If she finds out who Alice really is, she’ll send her off to Blazing and our pay will be cut. I’m not ready to be poor. No fucking way. We have Chambers where we want him, and he’ll keep delivering what we need to get what we want. Alice is a smart cookie. She’ll be fine with wherever she attends.”

“As long as it doesn’t backfire on us,” Grandpa concluded.

“It won’t. Don’t worry,” she assured him. “We’ll get all we want before Alice is eighteen and then we’ll end Chambers. I’m sure we can make it into a way that will make Alice feel guilty and trigger the same suicidal tendencies Liz endured. With both of them gone, it’ll be the perfect payback when Liz returns and realizes the damage she made by dropping her responsibilities on us. Serves her right. That ungrateful child thinking she can simply run away.”

“Let’s get ready. If we’re going out, Alice will be back down any minute.”

“Yes, yes,” Grandma replied.

DAD’S EYES WIDENED, and he couldn’t let out a single word as Grandpa pulled the trigger. I was in my spot one minute and before Dad in the next, and everything slowed down even further as my hands curled into fists and the heat within me surged to unexplainable levels.

The white bullet heading towards me began to melt as it approached, and I willed for my burning magic to grow even hotter. By the time the bullet was inches from my face, it was nothing but drops of material that hit the floor before me.

Time surged to the present, and I realized Keru was now behind Grandpa, who immediately noticed.

“You won’t get me!” he snapped as he raised the gun to his own temple. My body froze as it braced for the worst, but Keru’s booming voice declared, “ISTANA!”

Grandpa’s body froze right in his stance, and only his eyes and mouth seemed to be able to move while everything else was still like stone.

“W-What did you do to me?!” he snapped.

“I really hate it when people try to make a mess of my home.”

The voice came from behind me and Dad, and we both turned around to see Gabriel and Westley at the door. Gabriel looked nothing but pissed off and, far worse, deadly. And Westley?

He probably could kill this instant if he had permission to do so.

“Keru had a bad feeling about us going out and leaving Alice alone here,” Westley declared. “Enough for us to stop what we were doing and come back to check for ourselves.”

What? When did Keru tell them?

I looked back to Keru, who stood there with a calm expression while carefully eyeing my grandpa. “I knew something was off, but when I did a little future investigation with Alice, I discovered someone was on their way here. So I sent a sneaky butterfly note to them and Chambers, which was before you two began to argue and he brought you to the perfect place where you’d fall into our trap.”

“T-Trap?!” Grandpa stuttered and glared at me. “This is your fault!”

I remained silent but was wrapped in comforting arms. I looked up to see Westley’s cold expression as he stared back at Grandpa while his cold body seemed to try and combat my feverish one.

“That’s all you’ve been able to say. Putting the blame on everything in the world but the man in the mirror,” Westley declared with a low, husky voice that made goosebumps appear on my flesh. “Everything you’ve just said has been recorded, and you’ll remain in that very position to prove that you were about to kill yourself in an attempt to falsely blame another for your weak, fraudulent ass. You try to act like Violet was the only one involved in all this, but you’re not a good guy for standing on the sidelines and encouraging the behavior of the wicked. Not only will you be charged for the threats and abuse you’ve done to Chambers, but also for the negligence of Alice’s wellbeing, denial of the multiple requests to get Alice in the proper school, and for setting up an assassin to come and kill her. Long story short, you’re about to enjoy the remaining years of your disgraceful life in prison.”

“Y-You can’t make me! I’m innocent! Call my lawyer!” The strain in his face told me he was attempting to move but the spell was far too strong as he remained with the gun against his head.

I could already hear the sirens in the background, and Gabriel walked over to us until he was in front of me. One look had him frowning as he reached for my chin and lifted my head further up, so my attention was only on him.

“You did nothing wrong,” he whispered. “You’re a victim in this fucked-up mayhem and we’re going to fix it so you’re not entering the new year with this garbage. Understand?”

“Understood,” I whispered. He nodded and let go of my chin but bit his lip before he leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead.

“Make sure you rest. You’re too hot.”

“I’m glad my attractiveness is still up there,” I muttered as if it were an automatic response, but it was enough to make him smirk in this intense situation.

“Westley? Can you take Alice upstairs? We’ll deal with the explanations and then we can switch at some point.”

“Cool,” he replied and literally picked me up like I weighed nothing. We were heading for the stairs before I knew it, but I sought out Dad as I tried to peer back to really take in the scene.

To acknowledge that this was really happening.

His eyes were on me, worry in those loving orbs of his that peered back at me. He seemed relieved to see my attention was on him, and he mouthed some simple words.

“I love you. I’ll explain later. Promise.”

I lifted my hand up just to display my pinky as I curled it to seal his mouthed promise. The action made him grin with pride while he fought off tears that were surely signs of happiness and relief.

I couldn’t fully fathom what had just happened and the revelation of everything, but with the argument came clarity and I suddenly was realizing a bunch of things.

Mom didn’t leave because of me. She left to protect me.

The Horsemen weren’t the ones to kill Violet. She set them up so I’d leave Blazing.

All my troubles at school were my grandparents’ fault.

They’ve been threatening Dad and even Mom before my existence.

We weren’t really poor, but my grandparents were using the ludicrous amount of money my dad was giving them for their own selfish needs.

Dad is an investigator and hires knights to protect others like me.

Mom’s somewhere and teaching others.

Mom’s safe…alive…still loves me.

Westley reached the top of the stairs before we walked into the bedroom I’d been staying in while we were here. He closed the door with his foot and walked me over to the bed before lowering me onto the soft mattress.

He let out a long sigh and allowed his hands to run through his hair before he crouched down to look up at me while he laid his hands on mine, which were laying upon my lap.

“Talk to me,” he whispered.

I stared at him for a long moment, trying to think of what even to say now that we were here in a quiet space where I was safe and alone with just him.

My lips opened, but words didn’t come out, and the longer I fought to say a single word, the more my eyes stung and pooled with tears. When words finally left my lips, they were shaking as those droplets of water roamed down my flushed cheeks.

“Why does it feel like my whole life is a lie?”

He tried not to show how heavy my question was as he continued to hold my intense gaze while fighting his own emotions from flourishing to the surface.

“Sometimes living a lie is what saves us from dying from the truth.”

His words meant so much and held immense wisdom because that was exactly it. If I’d known the truth, I may not have lived long enough to reach this very moment. If things hadn’t played out the way they did, Dad could have been killed before me, leaving Mom to return from the place of asylum to find out the news.

Our whole family line could be gone before either of us knew it.

“I don’t think Christmas is gonna be very joyful this year,” I muttered as I let my head fall. “If only we could put it on hold.”

“Then we’ll do exactly that,” Westley whispered, catching my attention as he reached up to brush away my tears. “Christmas is on hold until we’re ready to celebrate it together. You, me, Gabriel, Keru, and Chambers. Of course, Cyrus will be there, too.”

“So understanding,” I whispered, my tears falling as I closed my eyes. “I’m so tired.”

“It’s okay,” he quietly reasoned, his voice seemingly farther away than before. “I’m right here. You can rest, and I’ll take care of you, Alice.”

“I feel…like a burden,” I muttered, my body leaning forward but being embraced in seconds.

“You’re not.”

“Then why…why do I feel…like the one to blame?” I was struggling to finish my sentences as my mind began to move further away.

“Because you have a heart of gold. One so precious and pure that you wish to carry everyone else’s pain and burden while holding onto your own. A selfless queen who needs her knights to remind her of what a special gem she is.”

My mind drifted into darkness while embracing the holiday sorrow.

A FATHER I NEED AND CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR’S WITH ALL OF YOU

Istared at the bottle of pills for what seemed like the tenth time, my eyes scanning the bottle to make sure it’s the new one, in the right dose, and prescribed by the proper doctor who was approved by Headmaster CloverSpell.

I’m sure I was being slightly paranoid with my constant checking, especially when I’d gotten rid of all the other medications that weren’t the proper drugs or dosage. After the withdrawal symptoms I’d experienced the last couple of days, I was motivated to ensure I had everything on point to feel “normal” again.

Henry was officially charged for a list of things he’d done with Violet. Fraud, threatening others, manipulation of evidence, death threats, complying with the enemy, the list went on and on to the point that I questioned how long it must have taken the judge and jury to get through it all during the holiday season.

Before the speedy trial, he was thrown in jail. When I saw him in court, he looked far worse than before - bruised up by the inmates who had somehow managed to learn more about the case.

I’d decided that I wanted his crimes to be acknowledged publicly with Violet, which basically proved to be both a blessing and a curse. People finally knew the truth about my upbringing. That I wasn’t a walking, ticking bomb and that I didn’t deserve the bullying and torment I’d received throughout my childhood.

The talismans were revealed to be magic-laced spells that would react to mental thought and provoking behavior, which was the perfect combo when you got bullied. Adding the corruption of the multiple principals and staff who were easily bribed to remain silent and there was a lot of hate and anger, as well as the decision to fire and even charge some of those very individuals.

I wasn’t sure if I felt bad for them losing their jobs and even getting thrown in jail for what they had done. By ignoring what was happening and actually accepting the lump sum of the money that was supposedly for me, they were going against the law and standards of their position as teachers.

Not to ignore the reality that they turned a blind eye to what I was experiencing - from the bullying by others to the potential abuse I could have endured if the situation was a tad different. It only left the school board worrying about how many other students in similar situations were pushed under the rug and forced to transfer at the request of the parent, family member, or assigned caretaker.

How many individuals like me ended up thinking they weren’t worthy of life because they couldn’t fit in?

All the factors that played a role in this chilling case were depressing, to say the least. I wanted to be cheery and feel absolutely relieved for the truth to finally be revealed, but at the same time, it was difficult to swallow it all down.

Many individuals felt pity for the way they treated and discarded me, while others thought it was selfish of me to allow the truth to come out during Christmas time when it would impact those teachers, principals, and the bullying students’ lives and potentially ruin their families.

I felt that mentality was rather stupid, really. It was okay for my family to be torn apart by lies, deceit, selfishness, and other underlying motives, but when the truth comes out, I’m suddenly the problem of heartache and should have waited until the new year.

Priceless. How screwed up this reality can be sometimes.

This week of chaos had really shown me why Mom and Dad had to do what they did. Why Mom had to go away to another universe to protect me. Why Dad had to carry the burdens of being an “alcoholic” and losing the respect of those in our community because of the deceptive actions from my grandparents.

I could only imagine the struggle the two of them had gone through even before having me, and once they did have me, everything must have gotten a whole lot worse.

Because Dad had given ten thousand a month to both of them, Henry now had to pay all of it back with interest. How he’ll be able to do that? I had no clue, but with the news of everything finally coming to light, the good individuals in the communities I’d lived in for a good chunk of my life had created a fundraiser to aid in the legal bills, loss of income, and basically ‘we’re sorry’ donations that returned a good chunk of that money.

Henry would still have to pay up for him and Violet, but it would be a long process.

The number of apologies I’ve received from emails to hand letters was rather surprising. Individuals I never remembered meeting as well as those who intentionally made my life a living hell, wrote to me. Most of them were apologies for the past deeds and their lack of maturity, with a few that told me to get the fudge out of town and don’t let the door hit me when I left.

Gabriel didn’t find those letters very pleasing and decided to take matters into his own hands.

My three boyfriends - or Blazing Knights, what they were called in my dad’s organization - were being far more supportive than I ever could have asked for.

Gabriel was really into the case, especially since they caught Henry in his house and attempting to commit suicide - another crime added to the list of his crimes.

Yes, attempting to kill yourself was apparently chargeable now.

Gabriel had conducted multiple interviews, gone to every school I’d been to in the past, basically dug up every hidden file, and found a load of previously destroyed evidence to use against those who were paid to dismiss me to the next school in the cascade of schools.

It amazed me how he was able to discover information, let alone store it in his mind with immense accuracy. During the trials, he could bring up something ten years ago and go into details of the incident, including date, time, and individuals involved.

Scary for those who couldn’t even remember the day of the week.

Apparently, it was an Owl trait that helped him greatly, and was why studying was a breeze for him. Aside from the trial things we were dealing with, he’d come over during his breaks to make sure I was okay, making sure I wasn’t dealing with any withdrawal symptoms and ensuring Clara had brought me food.

Clara was still bringing some of the meals over here to Gabriel’s house, even when I told her she didn’t have to since Keru would cook a bunch of stuff as well. She still insisted on doing her part like promised, and at least listened to my request to take today and tomorrow off since it was New Year’s Eve.

Keru really stepped up in making sure everyone was fed, making us boxed lunches with various options so we could eat during break sessions and dinners, if we were lucky to all be home.

He didn’t necessarily like cooking, but it was easy for him to read and apply any recipe with mere magic. He thought of it as practice since he didn’t want to get rusty. Thanks to him and Clara, I wasn’t losing weight as dramatically.

I’d noticeably changed in my size, dropping two sizes from the last time I checked, and was just a little worried because I generally loved my curves, even if there weren’t many. Westley told me not to worry because I’d be able to get back to my weight once my appetite returned to normal.

He’d been a real comforter during all of this. He was my sleepy teddy bear I hugged at night when I awoke amidst a nightmare or flashback. When I had pain spasms and broke out crying, he’d scoop me right up and rock me back and forth.

The hardest day was when we found out the truth of everything and when I woke up, I literally broke down. All the sudden changes in the life I’d gotten used to were beyond fathoming and I couldn’t mentally absorb it all with my intense fever.

He had to cool me down in an ice bath, which we ended up sharing because I wouldn’t stay in the tub on my own. Poor guy probably thought of me as a bunch of twenty-pound weights on his shoulders, but any time I apologized for being a burden, he’d get upset…as did the others.

They didn’t think of me as a hindrance - not even close - which only made me feel like a horrible girlfriend because I suddenly started to date them and then there was the mishap of the exam and the family drama that hung up all my dirty laundry for the world to see.

It was honestly a blessing to have them in my life during these troubled times. They didn’t need to be here, nor did they need to support me, but here they were.

Blazing Knights to me…a Blazing Queen.

I was trying to figure out if the Blazing Queen reference had a deeper meaning to it, but that was something to discover in the new year when all of this was put behind us and we could return to focusing on school.

CloverSpell had come and visited with Professor Daily and assured me that if I needed more time before returning to school, it would be granted. She also encouraged me to continue our therapy sessions once a week so I’d be able to cope with this new change.

The outpouring of support from them and those around me always made me teary-eyed. One part of me was emotional from it all because I felt like I didn’t deserve anyone’s compassion or pity. The other part almost mourned the immense help, wishing my parents were given even a quarter of that same support from their peers.

If they had the right people around them, maybe they wouldn’t have suffered the way they did. Dad wouldn’t have to deal with feeling like an incompetent parent or miss the love of his life, who was in another universe entirely.

I couldn’t wrap my head fully around that aspect. That Mother was in a completely different universe than ours. Sure, the possibilities of multiple universes were countlessly talked about in fairytales, but to grasp it as a real thing always left me a little baffled.

I wondered if she’d be pleased to see me again. To see that I’d grown up and wasn’t the little girl she remembered anymore.

Staring into the mirror before me, I looked at my tired eyes that had dark circles and my brittle lips. My sleeping schedule hadn’t been the most glamorous, which clearly showed, but I wasn’t trying to impress anyone with my looks this New Year’s Eve.

Opening the bottle up and popping two pills into my mouth, I reached for the cold-water bottle in the mini-fridge on the bathroom counter and gulped half the bottle down like instructed.

With a sigh after quenching my thirst, I got on with getting ready for tonight’s calm festivities.

Being New Year’s Eve, I finally was up to combining our holiday with Christmas. It wasn’t like I had presents for anyone, but at least we could take pictures and sing Christmas carols before entering the new year.

Keru and Westley were downstairs cooking, while Gabriel was finishing up the decorations. CloverSpell and Professor Daily would be here soon with baked desserts while Clara was going to come and bring a bunch of stuff.

I told her she could bring her sister if she wanted, but she said their restaurant was open for the students who didn’t go home for the holidays. It gave them a safe space to party and rejoice into the new year while being served some really good food.

I was happy that she was willing to come over and spend New Year’s Eve with us.

I hopped in the shower and took a long, cold shower to keep myself a bit cooler than normal. Since the exam mishap, my temperature had been running on the warmer side, but I’d rather combat it with natural resources than more medication.

Getting ready to wear a simple red dress that was a little too loose on me, I worked on searching for a belt to go around my very thin waist. I didn’t want to really emphasize it, but without a belt, the dress made it very obvious that I’d dropped weight.

If it’s going to be obvious, might as well make it look more fashionable, right?

The knock on the door caught my attention, and my eyes landed on Dad.

“Came to check in on you,” he whispered before walking in. I smirked and noticed the two drinks in his hand, one being beer and the other being a sweet vodka drink in a bottle.

“Hey,” I greeted as he reached where I stood and offered the bottle. I arched an eyebrow at him and he followed with, “It’s New Year’s Eve. I can at least let you drink one bottle responsibly. I already checked, and it doesn’t cross with any of the medication you take.”

“Is that why you got this specific one?” I inquired and noticed his shy expression as he looked everywhere but at my questioning gaze. “You’ve always been the more casual type around me.”

“Casual?” he inquired as I accepted the drink and began walking over to the balcony. He followed me and the two of us leaned against the stone ledge while peering out into the beautiful sky that was filled with stars.

It would only be a matter of time before it was lit up with fireworks.

“Easy going. Don’t look into details and such because that takes far too much time,” I explained my comment before taking a swig of the drink. It was different from the drinks I’d had at the restaurant club a few weeks ago.

“I’m a bit of both,” he admitted. “Depends on how I feel and what circumstances we’re in.”

“What circumstances are we in now?” I inquired.

“The rainbow after the thunderstorm,” he replied and looked over at me. “How are you feeling? Are the meds helping at all?”

“I’m okay,” I admitted. “I mean…I’m not at one-hundred percent and I know no one expects me to be, so I’m not pushing myself to be something I’m not, which is nice.”

I paused to look at the faraway trees while admiring the large garden space Gabriel had.

“No fake smiles or trying to be happy when I’m damn right anxious about every little movement. It feels more relieving than anything, which must be an odd combination when I’m dealing with feeling hopeless one minute and angry the next. Then I’m just sad and sometimes super relieved and happy that the truth is out there. I don’t necessarily regret agreeing for it to be a public case so everyone knew the truth, but I guess the meaner letters and emails seem to make dents in me versus the outpouring of positive ones that should enlighten me. So weird how the negative weighs like a ton of pounds while the positive is almost as weightless as a butterfly.”

“The way life has programmed us to be,” Dad whispered. “The positives makes your heart swell up, but the negative leaves needles that remain and are harder to remove the longer they stay in place.”

“Pretty much,” I agreed. “The meds are working. I don’t feel so ‘on a fluffy cloud in the sky’ type deal. I can actually read and do things that are entertaining to me. The nightmares are fewer as well, and I haven’t had any major outbreaks, which is good.”

“No suicidal thoughts?” he clarified.

“Nope,” I replied and stared down at my wrists, which were almost healed from those magic handcuffs. “Westley has helped me put the cream on my wrists since the handcuff incident at the hospital. Him, Gabriel, and Keru have been really dedicated to helping me, which is comforting and makes sure I don’t feel lonely or out of place. Never thought boyfriends would go above and beyond for a girl. Whenever I was in my old schools the girls would always talk poorly about their boyfriends, which left me wondering why have one. They did rub it in how amazing the sex was and all that talk.” I paused to look at him. “Is talking about sex weird for you?”

“No,” he replied. “It’s the way of life. As long as you do it safely with the knowledge of that’s how babies are made, and they don’t actually fall from the sky, then you’re good.”

“You realize I never believed that bull.” I actually laughed.

He pouted his lips as if I insulted him. “I figured with how curious you were as a child, you’d go look it up or something.”

“That I did.”

We both took another swig of our drinks before staring in front of us. Our quietness was thankfully comfortable, as if there was no pressure for either of us to speak. This was the first time since the whole incident that we’d been alone for long enough to have a full conversation, and though I should have taken advantage of it, I wasn’t sure what to say.

“I’m hoping to get in contact with Liz soon.”

His words were random but caught my attention as I turned my attention to him once more. He was holding his bottle in both hands, his elbows resting on the ledge while he looked up to the sky as though he were praying for a miracle.

“Is it hard to contact Mom?”

“The universe she’s in… Well, a lot of their magic relies on the stars. Divine timing means everything, and you can only be summoned into their world just as they have to be summoned into ours. On some occasions, the door is opened for people to come and go, but those aren’t typical or predictable. You need a gatekeeper to escort you.”

“A gatekeeper?”

“Most people would think of it as someone who has to guard a gate for a period of time, but it’s actually specific individuals with the gift of travel. Some can specifically help create portals that are entryways that give the requesting individual access to another world, while others carry a gift called Spell Traveling. That’s a rare one because it also involves subcategories that help them manipulate time, while others can manipulate space, which includes the stars and galaxies. The time users have to be at a level close to a god and the star users are extremely powerful mages who have the ability to ascend to becoming a god when the time comes.”

“This is a lot of foreign information that we don’t learn at school,” I pointed out.

He chuckled and looked at me. “You wouldn’t learn this in school,” he reasoned. “Not yet anyway. Still too early, but I have a certain privilege when it comes to sharing.”

“Is it because I’m your daughter?”

“Sort of,” he replied. “You’re also special.”

“You always say that.” I rolled my eyes. “The words of a parent.”

“No,” he whined. “I actually do mean it when I say that.”

“I’m special because I have all four flame types, right?”

“More than that,” he whispered with pride. “I just can’t share yet.”

“Boo.” I pouted but didn’t mind too much. “I guess it’s a good thing. I feel as though I’ve had enough information for this year.”

“So I just need to wait until the clock strikes twelve to continue,” he concluded.

“No.”

He laughed and looked at me. “Why? Going to be kissing Westley?”

I blushed. “N-N-No! Why do you even choose him first, huh?”

“Because Westley wouldn’t have it any other way.” He shrugged, like it was a casual trait of Westley’s. “I doubt Gabriel or Keru would want to get in his way.”

“You know them really well,” I acknowledged.

“Well, they’ve been within my organization for a very long time,” he admitted. “I had to help each of them when their families couldn’t. I’m obviously not the best role model, let alone parent, but I do what I can when the world tries to bring you down or shut you up.”

“You’re a good parent,” I quietly declared. “It’s the selfishness of two people that tried to paint you otherwise. I still considered you to be a good dad. You just had to deal with the emotions you seemingly carried all on your own. Unfair really now that I know the truth.”

“Life is unfair,” he acknowledged and sighed as he closed his eyes. “It’s nice to know I’m not a trashy father.”

“You know I’ve never thought of you negatively.” I had to make sure he knew that. “You love Mom with all your heart. You missed her, especially with what I know today and the circumstances you were forced to endure on my behalf. I’m surprised you still care for me.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” He actually sounded surprised by my words. “You’re my child.”

“A parent isn’t obligated to love a child that triggered an array of troubles, problems, and negativity in their life. Over and over again, I was used as a tool for another to get everything they desired at the expense of your happiness. You were portrayed as a sinner when you were truly a saint hoping to save his family from the clutches of evil people.”

“Is that why you wanted it public?” he questioned me.

“Don’t you think others deserve to know the truth?” I countered back. “Why would it be fair for you to suffer for years upon years and for those who used and abused your kind heart and their role of power get off scot-free while appearing as a victim of some sort? If he was merely taken to jail with no context, the community would try to create a narrative that puts the blame on us. Doesn’t take a genius to see why people easily believed Henry and Violet. A victim narrative is the easiest to portray, and it manipulates others into feeling sorry for you. When people feel bad, or show sympathy, it makes them feel good, versus questioning if what’s being said is truly accurate or hearing the other side of the story. The term ‘there’s always two sides of the story’ doesn’t come from nowhere. It was created to emphasize the reality that the world would rather listen to the side that’s louder. The side that looks more vulnerable, innocent, and screams out to the universe that they’re the victim. No one wants to check on the quieter side. The side that has the evidence but can only give hints. Even with bits and pieces of the true puzzle, people’s mentalities and judgments are already set in stone. They already chose their side and aren’t going to change it thanks to little bits of evidence. It’s only when the proof of it all is shouted out at a greater magnitude that forces everyone to listen and hear the truth that justice is truly served. There’s also the other chance of ‘actions speak louder than words’. If someone says ABCD about one person but they prove over time that they’re not, it forces the public to acknowledge the side that was blatantly lying. Even then, that’s something that takes far more time and by then, those who chose a side will merely brush it away and say it was in the past.”

I drank more of my drink as I pulled my attention to the sights below.

“Henry and Violet got to be loud. They got everything they wanted behind the scenes while portraying a life of lies for everyone to feel pity for them. No one believed that there could be another side to the story. No one wished to go above and beyond and discover the truth from your perspective. That’s the problem with this world, honestly. When one side is loud and spitting out lies, the listeners use so much energy to escalate a false narrative. The moment the truth comes out, they don’t bother using that same energy to spread the truth because ‘it’s in the past’. So stupid and unfair. I bet you that if every person who agreed and publicly shamed the person in question was charged for being compliant and painting the narrative for the criminals, no one would say shit. People would question other’s motives and try to see both sides before judging. Seeing as we don’t live in a world like that, coming out publicly about the whole ordeal and making sure it’s nice and loud for everyone to hear will put those individuals to shame.”

I noticed his eyes as they stared at me, the glassy orbs that portrayed how emotionally moved he was by my words.

“One thing I learned about being bullied was how people love to judge but don’t want to accept and acknowledge their judgments were wrong. Doing so takes courage, and the letters sent to me that apologize for treating me poorly years ago are perfect examples of those in society who will not look at both sides of the story. There’s still going to be those who are going to wait to see who the true criminal is by their actions. To see if you’re going to be a good father or if I was a victim in a web of lies by my grandparents or just something else. There’s always people like that who assume time is what’s going to mend the wounds and reveal the truth. They just don’t realize that isn’t the case all the time.”

“It isn’t?” he replied.

“What if person A was bullied constantly and then an event comes along and they’re bullied on a larger scale? They’re humiliated in front of their peers, mocked by their community, and told to disappear and that they aren’t worthy of anything, including life. What if it takes a year, two years, five years for the truth to come out that Person A was bullied by that huge group and that everything was set up so they would disappear? You know what the major problem is with that and waiting on ‘time’ to serve its purpose when it comes to justice?” I inquired. “There are two paths it can lead to. Path one, person A waits and starts over. They keep to themselves, rebuild the blocks of themselves that were destroyed or crumbled along the way. They have to make new goals, find a sense of community somewhere else, somewhere they know they won’t be shot down and fall into the same traps. They ‘disappear’ from the narrative and have to listen to the mockery made of them while they try to pick themselves up again When the truth comes out, those who bullied and aimed to destroy person A now get to see the end result of their bullying ways. Person A is better, striving, and has found a supportive community to be around but kept it secret enough that no one knows about it. They have nothing to use against person A anymore, and it’s not their turn to enjoy the backlash that group would face when the truth comes to light.”

“And the other path?”

“Person A dies.”

His eyes widened at the simple response and I shrugged as if it’s a common reality. “Person A believes that they’re worthless. That they don’t belong anywhere, and that it’s time to disappear. Person A writes in a journal and pours their heart and soul into the lined paper that binds together to one day be their legacy. They detail everything, from the good to the bad, the emotions they felt, and the pain that clawed at their heart during the peak of the harsh words and their new reality. They apologize for not being strong enough. For the truth to be covered by the lies and blankets of hatred others have covered it with, but they can’t live in a world that only sees one side. So they say goodbye to those who remain. To the one or two individuals that heard the harsh words and made-up tales but remained. They don’t say it face to face. That would give it all away. They write them letters and send them the long way. By the time they receive them, the deed is already done, and they’re gone. They disappear like everyone said, and when the truth comes out, time seems to fall into a standstill. Those who spat out lies and threw blankets to cover the truth? A storm of irony and sadness comes blowing in and pushes away all the heavy fabrics that cloaked the truth. Those who don’t want to get caught in the backlash speak up first because instead of feeling good, they feel bad. They’re the reason that person A is now dead, even if it’s an indirect hit. The truth is finally exposed, and those who contributed are shamed with even more energy than before. Why? Because person A is dead. Person A’s future was cut short. Person A could have been a star, a person to cure a rare disease, or even become the president of the country. Person A was someone with a heart like all of us, but it was stomped, squished, stabbed, and left to bleed away until it stopped beating. If people used the same energy as they did now to preach against the loss of person A, would any of the bullying happen to begin with?”

“No,” he replied and reached out to stroke my head. “Alice…is that what circulated in your mind all this while?”

I smiled but I knew it didn’t reach my eyes as I looked to the floor.

“Those times when I was suicidal and thought things would be better if I was gone, I’d write down all my emotions in a journal. I hid it somewhere…I’m not even sure where I put it now, but I’d write and write for hours until I could barely keep my eyes open. Every word hurt me and tugged me further into the dark space, and at one point I did want to disappear.”

I gulped down the lump in my throat as I peered up to his sad eyes.

“I wrote a letter to you and Mom, but I realized I’d never be able to send it to Mom. I knew how to send your letter, but I also worried if I sent both of them to you, you’d probably keep Mom’s, so it wouldn’t shatter her heart after I was gone. Not like my death wouldn’t do that entirely. I realized I only had two important people that I’d send letters to. Sure, there was Grandma and Grandpa at the time, but writing the letters didn’t bring me the same comfort. It took me three days to think about it before I decided not to do it. It was a holiday weekend and I stayed home to merely study while Grandma went to a gambling weekend event and Grandpa went fishing. It was the perfect opportunity to end it all, but would the redemption my death brought be loud enough to reveal the truth we found out now? Nope. So in our special case, maybe time is what we needed for people to see the truth, and that’s why I wanted to make sure our side was loud enough so that the me from back then would pat present me on the back for being patient and not ending it all that holiday weekend. Besides, if I had, I wouldn’t have found out the truth either, and it would be a rather sad reality to find out that my parents were in a more intense situation and didn’t give up because of their love for me.”

Dad fought hard not to let his tears fall as he moved to pull me into a tight hug.

“The wisdom and courage you have are beyond mine, Alice,” he quietly whispered. I felt his tears hit my shoulder and back, which it made it harder for me to stay composed while hugging him tightly back.

“I have to thank you for the stubborn nature,” I muttered. “Stubbornness to see the end result of it all. To prove to all those who wanted me to disappear that I deserved to live just like them and find out the truth of it all. In the end, what better way to get justice? I’ve found a school that embraces me, have three new boyfriends who were willing to bond with me to save my life, school administrators who support me with the resources I need to heal, and parents who love me so much that they sacrificed their own happiness with being together to go along with the threats they were receiving on the daily. I may be thankful for the new life I’ve been given for my patience, but I’m more thankful for having a father who was willing to be portrayed as evil so he could finally get me out of the cycle of misery I was in.”

He cried even harder then, and I hugged him tightly and whispered, “You’re not supposed to cry on New Year’s Eve.”

He actually laughed and let go of me so I could see his sad smile. “Well, I’m only emotional three times a year, so let’s count this as a rare fourth one.” He winked as a final tear rolled down his cheek.

“Dad?” I whispered. “Thanks for being an awesome father.”

“I haven’t done a quarter of what I wanted, silly,” he admitted while blinking his eyes rapidly to fight more tears.

“We have loads of time for that,” I encouraged. “I gotta learn a lot about you seeing as you’re an investigator of a really cool organization with Blazing Knights.”

“That would take a while to explain,” he admitted. “And you’re technically not old enough.”

“What?! How old am I supposed to be to know?!”

“Eighteen.” He winked.

“Liar! Westley knows!”

“Westley’s under a contract, silly.” He chuckled at my frustrated expression. “He has special circumstances and has been a part of the organization since he was little. So he doesn’t count.”

