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, 2019

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Cover Design by Covers by Juan

Editing by

Incantation Ink

Format: Avery Song

CONTENTS

Acknowledgement

BLURB

NOTE FROM AUTHOR

1.  President’s Greatest Fear

2.  Dark Flames And Calming Comfort

3.  Mysterious Savior

4.  The Foresight Of Truth

5.  Irony Of Death And The Prophecy

6.  The Prophecy?

7.  The Truth Of Witchling Academy

8.  Summertime With Each Other

9.  Not Alone

10.  The Choice Between Light And Darkness

11.  The Choice To Accept The Darkness

12.  Semester Five Disaster

13.  The Real Winner

COMING SOON

SSS: YEAR ONE SNEAK PEEK

SSS BLURB

Prologue

To Achieve A Fairytale Dream

ABOUT AVERY SONG

Also By Avery Song

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thank you for purchasing WITCHLING ACADEMY- SEMESTER FIVE.

Thank you for giving Avery Song a chance! This was a spur of the moment decision, and I’m so glad I decided to create/write as Avery Song.

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

AVERY SONG

BLURB

What happens when you die? Do you simply disappear? Or does some part of you live on forever, perhaps in the hearts and minds of those who cherished you?

I, Brianne Marie Harlow, never thought much about death. Sure, I had a few close calls here and there, but the thought of actually dying at age eighteen wasn’t something I considered — does any healthy person think about death before they turn twenty?

Nevertheless, I’m trapped in a dark place and unsure how to get out of it. A powerful and familiar voice tells me to keep hanging on, because my existence has a far greater purpose than I could begin to fathom. However, the clock is ticking, and I don’t think I have much time left to figure things out.

When the power in the dark finally reveals itself, I discover that I’m not some average student with a few extra gifts. Not at all. What is revealed cannot be undone, which makes me question if fighting the pull to sleep forever is worth it.

The only things stopping me from letting go completely are my family, my adorable familiar, and my Notorious Four. In the depths of the darkness, I hear their voices, and in moments of despair, I can see exactly what they’re going through while I wait.

For me, Semester Five is up in the air, but one thing is certain: if I get the chance to live again, there won’t be any innocence left in me. I’ll be reborn into something stronger, braver, and wiser.

And I’ll take on Semester Five with everything I’ve got — because it’s time for payback.

NOTE FROM AUTHOR

Witchling Academy

Semester Five

transitions from Young Adult to

New Adult.

~Enjoy~

AVERY SONG

1

PRESIDENT’S GREATEST FEAR

~JAX~

“BRIANNE’S DOING AMAZING.” I looked up at the monitor, my eyes following every swoop and turn Brianne performed on her broomstick.

My voice was filled with pride, and I smiled brilliantly at the sight. My heart was still racing after the few close calls she’d had trying to figure out the magic broom, but now she was chasing after the target, a tiny unicorn ball of some sort.

This was the first time I’d seen competitors chase after anything like this. Witchling Academy wasn’t super strict about who got to watch the Witchling Games once they were finished, so I’d seen a few. The school normally recorded the entire game and used it in future lessons and demonstrations. I was sure they would be using this game for the many examples of how Brianne, Mia, and Miya all used unique techniques.

Even with them being on different teams, I didn’t feel the same competitive vibe as the other teams fighting to get the three magic artifacts. With two of them already claimed, our chances of winning were getting slimmer.

But our Red won’t give up.

Seeing how motivated she was always left me in the best mood. A mix of pride, happiness, and love all mixed into one. The burning fire inside her had always been fierce, a warmth that seemed to trickle into you slowly and melt away the ice walls that sheltered your fears and insecurities.

There was this ‘never give up’ vibe that she seemed to exude, even when she wasn’t feeling her most confident. It was one of the reasons so many people loved her.

She still didn’t realize what a spark of joy she caused with just her presence. How she lit up the room with her beautiful orange-gold locks and her genuine beauty. Many people had noticed the change in Brianne Marie Harlow.

Whether it was from her own self-growth or the close calls to death itself that clicked something within her, we were all seeing her finally blossom. Her confidence shone brighter and the way she walked held power.

I hadn’t told her yet, and I doubted the others had either, but she was starting to carry the same level of magic power and fearlessness her sister carried. They were starting to look strikingly alike, but I had a good hunch Bri was going to grow an inch or two taller at this rate. She was already eighteen and she should have stopped growing, but with how powerful her magic was beginning to expand, I truly wasn’t sure.

There were lots we’d need to check into with summer here, but for now, I just wanted to enjoy the last moment of our second year.

Deep inside, I was happy that the Witchling Games had ended up being our exam. Many students were freaking out, feeling unprepared for the sudden change of plans, but I was thrilled.

Since our last exam had turned into a car chase from hell, I was frightened something crazy would happen and put Brianne at risk. I’d never told her about the nightmares I still had. The dark dreams of seeing her frightened face when she Spell Traveled to me when I’d been kidnapped or seeing that criminal swing his gun from Katsume to Bri.

Over and over, those nightmares triggered my anxiety, but I’d kept it on the down low, although a few times Connor had poked his head into my room during the middle of the night if my nightmares were too intense for me to calm down from.

I didn’t know whether my panicked thoughts woke him up or if it was mere intuition, but he always seemed to have a calming effect on me, similar to the way Kaito always had a relaxing effect on Finnick.

I really was thankful to have those three in my life. Grateful we were here, ending our second year and watching our girlfriend kick mega ass during our final exam.

I couldn’t wait for this exam to end. To start our summer together and spend more time with Brianne. I’d be lying if I said the dynamic was the same compared to last year.

Far from it.

I’d been doing my best to ignore the fact that Brianne was getting more attractive day by day, and all it was doing was driving my body insane. When I wasn’t dealing with annoying nightmares, there were those dreams that left me throbbing. Those detailed, almost-real moments of Brianne and me in bed, her hands running up my bare chest as those beautiful eyes of hers scanned my body greedily.

From orange to gold, those orbs of hers would twinkle. Not simply out of happiness, but with intense lust. Given how innocent she was when she entered Witchling Academy, I wondered if she even knew what that word was, but in my dream, it reflected in her intense gaze seconds before she kissed me. In the dream, we’re not wearing any clothes, and it leaves me wanting to return the favor and have my hands all over her. That delicate body of hers that ignites every bit of me. Her plump ass that has been taunting me lately.

It was amusing because I had never seemed to focus on any of these things until recently, and it was making it even harder to think straight. I knew the others were feeling it too. Struggling to not pin her against the nearest wall or bed and meld ourselves into her.

I’d dreamed of being her first, taking it nice and slow and letting her feel like the dazzling diamond she is. The mere thought of her screaming my name was beginning to make the front of my uniform pants a bit tighter, and I immediately had to push it to the back of mind before Connor picked up on it.

I can’t imagine reading minds.

Connor had only told us about this, but the thoughts that drifted to him sometimes included feelings. Some were light, others were extremely intense.

Who would have thought sexual desires would be an intense thought? I feel the gods did that on purpose.

Zoning back into the Games, I noticed Brianne shoot up into the sky, enough that she was out of the camera’s range. Students were buzzing with excitement while the other teams were trying to figure out where Brianne had gone.

“She’s going to win,” Connor calmly declared.

“That’s obvious.” I chuckled. “Our girlfriend hates losing.”

“So, are you taking her out to your family’s private cottage next week?”

I side-eyed him, noticing the smirk on his lips. We were standing side to side, and his large muscled arms were crossed over his chest as he peered at the crowd of students placing bets on who was going to win.

“I never mentioned that,” I voiced.

“Yes,” he agreed. “But we both know I pick up your thoughts the fastest.”

“I wasn’t thinking about that.” I always seemed to play this game with him, knowing he’d beat me each time.

“I know. You were thinking about the gods making sexual desir—”

“Connor.” I hushed him and made sure no one was close enough to hear our conversation. He finally looked my way, turning his head just slightly to his right to meet my glare.

His smirking lips only grew to a full smile.

“If Bri saw you like that, she’d say how cute you look when you’re embarrassed.”

“Hmph.” I brushed off his comment and decided not to dance around the fact I’d been thinking about taking Brianne to my family’s second cottage next week.

I hadn’t brought it up due to us being busy — that’s what I kept telling myself. In reality, I didn’t want to be selfish, especially when Finnick and Kaito were dealing with their own share of problems.

Kaito had been quiet about it, but Finnick was our center of worry because of his mother’s passing and the ongoing bullying that occurred last semester. I was glad that, as far as we knew, it had stopped. And with the news of his mother’s death, everyone had been extra careful to not bother him.

It would be really stupid to try at this point. All the professors knew of Finnick’s mom and her contributions to the city and world of magic. His dad was very prominent in the community and no one was going to tolerate Finnick being targeted.

Pathetic that a family member needed to die before people felt pity and stopped bullying someone. We were in the final talks about what needed to be changed when it came to the bullying, but we’d need Brianne on board with it.

As president, it was my responsibility to tell her.

Why not do it in the comfort of a private cottage with just the two of us? I was surely taking advantage of my family’s privilege, but there was no way I’d last another summer without taking things to the next level in this relationship.

“I want to talk about the anti-bullying plan for semester five,” I declared.

“And do other things after that.” Connor chuckled when he saw how red my face was becoming.

“Ass,” I quietly muttered.

“I have a pretty nice ass too.” He winked and laughed harder when my cheeks burned even more red.

“Stop teasing me,” I grumbled and pulled out my phone. I had to distract myself or my flames would surely burst into action and give me away. “Where’s Kaito and Finnick?”

“Probably making out,” Connor commented.

“If that was even close to being true, we’d both be racing to get a picture for Brianne. She’d love it.”

Connor grinned. “We’d even frame it for her and make duplicates if those two found out.”

“We should try to do that during summer,” I whispered. “Do…you think they would be mad if I took Bri for a weekend? I don’t need a week…I just…”

“No explanation needed.” Connor shrugged. “They would be fine with it, remember? We’ve talked about this.”

“I know, but—”

“You respect us like brothers,” Connor interrupted and turned his head to the side to look into my worried eyes. “Brianne will be most comfortable with you first. Finnick and Kaito aren’t as experienced as you and me.”

“True,” I agreed.

“Plus, I’m bigger,” Connor reminded. “Better ease her up a bit for me.”

“You’re disgusting,” I groaned.

“What?” Connor feigned innocence. “This is the circle of life. Plus, we’re all adults now. Well, we always were, but Bri. Our girl isn’t the sweet innocent freshman anymore. The twins have been teaching her some intriguing things.”

“I don’t even want to know,” I sighed.

“Good.” Connor laughed. “Just be prepared. She may be new at this, but she surely has an explorative mind.”

“Explorative, huh?” I was staring at my phone, but my mind was buzzing at the comment.

Considering all the lewd dreams I’d been having, I wondered what would be off-limits to Brianne, especially during her first time.

It would be tricky.

When I lost my virginity, the whole thing was forced and unenjoyable. I wanted to give Bri the experience of a lifetime. One she’d cherish for all her years and never regret.

I just have to figure out how to do just that.

“Be yourself and stop overthinking. You do stupid things when you overthink,” Connor announced. I slowly looked back at him, and he shrugged. “You do. Then you start panicking and soon enough, you’ll be reaching for that puffer. That’s a turn-off during sex, by the way.”

“Fuck you,” I cursed.

“Kaito would be appalled with your swearing habit.”

“You swear, I swear, we all swear. Even Kaito swears during Kendo practice or when he’s having his time in the washroom.”

Connor snickered. “Good thing he’s not here to hear that.”

We’re just all fucking horny wizards.

Connor laughed loud and hard, catching a few students’ attention.

“Now that was golden and so fucking true,” he sighed. “All right, less swearing around Bri. Seriously though, where’s Kaito and Finnick?”

I shrugged and returned my eyes to my phone, only now realizing it was silently ringing. “Talk about timing. Kaito’s calling.”

Sliding my finger across the screen, I answered. “Hey, sorry. My phone was on silent. What’s—”

“I can’t find Finnick.” Kaito’s voice was breathy and filled with urgency.

“What?” My voice was serious enough to draw Connor’s full attention.

“I’ve been looking for almost an hour, Jax. He’s nowhere to be found. I called his dad, and he said he’s not there. He doesn’t have his phone. I’ve tried to use my gift to locate him and I can’t. It doesn’t work. Like there’s a block or something. Fuck, Jax. I don’t know what to do!”

My eyes locked on Connor’s and we both moved at a brisk pace to the emergency exit. We weren’t far from the main building, but we couldn’t take long if we wanted to come back and tell Bri what was going on.

We can’t tell her. She’ll freak out.

“Take a deep breath, Kaito. Where did Finnick say he was going? To the washroom?”

“No. He went to get his water bottle,” Kaito answered.

“Okay, did you check there?”

When Kaito didn’t reply, I sighed. “And Connor says I don’t think properly when I panic.”

“Hey,” Kaito whined.

“He’s probably fine or just needs a moment. The Games are a mix of students and family. Even if it was a surprise exam, it may be triggering for him. You know his mom couldn’t wait to see him do the Witchling Games,” I reminded.

“I know.” Kaito took a deep breath and let it out, the sound flowing through the speaker between us. “I’ll head back there.”

“Instead of running back, why don’t you try to center your energy on the water bottle and tug yourself there. It’s similar to what you would do with your gift but transposed,” I suggested. “Maybe add a bit of magic to make it easier.”

“All right. I can try that,” Kaito agreed. “Give me a sec.”

“Cool.”

I signaled Connor to stop, the two of us stalling in our movement right before the exit. “He said Finnick went to the locker room for his water bottle. He didn’t consider checking there yet,” I explained to Connor.

“Probably needs some space with the Games,” Connor voiced. “His mom wanted to be here to see him.”

“Yeah,” I replied, the thought of my sister coming into my mind. Elsa…I wonder if you can see me now? I’m at the Games with my best friends and girlfriend. Man…how short life can be.

Connor placed his hand on my shoulder, squeezing it comfortably. I took a deep inhale, letting it out slowly. Giving him a slight smile in thanks, my ears picked up on Kaito’s curse.

“Kaito?”

Since when does Kaito curse so often?

“J-Jax! Call Professor Phoenix and the Dean!” Kaito screamed into the phone. I flinched at the sound, feeling confused while a spike of worry struck me.

“What’s going on? Kaito?” I was trying to get through to him, but now he was on a cursing streak.

I looked at Connor with fear-struck eyes, unsure of what to do. Connor took the phone from me. “Kaito!”

There was a long pause before my ears picked up on muttering. I couldn’t translate it, but Connor replied. “We’ll send them there now and get a search team on the way. Calm down. We’ll find where he is…I know. I know, Kaito! Panicking and swearing aren’t going to get him back. Breathe and once Professor Phoenix and the rest are there, get over here as soon as you can. If Bri finishes before you get here, we’ll call back and come to you. Understood?”

There was a quick response from the other end and Connor passed the phone back to me. I checked it, but it was back on the lock screen; Kaito had hung up.

“How bad is it?” I got to the point.

“Lots of blood and a few unconscious students. I had to use more of my gift to try to get through his frantic thoughts while talking. It seems bad and he’s afraid it’ll trigger Finnick. It’s obvious that he was ganged-up on. We need to figure out if he left victorious or if they kidnapped him.”

“Crap.” I was trying to hide how the sudden turn of events was affecting me, but my body was already beginning to worry immensely. Finnick deserved a damn break. He’d been through so much this year and now this?!

Connor had to pat my shoulder to snap me out of it.

“Let’s get some reinforcements. Bri still hasn’t emerged from the clouds. We can be quick.”

“All right.” I nodded and we both raced out and began working on informing the emergency aid, security, and Dean. I was positive Professor Phoenix would have beat us to it, but it was still something we couldn’t overlook.

Time was going by fast, and it wasn’t until the loud cheering soared into the air from the stadium, that we both snapped out of our investigation.

“They’re done,” Connor announced.

“Let’s head back, quick. Professor Phoenix is with Kaito and they’re looking into it. I think we’d be faster with Brianne,” I admitted. “But…”

“We can’t determine if she’ll freak out or not until we tell her. She’s the strongest and would be our best bet in finding Finnick. She was able to find you, remember?’

I slowly nodded and took a steady breath. “You’re right. She’s one of us.”

I was trying to convince myself, but what kind of boyfriend would I be to just drop a bomb like this after Brianne had just represented our team?

None of us cared if we passed at this point. Our worry was now on Finnick and making sure he was alive.

I grabbed onto Connor and with a thought, we were back in the stadium. One look at the board and there was Brianne’s name in capitals with the flashing word: WINNER.

That’s our girl.

Connor and I exchanged a look, noticing how happy Brianne looked on the screen as she shook the head organizer’s hand. She was beaming from the adrenaline and joy of passing, and it took me an extra second to realize she wasn’t the only winner.

With Mia and Miya’s names underneath Brianne’s, it looked like they had teamed up at some point near the end. Everyone always forgot about the few hidden exceptions when it came to exams.

Just because you were on separate teams, it didn’t mean you weren’t allowed to join forces. If your objective was the same, why not work together to reach it faster?

I wanted to be proud of Brianne. No, I was proud of her, but the clawing worry was making it almost impossible to celebrate her victory and it was leaving me angry.

My flames were fighting the last bit of control I had to ignite and wreak havoc. All of this shouldn’t be happening and yet it was.

Yes, Witchling Academy had its random times of challenges, but this? No, something was up. There had to be someone pushing the buttons. Those Shadow people? A criminal organization? Why were people targeting our group?

Connor had to nudge me out of it again, and I frowned at his physical nagging, but he tilted his head up, and I followed his gaze to see Brianne was approaching.

That beaming smile, the orange-gold hair that still glowed slightly with magic. She was filled with energy, even after all she’d just gone through with the exam.

Now we have to be the ones to break the news…dammit!

Our eyes locked and that gleaming smile fell as worry and confusion flooded her facial features. She reached us before she questioned our obvious frustration.

“Why do you guys look so serious?”

“We’re dealing with a problem,” I muttered.

My anger was obviously not directed at her, but I couldn’t hide it from my voice. She didn’t deserve to have this dumped on her right now.

Why did we always have to end our exams with random stuff and fearful moments? I hated the fact I had to question this again and again in my head.

“A situation?” She looked between us, clearly not following what we were implying. “What?”

We exchanged looks, our worry just as transparent as Bri’s growing annoyance with us. She crossed her arms and gave us a stern look.

“If you think I’m going to be left out of this, you’re both delusional. What’s the problem? Is something wrong or is someone hurt?”

How do we tell her?

“Finnick is missing.” Connor decided to drop the bomb.

I gave him a look, but he carried right on with explaining.

“Kaito’s been searching for him for an hour and can’t find him at all. He doesn’t have his phone with him and his dad hasn’t seen him since he left today to meet with us.”

“What do you mean, ‘he’s missing?’ He was with us before I went to start the Games. He said he was going to the lockers to get his water bottle. Did you check the locker room?” Brianne questioned.

I could see the panic in her eyes, but she was fighting to keep it to a minimum.

“We did. Multiple times. He’s not there,” I revealed.

“Then where could he have gone?” she questioned, her arms going up in the air.

There was no doubt that she was frustrated with this sudden occurrence and the lack of information. I didn’t want that for her. Even if we secretly had plans to make her a part of the anti-bullying movement, this wasn’t how we wanted her to be introduced to it.

Connor looked my way, and I met his gaze. His expression was enough to tell me we were wasting time trying to dodge this. Telling Brianne as much as we knew would assist in finding Finnick.

“What. Happened?” she articulated.

Connor sighed and ruffled his hair, a sign he would be the first to reveal the truth.

“Finnick was ganged-up on in the locker room.”

Brianne just stood there, her expression guarded. You didn’t need to be a genius to feel the sudden shift of energy wrapping around Bri - burning energy that was fueled by pure anger.

“What. Did. You. Say?”

I decided to speak up and reveal the information I’d gotten from Professor Phoenix.

“When Finnick was taking too long to come back, Kaito decided to go and check. He figured Finnick may have felt overwhelmed by all the families and being around loved ones and thus, maybe Finnick went to compose himself in the locker room. Kaito arrived to find blood all over the floor and a few of the bullies either knocked out or injured. A few of the guys from the football team saw what was going on and intervened, but by the time Professor Phoenix and the police arrived, Finnick was nowhere to be found,” I explained.

“We’re worried because with Finnick’s mindset and the fact he’s still grieving for his mom…he’s not in the best place right now. Being jumped by ten guys…fuck.” Connor needed a moment, struggling to keep it together.

I was sure the intense emotions from all of this were beginning to hit him. I couldn’t imagine what he was truly thinking, especially when he knew just how badly the bullying affected Finnick. He knew on an emotional level, and I was positive he had a few private conversations with Finnick during all of his down stages.

Connor was like the silent healer of the group, but he kept all those emotions bottled up to bear on his own. Sometimes I wished I could aid him in that. Be there for him when those very feelings got to be too much.

“We have to find him. He’s not going to be in a good mental space,” Connor stated.

“He said he wouldn’t do anything like that anymore,” Brianne voiced.

“It’s…complicated,” I whispered.

She didn’t know what Finnick had gone through. People never understood what we meant when we mentioned that Finnick had had a hard life. Tragedy always seemed to follow his family and now I was worried it was about to strike him down.

His dad must have been freaking out, and in no way prepared to lose his last son.

Losing one was enough.

“Tell me!” Brianne yelled.

We exchanged a look once again before Connor gave in.

“Finnick used to have an older brother.”

“What?” She gasped. “Used to?”

“His brother was a lot older, like a good eight years or so. He took Finnick out and they were jumped, just like in the locker room. His brother protected Finnick, but before he could take out the last guy, the…man…” I had to pause, struggling to continue.

Just talking about it brought up the old wounds. The pain and anger. It reminded me of my sister, and the way it seemed like our group was constantly being hit with death and sorrow.

Connor took over and looked at Bri.

“The man took out a gun and shot Finnick’s brother. It triggered Finnick’s…second gift…and that killed the last guy, but the damage was already done. It was too late. Finnick watched his brother pass away as they waited for the ambulance.”

Brianne stood there, completely speechless. I watched her closely and noticed her eyes slowly grow wide.

She figured out the trigger.

“How long?” Her emotionless tone bothered me, and I noticed the way her fists clenched in anger. I wasn’t quite sure what she was asking, so I repeated it.

“How long?”

“How long ago was that?” she asked.

“Twenty-five minutes ago,” Connor declared.

She slowly nodded, and I looked over to Connor, who displayed the same level of confusion as I did.

A snapping sound caught our attention, and we looked back at Brianne, lowering our gazes to her wrist. The gold bracelet that Starlight had put there to ensure she didn’t Spell Travel had dropped to the ground.

My jaw fell open, noticing the Sailor Moon tape and how it had been placed over a crack.

Shit! That’s been cracked this whole time?

I looked back up to question Brianne, but with a blink, her body was gone. It took Connor and me a solid five seconds before we cursed.

“Where did she go?!” I exclaimed.

“We are so getting scolded,” Connor complained. “You going to be strong enough to teleport me?”

“Yeah. I just need a minute or two of concentration. It’s going to be a little harder though,” I confessed. My mind was frazzled and the idea that Brianne could be anywhere and get herself in serious trouble was beginning to seep into my mind.

Connor frowned and walked up to me. He placed his hands on my shoulders and gave them a firm squeeze. “Keep calm. She can handle things and we won’t be long. Just breathe and let your mind settle on what you want to achieve.”

I nodded and began to do just that, starting with controlling my breathing. Closing my eyes, I summoned my magic and prepared for the teleportation spell.

“Jax! Connor!” I could hear Kaito’s voice, but Connor worked on massaging my shoulders. “Focus,” he whispered.

My eyes were still closed, but I nodded at his hushed direction.

“Teleportation?” Kaito questioned. His voice was softer, and he sounded like he was on my right.

“Yes. We just told Brianne that Finnick was missing and she Spell Traveled,” Connor summarized.

“Wait, she can’t…oh…” Kaito trailed off. Connor must have directed him to the bracelet that was on the ground.

“Pick it up. We’ll need to prove to Starlight that we weren’t fully at fault when she tries to scold us,” Connor instructed.

“Good idea,” Kaito mumbled.

I zoned them out for a moment, needing to clear my mind entirely to pick up Bri’s location. It didn’t take as long as I thought it would, and my magic began to burn through my body as tiny sparks trickled down my arms and legs.

“Kaito. Hold onto me,” Connor declared.

“Okay,” Kaito responded.

“Jax?” Connor questioned. “You’ll be able to handle it?”

“I’ll be okay,” I voiced and tuned back into my spell. I had Brianne’s location on lockdown and only needed a few seconds.

“Let’s go,” I whispered, and the world shifted as the spinning sensation of the spell overtook my senses.

When I felt the difference in the ground below our feet, I knew we’d arrived. Opening my eyes, I realized we stood on the cement ground of a construction site of some sort.

It didn’t take long to familiarize myself with the area — we were near Finnick’s old home. He’d always come to the bridge to think, and during his childhood, always went on walks here with his mom and dad.

The bridge was still closed for construction, the project delayed due to an equipment issue. I knew this was a potential place for Finnick to be chilling around, especially with what had just happened, but it was far too dangerous to be here given the state of the bridge.

“BRIANNE!”

The sharp scream came from our left; the three of us all turned to realize the sound came from Elijah.

He was leaning over the left edge of the bridge. Just a few inches away from Elijah was a large gap of what should have been cement and rebar.

As if someone crashed into it, breaking it entirely.

I didn’t even wait to see what was happening before I was running ahead, Connor and Kaito right behind.

“RUN!”

The sudden sound of racing tires hit the air, and suddenly, there was a loud thump. I looked to my left, trying to peer at what was going on down below, but the sight made me freeze as my heart stopped.

Orange-gold locks. Pale white skin. Blood…

My eyes trailed Brianne’s body as it reached its highest peak in the air. I expected her to do a spell or something to stop her from falling back down, but gravity played its role as she began to drop.

I couldn’t move, think, or breathe. All I could do was watch in stunned horror until I lost sight of Brianne. A loud set of noises reached my ears, almost like bones cracking from a harsh impact.

Then, the world was silent, for all of three seconds.

“BRIANNE!”

Finnick’s ear-shattering scream shook me to the core, snapping me out of my stunned state. Kaito was already running to where the gap in the bridge rails was, and without delay, he jumped right off.

I wanted to help, but I still couldn’t move. It took Connor grabbing my hand and tugging me forward for my legs to finally cooperate.

We rushed over to the gap, leaning over the edge to see the aftermath.

My heart stopped yet again, my eyes growing wide in pure devastation. There was Brianne, lying on her back. For a split second, it was like she was merely sleeping.

How I wished that were the case.

Her skin was losing color, looking the palest I’d ever seen it, but it only made the blood that was pouring from the crack in the side of her head more prominent. It didn’t account for the pool of blood forming beneath her, like a puddle that continued to expand.

Her left leg was twisted at a weird angle, immediately telling me something was broken there, and large bruises were beginning to blemish her fair skin.

Kaito was at her side. He fell to his knees, trembling, and his shaking hands couldn’t decide what to fix.

We couldn’t fix this. How would we fix this? Bri…Brianne. I can’t…no…I…I can’t lose her. I can’t lose another person I care about. How can I fix this?

One of my greatest fears had just hit me in the face, and I wasn’t sure if I could handle it.

2

DARK FLAMES AND CALMING COMFORT

“Jax.” Connor’s voice whispered in my ear.

I struggled to look away, afraid that doing just that would make Brianne slip away. I loved her. I’d loved her for so long that I couldn’t remember when I hadn’t. Obviously, we hadn’t known each other two-and-a-half years ago, but all the same, I couldn’t envision a world without her.

“Jax. Look at me,”

If I look…she’ll die. I…I have to figure something out. Who can we get to help? No, if I leave, I’ll be abandoning her. She needs me here. She needs to be here. What if I leave and she…no, she can’t die. Fuck…please…don’t take her from me. From us.

“Dammit, Jax!”

My body was forced to look away, Connor moving me to look at him. I immediately tried to look back at Brianne, but those very hands moved from my shoulders to my face. He flinched when our eyes met, and I couldn’t even be offended.

He was bearing the full weight of my emotions, and there was nothing I could do to make it stop. I was struggling. Fighting the void of despair coursing through me. My flames wanted to weep, to rage on and on until everything was burned to the ground.

Nothing would be left. If we lost the woman we loved, nothing would be left behind. As selfish as it was, I’d make sure a mark was left behind for the world to know what had happened here.

The thought actually sounded achievable, and my body grew hot with power.

“Stop, Jax.” Connor narrowed his eyes at me, but mine filled with tears as my flames grew stronger. I felt the magic and heat channel to my hair, the red-orange-gold combination beginning to float with energy.

“I can’t lose her.” My voice was deep and almost unrecognizable. My flames were beginning to reach their peak of power, ready to take over and create havoc.

“I get it,” Connor replied with a stern voice.

“Then let go.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Which is it?” I growled.

“Neither,” Connor muttered.

“Let. Go,” I threatened, my patience wearing thin.

“If I do that, I’ll lose you, too.” He shook his head. “I can’t lose two people I love in a short period of time. Let alone allow those flames of yours to go wild. Then we’re all screwed.”

I was silent, my glaring eyes still locked onto his. Connor took a deep breath and stepped forward. “Calm your flames.”

“Or what?” I cocked an eyebrow at him, amused that he was trying to control me. To tell me what to do. Did he not know how powerful I was? The intensity of the burning flames that I’d use to destroy whoever was the cause of this? I wanted revenge and he was in my way.

“She’s not dead yet, Jax. We’re wasting time.”

“Stop avoiding the question,” I snapped, my flames igniting at my feet. The heatwave that hit Connor was enough to make him flinch and let go of me.

An eerie smile formed on my lips, the flames blazing through me with intense magic. I was done listening. I wanted to get payback and that started with finding out who did this.

My eyes moved from Connor to Elijah. He was watching our confrontation, and when my eyes locked on his, he trembled in sheer fear. He immediately put his hands up defensively, and he shook his head.

“I-I….it wasn’t me. I swear. I…I don’t know how I got here. I’m innocent, please.”

“Innocent, but trembling like a goddamn fool.” My voice seemed almost unrecognizable, my magic taking its toll on me as it thrived on my emotions and weakened mental state.

This was why being a fire user was a dangerous role that required immense control and calm. If your mental state shifted down the wrong path, it could lead to darkness and chaos.

Right now, I didn’t care about the rules. They didn’t matter anymore. I had no one to impress. I couldn’t share my success or achievements with Brianne anymore. I wouldn’t be able to cuddle her or watch as she slept peacefully in my arms.

She was on the ground, bleeding and seeping into the land of the dead.

All because of him.

I took a step forward, and the heat that bounced off my body was beginning to make steam flutter upward. The cement under my feet was melting, and I could only imagine the temperature of my body.

“You’ll be the first to feel my wrath,” I declared in triumph.

Elijah fell back to the ground, and his fearful eyes almost made me giddy. He was the reason for all of this. He didn’t have the guts to confess his feelings to her, and yet here he was. I wasn’t going to waste time believing that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Our Brianne didn’t deserve to die. She didn’t deserve to be treated like garbage or wasted space. He had made her feel incompetent. That she didn’t deserve to make friends or enjoy being around good company.

We were able to change that, to show her that she was a precious flower who deserved to be bathed in the sun and given the purest water to grow and prosper.

Now she was gone. Dead. Wilted away by the person she once cared about. The person she once loved and wished the best for.

Knowing Brianne, she probably still wished the best for him. That he’d one day find himself and learn that the bullies and people who fed his whims were just there for temporary enjoyment. The moment his popularity fell, they would dump him like trash.

Guess he needs a better lesson. One that will take him into the depths of my flames and to an early grave.

I took another step, the scent of sizzling cement drifting up to my nose. My flames wrapped around me, growing stronger and more vibrant as they prepared for my every command.

I wasn’t going to give Elijah a quick death. No. He didn’t deserve it. Our Brianne was dead in a flash because of him. He deserved to suffer. To experience nothing but pain until he was gone from this world.

Was this what revenge felt like? To want to get rid of someone so badly that it almost felt like you weren’t human anymore? No wonder people got lost in it. Lost in the power the mere emotion held and the motivation they gained to destroy anything that got in their path.

Connor blocked my sight of Elijah, blocking my way.

I frowned, my flames beginning to double in size and the atmosphere growing in temperature. Connor was sweating buckets in his uniform, but I couldn’t care less. He was intruding. He needed to move, or he’d experience what I was about to give Elijah.

“Move.”

“You know I can’t do that,” Connor declared.

“He killed her!” I snapped.

“She’s not dead, Jax,” Connor repeated.

“Not yet. We can’t save her. You fucking know that. Don’t you dare try to tell me otherwise,” I snapped, my tears forming in my eyes once more.

Connor bit his lips, his own eyes filling with tears. I could see the hopelessness in them, and I knew his mind was trying to figure out some way out of this. I knew better. There was no way out of this. Brianne was going to stop breathing any second now, and all hell would break loose.

Starting with Elijah’s death.

“Jax. Brianne wouldn’t want you to do this,” Connor whispered. “The flames are taking over. The dark flames are trying to control you.”

Dark flames. I smirked and looked at my feet, noticing the amber and purple flames he spoke of. Yes, the dark flames that I had been banned from using until recently.

The flames that were so dangerous, they were known to consume the very users they were created to protect. It was the only flame that almost had a mind of its own. You needed to take multiple tests and undergo years of monitoring to be licensed to use such a power. I’d only gotten the chance to do so because it had been one of the first types of flames I’d gotten, alongside my healing flames.

Lots of training and monitoring throughout my childhood had led me to this moment. All the training and drilling of all the ‘no’s’ in the book were a waste of time.

“Bri’s dead,”

“She’s not—”

“Dying. None of us are strong enough to save her, Connor. There’s no hope, and if you think I’ll stand here and…watch her die…you don’t know who I am or the true pain Elsa’s death inflicted on me.”

My tears rolled down my cheeks, and I wiped them away with anger. “Tears. Sadness. What a joke! Why do I have all this power if I can’t even protect the woman I love? I love Brianne, Connor! She…changed everything. Made us get closer! Was like our damn sunshine, and she’s dying. She’ll leave us. Her bright star will fade away and leave us in darkness. I won’t live through that. I’ll make sure I don’t. If that means killing him and then myself, I’ll be happy to do it.”

“You don’t fucking mean that and don’t you dare try it, Jax.”

“Or what? You’re going to stop me? Why couldn’t we get here sooner? Why are you butting in!”

“Because this isn’t you! This isn’t our president and best friend. Brianne would never let you kill Elijah. He didn’t do it!”

“Why the fuck is he here!” I screamed. “Tell me, oh wise one!”

“Innocent until proven guilty. You know that phrase well enough and I know he didn’t do it.”

“Why? Because his thoughts are telling you he didn’t do it?” I asked.

When he didn’t answer, I laughed. “Smartass.”

“Jax. Turn the flames off now.” Connor’s voice was threatening and it only made me laugh harder.

It was definitely the flames influencing me, but it felt so good. The energy that built inside me was enough to burn the entire city down. I could burn entire forests and make my stance. No one would mess with me again. No one would take what I loved away from me anymore.

I smiled, a sinister one that made Connor’s eyes widen in fear.

“Make me,” I declared with my monotone voice. Connor tsked, and before I could move, he was in front of me. I tried to move, but something trapped me in place. I lowered my eyes to my feet, noticing the two blocks of ice that tried to keep my feet in captivity.

I laughed, my body temperature already melting the blocks at a rapid pace. “Nice try, buddy. However, this will melt in seconds. Then I’ll force you out of the way. Maybe you’ll join Bri first.”

Lifting my head up to him, I noticed his sad expression, the look enough to make me pause in my quest for revenge. My caught-off-guard moment was clearly going to be my downfall, as Connor whispered, “All I need is a few seconds,”

I expected him to knock me out or punch me in my gut like they did in training when the darkness overtook me for a few seconds, but he did the unexpected, something he’d done once a long time ago.

His hands pressed against my cheeks and he closed the distance between us with his lips.

Just like back then, the single kiss was unexpected and totally uncalled for. It was obvious he was doing this to snap me out of it. To cool my flames with the ice magic he was using to send cold air through my mouth and down my body.

Obvious that he was doing this to wake me up from my darkness high.

Yet, my heart still skipped a beat, just like that time long ago. I blinked and stared into his eyes as they remained open and locked onto mine. He was doing all the movement, his very lips feeling as cold as popsicles.

Connor wasn’t open about it, but he was more multi-talented then many people knew about. Even Finnick and Kaito didn’t know of the extent of magic Connor carried within himself — ice magic being one of his strong suits.

My flames began to surrender to the chilled flow of energy running into me. Like an extinguisher blowing out the raging energy that wanted nothing but to avenge the woman we loved.

I knew deep down that Brianne would never support my behavior. She wouldn’t want me to exact revenge on her behalf. However, I couldn’t help it. Not when my mind, body, and soul were out of balance. It all felt stupid now, even the thought of killing myself once the deed was done.

That’s how the darkness won. It crawled into your mind and took over completely. Once it removed any chance of you getting in its way, it went on its destruction spree. A lot of damage could be done in a short period of time. It was exactly why the flame power was so dangerous.

Connor released me when my temperature seemed to cool down. I could feel the chill of the ice blocks that still had a bit of a hold on my shoes.

I held his intense gaze, knowing that he was searching my eyes to make sure the dark flames weren’t playing any tricks. Once he seemed satisfied, he let go of my cheeks. I noticed the slight burns on the palms of his hands, the sight making me frown as I realized what I’d done.

He took a step back to give me space, but he shook his head. “It’s okay. We’ll heal it later.”

