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

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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Cover Design by Covers By Juan

Editing by

Incantation Ink

Format: Yumoyori Wilson

CONTENTS

Acknowledgement

BLURB

1.  Give You The World

2.  Invoke Change And Silent Vow

3.  Thankful To You

4.  Girlfriend Sleepover

5.  Beach House Vacation

6.  Stargazing And Alcohol Loving

7.  Evening Date And New Experiences

8.  Supporting Your Love

9.  Semester Three Hookup

10.  Do You See Me Now?

11.  Crazy In Love And Met Your Match

12.  Surprise Date

13.  Sticks And Stones

14.  My Sick Boyfriend

15.  Internal Struggles Come To Light

16.  Face Your Fears

17.  Magic Battle Exam

18.  The Hunt For Justice

19.  Semester Four?

COMING SOON

BLAZING ACADEMY SNEAK PEEK

BLURB

CHAPTER ONE: Sweet Sixteen

ABOUT AVERY SONG

Also By Avery Song

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thank you for purchasing WITCHLING ACADEMY SEMESTER 3.

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.

Thank you to my inner circle, Elle, Clarissa, May, and Felecia for always writing with me and keeping me motivated.

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

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

AVERY SONG

BLURB

My first year at Witchling Academy brought a wave of new experiences. As Semester Three kicks off, it’s time for me to decide what path I want to walk as I enter adulthood.

For me, Brianne Marie Harlow, summer break was all about adventure and exploration, as I began to figure out what I wanted in my romantic relationships and dealt with my own insecurities. With a new familiar and two amazing best friends to help me, summer went by like a breeze. Now I’m looking forward to the new semester with my amazing boyfriends Jax, Connor, Finnick, and Kaito — aka The Notorious Four.

Too bad Semester Three is where things start getting messy.

When the professors warned us about the change in dynamics from year one to year two, we never thought it would escalate to the level of magic battles and car chases, much less land us in the middle of a magic crime case.

As if that weren’t chaotic enough, the continuous bullying, old memories, and girl jealousy are as problematic as ever. And with issues developing within my own team, we’re going to have to find a way to stick tightly together or we’ll be pulled apart…forever.

There’s no way I’ll let that happen. It’s time for me to find my confidence and strength once and for all, because I’ll do whatever it takes to keep my Notorious Four together. All in the name of protecting the people I love.

Now let’s all pray this goes as well in real life as it does in my head.

1

GIVE YOU THE WORLD

“Stop laughing,” Jax groaned.

I snickered and rested my head against his chest. The soft cotton of his white T-shirt was the perfect material to muffle the burst of giggles that left my mouth.

“But…it was so funny. Connor took a video!” I beamed and laughed harder.

I had to lift my head just to see Jax’s scrunched face, and noticed his hair was glowing once more.

“Brianne…” He looked like he was about to explode, but it made me laugh uncontrollably.

“You should have seen your fever self! You broke down crying and wouldn’t let anyone touch you unless I was cuddled in your arms. I was on my way home with Starlight and we had to make a U-turn and come right back because nothing — and I mean NOTHING — would console you. Your mom thought I put a voodoo spell on you!”

I was laughing so hard tears were streaming down my cheeks. Jax was completely silent, and I had to try and calm myself down.

I’m such a horrible girlfriend…but this deserves a moment of laughter.

Today was the day after our Semester Two exam. Not only did we survive the chaos that went down, but we got an A plus. Our score was an awesome achievement, but it left our team exhausted. Jax’s temperature shot up and we had to rush him to the hospital before he experienced another fever.

I got to learn about Jax’s fever and how he was treated very differently than the average individual because his fevers were induced by his gift of fire and not natural causes.

The nurses and doctors used a special spell that created a constant flow of ice magic that wrapped around him and worked on lowering his temperature.

Jax would still be delirious, but as long as we made sure he didn’t get dehydrated, he wouldn’t seize. He’d been sleeping most of the evening and well into the night, which was why Starlight and I decided to go home.

Not even five minutes passed before we got a phone call to come right back since Jax was awake, crying up a firestorm — literally, a firestorm — and wouldn’t calm down unless I came back.

After coming back to a room full of heat, with specks of embers raining down all over the place, it took me climbing into Jax’s bed and cuddling next to him for him to calm down and fall right back to sleep.

So adorable.

It was pretty funny, even if I shouldn’t be making fun of him for being sick. It was thanks to him that I hadn’t died, and he was the reason we passed the exam.

The sun was already beginning to set, the golden-orange rays poking through the gap in the curtains of the private hospital room.

Jax’s parents were filling out the discharge paperwork downstairs, and my sister had taken the other guys home to rest. I was allowed to stay over at Jax’s place, thanks to doctors’ orders to ensure Jax remained relaxed for another twenty-four hours. His fever was manageable, and as long as he rested and slept, he would be good by tomorrow afternoon.

That was why we were now snuggled up in Jax’s hospital bed, but I wondered in the back of my mind if we’d be staying in the same bed at his place.

If we did…it wouldn’t be as though we’d do anything. Just cuddle and sleep. Like those times when Elijah would come over. Nothing more. Maybe…a kiss would be nice. Hmm.

“Are you done insulting my pride?” Jax asked.

I lifted my head once again, and a tiny snicker left me. He rolled his eyes and groaned, forcing my head back down to his chest as I began to laugh again.

“What kind of girlfriend are you?”

“The kind that laughs at her boyfriend’s fever actions. So adorably cute…and funny!” I lifted my head up again to look at him, noticing how red his cheeks were from embarrassment.

“Ugh,” he huffed. “Keep laughing. I’ll shut you up somehow,” he vowed. That just sent me into another hysterical fit.

“Aww. What is my Flaming Hot Jax going to do? That’s the nickname you gave to yourself, by the way, right after you told the guys, your parents, and my sister that you’re going to be the first to marry me, and you’ll decide if Connor is second depending on if you can order a unicorn merry-go-round for the occasion. Then you said Finnick and Kaito have to do rock-paper-scissors, but then you decided that it would be best if they married me at the same time! Then we’d have a huge celebration, and Starlight would have to get three different wedding dresses chosen for me since you said my fashion sense is off because I apparently prefer to be comfortable rather than glamorous, which is true, and THEN you said how much you love me as your girlfriend and Elisha was an, uh… a Barbie. She was a Barbie but in the swear word way, or that’s what Finnick said because he blocked my ears before I could hear what you really said, and then—mhmmm?”

I blinked as a pair of soft lips suddenly crushed mine, my eyes locking onto Jax’s golden ones as he stared right back at me. The kiss was brief, but there was something different about it.

Does that even make sense?

He broke the kiss but kept our mouths close. “You talk too much,” he whispered, his eyes still locked on mine before they lowered to my lips once again.

A trickle of courage ran through me, and I quietly asked. “Can…we kiss again?”

Jax smirked slightly and did exactly what I asked, kissing me again on the lips. This kiss was definitely different, or maybe it was the vibe between us.

I was a bit afraid of ruining this, but when I pressed my lips back against his, it ignited something stronger.

A deeper emotion I had yet to experience with anyone else.

It was difficult to describe — a mixture of a growing urgency or need for more began to flood my mind. I wanted to keep kissing, and it felt like Jax wanted the same thing.

We kissed for a minute and pulled back just slightly, our eyes locking onto one another once more. The look we shared was heavy with want, and I was the one to lower my gaze to his lips.

“Can…we do that one more—mhm.” He didn’t wait for me to finish, his lips claiming mine and intensifying the energy between us.

For the first time, I pushed my fear to the back of my mind and let my body get what it wanted. I kissed him right back, our lips moving against one another. It made me acknowledge that I was in his arms, resting against him as his heat began to wrap around me. It wasn’t super hot, but instead a comforting warmth that made me want to relax.

We didn’t stop until it felt like I was underwater and desperate for air, but right before he pulled away, his tongue brushed my bottom lip and his teeth very lightly tugged it.

That made my stomach flip and made me feel extra weird in places I hadn’t felt tingling before.

We both caught our breath and I whispered, “Wow.”

Jax’s grinned and hugged me. “Now be quiet for a few minutes so I can calm down,” he mumbled.

“Your body’s warm again, Jax,” I pointed out.

Did our kiss raise his fever?

“Jax?”

“I’m fine. Just a few minutes.” He held me a little tighter, and though I was concerned, I began to relax while I enjoyed his cinder scent.

We stayed quiet for a few minutes, his finger running in a circle along my lower back. It felt nice, especially with the inviting aroma and the now-calm rhythm of his heartbeat.

As time continued to pass, I wondered if he’d fallen asleep, but he finally spoke, “I’ve never enjoyed a relationship like this before.”

“Really?” That was all I could say. I wasn’t sure how to tackle this because the only person I knew he’d dated was Elisha.

“Yeah.”

The silence returned, but I didn’t want to pressure him to continue. He’d speak when he was ready to tell me his story.

“You see…Elisha is the type to always get what she wants. Whether it’s the latest phone, the hottest concerts, or the newest cars. She’s the type that never wants to hear no for an answer. She doesn’t care if she denies anyone else, as long as she’s satisfied and happy.”

His hand began to play with a few strands of my hair as he continued.

“Her father is the chief of police and spoils her. She…doesn’t have a mother figure. Her birth mom left them when she was super small. It was why her dad went above and beyond to give her the best life, I guess.”

He paused, and I continued being patient.

“When Elisha wanted to date me, it was one-sided,” he revealed.

“You didn’t like her? Not even a little?”

“Nope. I had no interest. She was snobby, rude, and she never liked me until everyone started gushing over us in high school. It was one of those ‘one day hate you, the next day madly in love with you’ situations, and I had no choice but to obey her request.”

I lifted my head up just slightly to glance at him. He looked down to stare into my eyes.

“What do you mean you had no choice? You’re allowed to do whatever you want. Did your parents really force you to date her because her dad is a police officer?”

It was an intrusive question, but since the matter was brought up, I wanted to see if I could get an answer.

“No. They were kind of forced into it, too,” Jax muttered.

This isn’t making any sense.

I sat up and moved so I laid right on top of him. Placing my elbows on his chest to hold my head in my hands, I narrowed my eyes to him.

“Spill. This isn’t making any sense. How can you be forced into a relationship and your parents also be forced into allowing it? Her father is an officer. He can’t compel them to make you date his daughter.”

“He was forced, too,” Jax mumbled.

“Jax.”

He bit his lip and looked away, appearing uncomfortable. I sighed and placed my hand near the edge of the bed and moved to hover just above him.

Without thinking, I lowered my lips lightly to his. It was a short kiss, because I didn’t want to drift away from the topic.

“You don’t need to tell me, but I never want you thinking you have to be with me. Ever. When you’re happy…I’m happy. You accepted me, even though I’m not perfect. I’m not as pretty as those girls, and I’m still working on the innocent, clueless part, but you still liked me. You still…loved me. You’ve protected and saved me and even now, you’re willing to tell me a bit of what troubles you. I know I don’t say it, but I really appreciate having you in my life, Jax. Elisha was a fool to force you into anything, but at least it’s over and you don’t need to deal with that anymore.”

He stared up at me as a tiny smile formed on his lips.

“You really are something special, Red.”

“When you say it like that, I’m not sure how to feel,” I muttered.

He leaned up and kissed me, before pulling me back down to rest on his chest.

“Elisha’s gift is why.”

“Why what?”

“Why we were forced to go along with everything.”

“I’m…not following,” I admitted, trying to put two and two together.

Jax chuckled and was running his hand through my hair again. “So cute.”

“Hey. Don’t compliment my slow nature. I’m working on it,” I whined.

He continued to chuckle, and I gave him that moment of laughter since I’d been teasing him earlier. Once he calmed down, he sighed.

“Elisha’s gift is manipulation. She can tell people what to do for a short period of time. She’s not super good at it, but it’s strong enough for her to tell you to do something she wants,” he revealed.

“Wait.” I lifted my head and stared at him with wide eyes. “She used her gift on you, your family, and even her dad?!”

“MewMew!”

I blinked, noticing the sudden weight on the top of my head. Glancing slightly up, I spotted my new familiar, whom I’d yet to name. She hadn’t shown up until now, and she was curiously looking down at me before her tiny paw began to tap my nose.

“You still haven’t given her a name.”

“I’m working on it,” I admitted.

“MewMew?” The kitten jumped onto Jax’s chest and began to rub her head against his chin.

“Hello, Bri’s familiar who doesn’t have a name yet.”

I rolled my eyes at his exaggeration but didn’t bother pestering him about it.

“Meow.”

I looked to see Luna hop onto the bed and walk onto Jax’s chest.

“What is this? A familiar gathering?” Jax complained.

“Meow.”

Jax sighed. “Hello, Luna. I missed you, too.”

She stretched and turned her head to look my way. I smiled sweetly at the pink cat with golden eyes. “Hey, Luna.”

“MewMew?” My familiar moved back to nudge my chin, looking as though she wanted my attention now. I giggled.

“I have to talk about something important with Jax. You want to play with Luna?”

“MewMew.” My familiar looked up at Luna, reaching out to pat her nose. Luna just stared at her, but within a few seconds, leaned down and picked my familiar up.

She hopped off the bed and walked to the corner of the hospital room; the two of them began to groom themselves.

“Luna likes her,” Jax commented.

“Really?” I asked.

“Yeah. She’s fond of her uniqueness,” Jax complimented.

“I’ll figure out a name for her,” I vowed. “I want her to have a name that is meaningful. That has a symbolic nature to it.”

“You’ll figure one out. There’s no rush,” Jax reasoned.

We were quiet as we watched my familiar and Luna continue to play. I looked back up at him, resting my chin on his chest.

“How was she allowed to use her gift on you all? She didn’t even get in trouble?”

Jax pondered about it.

“It wasn’t like she didn’t get in trouble, but by the time we figured it out, she’d already told everyone we were a couple. I didn’t get the chance to decline. Her father eventually apologized, having realized it himself. Even though he’s the chief of police and gives off this mean persona, he’s a softy when it comes to Elisha because he thinks it’s his fault her mother left.”