“So the outsider has to wait until they’re eighteen? Isn’t there a daughter privilege somewhere?”

“No.” He snickered. “I could make one though.”

“Now you’re talking my language,” I declared and began to giggle while he laughed.

“We’ll figure something out,” he assured me. “All I want you to do is focus on recovering and enjoying school. You start next week.”

“Which is stupid,” I pointed out. “Why is New Year’s Day on a Friday? It automatically makes Monday a school week. See, if it was on Monday, we wouldn’t need to go back until the following week!”

“If only you could manipulate the stars. You could have changed that.”

“Seriously?!”

“Star magic is rather dangerous. That’s why many aren’t gifted with it.”

“Clearly,” I muttered. “Well, I got cool flames to back me up. Can’t move dates, but they can protect me pretty damn well,” I concluded.

“That’s the spirit,” Dad encouraged. “Ready to head downstairs?”

“Yes,” I replied. “But you gotta wash your face. You look horrible.”

“I feel insulted,” he mumbled but headed to the washroom. I smirked and noticed Westley at the doorway. He met my gaze with a grin before he ushered for me to come his way.

I finished the drink and placed the bottle on the patio table before walking over to him.

“What are you doing here?” I inquired.

“It’s almost midnight,” he replied and yawned. “It’s too late to be up.”

“Yet you have the energy to come all the way up here to check on me?”

“Yup.” He didn’t hide his pleased smile as he whispered, “Can’t let midnight pass by without kissing you.”

“Oh,” I replied. “Dad predicted that.”

“Your dad knows I like to be selfish during certain times of the year.”

“I see no problem with it,” I declared and gave him a quick hug. “I swear you got taller.”

“You mean taller since the hospital or taller from before that?”

“Hmm…before that.”

“Then you’re correct,” he amusingly replied. “I think I’ve got one more growth spurt.”

“Please don’t grow any taller. Or you’re going to be like a foot taller than me. You’re already a basketball player.”

“You know the average male height is between 6‘0-6′6″,” he reasoned.

“And you’re now 6′5″.”

“Still within the average range.”

“You just want to go above and beyond, don’t you?”

“As a perfectionist like me should.”

“That ain’t perfection. That’s competitive wishful thinking,” I teased.

“True, but I can dream. I already piss Gabriel off by being taller. Keru finds it funny.”

“It is funny,” I agreed. “Now I should pray to get a growth spurt already so I’m a little taller and don’t feel like I’m surrounded by basketball players.”

“Having a short girlfriend is cute though.”

“Is not,” I groaned. “I already struggle to reach the top shelves.”

“The struggle never ends with short people.”

“See!”

“But you have three boyfriends to help you.”

“And if you’re not there?”

“WOOF!”

We both looked down to see Cyrus sitting at our feet.

“Cyrus will get it for you,” Westley reasoned.

“Are you hearing yourself?” I groaned, and he chuckled before lifting me up.

“Hey?! Where are we going?”

“Downstairs,” he replied.

“Dad! I’m being kidnapped,” I called out to him. He poked his head out from my room, a towel patting his dripping face. He actually took me seriously before he frowned and stared at Westley, who paused on the steps to look back at him.

“I’m merely abducting your daughter to the living room, Boss,” he declared. “It’s almost midnight.”

Dad shook his head. “Figured you’d be here. Go away before you try to blame me for missing out on the countdown.”

“What?! Dad, what about my say in this?”

“Not getting in the way of a man’s love,” Dad called out and actually walked back into the room.

Westley chuckled as I stared up at him in disbelief. “Why do I feel as though my dad is actually scared of you?”

“Sometimes he is,” Westley admitted. “I guess I don’t blame him or the others. I’ve been a little cranky lately.”

“Cranky as in?”

“Dark around the edges, which makes me appear older and more dangerous?”

“That’s both scary and hot to think about,” I commented, which rewarded me with a dangerous grin from him.

“Exactly.”

Sexy grin. Gah.

We made it down the stairs and into the dark living room. With one step, the entire room lit up and I was shocked to see the decorative space that screamed both Christmas and New Year’s.

“MERRY CHRISTMAS!” everyone cheered as red and green confetti burst through the air.

I looked to Westley. He had a beaming smile as he commented, “We had to do that now because there are two minutes to New Year’s.”

“Creative.” I laughed as he put me down.

“Merry Christmas, everyone!” I cheered back.

“WOOF!” Cyrus ran around before she began rolling around and getting confetti all over her fur. Dad walked into the room and Gabriel pressed the remote to put the television on to reveal the final minute count down.

“Fifty-nine seconds,” he announced, and we all watched in anticipation as the numbers continued to drop down.

“Alice.”

I looked to Westley, who stood at my side, his hand in mine as his mesmerizing eyes bored into mine.

“Thanks for fighting through this hectic year.”

All I could do was give him the biggest smile I could muster, emotions of pride and relief fluttering through me. This year had been hard, especially this last semester, full of change and sorrow.

No matter the bad, I’d somehow survived and it was thanks to all the people in this room that helped push me forward. Dad, Headmaster CloverSpell, Professor Daily, Gabriel, Kerebrus, Westley, and Cyrus.

I knew Mom was far away and doing her part, and I could only wish that the stars would align and bring a moment for me to see her face-to-face.

To give me that chance to say thank you.

“Ten, nine, eight, seven!”

My focus was on Westley as he hooked an arm around my waist and pulled me in just as the final numbers were cheered.

“Three, two, one. HAPPY NEW YEAR!”

There was no need to add to the cheer; my lips were already taken captive by Westley’s as cheers, clapping sounds, and bursts of more confetti and streamers came from all around.

This was the new year to find who I was truly meant to be.

To be the confident, smart, and talented Blazing Horseman of Blazing Academy.

HEATED EXPERIENCE AND COLD TEA

~GABRIEL~

I SIPPED on my cup of tea, the sweetness of chai giving me the comforting relief I needed for my apparent three in the morning sweet tooth.

Why were sweets my ultimate weakness?

I stared down at the light brown liquid, the steamy scent of chai tickling my nostrils while the heat from it added to the comforting sensation it brought with every tiny sip. My tired eyes were doing their best to stay open until I finished this cup of delight, but I couldn’t help but yawn in exhaustion.

The last two weeks had been mayhem, enough to make me drained when I was normally a night owl - a real influence thanks to my Angelic Owl trait. I’d have to fix my sleeping schedule this week during school, but that all depended on our new roles as Blazing Horsemen for this semester.

From what I’d gathered, some had deemed it as a fancy, luxurious student council, while others acknowledged the work they did behind the scenes as the reason why they held high positions. Adding the fact that you had to maintain your grades with everything that had to be done, it was a challenging position to maintain

Whether I decided to aim to remain in this position was based on Alice. As her guardians, or “Blazing Knights” as our organization liked to call it, it was our duty to be around her and protect her.

Dating her wasn’t in the original plan, but the charm she carried with her intelligence, beauty, and strive to relay justice to those who deserved to have a resolution from the negatives that impacted them were just some of the qualities that attracted me.

I’d been slipping up with annoying her the last couple of weeks, but she didn’t need to deal with sarcastic arguments when it may have felt like her world was falling down.

She’d handled the last three weeks like a champ, and I knew I wouldn’t be as calm and collected as she was during this whole chaotic mess of injustice. The lies, deceit, and manipulation that occurred right under our noses with the hospital had really ticked me off.

Not to forget her grandparents were the cause of all her struggles for the majority of her existence. Adding the fact that they were threatening Chambers - a powerful Dark Phoenix Wizard Mastermind - really baffled me and those who heard about the whole ordeal, but then again, one look at Alice and you’d do anything to protect her.

The thought of the dark ginger redhead with her vibrant red eyes made me curious as to whether she was okay. It was a side thought, and yet I was soon off my stool and heading upstairs in a few seconds.

Westley was in a deep sleep, which meant the world could crumble and he probably wouldn’t stir. As for Keru, he was out for a very early morning run. We’d have to be up in two hours or less so that we’d arrive at school by six in the morning.

With our new roles, not only did we have to do a different returning session with CloverSpell, we’d be introduced to some of the privileges Blazing Horsemen received upon the start of school.

Reaching her door, I pressed my ear to the white wood, listening carefully for any sounds. I caught onto her breathing and was ready to pull away, but the slight sniff caught my attention.

My ears worked hard to catch onto more, my senses heightening with a speck of magic, which allowed me to hear her rapid heart rate.

The heat from the room pushed against the door, and her muttering and quiet gasps told me she was having a nightmare. I opened the door slowly, the slight creak doing nothing to wake the woman up as she tossed around while trying to grab something.

I was at her side in a heartbeat, noticing how irregular her breathing was and the beads of sweat that drenched her face and body. I noticed she was naked between the white sheets that barely covered her body, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t notice the tight press of my cock against my boxers.

Priorities kicked in and I reached over to press my hand firmly to Alice’s shoulder.

“Alice. Wake up.” I tried to wake her, but she seemed too far into the threatening dream.

“You…can’t get…me. I’ll…survive! Survive…conquer…fight…loved. I’m…loved…” Her words made no sense to me, but I knew I had to wake her up sooner or later. Her body alone was so hot she’d spike a fever if it got any worse, but with my failed attempts, I gave up in being rational and scooped her up with the sheets and headed straight to the bathtub.

“Tug onto the strings of water and deliver what I need to calm the heated panic of the darkness. Wateranda Le Revera.”

My hushed words forced the tap of the tub on and with rushing force, water surged down from the pipe and filled the bath in mere seconds.

I fought to put her in at a slower pace, but she suddenly clung to me like her life depended on it while muttering utter nonsense.

Ugh. She likes making me suffer.

Swallowing the slight annoyance this inconvenient situation was causing, despite my previous calming tea ritual, I stepped into the chilling water and in a rush, dropped right in with her in my arms.

Her eyes opened in seconds before she pressed right against me and suddenly had a fireball inches from my face.

“You know, killing your savior is not the happy ending I was envisioning for you,” I muttered coldly while giving her a dull stare.

Her wild red eyes had glints of gold and orange, almost like she’d summoned the realms of flames inside her and was ready to scold me into flaming oblivion. The fireball in her grasp suddenly extinguished as her shocked eyes blinked a few times and took in my drenched body.

My body that was only in white boxers.

Thank goodness for the white sheet that clung to her sleek body, hiding the sight that would surely turn me on in many ways. I had to fight to keep my eyes up from not staring at her breasts, the white soaked sheet only emphasizing their plump appearance and her hard nipples that poked through the material.

“Who said I wanted a happy ending?” she inquired with a pout before she finally lowered her hand and looked around. “Why are we in the bathtub? I swear I was sleeping in my own bed a while ago.”

“Happy endings mean I don’t need to deal with listening to the sob story of the sad ones,” I muttered. “And you were having a nightmare and your body was too hot temperature-wise for me to cool without dumping you in the bathtub.”

“Why didn’t you dump me in?”

“I tried and you clung to me for dear life while muttering nonsense.”

“Oh…” She didn’t seem to have an argument that would be able to counter my statement so she returned her eyes to my abs.

“What?”

“Abs are interesting when underwater,” she noted.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” I muttered. “Are you okay?”

“I think so,” she admitted and had to think about it. “I don’t really remember what my dreams were about. I think I was running…or trying to fight against something. I’m not sure.” She seemed a little defeated by the confession.

“It’s okay,” I concluded. “You’re awake now.”

“Only drenched,” she acknowledged.

“Sacrifices have to be made,” I concluded.

“Hmph,” she huffed and tried to get out of the bath, but suddenly slipped. “EEP!”

I mentally cursed before I was catching her, and we were both crashing into the water, which overflowed and drenched the tile floor beneath. Pressing her against me as I rose back up, I spat out some water and quickly shook my hair before glaring down at her as she sheepishly looked up at me.

“My bad,” she quietly apologized. If only she knew how my body hummed at how she was pressed tightly against me. Her breasts were against my muscled chest while my hand seemed to lay upon her butt.

My length was harder than before, twitching in agony while the cold waters suddenly felt far too warm. Her lingering gaze only added to my desire, my eyes moving to her lips as I contemplated what to do.

Kiss her. Push her away. Say something to piss her off so she’ll give me some distance so I can actually think straight.

The third option was the most reasonable and yet I was suddenly frozen when she moved further against me while her eyes looked to my very lips. I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat, the charging pulse of growing hunger urging me to have what I want.

I was fighting desperately to not cave in like I had once before - the time we were at the private club room and I gave in to the same electric force that begged to be fulfilled.

Think logically, Gabriel. Even if we’re dating, this could go south really-

My thought was cut short when Alice suddenly moved up enough to press those soft pink lips against mine. The kiss was short as she pulled back and gave me a nervous glance. The mere acknowledgment that she was nervous about my reaction seemed to kick logic out the window because I was kissing her the next second, my lips slamming against hers in heated hunger while I took advantage of pressing her against me.

She returned the kiss with desperation, and my hands trailed down her bare back while the white sheet was the only thing between us. I wanted to see her naked body, to trail my fingers and tongue along every inch of her.

Never have I had such intense cravings for anyone until I met Alice, leaving me even more frustrated because I couldn’t act upon what I truly desired.

To touch her. Hear her moan my name. Enjoy the taste of her sweet nectar. To thrust into her and leave her screaming in ecstasy.

The idea had me involuntarily lifting my hips enough to press against her lower half and ignited a moan that only ignited my passion for her. I deepened the kiss, taking the lead as I squeezed her ass and soon had my tongue darting into her mouth.

All of this was going too fast and I knew it, but it was so hard to press on the breaks. This woman was driving me insane, and this was the one moment that I could have to really fulfill my fantasy I’d dreamed of for months, ever since seeing her that fateful day in my owl form.

The sudden wind that rattled the window of the washroom broke the alluring spell between us. The two of us pulled back to breathe while we turned out heads to the culprit of the noise.

No one was there, but I immediately caught onto the green-blue feather that fluttered out of view. I didn’t need to see its full, majestic sight to know who just interrupted.

Westley…

“Windy all of sudden,” Alice commented, and I turned my attention back to her as I admired the way her cheeks were flushed and those swollen lips that were enjoying the moment when I was devouring their smooth surface.

“Ya,” I replied. Moving one of my hands, I pressed it to her forehead, which left her a little confused before I grumbled, “No fever. You’re good now.”

Then I moved her away so I could get out of the bathtub.

The water rolled down my body and onto the already drenched floor, and I looked back to see those red orbs taking in every detail of my structure. The way she bit her lip had to be an unconscious move because it had a level of seductiveness that turned me on even further.

Now I wanted her in my white sheets, her body beneath mine, and to kiss her while I moved at a rapid pace.

I have to go or I won’t be able to think straight.

” Dry off and get some sleep. I’ll bring a cup of tea to help you doze off,” I reasoned.

“O-Okay,” she stuttered, and I began to make my way to the door.

“Gabriel.”

I paused, and shivers went through me at the soft whisper in her voice.

“Yes, Alice?” I didn’t turn back around because I knew if I did, all bets would be off. I wouldn’t stop myself anymore and that would mean getting in big shit with Mr. Sleepyhead.

“Thanks for checking on me. I appreciate it.”

All I did was turn my head just slightly to nod before I was closing her washroom door and heading out into the hall. I quickly muttered a spell to get rid of the beads of water on the floor and on my body, which only left my hair drenched as I walked back downstairs.

Keru walked through the door then, dripping in sweat from his run and wearing just running shorts. He noticed my approach as I headed to the island to finish off my tea and boil some water to make Alice some blue matcha tea that would make her fall asleep real quick.

“Morning,” Keru greeted and looked at me carefully. “Did you just shower?”

“Sort of,” I muttered. “Is Westley outside?”

“Oh,” Keru began as he closed the door. “He’s in his peacock form, bathing in the moonlight. Don’t know why he does that when he goes back to sleep anyways. Missing out on the serenity of it all.”

I quickly worked on the blue matcha, fixing everything before pouring the boiling water into the mug. Keru opened the fridge to get a bottle of water and began untwisting the cap while watching what I was doing.

“What are you doing?”

“Making Alice some tea.”

“Did she have a nightmare again?”

“Ya,” I replied as I finished putting in a touch of magic that would help her fall into a comforting sleep with no intense dreams. “Can you bring this upstairs for her? She’s probably taking a shower to cool her body.”

“Sure,” Keru replied and quickly downed half the bottle before he capped it and returned it to the fridge. Taking the mug, he headed to the stairs and paused. “Your tea is cold, by the way.”

I sat back on my stool and looked at the very mug in question.

“Ya.”

“Guess that shower took longer than you thought, huh?” he commented, and I could sense the grin on his face without seeing it. “I’ll drop this off and turn right around before a possessive blue-green stalker attacks me.”

He didn’t wait for me to comment as he made his way up the stairs, but I already had a feeling he knew a bit of what left my hair still dripping wet.

I picked up the mug and took the sip of the tea.

“I hate cold tea,” I muttered but kept on drinking.

After that heated experience, I needed to cool down.

PERKS AND BOUTS OF JEALOUSY

~ALICE~

“IT’S TOO…EARLY.”

Westly continued to hug me while muttering his complaint. He had his head nestled into my neck while he hugged me, leaving me wondering if he was hurting his neck in this position.

“That’s what you get for being nosy,” Gabriel muttered but yawned. “Fudge. Why are we here if no one else is?”

“Good point,” Keru commented as the four of us stood in front of what was believed to be the Blazing Horsemen meeting room.

It was six in the morning and we’d arrived at the instructed destination to begin an early tour of our roles as Blazing Horsemen. It almost felt unreal to be standing here and about to claim our roles we’d earned by being the top four students in the entire school.

I knew from the email we received half an hour ago that Semester Two students were down to four thousand individuals compared to five. It was a drastic cut, which left me wondering if there would be another one this semester.

With everything that had occurred over the holidays, it felt good to be able to concentrate on something else. A distraction while working on myself and our goals as a unit.

I’d had the craziest nightmare earlier this morning, one I couldn’t really grasp the details of. It was like I was running really fast, feeling confused as to which path I was supposed to go to while time was ticking to a looming end.

The darkness cloaked the world I was in, the buildings and roads were pitch black, like someone had painted them entirely. It was cold, I was afraid, and there was no way for me to get out. It took me staring upward to see the stars, and they suddenly were guiding me.

I followed in a rush and tried to get out of the maze, but I was suddenly tackled down and swallowed by the dark slug. From cold to thrilling heat, I was fighting for my life and suddenly, my whole body was drenched in ice-cold water and I woke to see myself pressed against a naked Gabriel.

Alright, he wasn’t fully naked, but his bare chest was doing a number on my racing heart.

He’d come to check up on me, realized I was having a nightmare, and decided the only way to get me out of it while combatting my sudden surge of heat was dumping me in ice-cold water.

With him since I clung to him unconsciously.

His actions were both justifiable and extremely sweet, but the sudden tension of being up against his body and staring into those intense gold eyes suddenly had us making out like no tomorrow.

It was my fault, taking the lead instead of waiting for him to kiss me first like once before. I’d never felt such a strong urge to kiss someone until that very moment, and boy did he deliver in turn with those steamy, plump lips that always tried to make arguments with me.

Funny how I always teased him about his innocence, but at that moment with only a white sheet between our bodies, I feared he’d lost all sense of control and would devour me then and there.

The idea of sex was something that only brushed my mind when others around me spoke about it. When they mocked those who hadn’t done it yet while telling their stories of their first time, second time, twenty-fifth time, and so on, before insulting their boyfriends because they were missing ABCD qualities they needed in a man outside of the bedroom.

My expectations were way different from that mentality. I cared about the person and our compatibility with one another, instead of their function in the bedroom. Sex would be a nice thing to enjoy, and with my buzzing hormones, I wouldn’t deny the chance if it hit me in the face - like earlier this morning in the bathtub - but I somehow didn’t see Gabriel and I surpassing that level just yet.

The steaming hot kiss was enough, and it was surprising that we’d shared such an intense connection, but the sudden rattling of the window from the intense wind cut off the possibility for more.

He’d left and promised to make me some tea to help me sleep, but it took me a few minutes to calm myself down from the excitement the mere kiss left within me. By the time I dried myself and got a new set of pajamas, the mug of tea was already on my nightstand and my bed was neatly made.

I wasn’t sure if Gabriel had gone to that extent to make me comfortable, but a neatly made bed with a warm cup of blue matcha tea was the combination I needed to fall right back to sleep until Keru woke me up at five-thirty to get ready for our meeting.

I had to remind myself to wear pajamas when I slept so if I did have a nightmare again, I wouldn’t be butt naked.

Now we were here, without having had breakfast, and hoping this orientation wouldn’t take all day so we could grab some breakfast.

Westley’s soft breathing caught my attention, and I turned my head just slightly to see his eyes were closed and lips slightly open as he breathed in and out at a calming pace.

“I think Westley fell asleep,” I announced, which caught Keru and Gabriel’s attention.

“Poor guy can’t get enough sleep.” Keru sighed.

“Hmph. I feel no pity,” Gabriel grumbled like Westley had somehow insulted him. “I’m hungry.”

“Me too,” I admitted, and my stomach growled in defiance.

Keru and Gabriel moved their gaze from my stomach to my blushing face.

“I wasn’t lying,” I shyly commented.

“We should get you something to eat before you feel weak due to your anemia,” Keru suggested.

“I can go see if the cafeteria is open?” Gabriel suggested.

“Won’t be necessary.”

We lifted our gazes to see Damon Lex heading our way. He was in his uniform with his hands in his pockets and his hair gelled back. His mysterious aura was as vibrant as ever, while his emotionless expression continued its winning streak.

He arrived before us, staring at my three boyfriends first before his eyes locked on me.

“What are you doing here, Damon?” I inquired.

“Tradition is the previous Horsemen have to give the tour to the new Horsemen at the start of the new semester of leadership,” he revealed with his bland voice.

“Where are the others then?” Gabriel asked.

“They ain’t coming.” Damon shrugged. “They don’t want to waste their time on pathetic fools. That’s what Rick said.”

“Let’s see if he can say that to our faces,” Keru muttered while shaking his head. “So you’re the only one with balls to come and show us around. Got it.”

“That and I’m one of the Blazing Horsemen assistants for this semester,” he revealed.

“Assistant?” I asked.

“Every Blazing Horsemen council has two assistants. One male, one female. Normally it’s the top fifth and sixth students or if both individuals in those rankings are the same gender, they move down until they reach the opposite sex. As assistants, we make sure you’re not bombarded with silly requests that don’t demand immediate attention and that you know of any special requests from the Headmaster and Blazing Academy Board.”

“Blazing Academy Board?” I inquired.

“A group of individuals who look over Blazing Academy as a whole and see what needs to be changed or looked into. Sometimes there are silly events or situations that arise without warning. It’s the B.A.B.’s job to inform the Horsemen to investigate or deal with the problem at hand. The group mostly consists of powerful adults from various employment positions and professors. They change every year to ensure quality.”

“Intriguing,” Gabriel mumbled. “So who’s the other assistant?”

“Clara Ralmera.”

“Clara’s the female assistant?!” I practically squealed. “That’s perfect.”

“Hmph,” Damon replied and turned around. “I need two of you to come with me to fill out the forms. Two of you can enter the room and get comfortable. Clara’s getting us all breakfast. She’s getting it made at her family’s restaurant so it’s hot and fresh. Should be here in fifteen minutes.”

I looked at Gabriel and Keru before lifting my hand up to gently pat Westley’s head.

“Westley? We’ve gotta decide who’s staying.”

He didn’t even reply and Keru sighed. “Let’s do Rock-Paper-Scissors.”

“All four of us?” I asked.

“Nah, you can stay, Alice. You haven’t eaten. Don’t want you exerting too much energy; that may make you ill,” Keru reasoned.

“So essentially the three of us, but Westley’s asleep,” Gabriel acknowledged.

“Well, it’s an automatic loss if he doesn’t participate,” Keru encouraged and prepared his hand. “All we need is one round!”

Gabriel sighed and prepared his hand. “There comes your competitive side trying to win something as unpredictable as a hand game.”

“It’s not unpredictable. Its luck mixed with the blessings of Mother Flame. She’s looking down upon her Dark Flame child and wants him to succeed in this prime opportunity to stay with Alice. Therefore, there’s no way I can fail! She has my back!”

“Are you stupid?” Damon casually asked.

“No! I beat your smart ass so hush,” Keru combated. “Let’s do this!”

“Fine.” Gabriel sighed.

“Rock. Paper. Scissors!” the two of them declared.

I blinked and pouted my lips as I looked at both their scissor hands and the obvious third fist that signified rock.

“Westley wins. Follow me, losers,” Damon declared and began walking away. “They really thought that dude was gonna let himself lose because he was asleep?”

Gabriel and Keru seemed to be in shock as they stared at their scissor-shaped hands before they looked over to Westley as he lowered his arm to hug me.

“Sleepy,” he declared and was suddenly hugging me. “Alice? Let’s go cuddle.”

“Okay.” I giggled and looked at Gabriel and Keru as they slowly dragged their feet forward while sulking like the world was ending.

“I hate you,” Gabriel muttered to Keru.

“I was one-thousand percent sure I’d win,” Keru whined.

The two of them walked away and I looked to the door and wondered if it was already open.

“Should we try entering, Westley?” I quietly asked. He opened his eyes then and lifted his head off my shoulder to look at the door.

“Sure,” he replied and straightened his stance before slipping his hand in mine. He looked back at the door and took a step forward to reach for the handle.

One try of the handle and he frowned. “Still locked.”

“Did Damon forget to give us the key then or is this something we have to figure out?” I pondered more to myself as I stared at the door.

“I didn’t forget.”

My eyes moved back to see Damon was returning our way. “The leader of the pack is the one that has to open it,” he revealed.

Westley immediately looked at me, his hand tightening in mine as Damon stopped before me. I met Damon’s eyes as he seemed to be taking a longer look at me, those analyzing eyes looking me up and down before they met my eyes once more and then moved down to my lips.

I didn’t get why he’d come back, let alone stared at me like there was something between us.

Is he checking me out on purpose? He wasn’t attracted to me before. I could be just overanalyzing it.

“Why are you back?” Westley asked, his blunt cutting words slicing through whatever was sizzling between Damon and me.

We both looked at him before Damon shrugged and slipped his hands in his pockets.

“Nothing,” he replied with a sly grin. “Just figured I’d ensure you got inside okay. As your assistant, I have to make sure the head of the Blazing Horsemen is protected.”

He turned around once again. “Enjoy the perks in the room. It’s your chill spot for this semester.” With that, he was walking down the hall once again, leaving me utterly confused before I looked over at Westley.

“Wasn’t that kind of random?”

Westly didn’t say anything, his eyes still on Damon as he finally reached the end of the hall and turned left. It wasn’t until he was completely out of sight that Westley muttered, “He better stay away from you.”

“Hmm? Why?” I innocently asked before slipping my hand out of his grasp to move to the door. Wrapping my hand around the handle, I closed my eyes and took a deep inhale as my magic begin to tingle right down to my fingertips.

The door handle grew hot, but it cooled down in seconds before a clicking sound reached my ears and the urge to turn the handle grew to the point that I couldn’t easily ignore it.

Opening the door made it seem like I was opening a treasure box, as my eyes took in the first glance of the extremely fancy room.

“This could be an actual house,” I muttered as if I were breathless. I walked into the breathtaking space, taking in the marble white walls that were engraved with various artistic lines that literally shimmered in a rainbow of color.

Much of the artistic furniture was made of glass. The couches alone looked more like fancy artwork than comfy seats for sitting, but their cushions became more tempting the longer I stared. Taking a few more steps, I noticed how the floor beneath me lit up, my steps seemingly charging up the place.

“Welcome, Blazing Horsemen,” an automated female voice announced. “Alice H. Blaze. Top student of Semester One of Blazing Academy. Welcome to the Blazing Oasis. The place for all those who carry the lock and key for this sanctuary.”

Lock and key?

“May you enjoy the luxuries this position delivers. Feel free to call upon my assistance by asking for help or calling my name, Blaze. May your semester be blessed and filled with enlightenment.”

The voice seemed to disappear like the light beneath my feet, but the hype of this new atmosphere was really lifting up my spirits while getting rid of my nervousness.

“Westley?” I called his name like a question, noticing he wasn’t behind me. In fact, he wasn’t in the main room I was standing in, which left me frowning.

Hmm?

“Blaze? Where’s Westley?”

There was the glow beneath my feet before the female robotic voice replied, “Westley Simmons is located in the second bathroom, hidden next to the closet with the white blended door. Proceed?”

“Yes?” I wasn’t sure what proceed meant, but I wanted to check on Westley. His sudden change in behavior was odd.

“Affirmative. Follow the glowing lights. Good day.”

The light beneath my feet disappeared but a stream of lights in the shape of flames appeared within the tiles that lead down a hall. I followed without question until I was before a glass door with a metallic orange doorknob.

It would have been smart for me to knock, but I was gripping and turning the knob before logic could reach my brain in time. My eyes landed on Westley as he finished patting his face with a white towel.

He lifted his head to look at me, his eyes not as full of sleep as before.

“Yes, Alice?”

The way he questioned me with the two simple words had my cheeks growing hot while I tried to justify my sudden actions.

“Uh…did you come to wash your face?”

“Ya,” he casually replied as he let go of the towel on the railing so it could dry before he turned to face me. “Trying to get the sleep out of my eyes.”

“Oh…” I walked in and closed the door behind me, my fingers subconsciously reaching the door to lock it. That ignited a questioning look as those speculating teal eyes analyzed my movement.

Leaning back against the glass surface, I waited for him to move closer until he was standing in front of me with his towering structure.

“Alice,” he quietly whispered. “What are you doing?”

“Why are you mad?” I inquired.

“Who said I was?”

“No one needs to say a thing, Westley,” I muttered. “I’ve known you long enough to notice a change.”

“I’m not mad,” he concluded, but I remained in place and countered, “I know you’re not mad.”

“Are you tossing riddles?”

“If I answer truthfully are you going to answer me properly?”

“Sure.”

“Then yes, I’m tossing riddles,” I concluded. “Are you jealous?”

He was already about to answer but my change in question threw him off as he paused with his lips half-parted. I took advantage of the situation by reaching for his tie and tugging him right down until his lips crushed mine.

Our abrupt connection was what suddenly triggered a low vibration that rumbled in his throat. My body was pressed against the glass by his as he devoured my lips in three seconds flat.

The sound that left me was one of relief, my body purring at our heated connection as the crackling intensity of lust suddenly rushed all through me. My body was hot. Our tongues suddenly entangled with one another while I let go of his tie only for his arms to slip around my waist and pull me against him.

I couldn’t exactly explain this charging force, the desire to occupy his body and mind becoming the only purpose I wished to achieve.

I heard footsteps coming from the hall, but I didn’t care in the slightest. My world in this brief moment was solely wrapped around Westley.

“Hmm? Where did they go?” Clara mumbled. “I guess I’ll leave the food on that fancy table and check if they’re around the school property.”

The footsteps faded, and I gasped when Westley gripped my hips harder and pulled me against him while grinding against me. I was burning up from the inside out, spikes of pleasure coursing through me at the pressing movement that continued to tease me again and again.

Between my legs was hot, sensitive, and tingling for more while my lips took his in a dominating move as my arms hooked around his neck.

He had me sitting on the marble sink counter in a blink, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, my hips taking it upon themselves to further stimulate the ache that was assaulting my senses.

Westley groaned, his breathing as irregular as mine, and I could feel the bulge of his uniform pants as I continued to grind myself against him.

“Alice,” he growled in warning, but he pinned me back against the counter, his groin practically slapping mine. My panties felt wet with my arousal, but the charging force that suddenly began to grow at a swift place threatened to explode at any minute,

The feeling was foreign yet exciting, and I braced myself for what I was becoming to realize would be an orgasm. When it hit me, that sound of pleasure was muffled by Westley’s mouth as he smothered me in a kiss while moaning and giving me a final thrust before he stilled.