When I didn’t speak, he tried to make conversation. “I get why your flames took over and I’m not upset. However, that’s the second time I’ve done that. Don’t let there be the third.”

I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. Was he referring to the kiss or the fact that he had to send ice magic through me and cool me off?

Was it weird that I felt a little disappointed by his words?

Pushing the thought to the back of my mind, I slowly nodded. “Understood.” My voice was back to normal, and I finally felt somewhat like myself. The drop in temperature was now taking its toll on me, and Connor was back in front of me, gripping my arms to make sure I didn’t pass out and fall off the bridge.

“I’m okay,” I stressed, but needed a moment. “We…have to get help. For Brianne.”

Connor nodded and looked over his shoulder to Elijah.

I didn’t dare look at him, worried that my flames would resurface and take full control in annihilating him. The dark presence was still there inside me, but it was far weaker than before and fading fast. I had to make sure it was completely gone before I confronted our current reality.

“I need you to call 911. Tell them that Brianne Marie Harlow was attacked and is dying. She needs medical attention ASAP. And make sure you tell them to notify her parents and sister. Say the student council is with her and is doing our best to keep her breathing. Say you were a witness and are willing to assist the police and agents on this case. That’s the only way you’re going to get out of this mess. Understood?”

“U-understood,” Elijah stuttered.

“Go!” Connor said. “Wait for the authorities to arrive and cooperate with them. Once Brianne is in good hands, we’ll talk. You won’t be deemed guilty until they talk with me, understand?”

“Yes. I understand. I’m going!” Elijah stressed. In seconds, his racing footsteps were fading away.

“You can’t trust him,” I muttered, feeling a little light-headed. Connor hugged me, letting me rest against him for a moment as I waited for the dizziness to subside.

“I agree, but he’d be a dumb fool if he thinks of doing something else.”

“We need to help Brianne.”

“Can’t do that when you’re on the verge of passing out. Kaito can at least keep her breathing. I’m not sure how Finnick’s holding up down there, but for now, I need you to breathe.”

“Do you hate me?” I asked out of the blue.

“No,” Connor replied.

“Do you like me?” I carried on with the random questions, needing the distraction. The darkness was almost gone now, but it was clearly lingering for a reason.

“Yes,” Connor replied.

The answer made me chuckle quietly. “You’re silly.”

I knew he was joking around. Even the last bit of darkness found it amusing, prompting its official exit. Taking a deep inhale and letting it out, I leaned back to give him a weak but wide smile. “I like you, too, Connor. I’m better now, by the way.”

“It’s gone?”

“Yeah. It found your comment amusing and left.” I sighed. “I’ll have to report that.”

“You don’t need to,” Connor muttered and looked away. “We’ll keep it between us for now.”

“Elijah saw,” I reminded.

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t say shit,” Connor replied. “You sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah,” I replied. “Let’s talk about it later. When Bri’s taken care of. I have some magic left. I can keep her stable until help arrives.”

“Cool. Don’t overdo it.” Connor continued to avoid my gaze.

“Are…you mad?”

“Nope,” he replied. “Just need a moment. The emotions and all.”

“Ah. I get it.” I nodded and felt a little relieved that he wasn’t mad. “I think I’m all right now.”

Connor nodded. “Head down first. I need an extra minute.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

“All right.” I nodded and got serious, knowing well that this was going to be a crucial moment for all of us. I was scared, but I had to face my fear if I wanted Brianne to have any chance of surviving this.

“Connor?”

“Yes?”

“Thanks,” I whispered. “For always being there. I’ll try…to make sure it does not happen again.”

“Good,” Connor sounded pleased, even though I couldn’t see his face. “Go help keep our girl alive.”

“Yes, sir,” I whispered. With another deep inhale, I let it out and nodded to myself.

The darkness didn’t win. We have a chance at changing this. Please…let us have a chance.

3

MYSTERIOUS SAVIOR

~CONNOR~

“CONNOR?”

“Yes?”

“Thanks,” Jax whispered. “For always being there. I’ll try…to make sure it does not happen again.”

“Good,” I replied, feeling relieved and pleased with his comment. “Go help keep our girl alive.”

“Yes, sir,” Jax whispered.

I listened to him inhale deeply again, something he did to calm himself down and secure his hold on the flames that burned inside him. He mumbled something under his breath, a spell of some sort, before he hopped off the bridge and floated downward.

I let my guard fall and moved away from the ledge to give myself a long moment to breathe. Dropping to one knee, I quietly fought to catch my breath and lower the impact Jax’s emotions were having on me.

I hadn’t dealt with an influx of emotions like this for a long time. It felt like a hurricane of pain, fear, sadness, and anger. Jax’s emotions always had a strong impact on me, stronger than Finnick and Kaito. It sometimes felt like they were desperate to be felt by me, and their call always woke me up from the depths of my sleep.

I doubted Jax realized it, and though he knew to some extent how powerful my gift could be, he kept it between us. It wasn’t necessarily a burden to me, but it was difficult to confront when it hit me right on.

This was simply something you couldn’t get used to. I just had to calm down and let the emotions shimmer through me until they faded away. Then I was left with the aftermath of those feelings and how they affected me.

It used to be a lot worse when we were all younger and I had little to no knowledge of how to deal with it. Fortunately, the government-provided training we received during our teen years had taught me to handle it.

Since we had all been gifted with specific powers that could be beneficial when we were older, the training and assistance were free and recommended to our parents. At first, it felt like more of a hassle than anything, but now that I was older, I was a little happy we’d all done our portion of classes.

Certainly glad that Jax has gone through with it.

Most people underestimated what I could do. I was big and tough on the outside, but soft and calm on the inside. No one really knew the extent of my magical strength, and I didn’t need them to know.

Not yet, anyway.

Jax was all things hot, from his flaming power to his ability to teleport. People expected him to be as powerful as he was, but only a few individuals knew about his dark flames and the powers they carried.

Darkness was a dangerous element, one that was selfish and more powerful than any other. One wrong move and the host would be screwed. I didn’t want that for Jax, and it was one of the many reasons why I kept an eye on him.

I never thought he would have fallen hard for Brianne as quickly as he did, but that went for all of us. We loved her, and with the possibility of losing her, his reaction was understandable.

Taking a few deeper breaths, I looked over to my left, staring down the path that Elijah went on to get help. The road would lead to the main street and there was always an officer patrolling the neighborhood who would get in contact with the police.

I’d told him to mention Brianne’s full name because the Harlows were known well enough for the police to take immediate action and get Witchling Star agents on the case immediately, rather than conducting an investigation first.

If she was being targeted, I now worried they would try and finish the job. Now that I thought about it, we needed to figure out what the hell happened.

“Connor?”

I didn’t respond right away, focusing on slowly standing up first. I still wasn’t at 100%, but we didn’t have much time on our hands for me to balance myself out.

“Yes, Kaito?” I finally replied but didn’t move just yet.

Kaito walked past me and into view. He looked worried, and I noticed the bloodstains on his uniform.

Shit.

“Is she still breathing?” I questioned.

“Yeah. Jax is helping. I was able to wrap Finnick’s leg. It’s broken.”

“Damn,” I muttered. “Do you know what happened?”

“Finnick said Elijah used an attack that sent him crashing into the wall of the bridge, which was why he fell off. Brianne had appeared out of nowhere and caught him and slowed their fall somehow, but Finnick took the brunt of the fall.”

“Then how the hell did she get hurt?” My anger was growing while a bit of doubt hit the back of my mind. If Elijah was truly the culprit of all of this, I’d kill him myself.

My gut had never been wrong before, especially when matched with the individual’s thought process and emotions. It literally felt like Elijah was innocent. As though he was played and left to carry the burden of this crime.

“There was a car. It came out of nowhere and crashed right into Brianne, sending her flying,” Kaito explained. “Then it seemed to run out of magic or whatever was fueling it. I haven’t checked yet, but I created a square barrier around everything in the meantime. I think we should wait for the authorities to get here.”

“We’re going to have to be super cautious until they arrive. Whoever set this all up wants Brianne out of the picture immediately.”

“They don’t want her finding something out, maybe?” Kaito suggested.

“Maybe. Or she’s a key person in something. I’m not sure. It’s a feeling I’ve been getting the last couple of weeks. I mean, why else would we be targeted over and over again? We need answers.” We all knew this, but we really did need to figure out the truth to everything.

We were novices in all of this, and we needed help to solve this growing mystery.

“We’ll figure it out later.” Kaito reached out to pat my arm. “You okay? You’re pale.”

“I’m all right,” I gave him a small smile. “This is…just hard to take in, that’s all.”

“I agree. Here we thought we’d finish this unexpected exam and all go home and party.”

I was secretly intrigued that Kaito was so unflappable in this situation.

“Why are you so calm?” I asked.

“She won’t die,” Kaito said that with pure confidence. “I don’t know. I mean…it’s weird of me to be so confident, and I’m not really sure why I feel the way I feel, but I can guarantee that she won’t die here. It’s not her time or place. Whoever is messing with us clearly wants her out of the game, but that’s not what the god of fate wants.”

I frowned and narrowed my eyes at him, trying to read his emotions. He was literally calm from the inside out, and he was confident with his words. Even though they sounded completely off to even him.

If he believes that she won’t die…hmm. Maybe another gift?

“All right,” I nodded in understanding. “Let’s get back down there and wait for help to arrive.”

“You…don’t think I’m weird?” Kaito questioned suddenly, looking a little doubtful. “What I said is kind of weird.”

“Not really.” I shrugged. “I listen to my instincts all the time and you’ve never had a problem with it. Neither have the others. Maybe your instincts and magic are kicking in due to the situation and know you function best when you’re calm. Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out later. Brianne is strong and Jax can keep her breathing. If we all alternate to help out, she should be good until help arrives.”

Kaito nodded. “Okay.”

I smiled and reached out to ruffle his hair. “You’re trying to be strong for both of them, huh?”

Kaito gave me a sad smile, tears forming in his eyes. He nodded and blinked his tears away, doing his best to stay composed. “I’m trying. Finnick is freaking out. I don’t want him to panic or think this is his fault. If I’m calm, maybe he’ll remain calm too and know everything is okay. Jax has been super understanding. I expected him to be furious, you know?”

“Yeah,” I replied. “I’m sure he understands the circumstances and doesn’t want Finnick blaming himself. As long as Bri remains breathing until the authorities come, we’ll be okay.”

“Guys!” Finnick called up to us.

We both frowned at Finnick’s anxious voice. We rushed to the ledge, looking over to see if Brianne was okay. She was currently surrounded by a golden light that stemmed from Jax’s flame.

I immediately looked at her chest, watching it rise and fall at a slight faster rate than her normal. Regardless, she was still alive and wasn’t looking as pale as before. Jax had his eyes closed and was giving his full attention to Bri.

Finnick was sitting to the right of Brianne. He looked panicked, like something was about to happen.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“The car…it…it turned around. I don’t know how…it was out of commission a second ago!” Finnick struggled to explain as he pointed forward with a shaky hand. Kaito and I immediately jumped off the bridge, using a quick spell to slow down our fall when we reached the ground. Landing with ease, we immediately positioned ourselves in front of the three, our eyes staring at a car that had its beaming lights on us.

It was impossible to see who was driving the car because they wore some type of hood. At least that meant we had a culprit, and whoever they were, it was now our job to capture them before they ran away.

The problem was how were we going to do that in this situation. If we moved Brianne, there would be a risk of her being paralyzed entirely. We didn’t know the extent of her wounds, let alone the damage to her spine and legs.

If we had to transport her, it would have to be through teleportation and I didn’t think Jax had enough energy to do that safely. And Finnick couldn’t move, which meant we’d have to carry him. That would be dangerous as well with his broken leg.

We were sitting ducks and whoever was driving knew that.

The sound of the engine roaring to life made us tense up. Kaito looked over to me, his eyes full of fear. There was no way we could handle this. I may have been stronger magically, but my strongest element right now was ice, and it wouldn’t stop a car going at a hundred miles per hour.

Kaito didn’t have his katana either, leaving us with very few options.

It can’t end like this. There has to be something we can do. How are we going to avoid this?

“We won’t end like this,” Kaito whispered more to himself. “It doesn’t feel like we’ll die. Yet I can’t do anything.”

I bit my lip and took a step forward, putting my hand up and working on creating a barrier. It was all I could do. There’s no way it would stop this car, but it would lessen the impact it had on us. That was the best shot we had at survival.

Kaito looked at me and then back at the car. “It won’t hold.”

“I know,” I whispered. Kaito nodded and he reached out to hold my free hand. “I don’t have much magic, but I can give you whatever I have left.”

“Thanks,” I whispered. “Whatever happens…we’re in this together.”

“Yes,” Kaito replied.

“I’ll help,” Finnick called out. We both looked over our shoulders to see he had his hands outstretched in front of him. “I don’t have much, but I can be the second line of defense.”

I smiled and slowly nodded. “All right.”

Looking over to Kaito, I noticed his loving smile as he and Finnick shared a look.

They never even got a chance to love each other.

Turning my attention back to the car, I glared at the person sitting in the driver’s seat. I felt angered by their interference, by the way they were trying to hurt the people I cared about.

Whether it was because of my sudden burst of emotion or my own thoughts, a flow of magic began to pour into my spell, making it grow stronger at a rapid pace.

The screeching of tires pierced the air, the car racing toward us while the barrier strengthened. I knew without a doubt that we’d take a direct hit, but if the barrier kept getting stronger, we may have a chance to live.

We braced ourselves for the impact, and I couldn’t help but close my eyes.

This is it!

“Mewr!”

I opened my eyes at the weird meowing noise, the sound truly unfamiliar to me.

Mewr? That doesn’t make any sense. Luna is Meow, and Elsa is MewMew. Who’s Mewr?

Looking for the source of the sound, I noticed a small kitten with a horn standing in front of me. It was staring at the approaching car, and its body began to glow a bright silver with bits of turquoise.

Suddenly, a portal opened — one of silver and swirling turquoise.

“Dimitri!” a foreign voice commanded.

My eyes widened and my jaw dropped when a large figure came out of the portal and barrelled straight into the car. The impact was enough to send the person in the driver’s seat flying forward, which meant they weren’t wearing a seat belt.

Kaito and I both dropped to the ground, the person flying past us and their inevitable crash consisting of cracks and an agonizing scream.

I scurried to my feet, immediately going into defensive mode just in case that large thing came toward us. My eyes were wide in shock, noticing the figure was some kind of huge flaming dog.

Half of its body was of flames and the rest of its fur was black. Its eyes were glowing like molten lava, and steam left its open mouth, which displayed sharp white teeth.

It began to approach us, and I quivered in fear at its massive body. The barrier that I was trying to conjure began to fizzle out, my fear making my magic drop like a flowing waterfall until it was gone.

The new kitten looked over to me, its big colorful eyes blinking a few times. Its eyes kept shifting colors, alternating pink, gold, orange, and light green.

What intrigued me the most was the golden horn on its head. It had bits of glitter on it, leaving me to wonder if this was some type of hybrid.

Reminds me of a unicorn and a kitten mixed together. A uni-kitten? Do those exist?

It stretched its tiny body before it began to run to the large beast.

I was worried about the little cat that had to be a familiar of some sort. It was like a pipsqueak compared to this huge, fiery beast.

Bracing myself for the worse, I watched as the beast stopped in front of the kitten.

“Mewr!” The kitten sat back.From the way its tail was moving side to side, I wondered if it was excited to see the beast.

The beast lifted its large paw, and I almost raced over to save it from being squished, but the large paw lowered until it just lightly brushed the uni-kitten’s head.

“Mewr.” The kitten purred and began to playfully pat the paw with its tiny ones.

I looked over to Kaito, who was watching the whole ordeal with stunned eyes. He must have sensed my gaze because he looked to me.

What’s going on?

His thought drifted to me. I wished I knew what was going on. All I could do was shrug, and we both looked back to see the kitten was now playing with the beast, tapping all four of its paws against the beast’s right one, which hovered over the kitten.

A spark of magic from the portal caught our attention, and with a flash, something else walked out of it.

A person?!

Whoever this individual was, they were wearing a beautiful white cape with turquoise markings all over it. The markings were a mix of magic circles and incantation symbols, and it looked like the trim of the cloth was turquoise. There were bits of silver in the cloak, but not enough to be super distinctive compared to the silky white color.

The person didn’t need to turn around for me to sense the abundant amount of magic coursing through them. It felt endless and left me speechless. I’d never felt this amount of magic from anyone before. Not the professors, not any of our parents.

This was on another level.

The beast and kitten stopped their playful banter, the kitten the first to run over to the person.

“Mewr!” She jumped and clung to the cloak of the person, and a soft giggle came from them, giving me enough information to assume they were female.

“Star. Did Wolfgang feed you sugar before we left? Ah. I have to scold him. He knows this is an important mission.”

The beast was next to walk over to the woman. I expected her to greet it first, but she turned around.

It was hard to see her face, but her eyes glowed with magic — enchanting turquoise eyes. They stared right into mine like she was staring at my soul.

The beast huffed, a stream of smoke covering the girl and making her groan. She moved her eyes over to the beast and reached out to pat his head.

“Has anyone told you how jealous you are sometimes? I mean, he’s like a child compared to me.”

I frowned at the comment. “I’m twenty-one,” I voiced.

She looked back at me for a few seconds. “See?” She looked back at the beast. “He’s a baby compared to us. You’re always so jealous whenever I even look at a male. You’re worse than Ryuu. No, Yuriel! Jeez. We’re here on a mission.”

“Grrrr,” the beast responded and let out another puff of smoke before he rubbed his head against the woman’s side.

“Be jealous later. We’re here to make sure the girl Daisy was talking about survives.”

I had no clue what she was talking about, but the ‘the girl’ statement caught my attention.

“Are you here to help Brianne?” I questioned.

The woman looked my way once again. “Orange hair with gold highlights. Powerful. Smart. A god.”

“Uh…” I looked at her. “You got everything but the god part.”

The flames of the beast helped illuminate a bit of her face, showing her light pink lips that morphed into a frown. “Hmm. Seems like you guys have no clue.”

“What?” I questioned.

Her eyes moved from me to Kaito and then behind us.

“Looks like your leader can’t keep her breathing for much longer.”

I immediately looked back to see Jax was struggling, sweat dripping down his face. Finnick was trying to help, his hand over Jax’s as they both pressed on Bri’s chest, but the golden magic around her was fading fast.

“No…” I whispered.

“Can you help her?” Kaito was up and looking at the woman. “You’re here to help her, right? She’s not supposed to die. I…I know she’s not. I feel it deep inside me that she’s not supposed to die here. You can change that, right?”

He sounded desperate, and I couldn’t blame him. If this woman was here to help us, I hoped she’d do it fast.

“Foresight,” she declared. Kaito looked confused. “You have seers in your bloodline, don’t you?”

“I…” he paused. “I’m not sure. My sister has mentioned it recently, but…yeah, I’m not sure if I have it.”

“Intriguing,” she replied and began to walk forward. She paused when she stood next to me, her questioning eyes staring down at me.

“Grr.” The beast growled, and I watched the woman roll her eyes.

“Dimitri.”

The beast stopped growling, a soft whimper escaping him before he lowered to sit down. The kitten seemed to feel bad for him. It jumped off the woman’s shoulder and ran over to hop onto his head and began patting him with its paw.

“You,” the girl declared.

“Yes?” I stood a little straighter in attention.

“Stop hiding what you’ve been blessed with. No point in having power if it’s just going to sit there, collecting dust.”

I gawked at her, but she turned to Kaito. “And you.”

“Yes!” Kaito stood at attention.

“You let your fears of society judging you get into your head. It stops you from achieving your goals and you make it seem like you’re not as powerful as your peers because you barely use magic.”

Kaito gawked at her. “I…” He trailed off.

“A blade can be used to move mountains if the swordsman has every intention of moving them. Stop doubting yourself and work on learning how to use your talents to your advantage. You don’t need a bunch of magic to be worthy in this world.”

All he could do was nod. She walked forward until she was standing in front of Finnick. We moved closer to hear what she had to say.

“You,”

“Yes?” Finnick responded, still appearing frightened.

“You’ve had a rough life…and I’m sad to say there’s one more patch you have to go through. This is your path and you have no choice but to go through it. The stars were written this way, and though it’s painful, it’s the only way you’re going to learn and appreciate the role you have in this universe. Stop letting the world define who you are. Or you’ll lose the opportunity to love the people you cherish.”

He frowned but slowly nodded.

She then looked at Jax and Brianne.

“Hey, twenty-one-year-old. Come over here.”

“It’s Connor,” I mumbled, but walked over to where she stood.

“Sure,” she replied. “Forward the message to the messenger. Actually, it’s good the three of you hear this.”

We all paid attention to her as she spoke. “These two are destined to be together. To put it simply, you three weren’t originally in the plan.”

I bit my lip and strained not to groan from the flow of disappointment that hit me from Finnick and Kaito. Not to mention my own disappointment at her words. I tried to hide it, but this woman must have caught it.

“Relax, you two,” she scolded Finnick and Kaito. “I wasn’t finished.”

Does she know about my gift?

“However, it seems like the girl…Brianne, was it?” She looked to me for confirmation, and I quickly nodded.

“Yes.”

“Brianne. She was destined to love one, but her heart is big enough to love three more individuals. She was blessed with one who will share the same light that shines within her, as well as understand the darkness that awaits her.”

Darkness.

I tried to hide how her words bothered me, and she smirked in response.

“However, it seems that her destined path has changed. That shift is the only chance the enemy has to try and get not one, but two strong individuals on their side.”

“You’re referring to Brianne and Jax,” Kaito whispered.

She slowly nodded her head. “Correct. It’s been seen by the seer of my time that they’re being targeted. If the enemy can’t have them, they would rather get rid of them entirely. However, it seems the gods themselves won’t allow that to happen. Thus, the reason I’m here. That and Professor Phoenix called me.”

“Professor Phoenix?” Finnick questioned.

“There’s lots you don’t know, hmm?” She shook her head, but I saw the glimpse of a smile. “Funny how I was just as naive as all of you a few years ago. Then I found the right team and everything fell into place. Not like I didn’t go through my share of hardships, but light always prevails, even when it feels so far out of reach.”

“You’ve been through what we’ve been through?” I questioned.

“Not the same. Similar in a sense. Where I come from, we have shifters and other supernatural races. It’s not like your world, where you only have witches.”

“Our world? We’re from different worlds?” Kaito inquired.

“In a world filled with magic, you really believed there was only one universe?” She sounded amused.

When we were all silent, she giggled. “Ah. Totally was like you back then. Only a few years ago, but I’m sure there’s a time gap as well. Nevertheless, remember that this world is a vast place filled with possibilities.”

She looked back at Jax and Brianne. Walking around them, she stopped at Brianne’s head, not caring about the pool of blood under black boots.

“I’m only interfering because I’ve been asked to. What I’m about to do will put her in a coma. You four are each going to have to do your part to save her from eternal slumber.”

“What?” the three of us exclaimed.

She knelt down and hovered her pale white hand over her Brianne’s forehead. I noticed the beautiful golden ring, with different gemstones surrounding one solid clear one. It looked like each gem had a purpose or was meant to be in its place.

Seeing as it was on her ring finger, I wondered if she was married.

“Wait,” Finnick voiced, and we all looked to him. “Why do you have to put her in a coma?”

“She has less than five minutes to live,” she bluntly replied.

The three of us stared at her in horror.

“Grrr.”

I flinched at the noise, not realizing the large beast was right behind me. I cringed away, not wanting to be swallowed by it.

“Dimitri.” The woman gave him a look.

He let out a puff of smoke that went right into my face, before walking over to the woman. He looked at Jax, who was somehow managing to remain in his meditative state. He must have been seriously deep in concentration to not hear all this commotion.

“Sorry. He doesn’t like you.”

“Uh…thanks?” I replied, unsure how to even respond. “Is…Brianne really going to die?”

“If I don’t put her in a coma she will. Also, if she dies, it won’t be long until this one dies, too.” She motioned her head at Jax.

“Jax?” I questioned, my heart skipping a few beats at the news. “Why?”

“You know why,” she tossed back to me. “Don’t you?”

Kaito and Finnick looked at me, and I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat.

She definitely knows. How can she tell he has dark magic?

‘Dark flames’ was the common term used to acknowledge the black-purple element, but the element was indeed a form of dark magic that had been forbidden for many years. It was only after a few strong wizards and witches were able to use it and not die from being overtaken by it that the ban was lifted.

She shrugged and pressed her hand on Brianne’s forehead.

“When I say these two are destined to be together, it means that their souls are intertwined. They are destined to rise and fall together, but due to Brianne’s open heart, it seems their original path has been altered. She has a purpose and for her to fulfill it means he has to be a part of that destined role. Without her, he has no path to walk on. That will leave him in a desolate situation, and what usually happens when an individual loses their sole purpose in this world?”

She looked at Finnick, who lowered his gaze and whispered. “They get lost in despair.”

“Exactly,” she replied. “Jax’s fire magic is not at a mortal level.”

“Mortal,” Kaito whispered.

“Yes, human level,” she voiced and closed her eyes.

The uni-kitten hopped off the beast’s head and moved to walk right onto the woman’s hand. She poked an eye open to look at the familiar but closed it once again. She looked to be in deep concentration, the ring on her finger began to glow brightly.

We watched in silence as the dimming golden light that surrounded Brianne began to shift to a mix of turquoise and silver. The golden light soon returned, but it was vibrant with power once again, like it had received a recharge.

She opened her eyes and looked over to Jax, who was still meditating. “Good stamina,” she mumbled and looked at me. “I suggest you stand behind him.”

I nodded and moved to stand right behind Jax. Her familiar hopped from her hand and the woman placed her glowing left hand on his forehead. She closed her eyes once more, and I noticed the pout of her lips.

“Stubborn.”

“What do you mean?” Finnick asked.

“He’s not wanting to accept the energy I’m trying to give him. He knows it’s foreign.”

“Ah,” Kaito and I said together. “The nurses deal with that, too. His parents usually need to come and calm him.”

“We don’t have that luxury,” she noted. “Can any of you calm him?”

“I can,” I volunteered.

“Good,” she replied and closed her eyes once more. I knelt down and placed my hands on his shoulders. Leaning in, I whispered into his ear, “Jax. I need you to relax.”

I could sense his mixture of emotions: confusion, worry, and fear. He clearly didn’t want to accept anyone’s help.

They’re destined to be together. Is he afraid of accepting help because he doesn’t want to lose Brianne?

“Jax. Brianne’s safe. She’s being helped right now. She can’t fully rest until you let go,” I voiced. I felt the tension in his shoulders and I began to massage them like I had before.

“She’s in deep slumber right now. We can’t help her until you rest as well. We need you to be fully recovered so we can do what’s being asked of us. Can you do this for us? We’ll make sure Brianne’s safe,” I quietly assured him.

His body began to relax, the tension in his shoulders loosening as I continued the massage. The woman’s hand began to glow a mix of red and gold, and the energy wrapped around Jax like it had around Brianne.

When he finally relaxed, his body slumped back, but he had me to support his weight.

“Jax?” I questioned, but his breathing had slowed and he looked to be asleep.

The woman removed her hand and rose up. “There.”

“Is he in a coma, too?” Kaito questioned.

“No. He’ll wake in a few hours. He’s needed for your quest.”

“Quest?” I voiced.

“Professor Phoenix will explain,” she replied. “Time for me to teleport you guys to the hospital.”

“You know how to do that?” I asked.

“I know how to do lots of things.” She smiled and reached out to pet the beast. Her familiar walked up to her feet and began climbing up her cape. The woman reached down to scoop the kitten up.

“Mewr?”

“Playtime after, Star.”

“Is that your familiar?” I asked.

“Yup,” she replied. “She a uni-kitty.”

“Cool,” I replied.

“I have a question,” Finnick announced.

“I’ll listen and see if I have an answer for you,” she replied.

“Are you saying…that Brianne and Jax aren’t human?”

“You finally figured it out.” She grinned.

“That’s—” Kaito was cut off.

“Not possible? You say that, but your very school was built by the gods. There could be gods living among you. Individuals who look like mere mortals. In a world filled with magic and mystery, no one can say the possible is impossible.”

Finnick opened his mouth to speak, but she shook her head. “I’m not here to teach you. That’s not my role. We’ll meet again, but it’ll be at a time you’ve all grown and learned exactly who you are all meant to become. Until then, this is where we part ways and I return to the time and place I’m meant to be.”

“What about the police?” I asked. “They’re on their way here.”

“I’ll wait for them. Professor Phoenix said she’d be at the hospital waiting for you guys and that an agent named Starlight would arrive here,”

“Brianne’s older sister,” Kaito announced.

“Ah. Intriguing.” She giggled. “My sister is an agent. Different in terms of her role, but her name is Scarlett.”

“Starts with an S, huh,” I mumbled.

“Small universe.” The woman winked. The sound of sirens drifted through the air, along with the loud roaring noise of a motorcycle.

“Time to go, kids,” she announced.

“Hey,” Kaito and Finnick said in unison.

“Grrr!” The beast growled and silenced the two of them. The woman stroked his head.

“It’s okay, Dimitri. They’re doing pretty good at listening to a stranger.”

“Do we get to know who you are?” I asked.

“Not yet. In time. We’re destined to meet again. It’s a part of the prophecy.”

“Prophecy?” we all questioned.

“Again, Professor Phoenix’s job. I’m about to teleport you all, any last words?” Her body began to glow as a massive turquoise magic circle appeared beneath all of us.

I looked at Kaito. “Hold Jax for a second.”

He nodded and took my place, and I ran over to the body that lay on its stomach. Blood was pooling around the person and their legs were in odd positions. If this person survived, there was no way they would be able to walk again, unless given a miracle.

Reaching for the hood, I lowered it to reveal the cause of this mess. I grimaced at the sight, and with a shake of my head, I replaced the hood and ran back to the others.

When I reached them, I took my place behind Jax once again, and Kaito moved to stand behind Finnick.

“Who is it?” Kaito questioned. From his eyes, I felt he already knew.

“Elisha,” I declared.

Finnick cursed. “That bitch,” he snarled.

“She’ll get her punishment. Doesn’t matter if she’s the police chief’s daughter. She can’t get away with this,” I vowed.

The other two nodded, and the three of us looked at Brianne and Jax.

“No matter what challenges are ahead of you, don’t let the enemy win.”

We looked up to the woman, her cloak fluttering around as winds and magic began to pick up. I noticed her white uniform with silver trim and turquoise and gold detailing.

What stood out the most was the unique symbol with three letters beneath: S.S.S.

“The enemy wants you three to abandon them. To think of yourselves as less and that they are greater than you. That’s not the case. Their paths are being rewritten to include the three of you. You’ve been acknowledged by the gods and accepted into their path. Embrace the struggles you endure as a team. There are going to be times when they’ll need to be alone to figure things out and determine what side they want to be on. Let them. I have a strong hunch that they’ll decide to remain on the side of light and justice. When that happens, they’ll rely on your friendships and bonds to grow even stronger. At least until you reach a level where nothing can separate your team. Until then, fight for what you love and cherish these moments together. Until we meet again, Witchlings.”

Our bodies began to fade, the spell teleporting us. Just before we vanished completely, the woman’s hood fell back from the wind, revealing a ton of long silver hair. There were many turquoise strands, and a few golden ones as well.

My eyes locked on hers, and her confident smile told me we’d meet again.

No matter what challenges happen to us, we have to make sure we stick together. We can’t let the enemy win.

4

THE FORESIGHT OF TRUTH

~KAITO~

I STARED at Finnick while I twiddled my thumbs nervously.

We had been at the hospital for hours and Brianne was currently in emergency surgery. She had broken multiple bones and ribs, and one of her legs was broken as well. When we’d arrived, we’d appeared in the perfect spot and Professor Phoenix and a team of professionals were all there ready for us.

I decided to stick with Finnick while Connor went with Jax. It made sense since I could calm Finnick a lot quicker. I had a similar effect on Jax, but it looked like Connor had gotten a lot closer to Jax as of late.

Maybe it had always been that way and I hadn’t even realized. Either way, we were separated and Brianne was taken straight into the emergency room and then into surgery. Five hours seemed to breeze by, and I was growing anxious.

It took them two hours to work on Finnick’s leg, and it was now in a cast to ensure it remained in place until it was fully healed.

There was a lot of things magic could do, but certain injuries had a limit. Time also played a huge role in terms of healing. Things like broken bones or extreme blood loss required immediate medical attention or magic stabilization until the individual could be seen.

It was a good thing we were there seconds before Brianne got hit and that Jax and I were able to keep her stabilized until we were teleported here. I couldn’t imagine the extent of damage that Elisha would suffer.

I should have been fuming after what she’d done, but a small part of me worried about her injuries. She deserved whatever she got and more, but I felt bad for leaving her behind. All the same, Brianne was our priority and one of the victims in all of this.

Closing my eyes for a moment, I took a few seconds to pray to the gods.

Please, heal Brianne. She means so much to all of us. We can’t lose her. Not here. Not now. Let my instincts be right and make it so she has a full recovery.

“Red…”

I opened my eyes and looked at Finnick. He was still under from the medication they had given him before they worked on his leg. They said he’d be out for a few more hours while the magic continued to work within the cast.

Clearly, he was sleep talking, and he stirred slightly, squeezing his face in pain. I rose up from my chair and moved to rub my hand against his cheek.

“It’s okay, Finnick. Brianne’s going to be okay,” I whispered. The small stroking movements seemed to calm him down; his pinched face relaxed and within seconds, he had a peaceful expression on his face.

I looked at the monitors that displayed a bunch of numbers. The only one that concerned me was current pulse. It had sped up, but it was now returning to its usual range.

Letting out a sigh, I kept stroking his cheek for a few more minutes, almost absentmindedly, while I tried to recall everything that happened.

I BARELY KNEW what had truly happened with Finnick and how he managed to fall off the bridge. I wasn’t sure if that was an act he’d committed or if Elijah had had something to do with all of it. Deep down, I felt like Finnick wouldn’t have gone against his word of not committing suicide. We all trusted him when he said he’d never try it. However, could I really blame him in this case?

He needs a break from all this chaos.

After all that, he’d witnessed Brianne get hit by a car and almost die right there and then. He must have felt helpless watching the entire thing play out, especially because he couldn’t even move.

I let out a long sigh and leaned back into the soft leather chair. Staring at the ceiling, my mind wandered over to Brianne.

How is she going to recover from this? Even if she’s better physically, what effect will this have on her mental state?

Thankfully we had the summer break, which meant three-and-a-half months of recovery for Brianne and Finnick. But would it be enough?

That jolted the confrontation with the mysterious woman and that large beast to the front of my thoughts.

Oh right, there was a familiar, too. A uni-kitten.

Her words still baffled me. Or rather, her appearance in all of this made no sense to me. How did she know about us? Or even Professor Phoenix?

The way she spoke was as if she was truly from another timeline. She’d said that I had foresight or some type of seer ability. I knew my sister had the ability, and there was a chance that I, too, could have it, but was that really awakening inside me?

Closing my eyes, I pondered it.

The one weakness I knew I had was my lack of magic power. Sure, I could conduct spells like the others, but I struggled with making them grow stronger. Jax could snap his fingers and make a single flame into a typhoon of fire — or any other element, if he wanted.

Finnick’s specialty was wind, but he knew how to enhance other elemental spells so they were stronger and hit the target perfectly.

Connor wasn’t as dependent on magic or his daggers, but when he did use them, he seemed to be absolutely perfect.

Then there was me.

I relied on my katana more than I should, but it was how I was raised. My sister was similar, but she’d trained herself to excel in the elements and now she was a pro in all areas. I kept diverting my attention to kendo training and working on perfecting my craft so that when it came time for a battle, I’d be ready.

However, I’d completely forgotten that there may come a time when I wouldn’t have my katana to aid me in battle.

Like today…

The entire confrontation reminded me of my weaknesses and what I needed to do this summer to fix them. I felt that this summer was going to be dedicated to training rather than spending time with the others, which I personally disliked.

I didn’t want to be away from anyone. In fact, I wished we could somehow train together.

With the idea I had in mind, I knew that was an impossible dream. If I wanted to reach the next level, in both my craftsmanship in kendo and in growing my elemental power, I’d have to talk with my parents.

Katsume had gone through a three-month training camp when she was ready to work on her magic abilities, and when she returned, she was a pro. It was an intense, twelve-hours-per-day, five-days-a-week training camp in the mountains.

The sixth day was spent meditating and working on using one or more swords to aid in your swordsmanship. The seventh day was to rest your body, mind, and soul, and usually involved salt baths and other calming techniques to prepare the body for training.

I never thought I’d be interested in it, but now, I wished to start as soon as possible.

That left me worried about leaving Brianne behind. Finnick would understand; he knew how it felt to crave strength and improvement. We were going to be entering our third year at Witchling Academy, and I didn’t feel the least bit confident.

That needed to change.

If I left for the whole summer, would that be okay? Would Brianne be okay with it? Would she feel lonely? I’d sure be lonely without my crew of best friends. My brothers and girlfriend.

The thought was making me want to cry. I opened my eyes once more and noticed how the ceiling blurred from my tears.

I don’t want to go…but I have to. I need to get stronger. I can’t protect Brianne, Finnick, or all those I love without fixing my flaws.

A hand rested on my left shoulder, and I looked over to see Connor standing there. I had no clue how he did it, but every single time I was sad or worried about something, there he was. Maybe it had to do with him being able to read our thoughts, but his sudden appearance made my tears flow down my cheeks as my lip trembled.

He gave me a small smile and I rose up to face him.

“Wanting to grow isn’t a bad thing. No one is going to be against the idea,” Connor whispered.

“How do you always show up when one of us needs someone to talk to?” I mumbled, a sob escaping me.