I thought about it. “Was it?”

“What?”

“Was it his fault? I mean, maybe I’m reaching regarding this, but what if Elisha told her mom to go away? If it was an accidental thing but her gift triggered and sent her away? You said it was when she was young, right?”

“Yeah.” Jax thought about it. “Could be…even so, it didn’t change anything. If she regrets what her gift did, she wouldn’t have continued to use it in a negative manner.”

“That’s true,” I whispered. “I’m not making excuses for what she did, but wow. I’m sorry, Jax. You should have never gone through that,” I whispered.

“It’s okay. Not your fault. You actually helped me in a lot of ways. Breaking up with her felt freeing, but it was difficult because of the aftermath she caused. However, that was when you arrived at school. You may have not realized it, but the attention shifted from me to you. They still talked about our breakup, but you started attracting most of the attention.” His hand reached to stroke my cheek.

“It was one of the reasons why I was upset about the threats you were getting. You didn’t deserve any of the hate you were receiving, and it was technically my fault. I’m sorry that I couldn’t protect you from it all. It wasn’t your burden to carry.”

“You weren’t the sole reason why all of that happened. There were a lot of factors and even Elijah played a role. And ultimately, there’s no excuse for her behavior and unfair use of her gift,” I whispered.

“Maybe. I’m sorry,” he apologized.

“You’re far too kind, Jax.” I hugged him the best I could, and he wrapped an arm around my waist to hug me back.

“My sister never liked her,” he muttered under his breath.

I was quiet at his comment, waiting for him to carry on.

“She was still…alive back then and she hated Elisha. Despised her, really. She never wanted me to be near her and hated when I’d complain about the things she was saying to others around the school. It was when she was still a bully and hated my guts, but my sister made sure everyone knew how much she hated Elisha. I bet if it was my sister’s choice, she would have pulled me from the school.” He said the last part with a bit of amusement, but it still sounded so sad.

“When she died…” He paused and took a shaky breath. “When she died, it was the night of some concert. It was one of those huge bands, and almost everyone in the city was attending. My parents didn’t tell me exactly what was going on when they called. All they said was get to the hospital right away. I knew where it was…I had no problem getting there, but that meant leaving Elisha at the concert. She went ballistic and yelled at me.”

“What?!” Now I was mad. “What do you mean she snapped at you?!”

Jax gave me a sad smile. “She literally yelled at me for being an idiot for thinking she’d let me leave.”

I gawked at him. “Do not tell me she—”

“I got as far as the entrance of the concert when my mom called again and told me…” He trailed off, his eyes blinking a few times as he looked away. “She told me my sister had tried to kill herself and was fighting for her life. That snapped me out of Elisha’s control. Before she could even try again, I was gone and at the hospital. My sister passed away an hour later, but she was awake very briefly. She told me she loved me. That she was proud of me, and that…I needed to be with someone who made me happy. Then she said she was sorry. Only a few short minutes later she took her final breaths…and poof, she was gone.”

A tear left his right eye, and he shook his head. “I was such an idiot.”

“Jax.” My voice cracked, my eyes filling with tears at the sad story. “You were not an idiot.”

“It felt that way,” he whispered, meeting my gaze. “I could have fought back. Left the relationship. I stayed because I didn’t want to cause trouble for anyone. Yet, I almost allowed myself to miss hearing Elsa’s final words. She hated the relationship and she died knowing I was with someone who was only dating me for show. I’m sure…if she could have met you, Brianne…she would have been so happy.”

“Jax.” I moved to slide my arms around his neck and hug him as tightly as I could. He held me tightly back, nestling his head into my neck and shoulder.

I knew he was crying from the way his shoulders slightly moved up and down, but I didn’t mention it.

Jax would sacrifice his own happiness if it meant helping his friends and family.

It made me want to give him the world.

2

INVOKE CHANGE AND SILENT VOW

“Iwonder if wearing Sailor Moon pajamas is weird?” I pondered to myself as I looked down at my sleeping attire.

After my talk with Jax, he’d dozed off until his parents came back to initiate the discharge. They had driven me home with them; my sister had received a call about a case she couldn’t refuse.

She’d already given the okay for me to stay over and my parents were both aware. They were dealing with another long case and wouldn’t be done for two more days. I did text them to say I was okay and had passed the exam, but I didn’t want to bother them when they were focusing on a crucial case.

From the tiny bit of information my mom gave in the text message, I felt as though it had to do with the case that killed Starlight’s team. I wasn’t sure, but if they had found the person who did it, I would be so happy.

Starlight had grown tremendously from it, but to get that level of closure with the prime culprit locked up behind bars would be amazing. Just because the goons and the little people were caught and serving their time, it didn’t mean my sister could fully move on.

If this was the guy who initiated it all, it was about time he got what he deserved.

Since Jax was well enough to eat something, we had a small meal together. It was quiet, and we didn’t talk much, but it wasn’t a negative thing. It was a comfortable silence, the four of us lost in our own thoughts.

Jax had taken a shower first, and I was thankful to Starlight for bringing a bag of clothes for me to wear. She’d added the weirdest set of underwear and bra I’d seen, but I was sure it was due to her need to be elsewhere. At least she hadn’t given me some of her frisky pieces. She did thankfully pack my Sailor Moon pajamas, but now that I was looking at them, I wondered if they were far too childish.

Am I supposed to wear something else? Will Jax think I’m weird?

I thought about it all the way back to his room, noticing Luna and my familiar were chilling in front of the door, waiting for me.

Once they noticed my presence, they ran into Jax’s room. I had an idea of what to call my familiar, but I needed to know something first. It would have to wait until tomorrow since it was far too late to ask.

Poking my head into the doorway of Jax’s room, I noticed he was already in bed. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, giving me an eyeful of his muscled chest once again. I really had to stop blushing whenever I saw his bare chest, but I really couldn’t help it.

His flaming hair was up in a ponytail, and his eyes were closed. From the way his head was bobbing to one side, I figured he was falling asleep.

I wanted to quietly walk into the room and not disturb him, dimming the lights with the control switch, but my familiar jumped onto the bed and right into Jax’s lap.

He slowly opened his eyes and diverted his gaze to his lap, my mischievous familiar sitting there proudly before she looked my way.

“MewMew?”

“I didn’t want you to wake him up,” I groaned quietly.

“MewMew.” She nudged Jax’s stomach and he began to chuckle.

“Hey there, Nameless One.”

“I’m still working on it.” I pouted my lip and put my hands on my hips.

“Sailor Moon pajamas?” he asked, his gold eyes scanning my sleeping attire. I blushed and moved my hands from my hips, slowly running my hands through my long orange hair.

“Um…yeah. Are they weird?”

“No. They look nice on you,” he complimented. “Sailor Moon is cool.”

I beamed at his praise and skipped over to his bed.

“Wow. A compliment goes a long way with you,” he smirked.

“I was nervous you wouldn’t like them,” I confessed shyly.

“I like anything you wear, Brianne. Even if it’s a casual t-shirt.” he winked.

“Really? Aren’t I supposed to wear something more…um…I don’t know…” I shrugged, unsure what I was supposed to wear.

“Brianne, come here.” Jax patted the spot next to him, which ended up being occupied by my familiar, who took it as a signal that it was play time.

I giggled when my familiar sat on Jax’s hand and Luna hopped onto the bed and joined in the playfulness.

Jax’s sighed, shaking his head. “I wasn’t referring to either of you.”

“Meow?”

“MewMew?”

I laughed at their puzzled faces, and I moved over to the other side of his bed. Crawling onto the bed, I snuggled right next to him, which gave us enough space.

“There.” I smiled.

Jax gave me a lazy grin and gently pressed a kiss to my left temple.

“I’m a little tired,” he admitted.

“The doctor did say the medication will make you tired,” I reminded him. We both moved a little further down the bed, giving Jax the chance to rest his head against his pillow. I reached for the blanket, moving it up to cover the two of us.

The night lamp wasn’t super bright, which helped give the room the perfect illumination to sleep in.

“MewMew.” I felt the tiny paws pat my lower back. I looked at where Luna and my familiar were previously, to find just Luna, who was purring quietly. Taking a peek at Jax, I noticed his eyes were closed and he looked to be asleep.

Did he fall asleep?

I very slowly turned in his arms, noticing my familiar was sitting at the edge of the bed, her innocent orange eyes looking at me with curiosity.

“MewMew!” Her tiny call was cute, and after my five seconds of attention, she hopped off the bed and started exploring Jax’s room.

I heard another thump and the purring sounds disappeared, which told me Luna must have gone off to follow my familiar.

Maybe I should turn the night lamp off? Since Jax is asleep.

I tried to get out of the bed, but before I could, Jax’s arms slipped around me and he pressed his body against mine.

I froze, not out of fear, but due to my mind realizing the strange position we were in. Sure, there were many times Elijah had hugged me from behind, but this was the first time I felt like this.

Whatever “this” feeling was.

It was as though my body was growing hot, but it was only in certain places, where it would also tingle and feel weird. I wouldn’t say it was uncomfortable. It felt…nice.

Yet, I was struggling to name whatever this feeling was and why I was experiencing it a lot with Jax.

He nuzzled his head into my neck and shoulder, and the heat rushed to my cheeks when his lips pressed firmly against my neck.

“J-Jax?”

He didn’t answer, his lips still pressed against my flesh. The kiss felt good, and it threw me off. I was flooded with joy and excitement, and the acknowledgment of his love made my heart flutter with a ray of hope that our relationship would be long-term.

We’d go the extra mile, and maybe this really would be something long-lasting.

When those lips moved, and he lightly grazed his teeth along the sensitive spot, I shivered at the pinch of pain but also felt a surge of that good feeling — like a crushing wave that made my whole body feel good. Feel worthy to be held by him. Loved by him. To be with him.

How could a kiss on someone’s neck feel this…electrifying? Or ignite so many feelings all at once?

His lips left my skin, but the sensitive spot still tingled with his presence. He hugged me tighter and rested his forehead against my shoulder.

“You’re so beautiful, Brianne. Makes it hard for me to think straight,” he whispered, his hot breath brushing against my skin.

“Jax,” I whispered. “You okay?”

“You’re going to leave.”

“Only to turn the lamp off,” I whispered.

Is he worried I was going to leave him? His fever must be going up again.

“I want it on,” he mumbled and hugged me tightly.

“Are you saying that so I don’t get out of bed?”

“Maybe,” he mumbled.

“Jax. You know…I care about you far too much now to leave you.”

“You still love me?” His voice sounded vulnerable. “Even though I feel like a weakling right now?”

“Why would you feel like that?”

“Because I’m sick.”

“Being sick is normal.”

“Bu—”

“Jax.” My voice was tender, and I lifted my left hand to stroke the top of his head where it rested against my shoulder.

“I love you. I’m not sure if we have to be dating for a long time to say that with enough truth, but I really do care for you. The day I spell traveled right into your arms seemed to ignite one thing after another. You helped me in so many ways, and those times I had a bit of self-doubt, you were there to lift me up. You’re unwell because you went over and beyond to save me and help us pass our exam. You’re the reason we finished our first year. I’ll always be there for you, no matter if you’re sick or perfectly healthy. Even if we end up not being together in the future, I don’t want it to end like my friendship with Elijah. I doubt it’ll happen…because I think this can go further. That we can be together for a very long time. I want to stay by your side if you’ll let me.”

“I want you by my side,” he confirmed. “Even if I make you mad or sad. If I ever hurt you, I want you to tell me. If…there’s a chance we don’t work out, I still want to be friends. Just you being in my life has made me feel more confident. You make me want to stand up for what’s right and lead. Before…it was so scary,” he confessed.

I slowly turned in his hold so we would be able to face one another. His golden eyes expressed his exhaustion, but it was the hint of fear in them that almost broke me. He was actually afraid to be the leader he portrayed so flawlessly.

“Jax. Why?” I asked.

“After Elsa’s death…I felt useless. If I’d taken ownership within my own life, that wouldn’t have happened. Adding Elisha’s ridicule and the rumors she was still spreading behind my back about me abandoning her at the concert….It was too much. If it wasn’t for Kaito and the others, I’m sure I would have…” He trailed off.

I brushed my hand against his cheek.

“It’s okay, Jax. It’s in the past now, remember? You’ve conquered that chapter in your life.”

My words seemed more advanced than what I’d normally say, but I wanted to be truthful. I couldn’t fathom what he had been through, but he’d conquered it with the little support he did have.

It’s just like how they were my support when I was being bullied.

“I know we don’t show it, but Kaito’s a really dear friend to me. He’s the perfect listener, and I always feel better when he gives me advice. Connor was annoying at first, especially with his gift, but he grew on me slowly. Finnick was the one who seemed to get me to laugh. The day would be horrible, but he’d still be able to make me smile. I’m happy they’re my friends…and I’m really happy they get to have you in their lives, too.” He closed his eyes.

“I feel like we’ve won the lottery, and sometimes…I’m scared you’ll go away. Dating Elisha was like a nightmare…and dating you is like a dream that I never want to end. Being around you helped me really focus on what I enjoy about being president. Being a leader has always been my thing, but I never found joy in it unless it was among the guys. However, this year at Witchling, I was able to do that. The buzzing noise happening around me faded away, like it didn’t matter anymore, and seeing you deal with all of it and more without letting it stop you from studying and doing well…I realized I wanted that. To lead with my head up and not be afraid of what Elisha was saying. It was all thanks to you.”

His hand pressed me closer to him, and he kissed my forehead and hugged me.

“If this is all a dream, I don’t want to wake up. For the first time…in a long time, I’m happy. My parents actually talk and smile during dinner now. They never used to before. It was always ‘how was school,’ grades, all of that. It was never us sitting at the table and talking about our day or how we were doing or feeling. Not since Elsa passed. Yet, it changed again, and that’s because of you entering my life.”