We broke the kiss to breathe. My head fell back while Westley’s rested against my shoulder as he breathed heavily. I hadn’t known I could feel spent but electrified with energy at the same time. My body shook from the intense release while the tingling at my entrance finally calmed.

Logic finally decided to pay a visit as I took in everything that just happened.

What was all of that? How did we go from trying to talk to well…almost fucking? Does that count as fucking? Did he…come? Is it come or cum? Why haven’t I ever looked into this whole sex realm since getting boyfriends? I didn’t really have time so I can’t blame myself, but still.

“Alice.”

Westley lifted his gaze so he could see me as I looked at him with a blushing expression.

“Um…that…was…interesting?” My voice was as squeaky as a mouse.

He didn’t say anything at first, but suddenly he was inches from my face and giving me the softest kiss ever. It was so slow and affectionate that all I could do was melt within his touch while kissing him back.

He broke the kiss and quietly whispered, “Sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?” I was confused by the sudden apology and his conflicted expression. He hadn’t done anything wrong. Why would he apologize?

“I lost control,” he muttered in shame.

“Lost control? If that’s losing control, I like it,” I commented before groaning and lifting my hand to slap my face. “Ignore that. That’s foggy brain talking.”

“Did…I make you cum?” he asked. I spread my hands to peek through my fingers, noticing how red his face was, which was surely how crimson mine was in return.

“Ya…” I finally admitted and looked away to mutter. “I’ve never…done that with anyone before.”

“Have you done it before?”

“No,” I replied and moved my hand away to peer into his ocean eyes. “It’s not like anyone wants to date the bullied girl who transfers every few weeks. Besides, I’m not the type to have a fling with someone. It’s nothing bad, just my own morals and standards. Sex…it’s a big emotional investment for me and I want to do it with those who are willing to give me the time of day.”

His lingering stare only made me blush harder as I quickly added, “Doesn’t mean I’m saying we wouldn’t…you know…venture there…gah! This is embarrassing! I’m hungry.”

My stomach took the time to growl right at that moment, and we both seemed to turn our attention to my flat stomach.

“You’ve betrayed me,” I muttered in disgust.

Westley snickered and was soon laughing loud and hard before he helped me sit up and pulled me into a hug.

“Hey. Don’t laugh,” I whined, which only made him laugh harder as he held me tightly.

“Sorry, sorry,” he apologized again and leaned back to give me a loving stare.

“You keep apologizing,” I mumbled.

He moved a few strands of hair that were in the way of my face before he replied, “Because I acted immature back there,” he revealed.

“Back there? You mean when we entered the Horsemen room of prism marble?”

“Is that what you’re calling it?”

“Ya. Let’s be real. It’s classy as fuck. Light-up tiles with flame symbols and talking electronic systems? That’s cool and high tech, yet it somehow looks like one of those classy homes that people take tours through to make it seem like they’re rich.”

“Who does that?”

“Teenagers who think they’re all that and want their peers to think they’re from some rich background so they can rub it in,” I summarized.

“No one needs fake people like that in their lives,” he commented.

“I agree with you,” I replied. “Plus, I don’t make friends based on whether they’re rich or poor. That merely invites a group of individuals who may not have the best interest if you’re judging them off of something like status.”

“Do you think I’m fake?”

“No,” I earnestly answered. “Why would you be?”

“Don’t you get turned off by my possessiveness?”

“No,” I replied. “Was that what earlier was? You walked away because you wanted to be possessive?”

“Not really.” He blushed slightly as he seemed to think before continuing. “I didn’t like the way Damon looked at you.”

“The way he looked at me,” I replied and thought back to when he’d arrived the first and second times. The first time didn’t seem like he had much interest, but the second time had certainly caught my attention with the way he was looking at me up and down.

Was he trying to provoke Westley? Did he know he’d be pissed off if he gave me enough attention with his eyes that made him seem…interested?

“You mean the second time around,” I offered.

“Yes.”

“Did the way he looked at me bother you?”

He bit his lip but eventually answered, “Yes.”

“Why?” I hooked my arms around his neck so he’d have no choice but to look straight at me. “You know I’m only dating you, Gabriel, and Keru. You shouldn’t be threatened by Damon. He probably did that knowing you’d get jealous.”

“Maybe so, but that look was more than just a test,” he commented.

“He’s not attracted to me, Westley.”

“You don’t know that.” Westley met my gaze with intensity. “You don’t see what I see. The way guys look at you like a damn snack they can’t get their hands on.” I swallowed as he leaned right in and kissed me. “He looks at you with want, even when he tries to hide it behind his deceiving expression of boredom. That’s what they do to make themselves not a threat, and then, when you least expect it, they strike. I’m not going to be blind-sided when I know exactly what my heart wants.”

He pressed his forehead against mine as he let out a sigh.

“It didn’t mean I should walk away from you. I just needed to wash my face or I’d do something I’d regret.”

“To Damon?”

“No,” he answered with his husky voice while his eyes met mine once more. “I’d lose every fiber of restraint and pin you against that exquisite couch and do exactly what we just did…though I’m not sure if we’d have clothes on.”

“That’s both scary and hot at the same time,” I mumbled. “Not scary like I’m afraid of you, but I think scary in terms of I’ve never experienced that before…or what we just did, which is a little frightening because it was fast, uncontrolled, and damn right electrifying.’

“Did you enjoy it?”

“Ya.”

“If you got too uncomfortable if it happened again or went at too fast of a pace, would you tell me to stop?”

“I’m not sure,” I admitted and pouted my lips. “Wouldn’t it ruin the mood?”

“I don’t want you ever being afraid of my rough antics when things are going far too fast for your comfort. If it’s too much, just tell me to stop and I will. It won’t ruin the mood. It makes sure I acknowledge your desires and mine and we meet in the middle to make it a fair experience for both of us.”

“Does it turn you off with how naive I am in this department?”

“You’re not naive,” he countered. “Just because you haven’t experienced this doesn’t mean you’re naive. You know what your standards are and expect to share your love, body, and these new feelings with someone who respects them in return. So no. It doesn’t turn me off.”

“Then I’ll keep that in mind for next time,” I shyly admitted and brushed my lips against his. “But for now, I’m hungry.”

He tried to move away, but I only tightened my hook around him, which rewarded me with a questioning brow raise.

“Not for food,” I boldly declared and pulled him in for another deep kiss.

We were breathless by the time we finished another round of intense kisses. We then took turns using the bathroom for our own cleanup processes and headed back into the main room to see the large trays of steaming hot food.

“Wow. So much to choose from!” I declared.

Westley chuckled and let go of my hand to kiss my cheek. “Let me go find Clara. I feel bad we missed her.”

“Hid from her by accident, but sure,” I replied.

“Get started,” he encouraged. “I’m sure once the others come back and we eat, things are going to be fast as we go through the day.”

“Okay,” I replied but reached out for his hand again. “Remember I’m only dating you three.”

“Ya,” he replied and gave me a softened grin. “I’ll remind myself if I forget.”

He squeezed my hand before it slipped from his grasp, and he headed out the door. I smiled with relief as my mind repeated the sensational experience I’d just endured with Westley.

Maybe it was weird, but I absolutely loved his possessiveness and desire to remind me that I was his. I’m sure he’d calm down after we’d dated for a longer period of time, but I was intrigued about how the others would have reacted in a similar situation.

Gabriel would roll his eyes and act like it didn’t bother him. Keru would probably laugh, hug, and kiss me in front of Damon before teasing him about how happy he is to date me.

“Ya. That’s defiantly what would happen,” I concluded out loud.

Walking over to the table, I reached for a strawberry cheese pastry and began biting into it when the door opened and revealed Clara with Cyrus.

“WOOF!” Cyrus jumped off Clara’s shoulder and raced over to me. She was clinging to my feet in seconds, leaving me no choice but to crouch down to scoop her up so she could lick my face in greeting.

“There you are, Cyrus. I wondered where you went when we arrived.”

“She must have smelled the pastries a mile away,” Clara commented. “Where’s Westley?”

“He went to look for y…wait. How’d you know Westley was here?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” she said with a sly grin as she closed the door and walked right over to where I stood. Leaning forward, she whispered, “Maybe someone forgot to turn the switch on the glass door of the fancy washroom to make sure it goes from transparent to opaque after each use?”

My jaw dropped as I slowly looked at her while that big, sly grin grew, and she shrugged.

“Don’t worry. I left my phone at the restaurant or I would have tortured you for the rest of our school years.” She winked and grabbed a pastry. “Glad you’re getting some with your sexy, growth-spurt man! He got taller, I swear! He better not grow another two inches, or heels ain’t going to save you.”

“I’m 6′0″ with heels. Maybe I need to get those combat boots that will put me up to like 6′3″ at least.”

“Girl. No one’s running in those unless you have a contract with the Devil to get you one straight ticket to Hell after falling to your demise,” she concluded and walked over to sit on the couch. “Ah! How does it feel to be a Horseman?”

“I haven’t really taken it in,” I admitted. “I mean, we don’t know all the benefits just yet.”

“Oh trust me! By the time we go through everything, you’re going to be stocked for this semester! I heard a lot of the students are excited that you’re willing to return after everything that happened,” she revealed and gave me a sad smile. “How’re you holding up with everything? I only heard about your grandfather yesterday. I’ve been avoiding the news and stuff, but some of our guests were talking about it during their dinner and I couldn’t ignore it.”

“Ah,” I sighed.

Placing Cyrus on my shoulder, I popped the remaining dessert in my mouth before reaching over to make some tea. I finished chewing before answering, “It definitely has been a whirlwind. I’m getting therapy from CloverSpell once a week, and I’m on the proper meds. You already know the hospital was in on everything, but they finally found the money wires my grandfather sent the hospital to ensure I was basically drugged to death or whatever. Dad said my metabolism is extremely fast and that’s why it didn’t have as dangerous an effect on me as it should have. Who would have thought the old man that only fished and generally left me alone would hate me to the point of wishing for my death?”

“Selfish bastard,” Clara huffed and popped the last bit of her pastry in her mouth before she crossed her arms over her chest. “Many are asking for the death penalty for him because the case is just crazy. It’s the talk of the town down there, obviously since the town is butt-size small, to begin with, but I’m sure they all feel shitty. I don’t follow social media, but my sister said they’re getting roasted on social media. I’m talking people want to go with pitchforks and burn the town down. I think the bullying you’ve experienced is blowing up and those who were silent are now coming out and saying how bad the bullying was and that you didn’t deserve to be transferred.”

“Funny how people talk when their guilty conscience settles in.”

“Right?! So fudging upsetting!”

“Clara. You can say fucking around me.” I laughed. “Sure, I’m sixteen, but I’m not an angel who can’t speak about it. Hahaha.”

“Well then, fuck fuck fuck shit fuck!” she cursed, which only made me laugh harder. “Damn those fuckers. So happy the truth is out, and people get to see how genuinely kind and strong you are.”

She rose up and walked over to me before giving me a tight hug.

“What’s with the hug?”

“It’s me being a good friend and reminding you that you’re a special star that deserves to shine,” she hummed. “Thank you for being strong enough to face all the obstacles that fought to stop you from reaching your goals.”

“Clara,” I whispered and hugged her back. “Thanks for sticking with me. Every warm meal helped bring clarity to me when I felt alone and unsure of the future.”

“That’s what best friends are for!” she vowed and moved back to look at me. “I know we haven’t been super close or had the opportunity to hang a lot, but let’s do loads of that this semester. Now that I’m you’re assistant, we can do lots of stuff both during school and after!”

“I’m excited about that,” I admitted.

“Oh, that reminds me!” She beamed. “You should go check out the new dessert cafe that opened up. I think you mentioned one of your men likes sweets, right?”

“Ya, Gabriel.”

“Go check it out!” Clara encouraged and reached into her pocket to pull out a pink card. “I get loads of VIP cards from other restaurants around Blazing because of our business. They said I can give this to any of my VIP clients. I’m sure they would love to have you since you’re one of the new Blazing Horsemen this semester. Gotta enjoy the benefits.”

“What does VIP get you?” I asked, feeling a little excited.

“On-the-house epicness,” Clara declared with a wink. “Go with Gabe. He needs a chill pill, or seven. Always scowling like the world was created out of anger and the sight of anything brings him nothing but disgust.”

I laughed and nodded my head. “Alright. I’ll go with him after school.”

“Perfect!” She beamed. “Now eat! I don’t want you being anemic before the assembly.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I laughed and reached for a plate and gathered more food.

The perks of being a Blazing Horseman are already starting to be quite motivating.

SWEET DATE OF COMPETITIVE IRONY

“Bye, Alice!”

I waved back at the group of my peers before heading into the Blazing Horsemen room. Closing the door, I quickly scanned around to see Keru was lying on the couch with his hands behind his head and his eyes closed.

He poked one open at my arrival, and a sleepy grin formed on his lips before he yawned.

“Hey, Blazing Queen. Finished Wind Flare class?”

“Yup!” I said with pride. “Westley had some questions about some spells we just learned so I told him I’d go first since I’m meeting up with Gabriel to check out some new dessert place. Wanna come?”

“Nah,” he replied. “I’m absolutely exhausted. My body ain’t ready for this six in the morning to six in the evening life.”

“You make it sound like you’re an old man,” I commented.

“I’m nineteen. I’m old!”

“Are not.” I rolled my eyes while I kept my wide smile and lowered my bag. Walking over to the couch, I noticed him move over enough to make space for me before he patted the soft cushions.

“Come chill with me, Sweet Alice.”

I didn’t hesitate to sit down in the spot before I slipped my shoes off and somehow managed to lie next to him. He chuckled at my bold move before hooking an arm along my back to make sure I didn’t slip off.

“Comfortable?”

“Yup!” I declared. “You’re really that tired? Our classes are going to be from nine to five starting tomorrow.”

“Ya,” he admitted. “I went running at three in the morning and couldn’t get back to sleep when I returned. I think that’s why I’m so drained.”

“Did you have to train that early?” I asked.

“Not really. I was just having trouble sleeping,” he admitted.

“Wanna talk about it?” I offered.

“It’s not that serious,” he admitted with a shy smile, but looked to the ceiling and frowned just a bit. “I was just thinking about the exam mishap and what I said.”

“Still?” I inquired and turned to get a better look at him. “Keru, you shouldn’t keep thinking about that. You said it in the spur of that moment and you already apologized. It wasn’t as though your statement didn’t have some truth in it, but still. It’s in the past.”

“I know,” he admitted. “It’s just seeing Clara and the other students you saved, smiling and enjoying the day after full recoveries, made me realize that I was a coward to motivate you into giving up, and I just feel stupid. I of all people know how important life is, and I easily discarded it when it came between losing someone I’d begun to fall in love with and those who I barely knew.”

His admission made my heart swell while I reached up to stroke his cheek as he turned those red eyes on me. “I think it made me realize I have some work to do but it also forced me to acknowledge that I really like you and should show it more often.”

“You’ve shown your affection by being there for me when I needed it,” I reminded. “Compassion and love for someone isn’t just about kisses and how intimate we are. It goes beyond that. When I was in the hospital, you guys worked around the clock to make sure everything outside of those walls was dealt with. I’m sure many people were trying to get the scoop on things, while others surely fought hard to cover up and connect with my grandparents, but Dad said you guys helped a lot to crack down on anyone trying to hide their tracks, on top of coming to visit me when you could.” I snuggled against him as I continued. “You guys also spent the entire holidays with me. You could have gone off and done your own things, and after what we experienced with the exam, I’m sure you guys have had to deal with things that bothered you from the ordeal. You put that all aside to make sure I was comfortable. You distracted me when I needed to focus on everything but what was happening before me. And you celebrated Christmas and News Year’s late on my behalf. Those actions prove how much you care, and I acknowledge every act of kindness and sacrifice you’ve each made for me. Dating may be something new, but I know from hearing many others’ experiences that I’m enjoying the cloud nine moments of this relationship.”

“I’m really happy we’re doing this dating thing right then.” He chuckled and pulled me into a hug before turning us, so I was lying on top of him. “When are we going out for a date?”

“Uh…tomorrow?”

“No.” He laughed. “We’ve got to focus on getting used to the curriculum this week, and we have to figure out our split hours for the Horsemen thing.”

“Right,” I replied and rested my chin on his chest. “This whole Blazing Horsemen status thing is pretty awesome, huh?”

“Let’s see,” he began before pausing to think about what we’d discovered throughout the day. “We don’t have to wear uniforms but get bonus points for setting a good example. We get VIP access to all the restaurants and clubs associated with Blazing Academy. We have access to the Blazing Village as well as the library for which access is normally for senior students, and we have double the sick leave permitted if anything goes astray. Any parties deem us VIPs and we get treated with extra care, and if we want to learn more about our powers, we can go through an analysis and see what we need to work on during the springtime in preparation for the exams. We have to make sure we maintain our top scores and if we do, we’ll carry over all the privileges gained this semester and be given more next semester if we remain.”

“That’s a good summary of the important stuff,” I concluded. “You guys sure you want me as president though?”

“It seemed like the smartest decision,” Keru admitted. “It’s between you and Gabriel. Westley doesn’t like leading. He says it’s too much of a hassle, especially when he’s sleepy. I don’t like to lead either. The only problem with Gabriel is that he’s a jerk.”

The door opened and there was Gabriel, who walked in and closed the door before turning his attention to the two of us. His judgmental eyes took in our position before he turned right around.

“Hey, hey! Don’t leave! We weren’t doing shit,” Keru whined.

Gabriel rolled his eyes but paused in his exit plan to look at us once more. “I’m not a jerk.”

“How the hell did you hear that?” Keru complained.

“I used a spell to see if anyone was in here,” he replied and flicked a certain switch to the left side of the door. The action made the walls glow to a vivid pink. “That’s the switch you use to block anyone trying to listen in to our conversations.”

“There are far too many switches,” Keru whined. “What was the other one you told me about?”

“The washroom one so no one sees your small wiener while you piss.”

“Hey now,” he huffed and moved his arms around me to press his hands on my ears. “We don’t talk like that in here.”

I laughed and moved my head back so his hands moved away from my ears.

“What am I? Twelve? I know what he’s referring to!”

“Yes, but there’s no need to taint you with lies.” He turned to Gabriel. “My wiener is longer than yours, so fudge off.”

“That’s a bigger lie,” he huffed and walked over to the table to place his bag on the marble surface, then pulled out a chair to sit down. “Just admit you were excited about having someone else see you doing your business, and I’m not referring to you aiming and shooting like the toilet’s a damn shooting range.”

I snickered and looked to Keru as his whole face burned red.

“T-That isn’t true!”

“Should I add that I heard you saying ‘pew-pew-pew’ or is that for another day?” Gabriel continued and I lost it.

And fell right onto the floor.

The door opened as I hollered in laughter, and when it closed, I heard Westley’s question.

“What could you possibly say to make Alice laugh this hysterically?”

“Don’t fucking tell him!” Keru snapped while Gabriel chuckled. “He forgot to flick the switch on the washroom this afternoon and he likes to add sound effects when he’s doing his business.”

“While he’s pissing?” Westley inquired.

“Nah, other business,” Gabriel declared. “Pew. Pew. Pew.”

That’s all it took to have Westley laughing his head off, which only made me laugh harder until tears were streaming down my face and I was clenching my stomach in agony.

“I swear I’m going to kill you in your sleep,” Keru vowed.

“Sure, sure.” Gabriel couldn’t care less. “I’ll make sure my last words are ‘pew, pew, pew’ for the hell of it. The heavens would accept me with open arms.”

“Fuck you,” Keru snarled and Gabriel merely chuckled in return.

It took another minute for me to calm down before Keru stood up and offered his hand.

“Are you done?”

“Ya.” I giggled and placed my hand in his as he helped me stand up.

“Welcome back, Westley,” I greeted before looking at Gabriel. “Gabriel? You ready to go?”

“Yup,” he replied. “What’s the plan for you two?” He directed the question to Westley and Keru.

“I’m going back to sleep,” Keru concluded.

“I want to check out the afterschool activities,” Westley admitted. “I’m not entering anything this semester, but I’d like to keep the options in mind for next semester.”

“Oh right. We can enroll in something if we want to, right?” I clarified. “Extracurricular stuff like clubs or sports?”

“Yup,” Keru replied. “I was thinking of a sport, but I feel like I’ll wait until next semester as well. I don’t want to be too distracted while we adapt to this role and maintain our good grades.”

“I’m not interested in anything yet,” Gabriel concluded.

“Me neither,” I admitted. “Maybe down the road, but as of now, nothing caught my attention.”

“We’ll just focus on good grades and settling into these roles. I’m sure we’ll be busy enough,” Keru concluded.

“You guys going then?” Westley inquired and moved to give me a kiss on the cheek.

“Yup! We’ll see you guys at the dorm then?”

“Ya,” Keru and Westley replied. I moved over to Keru to give him a quick hug. “See you later, PewPew.”

“UGH!” he groaned heavily while Westley snickered and Gabriel smirked like he’d won some sort of match.

“See you guys in a few hours. We’ll probably be back before dinner,” Gabriel voiced.

“Are we ordering out?” Keru pondered. “There’s a new taco joint that does delivery.”

“I’d be down for tacos,” Westley commented with a wide grin before he yawned. “Nap. Tacos. Homework.”

“Perfect combination,” I concluded. “Bye, guys.”

We made our way outside before we began to walk down the hall. Gabriel reached out for my hand and intertwined his fingers with mine. I looked at him, but his focus was in front of him as we kept on walking.

All I could do was grin happily as I squeezed his hand that squeezed right back.

This is going to be a fun semester.

“THANK YOU SO MUCH.” I gave the menu back to the waiter before turning my attention to Gabriel as he started drinking his strawberry shake. I realized he’d finish the whole thing if I didn’t comment. “Gabriel. You’re going to get a brain freeze.”

“That isn’t real,” he replied after pausing in his clear mission to finish the thick, sweet drink in one go.

“Uh-huh,” I replied and gave him a long stare. “Five, four, three-”

“Seriously. I’ve drunk plenty of-” He paused and shivered as his left eye literally twitched before he put two fingers onto his temple. “Ow!”

“And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you get a brain freeze,” I quietly stated, though I was pretty sure no one was paying attention to us in the VIP area of the new dessert joint that was literally packed.

Thanks to the pink card Clara had given me, we’d bypassed the two-hour line of students that wrapped around the pink building and down to the parking lot and got the limited seating spot.

There was only space for 2 major pink-cushioned tables that could fit four people each. I was glad we didn’t have to wait in line, or we would have tried another day because the wait otherwise was ridiculous.

I could see why they were popular. From their unique menu of delicious ice cream combinations to the milkshakes and various cold and hot foods available, it was obvious that this was going to be a big hot spot, especially with the weather shifting to spring and summer.

With it still being winter, I expected there wouldn’t be a lot of people who wanted cold drinks and food, but as Blazing students that played with fire on the regular, the cold really didn’t bother any of us.

Our desserts arrived in moments, and the sight was worthy of a gasp and a few pictures to show the others.

Gabriel ordered a platter of various scoops of ice cream with different nuts, including almond, macadamia, and tiny peanut crunches. The colorful display was lathered in syrups that went from chocolate to strawberry to caramel, and ended with maple syrup. Each layer of syrup had a different combination, like how the chocolate had bits of whipped cream, while the strawberry portion had fresh berries drizzled on top.

I’d ordered cheesecake with a scoop of chocolate paradise ice cream that included chocolate syrup, almond flakes, whipped cream in chocolate and regular flavors, and a cherry on top of the frozen delight.

I took a picture of Gabriel’s first because I was positive he wouldn’t be able to last ten seconds longer before fighting to devour it with his spoon. My predictions were completely accurate as he lasted only five before he was pouting in impatience, which only made me giggle and pull away to give him his moment to view the masterpiece before diving right in.

Finishing taking pictures of mine, I went on to try out mine.

“Delicious,” I commented and dug right in. The two of us were far too into eating to worry about making conversation. We had to have gotten priority in wait time because it only took five minutes after we’d sat down to get everything we ordered.

I felt the lingering stares that were darting our way, but I couldn’t care less in this prime moment. This food was far too precious to allow my attention to be moved away by the few individuals who didn’t like our earned privilege of bypassing basically everything.

We didn’t speak until both our plates were empty and we were finishing the last bits of our milkshakes.

“That was amazing,” Gabriel concluded and looked at the plate with immense sadness. “I want more.”

“No.” I giggled while shaking my head. “You’re allowed to have things in a balanced manner. Eating another set of sweet epicness is not balanced. Besides, we have to save some room for tacos.”

“Boo,” he commented. “We should come here again.”

“We’ll bring Westley and Keru next time?” I offered.

“Definitely. They would like this place. I haven’t seen one as efficient as this one, but maybe that’s because we’re getting the Horsemen treatment,” he reasoned.

“Probably,” I agreed. “A few patrons were giving us the glares of death.”

“I noticed,” he admitted but shrugged. “Doesn’t bother me. It’s hard to reach the scores we achieved last semester. We just make it look easy.”

“That’s true,” I replied. “Are you nervous for this semester?”

“Not really,” he answered and slid out of his side of the booth to sit right next to me. He placed an arm on my shoulder while he relaxed. “Everything feels like the same as last semester. I think we may have a class that centers solely on the various types of magic, but we’re going to have to book it. I believe it’s gonna be with Professor Daily.”

“Really?” I inquired. “And why did you move to sit next to me?”

“I moved so people know we’re together and will mind their own business,” he concluded.

“You’re threatening them with that scowl of yours, aren’t you?”

“I’m glad you can read my hidden motives,” he replied and gave me a slight smirk before his lips turned upside down and he was back to his menacing expression.

I couldn’t help but take a quick glance in the other dining room, noticing that those who were giving us dirty glares before were now minding their own business with their eyes on the tables and people before them.

“Wow. It works,” I admitted and relaxed against him. “As we were saying. So we’re getting a full-on day of magic testing and learning from Professor Daily?”

“Yup,” he replied. “Keru and I found out in Holy Thunder class. We’re gonna have to split up for that daily session. Keru said he’d be willing to be with you and I’d be matched with Westley.”

“Why that specific combo?” I inquired.

“Keru wants to see your strong suits so we know how to plan our training for the summertime. Chambers does a bit of a summer boot camp for anyone within the organization who wants to learn from him. He’s a Dark Phoenix and that alone makes his boot camps get booked up in seconds of opening. I think last year he was booked in thirty seconds flat.”

“T-Thirty seconds?!” I gasped. “Dad’s that powerful and, well…cool? I mean, I knew he was cool in his own unique way, but anyone who sells out a boot camp where he’s essentially gonna kick our booties is definitely extra cool.”

“I know he’s kept that part of himself pretty hidden from you, but he’s a real savior to many of us and he’s far more powerful than he makes himself appear,” Gabriel revealed. “I think the whole drunk facade is on purpose. Sure, with what we discovered at the end of last year, I don’t blame him for drinking, but now that we know the reason behind it, I think we all appreciate him a little more.”

“You guys haven’t really gone into detail of what you do as Blazing Knights though,” I admitted. “I mean, are other people assigned to protect those who haven’t harnessed their capabilities?”

“There’s a list of things you can do when you’re a part of the organization. I can’t go through all of them simply because I signed a contract, but if you want to come to boot camp with us, I think we’d be able to bend the rules.”

“But I didn’t sign up,” I voiced.

“You’re Chambers’s daughter. I think that doesn’t matter, but if it makes you feel better, Westley signed you up.”

“Huh?! When did he do that?”

“Before the exam mishap. The signups were at six in the morning. He booked all four of us in twenty seconds which I’m a little shocked by, but we’re all locked in. He didn’t know for sure if you’d want to partake but at the same time knew you love learning and experiencing stuff. Plus, we don’t train all day every day. It’s like morning training and activities and then we have the afternoons and evenings off to do whatever. They have lots of stuff to do like mountain trails, dirt biking, zip lines, and rock climbing. That’s obviously before the swimming, surfing, and adventuring you’re allowed to participate in. We didn’t go last year since Keru was too slow and it was booked. That’s why Westley was in charge.”

“That’s awesome! Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” I inquired.

“It was supposed to be a congratulations on passing Semester One gift, but then the whole fiasco happened which led to another and another until we reached this very conversation,” he summarized.

“Makes sense,” I replied. “Thank you for telling me.”

“You’re welcome,” he replied and gave me a little squeeze. “Make sure you thank Keru and Westley as well when we get back.”

“Will do,” I agreed. “Do you want to head out?”

“Sure. Let’s get the bill.”

“I think it’s on the house,” I pointed out.

“True, but I’ll at least tip,” he answered and reached to pull out his wallet before getting the waiter’s attention. She immediately got us the bill and I pulled out my phone to review our semester schedule.

It didn’t seem difficult. Each class was designated to a flaming trait, and the purpose for the semester was to enhance our skills in each area so that we’d not only know the advantages of each flame but the weakness that could be used in our favor during a battle.

I was a bit relieved that the workload wasn’t as harsh as I expected it to be. Aside from school, I still had to manage going to my therapy sessions, and there was the investigation going on regarding the assassin who was hired to kill me but was framed by Violet.

So many things happening at once, but I was trying to ignore it for the sake of focusing on school. This was the dream I always envisioned for myself, that I’d find the proper school that would accept me.

Now that I’d achieved that and survived a semester, I didn’t want to slip up.

“Well look who we have here.”

Tugging my eyes away from the screen, I noticed the tall man standing opposite our table, his onyx eyes staring at me with interest before he moved his gaze to Gabriel, who was now deeply frowning at this new arrival.

The man had to be 6′3″, or at least in between Gabriel and Westley’s height. His black hair was spiked up while he wore a black tank top, ripped jeans, and had chains that hung down from his waistband.

His arms were slim but were covered in various tattoos. He seemed to have one on his neck, but it looked to be more hidden behind his ear.

A lock? Or is that a key? Hmm. Weird. Maybe it’s a theme from a show.

His facial appearance looked a little too familiar, giving me Damon vibes.

“What do you want, Xeno?” Gabriel grumbled. I wondered where he knew this guy from, but I noticed the approaching three individuals and tried to fight the groan that wished to emphasize my displeasure with this new bit of company.

Great.

There were Rick, Madeline, and Eliza. The three of them looked shocked to see us. They quickly tried to hide their astonishment, grins of mockery forming on their lips that I knew were intended to try and provoke me.

“Look who it is,” Rick huffed. “Blazing Alice and her cocky, weak boyfriend.”

“If you’re trying to insult either of us, it didn’t work,” I casually declared before locking my phone and slipping it into the pocket of my uniform skirt.

“Well it should since the truth hurts,” he snapped.

“The truth is that you got one of the lowest scores. When you realized you didn’t stand a chance of remaining as a Blazing Horseman, you probably bribed a few people to fail so you wouldn’t be on the chopping block when we went from five thousand students to four thousand students,” I countered.

His eyes widened at my blunt declaration; one I’d said loud enough to attract the attention of the others in the dining room as they peered our way.

Rick practically growled and I merely shrugged. “What? Does the truth hurt?”

“Is there a problem?” The female waiter returned, looking a little nervous because of the new company.

“Nope,” Gabriel replied.

“There is a problem!” Eliza declared. “We need six seats, which means you guys are in our way!”

“Which means you should scram,” Madeline hissed.

I noticed Gabriel pause in pulling out a hundred-dollar bill before he suddenly slipped the money back in his wallet, closed it up, and returned his wallet into his pocket.

“Actually, we’ve suddenly changed our minds,” he announced as he actually full-blown smiled at the waiter, whose whole face was red in seconds.

“Can we get two more menus? We’re going to check and see if the other Horsemen would like to come check this place out. In the meantime, we’ll get a vanilla sherbet to share.”

“Certainly!” she shrieked and was dashing away before anyone could blink.