“Part of my gift, I guess.” He shrugged and pulled me into a bear hug. “You guys are so selfless.”

“From the guy who always has to see me ugly cry like a baby.”

“Crying is allowed,” he whispered.

“It’s unmanly.”

“Said who? Society? I thought we agreed not to follow the conventional norms,” Connor reminded.

“I forgot.” I chuckled, more tears rolling down my cheek. I quietly sobbed, needing to get the tears out. “I don’t want to leave Finnick or Brianne. I don’t want to leave you or Jax, but how else will I get more powerful? This summer feels like our one shot at getting stronger. That mysterious woman, she was so damn powerful, and none of us knows where she came from. How did she know about my family having foresight? I just found out recently. I didn’t even get a chance to tell you guys.”

“Everything happens for a reason,” Connor whispered and rubbed my back. “Whoever she is, it’s clear that our group is now a part of something bigger. I doubt we’ll get all our answers until the time comes when we meet that woman again. Until then, we just have to figure out how to strengthen ourselves. I think that means us training ourselves to be stronger.”

“Are you…” I trailed off and lifted my head to look up at him.

He slowly nodded. “I’m not sure exactly what training I would do. I’ve been thinking about it the whole time we’ve been here. I think you, me, and Finnick will have to do something to grow stronger. I’m sure Finnick would agree,”

Connor paused and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

“I think the three of us knew something was different about Jax. His power, the confidence he portrays when he’s truly in his element. He’s a warrior and even when things hit him hard, he somehow bounces back. Sure, he needs reassurance like any of us, but he seems to become even more powerful after each incident. His sister’s death and Elisha’s involvement in his life really brought him down, but ever since Brianne entered our lives, you can see the change in him. You can tell just how much he’s grown and everyone is seeing it. The professors, our classmates. I’m sure he hasn’t mentioned it due to everything that has been happening, but he’s been offered seven different jobs from organizations that are ranked in the top one hundred best workplaces in the world.”

“How do you…? I questioned.

“I was snooping by accident. It was during that day we were talking about the anti-bullying plan,” Connor explained. “Jax was also offered the role of President for the Senior Division.”

“A-already?” I asked in shock. “We haven’t….” I trailed off.

Connor sighed, which told me he knew something.

“You know something.”

“Depends. Will it make your mood worse?” Connor inquired.

“Probably,” I admitted. “But maybe that means my strive will be stronger.”

Connor smirked and nodded. “I don’t think we’re going to be on the Senior Council.”

“‘We’re,’ as in?”

“You, me, and Finnick,” he announced.

“Why?” I asked. “I mean, our grades were close to perfect. We’ve excelled in our extra-curricular activities. I know Finnick had a hard time, but still.”

Connor shrugged. “I’m not sure. You know the Senior Council is chosen by the professors and headmaster. They choose who can represent our school, and most of the time…well, that relies on…” he trailed off, but I already got the hint.

“Power,” I muttered. “So if Jax is the president, who’s vice?”

Connor didn’t reply, but the answer seemed to suddenly pop into my mind.

“Brianne.” I answered my own question.

Connor cocked an eyebrow at me, but he asked me a different question. “Who do you think will be treasurer and secretary?”

It took me less than five seconds to reply. “Mia and Miya,” I declared, like it was common knowledge.

“Hmm. Your foresight is activating fast.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your eyes are dark purple with hints of navy blue,” he pointed out. “And they’re glowing.”

“Wait, what?” I questioned.

“And…it’s gone.” He smirked.

I rolled my eyes and sighed. “Should have taken a picture.”

“My phone is back in Jax’s medical room.”

“Is he okay? Should you even be here?”

“He’s fine. Thankfully, the stress of everything didn’t trigger a seizure. Whatever energy that woman put around him seemed to cushion his brain from the shift in pressure. The doctors were amazed.”

“That woman. We couldn’t even get a name,” I muttered.

“She has silver hair. We can call her the Silver Lady,” Connor concluded.

“Sure,” I replied. “Well…that news sucks.”

“That’s why I didn’t tell you,” Connor noted. “But yes, it does suck.”

“It feels as though we’re getting abandoned,” I whispered.

“You know we’re not,” Connor mumbled. “Maybe someone wants this to happen and was playing a role in the decision-making process. Who knows. If what the Silver Lady said was true, that means we’re going to have to prepare to be excluded a lot.”

“They want to make it so Jax and Bri feel completely alone and that’s when they’ll strike.”

“Pretty much,” Connor replied.

“But…isn’t that a concern?” I asked. “If we’re not supposed to leave Brianne and Jax alone, wouldn’t it be a problem if we all decide to train during the summer?”

“Maybe this summer is what they need,” Connor suggested. “Remember, she did say that both of them are going to need some time alone. What if this summer is the perfect opportunity?”

Connor pulled back and walked over to grab a stool that rested in the corner of the private hospital room. I settled back down in my chair, wiping my tear-stained cheeks and taking a calming breath.

Once Connor sat down, he continued.

“It’s hard to figure out what we’re supposed to do next when we’ve just been told our leader and girlfriend aren’t mortals and are destined to be together. Makes it more difficult when it’s revealed that we were never a part of the equation.”

I felt as though Connor was talking more to himself as he tried to claw through his thoughts.

“We now know what someone or a group of people are planning. To isolate Jax and Brianne so they can get them on their side. We can assume that ‘side’ is the dark side, and we’re currently on the light side.”

“The dark side currently has Elisha all over it,” I muttered.

“No doubt there,” Connor agreed.

“And Elijah?” I questioned, my deadpan voice catching Connor’s attention.

“He didn’t do it,” Connor declared.

“You say that with confidence like you were there,” I voiced.

“My gut tells me he didn’t do it. I don’t know how he got there, and we won’t know until we talk to him ourselves. He’s in custody right now. I overheard Professor Phoenix state that to the headmaster when she was on the phone.”

“Hmph, I don’t believe him. You can’t possibly tell me he was at the wrong place at the wrong time,” I grumbled, rolling my eyes for added emphasis.

My magic seemed to spark at my comment, but I kept going. “I mean, it makes no sense. You’re going to tell me that he was just strolling along when the majority of students were at the Witchling Games? Let’s say he did have a small percent chance at being innocent, what would his alibi be? I was strolling away from the school and so happened to be in Finnick’s old neighborhood and knew he’d be there when I arrived? Better yet, what if Elisha called him up crying her eyes out and saying she needed him desperately? He rushed over to where she said they would meet and she made up some bullshit story that Finnick cornered her and tried to get payback for all the pain she’d caused him throughout the year. I’m sure she’d go off and say that her senior guy friends found out and were beating Finnick up, and she raced to the bridge because it was abandoned due to the construction.”

I shook my head and continued. “Elijah probably came along, trying to comfort her and thinking he may have a second shot with her. Little does he know that Elisha’s just there to make him into the perfect pawn. Too bad her gift doesn’t work anymore since Brianne took it away from her. So, she goes off and gets a helping hand from the Shadow people in exchange for something. I wonder what that’s all about? Anyway.”

“Kaito?” Connor questioned, but I merely ignored him and continued, the story flowing through my mind like a movie.

“She tells Elijah that he should wait at the bridge and if he sees Finnick, he should tell him what a cruel person he is to try and take advantage of me and blast him with an attack to put some common sense into his brain. She’d go and get her car that’s a few blocks down, and they’ll go on a nice evening date as a reward for his heroic effort. She then kisses him as if sealing the spell and walks off. Little does poor Elijah know that she has other plans. She purposely wants him to blast Finnick because the sidewalls of the bridge are extremely weak and can easily break with just a bit of force. Her diabolical plan was for Elijah to blast Finnick against the fragile wall and he’d fall right over. Once he hit the ground, she’d finish him off by running him over with the very car she was getting. She’d easily get away with it, by telling her dad and the rest of the team that Finnick tried to…” I trailed off, feeling a little confused as to where this story was going.

“Tried to,” Connor pressed.

“Touch her? That doesn’t even make sense when Finnick’s gay…well, bisexual I guess since he likes Brianne, but why would anyone believe that…oh. Right, her borrowed gift…wait,” I paused, finally recapping everything I’d just said. “Shit…Elijah’s innocent.”

“Bingo,” Connor replied. I looked at him in horror.

“How are we going to prove that if Elisha’s going to use her gift against us?”

“She can’t use her gift when she’s currently unconscious and getting surgery.”

I gawked at him. “B-but…they won’t believe me,” I voiced.

“They will if you do exactly what you just did,” Connor acknowledged and rose up.

I looked at him nervously, suddenly feeling worried. “B-but, I…don’t know how I just did that.”

“Don’t think about it,” Connor smiled. “You’ve been able to use your foresight because you haven’t been acknowledging it. The power just kicks in. Allow it to do just that.”

“Connor,” I looked at him in worry. “What if—”

“Kaito,” Connor interrupted me. “Why do you always second guess yourself?”

“What?”

“Why do you always second guess your potential?” Connor repeated. “It never was like that before, and yet, as of late, you and Finnick both seem to second guess what you can do.”

“I…” I trailed off, unsure how to even answer. It was a habit that had been occurring a lot lately. So much so that my Senpai at Kendo and even my dad had brought it up.

Was it because I was stressed? Or because of everything that had happened lately? I used to think I was invincible. That I could achieve whatever I put my mind to, and even if I lost or didn’t perform something perfectly, I worked harder to achieve my goals. What changed?

“Before, you didn’t have something to protect,” Connor acknowledged.

I gave him a look, prompting him to continue.

“Before we came to Witchling Academy, none of us had anything we wanted to protect. Sure, we protected one another, but it was on a casual level. If we got hurt or bullied, we had each other’s backs, but it was rarely at the level of life and death.”

He glanced over to Finnick, and I followed his gaze, the two of us staring at our pink-haired friend, who continued to sleep away.

“Things started to change when we began to develop feelings for those we love. There’s a stage in everyone’s life when you start to realize what you want. You recognize that a person makes your heart skip a beat, or that you think about someone more than the rest of your usual crowd. Your mental space soon begins to center around this person — or even people — you cherish, narrowing down your priorities. If one of those people needs something from you, you’d take action sooner rather than later. Whether it’s a partner you’re in love with, a family member, a friend, or someone you look up to. You’d move mountains to help them be happy and healthy. It also means you’d do your best to fight and protect them if the opportunity arose.”

Connor smiled slightly and looked at me.

“You always knew you liked Finnick, but pushed it to the back of your mind, didn’t you?”

I thought about it, but he hit the mark dead center. I slowly nodded in response and his smile widened.

“Brianne was probably the trigger for you wanting something more. To question if it was okay for you to like two people, especially when they were different genders. When you accepted Brianne as a potential girlfriend, the subconscious thought of protecting her took root inside your mind. The same thing happened when you acknowledged your feelings for Finnick and displayed them.”

I remembered when I’d kissed Finnick. The emotions that swirled through me at the thought of losing him entirely. I consciously vowed that I’d protect the people I loved. Brianne, Finnick, and anyone else I cared dearly for.

Maybe it was then that everything kicked in. That I realized how life-changing these remaining semesters at Witchling Academy would be and how important it was for me to grow stronger. If I wanted to love and live peacefully with the people I cherished, that meant I had to work harder to protect them from anything that came their way.

“You’re right,” I whispered. “For so long, I pushed my feelings to the back of my mind. I always had an excuse. The years I’ve spent secretly liking Finnick, only to make every excuse in the book to put it on the back burner and focus on myself. I was scared to acknowledge it because I knew I wasn’t strong enough to protect him from the bullies. Each time he got pushed around and mocked, I’d want to confront him and say how I felt. Yet I always stopped myself. I second-guessed my worthiness and didn’t think I was good enough. I’d tell myself that I’d get stronger. Train harder and be smarter. I’d study so I could be the perfect boyfriend. Whenever I was ready to finally confront him, something would pop up, and I’d be back at square one. I continued that cycle…well, until now.”

I turned to look at him, feeling a bit defeated by admitting the truth of it all. The truth about my inability to confront my fears and tackle them.

“I think I’m scared of change because I feel inadequate. I always visualized myself as that knight in shining armor. The one who would chase the enemy away and be victorious. Such a silly viewpoint, but that’s what I wanted to achieve. To be the person that Finnick looks up to and can proudly state, ‘this is my boyfriend’. When Brianne entered the picture, I wanted that same vision for us. For her to be amazed by my study ethic and craftsmanship in swordplay. I was simply setting myself up for failure because I, myself, didn’t think I was good enough…and frankly, I still feel that way.”

“You realize you have to face that, right?” Connor stared into my eyes. “You need to confront that part of yourself that always knocks you down and says you’re not ready to have the good things in life. Brianne and Finnick love you. They praise you all the time, from your studying ethic to your amazing kendo and magic skills. You work hard to achieve greatness, and it’s about time you started acknowledging your accomplishments and patting yourself on the back. They love you for you, Kaito. Not how many perfect grades you get each semester or how many competitions you win. Flaws and all, they love you, just like the rest of us do.”

“Sometimes you really are a smartass,” I commented as a single tear ran down my cheek. “I get it. I think I know exactly what I need to do during the summer training.”

“Good.” Connor put his hands behind his head. “Ready to go tell Professor Phoenix?”

I fought not to immediately decline his offer. Taking a deep breath, I slowly nodded. “Yeah.” Connor turned around and took a step forward, but I continued. “Connor?”

“Hmm?” He kept his back turned but waited for me to speak.

“You’re always so knowledgeable about these things. I know you’ve dated in the past, but…did you ever have a crush? Like…on the same sex?”

“Yup,” Connor calmly replied.

I was taken aback by his response. Not because he answered truthfully, but because I never expected Connor to like guys.

“Did…you ever tell him?”

“I did,” he replied. “He didn’t believe me.”

My shoulders sank at his words. All the times I feared telling Finnick how I felt on the off-chance I’d be rejected. The imaginary sting of rejection was enough to stop me. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to actually be rejected.

“How did you take it?” I asked.

“Don’t know yet.” He shrugged. “Haven’t had time to process it yet.”

“Process it yet?” I was confused.

“Don’t worry about it,” Connor replied. “Maybe he’ll figure it out. If not, it’s not a big deal. I’ll just keep crushing on him from the shadows. Besides, I have Brianne. That’s more than enough. He’d be a bonus if he acknowledged me back.”

He left the conversation with that last comment, heading straight out the door and leaving me in suspense.

“I wonder who he likes,” I muttered. Letting out a sigh, I looked back at Finnick, wondering if it was okay to leave him alone in his room. The nurse’s station was down the hall, but a small part of me was concerned anyway.

“MewMew!”

I flinched at the noise and realized there was something on my head.

“Huh?” I looked up to see bright pink eyes. “Elsa?”

“MewMew!” She reached out to pat my nose, and then jumped onto my shoulder and then to the chair behind me. After she landed, she jumped to the floor and pushed off to land on Finnick’s bed. She didn’t stop pacing around until she was sitting comfortably on Finnick’s chest.

He stirred a bit, but the moment Elsa began to purr, he relaxed.

If Elsa’s here…does that mean Brianne’s getting better? Will she be okay?

Elsa was looking at me, her pink eyes staring at me carefully. The longer I stared, the calmer I became, my anxiety and fear slowly melting away.

She’ll be okay. Yes…I can feel it. She’ll make a full recovery.

The thought made me smile, and I looked over to the small framed mirror near the door. Rushing over to it, I peered into my reflection, and my smile widened to a broad grin.

My eyes danced with color, a mixture of blues and purples that glowed vibrantly.

My gift. I have another gift. I can do this. I’ll prove Elijah’s innocence and make sure Elisha gets what she deserves.

5

IRONY OF DEATH AND THE PROPHECY

~BRIANNE~

Peace. Tranquility. Home.

Those were some of the emotions flickering through me as I moved in and out of consciousness. I was floating and a sense of freedom shielded me from the worry and fear of where exactly I was.

From time to time, I remembered those who were important to me: Jax, Connor, Kaito, Finnick, Mia, Miya, Starlight and my parents. Even my cute little familiar, Elsa.

I couldn’t remember what had happened before I arrived here. At times, I’d hear a small voice asking for pieces of equipment or the word ‘suction’ over and over again. Other times, I’d feel a sharp pain or poke that made me really uncomfortable, but then a comforting warmth followed, and the pain went away.

The repetition was uncalled for and impossible for me to track. I tried, just to make the time go faster, but it was but a mystery. When it finally came to a stop, I wasn’t sure what to do. Occupying my mind was better than waiting for my body to respond to my desire to wake up.

I miss the guys, my family, and best friends. I yearn to listen to the soft purrs of my familiar. I really want to go back home, but this place…something about this place calls to me. It’s home, too. Wherever this is.

Time passed and I wished for sleep to come. If I wasn’t going to get answers, it felt pointless to stay awake in pure boredom.

The thought cued a soft sound. It was hard to distinguish until the sound was right at my left ear.

“FuFuFu!”

Who is that? Or what is that? I remember that sound, but why? So familiar…

Something rubbed my cheek, but I wasn’t strong enough to open my eyes yet. I wished to see the creature, my curiosity growing with each second that passed.

The sound continued at a softer volume, reminding me of Elsa’s and Luna’s quiet purrs when they slept cuddled next to me at night.

My body continued to float and the sensation of lightness made me wonder if I’d experienced this very feeling before.

I must have, but when? Why am I feeling this ongoing wave of deja vu? If only I could get the answers I seek.

“I knew when we created you, my sense of curiosity would be carried over,” a soothing voice boomed around me.

If I’d had the ability to flinch, I would have at the loud voice, but I wasn’t necessarily afraid. The volume had startled me, but the tenderness in that statement seemed to send waves of elation through me.

Weird. I have no clue who this person is. A woman, yes, but have I ever met her before?

“You have, my child.” The voice answered my question, leaving me bewildered.

“Your mind is active, but your body is still recovering. I may be bending the rules by doing this, but having a few close calls is always fun.”

Close calls are fun? Hmm. I can agree with bending a few rules. They’re meant to be broken.

“And that’s a trait you got from your father,” the voice noted.

Father? Dad always follows the rules. In fact, I wonder where my sister and I got that trait from? Mom is a little more carefree, but if she were a rule-breaker, she wouldn’t be working in the court of law. Hmm…I guess that’s a weird assumption when Starlight breaks all the rules but still catches the bad guys.

“Your sister is just as special as you,” the voice replied.

You can read my thoughts?

“If I feel like it. However, your thoughts gravitate to me without my interference.”

That reminds me of Connor.

“Of course it does. I gave him that very gift.”

You…gave it to him?

“Yes, I did. Just like I gave Finnick the ability to mentally communicate and Kaito the ability to summon anything into his possession. I’m impressed that they’re activating their second gifts as quickly as they are. Things are certainly spinning in a completely different direction than any of us predicted. It’s fascinating to watch from the frontlines.”

I’m sorry. I’m confused.

“I’m expecting you to be, my daughter,”

You’re not my mom. You don’t sound like her.

“I’m not your human mother, Marianna Harlow, future Goddess of Time and Space.”

Um…I’m not following. Human mother? Marianna? My name is Brianne, although my middle name is Marie. Also, who’s this Goddess of Time and Space? Gods exist in the heavens. They’re powerful and hide among humans when they need to complete life-changing tasks that save millions. That’s what all the books state. I’m not a god. I’m just…well, Brianne.

“There is a lot you are unaware of, Marianna.”

Brianne.

“Your human name is Brianne. Named after the god of Spell Traveling due to your blessed gift. Well, I should say one of your many gifts.”

I’m not following…

This woman was confusing me, and I hated feeling lost in a conversation. I’d rather read all the books on the topic so I had a chance of understanding the discussion and following along. Even if I was missing some information, at least I would be able to piece it together.

This case wasn’t anything close to that, leaving me a little frustrated.

“Your desire for knowledge comes from your father. Your confidence in implementing that knowledge into action comes from me. You will need more time for me to give you everything, Marianna. For now, I can only give you pieces of the puzzle you wish to solve.”

Why do you keep calling me Marianna?

“Because that is your name.”

I don’t recall that being my name.

“You don’t recall because your memories have been kept locked since your earthly birth.”

Why? Earthly birth?

“For the sake of keeping you calm, I’ll refer to you as Brianne for this visit.”

Visit? Am I visiting you?

“You’re visiting home. Your true home.”

Home…my true home. I wish I remembered what that was. I have a home. A house with my mom, dad, sister, her familiar, and my familiar. We’re a family…and I love them very much.

“I know, Brianne.” The woman sounded sad all of a sudden. I didn’t want her to be saddened by my words. I was simply stating what I remembered. If this was my home, why would I have another one? It didn’t make sense to have two homes, but if I did, why was I missing the memories of one?

Frustrating worries, but I pushed them to the side as I focused on the woman.

Why are you sad?

“You sense such, my child?” she asked.

Her voice still carried a level of sorrow that left me feeling pity for her. I was the reason she was suddenly sad and I felt horrible.

Yes. I didn’t mean to make you upset. I want to understand what’s going on, but I can’t keep up. I don’t get why I have two homes. Why can’t I remember my home if it’s important? A home is defined as a place you feel safe and loved, right? A place where you make cherished memories and live happily ever after as you make more memories and build a family of your own. That’s what the books state. That’s what I learned when growing up. If this is my home, a safe place where I once lived, I should remember.

The only knowledge I could pry from my mind was from what I’d read in books. Those bundles of paper had always been my source of information and brought me a sense of comfort and clarity. Each book told a tale, whether it was a scientific one or one rich with fantasy.

Just thinking about it triggered a memory, a fond one that I had cherished for a long time.

“MOMMY! Look. I found a book about me!”

I lifted the book up, presenting it to her. It was so heavy, though, and I began to lose my balance as I fell backward. “Ah!”

“Oof!” There was a grunting noise, followed by a sigh. “Marianna.”

I lowered my head all the way back, my eyes locking onto the upside-down image of my prince. “Jaxsin!”

His gold eyes looked bored, but his lips curled upward slightly. “You always try to carry things that are far too heavy for you.”

“Yes, but it’s fun,” I cheered.

“You say that until you fall on your bottom and start crying,” Jaxsin noted.

“Uh…no.” I pouted my lips. “Hi!”

“Hello, Princess Marianna,” he greeted and gave me a quick peck on my forehead.

“Yeah! Mommy! I got a kiss! A kiss right here.” I completely forgot about the book and let go of it. Jaxsin groaned, taking the full weight of the book I’d been previously invested in.

I was now pointing to my forehead to show my mommy. She lowered her gaze to me, those beautiful golden eyes of hers glowing lightly with hints of orange that seemed to sparkle back at me. Her long orange hair was in loose curls, and she wore a white dress that reached her ankles.

“I see. Jaxsin must really love his Princess.”

Giggles left me and I began to skip around Mommy, while Jaxsin was left to hold the book while his face grew red.

“I-I…ugh.” Jaxsin gave up defending himself and I laughed even harder.

“I’m loved! I’m loved!”

Mother went down on her knees and wrapped her arms around me when I paused in my skipping. I beamed at her affection and snuggled against her.

“I love Mommy, too,” I declared.

“As I love you,” she replied. “Are we going to read your book?” she questioned.

“Yes!” I cheered. I maneuvered myself in her hug until I was sitting in her lap. I reached out for Jaxsin. He walked up to me, offering the book, but I shook my head.

“No. I want Jaxsin!”

“Me?” He looked confused for a moment. “You can’t read me, Marianna.”

“I know that.” I laughed. “I want Jaxsin to stay and read with me and Mommy.”

“Ah.” Jaxsin nodded and looked to my mommy. “Is that okay, Queen Harlow? I promise to be good and not light anything on fire this time.”

I giggled. “That’s what you said last time and then you almost burned the library down,” I reminded.

“T-that was an accident. Your brother was making me mad.”

“Brother makes everyone mad. He’s a trickster for a reason.” I laughed and wiggled in Mommy’s lap.

“You are more than welcome to stay the night, Jaxsin. I’ll let King and Queen Morgan know about it. They won’t mind.”

“Really?!” Jaxsin seemed delighted.

“Yes. It’s been confirmed that you two are destined to be king and queen. Might as well start getting to know one another now.”

“Yeah! I’m going to be queen and kick Jaxsin’s bum-bum!” I declared.

“Why are we kicking my bum-bum?” Jaxsin sounded horrified.

Mommy looked down at me. “And who taught you that?”

“Hehe…run away!” I moved out of her hold and was ready to use my gift, but my body was lifted up and I couldn’t help but giggle.

“Jaxsin! That’s cheating!”

“I can teleport faster than you Spell Travel,” he declared. “I’m the God of War and Salvation. I have to be fast to save people. Or the other word I can’t say in front of you.”

“Or kill!” I cheered.

“Uh…” Jaxsin turned us around to look at Mommy, who had her arms crossed and an eyebrow up in questioning.

“Now, who taught my Marianna that word?”

“Oops,” I commented nervously. “Jaxsin…we should—”

“Run away!” he declared, and just like that, we were out of the library and in the garden.

“Jaxsin Morgan! Marianna Harlow. Get back here!” Mommy’s voice seemed to boom through the entire kingdom, but we both shrieked and burst into laughter.

With a secure hold on me, Jaxsin began to run through the garden, knowing it wouldn’t be long before we both got caught by my mommy.

“It’s fun to break the rules!” I giggled.

“Especially with my future queen!” Jaxsin cheered.

A MEMORY so pure and sweet, yet I hadn’t remembered it prior to this moment.

Why was that? Who was the woman I called Mommy? Who was Jaxsin? Was that Jax? My Jax? Marianna…is that me? Was that me?

The memory worried me. It made me feel like I was missing a world I’d definitely forgotten.

“I’ve triggered something I shouldn’t have,” the voice whispered.

Please don’t take it away from me!

The thought frightened me. I’d just remembered something so precious. It was one of my fondest memories, and I couldn’t allow myself to forget it again.

Please? Can’t I keep this one only?

There was a long pause before something warm breezed by me. It brought a wave of relaxation and my panic began to fade.

“How can I say no to you, my child? As you love to say, sometimes it’s fun to break the rules,” she soothingly replied. “I wish I could tell you about your history. To reveal all and let you decide what path to take, but it is not the right time. The enemy is close, and I cannot watch you or your destined love perish. Not again.”

Perish? The enemy. Someone is after me. That’s how…I got here, right?

“Partly. Those who are against you do not want the prophecy to come to life. The wheels have already begun to turn and one of the four has already been chosen. They are of a different timeline, but when the right moment comes, you will be the key to fixing that.”

Me? The key? I’ll be able to fix it?

“Yes, my child. When you learn the truth of your enrollment at Witchling and discover your destiny, you will grow into the woman you’re meant to be. Once that occurs, and you’ve graduated from such trials, you will be ready to fulfill the prophecy. You will meet the three other chosen ones and together, the four of you will make your mark on the universe. Until then, all I can do is guide you to the light.”

Guide me to the light. The…light? What if…the darkness…

I was trying to come up with words, but my consciousness began to waver. I wasn’t ready to go. I had so many more questions that needed to be answered. This woman, she sounded so sweet and kind. I wanted to see her face.

My imagination was trying to piece together her image, and every time it did, a woman who looked like me materialized. Beautiful orange hair in loose curls. Wonderful golden eyes that reflected so much love, they could cure the depression and loneliness in the world. She was beyond the word beautiful, and somewhere within myself, I knew we were connected.

None of this made sense, and yet, it did. This was by far one of the weirdest predicaments in which I’d found myself, and yet, I was grateful. If I could have cried tears of joy, I would have. If there had been a physical being to hug, I would have done just that.

I had more questions than answers, but the little information I’d received helped me realize that there was something more to me. I wasn’t as complete as I’d thought I was. It explained why I had never felt that I belonged, and that maybe I would soon find out exactly what my purpose was supposed to be.

I’d always expected to figure out what I was destined to do. Many figured that out when they reached their final year of school and had to decide on a career.

I had a greater purpose. I’d known that for a long time, but I’d never wanted to acknowledge that someone like me could have a huge role in anything. Prophecies, keys, utter significance. I was a prime puzzle piece in whatever thrilling — and terrifying — case we were trying to solve.

Nevertheless, I felt thrilled, scared, and desperate for more information. I knew I wouldn’t get my answers today, or even tomorrow. This was going to be a process, and somehow, Jax was involved. I’d yet to figure it out, but he was connected to me.

That left me worried about the others. Did it mean they weren’t connected to me? What would happen?

“Do not worry about those you love.” The voice seemed to be next to me now. “Your future has been altered to fit them perfectly. They each need to find themselves before they can become what they’re meant to be. That will take self-growth, just as you have worked at achieving, my daughter.”

I…why can’t…I concentrate?

“You’ve been here far too long. Your soul is struggling to remain in your human body. Your soul is desperate to come home, but Fuwa and your sister are tying you down. It was my daring decision to let time pass by, but you will be fine. I do have a task for you, Brianne.”

Task.

“Yes,” she replied. “A Trial, if you will. Your connection with your destined love.”

Destined love…Jax?

“Yes. Jaxsin. You two need to connect. I’m not referring to a simple exchange of words. You two were together for centuries once before, and that bond is still strong, but it will need a boost if you want to win in this race against time. If possible, spend more time with one another.”

More time…

“You have more in common than either of you realize. Let your walls fall. Be open to him and allow him to be open to you. You’ve always relied on one another to become a strong unit. Rekindle that strength. Dive into your worries and fears. Love through passion and desire. This is the prime moment in your life, Brianne, because after this, things will move fast, the enemy will get more desperate, and you’ll have to use your gifts and powers to discover the truth you are destined to uncover.”

Who…who are you?

“Brianne,” she replied.

Yes?

A soft giggle left her. “I was answering you, my child.”

No…you said, Brianne. That’s me.

“You are named after the Goddess of Spell Traveling, due to being blessed with that particular gift. Your human name is Brianne. Your godly name is Marianna.”

Confusing…

The words were all starting to run together and it was hard to follow anything anymore.

Then…who’s the Goddess of Spell Traveling?

“It is I, my daughter,” she whispered, her voice suddenly far away. “And one day, the role will be passed down to you.” Her voice seemed eons away, and my body began to fall downward at a slow pace.

“Fuwa?” The woman’s tender voice summoned someone.

“FuFuFu?”

“Continue to protect her on the land below. The enemy will not stop until Marianna and Jaxsin are killed. Not until the other three have awakened their powers will the crystals appear. You must help them find each one. When they do, you’ll be able to reveal your true form. Understood?”

“FUFU!”

“Thank you.” The woman’s voice was sad again, but I couldn’t help her anymore. “Protect her like you always have. Once she’s discovered herself and reached the end of her Witchling Years, you can reveal yourself and announce their next destination.”

“FuFu!”

My mind began to grow dark and I finally came to a stop. It felt like I was entering something, and as my consciousness began to fade, I listened to the woman’s voice one last time.

“Remember one of your fondest memories, Marianna, the future Goddess of Spell Traveling. Take time with your destined one. That will initiate the growth of your three protectors. You must all grow, and if the darkness tries to test you, remember, you are not alone. Jaxsin is with you. He was meant to be there for you in those crucial moments of peril. Remember and absorb the love you share with him, and the other three who’ve been woven into your future. I love you, my daughter. Please, be safe until we meet again. Then, I will let you see the truth of your existence.”

It seemed that death was something I needed to endure — and conquer. It was time to initiate the steps toward fulfilling this prophecy.

6

THE PROPHECY?

“Starlight.” A deep voice caught my attention.

He sounded upset or at least annoyed by something. Seeing as he was referring to my sister, I wondered if he was one of her teammates.

“I’m fine. I’ll rest later,” Starlight stubbornly replied.

“You can barely stand.”

“Nothing coffee can’t fix.”

“Why are you so stubborn?”

“I was born this way. Deal with it.”

“I can’t win with you.”

“Obviously. Like my competitive ass would let you win in an argument,” Starlight muttered.

The man sighed. “Fine. At least let me get you some coffee. I don’t want your sister waking up and seeing how horrendous you look.”

“I’m gorgeous 24/7.”

“Uh-huh,” he replied. “Except when you’re sleep-, coffee-, and magic-deprived. You look like that pale ghost from the classics.”

“Why does everyone say that when I’m not at my best?” Starlight mumbled.

“Because it’s the truth and you even admit it.”

“Nope.”

“You just said—”

“I’m not at my best. I’m at my greatest.”

“I’m just going to go get you coffee,” he groaned.

“Thank you.” Starlight seemed pleased, but even the tone of her voice sounded a little off.

There was a short pause, followed by a long sigh. “You want a hug?”

“No,” Starlight replied.

“Well, I’ll give you a hug since you so kindly rejected,” he replied.

My sister wasn’t the affectionate type, but I could imagine her truly wanting a hug from one of her partners in crime. I swore she told me his name, but it must have slipped my mind, because I couldn’t remember it now.

“She’ll be okay, you know? The doctors said with rest, her leg and ribs will heal perfectly.”

“I’m not worried about that,” Starlight said, muffled. They must have still been hugging.

“Then?”

“I thought she’d have more time to figure herself out. The increase in crime. Those Shadow people picking targets. I…thought I’d be able to protect her. She’s my sister. I was sent here first to pave the path. To make sure the past wouldn’t repeat a second time…but I’m scared it will do just that, and I can’t stop it. I desperately want to…I really do. I don’t want to disappoint them. Disappoint everyone. I know I got sidetracked…and it was human of me to do so. I just…”

The thick emotion in her voice made me want to cry for her. Starlight always projected so much strength and happiness. I rarely got to see or hear those instances in which she was unhappy or deeply saddened by something.

“Starlight,” he whispered. “Nothing is set in stone. Every path can change from a slight movement. I know you want to protect her, but Brianne will find who she is when the time is right. You were sent to stop what many want to happen, but that doesn’t mean sacrificing your own happiness to do so. Your duty is important. I won’t deny that, but your happiness is what strengthens your determination and you deserve that. Stop carrying the burden of the world on your shoulders alone. Brianne isn’t alone anymore. She’s finding the people she was destined to be around, and it’s only a matter of time before they all find out who they were meant to be. Once that happens, we’ll be able to tell them the truth of Witchling Academy and what lies ahead of them.”

“We’re going to have to tell them the truth.”

“No, not necessarily. Not all of it.”

“Elaborate.”

“You can explain the prophecy. It’s about time they knew about it. However, I think we can prolong the ‘truth’ truth until they graduate. There’s time, but the prophecy will help them out.”

“And if they figure it out before then? What if they get mad?”

“From us not telling them earlier? They may be adults in human years, but they’re infants in this universal problem. They need to deal with their own issues and insecurities before they can be pulled into this. Until then, we can give hints and support them while controlling the upswing in attacks and chaos. When the time is right, Professor Phoenix will notify us.”

“Hmmm,” she mumbled.

“What?”

“Professor Phoenix is mysterious as ever. She’s the one who summoned that girl. Silver, was it?”

“The one with the sniffing boyfriend and uni-kitten?”

“Yes, that one,” Starlight muttered. “Intriguing turn of events. She’s powerful. On another level entirely from us wizards and witches.”

“Different universe. Timelines. The works. We can’t compare strengths when we weren’t originally supposed to cross parallels.”

“This is going to be a pain in the ass,” Starlight groaned. “Apparently I remind her of her sister.”

“Good thing?”

“I’m not sure. Guess one day we’ll meet, but I think we’ve got a good six to eight years to go.”

“Have the other two potentials been located?”

“I’m not sure. Apparently, from Professor Phoenix’s research, Silver’s duty is to do just that. However, her timeline is further ahead of the remaining three. Everything is up in the air and confusing. The only reason that girl arrived was because Brianne was at high risk of dying and it was a command from the gods.”

“How did she even know? Professor Phoenix called her or something?”

“Kind of,” Starlight replied. “But it had something to do with a seer who’s a god in disguise. I wasn’t able to get a lot of information from her due to the sniffing boyfriend.”

“Wait, didn’t you say earlier they were married?”

“Um…maybe. Who knows. She wore a ring. It had different gems on it. Could be a magical artifact. Those are hard to get here unless from the council.”

“Hmm, true. Especially if they’re ancient.”

“I’m tired,” Starlight complained. “Can we stay like this for a few more minutes?”

“So you do like hugs.”

“Neverm—”

“All right, all right. You can stay in my loving embrace even though you absolutely despise it.” He chuckled. I could imagine him hugging her tightly so she wouldn’t escape.

“I love you,” she whispered. “Even though I try to hide it…just know, I really do love you and the others.”

“I know, Starlight,” he whispered. “And I love you, too. Why don’t you take a quick power nap? Fifteen minutes and then I’ll get you some coffee.”

“What if Brianne wakes up?”

“I’ll wake you up if I sense that and do a little magic to make you look less zombie-like.”

“Hmph,” she replied. “I’m flawless every day.”

“Sure,” he whispered. “Let’s sit and take your power nap.”

“Okay.”

The room went silent, and the longer the quiet lasted, the easier it was for me to return to sleep.

“YOU LOOK HORRID, SIS,” I announced, yawning.

Starlight glared at me. “The coffee didn’t work! What kind of medical institute runs out of creamer? Let alone, hazelnut creamer? I’m going to complain to the CEO. This is outrageous,” Starlight grumbled.

Aon was in her lap, purring away. He clearly didn’t care about Starlight’s coffee dilemma. As long as he had a comfortable place to sit and do absolutely nothing, he was content.

Rubbing my eyes, I stared at my sister, who was tapping her thumbs furiously against the screen of her work phone, probably working on a six-page letter to the CEO about their lack of creamer in every fridge of the hospital we were in.

I could already envision the emergency personnel jumping out of their vehicles with boxes of creamer. My sister could drink any type of coffee, but if she was in the mood for hazelnut, the world itself had better make sure she got it or there would be no crime-stopping of any sort.