“That makes me feel special, Jax,” I whispered. “It makes me even happier to know you are actually happy. That’s what I want for you. Happiness and success.”

“It’s nice to have someone who wants that for me. Someone who looks at me the way you do. My girlfriend…who loves me for me. Even…if I’m not perfect. It makes me feel worth it…makes…breathing worth…it.”

I felt his head rest on my shoulder, but it was a light nudge. I looked to see his eyes were closed and his body was more relaxed.

Did he fall asleep?

I stroked his head gently, not wanting to wake him, but to comfort him.

At first glance, I would have never thought Jax would have gone through all of that. From his sister’s passing to being forced to date Elisha because of her gift.

He didn’t let it bring him down, and he worked through it to reach this point.

It was inspiring, and it only reinforced what I wanted to do and achieve. It may not have been a definite path I would take, but it was something I could see myself doing.

Slowly maneuvering Jax to lie on his back, I slipped out of his hold to turn off the lamp. I wasn’t extremely tired, but a small nap cuddled next to Jax would be nice.

I’d forgotten how nice it felt to sleep next to someone. The comfort and security it brought me. It felt even better with Jax. In his arms, the world could come down, and I’d still feel safe in his warm embrace.

Watching his peaceful expression, I lowered my lips to his, giving him a light kiss.

“Goodnight, Jax. I love you…and thank you for not letting the world change you.”

Snuggling against him, I closed my eyes and thought about one thing before sleep took me.

If I can evoke change like this, it would be such a gratifying experience.

“MEWMEW.”

The poking nudge at my cheek woke me up from my deep slumber. Opening my eyes, I noticed the blinking pink eyes staring down at me.

“What’s wrong?”

“MewMew.” My familiar moved from my line of vision and I lifted my head to notice she was licking Jax’s cheek.

I noticed how sweaty he was, and it tuned me in to how hot his body was with me pressed against it. Slowly moving out of his hold so as not to wake him, I quickly checked his temperature with my hand.

“He’s burning up again.” I bit my lip and got out of bed. Heading to the washroom, I got a bowl of cold water and face cloth.

Quietly making my way back to his room, I set the bowl on the nightstand and soaked the white cloth. Removing the blanket, I worked on patting him down with the damp cold cloth, one of the techniques I remembered seeing his mother do when the doctors were working on the spell to use.

I wonder if I can mimic that spell? I don’t remember the exact words though. It was like a constant breeze of cool air. What spell could make a substitute? Maybe I should get his mom or dad.

“MewMew!” My familiar walked onto Jax’s chest. She began to move in circles, leaving me to ponder what she was doing.

Jax stirred slightly, catching my attention.

“Bri…anne.”

I stilled and so did my familiar, the two of us looking at Jax, who looked like he was about to wake up.

“Meow.” Luna jumped onto the bed, walking over to Jax’s pillow and snuggling right next to him. She began to purr quietly, and it wasn’t long before Jax relaxed and his peaceful expression returned.

That was close.

I looked at my familiar and she blinked innocently at me, finally taking a seat in her spot.

“What were you planning to do?” I asked her.

“MewMew!” Her pink eyes blinked and began to glow gold with hints of orange. A sudden cool mist began to emit from her body, running along Jax and proceeding to continue as my familiar curled up and began to purr happily.

“You…you’re doing what they did at the hospital.” I beamed happily and moved to press the back of my hand to Jax’s forehead again. It wasn’t completely cool, but there was already a significant difference in his temperature.

“What a relief.” I sighed and looked at my familiar. “Thank you.”

“MewMew,” she replied and went back to purring.

I looked at Luna, who was staring at me. “Thank you, too, Luna.” It was thanks to her that Jax hadn’t woken up.

“Meow.” She lowered her head to her paws, looking content in her spot.

I grinned and turned my attention back to Jax. He looked a lot more comfortable now and wasn’t sweating anymore. My eyes softened, and I leaned down to kiss his forehead.

“Have a peaceful sleep, Jax.”

Picking up the bowl of water and face cloth, I made my way to the door and noticed the picture on the wall of Jax and his sister, Elsa.

I stared closely at her image, seeing how happy she appeared next to her little brother. Was the kidnapping the only thing that contributed to her wanting to end it all? She loved Jax and her family. Why would she want to leave it all behind?

I hope she’s in a better, more peaceful place.

Heading out of the room, I inched the door closed halfway and returned to the washroom to pour out the water. After rinsing it clear and washing the cloth, I hung it to dry.

Checking the mirror, I noticed the bright red mark on the left side of my neck.

Ah! Is that…what do they call it…uh…hickey! Yes. I think that’s what it’s called in shows, right? Looks like I got bit by a mosquito…hmm. Isn’t this like those marks all the girls are proud of showing off? Ah. I should hide it before Starlight picks me up…hmm. I…kinda like it though? Is that weird? Ugh, all of this is weird. They should make a book for people like me.

Shaking my head, I headed back to Jax’s room, only to notice his Mom was leaning against the door frame and staring into the room.

I paused in the hall to look at her. She was in a black and white business outfit; her short-sleeved white blouse was tucked into a black skirt that reached her knees. There was a tight black belt around her waist, and she wore shiny black heels.

I noticed her red hair was a lot longer now, at least enough for her to put up in a small bun. Her arms were crossed over her chest, but it didn’t appear as though she was angry.

To be honest, from where I was standing, I could only see a side of her face, but it was enough to see a hint of sadness.

I didn’t know how long I should stand there, or when it would be right to reveal myself, but I couldn’t move. Deep down, I wanted to give her that moment to appreciate Jax.

I was sure she did, and I could tell from how she took care of him during his admission in the hospital that she loved her son, but now that I knew more, it made me wonder if that was why she was strict with Jax.

Was she worried that giving Jax the freedom of going out like before would lead him down the same path as his older sister? Or did she want to keep eyes on him for his safety?

Luna emerged at the door, her pink head rubbing against Jax’s mom’s leg before she ran over to me. I smirked and knelt down to acknowledge the pink cat, her golden eyes looking up at me for a moment before I began to pet her head and scratch behind her ear.

“Hey, Luna.”

“Meow.” She moved from my hand and walked around my legs three times, brushing the side of her body and tail along my ankles before she ran right back into the room.

When I rose up, I noticed Jax’s mother was now looking my way, but she had a small smile on her face. I blushed slightly, feeling suddenly shy, but slowly walked toward her.

“Good evening, Mrs. Morgan,” I greeted.

She smiled. “Evening, Brianne. Shouldn’t you be asleep?”

“Jax was burning up again,” I admitted. “I was cooling him off with the washcloth method that they used at the hospital. And my familiar was able to copy the spell they did to cool him down.”

“Ah. That’s why there’s mist.” She nodded her head. “I wasn’t sure if walking in would stop it.”

“I don’t think so,” I stated, walking back into the room. My familiar was still in the same spot, while Luna was back in her spot next to Jax, who was still fast asleep.

Jax’s mother walked in and moved to stand next to Jax’s bed, while I remained close to the wall where the picture hung.

She gently pressed her hand on Jax’s forehead, a loving smile forming on her face. Jax moved just a bit, but he relaxed a few seconds later, a tiny smile on his lips.

“When he was younger, he would get fevers all the time,” she whispered. “We’d always be going to the hospital and during those times, they didn’t have this cooling spell. We’d have to soak him in a tub of ice cubes. He hated it, and it would only spike his fever more until he’d pass out.”

She shook her head. “He’d only calm down when his sister would arrive and hold him. Then he’d fall asleep and his fever would go down in minutes.”

Her eyes moved to my familiar, who was now staring up at her.

“MewMew.” Her tiny mews made the two of us smile, and Mrs. Morgan reached out and stroked her head. “Thank you, little one, for helping my son.”

“MewMew.” My familiar purred at the acknowledgment, looking extra happy.

“You haven’t thought of a name for her yet?”

“I have,” I replied. “However, I wanted to make sure it was okay.”

Mrs. Morgan looked at me, her eyes showing her curiosity. “Why don’t we head out into the hall for a moment?”

“All right,” I replied with a firm nod.

We moved into the hallway and left the door slightly open so my familiar knew I wasn’t too far. From what I could recall of the treatment at the hospital, she wouldn’t need to do the cool mist for much longer.

Once we were sure Jax wasn’t going to wake from our absence, I turned to face Mrs. Morgan.

“I know it’s not really my business, and I’m asking in utmost respect to you, Jax, and your husband, but…” I tried to figure out the proper words to say to ask my question without sounding disrespectful or intrusive.

“You want to know about Elsa.”

She knew…

Giving her a nod, I stood a little taller and gave her my full attention.

“Jax…is a very kind person. When you look at him, you might think he’s always upset or angry about something, but it’s all camouflage. He doesn’t want to be taken advantage of by people who only want to use him for their own benefit.” I didn’t hide my dissatisfaction with the last sentence as I continued.

“It’s sad that he has to. Upsetting that he had to endure so much from Elisha. I’m sure I don’t know everything, but there had to be a reason why he put up with it all. A reflection of the commitment that Jax saw and wanted to implement in his own life. I feel as though his hard-working nature and leadership is from you. I also think his clarity and bouts of calm come from his dad. But his determination to never give up…I think it comes from more than just you two. Uh…not to be insulting or anything,” I explained, really hoping I hadn’t hurt her feelings.

From the smirk on her face, I assumed I had to be on the right path.

“Continue,” she encouraged.

“What I’m trying to get at is…is why would Elsa do what she did? I’m a bit slow…or innocent…in many areas since I am seventeen and learn more from books than from actual experience. I know what she did…but I don’t understand why.” I looked into her eyes, feeling conflicted.

“You used to bake in the past, but you don’t anymore. You have cameras around the property and want Jax to stay home because you want to keep an eye on him so he doesn’t do what Elsa did, right? I mean…that’s the only thing I can really think of. I wonder if Jax decided to camouflage his true feelings because you do the same? On the surface, you appear always strict and focused on work and business, but in the hospital, I got to see the motherly side of you. You didn’t appear scary or unapproachable like you do when you’re in business mode, and I feel like that’s your way of making sure you don’t get hurt by people who don’t have your best interest at heart. It’s harder for them to approach you, let alone break you. That’s all because of Elsa’s death.”

I noticed Luna was back and sitting at my feet, and I crouched down to stroke her head while I carried on.

“From the brief information I got from Jax, I feel as though your family was perfect before. Obviously, there could be ups and downs, but it could have been like my family. My mom loves to bake and make us sweets, like cookies or pancakes for breakfast. My dad loves sports and reading the newspaper. My sister used to be joyous and bubbly. She was really happy and as an agent, she had that drive to spread goodness and bring peace to the world.” I stared into Luna’s gold eyes as I continued to pet her softly.

“Tragedy has a way of changing people. See, my sister had an amazing fiancé. He went from friend to teammate, boyfriend to fiancé. Then…he died during a mission. My sister was injured, and it flipped a switch in her. She went from that bundle of happiness to…well…a void of nothing. Even when she cried, it lacked emotion and she’d stare into space. It took her a long time to be the person she is now…and it was hard to watch.”

I glanced back up to meet her gaze. “To see my big sis a broken mess affected all of us. It wasn’t intentional, but when you see someone you love in so much despair, it leaks into you and if you’re not careful, you’re pulled right in, too. Death…it’s a hard thing to face, and when it’s a member of your family, a person you’ve known, loved, and cherished…their death takes a piece of you with them. I can never feel what you and your family did with Elsa’s death, but I just want to understand how she’d be able to…be fine with dying? To make that choice.”

With a sigh, I gave her a sad look. “I can’t understand things unless they’re explained. Unless I can read every sentence that describes a situation in detail. Many people might consider this quality a gift because I can read something once and get it. However…when it comes to situations like these? It’s hard. I can’t connect the dots, especially when I’m asked on the spot. I’m working on it, and Jax and the others are helping me…I just want to understand so I know how to help Jax when he’s sad. I want to know what to say without assuming this or that. I really like him, Mrs. Morgan. I want to support him and make it so he isn’t afraid of being who he is as a person, but to do that, I feel like I need to know what happened to Elsa and why.”

“Meow.” Luna moved to Ms. Morgan’s heels, and she crouched down to pet her. Her eyes didn’t meet mine, but she spoke.

“Do you know about Jax being kidnapped when he was younger?” she inquired.

“Yes,” I replied. “Kaito mentioned it.”

“When you’re in a position like mine, it sometimes puts your family members or loved ones at risk. I knew that when I took my role, but never really comprehended that it could happen. I’m sure it hasn’t happened to you, due to your sister’s position at Witchling Star Agency.”

I nodded when her eyes lifted to meet mine, but my mind went to the shadow people who tried to trap me during first semester. Pushing the thought away, I focused back on the present as she carried on.

“Well, that day became a reality when we received an anonymous phone call that our children had been kidnapped for ransom. I won’t go into details, but it took three gruesome days to locate them. When we did, Elsa…she was in rough shape. They had tortured her the most seeing as Jax was still young. Therapy doesn’t rid of the pain you’ve experienced. It doesn’t shut off the thoughts, memories, voices. It teaches you how to cope and move forward instead of backward, but it can never erase what the person experienced that traumatized them.”

She rose back up and I followed suit, the two of us maintaining our solemn gaze.

“Elsa tried. She fought her hardest to go back to her happy self who adored her little brother and wanted the best for him and us. She had so many dreams. So much potential to be someone who made her mark and changed the world with every action she took. Yet, the voices never stopped. The nightmares kept going, and one day, she simply couldn’t take it anymore.” Ms. Morgan blinked and smiled.