Gabriel’s dazzling smile was making every female, including Madeline and Eliza, blush or gawk - enough for me to reach over and turn his head so I was staring at him with a questioning stare.

He frowned at my move and I mumbled, “You should smile like that more. For only me though.”

There was that smirk of his before he did something completely unexpected and kissed me.

In front of everyone!

Now that had loads of people gasping in shock, which was a little amusing because I believed no one was really taking the idea of me dating Gabriel, Westley, and Keru seriously. Everyone knew Westley and I were a serious thing from the amount of affection we’d shown last semester, but Gabriel and Keru normally showed their compassion behind closed doors.

“Sure, Blazing Queen,” he replied after he broke the kiss. “You gonna call Westley and Keru?”

“Ah, yes,” I replied, but noticed the two individuals heading towards are the group.

“What’s with all the crowdedness?” The high-pitched squeal didn’t really match the head-to-toe gothic girl that appeared. My eyes acknowledged her before I noticed Damon’s arrival.

He looked slightly confused at the current predicament, staring between our table and the other before his eyes locked onto mine.

We shared a look, but I couldn’t make out the feelings his attention brought.

Uncertainty? Confusion? Intrigued wonder?

His attention left mine as he suddenly seemed uninterested, but his cheeks grew slightly red. I noticed Gabriel’s attention was on Damon, his piercing gold eyes staring at him like daggers ready to strike.

The intensity of his dissatisfaction was a little uncalled for, but our attention moved back to the gothic girl. She had black hair like Damon’s but with neon orange braids that looked like clip-on extensions.

Her eyes matched their vibrant orange color while the rest of her attire was black, from her tight-fitted dress to the four-inch combat wedge boots she wore that went up to her knees. Adding the chains that were attached to the black belt around her waist, she definitely looked like she was all into the fashion trend.

She moved right through Madeline, Eliza, and Rick, the three of them muttering under their breaths at her movement, while Damon casually followed her lead.

She stopped right before Xeno, her eyes looking between him and us - until they landed on me specifically.

“O.M.G! You’re the new Blazing girl, right? Uh…the name…the name…the one who fell down the hole!”

“Fell down the hole?” I repeated.

“Alice,” Damon corrected and the woman squealed and pointed his way.

“Yes! The girl you’re assisting!” She looked over at Xeno. “Why are you bothering her, huh?!”

“Cause she’s the cunt Rick was talking about,” he huffed.

“What did you just say?” Gabriel inquired with a low enough voice that all of us looked at him. His aura went from barely visible to a scorching high that suddenly silenced the entire place. I may have been learning more about auras, but you could be a complete noob and still sense his threatening force.

Xeno couldn’t reply as the goth girl karate chopped Xeno’s head - hard enough to make him flinch and move back from her.

“Zhavia!”

“Don’t go calling people cunts when you don’t know shit,” she huffed. “Just because you’re taller doesn’t mean I can’t put you in your place.”

“Sis,” Damon sighed. “You’re causing a scene.”

“And I’ll do exactly that if you continue standing there like a deaf fool, pretending not to see what your brother did. You ain’t gonna get a lover with that kind of blind attitude!”

“Brother?” I looked between the three of them before I clocked in on the striking resemblances. “The three of you are siblings?”

“Yup!” Zhavia replied. “Zhavia Lex. Eldest child of the Lex family. I don’t look it, but I’m in charge of security management at Blazing and head of the Fashion Design Club.”

She pointed to Xeno. “Xeno Lex. Second child and a jackass half the time.”

“Zhavia!”

“He likes to listen to gossip rather than use his own eyes and ears to judge people,” she continued and looked back at him. “I can’t believe you’d believe Rick, who’s a jealous, lying, son of a-”

“I’m right here!” he snapped, and she turned her head to him.

“Oh! You still exist?”

A few tables snickered, and I struggled to hold in my own amusement while Gabriel had a smug look on his face.

“Since you’re here, I’ll gladly say it to your face,” Zhavia said like it was a relief. “I’m not afraid of calling out stupid jealousy when I see it. From what I gathered through evidence, you were a bully and a jerk to her, and yet you’re telling your sob story to ANYONE who will listen. Grow some balls already. If this is your way of trying to pull off one of those enemies-to-lovers romance tropes like this is a young adult fantasy story, you might as well pack your ass to another damn storyline cause you ain’t getting that happy ending.”

“And I Oop-” a person commented from the nearest table.

“Oh, she roasted him,” another commented.

I looked at Gabriel and leaned in to whisper, “Um, maybe I’m missing the obvious, but does that mean Rick likes me?”

“Essentially,” Gabriel replied, looking completely unbothered.

“I-I-I don’t!” he snapped and was suddenly turning around. “Fuck this place. Don’t got time to be around as-”

He was cut off by a sword against his throat.

We all gawked and looked to find the culprit of the sword to be Zhavia. The pitch-black sword with flames that danced around its thin metallic blade continued to press against Rick’s flesh.

“I’m only being nice because it’s the first day of this semester, but let everyone remember that I don’t like petty insults. Keep them to yourself, especially when the Blazing Horsemen are around. They didn’t wake up and get the top scores with wishful thinking. If you aren’t going to put in the work, take your smack-talking mouth elsewhere.”

She lowered her sword then, the black weapon suddenly sizzling until it burst into flames before extinguishing entirely.

Rick gave her a glare with his grit teeth but was soon stomping out the door.

Madeline and Eliza gave us dirty looks before they followed. The moment the door closed, everyone looked back at Zhavia as she went back to her smiling self.

“OH! Perfect. Are we having some family bonding time?” she offered and sat right down at the opposite booth. “Waiter! I have a pink card! Can we get the menu, please?!”

“Y-Yes, Miss Zhavia!” the waiter called out.

Everyone seemed to calm down then, the tension lowering tremendously as people returned to their discussions.

Xeno seemed disappointed but let out a sigh and sat on the opposite seat to Zhavia.

“Whatever,” he grumbled.

“No one said anything,” Damon acknowledge and looked over at us once more.

“What is it, Damon?” I asked with curiosity.

“Hmm?” Zhavia moved her eyes from her phone before a wide grin morphed on her lips. “Oh, don’t mind Damon. He’s checking out the hot ang-mhmmm?!” Her mouth was covered before she could finish, and we looked to see Damon’s glaring eyes as he looked at his sister like she was about to meet Death himself.

“Say another word and I’ll destroy your entire beanie baby collection.”

“Beanie…baby?” I questioned. “Aren’t those the classic, limited-edition dolls that kids collect?”

“If the beanie baby community heard that, you’d be cremated,” Damon pointed out before moving his hand from Zhavia’s mouth. She gasped and glared back at him.

“How dare you threaten my collection? When I began collecting them at three years old, where the hell were you? Oh right. Not conceived! Let them be, or may the heavens bless your dark soul because I’ll let the world know of every damn secret you have in your diary!”

“You have a diary?” I asked and Damon groaned.

“I’m leaving!”

“Oh snap. Alice. Gabriel. Damon.”

We turned our attention to see Clara, Westley, and Keru walking over to us.

“What are you guys doing here?” I asked in excitement.

“You texted us,” Keru pointed out and took out his phone to show the text.

“No I didn’t,” I replied and looked down. I paused at the sight of Cyrus in the little girl form with her hands holding my phone.

“C-Cyrus?!” I exclaimed and she slowly looked up at me to give a wide smile like she was an evil mastermind. With a poof, she was gone, and I had to reach out to catch my phone from falling to the floor.

“Awww. You’re familiar is a mischievous one, texting all your friends to come hang out with you. How sweet!” Zhavia praised. “Hey, Clara! Come sit next to Xeno and help him order since he can never make a decision on his own, even if his life depended on it.”

“Why you always insulting me?” he argued.

“Duh, you’re an idiot, and sadly my brother. I have to remind you that I’m the second smartest child in the bunch so you try harder to smarten up. I swear, Clara is gonna begin and finish school before your sophomore ass reaches the graduation stage.”

“Here, Xeno. I’ll help you,” Clara offered and sat down.

“Dammit,” he groaned, but sat there sulking while Zhavia laughed and Damon sighed.

“How am I related to either of you?” he questioned no one in particular.

“You love us!” Zhavia laughed and looked over at Westley and Keru. “Hello, Horsemen. Might as well have a seat since the cute familiar formulated a diabolical plan to bring y’all together. I’m Zhavia!”

“Hey,” Keru greeted.

“Hello,” Westley replied before they both moved to sit at our booth, opposite from us.

“How did Cyrus do that? I thought she couldn’t change into that little cute form unless my magic is up?” I inquired quietly so it stayed between us.

“Not sure,” Gabriel admitted. “Maybe she came out to protect you?”

“Could be that,” Keru reasoned. “Though she wouldn’t have somehow gotten your phone without you realizing so that she could text all three of us.”

“Guess the next time she pops out we’ll have to ask,” Westley declared. “Are we eating here for dinner? From the line outside, I’m going to assume this place is pretty good.”

“It was really good,” I complimented. “And we can. We can save tacos for tomorrow.”

“Taco Tuesday. Probably smart since they’ll have a deal for large orders,” Keru suggested.

“Fine by me,” Gabriel said with a pleased expression.

“Addicted to sweets,” Westley commented and shook his head. “Don’t get a brain freeze.”

“He already did,” I commented with a smirk.

“He’s lucky he can’t get diabetes. I swear, with that sweet tooth, you’d be a goner.”

“Hmph.” Gabriel couldn’t care less. “Sweets are life’s reward.”

“Addict,” we said in unison and he shrugged.

“Let’s order dinner,” he encouraged, and we agreed.

A sweet date with a hint of competitive irony.

BLAZING CARNIVAL

“Why. Do. I. Have. To. Do. Push. Ups?!” I huffed with each lower and upper movement until my arms gave way and I fell against the gym mat.

Keru laughed and crouched down to pat my back.

“Because having strong arms will help when you gotta swing them all over the place to conjure up fire magic,” he reasoned. I rolled onto my back to glare up at him.

“We’ve barely done any intense magic skills,” I whined as I watched him grin.

“Wanna learn one of my ultimate secret moves?” he offered in a quiet tone.

“What?” I asked while trying to fight my heavy breathing so I wouldn’t miss it. He moved to his knees and shuffled over until he was kneeling above my head. I put my head back to see his upside down figure as he reached out to hover his hands over my face.

“Close your eyes and take three deep inhales, letting the air out nice and slow.”

“Okay!” I was excited to follow his instructions as I did what he asked. After the third inhale, I waited for what to do next.

“Now open your eyes,” he whispered, the soft flow of air brushing my face as he spoke.

I allowed my eyes to open slowly, just in time to feel his tender lips against mine. I blinked and wasn’t sure if I should kiss him back or kick his ass since we were in the middle of class, but kisses from Keru felt like sacred treasures since I didn’t get them as often as I did with Westley and even Gabriel.

He won this round…for now.

I kissed him back until the whistling sound came from next to us.

“Kerebrus. Stop being a smooth boyfriend and actually instruct properly!” Professor Daily huffed.

“But, sir! I was giving her encouragement,” Keru defended. “Watch. Now she’s going to be able to do any spell you ask of her. Just try it.”

“Hey, you’re setting the bar high here,” I huffed and sat up as Professor Daily crossed his arms over his broad chest.

“Alright. Alice!”

“Y-Yes!” I shrieked and got right up like he was an army sergeant ready to send me to do a bunch of drills.

“I want you to do this specific spell. Don’t worry about what it may do. I want to assess your current progress,” he announced.

I noticed the other students in the large training room had paused in their sectioned spots to look my way.

“Okay.” I widened my stance and calmed myself down. Knowing that others were closely watching me made me anxious to perform properly and not mess this up.

Keru moved to stand further behind Professor Daily as he assessed me from head to toe and then nodded his head.

“Direct the spell I’m about to give you to the center of the room, then allow it to go upward to the ceiling and be free without destroying the glass.”

I slowly nodded while already mapping out the direction I had to move the spell in. The only tricky part would be not destroying the glass. Whatever this spell was, one of the flaming elements would be the strongest, but to minimize or even eliminate destruction, I’d have to switch up the flames so that Holy Thunder was the strongest.

Holy Thunder was the least destructive flame. It tried to mimic healing properties in light magic. With the spike of its energy and encouraging it to protect whatever I was about to create, it would be the only thing to make it not break the glass.

“Ready?”

“Yup,” I replied.

He nodded and closed his eyes. “The spell you’re going to be conducting is summoning an animal trait that resonates within you. It’s obviously a spell that’s catered to senior students, but since Kerebrus has so much hope in you, let’s see if you can fulfill it.”

I spared a second glance at Keru, who put his thumbs up and looked like a giddy child who was about to win a grand prize.

Too much confidence in me.

“The spell is ‘Divina Le Ra, Resonado Spirta Be Freelasha Vu.’”

I repeated it in my head a few times before I nodded. “Okay.”

“You may proceed,” he declared, and with an encouraging nod from Keru, I closed my eyes and focused on the humming magic that came to my aid. It rushed through my body as I allowed the words of the spell to spin through my mind until they left my lips.

“I call upon my flames, one of the hidden traits that pulse with my own beating heart. Allow yourself a moment of freedom and gracefully move to where I guide you! DIVINA LE RA RESONADA SPIRTA BE FREELASHA VU!”

The sudden burst of magic shot out from my spread out hands; one side was dark blue and purple while the other was blazing orange and red. The two streams danced around the room, causing some of the students to duck out of the way as the flames grew stronger and stronger.

I debated about whether or not I’d lost control, but it felt like the flow of magic was still building upon the spell. I concentrated harder, giving the dancing flames what they needed before their burning bodies began to take shape.

A few people gasped in wonder while my eyes widened to watch the two finally take their true forms. The first creature that was in the lead was a wonderful Phoenix. She was huge, her wings almost the span of the training gym as her tail twinkled with golden sparks. I could see the threads of Holy Thunder, which meant she’d have to be the first to go upward.

The second creature was a large wolf, one that burned of dark flames but had teal highlights that signified Wind Flare. It was running after the phoenix, panting happily before it howled, the sound echoing against the walls.

The phoenix did one final swirl around the room before she began heading to the center.

I quickly changed my stance to have one foot forward as I gestured my hands to move upward. My mind was already working on the final picture, my phoenix beginning to be covered with golden threads that danced around her and made such a majestic vision.

I expected the flaming wolf counterpart of Wind Flare and Dark Flame to follow behind, but with a giant leap, she landed on the phoenix as the threads of Holy Thunder flames wrapped swiftly around them both. They rose upward with a graceful arc, and with a screeching sound from my phoenix, they burst through the glass without damaging it.

Their bodies were then nothing but flames as they dispersed and rained onto the glass ceiling before disappearing entirely

Everyone remained silent, transfixed by the glorious view we’d all just witnessed while I pulled back and corrected my stance.

“Wow,” Keru whispered before he walked over to me and wrapped me in his arms. “That was fudging amazing!”

“Ah, Keru? You’re hugging to- GAH!” He put too much weight in hugging me so we both fell over onto the mats once more. “Ugh.”

Professor Daily laughed while a round of applause came from my peers all around the room.

“That was awesome!”

“Wow!”

“Does that mean Alice has two animal traits?”

“Isn’t that rare?”

“I wish we could do something like that!”

“Imagine if we had either a phoenix or wolf animal trait?!”

“I heard they’re both deadly strong.”

“Well, aren’t her parents similar traits? She probably got both from them.”

“That’s lucky as hell!”

“No wonder why she’s our Blazing Horsemen lead!”

“Right?! I feel more protected with that knowledge.”

“Did anyone record that epicness?”

“I only got a picture!

“Let’s see!”

I sat up from Keru’s hold and looked to Professor Daily, who was grinning widely and looking down at me.

“Perfect score,” he declared with pride. “That’s a spell I normally don’t try with my first-year students, but you did it perfectly.”

“It’s a long spell,” I commented while finally catching my breath. Now that the adrenaline was out of my system, I felt like I’d ran a marathon twice while shooting fireballs.

“You’ll learn how to shorten your spells later on this semester, but that one takes some time to master. You did well regardless,” he praised. “Also confirms what I was assuming. You have two animal traits.”

“Two?” I quietly gasped and gave him a nervous look that had him laughing.

“Class is officially dismissed! Go change and make sure you do your part in cleaning up!”

“Yes, Professor Daily,” everyone replied and began to return the mats to the piles while buzzing over what just happened. I was sure I’d be the talk of the weekend.

“Don’t be so nervous,” Professor Daily commented as Keru stood up and reached down to pick me right up. My legs shook when I attempted to stand on my own, enough that Keru scooped me into his arms.

“I got ya,” Keru declared with a wink and looked at Professor Daily. “You knew she’d have two traits, didn’t you?”

“I did,” he replied. “It’s common in individuals who have all four Blazing traits. I also know your Dad is a Dark Phoenix so I only assumed that would be one of them. Seeing as your other is a Dark Wolf, it looks like two of your traits went with your Mom’s side while the others took on your Phoenix.”

“That all sounds kinda complicated,” I admitted with a tired smile.

“That’s your exhausted brain talking.” He chuckled. “You have the weekend to rest. I’ll explain in detail next week after class,” he assured me.

“Okay,” I replied, and noticed him put his hand in his pocket and present six tickets.

“As a reward for your hard work, I’ll give you these,” he declared.

“What are those tickets for?” Keru pondered as I accepted them with my shaky hand.

“Festival tickets. There’s a private festival that’s normally for elite students happening this weekend. Sort of like a Blazing Carnival. They sell rare magic artifacts, books, and have fortune-tellers. It would be good for you guys to go tonight if Alice is up for it. They’re far too crowded on the weekend since most students decide to take the day off and go all day tomorrow to check things out.”

“Blazing Carnival,” I pondered. “Is their stuff expensive?”

“It ranges,” he replied. “The more expensive, the more powerful, ancient, or dangerous the item is.”

“Interesting,” Keru replied with a wide grin.

“Thanks so much, Professor Daily. We’ll go today,” I declared.

“Good.” He winked. “I’ll be around if you need anything.”

“Are you going with CloverSpell?” I dared to ask and watched him begin to blush before he turned right around and began walking away.

“Have a good weekend!”

“You didn’t answer her!” Keru laughed as we watched him walk out of the training room.

“Well that turned out like a good discovery class,” I concluded and looked up to Keru’s wide grin.

“You did amazing,” he praised.

“It’s your fault for kissing me during class,” I huffed.

“Couldn’t help it,” he admitted. “You look pretty hot with sweat cloaking your face and your aura showing off how powerful you are.”

“I-I-I don’t show off,” I tried to say, hoping it would be the best distraction from his comment that was leaving me hot in all the wrong places.

“Mhm,” he replied and began walking to the exit.

“Where we going?”

“We can change in the Blazing Horsemen office,” he concluded, but paused and quickly kissed me.

“W-Why you showing so much affection today?!”

“Cause I’m proud of you,” he declared. “You’ve been doing really good this semester and deserve to be rewarded with kisses.”

“So…weird,” I huffed but wasn’t going to argue anymore. I did like that he was praising me.

“That’s our Blazing Queen,” he hummed and met my eyes before he moved in closer. “Guess tonight we’re going on a group date.”

He sealed my lips once more, and I decided to enjoy every bit of it.

Off to the Blazing Carnival we go.

“WHY WAS I FORCED TO COME?” Damon questioned as he continued to walk in his black-on-black outfit, his hands deep into his pockets.

“Stop complaining!” Clara huffed. “You gotta be happy Alice even invited you. She could have just said she had five tickets instead of six. This Carnival is only for the best of the best and Elites from different schools are invited as well. We’re super lucky to be here right now,” Clara declared as she walked next to him with her finger pointing at him, scolding.

My hand was in Westley’s as Gabriel and Keru were walking behind us. After getting back from class, I delivered the news that we got tickets and were encouraged to check out the carnival tonight instead of on the weekend when it would be super crowded.

Everyone seemed to be down with it, even Damon, who was complaining the entire time. This was the most talkative I’d seen him, but even with him trying to hide it, he seemed excited to check this place out like we were.

Today was a lot warmer than usual, spring flowers were beginning to peek through while ignoring the lingering snow. You wouldn’t think they would hold a carnival in early March, especially with midterms on the way, but then again, maybe their motive was to cater to those who could handle taking a break for a day or two in their studies to explore the massive space.

The main entrance was hidden in an alleyway between two magic shops, and in order to get in you had to cast a spell to show your potential Blazing strength.

We were taking the path to the main carnival area, but the place was already spectacular to look at. It gave off those carnival vibes from the dramatic flashing lights to the decorative tents that were ahead of us.

There were mini shops as we made our way, but they were still setting things up and looked to be more for foods and herbs. The gate men stated most of the artifact shops, events, and open food stands would be right in the middle before the big carnival events.

There weren’t going to be any main performances today, since it was opening night, but there was a huge one tomorrow that I was tempted to come back and witness.

Due to the spring weather, I wore a red dress with gold and orange flame designs that were stitched into the cotton fabric. Clara and I had recently gone shopping for some spring clothes, and I’d come upon it at the Blazing Store for Cute Attire. It came along with a red cloak with a cool magic circle that shifted from gold to orange.

It was a basic fashion staple without magic properties, from what the store clerk said, but it was pretty badass when combined with the dress. It was thicker but didn’t carry the extra weight it should as the velvet fabric rested on my shoulders. With the added hood, it made me feel like Little Red Riding Hood.

The cloak also reminded me of Mom.

I’d taken a picture just for the hell of it, but I wasn’t sure whether to send it to Dad or not. Now that I knew the truth of everything, it made me hesitant to remind him of Mom. She was somewhere far away, where she couldn’t easily come back to her family.

Maybe there could be specific exceptions, but would it allow her to visit me and Dad? There were so many questions and I wished to learn more about her now that I knew the truth, but I think that would have to wait until summer when I could ask Dad directly rather than over the phone while I juggled everything else that was happening.

“What does everyone wanna do first?” I asked as we came to a stop in the middle of a large sign that showed the directions to all the attractions and shops.

“I’m gonna check out the rides,” Gabriel announced.

“I think I wanna look around before eating some food,” Keru admitted.

“Definitely looking around,” Westley agreed.

“I’ll check some of the sales booths!” Clara cheered. “How about you, Alice?”

“Hmmm.” I had to think about it because everything they had just said was intriguing to me. I wanted to spend a bit of time with each of them, but I wasn’t sure how I was going to do that with us splitting up.

“I want to get a moment to hang with each of you guys, but I’m not sure how we’re going to do that,” I confessed.

“Why don’t we do this?” Clara began and pointed to Gabriel. “Go on a ride with Gabe first, since you haven’t eaten yet so you won’t be queasy. Then go get food with Keru. After that, you can check on me and make sure Damon is alive, then move on to checking some more shops out with Westley. Then we can meet up in two or even three hours and do a few things together? How does that sound?”

“Check if I’m alive?” Damon said dryly, but Clara elbowed him in the side which made him bend over and groan.

“That could work,” I agreed and looked at the others. “Is everyone else fine with the plan?”

“Cool with me,” Westley replied.

“I’m down,” Keru said and put his hands behind his head to stretch.

“Sure,” Gabriel replied.

We waited for Damon to recover, but he said nothing until Clara was staring daggers at him.

“Fine,” he huffed and spun right around. “I’ll be around.”

“Hey! Where you going? You’re supposed to let me come with you, dammit!”

“Get someone else to escort you, like my brother!” Damon called back.

“Why are you bringing up that burnt brownie?!” she screamed and began chasing after Damon, who only picked up his pace. “He doesn’t even deserve to be called anything close to sweet! He’s a piece of coal! COAL!”

We watched them disappear before Gabriel looked over at Keru. “Does Clara have a crush on that Xeno dude?”

“Maybe? I don’t really pay attention to those things,” Keru commented. “I wouldn’t be surprised though. Girls love bad boys.”

The three of them looked my way and I frowned.

“I’m clearly a defective girl because I’m not into bad guys.”

Keru and Gabriel turned their attention to Westley as he yawned.

“Stop looking at me,” he muttered and let go of my hand to give me a hug. “Go for your adventure ride so we can go shopping,” he encouraged and kissed my cheek.

“Okay!” I giggled and skipped right over to Gabriel. “See you guys in thirty minutes?”

“Yup! Have fun,” Keru encouraged.

“Bye.” Westley waved.

We waved back before Gabriel took my hand and we headed to the section with multiple rides. My eyes scanned the various spinning machinery, my stomach already making me feel queasy at the idea of being on the fast-spinning rides.

“From your face, I guess it’s either the Merry-Go-Round or Ferris Wheel?” Gabriel concluded and gave me a tiny smile when I returned his comment with a sheepish grin.

“Those are nice choices,” I suggested. “I’ve never been on either, but the Ferris Wheel looks cool. I wanna take some pictures while we’re here,” I admitted.

“Ferris Wheel it is,” he confirmed and squeezed my hand. “Let’s go before the line gets long.”

It didn’t take long for us to be next in line, and after some quick instructions, we were inside.

The orange swinging cabin began to move upward, and I held on to the edge of my seat while trying to contain my excitement.

“This is so cool!” I squealed and happily looked at Gabriel, who was observing me carefully.

“Your excitement is kind of cute,” he commented, which made me roll my eyes but smirk at the somewhat compliment. My eyes scanned the vast view, looking out at the entire festival below before the outskirts where there was the school, the forest with the properties around it, and the towns on the far east and west sides.

I began taking pictures without realizing it, wanting to capture every mesmerizing moment. As I quickly texting it all to Dad, the cabin paused at the very top.

“Can we take a picture?” I asked with pleading eyes. Gabriel stared at me for three seconds before he patted the seat next to him.

“Fine, but make it quick. It doesn’t stay like this for long,” he acknowledged.

I cheered and quickly made my way to his side before I tried to aim the camera to get both of us and the view but frowned as my short arms weren’t doing much justice.

“My arms are failing me!” I stressed.

He sighed and reached out for my phone with ease before properly positioning it with one grasp and getting both of us and the vast scene on the screen.

“Three. Two. One,” he said with no emotion before he took the picture.

“Ah. One more! You weren’t smiling,” I reasoned.

“Why do I have to smile?”

“Because this is something we may not get to do again so you have to smile!”

“We could always come here again,” he muttered.

“Yes, but it won’t be the same as this year. You can’t predict whether it’s going to be the same so you have to gather those memories now, in the present,” I countered.

He looked tired of arguing, but his golden eyes stared into mine for a few extra seconds before he returned his eyes to the camera. “Fine. Three. Two. One.”

We both carried wide grins for the picture before he whispered, “Alice?”

“Hmm?” I turned to look at him as he closed the distance between us and gave me a tender kiss. The sound of the picture being taken was followed with another, but I was too into the simple but passionate kiss as my eyes closed and I kissed him firmly back.

It ended as swiftly as it started, but when I opened my eyes, he was giving me one of those rare smiles while his golden eyes twinkled with vibrant wonder.

“There. Don’t say I didn’t cooperate,” he mumbled as his scowl returned. I giggled but hugged him for a few extra seconds before he gave me back my phone.

Standing up, I quickly looked at the picture of us kissing. My grin was far too wide for my own good, my cheeks beginning to hurt as I lingered on the image and put it in a special favorite folder.

It felt amazing to take pictures like that. The unexpected shock in my expression versus the calm boldness in his. Looking at the details of the final pic proved he’d enjoyed my reaction as hints of happiness flooded the lines of his face.

The sudden jerking movement of the cabin sent me backward, but I was immediately caught by Gabriel before he gripped the side of the door to make sure we didn’t crash back into our seats.

“That was a little too hard of a starting movement,” I complained.

“That wasn’t a starting movement,” Gabriel muttered as he seemed intrigued with what was happening below. “I think the ride malfunctioned.”

“Seriously?” I gasped and tried to see what was going on down below as a few of the staff members were gathering way at the bottom.

“It’s going to take them a while to get up here,” Gabriel commented.

“But we have to meet Keru,” I reasoned.

“I would be mean in such a perfect opportunity like this,” Gabriel began as he moved to the door. “But seeing as Keru has somewhat been tolerable this semester, I’ll be kind for once,” he declared and opened the door.

“G-Gabriel?! Why are you opening the door?” I gestured to the open space like he’d lost his mind. “We can’t jump!”

“Sometimes I really believe you forget what I am,” he pointed out with a smug smirk as tiny bolts of static began to charge around him and his golden eyes began to glow.

“I call upon the being within. Give me a burst of light to bring the woman I cherish back to safety. Holya LeRa!”

The simple yet powerful spell was followed with the spark of a white feather that hovered over his hand. He tossed it outside before he darted forward and his blazing flames of orange and white danced around him.

He didn’t fall - he levitated as white wings that shifted to gold burst from his back. Their appearance reminded me of the first time I’d seen his owl form.

I can’t believe I forgot! His animal trait is an owl!

People gasped from below, not in shock but pure amazement, as Gabriel turned around to face me, looking as magnificent as a knight in shining armor. I couldn’t help but lift my phone and take a few quick shots, which made him roll his eyes. It was kind of cute as he reached out for my hand.

“Ready to go?”

“Yup!” I replied, slipping my phone into my dress pocket and running right out to tackle him.

“Gah! Alice!” he huffed and fell down just a bit as he hooked his arms around me and kept me afloat as his wings spread outward to their full length.

“I couldn’t help it.” I winked and gave him a loving smile. “You look really superior in this moment.”

He blinked at my compliment before he blushed and glanced away.

“Hmph.”

“That means you’re embarrassed,” I teased as he began to lower us to the ground.

“Whatever,” he replied, and we were silent until we reached the ground.

People were clapping like Gabriel had completed a rescue mission, some praising him while others complimented his swift thinking.

A car with an extended ladder was heading our way, which was relieving for those who were still stuck on the ride, but I was glad Gabriel thought ahead and we were back on safe ground.

“Why did it malfunction?” Gabriel asked the staff member who looked to be the person giving orders.

“Magic interference.” He sighed heavily while he shook his head. “We haven’t put up all the magic barriers in the area so it makes it easy for the magic to become a negative interference with normal mechanical devices. This festival is for universal attendees so we can’t completely block it out until tomorrow when most individuals arrive. At least no one got hurt, but we’ll have to raise the remaining barriers in a few minutes. Glad you two are okay,” he acknowledged.

“We would have waited but we have somewhere to be,” I mentioned.

“Good thing you used your own traits. It’ll take about forty-five minutes before we get everyone off that thing,” he estimated.

“Then we’ll be off to continue our date,” Gabriel declared as his wings burst into tiny golden ember flakes. Reaching for my hand, he proudly wrapped his fingers around mine as everyone watched us head towards the various booths.

“You have to admit, that was intriguing information,” I admitted as we continued to walk ahead. It was a little busier than before, but I assumed more people were heading where we just came from to see what was going on with the Ferris Wheel.

“The part where he mentioned universal attendees?” Gabriel acknowledged. “I’ve noticed a bit of a pattern where certain events and places are aimed for universal travel. It makes it seem as though there are certain gateways that open up specifically for events like these.”

“Why isn’t that common knowledge?” I asked. “We don’t really talk about other universes in school. Whenever it’s mentioned, it’s more based on a fairy tale or the probability of there being other universes that run at the same time as us. Like parallel universes.”

“I’ve always had a theory about other universes,” he confessed, and we stopped at a candy apple stand as his eyes caught onto the various apples with sticks that were glazed in different sweet combinations.

I giggled and let go of his hand to walk over to the cashier. “Hello. Can we get two of the candy apples with caramel drizzle, chocolate, sprinkles, and vanilla glaze? They’re limited edition, right?”

“Yes, they are. Would you like more than two?”

“I would, but I think they wouldn’t survive the journey back to our dorms since we’ll be out for a while.”

“Ah. We have a service for that,” he reasoned. “You can order whatever you like, and we’ll magically deliver it to your dorm homes. We’re aware of VIP Blazing Students being offered access to our event this weekend so we figured we’d make it a one-day service. Friday is always our slowest for most of the shops, so feel free to buy whatever you wish, and it’ll be teleported to your dorm. I just need to see your identification card.”