In fact, I’m sure everyone would hide in fear and do anything to avoid my sister’s wrath.

I’d woken up forty-five minutes ago. It was the middle of the night, so all was quiet on our floor. I’d immediately asked what had happened and if my four boyfriends and familiar were safe.

The presence of Elsa on my lap answered one of my questions. She was sleeping after apparently staying with Finnick as kitten guard.

Starlight had broken down what had happened, or at least what she’d gathered from the guys and witnesses. My memory of it all was non-existent at the moment. In fact, I couldn’t even remember what happened after I went into the clouds to grab the unicorn ball during the exam.

Apparently, my boyfriends were all okay. Finnick had had surgery on his leg to correct it and had a cast on that sent jolts of magic to the nerves to make sure they were healing and functioning.

He’d make a full recovery within two weeks if he followed the doctor’s orders. His minor wounds and bruises were easily taken care of, and Starlight explained that once he woke up and caught up with us, he’d need to make a report about the ten students who had jumped him.

They were currently in custody and their chance at graduating from Witchling Academy was revoked.

Kaito was staying with Finnick and was generally okay. He’d apparently had an intense discussion with Professor Phoenix and Connor, but my sister wouldn’t elaborate on it. He was the first to help heal any minor wounds and keep me stable until Jax took over.

Connor was definitely okay, and he was currently in Jax’s room. Jax apparently had helped stabilize me after I’d been hit. Starlight explained that he’d teleported Connor, Kaito, and himself to the bridge, just as I was hit by the car that came out of nowhere.

That part was still blank in my mind, but I figured I’d remember it sooner or later. I was concerned with Jax, especially when he’d teleported himself and two others before helping to keep me stabilized long enough for me to receive medical attention.

Starlight said he was fine and hadn’t experienced any seizures. He was put in a temporary coma like I was to make sure the pressure against his brain lowered and reached normal levels again.

Starlight then explained that I’d had the worst injuries. Broken leg, ribs, bruises all over, and a cracked skull. The moment I was in the hands of the medical team, they went right to work in administering blood and working on preventing brain damage.

Aside from my lack of memories regarding the actual incident, I felt perfectly fine. When I woke up, the nurses and doctors did a quick check of my entire body using some magic scanning device, and all that was said was I needed lots of sleep and no magic usage.

Glancing at my wrist, I saw there was another golden bracelet, one that was sturdier than the last and apparently given to Elite wizards and witches. I disliked that it was on, but my family wasn’t going to budge.

Our parents were both in an intense court meeting regarding the incident. I wasn’t sure about the details, but they were pissed enough for the entire Council to stop what they were doing and fly over for the emergency meeting.

I would have expected them to just teleport, but apparently, during certain times of the year, it was riskier to teleport. Who knew why, but at least they were handling the situation.

To summarize it all, we got extremely lucky.

Katsume was here now, both to check on the guys and to get Starlight a cup of “actual” coffee.

I briefly saw Professor Phoenix, who came in to see how I was holding up. I couldn’t necessarily help her with the investigation she was conducting seeing as I was dealing with temporary memory loss, but she seemed relieved that I was okay.

I’d mentioned my interest in the investigation she was running, but she explained that she wouldn’t need my testimony until I was recovered and regained my memory. For now, those who could be charged would immediately be dealt with and jailed if necessary.

Those who were suspects would be on 24/7 watch until the trial. The only two in that category were Elisha and Elijah.

Starlight was going to explain their involvement, but I couldn’t help commenting about her horrendous look. She needed more coffee and maybe three days’ worth of sleep to get back to her usual self.

“So, how are Elijah and Elisha involved in all of this?” I inquired.

“Don’t recall Elijah being on the bridge?” Starlight inquired.

I felt like she was trying to trigger my memories, but so far, nothing had helped.

“Nope. Blank,” I shook my head slowly to add emphasis. My hair was braided into a crown and I had a few bandages wrapped around my forehead to secure the large padded patch on the surgical site on my head.

Thank goodness for magic or they would have had to cut all my hair off prior to the surgery. I adored my orange-gold hair, even if it was completely different than the norm.

Starlight turned her attention to me as she locked her phone and placed it on the rolling table next to the lounge chair she was sitting on.

“After Finnick ran from the scene where he’d gotten jumped, he went to the bridge to calm down and get some space. He planned to reach there and call Kaito or one of the others to come and get him, but when he arrived, Elijah was there.”

“Why?” I frowned. “He doesn’t know about it being Finnick’s sentimental spot.”

“I agree.” Starlight nodded. “He doesn’t. That’s why Finnick was surprised to see him there. From the cameras and Kaito’s explanation of things, it seems like Elijah was told to be there on the bridge. The videotape shows them arguing and then when Elijah blasted Finnick, you arrived and tried to save Finnick. Your interference is the reason he’s not dead. I can see you surviving a fall like that, but not Finnick. He’s actually lucky it was only his leg that broke.”

“Why wouldn’t I die?” I questioned.

Starlight looked at me for a moment, noticing my bland expression as I stared back at her.

“You’re a Harlow. You’d figure something out.” She brushed it off.

“I don’t see how being a Harlow would do anything to save me from breaking all my body parts.”

“You saved Finnick.”

“Spur of the moment.”

“Then that ‘spur of the moment’ would save you from dying,” Starlight declared.

We were both silent, the tension between us a little off.

“What’s wrong?” Starlight questioned, her eyes narrowing at me.

I shrugged. “Nothing.”

Starlight frowned and Aon lifted his head up to look at her before me.

“MewMew!”

I flinched at the sudden noise, only now noticing Elsa was awake and sitting on my head. She was so tiny that I didn’t always feel her weight on my head whenever she randomly landed.

“Hey, Elsa,” I greeted. She wiggled on my head, and I had to reach up with my hands to take her down. “Sorry, Elsa. I don’t want a headache.” I smiled and snuggled my face against her nose.

She didn’t seem to mind, loving my affectionate face rub. She purred happily before she wiggled out of my hands and dropped into my lap. She playfully began to pat my hands was they lowered to my lap.

“Anyway.” I decided to be the one to change the topic. “Why did Elijah push Finnick off the bridge? And who was the one driving the car that hit me? You guys did catch the culprit, right?”

“Yes.” Starlight bobbed her head, while her right hand began to pet Aon. “In terms of Elijah pushing Finnick off the bridge, we have a powerful testimony from Kaito regarding that.”

“Kaito?” I questioned. “He wasn’t there.”

“I know he wasn’t,” Starlight replied.

“Then how does he know what happened and why Elijah attacked Finnick?”

“We have a strong hunch that Kaito has foresight.”

“Foresight? The seeing-the-future gift? I know it’s something that can be learned through meditation and training your mental concentration with magic, but it could also run in the family.” I’d learned this from one of the many books I’d read.

“Correct. It seemed to have activated due to the whole ordeal. It sometimes occurs when the host’s stress levels regarding the future heighten significantly in a short period of time. Katsume mentioned it ran in the family, but it’s based on a number of factors and Kaito hadn’t shown any signs of carrying it until recently.

“Interesting,” I mumbled. “So he predicted what happened…but he can also see the past with this gift?”

She nodded. “Yes. It’s a tricky name for a gift that helps you see both the past and future, but due to its rarity, it’s difficult to come up with a better name for it. He wasn’t very confident at first, but once he started diving into the topic, it flowed out like a dictated novel. It all makes sense and Elijah is being interviewed for a detailed confession of what happened. Once that’s complete, we’ll compare the two reports and see if there are any flaws or contradictions.”

“Then…am I able to know what happened to land Elijah there?” I knew there was only so much Starlight could tell me when there was an investigation happening, but I hoped to get some facts,”

“Hmm. Why don’t you guess who was driving the car first?” Starlight suggested.

I answered immediately. “Elisha.”

“That’s a strong assumption.”

“I’m not assuming,” I retorted, feeling annoyed.

Starlight frowned again. I was sure my tone of voice was throwing her off. I was going from my usual cheery tone to a deadpan one that lacked any emotion. It wasn’t my fault — I just didn’t feel the need to emotionally discuss the person who tried to kill me and one of my boyfriends.

“Something’s off with you,” she mumbled.

“I don’t think so,” I replied and shrugged again.

“MewMew?” Elsa rolled onto her back, her paws paddling in the air like she was trying to swim or something. I rubbed her stomach and began to tap her paws.

I suddenly felt happier again.

Hmm. Weird.

“Elisha hates my guts. I replaced her as Jax’s girlfriend and humiliated her after I took her spot as leader of the cheer squad. She’s had her evil eyes set on me ever since. She even threatened me at cheer practice.. Didn’t actually think she’d have the guts to try and actually kill me, though. Can’t get away with attempted murder.”

When Starlight didn’t answer immediately, I looked back at her and raised an eyebrow. “If you tell me she’s somehow going to get away with this, I’ll totally make a master plan of how to get payback and then tell the world. I’m a Harlow. Everyone knows that Harlow’s never give up when we want something. That includes getting revenge.”

Starlight smirked. “As diabolical as that sounds, I was thinking and it delayed my response process. Elisha will be charged and will have to go on trial. However, it all depends on how long the trial takes.”

“What do you mean?” I inquired. “I thought trials didn’t take a long time. Three months? Six months?”

Starlight sighed and leaned back into the chair, her face growing serious with a hint of annoyance.

That’s not good.

“The bad thing about her dad being the chief of police is that he knows every trick in the book when it comes to the law. I can guarantee that her dad is going to try to delay this trial for as long as he possibly can. Pull out every plea, shortcut, extension, all of it.”

“But he knows what his daughter did was wrong!” I exclaimed.

“Sure, he does.” Starlight nodded. “Doesn’t mean he’s going to admit it. It’s the reason he’s on leave right now.”

“Wait, what?” I asked in confusion.

“Well, we and the council believe that he knew this was going to happen and had already put the plans in motion. That way, if Elisha got arrested on any charges, the trial date would be postponed as long as legally possible.”

“Which is?” I knew I wasn’t going to like her answer from her sour expression.

“Two years.”

All emotion drained from my face. Actually, maybe all the color in my face vanished, because Starlight was up and at my side in a second.

“Brianne,” Starlight whispered, her hand on my shoulder. “Just breathe for a second.”

I did as instructed while my mind processed the news she’d just given me.

You have to be kidding me. Two years? Two…fucking years?! We’ll graduate by the time this Trial happens. What kind of justice foolery is this?!

There was a knock on the door, but I completely ignored it. I was still in my daze of shock and absolute anger.

She wants me to feel this way, doesn’t she? She must have set this up. Made it so that she’d be able to taunt me and make herself invincible. What a pathetic excuse for a human being. Why is this happening? No, why am I being targeted?

“Brianne.”

I blinked a few times, not realizing I was actually crying. The voice that called my name took a moment to register, and for a second I expected to see Connor because he always seemed to arrive when anyone needed him.

However, there was Jax in his calm glory. I didn’t expect him to look so relaxed. His hair was down and he wore a plain black T-shirt. I couldn’t see what pants he was wearing, but I guessed they would be something comfortable.

His hand reached out to brush my wet cheek, and he didn’t hesitate to lean in and kiss me.

Those loving lips. The tenderness of their surface and the way they somehow seemed to make everything better. They always tried to solve my problems, whether through speech or affectionate actions like this.

I kissed him back, feeling grateful that he was okay — that he hadn’t had a seizure or gotten hurt in the chaos. I was grateful that everyone was okay, but seeing him in this crucial moment was the only reason I wasn’t teleporting to wherever Elisha was and killing her myself.

Funny how I never thought I’d hate someone to the point of killing them. I doubted anyone thought about hurting another until they were pushed to a wall and had no choice.

She’d done so much bad and no one was able to stop her. It was like she was on some kind of throne and had minions that attended to her every command.

I want to overthrow her. To claim my rightful place on that very throne she’s so desperately trying to protect.

She seemed to set everything up to be in her favor. Removing her mom from her life so her dad would be wrapped around her finger. He had power, just like my parents had power in the justice system.

Two can play this game. I just need to figure out how to do it.

Jax released my lips and his arms wrapped around me to pull me into a loving hug.

“You can’t go crying like that, Brianne. You’re going to make me sad,” Jax whispered into my ear as he stroked my head.

“Why does it feel like we’re losing? Why is she getting her way? Two years before trial. Two years, Jax. Anything can happen in two years. She’s going to grow a bigger head in the ego department and everyone is going to think she’s invincible. They’ll bow down to her like she’s a queen. She isn’t. She doesn’t deserve a throne to sit on.”

I really wasn’t making sense with this stuff about thrones and ruling. We weren’t in the olden days with kingdoms. We were in the times of presidents, councils, and free speech.

Yet, my brain was stuck in some ancient times.

“I know, Brianne.” Jax held me tightly. “I know.”

Closing my eyes, I let myself cry. I was so frustrated. Why was this happening? Justice was supposed to be served. My family was all in the legal system. My sister risked her life every day to make sure that criminals were caught and brought in for the rightful punishment.

Why can’t we get the same treatment? What makes us any different than the regular citizens who need help after they’re targeted?

Thinking about it made me angry. It felt like our group always got the short end of the stick. First, Jax was stuck in a relationship with a psycho girl who abused him with her power. Then Finnick lost his mom and was bullied countless times. He was still getting bullied. And I was sure there was plenty I didn’t know about what Kaito and Connor had dealt with in the past.

Why did it feel like we were let down by the world over and over again, while everyone else received the justice they deserved? They got their vengeance.

What could we do to change this, so we got out of this cycle?

Jax pulled back to look down at my face. His eyes were filled with emotion, and for a split second, it felt like my universe revolved around him. That we were in a different time and place, and that he’d somehow figure out a way out of this. I trusted that he would.

He gave me another kiss and pressed his forehead against mine.

“Listen. I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but we’re not going to let anyone beat us. We’re going to be victorious, even if right now, it doesn’t look that way. I’m not just saying this to comfort you. I’m vowing that we won’t be losers in this.”

“Okay,” I whimpered, unable to stop myself from crying. “I…I just feel so weird, Jax. Why is it that we never get a happy ending? Why does it feel like we’ve gone through this before, even though we haven’t? I don’t understand. I want to get it. I…just want to be able to go to school like normal again. To enjoy being around you guys like the first semester. I don’t want to be stuck worrying about all of this. I…want to live and enjoy being around my boyfriends and group of friends who care about me. I want to enjoy family time again, and study about all the things I don’t know. I just want to be that average witch again.”

I looked up at, noticing how his eyes watered.

“You and I both know we’ll never get that again,” he whispered. I knew he wanted to comfort me, but telling me the obvious truth was far better than lying and saying everything would go back to normal. We all knew it wouldn’t.

I slowly nodded in agreement and he smiled.

“We may not be able to return to our normal daily lives of school problems, but we may have the upper hand in this.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“It’s a weird thought, and maybe a little too easy, but the one thing I’ve learned about Elisha — or seen in any villainous situation — is that the antagonist hates being ignored, right?”

“Ignored,” I whispered. “Yes.”

“What exactly are you upset about?” he inquired, and I immediately recapped what Starlight had explained to me minutes earlier. Jax nodded and listened carefully, even when I broke down midway, angry and frustrated about this whole situation.

He ended up sitting next to me on the hospital bed, his arm comfortably across my shoulders to keep me nestled against him as I finished explaining.

Starlight quietly watched us the entire time, while Aon occupied Elsa’s attention.

“She planned this way ahead. Almost like she knew things wouldn’t go her way this time,” Jax muttered.

“What do you mean ‘this time?’” I inquired.

“I’m not sure myself,” he admitted. “I personally feel like all of this has happened before. I’m sure I sound crazy, and I’m not referring to the time she was in my life as an obsessed control freak.”

He paused to think about it.

“I…feel like we’re on repeat. Or maybe it’s just extreme deja vu. The first time, we let everything bother us. We let it get to our very soul and we tried everything to stop her. Basically, what I’m trying to emphasize is that Elisha runs on attention. She needs all eyes on her. She wants the gossip to be only about her and she wants the world to center on her. It’s like she wants to be the queen of whatever kingdom she has going on in her imagination and when we frantically worry about her, it merely fuels her. It makes her happy.”

Jax turned his head to look at me and I met his gaze. “However, as of late, she’s been fuming and unhappy. Why is that?”

“Everything isn’t going as planned for her?” I suggested. “I mean, no one is talking about her. The gossip blogs are over her, the cheer squad that she had full control over now hates her, she’s single, and her plan to try to get you back into her life failed. Essentially, she’s fallen off the grid and no one cares.”

“Exactly. If Elisha doesn’t get her attention, she basically throws a fit to try and get it. However, it seems like she can’t use her gift,” Jax noted. “I wonder why.”

“I took it from her.”

Jax smirked, but Starlight tilted her head. “What?” she questioned.

We both turned to her, as if we literally just remembered she’d always been there.

“I took it from her,” I repeated.

“You…stole her gift?” Starlight inquired.

“If you want to put it like that…um, yeah,” I announced with not an ounce of guilt. Jax seemed amused.

“So that’s what happened in the change room. The day Elisha was accidentally drenched in weird goo. That was a cover-up, wasn’t it?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be mad?” I questioned.

“Why?” Jax blinked in confusion. “That’s brilliant.”

“Uh…I stole her gift. That has to be illegal.”

“Kinda.” He shrugged. “She deserved it though.”

“Yes, but I’m admitting to the crime. Doesn’t that mean I’m gonna go to jail?”

“Who said we heard you admit that?” Starlight tossed back. “I don’t even know what you’re implying.”

I looked between the two of them. “Either I hit my head a little too hard, or you two are deliberately ignoring the extent of my crime and pretending you never heard me admit it.”

“That’s exactly right.” Jax nodded. “You did hit your head a little harder than you thought. Making you spit out nonsense.”

Starlight nodded. “Yup. Stealing gifts, haha. No one has the ability to do that, but you can keep thinking that way, little sis. We believe you.”

I grinned and shook my head. “I’m not even sure anymore.”

They’re purposely ignoring it because they don’t want me to get in trouble. I’m sure Starlight believes me. Jax probably does, too. I’m sure I still have her gift tucked away inside me…which means…hmm? How is she getting what she wants if she doesn’t have her gift anymore?

“Question,” I announced. “Say…Elisha didn’t have her gift anymore and I supposedly stole it. How is she still getting her way with her father or anyone? I also don’t get how Elijah plays a role in all of this and why he was on the bridge.”

Jax looked at Starlight, looking a little confused with the predicament as well. “Connor said Elijah was innocent. He was confident about it, and Connor’s gut usually isn’t wrong.”

“He’s right,” Starlight announced and sat up straighter. She crossed one leg over the other and grew serious. Glancing at the door, she snapped her fingers; a gust of wind closed the door quietly before a glowing wall seemed to wrap around the walls, keeping whatever we now discussed exclusively within this room.

“I’m going to be a hundred percent truthful from this point onward. What I’m going to tell you is supposed to be classified information, but I’ve been thinking about it, and after having a brief talk with Professor Phoenix before Bri woke up, I think the sooner we tell you two, the higher chance of somehow winning this trial, whenever it decides to happen.”

Jax let go of me, but he picked my hand up, those long fingers wrapping around mine. I squeezed his hand back, and we both looked at Starlight as she took a moment to stare into each of our eyes.

“You have to swear you won’t tell Kaito, Connor, or Finnick about this. In order for us to win this ‘trial’, we need them to work on themselves first. Everything that was originally set for the two of you has been completely altered, and I think…no, I know this isn’t the right time to tell either of you, but if I delay it any longer, I have a hunch we may repeat the past.”

Repeat the past…

“We won’t tell them if that’s something that must happen,” Jax swore.

I nodded. “I’ll keep my mouth closed.”

Starlight nodded. “You can talk about this to each other because it directly affects you two, but until your companions work on themselves and get stronger, it’s safer for them not to know. Once they’re ready, we’ll tell them.”

“Okay,” we replied.

Starlight took another few seconds to stare at us before she nodded.

“I’m going to tell you about the prophecy, and with it, the truth of Witchling Academy and why it was created.”

The truth of Witchling Academy?

7

THE TRUTH OF WITCHLING ACADEMY

“Y-you’re saying that I, Brianne Marie Harlow, am destined to meet three other girls and save the universe?” I gasped.

I was still trying to wrap my head around this apparent legend, and asked Starlight for a repeat of it, but she said we’d dive into it again at a later date when the others were allowed to know.

What we did know, was that I was one of the four chosen ones in some universal prophecy.

Basically like a superhero or something? Maybe…

“Sounds like one of those superhero stories where you end up saving the universe,” Jax mumbled. “Does that mean she has to wear spandex tights?”

Starlight and I both turned our attention to Jax, the two of us glaring at his comment.

“Hmm. You two look identical when you do that,” he said. “And Brianne looks like she might actually kill me right now.”

I rolled my eyes. “Not all superheroes wear spandex. Also, if I’m a superhero, you’re my sidekick and have to wear those tight pants, too.”

“The irony,” Jax sighed.

“You two are handling this a lot better than I originally expected,” Starlight admitted.

Jax and I shared a look before I sighed.

“You know, there’s something I do remember from all of this craziness,” I whispered. I felt their attention on me, and I carried on while my eyes stared at our joined hands.

“I was floating in some space. I’m not sure exactly where I was because I couldn’t open my eyes. I tried and tried, but it was no use. Like I was extremely exhausted and my eyelids were like weights. It wasn’t necessarily scary. In fact, it was really peaceful. Like it was my home. Sometimes I felt pain, like a poking pain that came and went, but there was a warm presence there. Almost like a motherly presence. Obviously, it makes no sense, because Mom isn’t even around, but it also didn’t feel like Mother. It felt like someone else that I knew…or maybe even called Mother in the past, but that doesn’t make any sense because I have only one mom.”

With a sigh, I went on, “A voice talked to me and was saying things that didn’t make much sense to me. Stuff about gods and goddesses, and I was trying to keep up, but I couldn’t. It was all confusing, and at one point she sounded really sad, like I’d offended her. However, what stuck with me was a memory. Jax was there. We were kids and I was trying to carry a heavy book. Something about a Goddess of Spell Travel or something. It all didn’t make sense, and yet…the memory was so beautiful. Even in the dreamy floating place, it made me so happy and it was something I cherished dearly. Thinking about it, I can’t remember what we were even called, but the boy in the memory was definitely Jax. I’m confident in that. I remember that, and something about Kaito, Connor, and Finnick needing more time to grow. I don’t know. It’s honestly a blur and just thinking about it is giving me a headache, but I wanted to mention it before I forget entirely.”

There was a long silence before Jax spoke up.

“When I passed out, I felt like I was in a similar situation,” he admitted.

“You were floating?” I questioned.

“Yeah. It was like my body was hovering over something warm. The heat was soothing to me, even though I was stressed. I was worried about you and whether I’d been able to protect you long enough for help to arrive. I was afraid I’d failed, but a calming voice told me everything was going to be okay. I was safe and so were you. I don’t know why I believed her, but I did. Her words meant the world to me. Even though I had no clue who she was, it felt like she was my mother and her words mattered. I…remember the same memory Brianne just described. The heavy book she almost dropped. Her running away before I teleported and lifted her up. We were just kids, but…that’s impossible. Brianne and I didn’t know one another until she Spell Traveled right into me. Why is it that we’re now having similar memories from some other time in our lives that is non-existent?”

He squeezed my hand and we both looked over to Starlight, who’d been listening carefully to both of us.

“I have the answers you seek, but I can’t dive into that.”

“Why?” I asked. “Is it because it may screw up something?”

“Yes.” Starlight nodded. “I want to tell you guys everything, I really do, but it’s not the right time. I also need the rest of your team members.”

“Finnick, Connor, and Kaito,” Jax acknowledged. “They have a role in this…but they didn’t originally?” He stated it like he wasn’t so sure.

“Yes.” Starlight looked between us. “I need to be careful with how I word this. Do not deny what you’re feeling and remembering. It’s not a delusion or a hallucination. The two of you were meant to meet, and…similar circumstances have happened before. That’s the best way for me to summarize what’s happening without screwing everything up.”

Jax and I exchanged a look and nodded.

Starlight continued. “What I can say is that you two…aren’t necessarily human.”

She looked at us carefully, waiting for some type of response. The silence continued, until Luna showed up and hopped onto my bed. She walked up Jax’s leg and positioned herself on top of our joined hands.

Elsa seemed intrigued, pausing in her playful banter with Aon to run over and join Luna.

When neither of us spoke, Starlight gave us a concerned look.

“I’m not sure whether you both malfunctioned or haven’t registered what I just said.”

“No, I got it,” I voiced.

Jax slowly nodded. “Yeah, I understood,”

“Aren’t you guys going to freak out? Get all shocked and fight this entirely?”

“Nope,” we replied in unison.

“I think I need to get both of your heads checked,” she whispered to herself.

“I’ve…known for a while,” Jax announced. I looked to him, his eyes on Luna and Elsa. “I never told this to anyone…but…when Elsa passed away, I started seeing her in my dreams. She looked happy and content and wore silky white dresses with golden jewelry. She’d always comfort me when I was sad in my dreams. She’d sing or tell me about her new life in a kingdom far away. She was a princess there, and the reason she’d died was because her time was up. Her life here was more of a learning experience — she had come down to see what this world was all about. I never understood what she meant, but as I grew older, I started to do my own research. I began looking into reincarnation and even gods. As president, I get access to certain content in the library and I originally wanted to learn more about the gods, but that section is being reconstructed and it won’t open back up until Semester Six. I found it rather odd that when I started to snoop for information about the gods, there was a random fire in that specific section.”

“Someone didn’t want you finding out.” I declared.

“Exactly,” Jax agreed. “I grew more suspicious, but I didn’t know who to tell. I was about to tell Professor Phoenix, but that was when I got kidnapped. That was the day I was going to tell her about it and I was on my way to her office after I wrapped up council stuff. When that happened, I knew I was onto something…but I was scared to keep going.”

“Jax.” I squeezed his hand and pressed a kiss to his cheek. I didn’t think he realized he was crying.

“It was frustrating and lonely. I trust Brianne and the guys with my life, but I was afraid of telling you all about my findings. If I was being targeted, it would only be a matter of time until they moved the target to the others. When Finnick started getting bullied, I was getting worried that they’d already started the progression from me to him.”

I leaned in to rest my head on his shoulder, hoping the added weight would remind him that I was right there. I would have hugged him if Luna and Elsa weren’t chilling on our joined hands.

“You were carrying all the weight on your shoulders,” I whispered.

“Yeah,” he sobbed and took a deep breath, letting the air out slowly. “The day of the car chase, when that criminal was about to shoot Brianne, time slowed down entirely — and there my sister was. She was saying something to Brianne, and her interference was the reason none of us died that day, but that was confirmation to me that my speculations were true, and if I wasn’t human…I had a strong hunch that Brianne wasn’t either.”

“Then what are you?” Starlight asked the prime question.

“Gods? Demigods? I’m…not sure. Whenever I try to even say those words, my head hurts, and the headache lasts for hours. Even now, it feels like my head is being banged against the wall.”

I frowned at his words, and after I lifted my head from his shoulder, I reached out to stroke his head with my free hand.

“Sorry, baby,” I whispered. “I wish I could take the pain away.”

Jax smiled. “I know.”

“The pounding is because it’s not time for you to know what you are. However, your speculations are on the right path. I can’t confirm or deny whether you are correct or not, because I don’t want to alter anything, but do you want to know the reason why Witchling Academy was created?”

“Wasn’t it because the gods wanted a place for wizards and witches to learn and hone their powers?” I clarified.

“Yes,” Starlight answered, reaching out for the tissue box and offering it to Jax. “And no.”

Jax took a few Kleenexes to wipe his tears. I took the opportunity to press on the topic. “Then? What are we missing?”

Starlight looked at Aon, who was sitting at her feet. He stretched out and walked around her feet three times before his body began to glow.

With a blink, he was in his human form. With a simple nod in greeting, he went right to the point.

“Starlight can’t say much on this topic, but as a familiar, I’m not bound by the same rules,” Aon revealed. “Witchling Academy was built by the gods. That is common knowledge. However, it wasn’t meant for merely wizards and witches. It was created as a place to discover their reincarnated children, or to put it simply, to harvest demigods.”

My jaw dropped at the news, and Jax must have had a similar expression because Aon rolled his eyes in annoyance.

“Really? You two were calm before when Starlight clearly hinted it out to you, but when I smack you in the face with it, you’re stunned into silence?”

“Aon,” Starlight groaned. “You were supposed to ease them into it with the history behind the whole thing. Not dump the truth on them like that.”

“Why? No one got time to beat around the bush. The fire-headed guy was on point, basically. No need to sugarcoat anything.”

“My name is Jax,” Jax grumbled.

“Sure, sure.” Aon brushed it off, which told me he truly didn’t care. “Anyways, as I was saying, Witchling Academy originally was supposed to be named Demigod Academy. However, there were very few potential demi-gods. The primary concern was that due to the lack of population, the demigod children would become cocky and think they were better than everyone else, like how Elisha walks over everyone because she has a controlling gift that gives her a boost in power. Also, these potentials were exactly that. Potentials. The gods wouldn’t be able to determine if the children were demigods or not until they completed their four years at the academy. Therefore, it was decided that the school would incorporate all those with magic potential. The term Witchling was created to categorize all individuals with magic. Your full potential kicks in at the age of twenty-one, unless you’re a demigod and show earlier signs of power.”

“Like me and Brianne,” Jax muttered.

“Bingo,” Aon replied. “Haven’t you been getting check-ups by the Magic Council in regard to your flame gift?”

I looked at Jax, noticing how he appeared a little uncomfortable by the topic. When he didn’t answer, Aon shrugged.

“It’s not anything to be embarrassed about. If it wasn’t for the fact you’re supposed to keep that on the down low, I’m sure you would have told Brianne already.”

Jax slowly nodded, and hesitantly looked my way, “Are you mad?”

“How can I be mad when I’m not sure what I’ve been missing? You have to get check-ups by the Council?”

“Yeah…” he paused. “It’s difficult to talk about it because I swore not to say anything unless it was to members of the Council. Connor knows about it the most, but Finnick and Kaito know I have to go to monthly check-ups.”

“Like medical-wise?” I clarified.

He shook his head. “No. I have to test out my flaming magic and they see if anything has progressed. They rank each fire trait and see what has grown and what has remained the same.”

“So your normal fire versus ice, or your healing flame versus wind?”

“Yes,” he replied. “They’ve been focusing on a specific one as of late because it’s been growing far too fast.”

“Which one is that?” I asked.

Aon answered. “His dark flames. The fire that’s influenced by dark magic.”

I looked at Jax, as he slowly nodded in agreement but kept his mouth shut. He looked troubled and embarrassed by it all, which made no sense to me.

Luna and Elsa walked off our hands, and I slipped my hand out and rotated myself so I could place my hands on his cheeks and turn his head in my direction.

“Why are you embarrassed by this?”

“Because…it proves I’m weak.”

“In what way?” I questioned. “Certain traits are stronger than the others. That’s common. It’s easy for me to use elements like fire, lightning, or even ice compared to water and wind. Why is that something to be embarrassed about? It doesn’t mean you’re weak in the slightest.”

“Brianne.” Jax looked hesitant to talk about it. I smiled and brushed my lips against his.

“We don’t need to talk about it now. When you’re more comfortable or even allowed to talk about it, we can. However, I don’t want you thinking so negatively about your powers and growth. If what Aon is saying is true, we may be demigods. So weird to say.” I giggled nervously. “Either way, whatever we are, human or not, it doesn’t make you any different. You’re still Jax, the leader of the Notorious Four and President of the Junior Council. You’re still one of my amazing boyfriends and I still love you.”

He looked into my eyes, and my smile widened.

“This whole thing is pretty scary, honestly. Finding out about all of this. It’s overwhelming and I think it’s going to take us time to process. I kind of wish we could tell the others, but I know we can’t yet. However, you’re not alone anymore, Jax. You don’t need to carry these burdens by yourself. We have one another for now, and while we heal from all of this, I think we can grow even stronger and embrace this information to our benefit.”

“Brianne,” Jax whispered, and he pulled me into his arms. “When did you grow-up, silly? I never said you could.”

I giggled and rubbed his back. “I’m not sure. One day, I was the innocent, naive sixteen-year-old who wanted to go to Witchling Academy and make some friends. Now I’m the eighteen-year-old girl with four boyfriends, entering her fifth semester at Witchling Academy with amazing best friends. And dealing with jealous girls, who can’t let go of losing the spotlight.”

Pulling back, we shared a look and Jax kissed me firmly on the lips. He pulled back and whispered, “You know I love you, right?”

“I know,” I smiled. “As I love you, too.”

Our loving gazes continue to grow, and I wished we could kiss again and again. I wished to comfort him, not just with my words, but with my body. It was an urge that had grown with time, and for the first time, I was okay with exploring that side of things.

To explore those aspects of life I’d always been shy about.

“So…should we like leave them alone or something?” Aon whispered.

“I don’t think they’re allowed to have sex with a heart monitor on.”

“Really? I think it would be exciting.”

“Well, yeah, but I don’t think they want the entire medical team barging in here with the two of them getting freaky in the sheets,” Starlight elaborated.

“It would be the perfect entertainment story though. Can you imagine?” Aon chuckled.

“And my sister would never live it down. It would be the talk of the century. No, it would be put in the Hall of Embarrassment, framed and all.” Starlight shook her head.

We both looked at her and Aon, the two of us horrified. It was as though they had poured buckets of ice water on us and my feelings of exploration vanished.

“Oops,” Starlight commented.

“Guess we killed the mood,” Aon declared. “Our bad. We can give you two some privacy if you—”

“Nope,” we both interrupted.

“We’re fine,” Jax assured them.

They both nodded and Jax and I relaxed against the pillows. I yawned and rubbed my eyes, feeling a tad tired.

“Is that all we can know for now?” I questioned.

“Yes.” Aon nodded. “I’d love to explain everything, but I think we’ve said enough. You have an idea of who you are meant to become, but it would be best if your comrades were at their peak levels as well.”

“Does that mean we won’t be able to learn everything until we graduate?” I asked.

“Not necessarily,” Starlight said. “If I can…I’d like for you guys to know about this before you start Semester Six. However, it depends on a number of factors. I’m going to have to talk with Professor Phoenix and then we and the Council have to do ceremonies and rituals to call upon the gods themselves and ask for guidance. It’s a long process and tiring, to say the least.”

“That’s why we want you guys to focus on growing stronger and heightening your bonds with one another. If you guys do that, it’ll make life a lot easier on us and we could potentially tell you the full extent of what you are and get ahead of the enemy’s plan.”

“Who exactly is this enemy?” Jax asked. “It’s obvious Elisha is a pawn in all this. She’s being influenced by someone who can give her what she wants. If she doesn’t have her gift, that means she’s getting a third party to help her.”

“We can’t say,” Starlight replied.

“What we can agree on is that Elisha is definitely being used and that’s connected to something from the past that involves both of you. I’m sure we’ll be able to tell you about that, but it would be easier to tell you all as a unit,” Aon explained.

“Then what about Elijah in all of this?” I asked. “Is he good? Bad? Confused?”

“An idiot,” Jax muttered. I rolled my eyes but noticed Aon’s smirk.

“He’s definitely an idiot, but in this case, he’s indeed innocent,” he acknowledged. “From Kaito’s explanation, Elijah was called to the bridge by Elisha. She’d told him that Finnick had tried to touch her.”

“Huh?” Jax and I said in unison. “Finnick’s gay. Er…bisexual,”

The two of them blinked at our synchronized response.

“Hmmm. I think we triggered something,” Aon whispered to Starlight, who pinched her nose.

“We definitely did.”

“What?” I asked. “We just accidentally spoke at the same time.”

“Yeah. That’s not a big deal. It happens,” Jax added.

“You two do that a lot.”

“No, we don’t,” we voiced, only to realize we did it again. “Uh…”

“Don’t worry about it for now,” Starlight sighed. “We’ll deal with that another time. I’m getting a headache.”

“Which means she can’t keep talking about this.”

“So if we get intense headaches, it means we’re not supposed to be talking about a topic or situation,” I summarized.

“Yes,” Aon answered. “The stronger the headache, the more of a ‘no-no’ it is. It’s for our own safety and it proves that the gods are close and watching our moves carefully for our protection. The concern as of now is that whoever is targeting you two wants to make sure you never discover who you are. We have to make it seem like you two are completely naive about any of this. If the enemy believes you guys know even a hint of what you truly are, they’ll try even harder to eliminate you both. “

“We understand,” Jax confirmed and moved his hand to squeeze mine. “We won’t say a word and we’ll act completely normal. You guys gave us more than enough information to ease our curiosity and nerves. I appreciate it, and…thank you for allowing me to listen in on all of this.”

“You’re welcome,” Aon replied. “Hey, Starlight. He’s not too bad. Has better manners than BunBun.”

“Bun…bun?” Jax looked at me.

“Elijah.” I smirked. “Don’t ask.”

Jax nodded and looked back at Starlight, who appeared relieved. “I think you two should rest. I know you probably have a ton of questions regarding Witchling Academy, your roles, and what the future has in store, but your goal as of now is to strengthen your bonds with one another. The stronger your bonds are, the harder it’s going to be for anyone to break through. I have a strong hunch your three partners are going to go away during the summer to strengthen themselves. If that occurs, let them. They need the time to grow and deal with what’s bothering them. When they return, they’ll be a lot stronger and more at peace with themselves. I’ve looked into the curriculum, and your next semester shouldn’t be hard. The same old papers and a final exam. However, I’ll be the first to warn you, Semester Six won’t be like any other semester.”

“What do you mean?” we asked.