“Words are powerful, Brianne. However, they won’t always get through when you need them to. I did everything. I was granted leave to give her my full attention and my husband and I thought we were making great progress. Then…Elisha came into the picture. When she started bothering Jax, it really triggered Elsa. She felt as though Jax was losing his ability to fight for himself, and it reminded her of when they were trapped in those kidnappers’ hands. Elisha and Jax didn’t start dating until he was sixteen, but even that was flawed. We didn’t realize we’d been conned into everything until it was too difficult to fix. Trying to undo it would cause drama and bring even more trouble to Jax, and none of us wanted that. However, we all watched how it began to negatively affect him.”

She bit her lip, looking hurt by her own words.

“I should have acted like a parent. Not worried about my career. My husband and I were close to promotions that we’d been working toward for years. We figured, just a little more, and we’d be able to slow down and give Jax and Elsa our full attention. It led to us working double after our time off, and barely seeing them. Jax and Elsa got closer because of it, but Elsa…she was such a good actor. Just one wide smile would put your heart at ease and make you think everything was okay. It wasn’t until I received a text message from her that the image shattered and revealed the truth. By the time I’d read the text message and teleported home, it was too late. The damage was too grave. I wonder if I’d given her more attention and not gotten lost in work to cope with my own issues…she might still be with us.”

She shook her head with a sad smile. “I’m sure she would have liked you. She despised Elisha…and I understand why.”

“Why did you want Jax to get back with Elisha then?”

She gave me a hurt look. “I’m honestly not sure,” she confessed. “It was a sudden thought, and it felt so right. It wasn’t until after the dinner with the two of you that I realized that I must have been influenced again. Elisha had called and I talked to her because she said it was about Jax. I didn’t think she’d use her gift on me again. I don’t want to be fooled a third time, so I’m working with your mother and Professor Phoenix to figure out a solution or immunity of some sort.”

“How’s that going?”

“We’ve found a temporary solution. A bracelet or necklace would do the trick. It would activate when Elisha used her gift and block the signal. It would be helpful if we could do a few demos, but we don’t have that luxury.” Mrs. Morgan sighed. “This really isn’t a conversation I should be having with a seventeen-year-old.”

“You’re not wrong,” I replied. “But…thank you for telling me something that brings tears to your eyes and hurts your heart.”

She smiled, a tear rolling down her right cheek. She took a steady breath and whispered, “Brianne?”

“Yes, Mrs. Morgan?”

“Can you promise to look out for my boy?” She blinked her eyes rapidly, fighting back her tears. “I can’t…lose him. Losing one child is hard enough. I can’t afford to lose Jax, too. He doesn’t say it…and he hides it so well, but there are times when he’s hurting, and there’s this distance between us that I can’t get past. It’s my fault for being work-driven rather than proving to him that I’m here for him and he can rely on me. From the way he looks at you, I can see he trusts you. You are exactly what Jax, and the others as well, need in their lives. Jax trusts you because you don’t know every trick in the book or how to get into his head. He feels like he’s in control and has a choice in the relationship, and that’s why I’m beyond happy that he’s with you. To see someone like you show compassion and love to him, without really realizing how much of an impact you have, really proved to me what I’m missing as a mother. I love my boy, just as I adore my family, but I’m not good at showing emotion.”

She used the back of her hands to wipe her tears from her cheeks. “Having you enter our lives helped me get a glimpse of your family and reminded me of how our family used to be. The joy in our lives and the happiness we carried in our hearts. I loved baking because it brought us together at the dining table and we could speak about whatever bothered us. I stopped…simply because I wasn’t ready to talk about what was in my heart. Your mother is helping me get back into it. I’ve forgotten many things, but I’m learning again.”

She bowed her head to me, which made my eyes grow wide in shock.

“Mrs. Morgan?”

“Thank you, Brianne. I’m beyond grateful to you and thank you for loving my son to the fullest.” She rose back up, her tears running down her cheeks freely. “Ah. Now I’m a crying mess. Don’t mind me.”

I smiled and didn’t fight my own tears as I took two steps forward and hugged her.

“You’re an amazing mother, Mrs. Morgan. Jax may not say it, but he respects and loves you and his dad. Thank you for sharing and making me feel like a part of your family.”

I hugged her tightly, hoping my hug could help her heal. She hugged me back, and we shared a bonding moment as we quietly cried.

Deep down, I wished I had known Elsa, or at least could have been there to try and get through to her. All I could hope was that she was now at peace and could see how loved she was and the impact she left behind.

We pulled apart and wiped our tears, the two of us smiling when we composed ourselves.

“You should go to sleep, Brianne. Thank you for chatting and taking care of Jax.”

“Yes…um. Is it okay if I stay with Jax tonight?

“Sure.” She nodded her head. “As long as there are no more hickeys on your neck.”

“Hick…gah!” I began to blush, realizing I hadn’t hidden the red mark.

Mrs. Morgan actually laughed. “Must be nice to be young.”

“MewMew!”

I looked over to the doorway to see my familiar run out and to my feet. She sat there proudly, her tail moving side to side as her pink eyes twinkled.

“You finished?” I asked her, crouching down to scoop her up.

“MewMew,” she replied and purred, rubbing her head against my hands as I held her up to my chest.

“Good girl,” I praised, giving a light kiss to her head.

“Have you made a decision about her name?” Mrs. Morgan asked.

“Yes,” I replied. “I wanted to give her a name that had value to it. Almost like a symbolic meaning that proved strength and commitment.”

“And you decided on?”

“Elsa,” I proudly declared, noticing her eyes grow wide at my answer.

“MewMew!” my familiar happily replied, and I looked down to her pink eyes.

“When I found out Jax’s sister’s name, I knew that I wanted to name my familiar after her. She may have left this world far too early, but I’m hoping my familiar can be a little reminder of her impact in this world. She always wanted the best for Jax, and he’s always wanted the best for me. My familiar saved me when I’d lost all hope before Jax teleported us both. It reminds me of how Elsa protected Jax when they were kidnapped and probably felt hopeless. I know her name will never be forgotten, but I wanted to name my familiar in her honor, for being a loving sister and daughter…and I hope wherever she is, she’ll be able to shine brighter than ever and see how far her family has come despite the struggles.”

“Brianne.” Mrs. Morgan grinned as her eyes glistened with tears. “You definitely act older than your age in times like these. Thank you.”

I nodded and gave her my best smile.

“Thank you, Mrs. Morgan, for raising an amazing son like Jax,” I replied.

We smiled, and I looked down to my familiar.

It’s official. My familiar’s name is Elsa Harlow.

3

THANKFUL TO YOU

“Brianne,” Jax whined.

I walked down the hall from the washroom, gathering my hair up into a ponytail. I wore an orange crop top that read “Cute Book Nerd” in black. There was a tower of books on each side and the O’s in the word ‘book’ were shaped like a pair of glasses.

Matching the outfit with black tights and orange ankle socks, I looked like I was going for a run rather than getting ready to pack my little bag of clothes and head home.

Jax’s mother said she’d take me home or to the dorms at school to get anything I needed for summer vacation. Then I’d be meeting up with the twins for our sleepover.

The plans for what to do after were up in the air, at least until we knew if Jax was okay or not. He did, however, look much better this morning and seemed full of energy.

Especially with him whining.

“Yes, Jax?” I reached the doorway of his room to see him tugging at what looked like one of his pairs of boxers.

With a few blinks, I looked to my familiar, who was tugging on the other side of the red underwear. Glancing at Jax, I noticed he was still bare-chested, but was wearing grey-black shorts with his hair up in a ponytail.

His irritated frown made me grin, as I hadn’t seen that expression in some time.

Jax noticed my presence, turning his gaze to me and giving me a displeased frown. “Your familiar is trying to kidnap my underwear.”

“I can see that.” I smirked and walked over to where he was attempting to save his boxers. “Hmm. Does that mean you aren’t wearing any?”

His cheeks grew red, and he quickly stuttered, “I-I have shorts on.”

“But not boxers.”

“She!” He used his free hand to point to my familiar. “Tried to kidnap them before I had a chance! I didn’t want to be here butt naked when you got back.”

It was my turn to blush, as the image of Jax wearing no clothes came into my mind.

That…wouldn’t be so bad…right? No. No! I’m not supposed to think like that.

“Valid point,” I mumbled and looked away, the image still taunting me.

What would Jax look like without his boxers, though? We studied the human anatomy a few years ago but there were only diagrams of sketched out organs. What does a guy look like naked? Why am I thinking like this?

“Bri,” Jax whined again.

I turned back to the problem at hand and reached out to pet my familiar’s head. She ceased her pulling adventures, closing her eyes to purr as I continued to stroke her little head.

“Elsa? Jax needs his boxers. I’m sure it’s his favorite pair and he’ll start crying if you don’t give it back,” I quietly reasoned with my familiar.

She blinked her pink eyes, as her fur, orange with hints of gold, glowed slightly. She went right back to tugging, only this time, Jax let go, which sent my little familiar rolling back and right off the bed.

“Oops?” I moved to make sure my familiar was okay, realizing she’d fallen right on Luna, who so happened to be in the perfect spot to catch Elsa with her curled-up body.

Luna looked at me, blinking her gold eyes before she licked Elsa’s face while Elsa hugged Jax’s boxers for dear life.

“Hmm. Guess my familiar is going to be an underwear thief. You should hide your…” I trailed off when I noticed Jax’s eyes on me, his whole face looking shocked.

“Jax?” I walked back to stand in front of him, immediately pressing my hand on his forehead to check his temperature. “Are you not feeling well?”

“What did you just call your familiar?” he questioned.

“Elsa,” I repeated.

“MewMew?”

“Oh. Uh, no. I don’t need you, Elsa. Keep playing with Jax’s boxers and keeping Luna company,” I suggested, looking back at the bed to see if either of them would suddenly hop back up.

“Meow.”

“MewMew.”

After a few seconds, I assumed they would continue their relaxing time, and I looked back at Jax, who was still eyeing me.

“Why?” he asked.

“Elsa was your sister’s name.”

“Yes.”

“I wanted my familiar to have a name that had a deep meaning to it. When you first told me her name, I already decided it would fit my familiar nicely, but I wanted to ask permission first.”

“Ask…permission?” Jax looked confused.

“I had a talk with your mom last night. She told me about Elsa.”

“Everything?”

“Not necessarily everything, but enough for someone like me to understand. After she explained, I decided my familiar would be called Elsa Harlow,” I declared, not looking away from his intense eyes.

“MewMew!”

I couldn’t help but look away, noticing Elsa was sitting on the bed right next to where we stood. She nudged my hand with her head and then nudged Jax’s, his pair of boxers now abandoned next to her little orange body.

“Ah. Elsa, we’re not talking to you.” I grinned and picked her little body up. She purred happily as I tried to walk her back to the other side of the bed, but Luna met me halfway and sat at my feet.

“Luna? Can you take Elsa to play somewhere?” I suggested.

“Meow.”

I lowered Elsa back down, only for Luna to pick her up and carry her out of the room. I rose back up, but arms wrapped around me from behind.

Huh?

“Jax?” I questioned.

“Why would you name her after my sister?” he whispered. “Don’t…you think…she’s a coward?”

He purposely held me tighter, making it impossible for me to turn and face him as he rested his forehead on my shoulder.

“Why would anyone call her a coward?” I countered.

“That’s what Elisha said…” He struggled to continue.

“Elisha can…shut up. She doesn’t know anything. She would have preferred you go to a concert than see your sister one last time. What kind of person does that?” I grumbled in anger. “She knew nothing about Elsa.”

“She told everyone what a coward my sister was to…give up. That a silly kidnapping shouldn’t drive someone to do that and that I was overreacting.”

“Jax Morgan,” I whispered with a stern voice.

His body grew rigid at my tone, causing him to loosen his grip on me. I took advantage and shifted until we were facing each other, and I placed my hands on his cheeks.

“Elsa was not a coward. Elisha is wrong. All she wanted to do was hurt you because she’s a bitter…banana! No! A bitter buttcheek! Or…cheeks? Whatever.” I shook my head and looked into his gold eyes.

“What happened to you and your sister isn’t normal. It’s not something that should be brushed aside and taken lightly! Pain is pain. A paper cut, although tiny, can still cause pain. Or sting when you put alcohol on it. Your sister protected you, and I’m sure in your eyes, she was a hero in that moment of despair. I…I don’t know what it would be like in that situation, but if I had to imagine it, I’m sure it was scary. Right?”

He gave me a slight nod. “Very.” His voice was so low, I barely made out the word.

“Exactly. That’s something only someone who’s been through that situation can answer, and even so, I don’t think every situation is the same. If we both got paper cuts, mine would hurt maybe for a few minutes while yours could hurt for a day. We’d never know unless I told you and you told me. Elisha has no right to say anything or belittle you or your sister. Elsa did the best she could, and though she lost that battle, it doesn’t mean she’s a coward or loser. It’s thanks to her bravery that you weren’t hurt. That you’ve now grown into someone people look up to.” I moved my hands from his cheeks and slipped my left hand in his right.

Tugging him over to the picture that hung on his wall, I pointed to it.

“See this picture? You stare at it a lot, don’t you?”

When he nodded in reply, I carried on.

“You stare at it to remind you of the joy your sister brought into your life. It’s a reminder of the impact she had. It’s why during holidays, you may feel sad. Not because of what happened during that time, but because you miss her presence. You may miss the talks you had, or the hugs she’d give you…even when there are days you didn’t want her affection. My sister does the same to me, and in those moments, I’m annoyed by her affection, but in the middle of the night, I can think about it and smile because it truly made me happy.”

Staring back at him, I squeezed his hand.

“I don’t know everything about Elsa. I never will. However, she lives through you and the rest of your family, and I don’t want you ever thinking negatively because of what someone else says to make themselves feel good. Elisha is in the past, and I’m sure she only said that to hurt you, because it’s nowhere near true.”

Jax stared into my eyes and then looked at the picture on the wall.

“You’re really okay with calling your familiar after my sister?”

“Yup.” I nodded. “It’s final.”

He looked back at me, noticing my approving smile. His lips curled up, and he took two steps forward to pull me in a hug.

“You really are too good for us,” he whispered as he took a deep inhale.