“Perfect!” I beamed and pulled out my card to show my ID, before asking, “How long do these last?”

“They’ll remain fresh for up to six months,” he declared. “I know that sounds odd, but we put them in special containers to ensure they remain fresh. As long as you take what you need and close the box, they’ll taste as fresh as if you were to eat them right here and now. These current loads were baked today, so you don’t need to worry about them being old.” He winked.

“Then can I get six orders of each type, please?”

“Coming right up!”

“Alice.” Gabriel was now at my side as he began to pull out his wallet, but I shook my head. “Let me pay,” I encouraged.

“But I thought you didn’t have a lot of money,” he quietly commented so no one else would hear his remark. That made me grin as I looked up at him with appreciative eyes.

Aww. He’s worried about me spending too much money.

“You know how Violet and Henry had taken all the money that was designated for me monthly all these years?” I reminded.

“Ya? Henry had to pay it back right, which put him in severe debt.”

“Yup,” I confirmed. “That money all came back to me and was deposited in my bank account at the beginning of the semester,” I revealed. “Dad told me about it, but I never really grasped the amount of money that would be returned after ten plus years. Also adding the fact our peers had secretly done a fundraiser to help with the hospital funds, which was given to my dad, who transferred it straight to my account. I’m technically financially secure for a very long time.”

“Wow. They did a fundraiser. What happened to the hospital bills?”

“Dad said they were voided due to the criminal charges the hospital is now facing, but the organizers and donors said I deserved the money just in case I still needed therapy or any physical treatments from what happened during the exam mishap incident. CloverSpell isn’t charging for her therapy sessions either. She said as the Headmaster of Blazing Academy she wants to ensure her elite students get the support they need, especially when the trauma is due to an incident that happened on academy soil,” I explained.

The cashier returned, and I paid with my debit card before continuing, “So ya…I’m basically no longer the poor girl living in the haunted mansion. By the way, the house is getting brought down and is going to be made into a park.”

“Interesting,” he mumbled before he reached out to stroke my head.

“What?”

“You’re a rare gem,” he commented, which left me even more confused before he elaborated, “Anyone who received such a lump sum of money would have splurged or boasted about it. Obviously not ‘anyone’ but in the world we live in, it’s very difficult to find someone who remains humble and true to themselves. It’s refreshing to see and just made me want to praise you for not changing who you were because you gained financial abundance.”

“Being praised by you is both enlightening and a little weird,” I confessed, which actually made him smile just slightly.

“Thank you for the compliment,” he said and wrapped an arm around me to squeeze me against him. “And for the candy apple.”

“Apples!” I corrected it to the plural version. “There’s a few for each of us. We can leave them in the Horsemen room.”

“Good idea. Would be a nice snack during the afternoon classes.”

“Mhm!” I agreed as the cashier returned to give us our single candy apple order.

“All sent, my dear,” he declared. “Have an amazing rest of the evening with your boyfriend.”

“Thank you.” I blushed slightly at his acknowledgment as Gabriel managed to get his wallet out and put a fifty-dollar bill in the tip plate.

“Thank you for the great service,” Gabriel praised while the man gasped and bowed his head like he’d won the lottery.

“T-Thank you so much! May Mother Flame bless both of you.”

We said our goodbyes and carried on in our search of Keru and the others.

“You like to tip really high,” I confronted.

“Generosity from the heart brings triple the blessings in return,” he revealed. “My family is blessed with abundance from my parents’ kind actions when they were younger. Obviously hard work was involved as well, but instead of being selfish, they built upon their company by acknowledging the sacrifices their work made to help them grow. By giving back to their workers, they aimed to work harder which in return, helps the business boom further and more money to flow. I never really had to struggle for money, so I feel it’s my duty to return the favor.”

“Even though you’re rich, you’re humble,” I whispered.

“I may have a resting scowl face all the time, but I never want to forget that blessings can disappear in a flash, like opportunities. It’s best to be humble to those who show respect and give back when you can. It pays off in the long run.”

“If only my grandparents had the same mentality,” I huffed.

“They’ll pay for the consequences of their selfishness. You may not see Violet’s end with your own eyes but know that we’re only living a stepping stone in this journey of life. There’s another life that goes into the spiritual realms and that’s a place I would only venture to if I did enough good to enjoy the fruits of my labor. All selfishness brings in those lands is everlasting agony.”

“Do you think I’ll be able to see my mom again?” I pondered as we came to a stop.

He paused in his attempt to bite into his apple to look at me. “If it’s possible for there to be a carnival like this where individuals from different universal planes can get access for a few days, I think it’s possible to see your mom again. I’m sure if she didn’t have responsibilities back there, she’d rush to come back here and be with you. Who knows how communication works and if she knows what has happened recently, but there’ll come the right time where you’ll be able to see her. That’s how I feel,” he said with determination.

“You’re right,” I whispered and bobbed my head for added emphasis. “I just have to be optimistic.”

“The right time will come,” he assured me. “Then you’ll have all the time to say what you’ve wished to express for years.”

“Thanks, Gabriel.” I squeezed his hand. “I’m happy I met you.”

“You too, Annoying, Troublesome, Fainting Ball Kicker.”

I groaned at the reminder and took a step closer so I could go on my tiptoes and bite into his candy apple.

“HEY!”

“Serves you right, Angelic Asshole,” I muttered with my mouth full before I chewed a little and practically moaned in delight. “So good!”

I offered mine to him and he blushed just a little before leaning over to take a bite. The sound of a shutter caught my attention. The two of us looked over to see my dad, who held a professional camera.

“Dad?!” I exclaimed and quickly chewed the remaining bit of the sweet piece while my eyes took in him, Professor Daily, and Headmaster CloverSpell.

“That was a perfect shot, Chambers,” Professor Daily praised.

“I think so, too. It’ll be super nice when I edit it a bit. The lighting is off today.”

“At least the sunset is approaching,” CloverSpell acknowledged. “The Carnival sunsets are always spectacular to watch.”

The three of them approached us.

“What are you doing here?” I directed my question to Dad.

“The photographer for these events got sick with the flu so I was called to substitute,” he announced. “I used to be a professional photographer before I got into the organization. If you check the Grand Library, some of my portraits and photos are hung there.”

“Really?” I gasped.

“That’s impressive,” Gabriel complimented and took a bite of his own candy apple.

I didn’t even know Dad was into photography.

Dad grinned before looking between the two of us. “Did you get separated from the others?” he inquired.

“No,” I replied. “We’re taking turns on what to do. Gabriel and I were enjoying the Ferris Wheel, but it malfunctioned. Something about magical interference.”

“Magical interference?” CloverSpell spoke up. “Odd. All the barriers should be up by now. All attendees have checked in.”

“They said something about testing them out on Fridays since its less busy,” Gabriel elaborated. “I guess they didn’t think it would be a problem until the Ferris Wheel malfunctioned.”

“Intriguing,” Professor Daily replied and shared a look with Dad and CloverSpell. “Guess we’re off to the Ferris Wheel.”

“If you guys are looking for Keru, we saw him at a booth with Damon and two girls,” Dad brought up.

“Two girls?” I inquired.

“Madeline and Eliza,” Professor Daily revealed. “Looked like they were trying to win a specific prize.”

“More like a heated battle.” CloverSpell playfully smirked. “Best get there to see the results.”

“Going!” I declared and took Gabriel’s hand. “See you around CloverSpell, Professor Daily, and Dad. I want a better look at that picture!”

“Sure, sure,” Dad approved. “Go continue your date.” He winked.

I smirked and tugged Gabriel along as he seemed more focused on his candy apple. It didn’t take us long to see the mini crowd that had gathered at a specific booth.

There were Keru and Damon on what looked like treadmills, the two of them racing so quickly I could barely see their legs as their auras flared with conviction.

“Twenty more seconds!” the announcer declared, and it seemed as though Keru could run even faster as his speed began to rise, and his aura almost doubled in strength. The heat alone coming from both of them was like we’d entered a desert that was thick with heatwaves. It made me think that a mirage would form at any minute.

Damon seemed to push at the last ten seconds, but Keru grunted and increased his insane speed until the bell went off.

“FINISH! We have our grand winner, who just beat the all-time racing record!” The announcer pointed at Keru, who was working on slowing down as the treadmill speed lowered in intervals.

“WOOT!” the crowd cheered, and we found an opening in the front where Eliza and Madeline were fuming.

“Damon! You lost!” Madeline groaned.

“Ugh. How boring.” Eliza crossed her arms in disappointment.

I frowned but Gabriel spoke up, “Excellent work, Damon,” he praised loud enough for everyone to hear. Both Keru and Damon glancing our way.

I grinned and bobbed my head. “That was insane, Damon! Not many can keep up with Keru, who’s practically the King of Running. He wakes up every morning at three to run, so you did amazing at keeping up.”

Both their treadmills came to a stop and Keru walked over to pat Damon’s shoulder. “You did some major justice right there,” Keru breathed with a wide grin. “I haven’t had someone be able to keep up with me in a good while. I’m impressed, and we should do that again. Would be nice to have some competition.”

“Even though I lost?” Damon questioned as he fought to catch his breath.

“If you want my honest opinion, if you’d pushed in the last twenty seconds instead of ten, you would have beat me,” he declared. “Your surge in magic is faster than mine. I only start early since I have enough stamina to keep that flow of magic,” Keru declared. “I’ll teach you if you’re up for it?”

“Sure.” Damon actually smiled, which was a big enough moment for everyone to look at him like he was the newest male edition of the Mona Lisa.

Damn. He’s attractive when he smiles like that. Not like he’s not attractive…but a smile sure makes a difference.

“The grand prize winner gets the gigantic teddy bear!” the man declared and brought out a massive fire-themed teddy bear. Keru accepted it like it wasn’t at least 150 pounds.

“Second prize is this mini angel teddy bear!” the man declared and gave Damon the adorable small white bear with flaming wings.

Damon accepted it and the announcer gestured over to another booth. “Feel free to keep them or give them to someone you like to exchange them for their worth at the booth over there,” he directed.

Keru walked over to me, and Gabriel saved my candy apple as the gigantic thing literally fell on top of me.

“GAH!”

“Oops,” Keru commented. “I forgot this thing is basically heavier than Alice.”

“You forgot?” Damon commented while Gabriel groaned. “He doesn’t think as fast when he’s exhausted.”

“I try! It’s the thought that counts!” Keru defended. “Alice! That teddy bear is for you.”

“Thanks…Keru,” I mumbled as I tried to lift the damn thing off me. “But I don’t think I can carry this over there.”

Keru chuckled and lifted the huge thing like it weighed nothing. “I’ll do that.”

“Thank you.” I sighed and sat up before noticing Damon’s outstretched hand.

“Need help?”

“Yes, please,” I said in relief as I put my hand in his and he helped me right up. “Thanks, Damon.” I’m sure he was beyond exhausted, yet he was willing to help me out.

He was holding the cute teddy bear before Eliza and Madeline moved closer to glare at him. “Damon, aren’t you going to offer the teddy bear to me?” Madeline huffed and flicked her hair.

“Ya, Damon. You should give it to Madeline.”

“Huh? Why does he have to give it to either of you?” I inquired. “He doesn’t owe you guys.”

“The point of the booth is to give the item to someone you love. Obviously, he has to like me since Eliza’s with Rick, so that’s why!”

What kind of mentality does this girl carry?

“Who said Damon even liked you?” I countered.

“I said,” Madeline huffed. “We were fellow Horsemen last semester. I would know.” Looking at Damon, who was surprisingly calm in this situation, she crossed her arms over her chest in impatience. “C’mon, Damon. I don’t got all evening.”

“How are you guys even here?”

The words came from Westley as he arrived with Clara.

“What are the chances you guys got here by threatening a group with your past roles?” Clara dryly commented as she looked at them with a disapproving expression.

From the two girls’ tensed bodies, that confirmed it.

“You don’t know anything, Clara,” Madeline complained. “Just let me have my teddy so I can go claim my prize!”

“What’s the prize?” I pondered.

“I think I saw the second prize revolves around getting free desserts from any restaurant on campus and in town. Also, free delivery for the remaining attendance at Blazing Academy,” Clara revealed.

“Hmph.” Damon frowned. “I’m not into sweets,” he declared and walked right up to Gabriel and placed the bear against his chest.

Everyone moved their gaze from Damon to Gabriel as those gold eyes looked back at Damon in question.

“Me?” Gabriel questioned.

“You like sweets. You’ll use it more than me.” He then placed his hands in his pockets and began walking away.

“D-Damon?!” Madeline shrieked. “How dare you give it to him and not me?!”

“Y-Ya! That makes you gay, you know!” Eliza called out.

Damon continued walking, looking unbothered as the two ex-Horsemen were shaking and looked about ready to race after him. They took three steps before a bucket of water poured on them, leaving them shrieking.

“What the hell?!”

“Where did that come from?!”

Everyone seemed to disperse then and I noticed the proud grin on Clara’s face.

“You did that, didn’t you?” I whispered to her.

She shrugged and flicked a few of her strands in pride. “They got what they deserved. No need to try to bring a man down for following his heart and not being bossed around.”

“That means…” I had to pause to think about it. “Wait. Damon likes Gabriel?”

“Who knows?” Clara shrugged. “Not sure if there’s anything wrong with giving the prize to just anyone,” she reasoned.

“Intriguing,” I replied. “Guess you got a good prize, Gabriel! You should thank Damon when we regroup.”

“Ya,” he replied and offered my candy apple back. He seemed to be deep in thought, which left me wondering if he was okay with the idea that Damon may have a crush on him.

“Let’s go claim our prizes?” I suggested and pointed to the booth where Keru and Westley were already.

“Yup. Let’s go,” Gabriel encouraged.

Tonight is becoming rather interesting.

ENTANGLED PASTS AND SHINING FUTURE

“So full,” I replied and chugged down the remaining bottle of water. Keru chuckled then sighed as he leaned back on the bench and looked at the masterpiece of our food wrappers.

“I’ve never seen you eat so fast,” he commented, which made me pout.

“I was hungry!”

“I could see that.” He winked and offered an alcohol wipe pack so I could clean my hands. “It’s getting more crowded now that the sunset is gone.”

“It is,” I agreed. “That was mesmerizing though. Thank you for getting some pictures for me.” Due to my lack of height, Keru offered to go onto the wooden tabletop and take numerous pictures.

The various colors and stars that showed up almost instantly really brought out the beauty of the sky, and though a picture wouldn’t truly do it justice, it would remind me of this amazing day.

“Your date with Westley is next,” Keru encouraged. “We’re a tad late.”

“That was my fault,” I acknowledged and pulled out the stream of photo booth pictures from my pocket. “When would I ever get to go to a photo booth with my dad?”

Keru chuckled and I presented him the four-sectioned photo print from the booth.

“It was honestly perfect timing. Your dad was there taking pictures while we passed by and there wasn’t a long line. They turned out really nicely,” he complimented while his red eyes scanned them slowly. “They had a heart function to put your mom in?”

“Ya,” I quietly replied with a smile. “We figured we could pretend Mom was here with us, so picked the heart frame where you can pose and leave a space where a heart would be with the name in the middle. Dad didn’t know how to type in Mom’s name so we just went with Mom.”

“If she saw this, she’d be happy. If you could give it to her, what would you say?” he inquired.

“Thank you for the sacrifices you made so that I could live,” I whispered. “And that I love her and know after she’s done with her responsibilities in another world, we’ll meet again.”

“She’d be beyond proud of you,” Keru praised and closed his eyes for a moment. A soft purple glow came from his hand, wrapping around the photo as if it were laying a protective coat on it.

“What did you just do?” I curiously asked.

“Put a spell on it to make sure it won’t get damaged in any way,” he replied. “You have it in your pocket so I want to make sure it stays in its perfect shape. That way, when you meet your mom one day, you can give it to her,” he answered with a small grin and offered it back to me. “You should at least sign the back with the date.”

“Right!” That was a perfect idea. Accepting the photo once more, I watched a burst of tiny flames emerge around his hand. When they dispersed, there was a feather quill.

“You really have to show me how to do that,” I commented as I accepted the writing tool from his grasp as he smirked from ear to ear.

“Anything for you, Blazing Sweetheart.”

I gave him a pleased look as I signed my name at the back, wrote the exact date, and drew a few hearts as I wrote ‘We. Love. You.’ with hearts in between those words and my name and Dad’s printed below.

“There,” I announced with pride as the quill in my grasp extinguished. “It disappeared?”

“Its work is done,” Keru replied and stretched his arms before reaching for a napkin. “You have something on your face, by the way.”

“I do?” I inquired in confusion, trying to tap where the bit of potential sauce could be.

“Mhm,” Keru replied and got up to lean over the wooden table as he reached with his napkin. “Right here.”

I stayed still for him to wipe it off, but his lips brushed mine, which left me frozen in surprise as his playful eyes met my shocked ones. Instead of pulling away, he claimed my lips once again, the kiss feeling hot against my cooler lips.

My lips moved on their own accord as I enjoyed the compassionate kiss. It felt extra thrilling to kiss in public. As if it were something not allowed but we were breaking the rules by showing our affection.

He broke the kiss and moved a few strands of my hair before plopping a kiss to my nose.

“You’re so cute,” he hummed as he pulled back to admire me. “You get more beautiful by the day.”

“Really?” I laughed. “How so?”

“I know this semester thus far hasn’t been super eventful, but I can see your growth with each day that passes. It’s enlightening to see your growth, and I think others see it as well.”

“But I don’t feel like I’ve changed much,” I confessed.

“Not yet, but trust me, you have,” he assured me and picked up my free hand to squeeze it. “You’re adapting to this new world and all the madness we’ve endured really well. I’m proud of you.”

“Aren’t you worried that the potential assassin is out there?” I inquired.

“Yes and no,” he admitted. “Yes, because I don’t like that you have to worry about someone having some sort of vendetta against you, but am I worried about the specific assassin? No.”

“Why?”

“If he was someone to be feared, he wouldn’t have failed his mission,” Keru bluntly acknowledged as he rose up and gathered our garbage to throw out. “When you don’t do your job properly, it means you lack in that department and gives me a better chance of escaping when you try a second time. They can obviously get better with time, but it doesn’t mean they won’t remember failing the first time, which always gives you a few seconds to avoid whatever they’ve planned. Now that we’re Horsemen, we have special security as well,” he explained.

“I haven’t seen anyone,” I pointed out as I carefully put the photo in my pocket and walked around the table to be at Keru’s side. Walking to the garbage cans, he threw out what was necessary before moving to the recycling bin to dispose of the rest.

“I doubt Chambers was willing to come down from his work site that’s a good hour away from here to come and take photographs,” Keru acknowledged.

“You may have a point,” I admitted. “That means Professor Daily and CloverSpell are here on our behalf to make sure we’re okay?”

“Could be,” Keru suggested. “They’re a bit lovey-dovey so they may just be here on a date.”

He took my hand. We were walking towards the shops when we noticed Westley heading our way. He was mid-yawn before he noticed us, his expression proving his surprise before he smiled in greeting.

“Westley,” I greeted. “What were you doing this whole time?”

“I was still looking around,” he replied as we reached one another. “Gabriel’s checking out a sweet shop with Clara since she practically begged to go to it and his new fancy prize gets him in. I’ve got no clue where Damon went, but he’s probably around.”

“Oh right. Alice. You didn’t open your prize.”

“Should I do that now?” I asked and lifted the exquisite bag with the boxed item.

“Sure!” Keru replied as his eyes scanned the area. “Somewhere a little quieter.”

“I know somewhere,” Westley suggested. “Let’s go this way.”

After pointing to the direction we’d walk in, he moved to my left side and took my hand. Keru continued to hold my right hand, which left me feeling like a million bucks at their public display of commitment.

It felt weird to feel so giddy. To be around men who appreciated me versus the many bullying instances I had to deal with where the boys either laughed in mockery or looked at me in pity.

Never would they bat an eye in my direction romantically.

We reached a quiet part of the festival that had thicker trees. Heading into one of those spots, Westley snapped his fingers, which made the wind pick up until it wrapped us up in a bubble that solidified into a teal, glass-like protective seal.

“Why do you guys know all these fancy tricks and I still feel like I haven’t learned anything?” I pointed out.

Westley reached out to stroke my head. “Remember, we’d been training in the Organization before we started school. And we’re only here on your behalf, really,” he reminded. “We had to learn a bunch of protective spells since we were new in the field of being Blazing Knights, and what’s most important is staying alive,” he explained.

“This summer boot camp will teach you everything. Don’t worry,” he assured me.

“Okay,” I patiently agreed while Keru took the box out of the bag and presented it to me.

“Your grand prize, Blazing Queen,” he said so gallantly, it made me giggle.

“Thank you for your hard work, Blazing Knight,” I teased while following along with our imaginary roles.

Opening the box, my eyes widened in astonishment as I took in the exquisite piece of jewelry that was nestled in the red interior silk fabric.

“Wow,” I whispered as I took in the brass necklace with red rubies. It looked brand new, yet the brass gave it an ancient glow like it had come from the olden days. The style was also thicker, with a large ruby in the middle and slightly smaller rubies wrapped around the brass material.

“This is absolutely gorgeous!”

“I’m impressed,” Westley commented. “I wonder where it originated from.”

“I think there’s a note underneath the silk part,” Keru suggested.

“Here. Give me the box and you can put the necklace on Alice,” Westley offered. Keru nodded while I quickly summoned my ancient book, the simple necklace on my neck holding the book that had consumed the remaining bits of energy from the sealing ceremony.

I’d yet to fully use it to the fullest - let alone bring it out like I was now - since there hadn’t been an occasion for me to use it. Adding the fact that I didn’t know much about how to use it in my favor, I was holding off on flaunting it.

Its pages were pieces of my magic, which made it extremely valuable, but I wouldn’t rush in trying to learn and decipher its strengths. Hopefully in the summer, I’d be granted the privilege to learn more about it rather than trying to sneak it in this semester while we were finally getting used to our roles and everything else.

Holding my book against my chest, I stilled as Keru readied to put the necklace on while Westley was scanning what must have been the instructions.

Keru placed the cool piece of jewelry on my neck, fastening it and walking over to stand next to Westley to look at it on my neck.

Its appearance made it seem heavy, but it was extremely light and barely noticeable. I sensed the chill of foreign energy shiver through me. The tingling against my magic made me feel warm but protected.

“This ancient necklace is from the times when a woman of Blazing grace walked upon the lands and fought for the freedom of magic wielders. Executed with this very necklace, the screams and cries of its lost owner made the necklace strive to contain the remaining bits of magic as its owner became a fallen angel. With an unruly death, the necklace survived and was retrieved by the woman’s lover, who vowed to bring justice to her name. This necklace has waited many years for a new owner. If you are wearing the piece now, realize that you are now the owner of this powerful artifact. Take care of it wisely, for those who wish to lock such power in shackles will race to obtain its fine glory.”

“Wow,” I whispered. “Why does it remind me of the Blazing Hot Witch who was murdered?”

“It could be from that timeline,” Keru suggested.

Westley was staring at me, his eyes specifically taking in the necklace.

“Westley?” I asked when he continued to stare for a long moment but didn’t seem like he was present in the conversation.

“Hmm?” He blinked and moved his gaze back to me.

“Are you okay?”

“Ya.” He covered up whatever emotion was trying to surface with a tiny smile. “It looks dazzling on you.”

“Thank you,” I gleefully replied. “I should hide it so it doesn’t catch too much attention.”

“I’ve got a spell for that.” Keru winked and closed his eyes. “May your beauty only show to those who have no ill intentions against you. Remain invisible from all those with selfish hearts until you’re called to duty. Invisa La Barana Flamera Reve!”

The spell conjured up a gust of wind of black and gold, which wrapped around my neck with sprinkling purple and gold sparkles until the necklace seemed invisible to even my eyes.

“It takes a bit of time for the magic to acknowledge who is friend and who is foe, so it’ll appear invisible to all of us,” Keru concluded.

“That’s awesome.” I beamed. “Westley? Can you keep the instructions?”

“Sure,” he replied.

“What should we do with the box? I don’t want to throw it out,” I admitted.

“Let’s bring it back with us. It’s not super heavy.”

“Isn’t the box supposed to be lighter without the necklace?” Westley suggested.

“I think they made it so the weight came from the box and not necessarily the necklace itself,” Keru replied. “Back then, everything was made at a higher quality versus now when they claim to want to save the Earth but actually just want to save their pockets.”

“Totally true,” I agreed. “Now for my book. Hmmm. Can’t make it into a necklace anymore.”

“Just make it into a bracelet,” Westley offered. “Focus your magic onto its image and it’ll change to fit what you need.”

“Alright.” I closed my eyes and concentrated, envisioning that my book would become a little charm bracelet with the book mimicking the appearance of a charm.

No words were said when I felt its weight disappear from my grasp and felt the cool touch that wrapped around my wrist. Opening my eyes, I smiled in triumph as I lifted my left wrist up to show them the result.

“It worked with no incantation,” I declared.

“Looks like it’s because it knows your magic and intentions. No point in a spell,” Keru suggested.

“Guess it’s time for us to go shopping,” Westley encouraged.

“Yes,” I cheered and gave Keru a hug. “Thanks so much, Keru, for winning this for me.”

“Anything for you, Blazing Queen,” he whispered and kissed the top of my head. “Have fun.”

We nodded and the protective bubble around us faded away. Walking back to the middle of the festivities, we caught onto Gabriel and Clara, who were far ahead.

“I better catch up before I lose them,” Keru declared and waved at us. “See you guys in about thirty minutes. I’ll let the others know we got delayed a bit.”

With that, he was racing to catch up to the others, leaving me with Westley.

“Looks like it’s our time to enjoy,” Westley declared and squeezed my hand. “Have you had fun so far?”

“Yes,” I genuinely replied as I looked into his eyes. “Are you okay?”

“Honestly, just a little tired,” he admitted. “That necklace reminded me of something…sort of, but I can’t really put my finger on exactly what it reminds me of.”

“Maybe you’ll remember later on?” I suggested and moved closer to press myself against him. He let go of my hand to hook his arms around me, holding me tightly as he rested his chin on the top of my head.

“Westley?”

“I feel anxious and a bit sad for no reason, which is silly since I’m right here with you,” he quietly confessed. “It could be just being around so many people…but just give me a moment to enjoy hugging you. It’ll help build back my courage.”

His words made my heart clench while I hugged him tighter in hopes it would give him the boost of strength he needed. I noticed the sight of the necklace had him staring in space, but I wondered if there was more to his feeling of anxiety.

He could be tired or drained from being around people all day long.

I felt like I didn’t know enough about Westley to properly help him in scenarios like this, which only confirmed I’d have to try and spend more time with him.

Learn more about his strengths and weaknesses so I can be there for him whenever he needs me.

We hugged while the world buzzed around us, but it was all muted while I focused solely on him, his warmth and sizzling touch. His energy seemed to wrap around me protectively, which made me want to do the same and protect him from stressing about anything.

He leaned back to give me a relieved look as he stared into my eyes.

“Feel better?” I asked.

He leaned down and kissed me very softly, before whispering, “Now I do. Thanks, Alice.”

Pulling out of our embrace and taking my hand once more, Westley took the lead while I followed suit with my hand tightly in his.

We began to check out the shops that peaked our interest, and we came upon a fortune teller booth with a jewelry shop next to it. The exterior of purple cloth glazed in orange glitter caught my attention as the flashing lights from booths around it only added to the mysterious spot.

“Want to check it out?” Westley offered, noticing my delay as I stared at the fortune booth.

“Can we?” I wondered.

“Why not. Looks open and no line,” he replied, and with a squeeze of his hand, we entered. The inside of the tent was dark but had tiny star lights that aided in seeing the main path towards a table with a large crystal ball in the middle.

The luminous glow from the ball that carried swirling gold, orange, and purple mist caught my attention as we approached the table.

“Is anyone here?” Westley quietly asked, which was greeted with a soft chuckle.

“I wouldn’t leave my shop unguarded, though I doubt anyone would have the guts to try and take from me.”

A woman cloaked in black revealed herself from the pitch darkness that was further out from the table. She must have been sitting there the entire time, but without the light, you would have never seen her.

Her eyes were white, which made me wonder if she was blind, and she had beautiful caramel skin that seemed to carry a sheen to it. Her hands peeked out from the cloth that cloaked her body, pressing against the crystal ball and revealing her black nails that began to glow slightly and mimic what could have been an image of a galaxy.

“Would you like to have a free card pull this lovely evening?”

“A card pull,” I whispered. “We…don’t have to pay?”

“Tonight is special, especially with the starry sky in our favor. It will be free of charge for one card pull for each of you. No strings attached,” she assured us.

I glanced at Westley as he turned his gaze to me for confirmation. We both nodded and looked back to her.

“Okay,” Westley replied.

“Thank you!” I stated my gratitude, and the woman smiled brilliantly before she gestured for us to come closer.

Doing as she encouraged, we stood at the edge of the table, our eyes focused on the ball in the middle as she moved her hands.

“Now, think of what advice you’d want in a single card. Look deep inside of yourself and let your soul speak for itself,” she instructed. When we both nodded, the two of us focusing on our intentions while I began to hear the shuffling of cards.

I hadn’t registered that I’d closed my eyes, but I didn’t let that be a distraction as I called upon my soul to give me the advice I needed in this time and age.

Guide me to the proper path of my purpose.

Opening my eyes, I watched as the shuffling cards began to float from the woman’s hands. They jolted around us until we were trapped within the spinning circle. I gasped in amazement, Westley doing the same as we watched the speed begin to decrease until the cards came to a stop.

Two cards moved forward before me, and I noticed two cards had also moved out of the line for Westley.

The woman’s chuckle caught our attention as she opened her hands out, which triggered the remaining cards to rush back to the palms of her hands until there were two even stacks.

“The Universe likes to challenge me,” she sang, and the four cards floated back to the table and flipped over to show us the images before us.

My designated cards held a woman with a red cape, who was riding upon a flaming horse. She was powerful and dangerous while her red lips smirked in defiance and her burning eyes were covered in a black mask.

The second card held an open book. One side displayed a magic circle with a five-point star while the other page seemed to have an image of five woman on it.

It was hard to see the details in the dimly lit room, and yet it felt like the woman in the middle was me. The girl to the left also had orange hair, but twinkling stars sparked around.

The woman to my right side had similar hair like mine and the woman to the left, but I could notice the shiny details of gold in the tiny strands. She held a wand pointing upward.

The two women above the three of us seemed to be even more powerful. Their backs faced together like they were comrades on the opposite spectrums.

The woman to the top left had long black hair with white strands, the aura around her a mix of what had to be eight various colors. I couldn’t tell the significant meaning to them, but they hovered around her corner of the page.

The woman to the top right had long silver, gold, and even turquoise strands that had a holographic shine to it. She wore a white cloak that mimicked the highlights of her hair and was lifting up a staff that had a large star that held a prism, holographic glow to it.

The image was shocking and left me quite curious as to what it would all mean. I tried to glance over to Westley’s cards, but they were completely blank.

I was going to ask, but the fortune teller spoke. “One cannot see the other’s cards,” she declared with a wise expression. “You don’t want to ruin what’s written for either of you.”

“Does that mean you can’t tell us what it means?” I inquired.

“I can,” she replied. “An interruption won’t ruin what’s aligned you, but seeing the path of another can sabotage their finish line.”

Westley squeezed my hand, almost like he was nervous or something, but I squeezed back with confidence.

“I don’t mind going first then,” I announced.

The woman chuckled. “I knew you would.”

My two cards floated up in the air as she lowered the stack of cards to the table, which gave her the platform to hold both my cards.

“To be given two cards is a blessing within itself. It means that you are not only blessed by the Universal plane but also blessed by the one above that. The godly plane, where beings of immense power thrive in their own purposes.”