“This stays between the two of you until it’s announced in school, but the Trials happen every twenty-five years. They just so happen to land on your sixth semester, and they’re a way the gods narrow down potential…” Starlight trailed off and pressed her fingers to her right temple.

Aon moved to stand behind her chair and pressed his two fingers against both temples. “Relax,” he whispered, the single word was filled with magic.

Starlight immediately calmed, her eyes closing as she leaned back in the chair.

“Is she okay?” I asked in worry.

“Give her a moment. She hasn’t been showing it, but her headaches started at the very beginning of the conversation. Essentially, when the gods want you to shut up, they send a spike of pain through your nerves and it’s a pain in the ass to deal with,” he elaborated.

“But those rules don’t apply to you,” Jax reminded.

“My Mistress is Starlight. Not the gods.” Aon grinned with pride like he’d solved a mystery. “No one but Starlight makes the rules when it comes to me. Even the gods don’t have that power over me unless they completely get rid of Starlight’s magic, and they wouldn’t dare do something as foolish as that, not with everything she’s sacrificed. You’ll understand when you’re older.”

We both nodded, and Aon let go of Starlight’s temples and leaned over to listen to her breathing pattern.

“Looks like she’s out.”

I gave him a worried look, but he shook his head. “She had a rough couple of days before hearing the 911 call that her sister was on death row. She also didn’t get her hazelnut creamer. She really needs to sleep more, but alas, insomnia is a bit—uh…bananas.”

“You do realize we’re old enough to swear,” Jax noted.

“Sure, sure,” Aon huffed. “I’m not getting my ass kicked by Starlight.”

“Ass is a bad word,” I voiced.

“Ass is body part.”

“No, it’s not,” I countered. “Buttocks is a body part. They don’t write ass in the dictionary.”

“Well, your dictionary is old,” Aon huffed. “Why am I even arguing with you? Go to sleep.”

“Hey,” I whined. “I can sleep whenever I want.”

“Yeah, sure.” Aon clearly didn’t care at this point. Walking around the chair, he easily scooped Starlight into his arms, her head resting against his chest as he held her princess style.

He looked our way.

“If you can, use every bit of this summer to grow and learn about what you want to achieve during your remaining years at Witchling Academy. Again, this coming semester’s exam will be something simple. It’s always the second half of the year that throws everyone off.”

“Why is that?” Jax questioned, drawing our attention. “Isn’t this getting a tad repetitive? I mean…why does it feel like nothing really happens until the end of the semester? I’m sure we’re not the only ones who’ve noticed this.”

He looked at me before he returned his gaze to Aon.

“First semester was a breeze, but the second-semester exam had a malfunction, almost. The third semester was easy until there was interference during our exam, and the fourth one was completely changed. No matter what, everything always seems to happen at the end of the semester, making it predictable. Now you’re saying that Semester Five is going to be easy, and Semester Six is going to be hell with Trials. Why is it all predictable?”

“There’s a specific reason why this up-and-down lifestyle is happening and it’s related to the prophecy,” Aon answered.

I wished he’d elaborate it on it, but he turned around.

“If I were you, I wouldn’t worry about that. Sure, complain about having calm semesters and chaos semesters. Or even the fact that at the end of each semester, something crazy happens. I used to do the same.”

“You?” I questioned.

“Yup. Me. You guys are seeing the small picture of Witchling Academy. Once you graduate, you guys will wish to have a calm few months in your life. I surely miss it. It’s not every day you want to be chasing bad guys, solving international problems, or dealing with godly matters.”

I noticed he looked at Starlight, who was still asleep.

“Some days you just want to snuggle the people you love and enjoy the calm of the night. Cherish these moments, Brianne and Jax. They won’t last forever, and once you truly know what’s in store for you, you’ll wish for these lulls.”

He headed to the door. “Get some rest. You’ll be discharged tomorrow.”

With those words, the magical walls vanished and the door seemed to open on its own, revealing Katsume with a bottle of hazelnut creamer.

“I’m here…oh? She fell asleep?” Katsume questioned.

“Yeah. She’s been dealing with a strong headache all day,” Aon replied.

“Aww, man. Come on, let’s take her to the spare room. They offered it to us if we wanted to nap. I’m sorry I took so long. It seems like someone decided to buy all the hazelnut creamer in the entire country. I had to go to London to grab a box.”

“Someone bought all the creamer knowing Starlight would need it, huh?” Aon mumbled a little louder. I felt like he did it on purpose.

“Interesting. Yeah, let’s go.”

Aon walked out, and Katsume peeked in to see the two of us. She smirked.

“Have some lovey-dovey time! We’ll make sure no one comes down this hall. Night.”

She closed the door before we could even comment. My face began to burn hot at the comment.

“She’s always teasing us,” I muttered. “I hope Starlight’s going to be ok—mhm?”

Jax’s lips claimed mine unexpectedly, and I looked into his eyes, noticing the slight change in them — they were darker and full of tension.

I kissed him back and let my body relax, the two of us making out until we were breathless. He pulled back and moved a few strands of hair out of my face.

“I’ve wanted to kiss you so bad.”

“You kissed me a few times while my sister was here,” I mumbled, my face burning hot.

“You know that wasn’t the level of kiss I wanted to give you,” he whispered.

“I know,” I replied, my eyes shyly meeting his.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” he whispered and hugged me.

“I’m happy you’re all right too, Jax. I’m glad everyone’s okay. We…really got lucky.”

“We did,” he whispered and began stroking my head. The action was really helping me relax as I let my eyes close.

“So much information.”

“So many more questions with not enough answers,” Jax mumbled. He sounded like he was already half asleep.

“Do you think…we’ll ever figure this out? Why all of this is happening now and not like, later?” I was trying not to nod off.

I hadn’t realized just how tired I was until now.

“Eventually. If we’re a part of some prophecy…maybe.” Jax yawned and snuggled against me. “However, I’m gonna take Aon’s advice.”

“About?”

“Cozying up with the woman I love and letting myself enjoy the rest of the night,” he whispered, his voice thick with sleep.

I smirked and let myself relax against him.

“That doesn’t sound…like a bad idea,” I answered, my mind beginning to drift away.

Aon was right. Even if our semesters were currently predictable, we wouldn’t get opportunities like this forever. Things were changing, and I had a feeling this would truly be one of the last ‘calm’ times we would ever had.

Things were moving, the clock was ticking, and it was only a matter of time until we faced the true enemy hiding behind all of this.

Until then, I’d have to get closer to each of my men, and that would start with Jax…or should I say, Jaxsin.

8

SUMMERTIME WITH EACH OTHER

“You’re going to the mountains?” I gawked at them. “For the entire summer?”

Kaito and Finnick exchanged looks before they both nodded.

“There’s a kendo training course up there. My parents were looking into sending me last year, but their classes were all full. My sister decided to surprise me as a gift for reaching the halfway point at Witchling Academy. I was going to reject it, but…I think it would be beneficial for me. It’s rigorous training and we only get one day off, but the view is really nice, and I think I’ll be able to grow exceptionally if I attend. It’s kind of a one-shot thing because they don’t like accepting anyone who has declined in the past,” Kaito explained.

“Yeah. I’m going with him since there’s a large art studio up there. Many students from around the world venture there to teach and it has some good classes that revolve around magic. My dad said he has to go up there this summer to help teach. It was originally my mom’s position, but he’s taking over.” He paused and Kaito reached out to squeeze his hand supportively.

Finnick smiled and looked around at us.

“I think my dad wants me to come along. He’s been trying to get himself out there and talk to other people. He’s been chilling at Kaito’s place and helping out during kendo classes as of late. You know, keeping himself occupied. I think it would be a good time to bond. We’re not really guaranteed tomorrow, you know? I do want to spend the summer with you guys, but I think it’ll be good to be around family for a while. Plus, Kaito will be nearby if I need some support through the dark times.”

We nodded in understanding. It was obvious from their determined faces that this was a non-negotiable decision. It made sense. We wouldn’t be doing much during summer anyway.

Jax looked over to Connor, and I followed his gaze and noticed the small smile on Connor’s face.

“Does that mean you’re going somewhere, too?” Jax inquired.

Connor ruffled his hair before putting his hands into his pockets.

“I think so,” he admitted. “I don’t necessarily feel the need to go anywhere, but at the same time, I’ve always wanted to do a little traveling with my parents. We’re not as tight as we could be since they’re my adopted parents, but they’ve always tried to bring me closer to them. They always travel during the summer and the line-up of places they’re going to is really nice. To be honest, I feel a little stuck right now as to what I want to achieve, and we’re already entering year three at Witchling. We’re going to soon need to figure out what we wanna do with our lives and what career paths we’d like to take. I’m not sure what I wanna do. I love football, but that’s always going to be a hobby for me. Maybe being in a few new environments and a change in atmosphere will help me out.”

Jax squeezed my hand, the gesture extremely comforting. Our hands were covered by the thick blanket that Starlight had placed on us while we’d slept.

It could have been my senses playing tricks on me, but I felt like Jax was really sad about Connor going away. It wasn’t like I hadn’t noticed their closeness before, but from the way he held my hand, it made me feel like he was having a hard time with the news.

Connor looked between us, his gaze landing on Jax.

“That okay with you, Jax? I can stay if you want,” Connor offered, but I knew he genuinely needed the space. Whatever he was going through secretly must have been really getting to him, and the change of scenery could really aid him.

I squeezed Jax’s hand, hoping he’d understand my silent communication. He squeezed it back and sighed.

“I’m okay with it. I think it would be good for all of us to spend some time with our families and do what we really want to do this summer.” Jax grinned and looked to Connor and then Finnick and Kaito. “I hear that years three and four are a big switch and the final year at Witchling takes a lot of preparation. That may interfere with our summer next year. I think everyone’s plan is perfect.”

“What about you two?” Finnick questioned.

Jax looked my way, and his tender smile made his eyes sparkle with love.

“My parents said we could go to one of our private cottages for a few weeks. It’s cozy and we’d have the place to ourselves. There’s a doctor nearby who can make sure Brianne’s leg is healing properly and we’d have plenty of food and relaxation time. It’ll be fun.”

“Yeah.” I smiled. “I think it would be good.”

“That’s a relief,” Kaito admitted.

“We were worried you guys wouldn’t agree,” Finnick confessed.

“Why not?” I smiled, trying to hide my sadness. “Sometimes a little break is good for all of us. Makes us stronger.”

“Indeed,” Jax replied. “We’re fine with it.”

Finnick and Kaito nodded, beaming with joy. “We’re going to tell our parents. They’re downstairs waiting for our decision,” Kaito explained.

“Since we’re all cleared and getting discharged in an hour, let’s go home and celebrate.”

“How soon are you guys leaving?” I inquired.

“Tomorrow,” they declared.

“T-TOMORROW? Does the training and stuff happen soon?”

“Yeah.” Kaito nodded. “My parents didn’t know when to confront me about it, but my sister found out the starting date was tomorrow and the deadline to accept is at eleven fifty-nine tonight.”

“Ah.” I looked at Jax, who nodded. “You guys better hurry.”

“Yes,” they said together.

“Don’t hurry too much, Finnick. You can’t walk, technically,” Connor reminded.

“Right.” Finnick nervously laughed. “I can make it to the door with Kaito’s help, but I think I may have trouble down the stairs.”

“Give me a moment and I’ll help out.” Connor winked.

The two of them nodded, and Kaito helped Finnick hop on his strong leg to stand outside the hospital room. Once Kaito closed the door, Connor moved around the bed to my side.

“What’s up?” I questioned, feeling a little nervous about the conversation to come.

Connor smirked and leaned over to give me a sweet kiss.

“You’re sad,” he whispered against my lips.

“Is it obvious?” I whispered back, opening my eyes slightly to look into his black orbs.

“No,” he replied. “But I can feel it.”

“Feel it,” I whispered. “You’ve been hiding something, huh?”

“Not really.” He grinned mischievously. “I thought it was obvious.”

“No,” Jax replied for me. “Just to you.”

Connor seemed pleased and he ended up kissing me again. This time was deeper, and my body grew hot with want.

These kisses are going to kill me.

“That wouldn’t be good,” Connor replied after he released my lips from his addicting ones. “We almost lost you once. Give us a little recovery time.”

I rolled my eyes at his joke but looked into his eyes and then at his lips. I leaned in and closed the distance between us, kissing him for a long minute.

“Sorry if I worried you,” I apologized.

He shook his head. “Can’t be helped. You were trying to help, but Elisha’s diabolical plans got in the way. We’re all alive with minor injuries. We’ve dealt with worse.”

I was glad he was being so understanding regarding all of this.

“I’m going to miss you,” I whispered.

“Me too,” he replied. “But I think it’ll be worth taking some space. I need to separate myself from all the energy and emotions in the air.”

“Emotions,” I whispered. “Wait…what does that have to do with anything?” I felt like I was having a Brianne moment.

Connor chuckled. “I can sense people’s emotions. It’s a part of my gift. I felt like I told you this already,” he admitted.

“I clearly forgot if you did,” I stated. “That’s both cool…and kind of harsh. Doesn’t it bother you feeling everyone’s emotions and listening to their thoughts?”

He shrugged. “I’m used to it. Got to adapt when something can’t be changed.”

“True,” I replied.

Connor pressed a kiss to my forehead. “It’s only three and a half months. I may even come home earlier.”

“Only if you get bored of the scenery,” I teased. His eyes softened, and his arms wrapped around me, giving me a gentle side hug.

“You’re making this a little hard, Bri,” he whispered. “You know I wouldn’t go if I truly didn’t need it.”

“I know,” I whispered into his shirt. “Doesn’t mean I can’t be sad and miss you and the others.”

“We haven’t left, baby,” he soothed.

“I thought we’d have a little more time,” I admitted. “It’s hard to adjust so fast…and I already miss you guys. Even though you’re right there and Finnick and Kaito are outside the door.”

“Brianne.” Connor placed a kiss on the top of my head. “I know everything feels like it’s going too fast. I get it, baby. It’ll be a short period of time and then we’ll be back together, stronger than ever. I think it’ll benefit all of us, even though we’re all going to miss one another. It’s going to be the first summer in a long time that we’ve been apart.”

He pulled back to look down at me. “I promise, it’ll be worth it. Plus, you get some alone time with Jax. Maybe he can light your candle.” He winked and laughed when my face turned bright red.

“Connor,” Jax growled.

“I’m helping you out. I deserve a paid drink out of gratitude.”

Jax grumbled ‘whatever’ under his breath. Connor smirked and gave me one last kiss, then walked over to the other side of the bed where Jax was.

They stared at one another for a long time, leaving me wondering if they were mentally communicating — which would be impossible since Jax didn’t have Finnick’s gift.

The two-minute silence seemed like ten, but Connor finally spoke. “I meant what I said on the bridge.”

I glanced over to Jax, watching him blink a few times. His expression remained neutral, but I was curious about the conversation they had had.

“You understand what I mean, right?” Connor questioned with a stern look.

Jax slowly nodded. “I understand.”

“I don’t need an answer now. Maybe never, really, but I wanted to make sure you understood my intentions,” Connor declared.

Jax nodded again, and now I really wanted to pry and learn what the two of them had discussed. Connor bobbed his head in agreement and reached out to ruffle his hair.

“I’ll miss you. Don’t get sick and make sure your puffer is near your bed.”

“Yes, Dad,” Jax muttered in annoyance, but a smile crept onto his lips. “I’ll miss you, too. Even more than Brianne will miss you.”

“What?” I questioned. “That’s not true.”

“Sure it is.” Jax chuckled. “You’ve got 33.3% dedicated to each guy. I, on the other hand, have a different percentage I follow.”

“What mathematical assumption is that?” I whined. “And you’re missing the 0.1%.”

“That’s saved for me. Even though I’ll be around you all the time except when you’re in the washroom. Even that is questionable,” he declared with pride.

“You’re weird,” I complained.

“And you still love me, so I’ll continue being weird,” he replied.

I sighed, but a smile formed on my lips.

Connor watched our bickering and smiled. “You two will be fine,” he whispered.

We both nodded, and Connor leaned in and pressed a kiss to Jax’s forehead. He blinked and slowly put his free hand against the spot Connor kissed.

“If you have any nightmares or are afraid of being alone, tell Brianne. She’s such a nice cuddler,” Connor encouraged and turned around. “Let me go help the others. At least we can party together tonight. We can invite the three sets of twins to the party, seeing as they’re leaving tomorrow for their vacation.”

“Right,” I whispered.

They’re leaving too. I totally forgot. Wasn’t it supposed to be later?

“Maybe it was later.” Connor answered my internal thought. “But they were put on standby because they heard about what happened.”

“Oh,” I replied.

“They’re waiting to make sure you’re okay before they leave the country for the holidays,” Connor confirmed.

“That’s nice of them,” I whispered with a smile. “They’re such amazing friends.”

“They really are,” Jax agreed. “You better go help Finnick before they start making out.”

The three of us looked at the door, noticing that Finnick and Kaito’s shadows looked like they were truly kissing one another.

Or hugging…but realistically, they definitely looked like they were kissing.

“I want to be evil and randomly open the door and catch them, but I’ll be nice,” Connor chuckled to himself.

We smiled and nodded in agreement. Connor cleared his throat and moved to the door, holding the knob and wiggling it slightly for added emphasis.

We smirked in amusement at the silhouettes that now looked like two separate individuals.

They were so kissing!

“Let me go help Kaito bring Finnick downstairs. Then I can let your parents and Professor Phoenix know you’re awake. I think Starlight had a work call or something, but I’ll text her for you. Both of your phones are being charged at the nurse’s station since the police had to inspect them for their investigation.

“Okay,” we replied.

“Thanks, Connor,” I whispered and gave him a small wave with my free hand. He smiled and nodded to me and looked over to Jax.

“Keep our Red safe,” Connor emphasized.

“Duh,” Jax huffed. “I have to be her knight in shining armor while you guys are being cool and productive.”

“You make it seem like I’m a princess in a faraway castle that needs saving,” I muttered. “I don’t need no man,” I huffed and purposely pushed Jax right off the bed.

“Ah!” Jax exclaimed and fell right on the ground.

The door opened and Kaito and Finnick peeked their heads in to see Jax on the floor and Connor on the verge of laughter.

“Rejection is beautiful,” Connor snickered.

“Aww. Was Jax trying to be all smooth and Red wasn’t having any of it?” Finnick laughed.

“Serves Jax right. You’d think he’d learn by now that Brianne’s an independent woman. You should listen to Mia and Miya’s daily inspirational talks. They should make a podcast.”

“They really should,” I agreed. “I’ll text that to them,”

The three nodded and Jax finally sat up. “Hmph, no sympathy.”

“Serves you right,” I huffed. He pouted his lips innocently.

“So cute,” I admitted.

“We better leave before they start making out,” Connor suggested to the other two.

“When are they going to have sex? Should we take bets?” Kaito pondered.

“Miya and Mia said we should all take bets,” Finnick encouraged. “I think we should. I want cookies for a year.”

We watched them continue discussing the chances of Jax and me having sex before they seemed to realize we were still speechless.

“Oh,” the three of them said.

“Hop away,” Finnick declared.

The other two nodded and Connor closed the door, leaving the two of us alone.

Jax slowly looked my way, just as I looked at him.

“Our friends are all bad influences,” I declared.

“Agreed,” Jax replied and rose up. He made his way back onto the bed, and I snuggled against him until we were sitting in silence.

“Is it weird…that I miss them already?”

“No,” Jax replied and kissed my forehead. “I miss them, too, and they haven’t left yet.”

“It’s just temporary,” I reminded. “Just one summer.”

“Yes,” Jax whispered. “Just one summer without them. At least we have each other.”

I looked over to him, and we both smiled.

Yes. We have each other, and it’s our time to figure out what we want.

9

NOT ALONE

“You’ve been quiet all night,” Jax whispered as he climbed into my bed and turned the nightstand lamp off.

After our discussion in the evening before we were discharged, we all went to Jax’s place and had a bit of a celebration and farewell party thing. Our parents did their own thing, having all gathered and gone out for a late night in town, while we got to enjoy the joys of Chinese and watch comedy movies

They had come home late and gone straight to bed, bunking in the spare rooms that were down the hall. They didn’t care if we stayed up all night, as long as we weren’t going against doctors’ orders by doing cartwheels and not “resting”.

I smiled, a yawn leaving my lips before I slowly turned onto my right side. The cast on my leg wasn’t super annoying or heavy, but I did try to move at a slower pace because it still hurt from time to time.

“Yes,” I replied and gave him a shy smile. “I’ve just been thinking a lot.”

“Me too,” he admitted and ran his hands through my long orange hair. He’d left his hair down as well, and the two of us shared a look.

“You’re worried about the trial?”

“Is it obvious?” I nervously replied. “It’s not like we even have a date.”

“You believe it’s going to happen before we graduate.”

“I’m confident it will,” I mumbled. “I can feel it down to my bones.”

“Do you believe we’ll win?” he questioned.

When I looked away, I heard him sigh. “Not a chance, huh?”

“If this was any other predicament, I would be completely confident that we’d win. However, Elisha was able to convince a group of senior students that Finnick tried to rape her, convinced Elijah to be at the bridge and to defend Elisha by snapping at Finnick and pushing him off the bridge with that attack, was the driver of the car that deliberately crashed into me and almost killed me, and now she’s somehow able to get home arrest while the ten guys who jumped Finnick are serving jail time? How does that even make sense?”

“Connor never said Elisha told them Finnick tried to rape her,” he mumbled.

I arched an eyebrow at him. “Touching someone against their will is sexual assault, Jax. You don’t need to say the ‘R’ word for people to read between the lines. Even someone as slow as me.”

“You’re not slow,” he whispered. “Not anymore, anyway.”

I smirked. “Anyway, she has someone helping her get everything she wants, and they’re totally going to be on her side for this trial.”

“But,” Jax pressed.

“But?” I repeated, not following his single word.

“You have a plan,” Jax suggested. “Because I can see it in your eyes that you do.”

“I do, but it may screw everything over,” I explained. “Including whatever my sister wants us to avoid.”

“Ah.” Jax nodded. “You want to do a little chaos, don’t you?”

“How did you know?” I pondered.

“I can sense it,” he replied. “I’ve actually been thinking about the same thing.”

“What do you mean?” I inquired.

“I’ve been thinking about something the woman in my dream said. Something about light and darkness and that I’d have to choose a path.”

“I…had something similar said to me,” I confessed. “It left me frazzled, and unsure when the time would come to confront the light and the darkness.”

“Brianne?” Jax hugged me a little tighter.

“Yes?”

“Can you keep a secret?” he whispered.

“Yes,” I replied. “What’s wrong?

“I haven’t told Connor about this. Actually…my parents don’t know about it either. I found out about it when Connor and Kaito were talking with Professor Phoenix.”

“Is it bad?” I inquired.

“A little? Maybe? I’m honestly not sure,” he admitted.

“You’re not sick…right?” I immediately pulled back to look at him, worry evident in my eyes that reflected in his. He immediately shook his head and kissed me.

“I’m physically healthy. I have no medical issues,” he reassured me.

“But?” I pressed.

“Remember I mentioned the dark flames and how I need to go for checkups?” He sounded nervous.

“Yes,” I answered. “What about it?”

He needed a moment to answer.

“I…well…my recent results showed an increase.”

“Isn’t that a good thing? That means you got stronger?” I clarified.

“Yes, I got stronger.” He nodded. “But there’s a problem.”

“Why?” I wasn’t following.

“Only my dark flames got a lot stronger. The rest of the elements are the same. Even my regular flame and healing flames, even though I’ve used them more often recently.”

“What…does that mean? Is that bad?” I sat up in worry and he followed my lead. He eyed my leg, and I made sure to lower it slowly until it was securely resting on the soft pillow that was there to help elevate it when I wasn’t on my side.

“What was the issue with dark flames growing too powerful?” I didn’t mean to forget, I just had a lot on my mind.

“Means that there’s a potential chance of the darkness consuming you. Once you lose control, it takes over your body entirely and goes on a rampage, killing anything in its path until it can be stopped. The stronger the individual, the harder it is to stop them.”

“Are they worried?” I questioned, putting my hand on his. He smirked and picked my hand up, wrapping my right hand with both of his.

“Yeah.” He didn’t look at my face, his eyes lingering on my hand as his hands cradled it gently. “They…want me to stay at their training facility.”

“What?!” I exclaimed and put my free hand over my mouth automatically. “Sorry.”

He smiled and looked at me then, his eyes filled with worry. We rotated our upper halves so we could comfortably face one another and Jax placed my hand onto his lap; his hands still cradled mine.

I didn’t need him to fill in the blanks. I was already reading between the lines and understanding where this was going.

“When?” I whispered.

“As soon as possible,” he replied. “They want me to keep it hush-hush, so I won’t be telling my parents until the others leave. So, tomorrow evening. Then we’ll pack, which isn’t hard. They have a spare room designated for me, and I’ve always kept some clothes there because of how frequent my visits were a few years ago. Some of them may not fit actually, but there’s a mall nearby and a huge beach with various restaurants.”

He swallowed and looked down. “I had a hunch this would happen. It wasn’t like I planned it or anything. It’s just…”

He bit his lip and closed his eyes. “When I teleported the others to the bridge, I wasn’t sure what to expect. In fact, I had no clue at all what we’d find. I was mostly concerned about Finnick, and I assumed you’d gotten to him in time.”

His eyes opened up and he looked into mine.

“I didn’t expect to see you flying in the air. I wasn’t prepared to see you unconscious…to see the blood and hear your bones crack from the impact of the fall. When I saw your body lying there, I…truly thought there was no chance at all. Connor tried to call to me, to snap me out of it and talk sense into me like he normally does in those kinds of situations, but nothing was going through. I was so mad…and disappointed…in myself. Even when I blamed Elijah, it was only a way to direct the anger to someone else. It didn’t do much. I’d already acknowledged that I couldn’t protect you and the thought of losing you frightened me.”

“Jax.” I felt his pain, his voice thick with agony.

“It’s not your fault that it happened. No one saw this coming at all…and when it hit me, I wanted the world to suffer. Not just Elijah, but everyone. I didn’t care about the others. I couldn’t have cared less about the neighborhood or even the town. I wanted the world to burn. I actually vowed within myself that if I truly lost you, I wouldn’t care about what happened next. I’d let the darkness reign and deliver the vengeance I desired. It would cause wars, destruction, and cost many people their lives. I didn’t care. If I lost you that day, I really would have ended everything. Connor ended up snapping me out of it, but he’s been watching me like a hawk since.”

He smirked and shook his head. “He told me he liked me.”

“Like you…as in?” I inquired.

“Like like,” Jax elaborated. “I told him I liked him, too, but I don’t think I said it correctly. I kind of pulled a Kaito without realizing it.”

“Bad, Jax,” I playfully said, and reached out with my free hand to stroke his cheek with my thumb. “Were you afraid?”

“To tell him how I felt?” Jax asked. “A little. I can see why it took Kaito so long. I…honestly wasn’t expecting it. When you look at Connor, he doesn’t seem to be the type.”

“You can’t look at someone and know who they like,” I commented.

“I know,” Jax replied. “I guess I always knew that, but when it was happening right in my face, I swerved so fast. I just couldn’t take it all at once. It almost felt like I was losing one and gaining another, and I didn’t want that. I love you, Brianne. You’ve always been my first love, but after he told me those words on the bridge, I’ve been wondering if it’s even possible.”

“It is for Finnick and Kaito. Why can’t it be for you and Connor?”

“I don’t know.” Jax shrugged. “Would you even be okay with that?”

“Why not? It would be fun!”

He pouted his lips at my emphasized reply. “Why do I have a feeling you’re thinking about things you shouldn’t be thinking about?”

I giggled and tried not to feel embarrassed. “It’s not bad to try new things. I want to experience a lot.”

“You do?” he inquired, seemingly curious.

“Yeah,” I admitted. “I’m still a little new with all of this obviously, but down the road…a little experimentation could be fun.”

Jax was quiet for a full minute. The longer I waited, the hotter my cheeks felt. No, my entire face. “T-that was weird, wasn’t it?”

“No,” he calmly replied. “I just needed a moment to register what you said and an extra thirty seconds to stop myself from pressing you into the sheets and having my way with you.”

I gawked at him, not even caring that my face was probably blistering red.

“T-then…what stopped you?” I hesitantly asked.

It was his turn to blush. “Your parents are in the next room.”

“We could have blocked the sound with magic.”

“I don’t have condoms.”

“We have magic for that.”

“Luna and Elsa are in the corner of the room,”

I looked over to the corner and there were our familiars. They both looked back at us, seemingly aware that we were talking about them. Luna got up and stretched and with ease, picked Elsa up and walked over to the door.

I watched in amusement as she somehow managed the door with some magic, and just like that, she was gone with Elsa. Once the door closed by the same magic, I slowly looked at Jax; his face was completely red and his jaw was dropped in sheer horror.

“So…any other excuses?”

Jax placed one of his hands on his face and groaned. “My familiar betrayed me.”

“Mine does that a lot when bacon is involved.” I tried to make him feel better.

He lowered his hand and leaned in closer until our lips brushed.

“I’m not ready yet,” he confessed. He looked a bit ashamed at revealing it, but continued, “I have so many expectations. I wanted us to have this whole summer to enjoy one another and have fun. I didn’t think…it would end up like this. I’m sure whoever our enemy is, they must be having a laugh at this.”

“Is it because of the tests that the council found out?”

“No,” Jax mumbled. “Someone told them they sensed dark energy from me.”

“Someone told them?”

“It was a brief moment,” Jax explained. “Not long enough for anyone to notice. I shut it down quickly, even though I could sense it for a little while after.”

“Who told? Definitely not Connor.”

“No.” Jax shook his head. “Connor knows how strict they are about this. One little sighting of dark energy and they’d lock me up like a mental patient. He would only tell if I’d lost control and struggled to reclaim it. That didn’t happen.”

“Then?”

“Elijah,” Jax muttered. “Only other person there. I did threaten to kill him, though. Maybe he’s still mad,” he casually remembered.

“You said it like it’s not a big deal,” I whispered, and ended up kissing him.

He closed his eyes, and I did the same, the two of us kissing slowly. Neither of us was in a rush, our emotions seemingly melding into one another as we deepened the kiss.

I moaned quietly, having missed our intimacy. It was intriguing how school seemed to change the way we interacted with one another; during the holidays all I wanted was to be next to my men and feel their bodies pressed against mine.

“JAX.” I moaned against his lips, and my soft whisper made him groan and kiss me firmly.

“Brianne,” he mumbled against my lips. “Don’t do that. You’re making me hard.”

“Hmm.” I replied by pressing my lips firmly back.

We kissed again, and I ended up pressed against the sheets with Jax on top of me. We were a panting mess before we finally paused.

“Fuck,” he swore. “You’re making this harder.”

“Can’t think of any more excuses.” I winked.

“Nope,” he mumbled and nestled his head against my neck. “But I can tease you a bit.”

I gasped when he nipped my neck, following it with a deep suck of my flesh.

“Jax,” I quietly moaned, knowing well that there was no magic wall to protect our voices from carrying over.

“I’ll at least do a little something,” he whispered, and his hand made its way up my leg to my waistband. He slipped his hand underneath the cotton material of my baby pink pajamas and I shivered when his hand slipped into my panties.

Our eyes met and his hand stopped for a moment.

“I want to please you, but on my terms,” he whispered.

My head slowly nodded in understanding; it wasn’t like my mind cared what he did at this point — as long as his hand stayed between my legs and did what I thought he was about to do, I would be a very pleased woman.

The thought of his fingers being so close to my entrance made my heart skip a beat in elation. I’d never really explored that part of me until recently and we hadn’t gone this far before.

His eyes lowered to my lips as he waited an extra few seconds. When I didn’t budge, he claimed my lips and his hand slid along my entrance until it was right where it was supposed to be.

The mere touch of his fingers proved that I was aroused. According to the books, that was the term for when you were turned on and ‘wet’ for someone.

It was crazy how my research on all of this was actually making sense, which made me feel like a complete nerd because I had to research about this to actually get it.

The tip of his finger trailed along my folds and I quietly moaned against his lips. We made out for a minute or two, his finger continuing that same motion, against and again, leaving me a tingling mess.

Was he doing it to make me wetter? I wasn’t even sure. It was hard to think, maybe from the lack of oxygen from all this kissing.

God, Jax is such a good kisser. It’s so addicting.

“Perfect,” he whispered when we were catching our breath. “I’m slipping a finger in, Brianne,” he warned. “Only one.”

“Is it bad if it’s more than one?” I genuinely asked.

“No,” he replied. “It just may hurt. You’ve never masturbated, have you?”

“I…” I trailed off, unsure how to explain my failed attempt at doing exactly that.

He kissed me, drawing my attention back to him. “It’s okay,” he assured me, which made me feel less bothered by it. “One finger.”

“Okay,” I whispered.

I didn’t think you could prepare for something like this and I tried to keep still as his finger inched into me with ease. It felt satisfyingly weird. It didn’t hurt, but it was obvious that his finger was there.

The walls inside of me seemed to hug his finger tightly and Jax beamed while his eyes seemed to darken.

“That’s my girl,” he praised and slowly inched his finger slightly out, leaving the tip of it inside before inching back in. It was slow at first, and I didn’t expect anything of the movement, but then I began to feel different.

A tingling pressure deep inside my core.

“Jax?” I whispered, unsure if this was how I was supposed to feel.

He kissed me gently, slowing his pace just slightly. “Relax, Brianne. What you’re feeling right now is normal,” he explained.

“So I won’t like…explode?”

He paused to actually look at me and the tiniest grin formed on his lips. I didn’t know whether he was amused or if my question was valid.

“You won’t explode. As in, no body parts will be harmed in this.” He winked and leaned down to whisper. “But it may feel like you’re about to explode.”

“You know, that contradic—AH!” I gasped when he began to move his finger at a different pace and the core inside of me seemed to tremble as the pressure built within.

My moans grew louder and Jax sealed my lips with his to muffle the sound. I wanted to be quieter, but this felt so…good. I’d never felt like this, and as his finger moved in and out, I wanted him to go even faster.

He must have sensed it or maybe he had mind-reading powers of his own; his finger increased in pace and made me even wetter. My body felt like it was about to burst, like some energy inside me was tipping the edge and was ready to release.

“Jax,” I said his name in urgency, and Jax whispered.

“Cum, Brianne. Let yourself go.”

He kissed me again, harder than before, and my body seemed to freeze and do exactly what he asked — I let go, and that pulsating pressure exploded.

My body shook uncontrollably, but that was the least of my problems. The high I suddenly felt I was on was out of this world. The uncomfortable ache between my legs was gone and I felt fulfilled.

I was also out of breath, my forehead was dotted with beads of sweat, and my body was still shaking as tingles ran through me.

Jax had released my lips to allow me to catch my breath and he pressed his forehead against mine. His finger was still inside me, my walls quivering around it.

“How was that?” he whispered.

“Amazing,” I breathed. “So good.”

“You enjoyed it then?”

“Yes,” I gasped and nodded. “Very much.”

He smirked and pulled his finger out. I pouted my lips and he chuckled. “Enough playtime, Bri. You’re supposed to be resting.”

“This…kinda counts?” I tried to play it off, and he laughed.

“No it doesn’t, baby.” He removed his hand from my pants and reached for a few tissues from the box on the nightstand.

“Do I have to wipe uh…that stuff…off after?” I inquired, watching him as he sat back to wipe his finger.

“No,” he answered. “I can lick it right off if that appeals to you.”

I gawked at him.

“L-l-lick?” I stuttered.

Jax stared at me and slowly nodded. “Yes. It’s a turn-on for some girls. As much as I’d love to do that and test if you get turned on by it, I don’t want us staying up for long when we have an early morning tomorrow.”

“Party pooper,” I mumbled. “They don’t teach us this in the books.”

“Books?” Jax questioned as he wiped his right index finger.

“Um…” I trailed off, and Jax returned his gaze to me, a glint of understanding flickering in his golden orbs.

“You researched about sex?”

“I-I…”

Think Brianne! Think!

“Y-yes,” I earnestly replied.

NO! Why did I answer truthfully?! Bad, Brianne. Bad! Abort mission! Change the topic. Run away or something. I could Spell Travel away! Yes! Wait…no! I have the stupid bracelet on!

“Why do I have a feeling your mind is having a nervous breakdown?”

“I-I-I’m not!”

“You stutter a lot when you’re lying or nervous.”

“Go away.”

“Did you research about masturbation?” I froze and stared at him in horror. His grin widened. “You did, didn’t you?”

“N-n…” I couldn’t even get the words out.

“You tried it,” he continued, and his amusement seemed to double. “And it didn’t teach you how it works, did it?”

“Shut up!” I screamed and used my right leg to knock him right off the bed.

“Ah!”

The loud thump against the wood floor would surely wake my parents up, but I didn’t care. “Die!” I declared, getting a pillow and literally flopping on to him.

“Oof!” Jax groaned. “Brian—MHMMMH?!”

The door opened and I didn’t even care if anyone witnessed me murdering Jax.

“Why did I have a hunch this would happen?” Connor sighed.

“Are they arguing?” Kaito pondered.

“I think so. Brianne’s attempting murder,” Connor casually replied. I heard his footsteps and my entire body was lifted up. I tried to wiggle free, but Connor literally put me on his shoulder.

My face must have been like a tomato as I glared at him.

“Aww.” Connor smirked. “Did Jax tease you too much?”

“H-he!” I pointed at him. “Is making fun of my research methods!”

“Who researches—AH!” I threw the pillow at him, cutting him off.

“Shut up!”

Connor sighed. “Sometimes Jax acts older than his age and other times he’s still immature.”

“Hey!” Jax huffed. “I’m right here.”

“I know.” Connor shook his head. “Aren’t you supposed to be resting?”