“I don’t think so,” I replied. “You guys helped me. I think we balance each other rather well. I should become the fifth member of the Notorious Four.”

“It wouldn’t be called Notorious Four if you joined, Brianne.”

“Oh,” I remarked. “Um…well, we’d make it work.”

He pulled back slightly to look down at me. “Hmm.”

“What?”

“You’ve gotten taller.”

“I feel the same,” I pointed out.

“Hmm. Stop growing.”

“Uh. That isn’t something I can control here.” I rolled my eyes dramatically.

His lips pressed onto my forehead.

“I can’t kiss your forehead like this if you keep getting taller,” he whispered. I glanced up at him as he looked down at me.

“Thank you, Brianne, for taking care of me when I was sick. I’m sure I was a hassle,” he whispered.

“You were just fine.” I gave him a loving smile. “Just…promise me if something is bothering you…whether from the past or something new that comes up, you’ll rely on me like I rely on you guys?”

“Okay.” He actually smiled and nodded his head. “I promise.”

“Pinky swear?!” I lifted my hand to present my pinky at him.

He arched an eyebrow at me. “No one pinky swears anymore, Brianne.”

“What? Why not?” I gasped in horror.

That made him chuckle, and he slid an arm from my waist to present his pinky. Wrapping it around mine, we had a firm pinky shake.

“It’s old school.”

“You’re old school,” I mumbled.

“That’s a childish response.”

“Whatever. I’m cool,” I huffed.

“Uh huh.” He kissed me gently on the lips. “You’re also cool when your face gets red like that.”

“I-I’m not red! It’s your fault for kissing me! I’m…not used to it yet,” I muttered as I shyly looked away.

I could feel Jax’s amusement, but I also felt the soft brush of his thumb along the side of my neck.

“Who gave you a hickey?” he asked curiously.

“You did,” I pointed my finger at him.

“When?”

“Last night when you stopped me from turning the night lamp off.”

“I don’t remember that,” he admitted.

“Why do you look disappointed?”

“Because I’d want to remember giving you a hickey,” he boldly replied. I just stared at him, and he sighed. “Elsa’s on your head.”

“Huh?”

I looked up to try and see if my familiar was on my head, considering I hadn’t noticed. “No, she’s n—”

My words stalled in my mouth as I felt Jax’s warm lips press on the exact spot where he’d left the hickey last night.

“J-Jax?”

That heated tingle was back, spreading through me. I closed my eyes when his lips moved against my flesh and his teeth lightly grazed the sensitive spot.

“I don’t want it to fade yet,” he whispered, his hot breath tickling my flesh. “Since I don’t remember doing it, I have to give you another one.”

“That’s a bad reason,” I whispered but kept my eyes closed and enjoyed the final bit of the kiss against my neck.

“If it was a bad reason, you would have moved away.” His voice was quiet.

“You’re annoying,” I mumbled.

“You’re saying that because you’re embarrassed,” he replied, and hugged me again. “So cute.”

“Whatever,” I mumbled, and hugged him back, inhaling his cinder scent while relaxing in his loving hold.

I was glad he was healthy again, and it almost seemed as though this really helped us get closer.

Something brushed my leg before it began to nudge my ankle. I giggled and pulled back to see Elsa, who was looking up at me.

“MewMew?”

“You ran from Luna, didn’t you?”

She purred and began to run around our feet.

“You’re familiar is trouble. I can sense it,” Jax sighed.

“MewMew!” Elsa jumped onto the bed, snatched Jax’s boxers, and raced out of the room.

“My boxers!” Jax exclaimed. I burst into laughter.

“Good! That’s what you get for trying to be psychic and predict Elsa’s future.”

“Ugh,” Jax groaned. “I’ll just put on another pair.”

I stopped him from leaving our hug, and he looked down at me with an intrigued look. When I didn’t say anything, a smirk formed on his lips that were on mine in seconds, the two of us sharing a tender kiss.

“Do you like when I kiss you?” he asked softly.

I nodded, my eyes looking elsewhere. He kissed my forehead one last time. “Then I’ll make sure to kiss you more often, okay?”

“Okay,” I replied, looking back at him to see his softened gaze. He gave me another hug, before finally pulling away.

“I’m going to put some underwear on,” he announced. “You can stay if you want.”

“N-no thanks!” I swiftly turned around and went out into the hall. “I’m going to get the boxer thief.”

I walked away before Jax could reply, but I did catch his low chuckle. It made a grin form on my lips, and I ended up skipping down the hall to the washroom.

Walking in, I looked right at the bathtub where Elsa and Luna were both chilling. Luna was observing Elsa, who had Jax’s boxers under the faucet that was slightly open and dripping a small stream of water.

“Looks like he can’t wear these.” I stared down at the wet boxers as Elsa looked up at me with pride. She wiggled her nose, and I arched an eyebrow at her.

“Are you going to—”

I didn’t finish when my familiar sneezed, freezing the pair of boxers into a block of ice.

“Meow?” Luna looked intrigued, walking over to Elsa, who looked happy with the block of ice. She jumped onto it and sat there with pride, looking up at me with the happiest expression as her pink eyes twinkled in delight.

“Yeah…definitely can’t use those today.” I grinned and reached to pet her and Luna. “Wanna go and find something to eat? Maybe we can make something,” I suggested.

“MewMew!”

“Meow!”

The two of them abandoned the block of ice and ran out of the washroom. Looking back at the frozen boxers, I knelt down and closed my eyes.

“Flamenosa.”

Opening eyes, I watched the block rapidly melt from the sudden fire spell I had created that was now wrapping around it. Once the block was gone, the flame disappeared, leaving the poor, drenched boxers.

Picking them up, I frowned. “I’ll just hang them to dry…somewhere.”

Wringing them out with my eyes closed, I quickly hung them on the bar, washed and dried my hands, and headed out into the hall.

Is it weird that I cringe at touching boxers? At least I was able to dry them! Progress. Yes, totally progress.

My nose caught onto the scent of something cooking, and I noticed Luna and Elsa sniffing the air. In seconds, they were running down the hall and down the stairs, which made me grin in amusement.

I bet they want bacon.

Someone was definitely cooking downstairs. I headed back to Jax’s room, only to notice it was now empty.

Jax must be cooking breakfast.

Heading downstairs, I noticed Elsa was waiting for me at the bottom step. When she noticed my arrival, she brushed her body against my ankle and ran down the hall. I followed and saw Luna was waiting at the entrance. Pausing to look down at the two familiars, I caught onto Jax’s voice.

“I’m fine, Mom. See? No fever.”

“Let me just make sure.” I caught onto Mrs. Morgan’s voice.

Leaning over, I peeked into the kitchen to see Jax’s mom facing Jax with her hand on his forehead. Jax had put a red T-shirt on and was still wearing his black shorts.

“Hmm. Your temperature is okay,” she mumbled.

“Told you,” Jax replied.

“Your fever returned last night,” she pointed out. “It’s thanks to Brianne and her familiar that you’re up and talkative.” She lightly flicked his forehead.

“Ugh. Mom,” Jax whined, putting his hands on his forehead. “That hurt.”

“Good. Make sure you thank Brianne.”

“I did.” Jax pouted. “She’s…really amazing, Mom.”

She stared at him and slowly nodded. “That she is.”

Turning around, she moved back to the stove, flipping over the pancakes on the large pan. “You should go get her. Food is almost ready.”

“Yeah,” Jax replied, but I noticed he still stared at his mother. It appeared that he was deep in thought, and very slowly, he walked up to his mom’s back and hugged her.

“Jax?”

“Thanks for taking care of me in the hospital, Mom. I don’t say it often, but I love you very much,” he whispered. “I also missed your baking.”

She was quiet, and I wondered if she was getting emotional.

“I’ll…try to bake more often,” she whispered. “Just keep being my amazing son.”

Jax nodded against her back, hugging her tightly.

“I also love you, too,” she added.

Elsa patted my foot, and I knelt down to pet her and Luna, a tear rolling down my cheek as I looked back at Jax and his mother.

“Yeah, Elsa,” I whispered to my familiar. “I hope the Elsa in heaven can see them, too.”

Witness her family coming together again.

4

GIRLFRIEND SLEEPOVER

“You’ve NEVER had a sleepover before?!”

Lowering Elsa to the floor, I glanced over to Mia and Miya as they continued to gawk at me in pure horror.

“Yes. Never,” I admitted. “I wasn’t cool enough to be invited to one. I’m a nerd.”

“You are not!” Miya declared.

“That’s blasphemy!” Mia exclaimed.

“Do you even know what that means?” Miya asked her sister.

“No, but I just learned it. I’ll figure out the fine details eventually,” Mia brushed off.

A grin formed on my lips as I watched them bicker on their pink king-size bed.

After my breakfast with Jax and his mom, the rest of the Notorious Four arrived at his place, with Kaito’s parents, Katsume, and Connor’s parents.

I wasn’t able to grab the whole story, but the sleepover plans were changed just slightly, with Katsume keeping watch over the guys at Jax’s place while I went to sleep over at Mia and Miya’s.

It looked like Kaito’s, Connor’s, and Jax’s parents were going to visit Finnick’s parents for something. It had to be a big event since my parents were apparently going to meet with Jax’s dad, who was on the way to pick them up from the courthouse.

Even without the details about their get-together, it intrigued me how our parents were coming together to hang out. It made me happy since my parents didn’t socialize often unless it was a holiday party or a work event.

After we’d finalized the plans, I’d said goodbye to the guys and Mrs. Morgan had driven me to get whatever I needed at school. Then she dropped me off at the twins’ house. Mia and Miya’s parents were home, all three of them. They were super nice and friendly, and I was greeted with a fresh batch of oatmeal cookies.

Mia and Miya had familiars of their own, two pure white wolves with pink eyes. The introduction of them and Elsa was priceless.

I didn’t know how, but Luna randomly showed up, leaving me to wonder if she’d tracked me down or hidden in my bag somewhere. Either way, she was joining the familiar sleepover happening in the corner of the large pink room.

The Park family was well off; their house was at least as big as Jax’s. They had a pool, tennis court, home theatre, and enough space to fit a merry-go-round if they wanted to.

After cookies and introductions, the twins showed me around and their parents said I could come by anytime to study or simply hang out.

To be invited back left me in a bubble of happiness, and seeing Elsa and even Luna get along with their familiars, Lux and Lyx, made me sure this summer was going to be thrilling.

Elsa began to pat my foot, pulling me out of my daze. Once my eyes landed on her, she sat back proudly, loving the bright pink collar with a bell on the front.

She hadn’t had one earlier, but the moment she met Lux, who was Mia’s familiar, and Lyx, who was Miya’s, she couldn’t stop idolizing their collars.

We made a temporary magic one, but it disappeared shortly after and she was all depressed.

I wasn’t sure if cats wore collars, but if it made Elsa happy, why not?

“Go play with the others, Elsa,” I encouraged.

“MewMew!”

With my approval, she was off to the corner to begin her adventures, which involved climbing Lux and Lyx, who were both relaxing around Luna.

“I’m so glad you gave your familiar a name,” Miya noted.

“Yeah. Elsa is a pretty name,” Mia added.

“Yeah. It’s a name that means a lot to someone I care about. Figured it would be perfect.” I walked over to their bed and began to gather my hair into a messy bun.

“Hmm,” they said in unison.

“What?”

“You got taller,” they said together.

“Why is everyone saying that?” I pondered.

“You were a lot shorter when we met you,” Mia acknowledged

“I’m 5′3″.”

“Not anymore,” they sang.

“What? But you guys are still taller than me. I reach you guys’ noses.” I tapped my nose for extra emphasis.

“When we met you, you stood at our chin,” Miya elaborated.

“You probably don’t notice because we began to wear black sneaker wedges to school instead of the flats that we wore the first half of last semester. We didn’t know if we were allowed to wear them until we asked Professor Phoenix,” Mia explained.

“Then…how tall am I?” I wondered.

Miya scooted off the bed and skipped over to me. We stood side by side, and she pointed to Mia, who also got off the bed.

“You check. You’re better at eyesight measuring than me.”

“Fine. Stay still!” She walked around us twice and stopped to face us.

“You’re still 5′8″ sis, but Brianne, you’re 5′6″ and a bit now. Wow…if you keep growing like this, you’ll be our height or even taller.”

“Really?” I patted my head like it would help me stay shorter. “Finnick and Jax mentioned it. Now you two.”

“It’s a good thing!” they said in unison. “How tall is your sister?” added Miya.

“Six feet. She appears taller because she loves wearing combat heels. Apparently, it makes her look more intimidating,” I explained.

“Then you may reach the same height. Did your sister have a sudden growth spurt?” Mia asked.

“Hmm. I guess so. When she was seventeen she was pretty short, and then when her magic suddenly began to grow in power, so did her height and chest. By eighteen she looked like she does now. Just less into fashion and makeup.”

“That’s exciting!” the two of them clapped their hands.

“We don’t show it much, but we love makeup,” Mia announced.

“Fashion, too! We still have to learn what’s trendy here versus in Korea.”

“It’s different?” I asked.

“Yup!” They nodded their heads.

“BIG difference.” Miya raised her hands up and spread them out. “The makeup trends are on different spectrums.”

“Right?! Currently, there’s a new lash formula that is flying off the shelves here, while in Korea, there’s a new skin product that is selling out in seconds whenever they restock. I have the magazine still.” Mia walked over to their vanity to grab a thick magazine from the countertop.

“I wish I was into makeup, but I’m a little clueless.” I bit my lip nervously. “I’m not good at it.”

“That’s okay!” Miya walked around me and patted my shoulder. “We can teach you. We weren’t really into it until recently.”

“Yes. When we were waiting for our visas, we ended up staying home unless we had to attend mandatory assemblies and classes at the school we were in. Our parents didn’t want us to be too bored so they let us go through magazines and stuff. Our mom is really good at makeup and is an artist on the side for weddings and stuff. We watched videos online to learn.”