She flipped the cards so she’d be able to look at them. Her grin widened as her eyes softened while they darted between the two.

“You have a great purpose, child. Your soul doesn’t merely flicker like a flame. It rages with significance. Dances in grace. Begs to not only reach and accomplish the goals you are destined to fulfill but to aid others to do the same. You are a born leader. You’ve also died to become an inspiration for change.”

Her words made my heart pump quickly in my chest as I tried to keep my breathing at a reasonable pace. They held so much truth, and yet I couldn’t exactly decode what her last part meant.

She must have noticed my eyes as she slowly nodded her head.

“I’ll be a little generous in my reading seeing as you’ve both had the confidence to enter this place that looks rather different to your eyes than the rest of the world.”

She paused to close her eyes before they opened again to reveal their glowing white orbs.

“You have lived before. A life that began with a bit of suffering. You conquered the obstacles laid upon you, that environment molding you into a vigilant individual with beauty and grace. You were smart, talented, and powerful, which brought immense envy directed your way, but it didn’t stop you from doing what you knew was right and attempting to aid those who wished for life beyond living in fear. The flames that comforted you in the depths of winter and led you to a man who loved you dearly were the same flames that led to your demise. An end that caused the world great chaos, agony, and plague for many years to come. The Universe may forgive, but it never forgets, and those who laughed and praised your flaming end were locked into the darkness.”

She lifted the first card, the one that had the woman on the blazing horse.

“The power, grace, and wisdom that you left in those times are still within you. They are locked away, patiently waiting for the time of your awakening when all the good and bad memories will return to aid you on your next journey. You question your capabilities, but you carry the ability to do anything with your flames. There are no limits to any conquest you wish to overcome, but you must believe in yourself. Even if the world has constantly tried to label you as insane and unwanted.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried not to tear up. Her explanation and detailed theory of who I was and am now truly resonated with my soul.

She lowered the card to move onto the next one, flipping it over to show me the open book with the five girls on one side and the magic circle with the five-point star.

“Your purpose goes beyond this universe. Like the image you see within this card, you are destined to meet others that are like you. Powerful, wise, talented women, each of them are unique but have the same strong heart that has fallen to the hands of death. A demise not destined for any of them. You’ve all returned for a purpose, a reason like no other, which will unite the five of you and get rid of the darkness once and for all. It will be a tedious journey and is many years ahead, when you are older, stronger, and have entered a stage in your life where you can lead to victory. However, you will all connect, learn more of each other’s pasts and presents, and one day, the times will align as you all gather to face the war of a lifetime.”

She lowered the card and closed her eyes.

“You may have plenty of questions. I’ll give you one little hint. Books hide knowledge, power, and prophecies that desire the light of day to be followed. Head to a place of many books and you may bump into exactly what you’re looking for. For now, practice on exploring your imaginary power. Call upon your flames to do what they’ve always been meant to do. Be confident like the woman on the other card and strive for a future of peace and happiness.”

She opened her eyes and gave me a pleased smile. I knew that meant my reading was done.

“Thank you so much…um…” I realized we hadn’t gotten her name.

“Madam Lily,” she introduced.

“Thank you, Madam Lily.” I bowed my head in gratitude. She bowed her head in return and moved her attention to Westley. His cards moved towards her and she allowed them to fall into her grasp before she took a moment to stare at them.

“Intriguing,” she stated before looking to Westley. “You carry a lot of fear within your heart. Why?”

I looked to Westley as he tensed up a bit. His eyes showed hints of wariness before he swallowed. “I fear losing all those I care about,” he boldly answered. “Them fading away and leaving me alone in this world to suffer from the memories of happy times.”

Westley…

Madam Lily nodded before she flipped the first card for him to see.

“You fear the unexpected. Frightened that a time will come, and you won’t be strong enough to execute what is necessary to save the ones you care about. Every person who somehow lays a mark on your heart becomes a precious gem that you don’t want to lose. Your possessiveness doesn’t stem from the relationships you’ve created in this life. Instead, it’s rooted in the life before this.”

She paused and almost looked sad as her eyes glowed even stronger and she seemed to peer into the past.

“A witch you loved. One with beauty, grace, and great wisdom. She was the apple of your eye, the woman that made your heart flutter and would be the person you’d open your eyes for. You never expected to fall for her. To begin to entwine your mission with hers and become a man at her side. To some, the love was premature and against your beliefs, as it was against hers. However, you enjoyed breaking this one rule for the sake of being with this woman that lit your world.”

Westley held my hand a bit tighter, fighting hard to compose himself, like he knew the very story deep within his heart.

“You were to propose. To finally make her your own, but that was the day you watched her perish. The flames burned her like the wood of a torch, her screams of agony cutting every bit of hope you had in your future and the world around you. Even with your desperation to find help, her end was inevitable, and you returned to the ashes and the remaining pieces of her. Brass and rubies, a wearable item that she wore with pride because it was from you.”

I unconsciously looked down at the necklace on my neck, envisioning Westley picking up the very piece where the woman lay.

Where…I lay…dead?

“Your cries were loud, but it was your tears that dropped into the ashes and soil of your lost love that sprouted those very roots that haunted you until your time was up. You vowed to never love again. To let the flames take you the same way as they took your love so that you’d have the same experience she did. An act of everlasting love that seemed foolish to the world around you, but it was what Mother Flame used to connect you with the same woman you loved dearly.”

“You’re saying…” Westley choked on his words, blinking back his tears as he slowly looked to me. “Alice.”

“Is the woman you watched sacrificed for being different, and you were the man who worked diligently to change the laws against those of magic before you were killed the same way on the last day before the law was implemented. An ironic end that led to this reincarnated beginning,” the woman declared and emphasized the first card by shaking it slightly.

“Your possessiveness is the energy you need to become stronger. To tame the darkness that seeks its counterpart. The light. Together, you will face trials just like in your past lives, but you have the support all around you in comparison to the past, where you had very little. Do not let fear leave you trembling when the call of duty comes along. Work on yourself and fight the sleepy fog that tries to claim your time to grow stronger.”

Sleepy fog.

“Is that why I’m always so drained?” Westley whispered.

“A challenge that was given to you. It’s not necessarily a weakness, but one you’ll have to overpower when the urge to sleep is far greater than the desire to fight. Sleeping is for resting, but too much sleep is a way to avoid doing what’s important with spare time. Find a balance that will be the best of both worlds.”

She lowered the card and moved to the next one.

“Be careful of those who wish to interfere with your life. Influences that will enter and get in your head, mapping out a vision of hope that will be so believable that you’d do anything to leap and grasp it in the palm of your hands. Believe in me when I say, it is a trap. What glitters isn’t always gold. Don’t let these influences destroy the bonds you have with those around you. If they try to do exactly that, understand that those involved are nothing but an enemy. This world is full of tests and lessons we must face and learn from. Make sure that you learn but do not face sacrifice from the consequences.”

Westley slowly nodded and Madam Lily lowered the card and looked between us.

“That is all I have for both of you. It was an honor to read some young blood, ones with promising futures. Do not fear what lies ahead. Bask in the hope of a wondrous future that is catered to your happiness.”

“Thank you, Madam Lily,” Westley answered.

“You’re very welcome. Feel free to leave a tip if you can.”

I let go of Westley’s hand to pull out my wallet, taking the amount that spoke to me and placing it on the table. The woman looked surprised, her eyes lifting to mine, which told me she could see through those white orbs.

“That is far too much,” she commented.

“A wise owl told me that generosity from the heart brings triple the blessings in return,” I said with a softened expression as I looked at her moved expression. “However, I also believe that to be warned before something happens is a blessing that deserves a large reward in return. You didn’t need to go into so much detail for us, but you did, and we’re both grateful.”

Westley bobbed his head as he’d also pulled out a bill and placed it on the counter.

“Thank you for sharing your knowledge, gifts, and guidance. We’ll remember your words and this very meeting.”

She smiled at the second part as she nodded.

“Feel free to check the store right next to us. I think a nice hair clip would be a cute little souvenir.”

“Yes,” I agreed and reached for Westley’s hand. “Let’s go check it out?”

“Okay.” His smile was more peaceful, the tension from before now gone.

“Farewell, Madam Lily,” I waved with my free hand. “I’m Alice and this is Westley. We hope to see you again.”

“Indeed, Alice. Farewell to you and Westley.”

He gave a small wave before we both walked out of the tent and entered the busy crowd.

“Wow. It sure got busy,” I pointed out.

“Ya.” Westley pulled me closer as if he didn’t want to lose track of me. “Where are we supposed to go?”

“Uh?” I looked back to where we’d come from. It was only a bunch of trees. “Hmm? Didn’t we just come from there?” I asked and pointed to the spot.

“Ya…” Westley trailed off as if he wasn’t sure.

“I swore we got a reading or something.” I tried to figure it out like I was solving a mental game. “We did have our readings done.”

“Yes, we did,” Westley confirmed. “At least…it felt like we did.”

“Are you two lost?”

We turned our heads to our right to see a tall young woman with caramel skin and black eyes. She had long white hair that was up in a ponytail with a dark purple cape that rested on her shoulders, the design almost like looking at a galaxy.

“Uh, we’re not lost,” I admitted.

“Ya. We just thought we came from a booth over there but it’s clearly not there,” Westley elaborated.

“Ah! That’s the space we call the Clearing of Entwined Pasts. They say if you go through it with your partner, you’ll receive advice from the divine plane. Think of it like walking in and getting information inputted in your brain like a whirlwind. It’s super cool, but I heard it doesn’t work for everyone.”

“Wow. That’s probably what we experienced then,” I concluded.

“That’s pretty cool and magical,” Westley complimented.

“At a festival with universal powers, it’s totally possible,” she commented and gestured over to a shiny booth with loads of items inside. “You should go check out that shop over there. They have the cutest hairpins!”

“Hairpins. Yes. I need one!” I emphasized and locked my arm around Westley’s as I leaned over to look up at him pleadingly. “Can we go check that shop please?”

“Sure.” He gave me a charming smile and even kissed me on the nose. “Didn’t you say the other day that you needed some hair ties and such to put your hair up in buns during training class?”

“Yup!” I replied. “Glad you remember. You were barely awake.”

“I’ll try to be present more often,” he assured me. We shared a loving look before looking at the woman. “Thank you.” I bowed my head slightly.

“No worries,” she replied and waved. “Maybe we’ll see each other next year,” she suggested. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I got a big tip earlier that I want to spend on some much-needed food and water. I haven’t eaten and had a pure glass of water in days.”

“Wow. Do you want us to get you anything?” I offered.

“Nah. The tip I got was more than enough,” she replied and began to walk away. “A wise woman told me that generosity from the heart brings triple the blessings in return. I bless those individuals who decided I was worthy of their time. Their kindness will protect them when they least expect it and bring triple blessings that will aid them in reaching their final destination.”

She continued to walk away as she waved farewell. “Have fun at the shop.”

We watched her disappear before I looked at Westley.

“Is it odd that I kind of get a sense of deja vu from her?” I reasoned.

“I felt it too,” he admitted. “Odd since we’ve never met her before, but who knows.”

“I think we need a day or two to really grasp what we discovered from that clearing,” I quietly confessed. He pulled me into a hug before kissing the side of my neck.

“I’ve been avoiding things for reasons I haven’t had the courage of sharing just yet, but I think we’ll have to visit the Grand Library.”

“You think we’ll get more information on well…the past?”

“Maybe, but they’re closed right now.”

“Eh. Why?”

“Someone tried to burn it down.” He frowned and shook his head. “I overheard a few students talking about it. Some gang has been going around trying to burn down specific libraries that are popular. There’s a rumor that the libraries connect to somewhere. Just don’t know where exactly.”

“When did you gather all of this information?” I inquired with an arched eyebrow.

“An hour ago?”

“I thought you were looking around?” I suggested.

“I was,” he calmly replied. “When I say I’m looking around, I’m basically looking with my eyes and listening with my ears on others’ conversations. Bad habit of mine,”

“Why do I feel as though you’re in the wrong school?” I teased. “You should have gone to spy school.”

Westley laughed. “Did you know my mom tried to call me Zephyr instead of Westley?”

“Zephyr? Isn’t that like a god name or something?”

“I’m not sure.” Westley laughed. “It’s apparently a powerful name but is associated with spies who use their calm mind, their strong sense of smell, and their confident personality to pursue justice.”

“I feel as though if I looked that up in a name book, that’s not what I would have discovered.”

Westley laughed harder. “Trust me, I believe you. I think maybe that’s why she went with Westley. But some Westley’s are known to be far too chill about life, which is probably another reason why I like to nap.”

“I question if our names truly dictate our future,” I wondered.

“Who knows,” he said. “Maybe you’ll fall down a rabbit hole.”

“No thanks. Don’t want to fall into a tornado and somehow destroy a house upon landing.”

“Sweet Alice, you’re mixing up stories.” Westley laughed even harder.

“Am I? Alice doesn’t have red sparkly shoes?”

“No!”

“Well, fudge. They need a wardrobe change because red sparkly shoes sound awesome, especially when falling down a tornado rabbit hole.”

“Let’s go to the shop.”

“You just want to move on from the conversation,” I whined.

“I do,” he truthfully said while trying not to laugh. “If we don’t, I have a feeling I’m going to lose it and everyone is going to think I’m nuts.”

“Hmph. Whatever, but this ain’t over!”

“Sure, sure.” I don’t think he cared about what I was saying as he snickered and tugged my arm.

We moved through the crowd towards the shop, the relief of the blessed information given to us feeling like the first step in the right direction.

To discover our purpose while unfolding the past.

STARRY MEETING AND DARK QUAKING CONFRONTATION

“That’s a lot of hair clips,” Westley commented as we reached the large wall of clips.

With a quiet giggle, I leaned up to kiss his cheek. “Go look around. I’ll take my time.”

“You sure?”

“Yup. I have to decide which star clip I want before the list of potential scrunchies, hair ties, and sparkly clips,” I reasoned.

“Okay. I’ll be looking around,” he concluded, realizing I really was going to take my sweet time viewing the massive wall of clip trinkets.

After a quick kiss, he was off, and I was scanning through each line of hair accessories. I couldn’t help unconsciously thinking about the experience we’d just had. I knew without a doubt we’d just experienced a reading, but at the same time, it felt like a foggy experience.

The information was fresh in my mind, but how to grasp that information was what seemed like a mystery.

There was no need to think about it too much. The opportunity of getting a reading by walking through a small clearing between two booths was more than a blessing, but I wondered if the same thing would happen next year if we got the chance to attend something like this.

With the reminder that we were given this chance due to our current excellent grades, I realized I should take advantage of the items in this store, seeing as we may not return or even see it again.

Beginning to cruise through the various lanes, I picked and tossed the chosen clips into the fabric carrying basket in my grasp. I reached an area where I analyzed the various sparkle clips that were specifically star shaped. Who knew why this particular shape was calling to me, but the various colors were making it hard for me to choose.

I could have bought every color, but did I need that many star clips? Debating on it, I gave it my concentration as I continued to scan my options.

“Alice.”

“Yes?” I answered, only to be left in confusion as another voice answered to my right.

Turning my head, my eyes locked onto a pair of black orbs. Doing a double-take, I stared at the woman with bountiful, loose curls. The orange shade of her hair was complemented with gold and even navy-blue strands. The more I concentrated, the more I could see tiny bits of white strands that twinkled beneath the lights above.

She was the same height as me. Her pale skin made those bright red lips pop. I wondered if this woman knew how radiant her aura was. Its gleaming appearance was like a glowing highlighter that flickered with spikes of vibrancy. It usually took me a bit to sense foreign auras, but hers was hard to ignore.

“Um,” I began as the woman blinked and let out a nervous giggle.

“Are you by chance named Alice?”

“Yes,” I admitted and looked over to the approaching man. He was 6′4″ with long red hair that was tied up in a ponytail and striking red eyes. His skin was pale and was accented by the black-on-black casual outfit he wore.

He seemed unamused as his eyes darted between us, and he pouted while he crossed his arms over his chest.

“Alicia. You never told me you had a secret sister.”

The woman groaned and rolled her eyes. “I do not! Stop teasing me,” she whined and looked back at me. “Sorry. My boyfriend is being a banana.”

I snickered. “A banana?”

“Totally a banana,” she emphasized.

“I’m right here,” he coldly declared.

“Sure, sure,” Alicia replied and turned her attention back to me. “My name is Alicia Midnight. My close friends call me Alice. That’s why I responded,” she revealed and bowed her head. “Never thought I’d meet someone with similar hair like me, though my professor has a similar shade. Nice to meet you.”

“Alice H. Blaze,” I introduced. “A pleasure to meet you.”

“Blaze. Wow, that surname must be common,” she declared. “Anyways, are you getting star clips?”

“Yes! They look pretty cute so I figured I’d grab a few,” I admitted.

“It’s a good idea. My professor said that these shops don’t pop up just anywhere. We’re technically supposed to be on an assignment, but sometimes you gotta balance both worlds,” she explained and gestured to the red-haired man. “This is Roxas, by the way. My boyfriend.”

He gave a slight wave, not looking very interested in general.

“Alice? Did you meet someone you know?”

We looked over to see Westley come back to me, his eyes scanning the two new arrivals. His eyes lingered on Alicia before he added, “Did you suddenly gain a sister?”

It was my turn to roll my eyes.

“No. This is Alicia Midnight.” I gestured before moving my hand to her boyfriend. “That’s Roxas, her boyfriend.”

“Hello,” Alicia greeted.

“Hey,” Westley replied with a slight smile. “Westley. Nice to meet you.”

Roxas moved to lay his hand on Alicia’s shoulder while Westley moved to wrap an arm behind my waist. The two seemed to be staring at one another, the tension fierce, like they were starting some sort of silent war.

I frowned, just like Alicia, before she glanced back at me.

“Am I missing something?”

“Nope.” I shook my head. “I can’t see why either.”

“Men.” She laughed. “Did you figure out what star clip you’re going to pick? I can help!”

“Aren’t they just based on color?” I inquired and looked at the wall.

“Oh no, they all carry a tiny bit of magic,” Alicia revealed and reached out for a red one. “See, this one has a spark of love magic. So if you used this one, your boyfriends would adore you.”

“Boyfriends? How did you know I have more than one boyfriend?” I inquired.

“Ah, I didn’t.” She cringed before a sheepish grin formed on her red lips. “It’s out of habit. I have six boyfriends.”

“Six?!” I gasped.

“Hmph. Five. That dark asshole doesn’t count,” Roxas muttered.

“Oh, c’mon! You guys get along when you drink!”

“That was one occasion. It ain’t happening again,” he huffed.

“You know when you’re drunk, it shows your true colors,” Alicia reasoned.

“That’s bullshit.”

“Sure, sure,” she brushed it off and looked back at us. “Ya, I have six boyfriends. Uh…is that weird in this universe?”

“Uh, not really?” I commented. “I mean if you’re referring to people’s opinions in general, then ya, they think it’s weird to date more than one person, but I kinda broke that with three boyfriends so I just ignore what they think of me.”

“Life is easier when you ignore other people’s opinions,” Alicia reasoned. “If they don’t have the best intentions for you, their opinion doesn’t matter. I had to learn that this year at school.”

“You’ll have better peace of mind with that mentality,” I agreed. “Plus, sometimes people are jealous you can attract more than one boyfriend.”

“I never thought about that,” she exclaimed. “No wonder why I have so many jealous female classmates. Times are hard.”

“The way you spoke earlier makes it seem like you’re not from this universe,” Westley acknowledged. I hadn’t caught onto that, but now that he reminded us, I was curious.

Alicia looked around and put her finger on her lips to signal us to not speak so loudly.

“It’s technically a secret. Our professor had to substitute for the usual universal chaperon who helps make sure those who aren’t from this universe get back. It’s also to ensure there are no problems. We’ve been dealing with some shadow gang coming into our universe.”

“Shadow gang?” I inquired.

Alicia nodded as she put the clip back and focused on us with seriousness.

“They go by different names in various universes, I believe. Some call them the Shadow Kingdom, others call it the Dark Kingdom, we call them Dark Galaxy gang, and I think you guys call it…uh…Roxas? I don’t remember what Professor B said.”

“Lock and Key gang,” Roxas revealed.

“What?” Westley inquired as he grew a little tense. “Do you guys know more about this gang?”

Roxas and Alicia exchanged a look before Alicia pouted. “Barely anything, but they’ve recently caused a lot of trouble in Professor B’s life. We don’t quite understand why they’re coming into our universe to cause trouble, but we got a tip that they would try to retrieve something valuable from this universe. I wasn’t able to predict what it was when I tried to look deeper into it, but it’s something powerful and ancient. These booths include many travelers that come from various universes, so it’s a spot that can easily be attacked if you’re not careful.”

“It’s a bold move though,” Roxas grumbled, looking dissatisfied with the mere idea. “If they want to risk stealing from universal events like these, it not only puts a bounty on their heads in this universe, but in other universes as well.”

“Do you know about them?” Alicia asked specifically to Westley, who frowned and looked at me. I was confused, giving him a ‘what’s the matter’ look. He slowly nodded and returned his stare to Roxas and Alicia.

“Recently, Alice was to be killed by an assassin, but they were set up. The problem is, they had a tattoo that resembled a lock with a key about to enter into it. That could potentially mean this gang was the one hired to try and kill Alice,” he summarized.

Roxas lifted his hand to stroke his chin as he thought about it.

“They are sort of an assassination gang. They aren’t something typical, meaning, they don’t look into how they’re assigned to kill. However, we’ve been looking them up with our own Dark Galaxy problem and we noticed that they’re more of a cult organization that doesn’t give those who join enough info of what they’re supposed to do.”

“Meaning they don’t fully grasp just how bad the gang is,” I assumed.

“Essentially. A lot of innocent students joined recently because they wished to get a certain drug and had to join and go through this initiation where they apply a tattoo on your body. It’s usually behind the ear or on the wrist.”

“Behind the ear…I think someone had that,” I admitted, but my memory couldn’t lock on exactly who it was. “I can’t recall their name.”

“I’d look into it on your end. We’re going on information being gathered by our professor. We haven’t been able to get deeper into it due to time constraints,” Roxas acknowledged.

“We actually should go soon,” Alicia noted. “We promised to return a bit earlier before midnight so our professor could visit someone important here. Don’t want to delay.”

“Thank you for sharing,” I thanked, secretly wishing we could be friends. I didn’t know what being friends from different universes could be like.

Would phones even work?

Roxas looked at Alicia before he sighed at the same time as Westley, who was looking at me.

“What?” Alicia and I asked together.

“If you guys want to be friends,” Roxas began, followed by Westley, “Why don’t you just exchange numbers.”

“Oh,” we repeated and looked at one another.

“Would that work?” I asked.

“Ya. Would that even work?”

“You won’t know until you try,” Roxas concluded. “Besides, you have to work on your star magic more so maybe we can stop by once in a while.”

“R-Really?!” Alicia shrieked and stared up at him with large eyes that began to glow. It was like her eyes had suddenly shifted to the sky, tiny twinkling lights beginning to form in those black orbs.

“Y-Y-Yes! Jeez. Why are you so damn happy? Lower your magic. Your eyes are being all mystical and such,” Roxas whined.

“This is awesome,” Alicia cheered and looked at us. “I don’t really have female friends,” she admitted. “But we can try phone calls! Our universe is slightly complicated because someone has to summon you before you can arrive here.”

“Summon?” Westley inquired.

“Ya. So for us to arrive here, our professor had to go through a special gate. We’re not allowed to go through it since it’s vigorous magic-wise and if you’re not powerful enough, it’ll essentially kill you. She’s super strong though so it was a breeze for her. Then she had to summon us to come here.”

“Does that mean when you’re going back, she has to go through first?” I clarified.

“Yup. Then she’ll call us back.”

“Wow. That’s complicated,” Westley admitted.

“It is. That’s why we want to get back a bit early, so our professor will have enough energy to return once more to see her family.”

“That’s nice of you guys,” I whispered with a smile.

“She deserves it. I think she only stays to teach us because we genuinely need her. The other professor at our school didn’t want to train our group. Kind of like we were outcasts, which is pretty interesting when other students have similar powers to us. If it weren’t for her, we would have been kicked out,” Alice explained.

“Seriously? That’s horrible,” I gasped.

“Yup. It was a real pain in the rear, but our headmaster said as long as we have a professor to teach us, we’ll be able to continue. We’re first years and the school has really helped us. We wouldn’t get to come to check out a carnival in a different universe and meet you guys if it wasn’t for her.”

“Then you best be on your way,” Westley encouraged.

“Let’s exchange numbers and uh…why don’t we get matching clips? Maybe that can help us somehow if we ever want to see each other again through this summoning method or whatever.”

“Okay!” Alicia cheered, and we quickly exchanged numbers. The guys moved away to give us space as we figured out which clips we wanted before picking matching ones.

“This one is perfect!” Alicia declared and presented the bling star clip that had multiple colored stones. “This clip encourages unity and gives you a boost of light in dark times. It’ll be perfect since we’re fighting against some dark, sketchy organizations. I’m sorry someone tried to kill you.”

“That’s not your fault,” I acknowledged.

“Yes, but I still feel bad. Life is precious, just like each twinkling star in the sky. They try to say the light of stars are ones that are already dead and losing their lights, but they couldn’t be further from the truth. Each star has a burst of light that they shine outward to give those all around the galaxy hope. That’s why some people wish on a shooting star and it comes true.”

“You know a lot about stars.”

“Not too much, but it is my magic specialty.”

“It sounds rare,” I admitted.

“It is. Haven’t found anyone else who can do it. I think I accidentally screwed something up in a book, but I’m gonna try to fix it.” She nervously giggled. “Shh. No one knows that yet.”

“Your secret is safe with me.” I laughed.

We headed to the cashier and waited for our stuff to be bagged.

“Let’s wear our clips now?” Alicia suggested.

“Sure,” I agreed and noticed Westley and Roxas were back.

Westley looked closer at the clip I held. “It’s nice,” he complimented. “Good choice.”

“Thank you,” I whispered, and he took the clip to help me put it in my hair.

“Roxas! Help me,” Alicia whined.

“Why? Get Aaron to do it. I’m tired.”

“I’ll turn you into a bunny right here and now if you don’t,” Alicia dryly said.

Roxas flinched and gave her a conflicted look. “You can’t be threatening me!”

“Hmm? Why not? Rome said I could, and you’d listen.”

“Don’t listen to Rome! He’s an ass!”

“He’d help put my clip in my hair,” Alicia dryly muttered and Roxas groaned.

“Fine, fine! Ugh.”

“That’s what you get for winning Rock-Paper-Scissors, so you could come with me.” Alicia laughed. He finished before the cashier clapped her hands.

“All done. Everything has been sent to your designated dorm and universe. Thanks for shopping with us.”

“We didn’t pay,” Alicia and I said in unison.

“We paid already,” Westley announced and Roxas nodded.

“Paid for. Let’s go.”

Alicia and I shared a look before we were smiling from ear to ear.

“Thank you,” we cheered as we exited the shop.

The ground suddenly shook, enough that I lost my balance and Westley had to catch me. The bag that carried the empty box for my necklace fell to the floor, but the ground continued to shake as if we were experiencing an earthquake.

“What’s happening?” Westley questioned. “This isn’t a normal earthquake!”

“Dark tremors!” Roxas shouted over the screams before he crawled over with Alicia to huddle with us. “We’ve got to make a barrier! Fast!”

“Got it!” Westley declared and lifted his free hand. He closed his eyes. The incantations he’d been hiding from sight on his hands began to reveal themselves. His magic gushed out in waves while his hair began to levitate and shift to silver with teal tips.

“PROTADORAY!” The shortened spell worked just in time as flames of silver and teal wrapped around us and created a platform beneath us as the ground began to crack in random directions.

The screams around us grew louder, shrill shrieks and “No!” being some students’ last word as they fell into the open cracks. I tried to focus on my breathing while my eyes fought to take in everything and see if there was some sort of culprit.

I noticed someone running directly our way, but one look told me they weren’t an ally in the slightest. They wore a black cloak to hide their face, but their eyes were specifically on the bag that contained the necklace box.

Don’t tell me they’re doing all of this for the necklace?

Alicia must have caught onto what I was staring at. “Is that important?!” she asked over the wind.

“Yes and no,” I admitted. “I have the possession on me, but that box is still important!”

She nodded and closed her eyes, her hands pressed together before she took a deep inhale and let it out.

“Align the fates of the stars. Replicate what is valuable and replace it with what’s a decoy. Reveal who wishes to be our enemy. Starcanda La Rose!”

Her hands began to spread out, and my eyes widened as I saw the mini map of constellations twinkling in between the palms of her hands. Their movements were swift as if she were altering one’s destiny, and suddenly the ground beneath the approaching threat shot upward, raising him with its sudden movement.

“Shit!”

We could hear the person curse, the deepness of the sound immediately informing us that it was a male. It had some sort of familiarity to it, and from the way Westley’s head moved to view the culprit, we both recognized it.

“You don’t think that’s-” I began but Westley answered.

“Rick. That’s definitely his voice.”

“Well, don’t need to worry about that for now,” Roxas pointed out and we looked to see he had the very bag with the necklace box.

“What the?” I began to question and returned my gaze to see the box within the prize gift bag was still there.

“I don’t get it,” Westley huffed. “How?”

“Alice’s spell and a bit of fast speed. Distractions help quite a bit if you ask me.” He then closed his eyes and the box suddenly started to shrink until it was tiny enough to pop into a pocket. “There.” He tossed it to me and I caught it. “Pop it in your pocket and let’s pretend to chase after him.”

“You’re not serious?” I questioned.

“If we chase after him, he’ll believe he got the real thing. Activating our magic must have notified our professor, just as it must have notified whoever is supervising you guys, correct?”

“That…makes sense!” I reasoned, remembering that Dad was substituting to supervise. “Let’s do it then!”

“Perfect timing,” Alicia muttered as she struggled to keep the grid of stars together. “Can’t hold this any longer. Someone’s interfering.”

“Let go, Alicia,” Roxas encouraged. “Let’s do what we practiced.”

Alicia nodded and allowed the grid to fade, which made the pillar of earth crack and shatter like it couldn’t handle Rick’s weight. He fell swiftly to the floor, but someone flew in to save him. I knew who the person was almost immediately as Westley canceled his spell, which broke the protection barrier around us.

“That was definitely Madeline,” I voiced as we got up just as Rick landed on the floor and jolted forward to grab the bag. He snatched it and quickly turned around.

“RICK!” I snapped and he instinctively looked back to meet my eyes before he cursed.

He fell into my trap. Now we know for sure it’s him.

The snap of a shutter caught all of our attention, and we looked to our right to see Dad casually standing there like the world wasn’t ending beneath our feet. He lowered the camera before he met my astonished gaze.

“Got a pretty good shot,” he commented. “Now, what’s in the bag?”

“The grand prize from the treadmill booth!” I stressed and pointed at Rick a second before he was racing away.

“After him!” Alicia declared as her whole body began to glow. Her red dress fluttered upward as her legs began to glow with markings. Roxas’s body was completely submerged in light until the sound of a horse screeching in power followed with the image of a large black horse with red eyes.

“D-Did her boyfriend just turn into a horse?” I questioned as Westley looked over at me.

“Yes, but please don’t do that to me,” he pleaded.

“Hurry up! He’s heading towards the open barrier wall! He’ll be able to escape if we don’t catch him!” she stressed and winked.

I knew from the playful glint in her black eyes that we we’re just playing, but the sudden urge to follow along with such grace reminded me of an image of a woman on a blazing horse with a mask.

There are no limits to any conquest you wish to overcome, but you must believe in yourself. Even if the world has constantly tried to label you as insane and unwanted.

Those wise words drifted into my mind and were what encouraged me to try something I’d never done before. I imagined it, my flames beginning to spark into existence as they rushed to wrap around me and Westley.