“Uh…” Jax trailed off and looked at me. “She kicked me off the bed again!”

“Serves you right! There should be a club! Kick your boyfriend off the bed for saying silly things! I’d make a bunch of friends!”

“As though Mia and Miya haven’t done enough,” Kaito sighed. “Stop wiggling, Brianne. You’re going to hurt your leg.”

“No!” I huffed.

Connor looked at me and easily walked me to my side of the bed. He plopped me back onto the bed, but before I could move, his body pinned me down and I felt his knee right between my legs.

My mind went from normal panic to ‘all hands on deck’ panic, but my body froze as his lips were centimeters from mine.

“Brianne.” Connor used the sexiest tone on me and I stopped thinking. “It’s time for bed. No more bickering unless you two can talk like adults.”

I slowly nodded and he sealed the deal with a heated kiss that left me tingling all over again. He released me and when I didn’t move, he looked at Kaito and Jax; the two of them were staring at us with gaping expressions.

Connor looked at Jax and raised an eyebrow. “Do I have to manhandle you, too?”

Jax shook his head and was up and back in bed within three blinks. Connor smirked and got off the bed. He walked to the door and Kaito silently followed until he was standing in the hall with Connor.

“Go to sleep. Or fuck. At least that way you’ll have an excuse to be noisy.”

With that, he closed the door.

The silence that followed was intense, but Jax finally spoke.

“That…was hot and frightening at the same time.”

“And you think I’m explorative,” I muttered and sighed. “We should sleep.”

“Yeah,” he replied and we both lay down and relaxed. It wasn’t long before Jax scooted over until my back pressed against his chest. Another minute passed before his arm slid around my waist, pulling me closer.

“Sorry for teasing you,” he whispered into my ear.

“It’s fine,” I mumbled, and couldn’t help but turn in his hold and snuggle right into his chest. “I’m…going to miss this though.”

“Why?” he asked.

“You’re leaving tomorrow, too. I don’t mind staying behind…it’s just going to be lonely.”

“Who said I was leaving you?”

“You did,” I answered. “You have to go to the training facility.”

“I’m taking you with me,” he declared.

“Wait…” I leaned back to look up at him. “I…I can come?”

“I told them that I wouldn’t do it unless they made an exception that I could bring you along. My room isn’t as fancy as this one, but it’s above average and has a bunch of magic books, television, the works. We’re allowed to go to the beach and do whatever, as long as I show up for my sessions, which are usually after breakfast. I have to stay there because it’s easier to monitor me, especially when I’m asleep. That’s a vulnerable time, when darkness likes to strike. So, other than those small restrictions, there wasn’t any reason for you not to come. They don’t like letting strangers know about this place, but Professor Phoenix vouched for you and said you’re a perfect student and would be recruited by the school after you graduate if you wanted to work at Witchling Academy. She basically made you really appetizing to the administrators and they let it pass,” he explained.

I’d definitely take time to understand all of what he said later, but all I could repeat in my head was that I could go with him.

“So…I can come? I don’t need to stay at home by myself?”

Jax gave me a relieved look and kissed me. “You can come. No staying home by yourself. I wouldn’t be a good boyfriend if I did that, especially when I promised we’d be together.”

“What if they had said no?”

“I would have just had an anger tantrum,” Jax casually said. “Don’t care how old I am. I hate being told I can’t do something, especially when they’ve broken the rules before for other people.”

“Wow,” I replied. “That’s kind of hot.”

“You get turned on by me having tantrums.” He shook his head but pulled me closer. “No wonder I’m madly in love with you.”

I giggled and closed my eyes, finally letting myself relax.

“I love you, too, Jax.”

“You have to pack a bathing suit.”

“Okay.”

“And a few spellbooks.”

“Mhmm.”

“And sexy lingerie.”

“Whatever you want,” I mumbled. “Just pack for me.”

“What if I forget?”

“Then be prepared to have me walking naked throughout the facilit—”

“I’ll pack when you fall asleep.”

I giggled quietly as I began to doze off. “Thank you, Jax.”

Knowing I wouldn’t be alone during summer made me happy.

10

THE CHOICE BETWEEN LIGHT AND DARKNESS

“I‘ll be perfectly fine, you two. I promise. Just have fun and enjoy the alone time with your men. I want to know about all the action when you get back,” I reassured Mia and Miya on the phone as I looked out at the water.

“We love you, Bri!” Miya sounded like she was about to cry.

“You have to keep us posted about the healing process throughout the summer!” Mia emphasized.

“Yes, yes.” My grin widened as I imagined their faces.

“And maybe finally someone will get some action in the bedroom,” Mia teased. My cheeks burned from her comment.

“I-I…we’re not doing that,” I huffed.

“I’d bet a year’s supply of Mama’s cookies that you will lose your virginity this summer,” Miya announced.

“I can’t believe you’re talking about this at the airport!” I scolded.

“Actually, we’re on the plane already.” Mia giggled. “And you’re on speaker.”

“Ugh!” I groaned.

“Hey, Brianne!” Ako and Aki said in unison.

“Make sure you have safe sex,” Kiyo and Koyo said in unison.

“Ah! You guys! You’re in public!” I whined. “G-go away!”

“We are,” the four of them replied. “That’s why we’re on a plane.”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it,” I huffed. Mia and Miya giggled hysterically. “This is the best conversation ever.”

“You two are evil,” I sighed. “I still love you guys, though.”

“We know,” they replied quietly. “Be safe, Brianne.”

“I will,” I replied. “Text me when you guys have landed.”

“All right,” they replied. “Bye.”

“See ya. Safe travels,” I said my farewell and hung up. Staring at the screen of my phone, I looked back at the ocean waters.

It was weird, but I felt a little lonely today.

Maybe it was because everyone was leaving shortly.

All of us seemed a little down when I thought about it, but I was confident that we’d be okay after we got used to the first week apart.

I was a little worried about Connor being on his own, but now that I knew he could sense people’s emotions as well, I could only imagine how overwhelming all of this must have been for him. He deserved a break from it all, and that meant being separated for a little while.

Interesting how this simple change seemed a lot harder than I ever expected. Only two years ago, we were complete strangers. Now, as we closed in on our third year, it was surprising how closely knit we’d become.

As for the investigation, both Elijah and Elisha were on house arrest. Kaito’s testimony was helping out Elijah’s case, but he still needed to follow the rules and remain at home until the official trial date was made.

From the looks of things, we wouldn’t know about it until the end of the year, which was extremely frustrating. No wonder Starlight always got angry with the system and worked harder than anyone else to catch criminals when she got a mere hint of their trail.

Following rules only seemed to create a long, agonizing journey of court calls, back-and-forth investigations, and a waste of valuable time.

I couldn’t wait for Elisha to get what she deserved, but I knew within myself it wouldn’t be easy. I’d have to be careful and start figuring out my own plans on how to combat her. She’d try to make sure she was the only one who got away with this. She still had the upper hand, and my brain was already beginning to set up the steps I needed to catch her in her little game.

Only a matter of time. I just need to trap her in the way she’d least expect. Something to make her screw up.

Something soft wrapped around my left hand and I looked over to see Finnick. I needed a moment to take in his collected appearance. His pink hair was beginning to grow out now, and even though it was still short, he had enough of it that it could be styled to one side.

He wore a white dress shirt and black faded jeans, totally pulling off a dressy-casual look. Compared to my bikini, he was definitely stylish.

I had no clue when he’d arrived, or even how he arrived when he still wasn’t supposed to be walking independently. I’d find out in a bit, but I continued admiring his overall appearance.

His bruises were gone and he almost looked like his usual self. If it weren’t for the cast, you wouldn’t believe he had been injured recently.

At first glance anyway.

There was something about his eyes that was different than before. Maybe it was the calmn feeling they carried, the rich blue color matching the ocean before me. Or it could have been the overall aura that exhibited a sense of growth. I wasn’t sure.

“How long have you been here?” Finnick asked, his voice as quiet and serene as the private beach was.

“For a while,” I replied. “I’m not really sure.”

“You’re not sure?” Finnick clarified.

“I woke up really early and thought it would be nice to see the sunrise at this spot. It’s one of the many things I missed during the school year and I just wanted to get a glimpse. I was struggling to put my bikini on because of this silly cast, and I’m not allowed to use magic as of yet. Jax woke up then and helped me out. In the end, he teleported us here and we watched the sunrise. I told him I’d be ready in a few minutes, but…I guess I got lost in my thoughts. I only realized how much time had passed because Mia and Miya called.”

“Ah,” Finnick replied. “That’s understandable,” he admitted.

Looking away from me and at the ocean before us, he nodded his head slowly. “Sometimes you get lost in your thoughts and time goes by. It happens more often than anyone likes to admit, but it’s pretty normal.”

I watched him carefully and lightly squeezed his hand to give him some sort of comfort. Something about Finnick seemed different today.

“Finnick?”

He looked my way and we stared into one another’s eyes.

“What happened that day?” I quietly questioned. I knew it was a sensitive topic, and if he didn’t want to talk about it yet, he didn’t have to, but I didn’t want to ignore the change I saw in him.

In fact, there seemed to be a change in all four of my boyfriends. Some were more obvious than others, but my main concern was whether that change was positive or negative.

Good? Or evil? A choice between light and dark.

The thought reminded me of the motherly woman’s voice. I put the thought aside, deciding to focus my attention on Finnick.

He gave me a sad smile and shook his head.

“I’m sorry, Brianne,” he apologized. “I can’t…talk about it right now.”

“I understand.” I nodded. “It’s a sensitive topic.”

He slowly nodded and let out the breath he was holding. “I was originally worried you’d be mad if I wasn’t ready to speak about it.”

“If you’re not ready to talk, you’re not ready. Nothing wrong with that,” I voiced. “It’s a lot to take in. Not like we’ve had any time to absorb what happened.”

“Yeah,” he whispered. “I think that’s what I need. Time to process. To think it over.” He squeezed my hand and closed his eyes.

“Whenever I close my eyes, that’s all I see,” he confessed. “I see that circle of seniors. See them pointing and laughing at me. Calling me mean slurs and…all the insulting words you can find in the dictionary. It didn’t matter if I tried to defend myself. My words and pleas weren’t reaching them. I…really did try to get through, but I guess whatever Elisha told them stuck like glue.”

He shook his head. “I wanted so badly to be heard, but it was like I was on mute. That’s what I endure when I close my eyes and I wish I could erase it. I can’t, obviously, but I wish it would leave my mind forever. Selfish, really…but maybe I’d be able to sleep properly if I could.”

“Finnick.” I felt the pain in his words, and wished there was something I could do to help him. “I wish I could do something.”

“Listening is nice.” He smiled slightly. “I love that with you or Kaito, I can just talk about what’s running through my head and let it out. It’s good therapy apparently and may help me in the long run.”

He looked my way and sighed again. “I kind of wish you were going to be with us in the mountains. I know it’s a little selfish of me to think that way, especially when I’m going with Kaito, versus Connor who’s spending the summer alone…but you always brighten my world, even when it feels like it’s completely filled with darkness.”

“Finnick.”

“You know, when I was getting beat up, all I could think about was you.” He looked up at the sky, a smile still on his lips. “All I thought about was that Brianne would teach these guys a lesson if she was here. Brianne would tell me not to kill these guys, they’re not worth it. Brianne would give me the biggest hug and tell me everything is going to be okay….Over and over, I thought about all the things you would have done and said, and it made the pain less…painful. It still hurt, but I think it helped. I only defended myself because it was getting too hard on me…but there was a point that I really wanted to kill them.”

He lowered his head and his eyes locked on mine. I did a double-take, because his ocean-turquoise eyes were suddenly dark purple, like a plum. I blinked a few times and it was gone, but the haunting change seemed to linger in my mind.

“Finnick? Do…your eye colors change?”

“Hmm?” He tilted his head to the side and gave me a funny look. “Change colors? You mean magically, like yours?”

“Um…” I frowned and tried to figure out how to word it. “Um. Like, does it change based off your emotions or something?”

“Nope,” he replied. “I guess it would be hard for me to tell, but I don’t think so.”

I must be seeing things.

“Sorry,” I apologized. “I must be tired.”

“I don’t blame you,” he answered and squeezed my hand. “Maybe the sun is getting to you.”

“Maybe,” I agreed. “Anyways, I’m sorry Finnick. That you went through all of that. I know…this trip is going to help you have a nice peaceful environment and I’m only a phone call away. If you need me to brighten your day, I will.”

Finnick nodded. “I know.”

We smiled and looked out at the ocean for a few more minutes. Sensing someone coming, I looked over to my left to see Jax, Connor, and Kaito approaching.

“Hey.” I used my free hand to wave at them.

“Hey,” they greeted back.

Jax was the first to reach us. He patted Finnick’s shoulders in greeting and they exchanged a joke or two before he walked over to my side of the bench and kissed me.

“When I came back, you were so into your thoughts that I figured you’d want some alone time,” he explained.

“Ah,” I replied. “Thank you, I really did. I got to talk to Mia and Miya as well. It was nice.”

“That’s good.” He sat down on the other side of me and I looked at Kaito, who was whispering something to Finnick.

They grinned before he looked my way and walked over to me.

“We were super quiet when we arrived, but you didn’t notice.”

“Yeah, sorry. I was really in the zone. I should have just meditated or something, but I can’t cross my legs in lotus position,” I joked.

Kaito chuckled. “You will soon. With lots of rest, you should be good as new in two months. That’s what the doctor said.”

“I can’t wait,” I cheered. He nodded and swooped down to give me a kiss. “My parents are waiting for Finnick. His dad is already on the road to the mountains.”

“Aw. That means you have to go now.” I gave him a sad look.

“Yeah.” He reflected my sadness with his own. “But we can all hug and take a picture so that when I come back all jacked up, we’ll have proof of my transformation.” He winked.

Jax laughed. “I better make sure I work out throughout the summer or I’m going to get my ass kicked by macho man over here.”

“I can kick your ass now.” Kaito rolled his eyes.

“Sure.” Connor grinned. “But you’d have to go through me first.”

“Bring it on.” Kaito winked.

I looked over to Finnick, whose eyes were solely on me. There was something off about his expression, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. He smiled innocently at me before he let go of my hand to open his arms.

“I get to hug Brianne first.”

“What?” the others questioned. “Why?”

“I’m an injured citizen. We get benefits like being first in line to hug our girlfriends.”

“What kind of bullshit lie is that?!” Kaito questioned.

“Uh oh,” Connor and Jax said together. “Kaito swore,” Jax added dramatically.

Kaito sighed. “It’s Finnick’s fault! He’s been influencing me.”

“I take credit for upping your swearing game. Now Brianne, come here.” Finnick laughed.

“I need help with that.” I giggled.

“I got you,” Jax replied, standing up and practically picking me up to lower me in front of Finnick.

We both laughed and Finnick rose up from the bench to hug me tightly.

“I’m going to miss you, Red. I’ll text you every night and complain about how Kaito’s forcing me to study for the entire summer.”

“I’ll wait for every text from you then,” I mumbled into his shirt. “I’ll miss you, Finnick.”

He took a deep inhale, letting it out slowly as he nestled his head into my neck. His lips pressed lightly against my skin and I tried not to flinch when he bit me very gently. It was unexpected from him, but I liked it.

We hugged for a long time and none of the guys seemed to mind at all. When we were done, I noticed the tears in his eyes.

“It’ll be fine, Finnick. I promise,” I whispered to him. He nodded and hugged me again.

“Okay,” he replied. “I believe you, Red.”

We pulled away after a few minutes and he gave me a sweet kiss. With wide smiles and teary eyes, he moved aside for Kaito, who was next to give me a tight hug.

“I’ll protect him, even when he’s acting tough. I’ll make sure he texts you all the time and I’ll comfort him when he’s lonely.”

“Make sure you text and call me when you need me as well,” I reminded. “You’re going to work pretty hard there. Just know that I’m here for you when you need to talk.”

“I know.” He kissed the opposite side of my neck and pulled back slightly, only to kiss me on the lips. “Rest, Brianne. Don’t do anything reckless. I want that cast off when we get back.”

“Yes, sir.” I nodded my head firmly.

Kaito smirked and couldn’t help but kiss me again. “We’ll get going.”

“Not until I get one more kiss,” Finnick voiced. “Kaito got three.”

“From the guy who bit her neck.” Kaito shook his head.

“You barely see it,” Finnick whined, blinking his eyes like a sad puppy.

“You two are so silly.” I laughed, pulled my arms from Kaito, and opened them up once more for Finnick. “Hop over here.”

He beamed and literally hopped right into my arms. He purposely gave me a sloppy kiss and I began to laugh hysterically.

“Eww, Finnick!”

“See what you did,” Connor sighed. “Now he’s never going to want to let her go.”

“It was worth it.” Kaito laughed.

We all began to laugh about it and ended up enjoying a group hug. I really did believe we’d get stronger from this, but it was hard to go our separate ways, even for a short period of time.

Kaito and Finnick said their final goodbyes, and the three of us watched them head up to the van that was waiting for them up the path to the side road.

None of us spoke until their car was long gone.

“This is harder than I thought,” I whispered.

“I agree,” Jax admitted.

Connor turned to look at both of us. “Do you want me to make my goodbye less dramatic so you guys don’t burst into tears?”

“No,” we groaned and rolled our eyes.

Connor grinned and moved to hug both of us. “It’s going to be fine. We all come back on the first day of classes. It’ll be perfect.”

“At least we can enjoy boring classes together.” I tried to cheer all of us up.

“Ugh,” the two of them groaned. “That already sounds worse.” Jax commented.

“We need a little action in our school life.” Connor chuckled.

A little action…

It prompted an idea in my head, but I tamped down on it and put it to the side of my mind for later. I wanted to tell Jax about my diabolical plan, but with this sudden idea, I may not have to until a bit later.

Connor pulled back and looked at me, but I gave him an innocent smile before my eyes lowered to his lips. He seemed to take the bait because he leaned down and kissed me passionately.

“When you look at me like that, I really don’t want to leave, but my parents are waiting.”

“We’ll be fine. Go sightseeing and take lots of pictures for us to see when you get back,” I encouraged.

“Okay,” he replied and lightly used his teeth to tug at my lower lip. Our look was intense and I really wanted to kiss him again, but he pulled away and looked at Jax.

“Make sure you rest as well. You always say you’re going to take a break and end up with three-hour gym sessions and other crazy training things.”

“I’ll try.” Jax winked and hooked an arm around my waist to let me rest against his side. “Get going. Text us whenever you get signal on your phone and call us once in a while.”

He nodded and looked at both of us. “Love you.”

“Love you, too,” I immediately replied with a softened look.

“Love you,” Jax whispered.

Connor smiled and put his hands in his pockets. “Bye.”

He turned around and headed up the path. At the halfway point, he paused. Pulling his hand out, he waved it side to side in a farewell gesture before he kept walking.

We watched his image disappear and stood there for a long time after.

“It’s really hard,” I whispered.

Jax held me tighter, and I rested my head on his shoulder. “It is…but it’s okay. We’re doing this so we can walk on the path of light. It’s difficult, but…I think it’s better than darkness. We have a choice to do this and I think us having a little space will help all of us. Even if we can’t see it right this second.”

We noticed the motorcycle that entered the road, followed by a van. That had to be Starlight and Katsume. I looked at Jax and he sighed.

“Let’s go get our bags?” He easily scooped me up.

I smirked. “You mean, I’m going to stand there being all pretty with my cast while you get our bags,” I elaborated.

“Essentially.” He chuckled.

He began to carry me to the path, and he paused to look at the ocean shore one last time.

“Brianne?”

“Yes, Jax?”

“Thanks for wanting to come with me. This whole thing is a choice, and for now…I choose light. You’re the light of our world and I know deep within me, I’ll always choose the side you’re on.”

“Even if that ended up being the dark?”

“Yup.” He didn’t even hesitate to answer as he looked down to meet my intrigued gaze. “Even if it was the darkness.”

He claimed my lips like we were sealing that vow.

To choose between the light or the dark. A tough decision when both sides seem equally tempting.

11

THE CHOICE TO ACCEPT THE DARKNESS

~TWO MONTHS LATER~

“HOW ARE YOU FEELING, JAX?” I gave him a worried look as I reached for the wet cloth in ice-cold water. Draining out the excess, I laid it upon Jax’s head.

“I’m dying,” he whined.

“Sure.” I rolled my eyes. “Aside from you dying.”

“I want you in my arms.”

“So needy when you’re unwell.” I sighed, but did as he asked by lifting the covers and slipping underneath them to be next to him. He immediately hugged me and his tense body relaxed.

This was the third time this week that Jax had spiked a fever and I may have gone on a threatening spree to half of the staff here.

To the point where Professor Phoenix was called so I couldn’t get my ass kicked out of the facility.

When we’d first arrived, I didn’t think of it as a bad place. Jax was right about the overall atmosphere. The scenery was stunning, from the gorgeous trees to a large amount of wildlife that roamed the area freely without the risk of hunters shooting them down.

The beach was nearby, and because it was on private property, it was quiet all the time. The nearby city was filled with the latest in fashion and jewelry. It even had a store full of trendy Korean makeup and skincare products.

It had been harder for us to move around freely with my cast, but we made things work. On the third week, it was finally removed, and it looked like my body did get a full recovery from the incident.

That allowed us to have our moments and enjoy the beaches for a brief time during the first half our stay here. The place was a mini-paradise on an island that Jax said was close to one of his family’s summer homes, but with the way things were going with the actual ‘training’ process, I doubted we were going to get a chance to go.

The training itself was absolutely brutal. I wasn’t allowed to actually witness it, but on the three days in the week that Jax had to attend the long eight-hour sessions, he always looked completely out of it.

His mood would switch all over the place, and we had a few times where he got so upset over simple things that he started a fire — he was on strike three.

I didn’t understand what this training process was all about and who exactly was in charge of it. Whenever I asked, I was always directed to the customer service line that would merely play phone tag with me. The actual owner of the place was never in and I began to get really frustrated when Jax started getting sick by the seventh week.

They wouldn’t give him a damn break, emphasizing how he always had to be watched. I’d snapped when he completely passed out. That was when all bets were off and Professor Phoenix was called because I wasn’t allowing anyone close to my man.

I had never been so protective of someone as I was with Jax. Seeing how hard this was on him was driving me into the crazy zone and Professor Phoenix didn’t even blame me.

One look at Jax and she threatened to call the Council and get this whole monitor thing canceled. That was how we ended up in the ‘most luxurious’ room in the entire facility and were now given four days off from being watched.

It made no sense that they needed to observe Jax when I was here with him all the time. I felt as though they didn’t think I’d inform them if Jax was acting strange or unusual and I personally didn’t blame them.

At this rate, there was no way I’d tell them a damn word if they were going to treat him like a science experiment.

It now made sense as to why Jax didn’t like coming here or telling the others that he was going in for observation. On the outside, it was pretty and looked like the perfect place to be examined and assisted, but it was all an illusion in my eyes.

This whole thing left me in a very suspicious state and Professor Phoenix agreed with me. I was sure she wanted to help because she admitted that she was tired of the inconsistencies going on as of late.

Apparently, another set of students from a different school district was dealing with a situation similar to the one we had gone through, and a third school had reported weird activity.

I hadn’t considered Professor Phoenix as a versatile individual, but she was very involved. She wasn’t just assigned to our school. Witchling Academy was her main district, but she assisted two other schools and did check-ins with a fourth that sounded really far away.

She mentioned it starting with an S and said that she didn’t need to help there as much because the group she was assigned to was rather independent and only needed her assistance in emergencies.

If not for my worries about Jax’s condition, I would have tried to get more information from Professor Phoenix. She reassured me that everything would be okay for now, and she’d keep a close eye on this facility, but I told her if they pushed Jax to his limit again, I’d take him from this place and wouldn’t care if he went ballistic on the world.

Apparently, when you were a Harlow, threats were actually taken seriously.

I’d been trying to keep the others from worrying, particularly Connor. He must have sensed something was off because he’d called the other day while he was in Dubai.

I’d had to lie and say Jax had stayed far too long in the water and gotten a cold, which was why he now had a fever. I wasn’t sure if he believed me or not, but he didn’t press the matter further and told me to look after Jax for him.

As for the others, we’d been texting every night as promised. It seemed like they were all enjoying their endeavors, even with the few hardships. It was difficult to text for very long and it seemed that we all checked on one another before bed.

I really did miss them, but I was also grateful I’d come along with Jax.

“Brianne?”

“Yes, Jax?” I answered.

“I wish we could skip semester five,” he mumbled. The comment was random, leaving me confused.

“Why?” I asked.

“It’s the same thing,” he mumbled. “Same classes. Same professors. Same bullshit. Why bother?”

“It may change?” I offered.

“We’ve done two years at Witchling and it feels like we’ve done one solid year of actual testing. Why is that? We keep being promised that XYZ is going to happen and we’re always let down. Every single time. I’m sure the school has been throwing in random occurrences because more than one student is complaining.”

“People are complaining?” This was news to me.

“As president, I have a special inbox where students can complain about what needs to be improved. I’ve gotten hundreds of requests for a change in curriculum. What’s the point of going to school when all this stuff can be taught online? It’s so repetitive. We barely do magic in class like we were promised. I’m tired of reading and receiving hate from the student body because of this. Connor and I waste hours in the student council office and in meetings with the Council and the only people who listen to our requests are Professor Phoenix and the headmaster. Since they’re only two and we’re not considered powerful enough by the Council, we never get our way.”

“That’s not fair,” I mumbled. “Then what’s the point of all these meetings if nothing changes?”

“Exactly,” he stated. “I know it’s not Professor Phoenix or the headmaster’s fault. They have to follow those who are even higher up than them and get permission from the gods for certain things. It’s just frustrating and it makes me not want to go back. I don’t want to be a leader if I won’t be acknowledged or heard. I don’t want to represent something that doesn’t listen to the outcries of the students who are receiving education here. We may not need to pay for a lot of things because of status, but other students aren’t as lucky. The dorms are ranked by status and students’ overall income, which makes no sense. Why can’t everyone have the same or similar living space? Why are we automatically thrown into categories and sectioned off? It’s as if they want us to hate one another.”

“Was it always like this?” I asked and reached out to stroke his cheek. He opened his eyes and looked at me.

“No. It was a recent change. A few years ago by the previous council. Now they don’t want to change it back. The Council believes Witchling Academy stays safer by going with their regulations. It’s ridiculous.”

“Has this been bothering you for a while, Jax?”

If he was bringing it up while he had a fever, that told me it had been troubling him for quite some time and he’d been keeping it inside.

“Yes,” he admitted. “It bothers me.”

“Maybe we can fix it.”

“I don’t see that happening,” he replied.

“Do you trust me?”

He didn’t even hesitate, “Yes. I trust you.”

“If I could change it. If I could think of a way for the student body to get their way and for us to have more power, would you support me and continue being president?”

He stared at me for a few seconds. “Yes.”

“Then can you be a little more patient for me? I…I’m not sure what I’m going to do yet, but I have a partial plan. I can’t tell you what it is yet, but as long as I have one of you guys’ support, I won’t feel as bad.”

“Is it evil?” he inquired.

“Define evil,” I suggested.

“Dark. Diabolical. Could get you expelled,” he elaborated and began to play with my hair.

“Kind of?” I wasn’t sure. “I mean…it’s okay to accept the darkness sometimes. You never know when that path could lead to a revolution of change.”

He paused in playing with my hair to look into my eyes.

“You’re serious.”

“Was I not projecting my seriousness?”

“You were…my head’s just a little fuzzy and I thought you were playing around.”

I hooked my arms around his neck and kissed him lightly on the lips.

“I think we could do something to change all of this, but I really do need your full support, even if you’re unsure of what I’m doing.”

He smiled against my lips. “I’d follow you to the depths of the earth with a blindfold on.”

I giggled. “Is that a yes?”

“Yes. I’ll support you if it means changing all of this. If it means change will actually come to Witchling and we can get out of this ongoing cycle of disappointment, I’m down,” he reassured me. “And I still get cuddles from you.”

I laughed. “That wasn’t going to change.”

“Good.” He hugged me. “Bri?”

“Hmm?”

“What are you wearing underneath?” he whispered the question.

“Cotton bra and panties.”

“Do they have a Sailor Moon print again?”

“A-again,” I stuttered and pouted my lips. “Yeah…”

“So cute,” he whispered, his hand trailing down my back and slipping beneath my shirt.

“Jax.” I shivered from his cool touch, my mind wondering if we were actually going to do it. He was only wearing his favorite pair of boxers and his chiseled chest had teased me all evening.

I’d been trying not to hype myself up for it, especially given events happening here at the facility.We had one month before school started, and I didn’t have much hope with regard to doing anything special. There was no way I’d let Jax pamper me at his family’s summer home if he wasn’t feeling well or was under pressure from everything else that was happening.

A part of me felt bad to be so caught up in experiencing my first time with Jax, but it felt as though we were running out of time. As to why I was feeling that way, I had no clue. I guess I figured that once school started, we wouldn’t have any time, or at least, would be too focused on school to do much of anything.

“You know,” he began as his hand stopped right at the clip of my bra beneath my shirt. “I wanted your first time to be unforgettable.”

His hot breath tickled my neck as he continued, “I…never got that chance. To make you feel what it was like to lose yourself with someone you truly loved. I was angry for a long time, and even now, I’m still upset about it. I had everything set for our trip. I even took Luna and Elsa there while you were sleeping so they could sniff out the place and get used to it so that when we arrived, they would be comfortable for the summer. Everything was set…and then this happened.”

He rolled us over so he was looking down at me, our bodies pressed together while his hand remained at the clasp of my bra.

“I’ve been thinking of any way to get out of here. Just for a night, but these observations and tests have been draining me entirely and it’s been adding to my stress. I really wanted to try to go this week, since in the last month of summer, the weather is unpredictable. However, I got sick and I don’t see myself getting better enough for us to make our way down there in time.”

He looked right into my eyes and whispered, “I’m sorry. I wanted to give you the best and I can’t. It makes me feel a little pathetic and weak, but I tried really hard to make things work. I’m sorry for failing you.”

“You didn’t fail me, silly,” I whispered and leaned up to kiss him intensely. He let me lead in the kissing and he ended up unbuckling my bra.

“I don’t care where we do it, Jax. I’ve wanted this for a while now. You wanted me to be ready to have sex and I think I am now. I want to feel like I felt last time when it was just us and your fingers.”

He blushed and kissed me urgently. If I had finished what I wanted to say, I would have let him have his way. But there was more. Breaking the kiss shortly, I whispered against his lips.

“If there was any chance we could go, would you want to?”

“Yeah,” he whispered. “I’d want to. Just for a night, you and me. To get some fresh air and space from this place.”

He closed his eyes and hugged me. “Wishful thinking, really,” he muttered.

I rubbed his back with one of my hands, the other arm still hooked around his neck.

“We could use our imagination to make it a reality?” I suggested.

“Imagination,” Jax mumbled against my shoulder. “Yeah. We could. This is a world full of magic.”

“Jax?” I whispered. “Look at me for a second.”

He lifted his head to peer down at me, but he paused when he saw my loving smile. He looked up and then his eyes scanned the change in environment.

“Brianne.” He sounded a little worried. “How…when? How did you do that? Did you just use your imagination to change the room?”

I giggled and urged him to sit up. I helped him out, making sure he wasn’t dizzy before I got out of bed. I walked over to the door and opened it. Luna and Elsa — who were in the same corner as before — darted out of the room to explore.

I closed the door and looked back at a shocked Jax.

“How?”

Lifting my left hand, I showed him the bracelet. He gave me a look until he zeroed in on it.

“Wait. That’s not the new bracelet,” he announced.

“You’re correct.” I smirked. “It’s my old one that was broken and fixed by my Sailor Moon tape.”

“How did you get that? I thought it was thrown away?”

“Nope,” I replied. “Kaito had it and gave it to Professor Phoenix. Her plan was to get it fixed, but she kept it in her blazer pocket. She wore that same blazer when she arrived at the facility after my threatening spree, and I asked her for a favor.”

“A favor?”

“One night with my old bracelet and I’d continue being the cheer squad leader for the remainder of my school years at Witchling Academy.” I smirked in pride. “I figured it’s only two more years and I truly enjoy being on the team. Also, since the clubs are usually more active in the second part of the year, it wouldn’t bother my recovery process. Professor Phoenix would get something out of the deal, and I really couldn’t care less if it wasn’t an even trade. Having my old broken bracelet means I can Spell Travel. I’m not 100% better, but you mentioned the place was close to the facility. You made it easier for me because Elsa had already sniffed out the place, which also meant that our magic was left behind here. Made it easier for me because it’s marked as a familiar territory to my magic.”

I pulled off my shirt, my unclipped bra dropping to the ground with it. I then slid my shorts and underwear off.

Jax watched every movement, and the longer his eyes stared at my naked body, the darker the gold in them became. I could tell that he loved what he saw, and it gave me a little bit of a confidence boost.

As much as I wanted to lift my arms and cover my breasts, I kept them at my sides. My long hair was down, and while it wasn’t the sexiest look I could have pulled off, I felt like it didn’t matter.

I’d teleported us right into the master bedroom and Jax was sitting on the king-size bed. The bright light of the moon shone through the grand floor-to-ceiling windows and its soft glow graced my bare figure.

“I’m…still new at this, and a part of me is afraid that I won’t be able to please you compared to you pleasing me…but I want this. I want us, and the others as well. Meeting the four of you changed me. It made me break out of my shell and fear of being around people. I surrounded myself with books for most of my life, wishing that one day I’d meet a group of people who loved me. That were okay with my quirky, innocent self and somehow, I managed to get exactly what I wanted.”

Lifting my hands to run through my hair, I continued, “I love you, Jax. I’ve loved in the past, but never like this. I know we’ve been through a lot as of late, and maybe we’re destined to go through more hardships, but I know…without a doubt that I’m destined to be by your side. Just like you and the others are destined to be by mine. If I’m still worth your affection…I hope that I’m good enough for you.” I lowered my hands and smiled. “This is me. The bare side of me. The…human part of me.”

Jax slowly got off the bed and took calculated steps forward until he was in front of me. Those glittering gold eyes looked at me from head to toe and back up again before he reached out with his hands and cradled my face.

“Brianne Marie Harlow. You are more than worth it. You are divine. So beautifully created, and I couldn’t be happier to have a chance to love you. To be your first. You entered my life like a tropical storm and I don’t want to recover from the impact you’ve left on my heart. I love you. Every part of you. Human or not…whatever we are, our destinies will always be intertwined. I’ll follow you until our hearts stop beating and I’ll protect you the best way I can.”

Blissful joy ran through me and Jax pulled me into a sizzling kiss. My hands immediately moved to his muscled chest, gliding down to his hard rock abs.

His body was a little warmer than usual, and I knew it was due to the fever, but I couldn’t help but press my body against him, unable to keep a small distance between us.

Jax let go of my cheeks, his hands already sliding down the sides of my body. From my ribs to waist, those large hands gripped me possessively, all while his lips dominated mine, taking full control of this ride.

I wanted him to take the lead. To give him the chance to have full control of how this went down. He was the instructor and I was the novice, and I was completely content with that. My hands gripped on the waistband of his boxers, the need to pull them down growing stronger with each second that passed.

Jax broke the kiss and chuckled. “Want them off?”

“Yes,” I whispered.

“Go right ahead,” he declared. I gave him a smirk and lowered his boxers until they fell to the floor thanks to gravity. Jax stepped out of the holes and his hand slipped into mine as he tugged me toward the bed.

I was sure he was getting dizzy and I didn’t blame him. I felt like I was on cloud nine and it seemed like the room was hotter than when we’d first Spell Traveled into the cool atmosphere.

The moment my back hit the soft sheets, we went right back to kissing, our hands exploring each other’s bodies. His lips left mine, only to land on the nape of my neck, and he began to trail kisses down my feverish skin. Each suck led to gasp or moan from my lips and I tried not to squirm beneath him when he reached the ticklish parts of my body.

He lathered kisses all over me like I was someone to be worshipped by his mouth alone. This entire experience was foreign but extraordinary, the strong feelings of lust and need growing stronger from all the teasing.

When his tongue trailed down my body once again, I didn’t expect it to flick the bud of my breast. I moaned loudly and that pleased Jax even more.

“Keep moaning like that,” he encouraged, doing the same flicking motion to my other breast. “Do you like this, Brianne?”

“Yes,” I breathed in response, feeling completely lost in the multiple sensations coursing through me.

We were both breathless and one look into his eyes told me he wanted to move on to the main part of all of this. I couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous as he positioned himself between my legs. I hadn’t had any time to really see his size, but the tip of it began to move up and down along the folds of my entrance, just like his finger had last time.

When his eyes locked on mine, it was now or never. His look told me that this was my chance to change my mind. To back out of him being my first. If only he could feel just how sure I was with all of this.

I’d known for a long time that he’d be my first and it was finally happening. What we’d been waiting for all summer long.

“Ready, Brianne?” He leaned down and kissed me lightly on the lips.

“I’m ready,” I confirmed, my arms around his neck. He nodded and very slowly began to inch himself inside me. My body tensed at the resistance and I glanced back at Jax’s eyes to see his calm expression.

If he wasn’t worried, that meant this was how it was supposed to feel. Maybe I wasn’t broken or malfunctioning.

“Resistance is normal, Brianne,” Jax whispered. “Just remain relaxed. This part is going to hurt, but it’ll get better as I move. You have to tell me when you’re ready for that, okay?” He talked it all out, which was really helpful. It made me feel less afraid.

“Okay,” I replied, and he began to inch himself in, fighting the wall of resistance until it seemed to pop entirely. I flinched at the pain and bit my bottom lip to stop myself from whimpering.