“Videos online? Like tutorials?” I asked innocently, looking between the two of them.

“Yes!” they cheered. Miya grabbed my hand while Mia grabbed a different magazine. The three of us then went to the desk on the opposite side of their bed.

“There are a ton of videos that explain things step-by-step. If you don’t understand a specific step, there are videos for that as well,” Mia explained.

“Yup. The magazines help you know what products are new and in, as well as the prices. We try to stay on a specific budget because makeup products are expensive. Some are worth it, but others are really overpriced and sell based off of the brand.”

“Really? What’s an example of overpriced?”

“Hmm…” They tapped their lips in unison.

“Liquid lipstick is on trend right now. That’s a tube that has lipstick in liquid form that stays there after it’s applied, even if you drink water or kiss,” Miya began.

“A cheap price for a decent liquid lipstick would be something along the lines of sixteen to eighteen bucks. Like…Jeffree Star, or Ana…Ana…”

“Anastasia Beverly Hills?” I asked.

They both stared at me in awe. “Yes! How did you know?”

I took a second to recover from the synchronized response.

“My sister loves that brand. She has all the lipsticks in her room. She’s a lipstick hog and is always wearing a new lipstick or lip gloss. She has these really pretty ones with sharp golden caps. She encased them in a display.”

“Christian Louboutin lipsticks?!”

“Uh…sure? From the brand with the shoes that have red on the bottom,” I explained from my memory of when Starlight went to an event honoring her first one hundred closed cases.

“Those…are super expensive,” the twins replied.

“Are they?” I asked.

“Like a hundred for one,” Mia explained.

“The limited-edition ones are a thousand dollars,” Miya elaborated.

“One hundred? One thousand?!” I gasped. “That’s…like my yearly allowance.”

“One hundred?” Mia asked.

“Or one thousand?”

“One thousand,” I replied. “I put all my allowance in a savings account unless I need food or to go out…oh. Is that weird?”

“No.” They both beamed. “We do, too!”

The three of us laughed, and I looked between the two of them.

“When I’m around you guys, I don’t feel completely weird.”

“And you never should!” they replied.

Mia followed up with, “We are your friends, Brianne. If you don’t understand something, just ask.”

“And never feel embarrassed if you haven’t experienced something or do things differently than us. One person can’t experience everything. That’s why you have friends. We can share our experiences and learn from one another,” Miya elaborated.

“Exactly. If the three of us haven’t experienced it, we’ll work on figuring it out together!”

“What if I don’t get something?” I questioned.

“We’ll help you,” they replied.

“Even if it’s not written in books?”

“Yup!” They bobbed their heads up and down.

“You guys are really the best.” I smiled brightly at them. “Let’s watch tutorials?”

“Yes!” the two of them cheered and quickly moved to the white bench. They patted the middle spot. “Squeeze in.”

I giggled and squeezed myself in between them. We began to watch a bunch of online videos about different ways of putting on makeup and the different trends currently happening around the world.

After two hours of watching and laughter, Mrs. Park brought us glasses of milk with a cookie for each of us.

We’d almost finished our glasses of milk when Miya pointed out my pajamas.

“Brianne. I love your Sailor Moon pajamas.”

“You guys know Sailor Moon?” I asked.

“Mhm,” she replied as she took another long gulp of their remaining milk.

With a sigh, Mia carried on, “Sailor Moon is pretty universal now, because they’ve relaunched it plenty of times. They made a Korean-style version where the characters aren’t Japanese but Korean.”

“Wow, that’s amazing,” I commented after I finished my glass.

“They’re working on an African one and I think India is next. I think they want to make it so the series’ characters are displayed in many races other than Japanese. It’s a cool project,” Mia explained.

“That reminds me, you stayed over with Jax yesterday, right?”

“Ah. Yes,” I replied. “He said my pajamas were nice on me and that Sailor Moon was cool. I asked him if it was weird, and that was his response. He also said he likes anything I wear, even a casual T-shirt.”

The two blinked and stared at me.

“Is…that bad? That’s bad, isn’t it?”

“It’s not bad,” they replied.

“I guess that was her only option,” Miya suggested to Mia.

“Could have been. Plus, Jax was sick,” Mia answered back.

“That wasn’t my only option,” I countered, grabbing both their attention. “I mean, my sister gave me this underwear-bra thing, but it was so…skimpy? Is that the word?”

“Let’s see!” they exclaimed.

I pouted my lips but rose up and walked over to my bag. Pulling out the set, I walked back over to the table to show them.

“See! Skimpy.”

“Brianne, that’s totally sexy!” Mia exclaimed, rising up to get a better look. “These are brand new, too.”

“This is a new style that came out literally two weeks ago. They sold out like hot cakes. Our set is on pre-order. We ordered five colors.”

“F-five?!” I stuttered.

“Yes.” They nodded.

“B-but…why?”

“Why not?” Miya asked. “Don’t you wear lingerie?”

“N-n-no? I mean…yes, like underwear and a basic bra. Not those fancy ones. Just a sports bra if I’m going to be active or if my top is too thin for me to not get away without one.” I was sure my face was flushed.

“Try it on!” they encouraged.

“Huh? Now? B-b-but…”

“Don’t be so nervous, Brianne.” Mia smiled. “We’re not here to judge you.”

“It’s better for you try it on and see how it feels and looks. We won’t tell anyone or anything. We think you’re just worried about it because you’ve never wore anything like it before, right?”

“W-well…yeah…” I looked to the floor. “Was I supposed to wear this in front of Jax?”

“Not unless you were comfortable.”

I looked up at them, noticing their serious gazes.

“You shouldn’t worry about those things with your boyfriend,” Mia disclosed.

“I shouldn’t?” I questioned.

“Lingerie wasn’t made to please boys, Bri.” Miya smiled. “They were made to make us girls feel good about ourselves. We wear them to see how nice we look and feel more confident. It’s like a way for us to spoil ourselves and embrace our beauty. It’s like wearing makeup. You don’t have to wear it to impress people. You wear it because YOU want to wear it and heighten your beauty.”

“Yup! That’s what our parents taught us. Our dads say that loving yourself comes first. You have to do things that you’re comfortable with doing. If you didn’t feel comfortable wearing this set in front of Jax, that’s perfectly fine. He still loves you, and as you said, he doesn’t mind what you wear,” Mia explained.

“Sure, wearing lingerie is extra nice in a relationship, but that’s not something you have to worry about at the moment. For now, we’re going to focus on helping you feel more comfortable in your own skin,” Miya said and clapped her hands together. “If you want to try it on now, you totally can, but we won’t force you if you’re worried or uncomfortable.”

“We support whatever,” Mia confirmed.

I looked down at the two pieces. “I guess it would be nice to try it on. Then I’ll know for sure that I put it on right…it’s basically like a bathing suit or regular underwear and bra. Just with straps and stuff.”

“Did it come with anything else?” they asked.

“Some stocking thing.”

“Get that as well. We can teach you how to wear it.”

“Okay.” I went back to my bag to get the other stuff and went to their private washroom to quickly change.

“Um. I think I need help,” I admitted.

“Coming,” they said together.

They poked their heads into the washroom and beamed.

“Wow! Brianne,” Miya exclaimed. “You’re hiding the good stuff!”

“Good stuff?” I asked, looking around. “If that means chocolate, I don’t have any.”

They both burst out laughing.

“No, no!’ Mia giggled. “Your body!”

“What about it?” I asked.

“You’re hot! You have a six pack after eating a cookie!” Miya pointed to my abs.

“Uh…am I not supposed to?” I innocently asked.

“Uh…” they said together. “See, we have six packs before we eat. After that, it’s gone forever,” Mia stressed.

“Forever,” I gasped.

“Forever as in the next day when we wake up,” Miya giggled. “We’re working on it. We have to start running again. We kind of ruined our routine when we came here and haven’t gotten back on track.”

“Exactly. We’ll work on it soon because of bikini season!”

“You guys wear bikinis? Like…in public? I’m fine with wearing them around close friends and family, but not at the beach and stuff.”

“Yes! It’s so empowering when you’re walking down the beach in a bikini with the wind blowing through your hair and your sunglasses sparkling from the sunshine.” Mia flicked her hair and closed her eyes, raising her hands up and walking around us. “And you shake your hips like this! And that!”

Miya began to laugh. “Your hips are going to break someone on impact with that much force.”

I snickered, and Mia laughed. “Good! Anyone tries to look at me the wrong way, kaboom! Hip bump to them. Send them flying off to space like Team Rocket!”

The three of us continued to laugh.

“Seriously, Brianne. You’re super pretty and you should be confident in your body,” Miya praised and patted my shoulder. “Shake what your mama gave you!”

“Here. Untie your hair for a sec,” Mia encouraged.

“All right.” I did as they asked, and they used a pinch of magic to leave it loosely curled.

“Perfect!” They high fived each other.

“Come see the finished product, Bri,” Mia encouraged.

“We didn’t put any makeup on or anything. Just curled your hair a bit,” Miya assured me.

“Okay,” I replied and followed them back out of the washroom to their large standing mirror.

When I saw myself, I literally gawked at my reflection. I couldn’t help it.

“T-that’s me? A-are you guys sure you used just some magic on my hair?”

“Positive,” they replied.

Staring at my image, I looked at myself from top to bottom. The lingerie set seemed to hold everything right. My chest was lifted and reminded me of the commercials for lingerie shops you’d see on the television. It wasn’t flattened like when I’d wear my sports bra that kept everything tightly in place.

My abs definitely stood out, but they weren’t as defined as in the early mornings. The underwear was pretty with the center mini bow that had a single rhinestone, and the long stockings that clipped to the underwear had bows with the same single rhinestone in the middle.

Now that I was actually taking the time to stare at the mirror, I realized that I had gotten taller. My butt was a lot perkier than I remembered, but Starlight had mentioned when I started adding squats into my mini workouts and home magic lessons that my booty would rise up more.

Or become ‘plump,’ as she put it.

Even during both semesters, I had still tried to keep my workouts in check, but I never stopped to appreciate my body or my “hard work” in keeping myself healthy and active for the sake of what was to come for school.

Staring at myself, I realized I could wear this with confidence instead of being afraid of embarrassing myself.

Would Jax be okay with me wearing this one night with him? I wonder if…it would make him really happy?

“What do you think?” Mia asked, walking over to stand on my right.

“Like it? Hate it?” Miya inquired from my left.

“I’ve never…felt this, um…”

“Sexy?” they suggested. “Attractive? Pretty? Beautiful?”

“All the above?” I gave them a shy smile. “I’ve been so focused on training and working towards being prepared for whatever school I got into, that I really never took the time to appreciate my own body. My mom or sister are the ones who get my underwear since I’d rather read a book at home than go shopping with them, and they just get me stuff when I need it. It’s not like I’m not interested…it’s just…I didn’t think a nerdy girl like me was allowed to.”

I looked at the twins’ sad expressions in the mirror and quickly raised my hands in defense. “Don’t be sad. It’s my fault. I mean, everyone at school always said that nerds don’t do this and that, and I simply believed them. I never told my parents since I didn’t see it as necessary, and though my sister would ask me about school, I’d make an excuse. She’s busy saving our city and stuff. I focused my attention on learning as much as I could and being powerful, in hopes…well, in hopes of finding people who appreciated a nerd like me.”

I stared at my image in the mirror.

“If you guys hadn’t encouraged me, I would have never tried this on. I wouldn’t be able to see that I am like the other pretty girls in my classes. It’s not like I’m not confident in my body, but I’ve never really acknowledged myself as a woman who can be attractive without a nice dress or set of clothes. This attire doesn’t hide much at all, but I don’t feel as nervous.”

Taking two steps forward, I spun around with my back facing the mirror and smiled at them.

“Mia. Miya. Thank you, guys, for being my friends. I’ve learned more throughout the semester with you guys than I have in all my previous years. I think it’s helping a lot. I was able to comfort Jax when he was sick, and even had the courage to talk to his mom. I don’t think I would have been able to do that if it wasn’t for you guys and my boyfriends in my life. It’s nice to actually be happy with my real life, instead of the imaginary ones I read about in books.”

I scratched my head and smiled shyly at them.

“Ah. I think I made this whole thing a little emotional, but I mean everything I said. If I ever say or do something that makes either of you mad, you’ll let me know, right?” I whispered hesitantly. “I’ve never had a lot of friends, and I’m always anxious that I’ll do something stupid and screw it all up. I don’t want to do that with our friendship. So, if I do ever hurt you guys, please tell me. I’m naive and still growing, but I’ll apologize if I ever hurt you.”

The two of them were staring at me in one second and crying the next.

“Ah! I didn’t mean to make you guys cr–gah!”

“Brianne!” they both cried and launched themselves at me, the three of us falling to the ground.

“Don’t worry, Bri. You’re stuck with us forever. We’ll teach you everything and people will dream about being your friend,” Mia cried.

“Yeah! You’ll be even hotter and stop all the boys in the halls and make them jealous! In fact, you’ll stop the girls, too!” Miya cried.

“Guys, I’m dying. You guys are heavy,” I whined but patted their backs to try and console them.

I gave up on trying to get them off me, staring at the ceiling with a small smile on my face. Maybe the gods of Witchling Academy had felt bad for me and sent the twins my way.

When the twins finally calmed down, we got up and I went and changed back into my pajamas. Returning the set to my bag, I took my time to fold the pieces and put them nicely inside, mentally thanking Starlight for buying them.

Mia and Miya quickly washed their faces and showed me how to do a cool night routine with some skincare products. They promised we’d go on a few shopping dates and get me the best products that were affordable for back to school.

I made a mental note to save up my allowance for the next three months for those special occasions.

Once we all finished, Mia turned the lights off while Miya and I made sure our familiars were all asleep. Then we climbed onto the huge king size bed and snuggled under the light blanket.

“Night, Mia. Night, Miya.” I yawned after saying my goodnights.