He watched in silence, which was appreciated because I needed all my concentration to be on the image before me.

Please. Come to fruition.

I was doing this with no magic incantation, which could have been rightfully impossible, but I wasn’t going to limit myself at this very moment.

I will succeed!

“NEIGH!”

The gasp that left Westley’s lips urged me to open my eyes to see my swift creation. A horse of orange, gold, and red flames stood before us, stomping its feet in impatience as its blazing gold eyes turned their attention to mine that burned with just as much intensity.

“Thank goodness,” I praised and slowly nodded. “We need to chase after the thief!”

“Neigh!” it replied and waited for us to hop on. Westley offered his hand to me, and I took it without question before he helped me right up.

I worried that there was no saddle, but before my butt could land on the flaming horse’s skin, a cool saddle of black emerged. Westley pushed off the ground and landed behind me, his arms wrapping around my waist as I took the reins and looked over to Dad, who was literally taking pictures of the whole thing.

“Dad!”

“Chambers! This isn’t the time to be caught up in parenting!” Westley scolded.

“Right, right.” He didn’t sound like he even cared. “One more pose! Or three.”

I groaned and focused on what was before me.

“Let’s do this! Flaming Horse, aid us in tracking down Rick!”

“NEIGH!” It let out a battle cry as it lifted its two front hoofs before stomping forward and leaving Dad in a stream of flames and smoke. I could hear him coughing, which made me smirk a little, but our focus was now on catching up.

My flaming horse moved at an exceptional speed, and within less than a minute, we were reaching Alicia’s side as she was on Rick’s heels.

Rick was now running with another person, which had to be Madeline from before. The two of them were running for their lives as we began to catch up.

“We need to catch them,” I stressed, but knew I wouldn’t be useful while directing.

“I can try,” Westley declared. “Try to remain on a steady path.”

“Okay!” I replied and felt him move his arms from my waist.

“What in the world are you doing?!” Alicia called out to Westley, leaving me no choice but to check to see what he was attempting. He was balancing himself on the saddle as his eyes were closed and his brows furrowed in concentration.

He extended one arm forward and we watched as teal gusts of visible wind began to swirl around his hand. Dark flames ignited and started taking the shape of a bow. A gold arrow began to materialize in his other hand, and he prepared to launch it upward.

“Catch the enemy that runs free. Capture them and deliver justice! ARRANDO VE LEY!”

He let go of the arrow, its burning body flowing into the air before we watched in shock as it began to multiply. Two arrows became four, then eight, sixteen, and soon there were so many arrows that were based on the four flaming traits that it really dawned on me.

Westley has all four flaming traits…like me.

The arrows began to litter the grassy ground, each designated arrow exploding into its specific element. Bursts of flames, shocks of Holy Thunder, mini tornadoes, and whiplashes of dark energy flooded the ground as we approached.

Westley dropped back down into a sitting position, wrapping his arms around my waist in time for us to increase our speed.

A scream hit the air, Madeline being struck by a Holy Thunder arrow that landed her face-first into the ground. Rick didn’t even slow down. In fact, he ran faster, like he was in a sprinting competition.

We noticed the beginning swirl of energy at what looked to be a fence; a portal of black that was growing bigger by the second.

“Dammit!” I cursed, realizing he was about to get away, but Alicia began to giggle and slow Roxas down. I followed suit until we stopped only a few feet from Madeline, who was clearly unconscious.

“Why are you laughing, Alicia?” I questioned.

“That’s not the portal he thinks it is,” she announced.

“What?” I answered and moved my attention to the portal. Rick launched himself into it, and it closed a few seconds later before it revealed a cloaked individual.

“Looks like our professor is here,” Alicia announced and dismounted off of Roxas. His body began to glow until he was standing there - naked.

Westley moved his hands to cover my eyes, which made me groan, but my attention returned to the person standing where the swirling portal had been. I had to spread Westley’s fingers a little further to get a better glimpse, but the figure of the person in the silky red fabric tugged at every heartstring within me.

It can’t be…

Westley moved his hands away from my face before he dismounted and offered his hand. He must have noticed my shock as he whispered, “Alice? What’s wrong?”

I didn’t realize my hands cracked the reins, making my flaming horse rush forward.

“Alice?!” Westley called out with Alicia, but I was long gone and approaching the cloaked individual at full speed.

They turned around as I got closer, a different portal opening up that was of a mystical blend of gold and red. I knew if they walked through it, I wouldn’t be able to confront them.

Gathering as much air as I could, I shouted loud and clear.

“MOM!”

They stopped mid-stride, a step from entering the portal, before their head moved back as my flaming horse was only a few steps away. The horse began to extinguish itself, but I was hopping right off and racing towards the woman I knew without a doubt was my mom.

They turned to give me their full attention, the portal behind them suddenly fading to a close. Relief sparked through me until I was crashing into the person who opened their arms at the last second.

We fell to the floor, my impact and speed the main cause of her losing balance, but I didn’t care as I squeezed tightly.

“Mom!”

I pulled back as the red hood fell back, revealing those red gems that were identical to mine and dark orange locks with hints of gold and red.

Red lips curled up in loving appreciation as those eyes took in my panting appearance. I was frightened to hear her response, but when she spoke, tears surfaced in my wide eyes.

“He always said my child would be the one to jump in and try to save a nation.” She shook her head and reached out to stroke my head as tears formed in her eyes. “Hey, sweet darling.”

She struggled to speak as she whispered, “Do…you hate her for being gone?”

The words triggered the very memory from long ago, my tears spilling down my flushed cheeks as I shook my head wildly and gave her the best smile I could muster.

“No. I don’t hate her. Mommy had me. That means she loves me. I miss her…but I hope when I’m older and can be a superhero, I’ll find her and tell her that I love her,” I repeated the very words from long ago, and I whispered, “So now is the moment I’ve found her so I can say what I’ve always wished to tell her. I love you, Mom. Thank you for birthing me.”

Tears fell from her eyes as she pulled me in a tight hug.

“Alice,” she whispered into my shoulder. “I’m sorry. So much to tell you.”

There was a buzzing noise before a female spoke, “Liz? We need you through the portal! You have to summon the kids before they put the barriers back up! Hurry! Quick! We already have the culprit who tried to steal the necklace in custody.”

We pulled back and Mom looked at me with sad eyes.

I reached into my pocket and quickly pulled out the set of photos and placed it in her hand.

“I know the truth,” I whispered, which made her eyes widen. “Violet’s dead, Henry’s been arrested and charged. Dad got all the money back and he’s not being threatened anymore. The town knows the truth and can’t use anything against you guys anymore. You can come home, Mom.”

She looked so conflicted, her eyes moving from mine just temporarily to where Alicia and Roxas stood. I followed her gaze and understood.

She can’t stay or Alicia and her boyfriends will be forced to stop school.

“Don’t come back until you can,” I urged and caught her attention as another spinning portal began to form right behind her. “I understand and will wait for the day you can come again and visit. Just know I love you. Dad’s still madly in love with you. We’re proud and thankful for your sacrifices, and we’ll see each other again.”

I hugged her quickly before I moved back and rose up. She rose up and outstretched her hand. I moved mine to press against hers as her eyes stared down at me with immense love.

“I love you, too, Alice. More than the world. I’ll return when I can, and then we can talk about everything.”

I bobbed my head in understanding before I had to force myself to pull back my hand and take a few steps back as the sucking of the portal grew stronger. It did nothing against Mom as she stared at me with longing before her eyes caught onto someone behind me.

I followed her gaze, and there was Dad - totally out of breath with his shocked eyes that were on Mom. “Liz.” His voice was barely audible with the whiplashing wind, but I looked back to see Mom’s smile as she pressed the photo against her chest and mouthed, “I love you.”

She gave one final glance at me and I made sure to stand tall with power. I’d promised her I’d become a superhero that would protect people, and funny enough I’d turned into someone who wished to help those who were innocent and deserved justice. I was nowhere near what I wished to achieve, but I was on the path to becoming someone great, and she finally got to see what I’d grown up to be.

I survived the various words and actions of hate that fought to bring me down.

I’d earned this moment, to see my Mom after all the years and be able to stand here with enough strength to let her go and aid those she was responsible for. She had a role to fulfill, just like me, in whatever growing prophecy was brewing in my path.

We’ll meet again. I know we will.

“Bye, Mom.”

“Bye, Alice. My sweet darling,” she quietly declared before she turned around and walked straight through the portal.

The spinning vortex began to fade, and I turned around to see Westley, Alicia, and Roxas approaching. Westley reached me with ease, but I noticed Alicia and Roxas slowed until they were a few steps away from us.

Their bodies began to twinkle - their shoes began to fade in a motion that crept upward.

“We’re being summoned back,” Roxas confirmed and reached for Alicia’s hand. She grabbed it and they seemed to hold onto one another tightly before Alicia’s eyes met mine.

One look told me she knew who her professor was to me, and the raw relief and slight sadness that twinkled in her eyes was followed with, “Thank you. We’ll find a way to bring her back so you can have a true reunion,” she vowed as her and Roxas’s bodies were mostly faded…except their heads.

“Thanks for the fun,” Roxas mumbled.

“We’ll meet again, Alice and Westley! We’re friends now. Universal…friends!” Alicia’s voice was fading away as their last bit of essence began to twinkle.

“Bye!” they said together before they were officially gone.

Their departure left our surroundings in pure silence.

I reached over for Westley’s hand as I took in the lingering destruction all around us.

“I guess we won?” I quietly suggested as I turned my head to meet his worried gaze. My tears fell but my smile was genuine as I took it all in. “We protected the necklace, found out we’ve lived before and are connected to one another, met Alicia and Roxas from another world, discovered that Rick and Madeline are a part of Lock and Key, and I somehow met my mom after twelve years,” I summarized. “I should be happy…but why am I crying?”

Westley tugged me into his side before his arms wrapped around me in a tight embrace.

“It’s okay to shed happy tears,” he whispered. “That’s what happens when you’re proud of becoming the person many people thought you’d never achieve. If you listened to all those who told you to quit, this moment wouldn’t have happened where your mom could see how beautiful, talented, and compassionate her only daughter has become. Now she knows the truth of what happened here and can plan out a way to return for a longer period of time.”

He kissed the top of my head and I looked up to view into his ocean eyes.

“I’m proud of you, Alice. Good work.”

His words of praise meant a lot to me, and I nodded in understanding before we hugged once again.

This dark, quaking confrontation ended up being a happy ending.

CONNECT THE DOTS REGARDING OUR POWER

“Damon!” I exclaimed as I opened the door.

The poor man in question almost spilled his cup of tea as he slowly turned his head to the door while his expression somehow remained neutral.

“What?”

“Where are the others?” I inquired as I closed the door and flicked the switch that turned on the protective magical walls.

Damon lowered his cup of coffee and cleared his throat. “Gabe is taking an extra lesson on something. Kirby went to work out. West is napping in the room down the hall. Clara had to go take a shift at the family business since her sister is sick.”

“Gabe? Kirby? West? Why are you using their nicknames? Actually, Westley doesn’t even go by any nickname, let alone West,” I pointed out.

“Hmph. It gets on their nerves. Just the way I like it.”

“You’re one intriguing person,” I commented as I put my bag down and skipped over to take the last candy apple from the container.

“That’s mine,” he pouted.

“I’ll eat half,” I suggested with a hopeful smile.

He merely stared at me before his eyes rolled. “Have it.”

“Thank you,” I hummed. “Though I’ll still cut it in half,” I pointed out before walking over to the mini kitchen to get two plates and a knife.

“Why did you call me so loudly when coming here?” he inquired.

“Ah, yes.” I paused in getting the knife to peer over my shoulder to see his curious expression. “Do we have any updates on what we’ve been researching the last few weeks since the Carnival incident?” Grabbing the knife to lay on the two white plates, I headed to the table where he sat. He ended up getting up to pull out the chair for me.

“Thanks.”

“No problem,” he calmly replied and lowered back into his seat. Moving his steaming cup of tea to the side, he pulled out his tablet from his black bag and laid it upon the table before pulling up his note app.

“As of now, nothing much on the Lock and Key gang. So far, Rick has been charged for attempting to steal the necklace, which is obviously in your possession, but that information has been disclosed only to certain personnel within this universe and the other that he infiltrated. He won’t be brought back here until exam week. He’s already been suspended from Blazing Academy and once he receives the punishments that the justice system will deliver, he’ll be transported to one of the magic jails versus one of the human prisons. They don’t trust the human prisons enough to keep him from escaping.”

“You think he’d be able to escape?” I inquired as I lowered the apple to the plate and crossed my arms to give Damon my full attention.

“If you want my honest opinion, yes. Not on his own, obviously, but from what I’ve learned overall about Lock and Key, they seem to be a rather big organization.”

“You make it sound as if they’re the mafia,” I pointed out.

“They’re far worse than that. They have a lot of connections, not only in this universe. I think they’re located all over but go by different titles.”

“Ya. Some say they’re the Shadow Organization or the Dark Kingdom. I feel like it’s usually something associated with darkness, so why Lock and Key?”

“You’ve heard the expression ‘lock and throw away the key’? It basically means once you dedicate yourself to their organization, your locked in stone and won’t be able to come out.”

I reached for the knife and steadied the apple as I began to cut our slices.

“How were you able to get so much information about that when they’re so mysterious and more dangerous than the mafia?” I inquired.

He took a minute to reply, his eyes watching me cut the apple.

“My brother is a part of Lock and Key,” he revealed.

“What?!” My shriek was followed with a hiss as I cut my hand. Dropping the knife and pulling my hand back in time for the blood to miss the plate, I stared at the cut with a frown.

“I swore my clumsy days were over,” I muttered to myself.

Damon sighed and reached out for my hand to quickly inspect it. “It’s not too deep. Let’s wash it out.”

He got up and tugged me out of my seat and down to the bathroom where I quickly washed the cut.

“You could just heal it, you know,” he offered as he watched me continue to wash it under cold water.

“I agree with you, but with exams next week, I don’t want to waste unnecessary magic. That’s why we’re given this week to rest, right?”

CloverSpell had stressed the importance of taking this week off from all spell work. No flaming magic, including the tiny spells that probably didn’t cost much. It left me a little worried about what was to come with the exam ahead.

After the mishap from last semester, I think everyone was on their toes, waiting for something to go wrong. We had to hope that this semester would go smoothly. So far, the only thing we knew was that we’d be going from 4000 students to 3000, which was questionable.

It meant that we all had to push hard to remain at the top, or at least ensure our marks were high enough to avoid the cutting block. I wasn’t worried about any of us getting low grades. With our current scores, we would all maintain our current ranks, but who knew what could become a new obstacle in our stride towards reaching our second year.

“True,” he finally replied to my statement as he stopped the running water and inspected the cut to make sure it wasn’t bleeding any more. “Though, I don’t think we’re going to have a magic exam.”

“You don’t?”

“I overheard CloverSpell and Professor Daily talking about canceling the magic portion of the exams. They’re concerned with the recent altercation with Lock and Key that they may plot against those who survived the incident.”

“Meaning us,” I concluded.

“Essentially,” he replied and let go of my hand to retrieve the tiny pink first aid kit Clara had bought for us at the beginning of the semester. We didn’t expect we’d use it seeing as we had Gabriel, Clara, myself, and even Westley with Holy Thunder elements that could aid us in healing small wounds, but now it seemed a little handy.

Don’t want to use magic and suddenly get penalized for it.

Taking out a pink bandage with tiny flame doodles on it, he reached for my hand and inspected my finger one more time before wrapping the bandage around it like he’d just completed an operation.

“Why do I feel as though you should have been a doctor?” I mumbled.

“If Blazing Academy didn’t work out, I was aiming to become one,” he replied back. “There you go. The bandage has healing properties that will heal the spot in a few hours.”

“Damn. I never knew that existed.” My eyes couldn’t help but stare at the cute bandage that could heal me up in a few hours. “Handy.”

Damon nodded and began putting the supplies back in the box.

“Getting back to your brother,” I prompted. “Is he currently a part of their crew? If he is, how is he attending Blazing, and if he isn’t with them anymore, how is he alive, period?”

“My brother graduated from Blazing already. He helps with the Elite Gifted programs and continuing education for those who want a really high paying position in the realms of magic. He was just at the ice cream shop since everyone was talking about it. He automatically gets VIP access for everything because of his position.”

“He teaches?” I questioned, a little shocked by the news.

“Ya. He looks like a gothic jerk but once you get him in front of a classroom, common sense suddenly flows right in,” Damon summarized.

“That sounds horrible coming from you,” I admitted.

“The truth hurts sometimes,” he replied and put the first aid kit back. “As for how he’s able to teach after being in that organization…it’s because he died. Kind of.”

“W-What?” I was totally confused. “How could he kinda die? He’s clearly not dead.”

“He tried to get out of their organization when they tried to target me,” he revealed and leaned against the glass door. I lifted myself onto the sink counter, totally intrigued with his story as he continued.

“They basically said either they get me into the organization or its game over. I had no clue that Madeline or Rick was a part of it. I didn’t notice their tattoos behind their ears, so maybe they hid them with makeup or something. I’m not even sure Eliza’s in there, too, but with the new details that came from the carnival, it’s highly possible. They could have been trying to make it so that all four of the Blazing Horsemen entered Blazing Academy for some sort of underlying purpose, but my brother refused. He couldn’t understand why they specifically wanted me and not my sister, who’s rather lethal in all areas. It just made sense for them to be interested in her instead of me, but they continued to stress that I had to be brought in.”

“So he refused,” I confirmed.

“Ya, and it cost him his life. He was set up to do something that went south, and he had no way out. The place was shot up by agents before they realized he was inside, and he basically died.”

“Then…how is he alive?” I questioned with a worried look.

“My sister got there in time and completed a really strong spell. It’s one of those spells that you have to be gifted to complete or it kills you. She may have found it in one of those ancient spell books in the Grand Library, but she was able to revive him from the dead.”

“Wouldn’t something like that…” I shivered as the words fell short, but Damon finished it for me, “Require sacrifice?”

“Ya,” I whispered.

My sacrifice ended up being Violet, when I thought about it, but that was the reason why we discovered the truth, to begin with.

“My sister lost a year of her life, basically. She was in a coma. She had to take six months of physical therapy before she was able to function normally again, but it took her a while to return to her normal flame usage,” he elaborated. “However, since my brother was dead for such a long period of time, the magic used to bind him to the organization vanished. They make it so that if you die, they’re unable to trace you back to them. The tattoo disappears so there’s no trace of their connection, unless you have the ability to see lingering magic tattoos. It’s really hard to get a hit on this organization since everything is encrypted. That’s why they’ve lasted so long, but this move at the carnival was messy,”

“Messy as if it wasn’t ordered by the organization itself?”

“Doesn’t look like a well-thought-out plan. Why would they wait for Keru to win the prize, have you claim the prize, and then let you have all that time after to walk around? If they truly wanted that prize, they could have easily taken it before the carnival began and no one would have noticed until it was won.”

“You think Rick, Madeline, and potentially Eliza initiated the plan thinking they were doing the organization a favor but failed.”

“Exactly what I think. Only now we have to wait and see if they’re going to drop them like flies or try to bail them out.”

“Why didn’t they come after your brother when he survived?”

“Couldn’t. The moment that lock and key tattoo is gone, he’s immune. They can’t hunt him down or anything. So he’s not only lucky, but he proved there’s a chance of getting out of their organization. Through death, though of course not everyone survives dying and lives to tell the tale.”

“I guess we’ll have to wait till Rick is brought back here,” I concluded.

“We won’t be able to interfere much, but we can share our information with your dad. He’s assisting with the case.”

“That sounds like a good plan. I have one more question though.”

“What?”

“Why weren’t you interested in joining Lock and Key?”

“I like being in control, meaning having the ability to change sides if I believe one way may turn into a horrible conclusion. Being locked into an organization like that is like selling my soul to the devil. They would rule how I run my own world, and I hate taking orders from someone I don’t respect.”

“But you take orders from me when I ask?” I pointed out.

“That’s only because I respect you,” he muttered. “Rick tried to paint you black and blue before you even settled into this school. Even my brother believed it until my sister had to whack some sense into him. You don’t allow what people think of you stop that determination you have to become better and reach your own goals. That’s something that deserves to be acknowledged and respected. You also don’t really order me. You ask politely and always mention to do it within my own timeline unless the situation needs to be done ASAP. I can handle that.”

“This is the most talking you’ve ever done this whole semester,” I noted.

“I don’t mind talking.” He shrugged. “I just don’t talk because everyone assumes I don’t. When you have a resting boredom face, the world thinks you want nothing but to be by yourself, when in reality, you wish to be included instead of left in hidden solitude.”

“Damon…” I looked at him as he shrugged and slid his hands in his pockets.

“It’s not a big deal. I’m used to being alone. I didn’t do anything but council stuff with the others. You know, just for show. They banned me from this place actually.”

“Seriously?!” I snapped.

“Ya. I didn’t really care. Who wants to be in a luxurious council room with bad company? It’s a good thing they don’t show us our true luxuries until we last a full term as a Horseman.”

“Meaning we haven’t seen anything yet, have we?”

“Nope,” he assured me. “This is just the icing on the cake. That’s the feeling I get.”

“You know you’re our friend, too, right?”

He stared at me, actually looking confused.

“No I’m not. I’m just an assistant.”

“Says who?” I argued.

“No one,” he mumbled. “I just assumed you guys are friendly because of my role.”

“Not at all. You’re our friend. We say hi and goodbye, whether we’re in here or out in the halls. If we’re in the cafeteria you sit with us, and you eventually started responding to the group chat when Keru bugs you long enough. I think we all can agree that you’re not just an assistant. You’re our friend and we respect your opinion and participation.”

“It feels weird to be accepted,” he quietly confessed as he looked away.

“Get used to it, since it looks like we’ll be spending another semester together,” I declared. He actually smiled just slightly before the door opened and he fell back.

“Gah!” He crashed right into Westley, who caught him. His half-asleep expression slowly lowered to Damon before he pouted.

“Nightmare before Christmas.”

Then he dropped him to the floor.

“Ow!” Damon exclaimed while Westley walked into the washroom and closed the door. He walked right past me and straight to the toilet.

“Uh…Westley?” He didn’t even acknowledge me as he began to unbutton his uniform pants and undid his zipper.

Are you serious?!

I covered my face with my hands as he literally began to pee in the toilet. My curiosity was killing me, enough that I spread my fingers just slightly to see his long length.

H-H-HOW is it that BIG? That can’t be real. No way. This has to be a dream. O.M.G. I have to stop snooping!

I closed the space in my fingers and waited for the flushing sound, followed by the zipping of his pants before I lowered my hands as he walked to the sink that was next to me and washed his hands. It wasn’t until he looked over for the towel that he finally noticed me.

“Hmm?” He stared at me for ten seconds before he moved and hugged me. “Alice towel.”

“Gah! Westley?! I’m not a damn towel. Stop drying your hands on my back!” I whined. He didn’t seem to care as he fell right asleep on my shoulder.

“Westley? Westley?!”

Damon opened the door to look at my predicament before he shook his head. “Why did Gabriel warn me about Keru sleep walking when Westley’s worse?”

He walked over and poked Westley’s cheek, but he was out cold.

“Annoying,” he muttered, but helped move Westley off of me before he began dragging him towards the hall.

“Isn’t he heavy? I can help!”

“I’ll be fine,” he reasoned. “Rest your finger,” he encouraged.

I watched him walk away, but our talk made me want to work hard to include Damon in more things.

All this time, I’ve always wondered if he’s lonely.

Sliding off the sink, I looked into the mirror and noticed the slight height difference. “Hmm. Did I get taller?” I pondered but shrugged. “No time to worry about that. We have to connect the dots regarding the power we have against this new opponent. We may have discovered who they are, but we have to stay in the advantage lane.”

I nodded to myself.

Connect the dots that will empower us to fight against the blazing darkness.

BURNING HORSEMEN

“That was far too easy to be a written exam,” I muttered under my breath, returning the pen we were required to use in the designated USED section.

Walking out of the exam room, I realized I was one of the first ones to finish. Easy didn’t even describe just how swiftly the three-hour exam was. I didn’t reach thirty minutes before I hit the last set of questions and was able to go through the entire test once before rising up to submit the bulky package of papers.

It gave me a suspicious feeling, even though the room was heavily guarded with security to ensure we were safe.

The majority of us had our exam today, while the second chunk of students had their exam tomorrow. Out of our group, only Clara was assigned to tomorrow’s exam, which was why she was down at the restaurant helping her sister prepare for an early opening.

Since the exam would be done in two and a half hours, she and her sister were going to help lighten the load on their parents, who were fetching more food for tonight. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was going to be a full house tonight with our group celebrating in relief of finishing the exams.

It was announced before our written exam that there would be no magic exam, just like Damon predicted, which was relieving in the moment, but I only grew more anxious, like something would pop out of nowhere and strike us.

From the tension in the exam room, I felt like I wasn’t the only one worrying about it.

My eyes noticed Damon leaning against the wall, his head lifting to look in my direction. As I approached him, he pushed off the wall and slipped his hands into his pockets.

“You finished just as early,” I commented.

“The exam was a joke,” he replied.

“At least I’m not the only one who thought so,” I admitted and looked back at the door. “Why were you waiting?”

“Figured you’d be done early,” he commented and pulled out his phone to check his messages.

“Why do I feel as though that’s your way of waiting for me?” I concluded.

He didn’t say anything, but his cheeks slightly blushed before he muttered. “I wasn’t waiting for you.”

“You’re contradicting yourself.” I quietly giggled. “Were you waiting for Gabriel?”

“No,” he flat-out declared, but his cheeks only grew redder.

“Okay, sure,” I drawled out and smirked as he actually pouted his lips in annoyance.

Actually, it makes him look so cute.

“Hmm?” He frowned before lifting his head to me. “Clara’s asking if we can go to her locker and get her spare bag. She said she spilled oil on her outfit so she needs to change.”

“Sure. Tell her we’ll get it for her,” I suggested as we both moved to head to the lockers. “We barely use those.”

“Doesn’t seem worth using them unless it’s to leave spare clothes. Having the Blazing Horsemen room makes life easier and more secure,” Damon acknowledged. I nodded in agreement, and we continued to head down the quiet hall until we were at Clara’s locker.

“Do you know the code?” Damon asked.

“Yup. She told me just in case I needed a snack to eat. She reserves juice boxes and snacks in her locker,” I explained. “I figured she hasn’t been to it in a few weeks since we basically eat in the other-”

My words were cut off as I opened the door and folded pieces of paper came whirling out of rectangular metal box.

Damon’s frown deepened as he reached down to pick one of what seemed to be thousands of notes.

“Does Clara have a secret admirer?” I inquired.

“No.” Damon’s face suddenly paled as his eyes scanned the note and he quickly reached for another.

And another, until he must have read twenty-five of them.

“These are all threats,” he revealed. “They have dates on them.”

“Are there any recent ones?” I questioned and quickly helped gather them into a plastic bag. We ditched getting her clothes and rushed into the Blazing Horsemen room before locking and switching the walls up.

“There has to be,” Damon declared as he began to sort through them. “When did Clara tell you about her locker combo?”

“When Semester Two started,” I replied as I helped go through the threats. It was all in the same handwriting, cursive and with the signature LK. Most of the messages threatened that she’d die soon. There was no statement as to why. Every folded note seemed to be cut with great precision while the threats were centered in the same spot in the middle.

“There’s one from today!” Damon declared and I pulled out my phone and immediately called CloverSpell. She wasn’t in the exam room, so she’d have to be on the school property.

“I’m done playing. You’ll burn like the rest of them,” he repeated the written words just as CloverSpell picked up.

“Yes, Alice?” She knew it was me since I used her private line and not the school’s.

“CloverSpell! We have a problem. Someone’s been threatening Clara this entire semester with an array of notes. There are hundreds here and the most recent one is from today, threatening that she’ll burn like the rest of them, which I believe means us.”

“Could they be referring to tomorrow’s exam?” Damon suggested.

I put my phone on speaker before CloverSpell answered, “The rooms are fireproof, explosive proof, waterproof, electricity proof. They’re basically life-proof. They can’t harm anyone in the exam room.”

“We should go get Clara,” Damon stressed.

“Where is she?” CloverSpell inquired.

“At her family’s business,” I replied.

“Both of you go first. I’m contacting Chambers. Zhavia will be there with a security team shortly,” she assured us.

“Okay!” we said in unison and with a unified nod, we headed out the door. The moment we were off the main school property, I used my imagination to summon the horse from the carnival.

Flames burst into existence before I hopped right on and offered Damon my hand. He took it without hesitation as he got onto the black saddle and held on to my hips. I flicked the reins and sent my flaming horse racing down the street.

Damon must have been trying to call Clara because the ringing sound on speaker reached my ears. It rang five times before Clara picked up.

“Hey, Damon!”

“Clara! Where are you?”

“Uh, organizing the freezer. I have to make space so when my parents come with the extra groceries, they have-”

“Clara! You’re in danger!” I shouted over the crackling of my flames and swift stomping against the cement.

“What?” She sounded puzzled. “Why?”

“There were a bunch of threats in your locker,” Damon revealed. “I’m talking hundreds if not a good thousand. All of them were threatening that you’d die. Today’s message says you’ll burn.”

“I…well shit. What do I do?!”

“We’re coming to get you! Just stay put,” Damon reasoned.

“In the freezer?” she questioned with a dull voice.

“You know what I meant!” Damon huffed.

“Fine, fine. I’ll stay-”

The line went dead just as a deafening explosion boomed only a block ahead of us. I didn’t even register my scream as my horse moved even faster torwards the now blazing building. Pieces of wood and metal were still soaring through the skies, as screams came from all around by onlookers

Damon reached for my hands, gripping them firmly before whipping the reins.

“Faster!” he ordered, and my horse moved even faster towards the blazing site. We reached the property just as fire trucks were rushing to the scene, running right through the gap as the large gates came to a close behind us.

“To the back! There are fewer flames there,” Damon ordered.

“NEIGH!” my horse replied and turned so we headed to the back. We found an open door at the back, and immediately my horse dispersed, which left us dropping to the floor. We were both up and Damon caught my arm before I could dart inside.

“Wait!”

“But-” He tugged on my arm further, before he pulled off a bracelet I’d never seen him wear until this very moment. It was onyx stone beads with amber written characters. He slid them on my left wrist and nodded.

“They’ll protect you. I’ll try to calm the flames from here. Focus on getting Clara and her sister out!”

“Alright!” I responded and quickly hugged him. “Thanks, Damon.”

With that, I was heading into the burning building. It didn’t take me long to navigate through the burning mess. Some parts were still intact while others were already engulfed in flames. After protecting myself from the flames that fought to block the door to the restaurant portion, I scanned the burning place until I noticed one corner had yet to be touched.

“Clara?!” I called out to the figure kneeling down with her hands pressed in prayer.

I rushed over to kneel down before her.

“Clara?!”

She opened her eyes slowly, but instead of her red eyes, they were purple.

“Clara?” I asked again. She gave me a sad smile before she shook her head. “Older sister,” she replied, and I only was more confused because she looked just like her.

“Y-You look just like-”

“Twins,” she confirmed. “I’m the older twin.”

“Why are you so calm? The building is going to break down!”

“I have to be,” she whispered. “The freezer is right there.” She pointed down a small hall, the only other place that wasn’t engulfed in flames.

It took me a second to realize. “You’re the reason why the flames haven’t reached this section yet,” I clarified. Her sad smile only made my heart drop. “Don’t tell me you have to stay in this spot?”

“Not necessarily,” she admitted but the sadness in her eyes only thickened. “You have to get Clara out of here. Take the pouch in my pocket with a piece of paper. The pouch has the safe and all the valuables Mom and Dad kept here.”