“You’re okay, Brianne,” Jax soothed, sliding the rest of himself into me without much problem. The pain that was pulsing through me was uncalled for and unsettling, but Jax didn’t rush me. He remained still, whispering in my ear to breathe and remain relaxed.

He didn’t mind that I’d moved my arms so my hands gripped his shoulders and that my fingernails were digging into his flesh.

His patience made me want to start moving, to reward him for being so kind and patient with me these last two years. Not every boyfriend would have waited and my other three amazing boyfriends hadn’t pressured me into sex because of their respect for me.

It was thanks to him that I was experiencing this, even if it meant enduring a moment of pain. I knew that in the end, it would bring me great pleasure and satisfaction.

“I…think I’m ready,” I encouraged. “Just go slow for now.”

“All right,” Jax replied. “Tell me if you want to speed up or slow down, whenever. If the pain is too much, I’ll pull out and cuddle you, okay?”

“Okay.” I gave him a small smile, blinking away my tears.

He began to move, his pace slow like when he’d had his finger inside me. The pain began to fade and that coiling pressure took its place. My whimpers turned to soft moans and Jax kept up with his even pace.

He was keeping his word to wait for me to say if I wanted him to increase the pace, and as he continued to slide in and out, I felt readier to go a little faster.

“Faster, Jax?” I moaned the words like a question and Jax moaned in response as he began to move a little faster. Now this pace was beginning to make my body grow hot. The pain was still there, but it was fading as the pleasure began to overpower it.

“Jax.” I moaned his name and he crushed my lips with his, our moans becoming muffled sounds that bounced off the walls of our mouths.

I felt my body begin to grow tense, that rush of pleasure beginning to pile up like a volcano that was ready to erupt.

“Faster, Jax. More. Keep going,” I begged, suddenly feeling the tingling that had coursed through me last time. Everything was more intense now. It was a completely different experience in comparison to Jax’s finger.

“Brianne. Brianne. Baby, ah, so tight.” Jax was a panting mess, his moans loud and harsh as he tried to keep a steady fast pace. I felt like he could go even faster and I wanted him to.

“Faster, Jax. Harder,” I encouraged, wanting to experience what I’d felt last time. I was close; I knew deep within my core that I was seconds away from a blissful ending, but I wanted Jax to experience it with me. For us to enjoy that burst of elation together.

I fought against the pressure, wanting to clamp down on it and try to hold it off, but I was struggling to even do that. Jax suddenly changed pace, and I gasped as he practically slammed in and out of me at such a quick pace.

I thought I would complain, but it was so good. I loved every bit of it.

“Yes! Jax, Jax! I’m—” I didn’t finish when he growled and kissed me hard, his length sinking deeply into me as his body stilled.

I came undone, the two of us breaking the kiss to scream in ecstasy. We were both frozen as we rode the sensations that pulsed through us, until we were exhausted and panting heavily.

Tears streamed down my face, the pain coming back like I’d broken something, but at the same time, I was so happy that I could have cried over and over again.

I whimpered quietly and try to cover my face with my hands, but Jax pulled me right against him, letting me cry into his chest as he whispered soothing words and rubbed my back comfortingly.

He kept saying the pain would pass and it would feel a lot better after a few times. I had no doubt in my mind when it came to his words and having the warmth of his naked body and hot breath whispering sweet words of gratitude and love slowly made me feel a little better.

My tears and whimpers stopped, but sleep was now my enemy, and though I desperately tried to fight it, I knew it was a losing battle.

Jax’s hand continued to rub my back, even when I’d quieted down and begun to drift into unconsciousness. His last set of words made me smile and fall into a peaceful sleep.

“Thank you, Brianne. For everything.”

12

SEMESTER FIVE DISASTER

~ONE MONTH LATER~

“YOU HAVE TO FIX YOUR TIE,” I noted.

“Too tired,” Jax whined.

I rolled my eyes and moved to face him. “Whose idea was it to stay up?” I reminded.

“Mine,” he replied, his tired eyes lowering to my hands that as they fiddled with his navy blue and gold tie. “Next time I think it’s a smart idea to watch Sailor Moon reruns and guarantee I’ll finish the first season by sunrise, remind me I’ll be a zombie in the morning.”

“An accepted challenge that was destined to fail.” I shook my head, but a smile graced my lips.

Finally, it was the first day back at Witchling Academy and we’d get to be reunited with everyone else.

Our uniforms had arrived a little later than usual today, something to do with low staff, but they were beautiful and different than our last ones. Our blazers were a brighter blue, like a transition from royal blue to a sky blue and the trim of the blazer was gold with golden buttons. The pockets were outlined in white and ‘Witchling Academy’ was embroidered in white handwriting.

The skirt was plaid, with the three-color mix, and we were allowed to wear whatever shoes we wanted. I’d originally thought of leaving my hair down but opted to tie it up since Jax was doing the same.

Now that we were in full uniform and the same height, we were really looking like a solid couple. In books, there were always comments that when you found your right partner, you’d start to look similar, from the way you genuinely smiled or did similar things with one another.

I’d wondered if it was true or not, but now I was starting to see that with Jax. I couldn’t wait to ask the others for their opinions regarding that.

The final month at the facility had gone a lot smoother than I expected. After our steamy night together, I’d Spell Traveled us back to Jax’s room and we were given a random day off since Jax still looked exhausted.

He’d recovered by the evening and Professor Phoenix had passed by and returned the working bracelet to me. I was still wearing it now, but the magic restraint on it had been lowered by my sister.

Couldn’t go to school without any magic. That would be dangerous.

It felt nice to be back in our school environment and I was prepared for a semester of classes, studying, and dealing with the same one exam finale with a twist of some sort.

Jax seemed a bit off today, and it wasn’t because of his exhaustion, but he still came to school with me, as he kept to his word in supporting me in all things. I didn’t think anyone had realized what I’d decided, nor would they find out about it.

Not yet.

However, I wondered if what I had planned would lead to a massive change of some kind. If it did, that meant I could potentially have my way with the council if I requested a meeting with them.

I may not be on the student council like my Notorious Four, but I could at least add my opinion and hope their independent training had given them a firm boost of strength and power.

Setting aside the facility craziness, Jax did seem different. Stronger and more focused compared to last semester. A few people had already mentioned as they walked past us that Jax seemed different and people were loving the change.

Whatever that change was to them.

Finishing with his tie, he took my hand with ease and we headed toward the school building. I was analyzing our surroundings carefully and what bothered me the most was how quiet it was around the school.

It looked as though a good half of the school wasn’t here yet and that was beginning to concern me. Yes, it was a little early, but for the first day of Semester Five, there should have been a lot more students present.

We reached the main building and the quiet murmurs that buzzed around us made me feel a little anxious. Everyone was looking at Jax and me, which was expected, but they seemed to be nervous or uncertain about our presence.

Jax squeezed my hand, noticing the shift of nervous energy as we walked through the halls. When my eyes landed on a familiar twin duo, I felt a little relieved.

“Mia. Miya,” I called out to them, keeping my voice at a normal level. It wasn’t like the hall was loud with talk and chatter. It was a lot more spacious as people lingered at their lockers with their phones out.

When we reached the Park twins, they turned around and I immediately knew something was wrong by their neutral expressions.

“What’s wrong?” I immediately asked.

The two of them exchanged looks before they pointed to the board.

“The curriculum changed,” they said together. “And hello, Brianne.”

I nodded at their greeting, but I zeroed in on the board as a few other students crowded closer as if to see my reaction.

“’Welcome all students. There has been a change in the curriculum for this year at Witchling Academy. All classes…will be online? With a final exam in three months instead of four.’” I sounded appalled by the idea. “’Please check in with your phones and then you may head to your dorms or homes. There will be tutorials on how to use the new online system as well as in-person services during the first week of school. Your final exam will consist of two members of each team. You will be partnered with a pair from another team and given a random physical exam that will test your abilities. Be prepared for Semester Six, because the first set of Trials will commence. If you have any questions, please talk to the student council.’ What?”

I looked to Jax and noticed his immediate annoyance.

“You weren’t told about these changes at all,” I voiced. A few students didn’t appear as though they believed me, but a student from my class last semester took a step forward.

“She’s right.”

Everyone looked his way. “I know I’m a nobody, but I always used to send emails to Jax about what needed to be changed with the curriculum. Even though he must have been busy, no matter how many emails I sent, he always answered them. Not with some automatic message; he actually took the time to address my needs and even attached a copy of the report he submitted. I messaged complaints twice a week and Jax always answered and submitted the report to the Council.”

“It’s true.” A girl stepped forward. “I complained about the increase in bullying and he always answered my concerns and again, sent me a copy of the report he was going to send. That always included a timestamp of when the complaint was submitted into the school database.”

A few others began to add their opinion and I looked at Jax, who seemed relieved.

“Why would the school suddenly change their curriculum to online courses, not tell any of the student council members, and say they would know about it? This isn’t making any sense. Not everyone on the student council is even here,” I voiced.

“Um.” Mia and Miya caught my attention. “Yeah, they are.”

I let go of Jax’s hand to dramatically wave my hands in his direction. “Yes, our president is here. However, Connor, Finnick, and Kaito aren’t.”

“I guess you didn’t get the memo.” A senior student stepped forward, his expression full of worry with a dose of pity.

“Memo?” I asked.

“Brianne, check your email,” Mia suggested.

“And you’re not going to like it,” Miya added.

I pulled out my phone and immediately checked my email. There was an email marked URGENT from the school and I opened it and read it out loud.

“’Dear student body. There are a number of incidents happening around the world at the moment. We have been notified that at least…half the student body of Witchling Academy is missing!’” I exclaimed.

A few students who clearly hadn’t read the email pulled out their phones to see what I was seeing. Jax moved back to my side and peered over my shoulder to read the rest of it out loud.

“’It has come to our attention that three…members of our Junior Student Council…are missing.’” He paused, but took a steady breath and continued. “’Due to these unfortunate events, new members have been elected to the council by the Magic Council and will start immediately. President: Jax Morgan. Vice President…Brianne Marie Harlow. Treasurer: Mia Park. Secretary: Miya Park. These four individuals have been approved to be the Senior Student Council for their remaining two years at Witchling Academy. Please be kind as they will be notified about their new roles shortly and will then be able to answer any questions or concerns.’”

I was absolutely speechless and the spike of worry about my three boyfriends being missing was sinking in.

“Why don’t we head to the council office and summon Professor Phoenix?” Mia suggested.

“I think that’s a good idea,” Miya replied. “For now…we’re going to have to figure this out. If half the student body is missing…this is a big problem.”

Jax slipped an arm around my waist as if to make sure I wouldn’t fall. “Let’s move quickly. Maybe we can get some answers.” He then looked around the hall of lingering students.

“Everyone. Please check your emails and get started on your online enrollment. It’s going to take some time for the student council to adjust and we don’t want that to delay your studies. From this point onward, try to stay together in groups or create a buddy system with your dorms or friends. We’ll hopefully figure this out soon.”

Somehow, everyone remained calm and the quiet chatter was more positive than I expected it to be. Jax took my hand and we began to move to the student council office with Miya and Mia behind us.

We were practically speed walking by the time we reached the familiar hallway, and we darted right into the room to see Professor Phoenix sitting on one of the desks with one of her legs resting on the other and her arms crossed over her chest.

She looked absolutely pissed, but I had a hunch that it wasn’t directed at us. Jax gestured for us to enter first before he closed the door.

Professor Phoenix immediately snapped her fingers and a black magic wall covered the floor, walls, and ceiling, boxing us in.

Before she could even speak, I began pacing while my fingers went flying across the keyboard of my phone. With a tap, I called Starlight.

She picked up on the fifth ring.

“Brianne, not—”

“Finnick, Kaito, and Connor are missing! We just got to school and the whole entire curriculum was changed, and now I’m the vice president of the student council!” I shrieked.

She was silent for five seconds, expecting me to continue, but when I didn’t, she sighed.

“I know, Brianne. I just got the lovely update along with five stacks of missing people reports. Finnick’s, Kaito’s, and Connor’s reports are on the top of my list.”

“Are they alive?!” I screamed. “Please tell me they’re alive. How does this even make sense? I texted them last night before we went to bed. Right before twelve. They were all fine and said goodnight. You can’t tell me that in less than eight hours, they’re suddenly missing. That’s impossible!”

I was shaking as I continued to pace back and forth. Mia and Miya watched me helplessly, and Jax looked just as frustrated as I — minus the tears that were already streaming down my cheeks.

“Brianne, I’m about to look into it. We’re just…dealing with a lot.”

“Starlight, but they can’t be—”

“Brianne, this is happening around our entire country!” Starlight snapped.

I shut up right away, completely not used to Starlight yelling at me. She groaned, and I could imagine her pinching her nose in irritation.

“I’m sorry, Bri…” She trailed off and was quiet. “Katsume’s missing.”

“K….Katsume’s missing, too?”

“I talked to her last night before twelve. Everyone who is being reported missing was perfectly fine the night before. They said goodbye to their loved ones and are now gone. There are disasters happening all over the place from mountain slides to plane crashes. I don’t know what’s happening, Bri. Fuck, I don’t even if I caused this from what I told you.”

“That…can’t result in this much damage?” I tried to reason.

“When you break the rules, it doesn’t matter how little they are. Sometimes the consequences are grand enough, like half the country going missing.”

“Starlight.” I was literally about to break down entirely. “I don’t know what to do.”

“I want you to talk to Professor Phoenix and figure out a plan. I can’t stay on the phone much longer. For now, I don’t want you or Jax being separated, understood? Even if that means going to the washroom together. Same applies to Miya and Mia. The Bak twins and Lee twins are both missing. Their reports are near the top of the pile with your boyfriends. They’re probably upset about this as well. Make sure you comfort them.”

Oh, no. Both sets of twins are missing, too?!

“Okay,” I replied. “Try not to push too hard, Sis.”

“I’ll…try.” She struggled to answer and I wondered if she was on the verge of tears like I was. “Text me throughout the day. I’ll check when I can.”

“All right,” I whispered. “Bye.”

“Bye, Bri.” She hung up first and I lowered the phone to look at the screen — the picture of all of us on the beach was my wallpaper.

My tears dropped onto it and I looked to Mia and Miya, whose eyes were pooling with tears.

“Your boyfriends are missing? Aki, Ako, Kiyo, and Koyo?”

Mia slowly nodded. “The four of them were having issues with their visas and were forced to stay behind. We…” She trailed off and Miya reached out to hold her sister’s hand.

“We only agreed to leave because the attendant said the visa issue wouldn’t require them to get new ones. It was just a system glitch, but they couldn’t scan them to get on our flight. The attendant said they would have to go on the next one. Our flight was just before midnight and we texted them just fine before we took off. We arrived an hour ago and we tried to text them. We…didn’t think they were missing until we got a notification from Korean news site that…there were multiple plane crashes last night…and they think the flight the guys were on went…down.”

My lip trembled and I immediately moved the both of them. This was horrible and I had no idea how we were going to fix it. Could something like this be fixed? Our friends…our boyfriends…could be dead, and as of now, the school expected us to carry on like nothing was happening.

We quietly sobbed until we had no more tears to shed, and I pulled back to look at Jax. I noticed his demeanor was different and I was at his side in seconds. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I looked up at him, just as his eyes met mine.

I frowned at their appearance but didn’t say anything initially.

“Mia? Miya? Do you think you can manage to go to the record cabinet and pull out the council record from four years ago?”

They nodded. “We can.”

“Please be swift, but try to act normal,” I emphasized.

“Okay,” they replied. “Be right back.”

When they left, and Professor Phoenix’s walls were back up, I looked at Jax. “Reel it back in, Jax,” I ordered.

“Don’t know what you—”

“Jax.” I used my stern voice on him. “Or do I have to use the name they gave you at the facility?”

He smirked and the sinister sensation it brought made my skin crawl.

“Observant,” he mumbled. “No wonder they were okay with you watching me.”

“I need Jax.”

“Why? He’s busy mourning.”

“Connor isn’t dead. Neither are the others.”

“Did you not hear what your sister said? You like living in your delusions, huh?”

When my eyes narrowed and my aura picked up in power, he frowned and put his hands up in defense. “Fine. I’ll be a good boy and follow orders,” he huffed. “Not my fault I’m here. You’re lucky I don’t just go off on this stupid school. All of this is stupid.”

“I’d agree, but you’re not following my orders.”

“Jax is mourning,” he repeated.

“Tell him to come mourn out here.”

“Hmph,” he huffed. “Stubborn bitch.”

“Call me a bitch again and I’ll slap the darkness out of you.”

He stared down into my eyes and knew damn well that I wasn’t joking. “Abuse is against the law.”

“I’m not warning you a third time.”

He rolled his eyes. “Fine. See if I care. It’s boring here.”

I immediately put my hands on Jax’s waist, his body going limp against me. Professor Phoenix was up and at my side in a second, helping keep Jax standing as he struggled to get it together.

It took him a minute to finally stand on his own.

“Fuck,” he cursed.

“Now, I’m not sure if that’s Jax or not,” I admitted.

Jax looked at me with sympathy. “Sorry, baby. It’s me.”

I stared into his eyes, noticing that they were now their normal golden appearance.

Totally normal compared to his eyes that were previously pitch black.

“You worried me for a second.”

“I know.” He pulled me into a hug. “The news…kind of finally sank in.”

“I get it,” I whispered. “They’re alive. They have to be.”

We hugged one another tightly and Jax ended up crying for a brief moment. Professor Phoenix watched us quietly and waited for us to compose ourselves before she walked back to the desk she’d been sitting on top of.

Giving us an extra minute, I reached for Jax’s hand and squeezed it gently. Then we looked back at Professor Phoenix, straightening our posture and waiting for her to speak.

After taking a good look between us, she nodded.

“This wasn’t how I expected us to start this semester, but here we are,” she began and looked at her watch. “The country is in chaos, and I can’t seem to get ahold of the Magic Council because of the chaos. The students are being calmer than I expected, but then again, it’s day one of this apparent ninety-day term.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, trying not to linger on the worry that sat in the pit of my stomach. Jax held my hand tightly, and I was sure he was trying to get over the initial shock of all of this, but how could we when no one was sure if our loved ones were alive or dead?

“We’re going to have to ride this out, aren’t we?”

Professor Phoenix nodded. “From your eyes, I feel like the both of you already know what’s going on. I’d elaborate more, but Mia and Miya aren’t aware of what they are.”

Jax and I frowned, the two of us side glancing at one another before we looked back at Professor Phoenix.

“You’re not saying—” Jax began, but Professor Phoenix cut him off.

“Mia and Miya are demigods.” She went straight to the point.

I lifted my free hand to point something out, but then I lowered it again. “I…didn’t expect you to go straight to the point like that.”

“I’m not under the same laws as Starlight.” She shrugged. “I’m doing the very gods a favor by being here. They can’t control me.”

“Badass,” Jax whispered to me. I gave him a look, happy that he was able to input some humor into this horrible situation.

“Then what’s the plan?” I asked.

“You two won’t tell the twins about what they are. Not yet. We’ll have to play this one out and deal with the chaos of all of this. I have a hunch about what’s going on and I believe it matches yours.”

Jax and I nodded, and the knock on the door alerted us that the Park twins were back. Professor Phoenix snapped her fingers and the door opened to reveal Mia and Miya with a magic scroll.

Once the door was closed and the wall was up, they hurried over to where Jax and I stood.

“The librarian said this is the only scroll they have from four years ago on this very day. The council was new and didn’t like the tracking method at the beginning, but the following year’s is detailed like a dictionary,” Mia explained.

“Which is without a doubt fishy as fuck!” Miya emphasized.

All of us looked at her. “You’re not the type to swear,” Jax and I said in unison.

“See,” Mia stressed. “I told you.”

“Ugh,” Miya groaned. “I’m stressed. Don’t worry about it.”

“Stressed every day.” Mia shook her head. “Here. Let me open it up.”

She worked on unraveling the scroll and we quickly scanned the rather blank page.

“And…nothing,” Jax concluded. “It literally just talks about the first day being quieter. Can you guys go back and check again?”

“No,” they replied. “The records office was closed when we arrived, which makes no sense. School hasn’t even started. They only gave us this because we showed them the email that we were the new members of the council,” Mia explained.

“Even then, the girl gave us attitude,”

“Girl?” Jax questioned. “The record keeper is a man. An old one who wouldn’t even give me a recorded document unless I provided my identification and a letter from the headmaster or Professor Phoenix.”

I looked at Professor Phoenix and she met my gaze, her eyes telling me she was putting the pieces together.

“Someone’s already tampered with the records,” I sighed.

“What?” Mia and Miya exclaimed.

“There’s no way an entire year was put into one sheet. It doesn’t even make sense that the office would close right before you two arrived there. If Jax is saying the keeper is an older male and a female was the one to give you this, either they’re a friend or foe.”

“What were they wearing?” Professor Phoenix inquired.

“A silver cape with gold trim,” Mia answered

There was a bit of turquoise in the cape too. Like that two-toned silk material,” Miya elaborated.

Professor Phoenix smirked. “Then we may have a shot.”

“She’s an ally?” I asked.

“Yes.” She nodded. “I need you to press your hand on the scroll.”

“Does this have to do with the prophecy?” Jax inquired.

We both gave him a look and he slowly put his hand on his mouth. “Oops.”

“Prophecy?” Mia and Miya inquired.

We exchanged a nervous look with Professor Phoenix. “It’s fine,” she declared and looked at Mia and Miya. “I know you two are curious, but can you forget you heard that until this ordeal is solved?”

They exchanged looks with one another and shrugged. “Sure.”

“So easygoing,” I commented with a smile.

“We love gossip,” Miya noted. “But getting our lovers back is more important.”

“Exactly. Aki and Kiyo are actually good in bed. I can’t lose that combo.”

We all looked at her.

“What?” she shrugged. “It’s the truth.”

“You’re a sex addict,” Miya noted.

“You swear a lot.”

“I’m stressed!” Miya growled.

“It’s probably the birth control.”

“We don’t need birth control,” Miya countered.

“Why not?” I asked. I knew every culture was different when it came to contraceptive methods and now I wanted to know what they did to not get pregnant.

“Because we’re—mhmmmmm!” Mia began but Miya covered her mouth.

“You’re not thinking straight with your sex addiction. Just hush for a moment.”

I eyed them curiously before Jax seemed to have a light bulb moment.

“Did you use a protection spell when we had sex?”

The three of them turned their attention to me as I stared at Jax with a blank expression. “Yes.”

“Really?”

“I did.”

“Isn’t it supposed to be all sparkly? And you have to ask the goddess of fertility to look the other way before having sex?”

“Where do you get your information from?”

“Not a book,” he said.

“Don’t tell me you did some stupid Google search.”

“Google is a valuable resource.”

“Google is ancient!” I stressed.

“So are books!”

“You did not insult my books.”

“Aww, they’re having a couple argument,” Mia said in adoration.

“Do you think that means we get to be the maids of honor?”

We both turned to look in their direction, our blazing glares making them flinch.

“No wedding. No wedding,” they repeated and waved their hands. “Wait a minute! You two had sex!”

We both blushed and they began to squeal. “O.M.G! They had sex! We won the bet! We have to text…oh.” They both froze, remembering yet again the predicament we were in.

“This whole thing is weird,” they whispered.

“In times of stress, witches and wizards bounce off of random topics to help them cope — especially when tragedy strikes,” Professor Phoenix declared. “It’s not weird. You’ve just found out your loves are missing and have no clues. However, we have a lead and only Brianne can unlock it.”

“Right,” I whispered and looked at the paper.

Does that mean that woman is one of the four individuals?

Pressing my hand onto it, I looked to Professor Phoenix for guidance. She nodded in encouragement and I closed my eyes, waiting for her to tell me what to do.

“With a deep inhale, think of something that makes you happy. Then think of what you want to achieve this semester and how you can get there at a faster pace,” she explained.

I nodded and took a deep inhale. I immediately thought of what had recently made me happy — the night I spent with Jax when we made love. It brought a smile to my face as I let the air out of my nostrils, my surroundings fading out until I felt like I was floating.

Opening my eyes, I stared in awe at the rosy pink and orange atmosphere, pastel-colored clouds passing by me.

“FUFU!”

I flinched at the noise and looked to my hand to see the unicorn ball from the competition. “Wait a minute. You? Where did you come from?”

“FuFu?” It hopped on my head.

“He’s been with you the entire time,” a voice declared. The familiar motherly voice from my coma dream.

“You? And wait…it’s a he?”

“FuFuFu!” The familiar grew bigger, like it had sucked up a bunch of air on my head.

“Fuwa can be a he or a she. However, he prefers to be male and he’s upset.”

“Oh,” I replied and reached out to pat the top of his body which I presumed was his head. “Uh…sorry, Fuwa?” I apologized.

“FuFu!” With that, he returned to his small size and bounced off my head.

Returning my gaze to my surroundings, I wondered if I’d see the face of the woman speaking.

“You’ve arrived unexpectedly, my child.”

“I…guess,” I replied. “I’m here to figure out a way to get my lovers and the rest of the missing population back.”

“Meaning you’re here to try and carry the burden of this Trial yourself?”

“T-trial?” I questioned. “I thought the Trials were in Semester Six?”

“They were.” the voice replied. “But something changed the path and it switched. I wondered why.”

I didn’t answer that comment. I knew why, but I wasn’t going to acknowledge it.

“Are my remaining three boyfriends dead?” I questioned.

“No,” she replied. “They’re stuck, if you think about it. They’re actually still asleep.”

That made me sigh in relief. “Thank goodness.”

“Fufu?” Fuwa hopped up and down to grab my attention.

I looked down to him and he began to blow out bubbles. As they began to float to my eye level, they seemed to crystalize and display images of Finnick, Kaito, Connor, Akino, Akono, Kiyoshi, and Koyoshi.

Finnick and Kaito were in one bubble and the image of the two of them sleeping in one bed made me smile. Connor was in the second one, his shirtless body resting on a king-size bed. I had to try not to lick my lips. Taking a quick look at the other bubbles, it seemed like both sets of twins were perfectly content in the plane they were in; the four of them were fast asleep.

The final bubble was of Katsume, who was wearing a kimono robe. From the look of it, she seemed to be in Starlight’s room back at home.

She’s safe as well!

I blinked back my tears and raised Fuwa up in my hand. Rubbing my cheek against his fluffy body, I whispered, “Thank you, Fuwa. That gives me a lot of relief.”

“FuFu!” he replied, and after I was done showing him some affection, he hopped onto my shoulder. I lowered my arms and stared upward.

“Professor Phoenix told me that I’d have to picture what I see in the future and how to get there at a quicker pace.” My voice seemed a lot louder than before, like my confidence had flickered on and I was the Brianne who was powerful and ready to face any challenge.

“I want my boyfriends to come back safely. I want everyone who is missing to return. My biggest hunch in all of this is that this won’t happen until the Trial is over. That means we have to reach the day of our exams, which is three months from the present. I want to get there. To wake up on that very day, hours before the exam. I’m not sure….no. I am sure that this is possible. Anything is possible with magic! There are no limits to what I can achieve and there is nothing stopping me from doing this. Jax…my destined other half, and my best friends, Mia and Miya, are waiting for me. Professor Phoenix believes I can fix this and whoever is helping us, the woman in the silver cape, she must believe in me if she’s traveled from who knows where to help us. My gifts are Spell Traveling and Mimicry! I’m a demigod…a hybrid mix of human and god! I have a purpose here and I will reach that purpose, but I need my men by my side. They need to be there for me, just as they have from the beginning of attending this school. I know it’s possible and whoever is trying to stop me will never prevail! If this is my home, give me a bit of my power to change this! Allow me to fast forward time with my comrades and face the final challenge of this Trial! Let us face our fears and reach victory. Let me wake up and be on the ninetieth day of school!”

“MewMew!”

I opened my eyes to see Elsa in front of me, and her body began to glow a beautiful pink light. It grew bigger and bigger, creating a bubble around me and Fuwa, and everything began to fade away once again.

“Good work, my child. You’ve proven yourself worthy. When you are ready to learn about who you are, follow the beam of light. I love you, Marianna.”

13

THE REAL WINNER

“Brianne?” Someone was shaking me and I opened my eyes to see Jax’s frightened expression. “Thank goodness,” he breathed.

“She’s okay!” Mia and Miya cheered.

“I knew she could do it,” Professor Phoenix said with pride. “Welcome back, Brianne.”

“Hey,” I replied drowsily. Jax helped me up and I looked around the room. I had no clue if it had worked or not, but the change in papers on the pinned board caught my attention.

“What day is it?” I asked.

“It’s the first day of school, silly,” Mia reminded.

Miya, on the other hand, pulled out her phone. “Like Mia said, its…huh? That can’t be right.”

“What do you mean?” Mia questioned.

“The date is wrong,” Miya announced.

A small smile formed on my lips and Jax looked back down at me. “You did something.”

“Yup,” I weakly announced. He helped me up, his arm hooking around my waist to keep me up.

“How is this possible?” Mia and Miya looked up from the phone screen to stare at me in disbelief. “You fast-forwarded time!”

“Professor Phoenix did say I should speed up the process somehow,” I elaborated. “I asked for us to land on exam day.”

“But…” Mia was still trying to wrap her mind around it.

Miya began typing furiously on her phone. She squealed. “Our exam is in two hours!”

“Wait, what?!” Jax and Mia exclaimed.

“We’re a team. You, me, Bri, and Jax. Our examination is in two hours and we’re against only one other team. That’s all it says. That and that the location is in the simulation center,” Miya explained.

“You literally moved us forward through time!” Mia shrieked.

“I guess?” I gave them a weak smile. “Maybe that’s why I feel like shit. I think I’m gonna vomit now.”

“Uh oh!” Mia and Miya rushed to find something for me to vomit in; Miya grabbed the empty trash bin and passed it to Mia, who positioned seconds before I vomited.

Jax waited till I was done before he lowered us to the ground and let me rest against him.

“I feel sick to my stomach. No, I think I vomited my stomach out,” I breathed.

“She’s pregnant!” Mia declared.

“She’s not,” Jax and Miya countered.

“Hmph.” Mia looked sad. “Boo. Little Jax and Bri babies.”

Professor Phoenix giggled, catching all of our attention.

“The ultimate level of Spell Travelling is Time Travel,” she announced.

We all stared at her in shock, which only amused her.

“Magic Travel happens in three stages. Teleportation is the basic form, then Spell Traveling, and the ultimate stage is Time Travel. Let’s call it TT for short. It’s an ultimate gift, but it has extreme aftereffects on the host. They are the ones tossing their body, mind, and soul forward into time, while in the rest of the affected place — or in this case, country — souls are forwarded into time. Seeing as Brianne had an effect on the entire country, it resulted in her heart coming to a stop for a moment.”

“Heart coming to a stop?” I questioned. “I stopped breathing?”

“Yes.” Jax nodded. The moment you closed your eyes, your hair began to glow until it was white with gold and orange streaks,”

“And then you suddenly flopped to the floor,” Miya concluded.

Mia shook her head. “Meaning, Jax caught you and we realized you weren’t breathing. Professor Phoenix told us to wait two minutes before starting CPR.”

“Oh. Then the unicorn ball showed up,” Jax announced. “Where did it go?”

“You mean Fuwa?” I clarified.

“Its name is Fuwa?” Mia and Miya asked. “So cute!”

“FUFU!” We looked to see that the very familiar in question was being kicked around by Elsa.

“The struggle life,” Mia and Miya whispered.

“Elsa,” I sighed. My familiar paused and slowly patted Fuwa like she had been cherishing him his entire time instead of what she’d really been doing.

“MewMew?” she innocently replied and ran away. Fuwa rolled all the way over to us until he was in my lap.

“FuFu!”

“Thanks, Fuwa,” I told the little familiar.

“Fufufufu,” he replied. Elsa ran up to me, sitting patiently as she waited for me to acknowledge her. I reached out to stroke her little head. “Thank you as well, Elsa.”

“MewMew,” she happily replied and began to purr.

“How are you feeling, Bri?” Jax questioned, his eyes still filled with worry.

“My breath stinks,” I mumbled. “I still feel horrible and I wish we could just kiss rather than deal with an exa—mhm?”

Jax sealed my lips before I could finish. I stared at him in horror as he continued to kiss me.

“Wow,” Mia and Miya commented.

“You know it’s real love when he kisses you after you vomited ninety days of breakfast into a can,” Mia.

“True love right there. We gotta try that with the guys when they come back,” Miya concluded.

Jax released me and hugged me tightly. “I’m happy you’re okay.”

“We’re not out of the woods yet, vomit kisser,” I sighed and relaxed against him. “They’re right. You’re totally a keeper.”

“Even with all my issues,” he mumbled.

“Yup. Exactly the way you are,” I replied.

“We officially have an hour and fifty minutes to get into combat gear and head to the stimulation room. That gives Bri forty-five minutes of nap time,” Mia declared.

“That sounds like a good plan. Let me throw this can out,” Miya suggested.

“I’ll come with,” Mia offered. “We’ll also make sure we’re legit in the right timeline.”

“Thanks,” Jax told them.

“Treasurer and secretary duties,” they replied and were out the door.

“Pure souls,” Professor Phoenix commented. “They’re very loyal. They’d die for you if they had to.”

“Let’s hope that never happens,” I whispered. “I will, however, take the napping option.”

Jax kissed my temple and slowly lifted me up. “Sleep. We’ll handle the rest here. I’ll wake you up in time for the exam.”

“Okay.” I felt more reassured and was about to sleep when Jax’s phone began to ring.

“MewMew!” Elsa cheered happily.

“I’ll help you with that,” Professor Phoenix announced. She must have helped him get his phone from his blazer pocket. Jax suddenly gasped.

“Connor? Is that you?”

“Uh, yeah? I swear Finnick didn’t get a hold of your phone and change my name to Teddy Bear like he did Brianne’s. I told him I’d throw his phone in the pool.”

Jax chuckled, but even with my eyes closed, I could hear the sadness in his laughter.

“No, no. Just…um…I missed you, that’s all.”

“Did something happen? Why do you feel so relieved and sad at the same time? Is Brianne okay?”

“Yeah, she’s asleep in my arms. We’re at school, about to do the exam.”

“Exam? What exam?” Connor questioned. “It’s the first day of school.”

“Um…it’s a long story. Just get here as soon as you can and meet us at the simulation building. If you can tell Finnick, Kaito, and both sets of twins, that would be great.”

“Sure? But…why is there an exam on the first day of school?”

“I’ll explain,” Jax sighed. “We need to go, but I’m happy you’re okay. I really did miss you.”

“You’re really worrying me, Jax.”

“I love you,” Jax said suddenly.

“Yup. You’ve been drinking.”

“I’m completely sober.”

“Why are my senses telling me you’re saying the truth?”

“’Cause I am.”

“Yet you’re saying the first day of school is exam day, and now you’re confessing to me when I’ve given you all the signs that I’ve liked you for a long time.”

“I. Love. You. Connor Giovanni,” Jax articulated. “And I’ll say it in your face when I see you. Now stop being curious and gather the others. We’ll see you after the exam.”

“This is the worst confession ever,” he groaned. “I thought it would be more romant—”

“I’ll take it ba—”

“All right, I love you, too. Tell Brianne I love her as well and that I suspect you’re drunk.”

“Sure,” Jax replied. “See ya in a bit.”

“Okay.”

He hung up and there was a long silence.

“I better start with the cleanup of this mess,” Professor Phoenix declared.

“How are you going to explain to a whole country that they lost ninety days of their life?” Jax questioned.

“Simple,” Professor Phoenix replied. “Tell them they lost ninety days of their life.”

Jax was silent.

“What? I’m not sugarcoating anyone. Sacrifices have to be made when you’re playing with the gods. They’ll live.”

“Sometimes I feel like you hide a very dark side to yourself.”

“Looks who’s talking,” she replied.

“That’s not fair.”

She laughed. “Sit down and relax. Your exam will hopefully be short. After that, I suggest you guys take a few days off, because—”

“Please don’t tell me Semester Six is going to be busy with some type of games or trials or something.”

“Nope,” she replied. “I’m going to tell both your teams who you all are and why you’ve landed in this predicament.”

“Great…” Jax replied. “Guess I’ll sit down and try to relax for forty minutes.”

“Good idea,” she replied. “I’ll get to work. Good luck with your exam.”

***

“Not this place again,” I whined, looking at the icy walls that were parallel from one another. “If Elijah shows up to try and kill me, I swear, I will not tolerate a third repeat.”

“Why are we doing the same exam again? Wasn’t it a random selector?” Miya questioned.

“Out of two hundred maps, we got this one.” Mia looked annoyed. “Well, let’s all hover over to the other side, wait for this side to crumble, and call it a day.”

The two of them didn’t even wait for us before they cast their spells of wind magic and began the long hover over the gap between the two ice walls.

“Something’s off,” I whispered.

Jax was supporting me with an arm around my waist while my left arm was across his shoulder. We were all in combat gear, and the moment the exam started, we knew where we were.

Again.

“What are you thinking?”

“Elijah will show up again and Elisha will be here, too.”

“They’re both under house arrest.”

“As if a little buzzing thing on their ankle is going to stop them.”

“You have a point, but I swear it’s supposed to electrify them if they leave the area.”

“Not when they’re working on the enemy’s side,” I voiced.

“What’s the plan?”

“We need to go on that side,” I announced and used my free hand to point to the opposite side. “But let’s not go farther away from edge unless we have to.”

“All right,” Jax agreed. “Let’s—”

“Brianne?’

I mentally groaned while Jax audibly groaned in annoyance. “Why do you keep existing?” Jax exploded and looked at Elijah, who frowned.

“Because I was born and haven’t died yet? Jeez. I don’t think that’s how you greet people, Jax.”

“Don’t talk to me like we’re friends,” he snapped. “I really am losing my patience with all this back-and-forth side-choosing. Are you good or bad?”