“Night, night, Brianne. Sleep well,” they replied.

I stared at the ceiling, thinking about today and all that had happened. It was an amazing start to the summer, and I believed it was only going to get better.

Hopefully, we will have more girlfriend sleepovers.

5

BEACH HOUSE VACATION

“WOW!” Finnick and I said together, my hand in his as we came to a stop from our running spree.

“This place is huge!” I exclaimed.

“This is bigger than last year. I think this was the place our parents wanted to get, but it was reserved six months in advance,” Finnick explained.

“No wonder. We’re getting the entire beach to ourselves.” I beamed.

We looked back to see where the others were, noticing their tiny figures were still near the car.

“Ah. What’s taking them so long?” Finnick whined.

“We did kind of leave them with all the bags and stuff. Our parents will be here to help in five minutes since we left first,” I explained.

“That means we get to chill together for five minutes!” Finnick exclaimed. He wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me up.

“EEP! Finnick!” I squealed and began to laugh when he twirled us around on.

“Round and round we go! Where will we stop? Nobody knows!” he sang and continued to twirl us until we were both dizzy.

“Dizzy.” I giggled, and he finally let me down.

“I think I spun us around way too fast.” Finnick laughed as he wobbled around.

We both fell back on our butts but were still laughing up a storm. I ran my hand through my hair and looked at Finnick, who was giving me a wide smile.

“The next three months are going to be fun,” Finnick predicted.

“I agree.” I nodded. “Your hair got longer. Are you going to grow it out like your dad?”

“Probably,” Finnick replied and took one of his green strands to look at. “It’s gotten rather long, but I decided in first semester I wouldn’t cut it.”

“Really? Why?” I asked.

“You don’t like it long?” he questioned instead.

“I like whatever hairstyle you have,” I replied earnestly. “Shoulder length hair on you does look extra nice, but soon it’ll be as long as Jax’s or even Kaito’s,” I admitted.

“Maybe. My hair doesn’t normally grow this fast. Could because I’m using more magic compared to before. My dad has long hair because he uses magic all the time. Seems to speed the growth process. He gets a haircut every month.”

“Every month?” I gasped. “How much does he cut off?”

“About to his shoulder. Sometimes he does it super short.” Finnick lifted his hands up to just under his ear. “I think next time he’ll go completely bald. At least when it grows back it may just reach his shoulders and then he can wait two months before getting another cut.”

“Wow!” I replied. “What do you do with all the hair?” I asked.

“He donates it to make wigs for those with cancer. My dad’s hair is super healthy and since it grows so fast, he can make a lot of wigs with his hair. We have a friend who cuts his hair and then makes wigs. Then they send it to those individuals who want to feel a part of society but are scared of going out bald. It goes to those who can’t afford it since those wigs are really expensive.”

“They are?” I asked.

“Mhm. I think the last one our friend made with my dad’s hair would be about five hundred or more since it was a long curly one. My dad’s hair is naturally dark green so they get that option, but it dyes well with most hair products.”

“That’s really amazing, Finnick.”

“Yup! I think I’ll do it too, eventually, but probably after I graduate from Witchling. I’m not sure what I want to do yet. It always changes from professor to doctor and back. Maybe both? I can’t decide.”

“You’d be good at anything.” I smiled. “I’ll support you.”

Fisting pumping the air, he smiled back at me. “That would mean a lot, Brianne.”

We shared a smile and I looked out at the calm water a few feet away from us.

“Does your mom do the same thing as your dad?”

“Regarding?”

“The hair donation? Her hair was super long last year during the Christmas party. Now it’s super short.”

“Ah.” He bobbed his head. “Nah. It’s summer so short hair is always in versus long hair during the winter. More hair makes sure your scalp is nice and warm.”

“That’s true!” I agreed. “I’ve wondered how I’d look with short hair, but I really like having long hair. I want to grow it to Jax’s length. Then I’d curl it a bunch. It would take forever with a curling wand, so I’d use magic,” I explained.

“Hmm.” Finnick scooted over to sit next to me, and he inspected my hair as he dusted the lingering sand from his hands.

“You look extra pretty with long hair, Red. You should curl it more often.”

“You like it when it’s curled?”

“Yup. I still like it when you have it straight or in a ponytail as well, but the Notorious Four has decided you’re extra show-stopping when you curl it.”

“Show-stopping.” I giggled. “That’s something Mia and Miya would say.”

“They’re really influential. Everyone’s talking about them.”

“You mean because they transferred here?”

“Yeah, but more along the lines that they have three parents.”

“Oh.” I nodded. “So rumors then.”

“The usual. They’re more frustrated than ever since the twins literally don’t care.” Finnick chuckled. “Even if they did, they would never show it. I wish I were that strong.”

“What do you mean?”

“Mentally. I mean, no one really talks about me, but I don’t know if I could handle the peer pressure. When it happened to Jax and Kaito after their kidnapping, I was devastated for them. Especially Jax. He went from the kidnapping to dating Elisha, and then his sis died. It was one hit after another. This year was the first time the negative rumors didn’t hit him as bad. He noticed, but they weren’t enough to bring him down. I’m sure it’s because of a certain orange-haired student.”

“With gold highlights,” I stressed with a grin.

“Ah, yes. With gold highlights, who took the spotlight in both good and bad aspects. Jax hated the fact that negative light went on you, but I also think it’s the reason why he looks more confident as of late.”

“He’s more confident, huh?” I looked back to see where the others were, and Jax was pointing in one area and telling Connor and Kaito something before pointing another way and saying something to Starlight and Katsume, who had taken turns driving us here.

I had to admit, Jax was changing before my eyes. Not necessarily his appearance, but his confidence had definitely spiked. Finnick was right.

I wonder if more people will notice when we start Semester Three?

“I’m glad,” I whispered and looked back at him. “You’ve changed a bit, too.”

“I’m not sure.” He looked a bit sad. “I kind of vowed that I’d try and confront my other crush. I already told one of them.” He winked at me and chuckled when my cheeks grew red from his acknowledgment.

“Y-you should!” I mumbled and looked away. He laughed harder and put an arm around my shoulder to pull me closer.

“Don’t get all shy, Brianne.” He chuckled.

“Stop laughing,” I muttered, giving him a glare, but he only laughed harder and followed up with a kiss to my nose.

“I’ll never get tired of you getting embarrassed. So cute.”

“Whatever,” I groaned.

He sighed and looked out at the water that was now making little waves.

“I made a promise to myself that I’d cut my hair or change it if I lost two important things in my life.”

“Two important things? You mean your crushes?” I asked.

He won’t lose me. Why would he think that?

“Kinda.” He moved his arm along my shoulder to pick up my left hand and wrap his right hand around it.

“You won’t lose me,” I said.

He grinned. “It’s nice to know.”

“Are you worried about your other crush?”

“Sometimes. However, we’re still both young. It’s kind of hard sometimes, but I keep telling myself to be patient and not give up. I’m going to keep trying. I won’t lose the other important thing for a long time. Hmm, maybe there’s three things since that goes together with the first one…yeah. I have three important things, but I’m sure they’ll be here for a long time and when I have enough guts, I’ll say what I have to say,” he vowed.

“I’ll be there to support you, Finnick.” I gave him an encouraging smile. “No matter what happens, I’ll be there, okay?”

Finnick looked relieved. Leaning over, he kissed me on my lips, his blue eyes locked on mine. I smiled just slightly and kissed him back as I closed my eyes.

The kiss was far longer than our first one in the library, and it made me happy that I could be the support Finnick needed.

Slowly, I felt like I was settling right in the middle of my Notorious Four, and that they could rely on me for everything just as I relied on them.

He broke the gentle kiss and smiled.

“You’re the best girlfriend ever, Brianne,” he whispered and squeezed my hand.

“Thanks.” I beamed at his praise. “I’ll keep doing my best to support and love you guys.”

“That’s the spirit,” Finnick whispered, leaning in to kiss me again.

A wave of water dropped onto us, leaving me and Finnick drenched. We both blinked and slowly looked over to see Kaito whistling and looking elsewhere while Jax and Connor were on the verge of laughter.

When I narrowed my eyes at the three of them, Connor and Jax spoke in unison, “Kaito did it!”

They both pointed to Kaito, who began to blush and turned his eyes to them. “What?! Who told you guys it was okay to tattle?”

“With Brianne looking at us like that, we’re doing ourselves a favor.” Jax chuckled.

“I’d rather avoid her wrath, thanks.” Connor snickered and covered his mouth to muffle his laughter.

“Ugh,” Kaito groaned.

Finnick helped me stand up, and with a snap of his fingers, a warm gust of wind dried us in seconds.

“Be glad we’re friends!” Finnick huffed. He leaned in and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “I’m going to go get my revenge.”

“Okay!” I giggled.

“Oh, no! Don’t come here,” Kaito moved behind Connor, who rolled his eyes.

“Where’s your katana?”

“My sister took it to get it cleaned and sharpened. She said, and I quote, ‘You don’t need that thing during summer.’ Lies! I can’t defend myself!”

“Just splash some more water or something.” Jax laughed.

“I’ll show you wind power! Stop hiding behind Connor!” Finnick let go of my hand and ran over to them.

My smile was wide as I watched Connor and Jax laugh harder as Kaito ran around them to try to get away from Finnick.

I really hope Finnick is able to tell his other crush how he feels. I bet if he did, a weight would be off his shoulders.

My eyes locked onto Connor, who was staring at me with a tender smile.

Oh…you heard that, didn’t you?

He gave me a wink in response. I blushed and put my hands in my pockets.

Cheating.

He chuckled at my thought and tuned back into the chaos happening around him.

“BRIANNE!”

I turned my head to my left to see Mia and Miya, their wolf familiars at their feet.

“What?! Miya! Mia!” I squealed.

No one had told me they were coming along!

“MewMew!” Elsa appeared in mid-air from out of nowhere, and I had to catch her. She licked my hand as a thank you and was off and running to Lyx and Lux in seconds.

“Woof! Woof!” The two of them ran around Elsa before nudging her little body with their noses. By the time Mia and Miya reached me, Luna had appeared and was joining the familiar mini-reunion.

I spread my arms out just in time as the twins leapt into my arms, the impact enough for the three of us to fall back. We all laughed and hugged each other.

“You guys never said you were coming!” I cheered.

“You think we were going to let you guys enjoy a beach house without us?!!” Mia gasped in horror.

“We think not!” Miya cheered.

I squeezed them tighter, and then we all sat up and began to dust off the sand.

“How long are you guys staying?”

“The entire time!” They raised their arms up. “Our parents are on their way over.”

“Really?! Yes!” I cheered. “Sleepovers every day.”

“Yes,” they replied.

“We brought all our makeup and hair products,” Mia revealed.

“And our laptop. We found a bunch of tutorials on hair, makeup, and new fashion trends. We also found a bunch of books of spells that can help us strengthen our magic so we can prepare for next semester, little by little,” Miya explained.

“Don’t forget the cheerleading videos,” Mia reminded.

“Cheerleading?” I asked.

“Yes.” They nodded quickly.

“Second year students get to apply for the cheerleading squad. I know some first years get to because they did cheerleading in their previous schools, but they take new recruits to train because football season begins and gets all competitive, especially in semester four,” Mia explained.

“We figured we could try out. It was that or pole dancing, but I think with pole classes, it’s more fun in a smaller group and not around your classmates. They tease us enough. Don’t need to give them something more to talk about,” Miya said.

“Pole? What’s that?” I asked.

“Oh!” They both clapped their hands. “Girl. We’ll show you a bunch of videos. The guys can’t watch though.” They winked.

“Okay.” I grinned excitedly.

“Why do I have a feeling those two are going to destroy our Brianne’s innocence?” Jax asked, grabbing our attention.

The Notorious Four were staring at us with curious expressions.

“I agree.” Connor nodded.

“Me too.” Kaito stroked his chin.

“I feel the same way,” Finnick exclaimed.

Mia and Miya rolled their eyes. “Oh, look,” they replied, pointing behind the guys.

They turned in the direction the twins were pointing, and Mia and Miya quickly clapped their hands and then grabbed mine.

“On the count of three, we run away,” they whispered.

“Uh…okay?” I replied in bewilderment.

“What are we looking for?” Finnick questioned.

“I don’t know,” Kaito replied.

“I feel played,” Jax sighed.

“Something is fishy about this,” Connor admitted.

“Three…two…run!” the two of them cheered and tugged me along.

“What?” I replied, but got my legs moving as we began to run away.

“Hey! Where are you—AH!” Finnick began but was cut off.

I glanced back right when a gigantic wave hovered over them and crashed, drenching the four of them completely.

Laughter burst from my throat and their shocked expressions only made me want to run faster, especially now that I knew what the twins had just done.

“You guys!” I giggled.

“Run faster, Brianne. The guys are going to kill us!” Mia laughed.

“Worth it!” Miya exclaimed.

“GET BACK HERE!” we heard the four of them declare, but we all laughed and ran even faster.

This summer was definitely going to be one of the best.

6

STARGAZING AND ALCOHOL LOVING

~ONE MONTH LATER~

“KAITO, LOOK! SO MANY STARS.” I smiled happily while I stared at the night sky. Kaito followed my gaze, his right hand squeezing my left one lightly.

“There’s a lot tonight. Maybe there will be a meteor shower or something,” Kaito suggested.

“That would be amazing,” I hummed happily. “Stargazing. Stargazing!”

Kaito chuckled and didn’t let go of my hand when I tried to dance away.

“Bri, how much did you drink?”

“A little bit.” I used my free hand to show him a tiny gap between my index finger and thumb. “This much.”

“You wouldn’t be tipsy if you only had that much,” he replied with an amused smirk on his soft pink lips.

“Maybe.” I giggled and hugged him. “Hug.”

“You’re so drunk.” He sighed but hugged me back, kissing the top of my head.

“Mhm,” I replied, and took a deep inhale of his shirt as I closed my eyes.