I swiftly did what she asked, placing them in my pocket, but noticed the stiffness in her chest. “Why can’t I get Clara and we can figure out how to teleport you? Are you sure you can’t move? Or better yet! Why don’t I take you to the freezer? We can melt the ice and then put a protective barrier around it like you’re doing now!”

“I can’t, Alice,” she said with pity as she lowered her head.

“Why not?!” I couldn’t understand, and my hands reached out for her shirt, only to notice the thick black vest. I tugged the buttoned shirt open. The white buttons flew around, but it didn’t distract me from the sight before me.

I lifted my gaze to meet her purple eyes then - defeat flooding them as she nodded her head. She then turned her head to the side, enough that I was able to see the vivid tattoo of a lock and key.

“You…”

“A year ago, I thought it was cool. To be a part of the crowd while I continued to juggle our family business. I didn’t want to go to school since it didn’t seem to favor me when I’d most likely be the twin that took over our family business. I work behind the scenes while Clara has been the face of it all, and it sometimes made me jealous because she was making connections and meeting new people while I was in the shadows. I thought joining would end that craving for others. How foolish it was.” She chuckled as her head moved from side to side.

Blinking back her tears, she took a deep breath and whispered, “Then at the beginning of the semester they told me they wanted my sister to join. It was like a slap in the face. The place I thought I’d found belonging in was just using me to get to my sister. When I denied, they started threatening me. When that didn’t work, they started threatening Clara by putting notes in her locker. Clara thankfully doesn’t use her locker, and I told her to leave her stuff here or in the club room you guys use. I never thought they would go to this extent and try to kill her, let alone me, but that was my stupidity for thinking there was goodness in such a dark organization.”

I stared down at the strapped bomb on her and returned my gaze to hers.

“There’s nothing you can do, Alice.” Her voice trembled. “We all have a destiny to fulfill. It looks like I’m about to complete mine.”

“B-But it’s not fair,” I whispered as tears ran down my cheeks.

“Neither is life,” she commented and swallowed. “You have to go. There are only two minutes left. Clara’s in the freezer. She lost consciousness from the blast and hit her head hard. Make sure she gets medical attention when helps arrives. The moment you enter, lock the freezer and surround yourself with Holy Thunder flames. It will fight to absorb the flames that follow instead of adding to the explosive impact.”

All I could do was nod and my eyes lowered to the beads on my wrist. Slipping them off, I put them on her wrist and closed my eyes tightly.

Please. If there’s some way of you protecting this woman who only wanted a form of belonging…help her.

I opened my eyes to see the twinkle of light in the beads before I lifted my head to look at Clara’s twin one more time.

“My name is Claire. Tell my parents and Clara that I love them, and not to worry. I prayed to the heavens for mercy and know I’ll find eternal happiness when I’m gone.”

Her words made me fight hard against the built-up sobs that threatened to escape as I nodded and slowly let go of her hand. I checked the timer to see I only had thirty seconds, leaving me no choice but to race to the freezer.

Opening up the heavy door, I darted inside but peeked one last time at Claire as she took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

Then she began to sing, the melody so sad and heart-wrenching, and yet it seemed to bring so much peace to her expression as she prepared for death.

I shut the door hard, locking it and immediately finding Clara in the far top corner of the room. She had a heavy blanket around her, and blood was still dripping down the side of her face.

Running to where she was, I turned around and sat down with my back facing her. Crossing my legs and taking a deep inhale, I continued to let my tears fall as I lifted my hands up.

“Let this very spot be a shield of grace. Allow it to protect Clara and I from the explosive flames ahead. Holy Thunder of blessings, absorb and protect us from perishing! HOLYANDA VEGA!”

My neck grew hot as my hair immediately began to flutter upward and levitate with power. My eyes grew hot until they stung like I’d thrown soap in them, but that pain was nothing as I caught onto the last high note of the song from outside that was followed with the deafening explosion.

My ears vibrated with a ringing sound, and I almost thought I’d lost before the trial of survival even hit me. I stood there facing the woman with orange hair like mine. Her red eyes were identical to me, and her flowing red dress of lace and silk blew in the wind while she stood with honor and grace.

Those vibrant eyes and red lips, the pale skin, the black masquerade mask that sat on her nose, accenting her hidden beauty, the levitating strands of gold, orange, and red, while tiny trickles of white projected a godly glow, the flames that wrapped around her with pride as she continued to stare back at me, and I recognized her.

She was like the woman on the card, but I knew better.

She is me. What I’m capable of if I so chose to work on my power. To survive this trial and seek those who are threatened by my mere existence.

They couldn’t push me to kill myself. They couldn’t get rid of me when I chose to save those I cared about. They wished to bind me to the same stick that was lit all those centuries ago, to end my beating heart, but I hadn’t been reincarnated just so I could die prematurely.

I’m here to survive the trials they throw at me, and live until I fulfil the prophetic destiny I was meant to walk with the fellow chosen ones.

The heat, metal, and debris surged towards our bubble of protection, the resistance against the wave of power was almost impossible to bear.

I screamed and closed my eyes shut as I pushed back against the heated wall, the necklace burning my flesh as I begged for its protection and mercy.

We will live! I won’t perish by these flames a second time. Protect me! Shield me! Give me the strength to survive this! Give me the ability to retrieve VENGEANCE!

I pushed with all my strength. The sudden relief rushed around us until there was nothing left but debris and a few spots that still burned heavily.

My body shook, but I fought to stand as I noticed the massive dark flames of a creature before me.

A dark phoenix.

It landed where the door of the freezer used to be, and in a spiraling tornado, revealed Dad. He was out of breath, his eyes scanning the damage that had occurred all around us.

I took a steady step forward, realizing that my shoes were nonexistent and my body seemed to literally be on fire. It shocked me enough for me to pause but then I looked to see the pocket of my almost burnt skirt was still intact.

Pulling out the pouch and the single note, I stared at the piece of paper and took in the words. They didn’t do much to stop me as I took another step, and then another, my body feeling as light as ever, like I was nothing but a feather, destined to float through the skies.

Reaching where my dad stood, I stared up into his sad eyes, but I suddenly felt like a void of emotion. Nothing seemed to matter now, and yet I knew in my heart that it did.

Glancing slightly over my shoulder, there was Clara within that bundle of the heavy blanket - untouched, safe, and breathing in and out at a slow pace.

At least I saved someone.

I managed to turn my attention back to Dad and my hand sought his. Lifting his hand up so it was between us, I lowered the pouch and single note into the palm of his hand.

I could only think of one solid thing to say.

“They will pay.” The vow was emotionless as the burning flames that stemmed from my skin began to extinguish. I closed my eyes, the darkness creeping in while my body grew numb and felt drained of life itself.

The darkness was like a large pillow, awaiting my impact which would be received with open arms and bring tranquility in its black solace. The world faded away; the scents of burnt metal and blood faded away as the sound of my name merely echoed from afar.

As I recalled the words on the note, I knew that when I woke from this new nightmare, my goals would change completely.

“Join us, Alice, or the next victim will be you.”

If only they knew what I was capable of, a Blazing Horseman who’d now be given the opportunity to play with the power bestowed upon her.

No matter…they’ll find out soon enough.

TO BE CONTINUED.

Coming Soon - OCT. 16TH. 2020

https://books2read.com/BLAZINGACADEMYB3

Coming Soon - FEB. 19TH. 2021

https://books2read.com/BLAZINGACADEMYB4

TURN THE PAGE TO READ A SNEAK PEEK TO

WITCHLING ACADEMY!

https://books2read.com/WITCHLINGACADEMY

CHAPTER ONE: TYPICAL EVENING

“Don’t go teleporting anywhere tonight! Your father is working and can’t pick you up if you end up in Nebraska again!”

“Mom, you make it seem as though I love randomly teleporting to places. It’s not like I do it on purpose! Besides, Nebraska is pretty nice. As long as you’re indoors, watching television with hot chocolate, and not standing in the middle of a blizzard in underwear and a crop top! I thought I was going to die,” I whined, feeling sorry for myself.

“That wouldn’t have happened if you would just sleep in the bracelet we had made for you,” Mom lectured.

“Mom,” I groaned. “That thing is not a bracelet. It’s as big as those chunky house arrest monitors that criminals wear. I don’t know what they’re actually called, but I bet you the manufacturer is the one who made it. Not the scary witch in town, like you said.”

I poked my head over the rail to see my mom look up at me with an unimpressed face. “It’s called a tether, sweetheart, and it’s not that big.”

“It weighs a ton. You might as well handcuff me.”

“That didn’t work when you landed in Paris. At least you had pajamas on that time.” She shrugged. The memory had me shivering.

“Mom, don’t remind me of my flaws!” I shook my head, tossing my bright orange hair around with the side-to-side movement.

“If it wasn’t for Starlight coming home seconds later and noticing my bed was empty, I would have been all over the papers! Newsflash! Future prodigy Brianne Marie Harlow found with no clothes on the beach of California. She must have confused it with those ‘special’ beaches. The horror.”

“You are far too dramatic.” My mom had one of her ‘oh boy’ grins on. “You get it from your father.”

“Dad is nowhere close to being dramatic unless he gets hit with man flu.” I rolled my eyes. “Remember last time he got sick? He made it seem like he was on death row while the rest of us had to go to school and work, and Starlight had some crazy mission that day and kicked some criminal booty while sneezing and making cats fall from the sky.”

“That was pretty funny to watch on the news. At least those cats all got familiar homes,” Mom voiced. “It is true that your father is a little complicated when he’s sick.”

Her amusing tone had me sighing. “You love it.”

“I love your dad,” she winked. “Go freshen up and wear the chunky, manufactured bracelet to bed. Your sister will hopefully be back in the morning if all goes well on her end. I want us to have a family breakfast since it’s Saturday and your father is off from work.”

“All right. I’ll shower and read a bit. Then sleep!” I called down, already making my way to my room.

“And wear your bracelet!”

“I’ll think about it,” I replied with a smile, skipping the rest of the way to my room. Quickly grabbing a new pair of booty shorts, t-shirt, and pair of underwear, I headed to the bathroom, thinking about our quirky family. What made us so unique, given the average mom, dad, and two daughters combo?

Well, my mom and dad were both members of the high magic council, a group of mighty witches and wizards who were in charge of delegating the rest of our population in the heart of Lox City.

Think of the judges in the court of all magic. You did something wrong, illegal, or went on a power spree damaging every living thing in town, you got to feel their wrath.

Rarely did they both sit in one trial session, but when they did, it usually meant the situation was deadly serious and the defendant would have a lot of explaining to do if they didn’t want their magic revoked.

Yes, you could lose your magic forever. Or until your probation ends.

As for my big sister, Starlight Marie Harlow, she was currently one of the top agents for Witchling Star Agency.

Comparing the two of us was like trying to match black with white. I sometimes wondered where her dynamic personality, fearless execution, and no-nonsense attitude came from.

My parents were calm thinkers, always wanting to analyze a situation first before diving right in. I took only half of that, diving in when I felt it would change the outcome of a situation.

Which was usually a 50-50 chance.

My sister? She was all in. She didn’t debate about the dangers, the havoc her chase could cause through the city, or the potential risk of civilians getting hurt.

All she cared about was getting her prime target and bringing them in for the justice they deserved.

To be honest, it had only started two years ago. She used to be bubbly, especially during her school years, and had the perfect flawless team. She was even engaged.

Then Case QOT happened.

I never knew the details of the case, just like the rest of the public. All we knew was my sister was the only one who survived, and the rest of her team, including her fiancé and love of her life, died in the energy explosion.

I guess a part of my sister died with her love and team. After recovery, she became the work-driven, solo agent who soared through the ranks and was Witchling Star’s last-resort agent. If she was on a case, it was pretty serious.

With everything she’d been through, she still showed me love and tried to take time to talk to me whenever she did come home instead of staying at her highly exclusive penthouse that was close to her workplace.

Overall, I looked up to her.

She was powerful, smart, brave. Everything I wanted to be. I always wanted to learn from her, especially when it came to our spell traveler gift.

Our family was blessed with the skill of Spell Traveling. It was a rare magic trait imprinted in our genes, and thankfully Starlight and I both got it.

My sister’s wasn’t as strong as mine, but at least she could control it.

Think of it like teleportation, but with no limits.

In this world, the magic ability of teleportation had limits in terms of distance. One couldn’t go from Canada to Australia or the United States to Dubai.

To be honest, you’d be lucky to travel between towns.

The farther you needed to travel, the more magic required, to the point that it could risk your life. As Spell Travelers, we didn’t have that restriction. I could travel anywhere in this world, and on rare occasions, I could surpass that.

Yes, we weren’t the only planet with living specimens walking around. If magic was real, I was positive there were some intergalactic aliens on another planet.

There was only a “small” problem. In its current state, my gift was flawed. Whether it was because I was only sixteen and hadn’t reached the golden age of eighteen, or because I was having a snail-speed growth process was beyond me.

See, I was two years ahead of my age group, having skipped two grades and enrolling in the gifted program.

It was why I was now finished with regular high school and waiting to find out the statuses of my applications for academies involving magic.

I could use regular magic like other students, but my spell traveler gift was what got me in big trouble at least once a month.

I could walk into a room and suddenly be in a classroom in China.

Yes. It had happened.

With my last name being extremely well known, I simply had to apologize and say I was training and try to figure out how to get back.

Which, about 90% of the time, required me calling my parents or sister to come and get me.

People always assumed our gift was basically the same as time travel, but it really wasn’t. I termed it as fancy teleportation that would let me travel the world.

If only I could use it properly on my own command, then I could truly enjoy the benefits of such a gift.

Until then, I’d have to continue wearing that chunky bracelet to bed. I was hoping for my seventeenth birthday, I’d get something more suitable to wear during classes.

I wasn’t guaranteed entry to any academies yet, but I was praying to the gods I’d get into a specific school: Witchling Academy.

Witchling Academy was apparently founded by a god.

Or, well…gods.

Magic was a blessing from the gods above. Since magic had only existed for a few hundred years, most scientists were still doing their research to figure out how many gods there were.

No one knew if they hid among the human race or what a god even looked like. Their entire appearance was based on people’s imaginations and those with seer magic who saw visions of the magical holy beings in a place far up in the sky.

According to the school’s history, a woman and man descended onto the planet, realizing that the world they had blessed with magic was becoming chaotic.

No one knew how to properly use magic and all it was doing was causing destruction and havoc across the land.

They agreed that if things weren’t fixed, the world itself would be rid of life due to the greediness and imbalance of power. To prosper and learn how to harness such gifts, we needed guidance.

The two gods created Witchling Academy with the snap of their fingers, creating a grand castle, and land with multiple buildings and libraries full of knowledge.

When they approved of their creation, they moved onto appointing professors who would be able to teach the vast knowledge delivered to them.

Adults and young adults all across the world woke up with a large amount of new information in their minds, and the magic council of every country sought them out and brought them to Witchling Academy to share that knowledge.

Many assumed anyone could attend the newly founded school, but it was created specifically for Witchlings.

Witchlings were individuals who were younger than twenty-one. Most Witchlings attended right after high school, with the few exceptions of gifted students.

The academy did have separate classes for adults wanting to learn how to control their powers as well, but they were off the main campus and designed to help them keep their magic at a neutral level.

What many witches and wizards got from it all was that the prime age of harnessing your magic was between eighteen to twenty-one.

It was when you’d be able to absorb the most information regarding spells and unlock any hidden gifts still within your system.

Once you reached twenty-two, your magic would begin to settle. With continued training, you’d definitely be able to get stronger, but obtaining more spells would be difficult and harder on the body.

A few individuals got away with this because they had excessive amounts of magical energy, or mana. There were quite a few terms to label the flow of energy across the world, but mana was the most common.

I’d considered long and hard if I wanted to apply or was even suited for the school created by the gods.

I applied by chance on a dare with my best friend, but I didn’t put any hope into it. I simply wanted a school that would help me grow as an individual and a witch.

A bonus would be controlling this silly gift that loved to get me in trouble.

Stripping out of my clothes from this afternoon, I took a long hot shower and washed my ginger hair.

Puberty’s relentless pestering had finally taken a break, allowing two years’ worth of up-and-down acne breakouts to clear up.

I’d grown a bit taller, now standing at 5′3″, and my ginger locks were long, reaching down to the middle of my back, and were a fiery mix of shades of oranges.

If you took a closer look in the sunlight, there were tiny hints of gold, but those didn’t show up much unless I used magic.

My usual wardrobe was comfort over the top model, which in this part of town was actually frowned upon. You’d think if you minded your own business and wore a simple pair of black tights and a t-shirt, you’d be ignored.

Sometimes it bothered me, but I wasn’t going to change myself or what I loved to wear because a few people disapproved of my casual look.

Besides, if there was a zombie apocalypse, I’d be able to outrun them in running shoes, rather than heels that hurt your feet.

My eyes were pretty basic for a witch. Many had cool colors like gold, orange-red, or purple — basically, the color scale held no limits for witches and wizards.

Unfortunately, mine were black. Sometimes when I used magic, they apparently shifted color, but I’d never seen it.

My sister had mentioned it a few times, but whenever I tried to check, poof, they were back to normal.

Irritating. I know.

I had pale white skin during the colder months and usually tanned during the summer. I enjoyed having a tint of darker skin, because being pale always made people think that I was either dying or stayed indoors all day long, like a vampire.

Vampires weren’t even real! Insert eyeroll.

Since I was only sixteen, I’d yet to be assigned a familiar. It was something I’d learn about in whatever academy I got into, but to truly harness the skill, I’d have to be eighteen, which was a drag.

My sister’s familiar was so uniquely made, it could shift its appearance to anything. A dog, cat, bunny, unicorn. Anything she put her mind to.

It could even change into a human!

Starlight only used hers on special occasions because it was powerful and energy draining, but it was simply one of the many skills I wished to achieve.

Until then, I simply had to keep working hard, training my magic, studying the knowledge in spell books, and going about my life until my time to achieve my goals came.

I always went with one simple motto: Life is too short. Live it to the fullest.

That’s what I hoped to achieve and remember as I grew older.

Finishing up my shower, I worked on combing out my hair and drying it.

After slipping on my clothes and throwing my other ones in the hamper down the hall, I walked straight into my room, only realizing a second later that my best friend was chilling on my bed.

Again.

Clenching my chest out of reflex, I had to bite my tongue to hold back my shriek.

“I swear. I’ve done this for two years, and each time you freak out.”

If I got paid for every eye roll I gave my best friend, I’d be a billionaire by now.

Peeking out into the hallway, I made sure my mother wasn’t coming upstairs. She had a habit of checking in on me unannounced, and I didn’t want her catching my bestie in bed.

Closing the door, I turned and put my hands on my hips.

“Elijah Hamilton. Do you want me to die before I reach eighteen?” I hissed.

He gave me a sheepish smile, one that made him look extremely cute and melted my beating heart.

“Sorry, Bri.” There was not even a hint of remorse in his words as he leaned back against my mini tower of pillows with his hands behind his head.

The smirk on his lips made me groan in utter annoyance.

“Your apology is rejected.”

“Aw. That’s mean. How can you reject my charm? Plus, look at my awesome mustache.”

I walked over to my vanity and sat down, not caring about his remark as I focused on my skin care.

Though I wasn’t into makeup or dressing like the next top model every time I ventured outside, I’d developed a solid skin routine to tame my acne.

Now that it was gone, I could have stopped, but the habit was ingrained in me at this point. As I moisturized my face with a special serum, I heard the squeak of my bed and soft footsteps.

Elijah rested his chin on my shoulder. “Bri. Don’t ignore me.”

“You’re not supposed to be here,” I reminded. “It’s late.”

“You haven’t acknowledged my mustache yet.”

Taking two seconds to eye him in the mirror, I narrowed my eyes to see the almost nonexistent hairs that he claimed was a mustache.

“Elijah. Them micro hairs are not a mustache.”

“Yes, they are. This took six months and a glass of milk to obtain. You need to show more love, Brianne, or they won’t grow,” he defended, looking as though I called him ugly.

“Milk contains calcium, which helps your body grow. You’re 5′6″ and eighteen. You aren’t growing anymore. Dairy doesn’t help grow your mustache.”

“I’m seventeen-and-a-half, Bri! I still got time for one more growth spurt,” Elijah argued.

“We have the same birthday, which is November 15th, and in two and a half months. Unless you wake up one morning with an extra four inches to your height, you ain’t going nowhere, my best friend.” I delivered the truth like a hot plate of divine cuisine.

I knew Elijah hated how realistic I tried to be, but I preferred working with facts rather than being hopeful for no reason. Yes, you could have goals and dreams, but let them be realistic.

Telling yourself you’re going to fly without a hint of magic was one of those hopeful, unrealistic goals.

One that took Elijah until three months ago to realize.

I noticed his moping expression from the corner of my eye. Turning to look at him, I sighed.

“All right, all right. You have a chance of becoming your dream height of six feet so you can claim all the girls in the yard with your milk addiction. Happy?”

His beaming smile was back and he hugged me from behind. “See? When you sprinkle a little hope, everything sounds better.”

“You merely like it when I do it.”

“That’s true.” He shrugged and moved back to the bed, lying back onto it like it was the softest surface in all the lands.

Returning to my routine, I listened to him quietly hum, something he always did when he was lost in thought.

Elijah Richard Hamilton. My almost eighteen-year-old best friend who’d known me since I could crawl.

My mom was close to his mother, who worked under the council. Her role was to document all the cases and file them once they were complete.

During highly classified court sessions, she’d be the one in charge of typing the entire session out.

Her magic was very word-based. All she had to do was say what she wanted to happen and that was exactly what came to fruition. She still knew quick elemental spells, but her gift was considered deadly because she could wish anyone to die.

Obviously, there were limits. Like using her magic too much affected her vocal cords, and she couldn’t use the same magic on others with the same gift, which included Elijah.

It was one of the reasons why he got away with sneaking to my house all the time without getting punished. I personally think his mom didn’t mind too much. She’d rather he come over to my place, which was relatively safe, instead of being among the crowd of cool kids and drugs.

Needless to say, we’d been best friends since, having grown up together and aiming to get into the same school.

He was also my biggest secret crush.

I couldn’t remember exactly when I started to have a major crush on him, but I know I didn’t acknowledge it until I was twelve.

I had my blushing moments when he got too close to me or whispered in my ear during the nights he’d sleep over, but I was trying to calm down my restless hormones because I had absolutely no clue if he liked me back.

If he did, he sure hid it well.

Finishing up my night prep, I organized my vanity like I did every night and got up to stretch. Swirling around on one foot, I looked at Elijah, who was still humming away while his eyes were closed.

Elijah was very attractive. Irish mixed with Latin, giving him a lovely mix of creamy skin. He wasn’t as pale as me, but unless you asked him, you’d simply guess he was Caucasian. He had dark blue hair with hints of emerald green at the ends. It matched his emerald green eyes that looked like gemstones.

From his casual T-shirt and shorts, he looked like he was in the perfect sleepover attire, giving me a clue as to why he was here.

“Is your mom working tonight?”

“Yup,” he replied, his eyes still closed.

“Your dad drinking?” My voice was tenderly soft this time, knowing this was always a touchy topic.

“Yup,” he repeated himself.

Elijah’s dad was a deadbeat.

Apparently, his magic enabled him to see how long people had left to live. It was a scary gift to have, and he certainly couldn’t save everyone, but instead of using it to try and alter situations when he deemed it right, he resorted to alcohol and drugs.

I had no clue how Elijah’s mom had lasted so long with him and honestly was unsure why they were still together. Maybe it was out of pity, or maybe she still loved the man he once was before Elijah was born.

Either way, he stayed home while his wife worked to pay the bills.

Elijah and his dad didn’t get along. His mom always had to defuse the situation, or they would be at each other’s throats.

If Elijah’s mom worked, he either stayed here or booked a tiny cubicle hotel room. They were super cheap, averaging around ten or twenty bucks per night, but that added up and I felt it was a waste of money that he could save for clothes, food, and other necessities.

At least secretly staying here meant it was free and he wouldn’t be lonely.

“Okay,” I replied, walking over to dim the lights before moving to the free side of the bed. “Sleepover it is.”

Popping onto the bed, I lifted my side of the blanket and tucked my legs between the warm sheets.

Grabbing my book and adjusting the night lamp just a bit, I opened the spell book to the page I bookmarked with my wand.

He was silent for a full minute. “Thanks, Bri.”

“I don’t know why you’re thanking me, but you’re welcome,” I replied, not wanting him to dwell on the little things. We were best friends. I wanted him to rely on me.

He sat up and got comfortable. He always ran hot at night, which meant he enjoyed sleeping without a shirt.

I’d prepared my heart for its nightly skipping session because the mere thought of being in the same bed with his bare chested self-made me excited…to cuddle.

Obviously, we rarely did cuddle. In the winter, sometimes, but that was more of an unconscious effort.

When it’s winter and cold, it’s only natural to navigate yourself to the closest source of heat.

I’d been noticing that Elijah had been working out a lot lately. It could have been another thing guys did to instigate one last growth spurt, but regardless, it was doing some amazing magic on his upper body.

He may consider himself short, but he was taller than me. And who didn’t love tall guys?

I focused solely on my book, using it as the perfect distraction for my eyes to remain on the tiny print and not sneak a nice peek at Elijah as he relaxed.

The two of us were quiet for about fifteen minutes, my mind now immersed in the spell book I was reading.

“Bri?”

“Hmm?’

“Did you get any acceptance invitations yet?”

“Don’t think so. Our mail didn’t come in today, though. Something about some chase with a woman on a motorcycle taking down an international thug.”

“Meaning your sister,” he concluded.

I turned away from the page to give him a smirk. “My sister is crazy, but she wouldn’t go over the mile for a thug.”

“Your sister is one of the few agents that can drive those overflowing magic motorbikes that can go from one to one-hundred in a second. She also loves the adrenaline rush of car chases. Ask a criminal to the loop, and voila. There you have it. Golden case with STARLIGHT written in bold capital letters.”

“I hope you’re wr…” I trailed off, my ears picking up the quiet sounds of footsteps. Swiftly looking at Elijah in panic, he merely gave me a wink and pulled the blanket over him.

How is that even going to do anything?

Having known Elijah my whole life, I was aware he was the best con artist when it came to making an escape or hiding. I still hadn’t figured out how he did it without using his gift of words.

It was a mystery I was determined to figure out one way or another.

Three seconds later and my door opened. My eyes were glued to the book, using my wand as a guide through the pages.

Mom knew how immersed I could get when it came to reading books, especially with spells that could assist me in my personal growth.

I heard the door close once more, and I stayed still for an extra two minutes before I lifted my head to see that my mom was gone.

Listening closely, I heard her fading footsteps and the flick of the light switch, a sign that she’d be staying downstairs until super late.

She did that when my sister was expected to come home, loving to greet her in the wee hours of the morning when she’d arrive.

Returning my eyes to where Elijah once was, I noticed how flat the blanket was. “Elijah?”

Patting the blanket, I realized he really was gone from his place between the sheets. With a frown, I placed my wand between the pages I was on and put the book safely on the nightstand.

“Elijah?” I repeated, crawling over to his side and peering over the side to see if he was lying on the floor in hiding. When he wasn’t there, I looked around the room.

Where did he go this time?

His usual spot was the closet, but it was still open, and I didn’t see him amid my color-coded wardrobe.

Leaning over the side of the bed and using my stomach to support me, I lifted my sheets that draped down like a curtain and rapidly looked under the bed.

“There!” I exclaimed, only to be disappointed that there was no Elijah under my bed.

A frustrated groan left my lips. “Where did you go, Elijah?” I whined.

“Boo.”

I flinched at the feeling of a hot breeze brushing my ear and neck. I looked over my shoulder, freezing in place when Elijah’s face was centimeters from mine.

I fought not to blush, but my heart pounded against my chest like I’d been running a marathon and crossed the finish line.

I held my breath, wondering if this would be my moment to have my first kiss with my long-time crush.

A smirk formed on his lips. “With us this close, you can definitely see those fine mustache hairs.”

UGH!

I picked one of my pillows and slapped him in the face, the impact enough to push him off the other side of the bed.

I couldn’t care less about the loud thumping noise; my mom normally assumed I’d fallen asleep and dropped my book by accident.

“I’m going to sleep,” I announced, sliding back underneath the covers and turning my night lamp off.

“Bri. You’re no fun,” he mumbled but yawned. “Guess we should sleep.”

I didn’t answer, doing my best to control my rapid heartbeat and wait for the heat in my flushed cheeks to go down.

He could have kissed me! Yet he didn’t. Does that mean he doesn’t like me? Does he want to wait? Jeez, Brianne, get a grip.

Closing my eyes and getting comfortable on my left side, I remained lost in my thoughts. Just before I fell asleep, something brushed my cheek.

“Night, Brianne,” Elijah’s soft whisper made my consciousness begin to fade immediately, and the last thing I remembered was something soft pressing against my cheek.

Must have been a dream.

ABOUT AVERY SONG

Avery Song is a reverse harem author who specializes in paranormal, fantasy, and urban romance.

She especially loves writing strong main characters and is excited for all the books that are approaching.

~Books by Avery Song~

THE SUPERNATURAL SPY ACADEMY SERIES:

S.S.S YEAR ONE

S.S.S YEAR TWO

S.S.S YEAR THREE

S.S.S YEAR FOUR

S.S.S YEAR FIVE

S.S.S. YEAR SIX (OCT.2.20)

SPELL TRAVELER CHRONICLES

Witchling Academy- Semester One

Witchling Academy- Semester Two

Witchling Academy- Semester Three

Witchling Academy- Semester Four

Witchling Academy- Semester Five

Witchling Academy- Semester Six

Witchling Academy- Semester Seven

Witchling Academy- Semester Eight (Oct. 23.2020)

JADE STORM TRACKER SERIES

The Tracker Hive Academy- Semester One

The Tracker Hive Academy- Semester Two

The Tracker Hive Academy- Semester Three

The Tracker Hive Academy- Semester Four

The Tracker Hive Academy- Semester Five (Nov.27.2020)

The Tracker Hive Academy- Semester Six (Apr.2.2021)

ACADEMY FOR ALL THINGS SCORCHING

Blazing Academy - Semester One

Blazing Academy - Semester Two

Blazing Academy - Semester Three (Oct.16.2020)

Blazing Academy - Semester Four (Feb.19.2021)

WILLOW’S FORBIDDEN PACK

Wolf Awakened (Oct.6.2020)

COWRITTEN WORKS:

SUPERNATURAL CAPTIVITY SERIES

Supernatural Inmate

Supernatural Outlaw

Supernatural Villain (Oct.9.2020)

Supernatural Savior (Feb.5.2021)

SUPERNATURAL MARKED MONARCHY

Psychic Prison - Book One

Psychic Royalty - Book Two (Aug.7.2020)

Psychic Monarchy- Book Three (Nov.13.2020)

DESTINED IMRISONEN TRILOGY

Arrested By Magic

Escaped By Destiny (Aug.7.2020)

Freed By Power (Jan.8.2021)

FOR THE FAEIRY ABSOLUTES

Celestial Prison

Celestial Prison 2 (Oct.30.2020)

Celestial Prison 3 (Feb.19.2021)

ROYAL CONFINEMENT FOR MALICIENT SUPERNATURALS

Shattered Princess

Shattered Princess 2 (Jan.1.21)

Shattered Princess 3 (Apr.9.21)

FOR THE PURELY DIVINE SERIES

Fae Rose Academy - Year One

Fae Rose Academy - Year Two (Jul.31.2020)

WILLA SILVER ACADEMY INVESTIGATOR

Daggers and Smoke - Year One

Daggers and Smoke - Year Two (Nov.20.2020)

Daggers and Smoke - Year Three (Mar.12.2021)

THE SUPERNATURAL VAMPIRE FAE CHRONICLES

Bloody Rosary Academy - Year One

Bloody Rosary Academy - Year Two (Sept.18.2020)

Bloody Rosary Academy - Year Three (Mar.5.2021)