“It’s not like I can have my way,” Elijah muttered. “I have to follow orders.”

“Then choose a side!” Jax snapped. “You can keep taking orders from these people you keep following or you can be good and stop being used by those who don’t care about the underdog.”

“They’re not bad.”

“Elijah,” I whispered. “Are you that naive? Everyone’s using you!”

“Didn’t you do the same?” His face lost all emotion. “You left me for him.”

“He’s my destined half,” I argued.

“You didn’t even know him when we started here. We were supposed to be together and you chose to be with him and those other three weaklings!”

“They’re not weak!” I snapped back.

“If they weren’t, they would still be on the student council. They chose you guys because you’re the highest scoring individuals in the school. Hmph, you guys are lecturing me about being used when you don’t even know who’s making all the rules.”

“Then enlighten us, Elijah. Who’s running this parade?”

“Can’t say,” Elijah huffed.

“Then don’t waste our time.” Jax turned us around, preparing our wind spell.

“You two are going to die eventually,” he announced.

I looked over my shoulder at him, my eyes narrowing as I looked into his hollow eyes. They were filled with tears as he looked back at me.

“You are all fools and have no idea what’s going on. When you finally figure it out, it’ll be too late. That’s what happened the first time and you both paid the price with your deaths. All because of forbidden love, when you could have just been with me.”

“You make no sense, Elijah,” I huffed and turned my head around.

“I never made sense to you. Isn’t that right, Marianna?”

Jax and I froze and we both slowly looked over our shoulders to stare at him in shock.

How does he know that name?

“How do you know that name?” Jax repeated my thoughts.

“Oh, now I’m worthy of your attention.” Elijah laughed. “You really believe out of two hundred random options, you guys would get this map three times?”

“Wait…three times?” I suddenly was confused. “We…haven’t done this a second time. Why did we even think this was our third time?” I inquired.

“Aww,” Elijah laughed. “Now you guys actually have to use your brains to figure this out, don’t you? Let’s see. The first time was during second semester. The second time, which you both believe is right now, is actually your third time.”

“What?” we both said in unison.

Why did it feel as though he was telling the truth.

“You guys did this exam before and died,” he announced.

We were completely silent and he chuckled. “Ah. The gods are going to hate me for interfering, but you guys are going to die again. I can foresee it already. How amusing. You guys fought so hard the second time. You spent ninety agonizing days worrying about your team members, when in reality they were all dead. The plane crashes, the mountain slides — everything was real and half the world perished. However, there was no way our ‘Marianna’ would accept such a fate and you planned to change it with this exam, but you died. Both of you. Jax died first. Poor thing got squished by a boulder after moving Marianna out of the way. Seeing as we’re going by real names, I guess I should be calling you Jaxsin.”

He laughed hysterically at our horrified faces.

“This is hilarious. Totally worth being reincarnated to see this. I don’t see why the gods have so much hope in your group. Allowing all of you to be reincarnated and fix Witchling when you were the one who destroyed it.” Elijah pointed to Jax.

“How? You just said I died.”

“Ah. You still don’t understand, huh?” He scratched his chin. “I guess it makes sense. I mean, in your first life, the both of you were actually twins. Bri and Maria, Jaxson and Jaxsin. Two died early on over true love and the other two lived until they realized you couldn’t be together. If it helps, Maria and Jaxsin were the ones to die first. Bri and Jaxson lived on, but due to Bri’s exceptional growth in power, she was murdered in front of Jaxson’s eyes by the Magic Council you’ve been following. Jaxson went ballistic, the dark flames took over, and boom. Witchling Academy and half of the world was destroyed.” He put his hands in the air for added emphasis.

“It took seven days to create the world, and only three days to burn fifty percent of it. The remaining half was polluted with smoke from the flames, and those same thick clouds of smoke made it impossible for the sun to peek through and aid with the growth of plants. Oxygen was practically non-existent and everyone’s magic began to wither away. Eventually, the world ended!”

“Brianne! Jax!” Mia and Miya were calling us from the other side, but we were frozen in place by his words.

He’s telling the truth. I can feel it. He’s actually telling the truth!

Jax reached for my hand and I looked at him with teary eyes. I was afraid. I knew deep down in my gut that Elijah wasn’t lying, but it made no sense. How did Elijah know about all of this? What did that mean for us? Were we actually going to die right now? I wasn’t ready to die. I hadn’t even gotten to see the others again. We hadn’t enjoyed our lives or found out what we truly were. This couldn’t be the end…right?

“Sorry to burst your hopes and dreams.” He shrugged. “Guess you can wait for the walls to crumble. I’ll give you a little hint, both sides are going to fall, so your two reincarnations back there? Yeah, they’ll die, too.”

He laughed again when he noticed our widened eyes.

“See? If you had actually accepted the Shadow people’s help, you wouldn’t be in this predicament. All because of the stupid treaty that went sour between the gods and the dark shadows, and yet, you two were created.”

He pointed to me. “A demigod and a witch,” he whispered, and moved his finger to Jax. “A demigod and Shadow wizard.”

I gulped and noticed the slight tremble beneath us.

We need to go!

“You were destined to love different people, and even though you’ve been given yet another chance at life with both of you combined, you still fell into the same routine.”

“Combined,” I whispered.

“Yes, combined.” Elijah confirmed. “Bri and Maria equals Brianne Marie Harlow. Jaxson and Jaxsin equal Jax Morgan. They didn’t add the “son” or “sin” on your birth certificate because they were worried it would be too obvious. You can look it up.”

“We’re going, Brianne,” Jax whispered.

I looked back at him, but I noticed the change in his eyes. They were onyx and pulsing with magic.

“Oh!” Elijah smirked. “So, it’s already begun. Your darkness is already beginning to have control. Excellent! Excellent!”

Elijah sounded like a maniac, which made no sense. “It’s only a matter of time. So far, out of the four chosen ones, only one seems to know what she’s doing. Sad that’s she’s been trying to assist you guys, but the three of you are still too young to get the bigger picture. She’ll just end up arriving when you’re all dead. What a sad life she lived as an angel of justice. Hah. You guys will be next to die, obviously, and I won’t be surprised if the other two chosen ones die soon after. Then our people will win.”

“Our people,” I whispered. “You make it seem like you’re another race.”

“Bingo!” He winked. “I am, but you’ll never find the truth about that.”

“Brianne! Jax!”

We both looked to see Mia and Miya were flying right back.

“We need to go now!” Jax urged.

“Brianne.” Elijah smirked when I met his gaze.

“Don’t you—”

“Freeze,” he commanded, and both or bodies were frozen.

A loud cracking sound shot out into the air and my heart raced against my chest as I realized we were sitting ducks. My eyes looked to the side, catching onto a glimpse of Jax’s golden eyes. He was back in control, but there was no way out now.

I felt disappointed in myself, that I was the reason we were about to die.

I’m sorry.

I hoped my single thought reached him, my mimic gift activating at that moment. His thoughts drifted to me.

“It’s okay. No matter what happens, I love you, Brianne. No matter what we are or who we were. I’ll always love you.”

Tears rolled down my cheeks as Elijah’s sinister laughter echoed through the air. It was going to be the last sound we heard as the ground beneath us began to crumble.

Suddenly, there was a high pitched scream and I turned my eyes to see a large red arrow piercing out of Elijah’s chest. He began to choke and rage swarmed his eyes before he screamed.

“You bitch! Damn god! You can’t stop me! You’ll never win! Kill me all you want. Make me an alcoholic and pathetic man. I’ll always awaken and take my rightful spot on my throne! I will RUL—AH!” He was swallowed up as the ground shattered beneath him, sucking him into the glacial debris.

Our bodies were next to fall and all I could do was think of all the happy times as I watched the world around us crumble.

What hurt the most was that I never got to see the face of the motherly woman who called me her child.

What a pity…

“We’re not losing you!”

The combined scream was followed by a jolt as our bodies halted.

“UNDO LARUSHANA RU!” Miya declared.

The spell undid Elijah’s gift and we could move again. I gasped and looked to see which one of the twins caught me, but my eyes grew wide as I stared at Mia.

Or who I thought was Mia.

The woman holding me was beautiful. Her hair was white like snow and her eyes were an amazing pink, the color of cherry blossoms.

She wore a dazzling dress of white silk and had pink jewels on her neck and arms. I analyzed her presence, and I knew without a doubt that her magic…no…the powerful energy around her was what made us stay afloat.

This wasn’t just Mia, one of the Park twins and my best friend. This woman right here was a god. A powerful being of creation.

“You’re a god?”

“Demigod,” she corrected with a sweet smile.

“You guys…know?” Jax whispered, and I looked over to him and was once again blown away, only this time by Miya’s appearance.

She was the complete opposite of Mia, her hair a midnight purple while her eyes were completely black. She didn’t have as serene a smile as Mia. She was serious and pulsated with energy like Mia’s body.

“That we’re demigods? We know,” Miya bluntly replied.

“It’s the reason we were sent to Witchling Academy to begin with, but more importantly, we were on a mission.”

“A mission?” I whispered.

“Yup.” Mia smiled brilliantly and looked over to her sister. “We were reincarnated to make sure you two didn’t die a third time.”

“Second,” Miya corrected.

“Technically it’s third, because they’re both one person now,” Mia insisted.

“Still second,” Miya bluntly countered.

“I don’t think I’ll win this argument, so you can have this one.” Mia shrugged and looked back down at me. “I bet you two have a lot of questions, so why don’t we, uh…well, I guess hover up here until the pass signal goes on our watches?”

“Then, once the others have arrived, we can really tackle this problem once and for all so we don’t have another close call,” Miya finished.

“Sure,” Jax and I replied.

“Not like we can go anywhere else,” I nervously stated.

Mia laughed. “Glad we made it on time. Would be a shame to lose our best friends a third time.”

“Second,” Miya muttered. “But I agree.”

“This is going to be a confusing backstory, huh?” Jax commented.

“It will be, but you’ll finally know the true reason why Witchling Academy was recreated,” Mia announced.

“Recreated,” I whispered.

“Yup,” Miya whispered. “Recreated after the wrath of the God of War plagued the land.”

“That’s…me, isn’t it?” Jax whispered.

Mia nodded. “Can’t be helped when your queen, the Goddess of Time and Space, was murdered before you. It will be a long conversation ahead of us, but one thing is for sure.”

“We won’t let Witchling Academy fall again. As to when that all happened? At the end of Semester Six,” Miya declared. “Now we have to do everything in our power to stop it from repeating itself.”

“Or it’ll be the end all over again,” Mia confirmed.

Semester Six…

will either be the beginning of something new…

or the end of it all.

TO BE CONTINUED.

COMING SOON - October 11th, 2019:

https://books2read.com/WITCHLINGACADEMY6

Here’s a sneak peek of SSS: YEAR ONE

https://books2read.com/SSS1

BLURB

When being different leads to the best years of your life.

There are three key components required to get into the most prestigious, top spy school in the world:

Skills.

Strength.

Survival.

My name is Silver Spell Solange. No. I didn’t plan for my initials to be the same as the abilities needed to enter the spy school. But I would do anything to get into the one-of-a-kind academy. I have the magical capability of an Elemental Witch, the strength to kick anyone’s ass, and quick problem-solving skills to get my teammates out of any jam. There’s only one small problem — the other “S” I’m missing.

I am not a part of the supernatural race.

After realizing my only shot at my dreams is at the brink of extinction, I’m unexpectedly teamed up with a werewolf, a dragon, a fallen angel, and a hellhound. The four of them carry the assets and abilities I need to gain my spot into The Supernatural Spy Academy (SSS).

With the clock ticking and no room for errors, I accept their bet, knowing I’ll easily handle whatever they request from me.

Their bet: I have to date all four of them for the next four years.

It’s time for me to buckle up. This four-year rollercoaster is about to begin, and it’s a bumpy one-way ticket to becoming the next “supernatural” spy.

PROLOGUE

“Any faster?! I swear he’s going to burn us to ashes!”

My head turned back to get a good glimpse of the ginormous black-scaled dragon following not too far behind.

“Hang on!”

I looked up to my teammate as he outstretched his wings.

“I don’t really have a choice here,” I commented. He looked down to raise an eyebrow at me, but since we were trying not to get caught and screw up this Quest, he returned his focus on catching up with the rest of our teammates.

We lowered into the forest before he did a swift left turn. I had no idea where we were going, but it looked like a cave was up ahead. I pointed to it.

“There?” I exclaimed. We swiftly entered the cave and jerked to a stop, a second from hitting the solid wall. I sighed in relief, but I knew we weren’t out of the woods yet.

My body was lowered to the ground and I turned to face my four teammates, all of them out of breath.

“You still got the ring?”

I grinned, slipping my hand into my bra. The four of them looked around the cave, not wanting to be caught staring at my breasts. I retrieved the little gold ring – presenting the gem for the others to see once again.

Even in the dim cave, it seemed to illuminate like multiple lights were shining upon it. I had no idea what magic it possibly possessed, but I couldn’t wait to use it.

My eyes stared at the gold ring, taking in the big white pearl that was surrounded by four other gems: a jewel as bright as fire, one that was a teal turquoise like water, one that twinkled like a golden star, and a gem as pure as the dark night sky.

There were letterings on the gold band, piquing my interest as I took it out of its protective box. I took a closer look, unable to comprehend how a ring could be so radiant.

What was most important was how this little piece of jewelry was going to be the key to my entrance into the best spy school in all the lands.

This is exactly what I needed. My golden ticket to Supernatural Spy Academy.

TO ACHIEVE A FAIRYTALE DREAM

~AFEW DAYS EARLIER~

“ARE you done cleaning the front, Silver?”

“Yes! Just closing up the till!” I called back.

Looking at the piles of cash, I finished off my calculations, writing the total we made for the evening down in the log book.

It was another busy day at Magic Lattes, one of the many coffee shops my family owned. This location was one of the busiest, but I loved it for a number of reasons.

The bustling atmosphere always made time go by quickly, our customers were actually appreciative of our services, and the students were far too focused on trying to get perfect scores to gossip and leave a mess behind.

Even after the crazy buzz of the night, the dining area was pretty clean, aside from the plates that would need to be rinsed down and placed into the dishwasher.

Nevertheless, they were all neatly stacked on their designated counter, and not even a hint of garbage laid on the floors.

The cool benefit of working here was that I was the prime owner. I’d worked down in this shop since I could walk. My parents would bring me down while they worked. Being the obedient kid, with my older sister making sure I didn’t cast any crazy spells, I always used to say that this specific shop would be mine one day.

Or in child-level terms: ‘This place is mine.’

Who knew my parents would transfer it to my name when I reached eighteen? It was their gift for my years of dedication and patience.

Many of the girls my age were all about boys, parties, and fun. I didn’t mind a party or a good time with a few acquaintances or coworkers, but I’d always been the type of girl who could have fun with a book, some tea, and the soft melodies of jazz serenading me while I escaped from the real world into a fictional one.

Sure, I’d had my share of bullying or the typical comment of ‘book nerd’ — which to me, wasn’t an insult — but whatever made the bullies happy and got them out of my face was what I went along with.

My sister also had her own shop, but it was on the other side of the city. My shop was in the section of town known as Serenity. It got its name from the number of angels that lived in these parts.

Our state was called Aqua-Q. It was a weird name, but the Supernatural Council had decided they wanted to rename all the states, cities, and countries on Earth to reflect the changes we’d experienced. They couldn’t rename Earth, simply because every creature knew that referred to the planet.

Some humans and even supernatural species were still struggling with many of the new changes in geographic terminology.

Why make it even more complicated for the world?

My twenty-two-year-old self didn’t know much about the history from way-way back, but I did know the world had once been made up of mere mortals.

Long story short, a chemical reaction occurred when a global experiment went horribly wrong, and boom. The supernatural race was born. It was chaos at first, as the shock of it all began to sink in.

However, it didn’t take long for leaders to come forth from each supernatural race, and surprisingly, things went really smoothly. Hence the creation of the Supernatural Council and all the new names.

Whenever my parents told my sister and me the story, I’d question why no one made a big fuss.

My parents explained that having people step up to the plate was a relief to many people. It would give them more time to figure things out and learn more about themselves and their peers.

Now everything seemed to be peaceful, and on the odd occasion it wasn’t, there were many ways of dealing with ‘evil’.

“Silver? Are you daydreaming about that school again?”

I snapped out of my thoughts, looking back to see Nikko’s mom, Candice. “No. I was just um…thinking about the weather.”

Candice gave me a sassy smile. “Sure, sweetie. I can tell your mind was on things aside from the weather. I’m already finished up back here. Why don’t you go home?”

“Oh. I can wait. Nikko’s going to be here soon,” I offered, not wanting to leave her to close the shop by herself. It was my responsibility, after all, but Nikko’s family had been best friends with the Solanges for years. It was as if each generation was born to be best friends with one another.

My generation was no different.

“No need, Silver. I gotta make Nikko work a little now and then or her sass goes to her head. Don’t want her forgetting who pays the phone bills when she’s off trying to find a man.”

I grinned back at her, loving her African accent as she tossed her hands around for extra emphasis.

Candice was one of those chillaxed moms. All you had to do was make sure you didn’t piss her off, or your ass would feel the might of the nearest wooden spoon.

Or belt, shoe, book…basically anything. As long as you could run fast, you would have a chance of escaping her wrath…maybe.

Her daughter, Nikko Fireside, was just as fierce, if not more so. She was as impatient as ever, but she was loving and kind when she wanted to be.

“I thought you wanted her to find a boyfriend?” I reminded.

Candice shrugged. “I do. However, not the men who don’t know how to introduce themselves. When I gave birth to Nikko, where were they? If they appreciated my daughter as a whole and not just her gorgeous looks, she’d be engaged by now.”

I smirked, knowing damn well what she meant by that.

Nikko was a succubus, just like her mom. They didn’t lack in the attraction department, but that just made it harder for them to find someone genuine who loved them.

Candice’s husband was pretty chill and didn’t mind if Candice opened their commitment to others, but I thought Candice was just fine with her husband, even if she complained when he pissed her off every other day.

Nikko wasn’t having as much luck around these parts, but her hope was to find someone when she attended the school.

“No more chatting. Be gone and tell your mom and sister I say goodnight.” Candice shooed me away.

I bowed my head in respect.

“Thanks, Candice. I really appreciate your hard work,” I praised.

“Anytime, sweetie. At least you pay me well compared to all the stores down the block that give chump change. Make sure you rest and don’t go stopping trouble like some hero.”

Giving her a sheepish grin, I winked and took my apron off. “I’ll try. Sometimes my trouble senses are tingling, and I can’t possibly ignore them.” My dramatic tone made her laugh.

“You should be named Silver Trouble Solange. Put your senses away for another night. I’ll see you next week.”

With a wave goodbye, I grabbed my wallet, cellphone, and keys, slipping them into my jean pockets. Once my open-zip black hoodie was on, I headed out.

The crisp, cool air made my grin widen as I took a swift inhale. Drawing out my exhale, I slipped my hands into the pockets of my hoodie and began to walk home.

It was about a thirty-minute walk, but if I was super tired, I’d merely snap my fingers and teleport there.

When the world changed and the many races were born, my family was blessed with great magic capabilities.

Some called us witches, others mages. Since both my parents were blessed with high-rank magic, my sister and I got a good portion from both of them.

When it came down to it, I was stronger than my sister. It was weird, but the younger witch in the family always ended up being the stronger one.

Almost as if the family genes knew that I’d be the last child: my parents decided two children were more than enough to handle in this changing world.

Being a witch had many advantages, but without guidance and training, it could end poorly for the individual and those around them.

Magic was something you had to use with a calculative mindset. If you allowed your emotions to influence your magic, it could go wrong, ending in a complete loss of control.

It was one of the many reasons why I wanted to attend S.S.S. school.

S.S.S. was the only Supernatural Spy Academy in the world. It hosted exactly 5,700 students from across the world. Why that specific number?

S was the nineteenth letter in the alphabet, and since there were three S’s, that equaled fifty-seven. Obviously, fifty-seven and 570 would be far too little to occupy the enormous land S.S.S had to facilitate their specialized school, but 5700 was more than enough.

At the end of the day, after the entrance quests, the school would be lucky to have more than fifty percent of the students left.

What did S.S.S. stand for? Skills. Strength. Survival.

Being a spy didn’t only account for obvious tasks like listening and gathering information. The school trained secret agents who worked for the Supernatural Council, handled undercover projects for the government, or joined any of the other crime-stopping associations, such as the F.B.I. or C.I.A.

Essentially, graduating from S.S.S. was like walking a red carpet that led to endless opportunities.

Workplaces would fight to recruit graduates, and you were given a different level of respect than anyone else. Most importantly, its credibility worked worldwide.

If you wanted to work with secret services in the former Dubai, you certainly could, and they’d throw in a diamond Lamborghini for free.

With all the benefits that diploma would offer, I had deep reasons for wanting to join the prestigious school.

“Get away from me, jerkface. I’m not in the mood tonight.”

My feet came to a stop at the noise, the familiarity of it only making my eyes roll.

Not this again.

To my right, in the oh-so-familiar alleyway, was a woman in her mid-30’s. She was against the wall with yet another man who wanted nothing but a quick fuck. That usually ended up with them wanting more, like money or more public sex.

I still didn’t understand why I interfered every single time I saw the same woman getting used and abused in the alley, but once again, my instincts kicked in and I was pulling the man off of her and sending him flying into the concrete.

“ARGH!” The man scrambled back onto his feet, his nose already dripping blood from the impact.

His glaring cobalt eyes met my blue ones. “Who the fuck are you?!”

“None of your business, mutt,” I replied, smelling the wolf stink coming off him.

I didn’t know why I had such a strong sense of smell, but to me, most werewolves reeked. It was as if they wanted the world to know what they were.

Having been in the coffee shop for so long, I could immediately tell when a werewolf walked into the dining area. The only difference, in this case, was the scent was mixed with alcohol and smoke.

“You wanna go, cunt?” He took two steps forward, trying to look intimidating as his body seemed to grow.

I crossed my arms and looked him in the eyes, turning the switch within myself on.

His once-fierce expression faltered miserably, my magical aura wrapping around me and pushing out in waves, each growing in power until the man was quivering in fear.

A sinister grin formed on my lips and I snapped my fingers, a mixture of blue and pink hellfire forming at the tip of my hands. It shifted at will, growing until a large flaming wolf looked down upon the three of us.

“What was that? I thought you were implying we battle?” I taunted, feeling a burning desire to make this man drop to his knees and beg.

My thoughts were soon answered as he dropped to his knees, his once-buff body shrinking back to its previous size as he bowed in submission.

“I’m sorry! Please. I-I just wanted some fun.”

“She said she wasn’t in the mood. Use those sensitive ears of yours next time,” I snapped.

“Yes, ma’am!” he replied, on the verge of tears.

“Scram,” I encouraged, and the flaming wolf howled, emphasizing its presence.

If this guy was going to try and fake his apology and attack, he’d at least remember what he was up against.

“Thank you!” The man was up and running to the other side of the alley in seconds. Once his scent disappeared, I let out the breath I was holding.

Glad I didn’t have to fight. I’m way too tired today.

My flaming wolf lowered its head, nudging my face lightly in comfort as its flames began to disintegrate.

Thank you.

With my appreciative thought, the flames turned to nothing but specks of embers floating up into the night sky. I gave myself a few seconds to calm down, centering the part of my magic that was known to many as mana.

With mana, there were endless possibilities for magic casting and manipulation. It was similar to video games with the whole SP count. The more SP you had, the more magical skills you could use in your favor.

I had loads of it, contributing to my high level of magic ability, but it always left me in a sour mood when I couldn’t have my way with people who pissed me off.

With a heavy sigh, I walked up to grab the woman’s purse from the ground to offer it to her.

Turning my attention to her, she had the same frightened look, before she scowled and snatched the bag from my hand.

“I didn’t need your help!”

“Every week I find you in this same alley, with another guy who has no appreciation or respect for you or your body and yet you have the nerve to say you didn’t need my help.” I shook my head. “I’m sure other rat shifters would feel more grateful about being saved from potential rape.”

She gritted her teeth, her nose twitching at my words. I only knew she was a rat shifter because I’d seen her shift once in the past.

I turned around and slipped my hands in my pockets.

“Hurry and wake the fuck up. I don’t care if you’re a rat shifter and love the attention of men who have no intention of being with you long term. There’s going to come a time where it won’t matter how many times you ask them to stop. They won’t, and you’ll regret it.”

With those words, I was walking out of the alley and heading back on my path toward home.

There were so many ungrateful shifters. It was no wonder we had secret agents to help stop crime. If you interfered on your own, you either got insulted or ridiculed, but if I was a part of S.S.S., I’m sure she’d be kissing my feet and showering me with thanks.

I knew this, constantly reminding myself that it really wasn’t my duty, but the instinct never listened. It was our way of putting an end to something I was all too familiar with.

Entering my neighborhood, I let out a yawn as I tugged the hair tie out of my long silver locks. It was funny how my parents named me Silver because I was born with the metallic-colored tresses.

Apparently, having silver hair was rare, and a sign of great power and importance. Don’t know where anyone got their info about the color of hair predicting your future, but my parents went along with it.

It made me wonder if I was destined to one day join S.S.S. My name, Silver Spell Solange, matched the three-letter initials, and I truly believed I fit all the requirements.

Except for one.

The Supernatural Spy Academy was exactly that: for the supernatural race. Witches and Wizards did not count in that category. We were magic users and powerful allies to have in the line of battle, but we certainly couldn’t shift our own bodies into anything.

That was going to be a tiny problem.

No sole magic user had ever gotten into S.S.S. school before. I’d done immense research to try and see if there was one lucky individual who bent the rules and lived to tell the tale, but it was unsuccessful.

Any past potentials were declined, even when they completed their assigned quest. I don’t know why that didn’t stop me from wanting to go. It was as though my mind couldn’t let go.

I was going to add myself to that fool’s list soon, just to say that I tried. Maybe I’d be the lucky first, but my hopes weren’t high enough to bring me disappointment.

Not yet anyway.

The first goal was to actually be sent an invitation. I’d sent my application a few days prior and left the part ‘What Shifter Are You?’ blank.

For many reasons, a lot of shifters liked to keep the knowledge of what they were a secret.

One could be because of their rarity. A few species, like hellhounds, for example, were super rare and were normally lone shifters. There were other shifters like fairies, phoenixes, and a few other legendary mythological species that were so few, they almost missed being cataloged.

When the massive shift from human to supernatural existence occurred, a log was created to attempt to keep a count of supernatural populations, but it was still a struggle to gather throughout the world, especially in the previous third world countries.

With the switch, the world leaders decided that all the countries would start fresh. Like a clean slate.

All previous debts were canceled and even our money was updated. For the most part, technology was still a big part of our system, but now with the addition of magic, things were growing at a tremendously fast pace.

Reaching the front of my house, I looked at the three-story home that was painted completely black. My parents and sister loved black with a passion. I was the oddball who loved all the other colors.

Except green. I really did not like that color.

The only sign of color on our property was the mailbox, which was pink. It was the only thing I begged to have in pink because I used to send pen letters. I still sent them, even though we’d advanced to emails, but my pen pals didn’t mind.

I still had four out of the ten I used to write to, the remaining six having moved on or preferring email when it came to communication.

The pen mail system was still used between many witches and wizards.

Words had power, and if you needed to emphasize certain topics, writing it out with a blessed quill was far better. Plus it was fun to add a bit of magic, making the words come to life as the receiver read out the words.

Opening the little door, I peeked in to see if there were any letters enclosed, only to find it empty.

Boo.

Closing it, I made my way up the path, the stone pathway beginning to glow in various shades of pink, purple, and blue. The house was created by magic, and always found a way to welcome us home.

Reaching the door, I smiled and took a deep breath.

I’m home.

It was a habit to acknowledge the magic around me and give thanks when it came to my aid. Magic was its own entity in my opinion, and giving it the respect it deserved helped me to be able to summon the source around me before calling on my own within my body.

The door unlocked on its own, the secret golden lock coming to view in the center of the black wood. With a click, the door moved inward, allowing me entry.

With another subconscious thanks, I walked in and took off my shoes and had a quick stretch before slipping my hoodie off. Standing in place, I waited.

Five, four, three, two, o-

“SILVER!”

A smirk formed on my lips, my prediction becoming reality as my sister waltzed from the living room into the hall, her hands holding two hangers.

“Which shirt makes me look sexy, but not whore sexy?”

With a giggle, I walked toward my sister, my eyes looking at both options and lingering on the one to my left.

“That one is better. Gives you some cleavage room, but not too much. Also, tight fit to match your curves.”

“Excellent!” she squealed, tossing the other one into the wall where it slipped right through like discarded trash.

It would land back in her closet in the ‘Too Sexy For Men’ section.

That was her section of clothes designed for a specific date with her boyfriend. One where she’d be super upset and have to prove to him she was an ongoing snack any mage or shifter would want to eat.

“This is why I love when you come home early.” She flicked her hand, the hanger hovering in the air while she literally stripped out of her white tank top in front of me.

“You really don’t care where you change in this house,” I noted, a little amused by my sister’s peculiar behavior.

She shrugged. “It’s our house. I should be able to change wherever I want.”

“Uh huh,” I replied.

My sister was Scarlet Spell Solange. Even though I was stronger than her in terms of magic, my sister excelled in everything. I mean all things epic.

From combat and spell history to problem-solving and weapons mastery. She was by far the youngest and most skilled witch on the market in these parts.

If S.S.S. was ever to take any of us into consideration, she would have beat me with a snap of her fingers.

She was taller than me, taking our father’s height of 6‘0”, had long flaming red hair that turned into fire when she was super mad, and got all the curves. She had to work hard for those, using the best waist trainers while running crazy marathons and also balancing a weight training schedule. Her booty showed that she did squats every day.

I was only 5‘6”, which wasn’t bad at all. It left me with a good chance at finding a guy who was taller than me.

I loved tall men, and my sister was the same, leading her on a long chase until she finally met her partner in all magical crime and current boyfriend.

Those two were a perfect match, complementing one another in every aspect. The only thing you had to look out for were their arguments, because those got ugly and could reach war potential with how powerful the both of them were.

Even though I was blessed with similar beauty, I also worked out a lot to be fit and had a bit of booty myself. I, however, didn’t have a boyfriend.

Not anymore.

My ex-boyfriend Callister was the epiphany I needed to realize I deserved better. I met him when I was sixteen and fell in love far too fast. I thought having a man’s attention was love, and it sadly took me years to figure that out and dump him.

I hadn’t jumped back onto the dating wagon since, more focused on getting into S.S.S. and maybe enjoying some time away from the town in general.

I didn’t have a backup to my spy school plans, but my sister, who supported my wild ambitions, always reassured me that she’d be able to get me a spot in the C.I.A.

Since my sister’s boyfriend, Nicholas, was a fierce gargoyle shifter who graduated S.S.S., she was practically lumped together with him in everything, opening doors to far better opportunities than my high school diploma in magic arts could get me.

Even though I was gifted and able to finish a year early, that time was spent working at the coffee shop and using my rejection letters as fuel for the fireplace after my shifts.

“Where’s Mom?” I asked.

“She’s reading spell books in the living room and wondering when you’re going to go out and enjoy the fresh air,” Scarlet replied, slipping the top over her head and lowering it to cover her bright orange bra that held her perky breasts.

“I just came back from outside. I had plenty of air with a hint of moonlight.”

“Oh, please. You know what I mean. You need to do more than spend your time working and training from that ‘How to Kill Everyone’ handbook you have.”

“It’s not how to kill everyone. It’s ‘How to Kill Everyone: The SPY version’. I don’t have that much hate for people,” I huffed.

“Sure,” Scarlet drawled. “Did you actually apply to S.S.S? I swear I haven’t heard of a spell that can turn you temporarily into a shifter without giving yourself away.”

“I did apply. Probably won’t get in, but if I do, I’ll figure out a way. There could be a magic artifact or something?” I suggested, the thought coming to my head.

“Magic artifacts are super rare and are collected by really strong shifters with power in both the physical and political arenas. Not gonna happen unless you’re the best thief in town, which you aren’t because you have random bouts of klutz in you. Gotta find a different way.”

“I’ll figure something out. I’ll try and try again until I walk those gorgeous halls in my uniform,” I said with confidence. Scarlet put her hands on her hips.

“Sure. As long as it makes my baby sister happy. I’ll pray to the heavens you also find a good man who knows which hole to put his cock in.”

“Scarlet!” I hushed. “Mom’s home.”

“Meh. She knows Callister sucked ass, and not in a sexy kind of way seeing as he doesn’t do any anal either.”

“How do you even know about this stuff?” I groaned. “I was dating him.”

“Correct, but as your older sister, I had to make sure to have everything on that douche, just in case I was possessed and accidentally killed him.”

I pinched my nose and shook my head. “You did try to accidentally kill him. Twice.”

“Oh really?” Scarlet blinked, pouting her plump pink lips as she tapped them with her index finger. “I don’t recall. Third time’s a charm.”

“Please don’t go killing my ex. It’s not worth it.”

“Don’t worry. If I suddenly feel the need, I’ll let Nicholas do it. He can just wave his S.S.S. gold card and it’ll be brushed under the rug. Nothing to see here.” She began to whistle.

“That’s taking advantage of rank,” I reminded.

“Not if the person in question is a douchebag who hurt my sister. I’d put it somewhere in fine print to cover my ass. Don’t worry.”

“You’re more overprotective than Mom. Remember, I’m twenty-two.”

“I remember. You can be one hundred and four and my one hundred and eight ass will still protect you.”

That made me grin. My sister was one-of-a-kind, and I cherished that. Even during the dark times of our lives, she’d always had her chin up and was ready to put me first, as Mother would.

“Anyway. I’m on my way to a date. Just give Mom a quick hello so she knows you’re here. She’s in one of her meditation reading stages, so if she doesn’t reply, you know why. Her magic will let her know you’re home after,” Scarlet reminded as she walked over to our standing mirror that was a few inches from where I stood.

“All right,” I replied, watching her fix herself up and give a good up and down look before nodding in approval. “Snack radar! I’m off to have a good time and enjoy some passionate sex with my man.”

“I don’t know how you say that so confidently.”

She winked at me. “Trust me. When you get a real man who loves and cherishes you, you’ll really start enjoying life and the wonders of mind-blowing sex.”

“If you say so. Better not be late,” I encouraged.

“Right! See ya, Silver. Love you.” Scarlet gave me a quick hug and kiss on the cheek, and with a snap of her fingers, she was gone.

“Bye,” I whispered, feeling a tad envious of her.

She finally had the life she’d wanted. The perfect man who respected her and an amazing job that paid well. A solid future and chance at starting a family.

I wanted all of those things and more, but alas, I was here — standing in the hallway of our house, wishing I had the perfect boyfriend and was already in S.S.S. school to achieve my goals.

A heavy exhale escaped me, but I shook off the dread, deciding I needed to be positive, especially if I wanted to relax my mind and sleep for tomorrow morning’s personal training session.

Walking toward the living room, I poked my head in to see Mother in crossed legged meditation position, candles surrounding her as books hovered in the air, slowly circling around her.

“Mom, I’m home,” I announced.

She remained in place, but I noticed the twitch in her head to the left side, which told me she heard me and acknowledged I was here.

She’d most likely come up when she was finished, but with how tired I was after the long shift and using magic for my weekly ‘save the girl’ show of power, I felt drained.

Moving upstairs, I took a quick shower and changed into simple pink pajamas. Checking the mirror, I focused on my silver locks as I combed any remaining wet tangles after washing it. When I used magic, turquoise colored streaks with hints of white always appeared in my hair.

It was one of those unique character traits I had, one of many, though more obvious in nature. My blue eyes were still vivid but didn’t hide my exhaustion. My light white skin was a little paler than usual, but it also could have been due to the previous magic confrontation.

Gathering my hair into a messy bun, I climbed into bed and clapped my hands to turn the lights off. Tucking myself in, I looked over to the picture on the nightstand to my left, grabbing it to view the picture of Dad and me.

He was no longer with us, dying when I was eighteen from a rare disease that slowly ate the brain away. It was magic-related but had no cure.

Even though four years had passed, I still continued my research on it, hoping to one day find the cure for the extremely rare genetic disease.

Both Scarlet and I had been ruled out, but with magic diseases, you really couldn’t know for sure. Looking at his wide smile and similar silver locks, I grinned.

“I’ll make it into S.S.S. school, Dad. I promised to make you proud. I certainly will. Just you wait and see.”

Kissing the cool glass gently, I looked back at it once more, wishing for one more chance to see him.

To tell him how much he was loved, and that Scarlet and I would live in his footsteps with Mom’s loving guidance.

Placing the picture back in its rightful place, I lay back down and stared at my ceiling vision board, looking at the multiple mapped out spells and ways to get into S.S.S.

A few minutes passed and my eyes began to grow heavy, leaving me no choice but to accept my exhaustion and go to sleep.

I let my mind wander, dreaming about the day I’d walk onto S.S.S. soil.

Not as a mere stranger, but to fulfill the fairy tale dream of being a student at the one-of-a-kind spy school.

ABOUT AVERY SONG

Avery Song is the second pen name of a reverse harem author who specializes in fantasy 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 (Oct 4, 2019)

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 (Oct.11.19)

JADE STORM TRACKER SERIES

The Tracker Hive Academy- Year One

The Tracker Hive Academy- Year Two

The Tracker Hive Academy- Year Three (Oct.5.19)

The Tracker Hive Academy- Year Four (Dec 2019)

TRIALS OF THE DAMNED

Academy for the Fallen- Year One

Academy for the Fallen- Year Two (Nov.17.19)

BLAZING ACADEMY

Semester One (Oct 6th, 2019)