The last month at the beach house had been, by far, the best days of my life.

The house was two stories; the bottom half was designated for the kitchen, dining hall, living room, pool area, video game station, a gym, and mini theatre room.

The top floor was for all the bedrooms, with one section for our parents and the other for us. All of our parents were here for the first week to make sure we had a full seven days of family time. It was amazing getting to know more about each of the guys’ parents, as well as getting to know Mia and Miya’s as well.

Since their businesses could be run from their laptops and they had their cells for phone conferences, they were supervising us for the rest of the summer with a few drop-ins from the rest of the adults when their jobs permitted it.

The last three weeks had been filled with sunbathing, volleyball playing, campfires, and lots of swimming.

Starlight and Katsume both got time off, and while they spent the days with their team elsewhere, they came by during the evenings to check on us. I had to admit, I really had a hunch that something was going on with my sis and her team. Just yesterday, they had come down to meet us, and I could tell the atmosphere was different.

Starlight had actually dressed up, wearing a pretty vintage dress and leaving her bright orange hair down. She looked…well, she looked happy, and that type of happiness was what I hadn’t seen since she was with her old team and fiancé.

I couldn’t ignore the fact that she and Katsume were giving me interesting vibes. I wondered if Katsume even liked girls, especially since I noticed the two of them had gotten closer to one another.

Seeing how happy my sister was this summer, and knowing our families were all well, had put me in the best mood today. That was why I had declared we have a little party. Since I was going to be eighteen soon, I was allowed to drink, as long as I didn’t get completely wasted.

Miya and Mia’s family encouraged that as a teen approached adulthood, they should prepare themselves by drinking a small amount and discovering what their tolerance was. That way, if they went out to a party with friends, they would know how much they could tolerate versus how much was needed for them to get completely drunk.

Obviously, every drink had a different percentage, or that’s what Connor had explained, but it was a good start. Seeing as we were in the comfort of our own property for the summer, I didn’t mind drinking a bit more.

Tonight was our time to celebrate finishing our first year.

Everything about this summer vacation was special to me. For the first time in my teen years, I was actually spending time with a group of people who liked me. They accepted my weird qualities and joined in.

Mia and Miya had been teaching me a bunch of things on makeup and how to style my hair in various styles for next year. We’d even started doing different cheerleading routines from tutorials.

Magic cheerleading was far more fun than regular cheerleading. You could dance while doing flashy magic spells to wow the crowd and hype them up before a game or during halftime as entertainment.

It was honestly really fun, and thanks to my dancing nature and flexibility from yoga, it was pretty easy for me. The flips were my all-time favorite. I almost died, but it was hilarious seeing all four of the guys rush to try and catch me when Mia and Miya accidentally got into one of their twin bickering moments.

Finnick caught me with a powerful wind spell and got rewarded with a kiss. Then the other guys began to mope, and I ended up giving each of them a kiss. It was far too fun and definitely memorable.

The number of pictures we took was enough to fill all our memory cards. Starlight had to go buy me one with more storage and also clear out my current card.

Both of them were full now.

During nights, we’d all stay up until we drifted to sleep, either watching a movie or reviewing for our next semester. It may have been summer vacation, but we all wanted to keep learning and making sure our magic was strong for what was to come.

Our last exam was difficult, especially when it went haywire near the end. I doubted any of us wanted to be in that situation again.

If I did stayed up long enough, I’d bunk with Mia and Miya, but if I snoozed off, I always ended up either in Finnick and Connor’s bed or Kaito and Jax’s. They were sharing rooms, and Katsume decided on the arrangements.

I thought Jax and Connor would share one and Kaito and Finnick the other, but Katsume said something about balance and how this arrangement was better.

Everyone but Finnick seemed all right with it, and though he wasn’t vocal about it, I did catch a glimpse of sadness in his eyes.

When I tried to ask, he told me not to worry about it, but I wondered if something was bothering him. All I could do was support him the best I could and show him that I cared.

I hadn’t figured out who his crush was, but I was positive I’d figure it out eventually. For now, we’d just live in the moment and enjoy each other’s company, like we were this evening with food and loads of alcohol.

We’d been drinking and roasting marshmallows when Kaito asked if I wanted to walk for a bit. I wasn’t going to refuse the invitation, and I really did think I needed a break from the booze.

Jax and Connor were talking about something while Finnick, Miya, and Mia were playing drinking games.

I lifted my head to look up at him, just as he glanced down to meet my eyes. “Your eyes are gold,” he noted.

“Your eyes are purple.” I giggled.

“They’re always purple, silly Bri,” he whispered and lowered his lips to mine.

It amazed me how comfortable I’d become when it came to kissing my Notorious Four. I was learning slowly, and not feeling as worried or afraid to mess up when we did kiss.

With Jax and Connor, it was now easy for them to walk up and kiss me, even with my parents or the other adults around. Finnick and Kaito were shyer, sneaking a kiss here and there when no one was looking.

I felt our relationship was stronger than ever, and it was just another one of the many things to be happy about.

We broke the kiss and smiled at one another before Kaito slipped his hand back in mine and navigated us to a stone bench. Once we sat down, I laid my head on his shoulder while he wrapped an arm around me.

“Are you cold?”

“Not really,” I admitted. “You’re warm.”

“You really have to drink only two glasses of any alcoholic beverage.”

“Did I only drink two?”

“No, you drank five. After two drinks was when I noticed you were an ounce happier.”

“Alcohol makes me happy,” I sang quietly.

He patted my head and began to stroke my hair with his delicate hand. We sat there as I continued to hum, and I was almost asleep when Kaito spoke.

“You’re getting really good at the cheerleading thing.”

“Am I?” I asked. “It’s really fun with the twins. Good cardio, too.”

“You are. You’ve improved a lot compared to when you guys first started. Are you going to try out with them?”

“I’m…not sure,” I confessed.

“Are you scared?”

“A little,” I mumbled. “Not about being made fun of, but what if I suck?”

“You won’t know that if you don’t try, Red,” he whispered.

I smirked at his usage of my nickname, one he didn’t use as often as Finnick and the others.

“If the tryouts don’t fall on the day of your kendo, can you come?”

“Of course. The others will come as well. We’ll cheer the three of you on,” Kaito reassured me. His lips pressed to my forehead. “You’re going to do amazing.”

“You know I love you, right?” I opened my eyes and moved my head slightly to get a glance at him.

“I know, and I love you too, Brianne.” He smiled.

“Anything bothering you?” I asked, wondering if he was okay. I’d noticed he was a little quiet earlier. He naturally had a calm and quiet personality, but hadn’t seemed as in-tune with the celebrations when we were having marshmallows.

“Something is,” he replied softly.

“What is it?” I asked, lifting my head up and moving down the bench. Kaito eyed me with confusion but soon understood what I was doing as I laid down and rested my head on his lap.

He chuckled as he patted my head. “Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around?”

“Yes, but this way, I can look up. I feel if I had to look down, I’d fall asleep.” I smiled sweetly at him.

“At least you’re an honest drunk.”

“I’m always honest.”

“True.” He smirked.

“What’s bothering you, Kaito?” I asked, hoping to be his listener. He always was there for me. I still wanted to do the same, even if I was drunk.

“I got into the Kendo League.”

“Kendo League? Is that where you guys go and compete with other schools at a higher level?”

“Yes. We move from competing against those who are the same age as us to more advanced teams and professionals. From what my classmates say, it’s a big deal. Only me and four others got through. I’m a little nervous, to be honest,” he explained.

“That’s amazing, Kaito.” I clapped my hands. “Is that why you’ve been working out every day this week?” I pondered.

Mia, Miya, and I had been going out for morning runs all this week to make sure our bikini bodies stayed intact with all the food and drinks we’d been having. We all had fast metabolisms, but it was always good to wake up and do a run around the property.

Every morning, I’d noticed Kaito doing his sword routines with a wooden training sword. He’d follow up with sprints and end it off with a run. We’d decided to get up a little later and time our runs to match Kaito’s by the third day this week.

“Yeah. I don’t want to bring the team or school down. We’re representing Witchling Academy after all, and it’s the first time a rising sophomore student is a part of the recruits. Students from all four years participate in our kendo classes. To have a first year get into the top five chosen is a huge honor but also a big responsibility. My parents are really excited about it, especially my dad. Kendo and sword arts are basically his life.”

“You’re scared of letting him, the rest of your family, and the team down if you don’t do well,” I summarized.

Thinking of the pressure made me anxious. I couldn’t imagine being in Kaito’s shoes and from his family background.

“Yes. That’s why I’m a little worried. There’s just a lot going on in my head, and I’m worried I won’t have time to study or I’ll fall behind if I increase my training time when school starts.”

“Would you have to train every day?”

“At least five days a week. I don’t know a lot since my parents told me over the phone, but they’ll for sure add an extra hour to our training after school.”

“Hmm. I think that’s going to be a similar schedule to Connor’s with his football practice. You’ll be okay, and we can split up and come cheer you on. Like I can come two days a week, and Finnick and Jax will support you as well.” I lifted my hand to brush his cheek.

He smiled and closed his eyes.

“That would be nice. I’m…still worried I won’t have enough time to study. It takes me longer to make notes before reviewing them.”

“I can make them,” I offered.

He opened his eyes slightly to look down at me. “You already make them for Finnick.”

“Yes, but that’s pretty easy. My parents said they’ll get me a laptop since Mia and Miya have one. It shouldn’t take me long to get used to it. It’ll be easy to make review notes for you and Finnick.”

“You won’t be able to study.” He frowned.

“I will,” I replied. “Making the notes helps me study at the same time. I’ll be fine. If I helped write the review notes, all you’d have to do is eat dinner, shower, and study the notes, right? You’d still get enough sleep?”

“Well, with that plan, yeah. I’d be able to sleep at our normal time and stay ahead,” he confirmed.

“Then we’ll do that.”.

“You sure it won’t bring you down, Brianne?”

“I’m positive.” I gave him a wide grin. “Rely on me, Kaito.”

He looked beyond relieved, and his smile brightened his entire face. “I love you, Brianne.”

“I know.” I giggled and leaned up to kiss him. He met me halfway, giving me a long kiss before he helped me sit back up.

“Are you tired?” he asked as he rubbed my back.

“A little. I wanted to see if there were fireflies tonight. I missed them the other day when Finnick saw them.” I frowned and looked around. “There’s none tonight though.”

I lowered my head to stare at my hands in my lap. I didn’t know why, but I was a little disappointed.

Kaito’s hands slipped under mine, and he whispered into my left ear, “Close your eyes, Brianne.”

“Okay,” I replied and did what he said.

I wondered what he was planning, my curiosity growing stronger when I kept my eyes closed for longer than a minute.

“Kaito?”

“Almost done,” he whispered. His warm breath brushed along my neck and sent a quiver through me. I concentrated on my breathing to keep me from focusing on the tingling sensation.

“Open your eyes, Brianne.”

My eyes slowly opened and I noticed the faint glow in my hands. A smile slowly formed on my lips as my eyes grew wide in awe; the sight of a single firefly sitting in the middle of my joined palms left me ecstatic.

“Firefly,” I whispered.

It buzzed, and the little light brightened enough to light up my hands. Its little wings began to flutter rapidly, and it lifted into the air to buzz around us.

With a wide grin, I followed its trail with my eyes, only to notice a second firefly, followed by a third.

Four…eight…wow!

I couldn’t help but get off the bench and take a few steps forward. Surrounding us were hundreds of fireflies, their bodies glowing a radiant greenish-yellow. Some were more golden-toned while others were a vivid green, and the combination of them all lit up the part of the forest we were in.

I giggled and put my hands up, many of the little buzzing creatures flying around me and few landing on my open hands. I inspected them closely, intrigued at how they glowed, and I laughed when one landed on my nose.

“Hey, that tickles,” I told the firefly as its body lit on and off.

It flew back in the air after buzzing around my head three times, tiny specks of glitter falling down on me and making me squeal.

“Kaito, look! Glitter.” I lifted my gaze to see him walking my way, a satisfied smile on his lips as he looked at me.

“They like you,” he whispered.

“Do they?”

He bobbed his head and reached where I stood. Sliding his arms around my waist, he pulled me close.

“Your aura attracts them easily.”

His eyes were lost in mine as we stared at one another. One of his hands lifted up and brushed away a few strands of my hair from my face.

“It’s really pretty. The mix of oranges and golds, just like your hair.” His voice was soft as he complimented me, and very slowly, his face inched closer.

The fireflies gathered around us, swirling like a little tornado of green and gold lights, but all I could focus on was Kaito.

My eyes began to close as he leaned in closer and closer. I expected his kiss, and when those soft pink lips met mine, it left me in a world of calm and satisfaction. This was one of those perfect moments, the two of us kissing in the middle of a swirling firefly dance.

I got to see these beautiful creatures thanks to Kaito, and even with me being a tad drunk, he let me experience something I thought I’d miss.

I knew from the bottom of my heart that this was one of those memories I’d never forget.

“WE SHOULD GO on walks more often.” I squeezed Kaito’s hand as we made our way back to the beach home.

“We should. It’s relaxing,” he replied, his thumb rubbing the back of my hand.

Leaving the thick part of the forest, we saw the beach home straight ahead. I noticed Finnick’s green hair in the distance, and farther away on the patio were Connor and Jax, who were drinking beer and chatting.

Finnick made his way over to us, and from his weird skipping, I figured I may not have been the only drunk one.

“What are the chances that Finnick’s drunk?” I amusingly asked Kaito, who sighed.

“He’s completely drunk.”

I laughed and smiled at Finnick when he reached us. “Hey, Finnick.”

“Welcome back, our Red,” he said, immediately hugging me, which made me laugh a little harder. “I missed you.”

“Did you? We weren’t gone for long.” I let go of Kaito’s hand to hug Finnick properly. He moved us side-to-side as he chuckled.

“It felt like forever. An eternity!”

“It was only thirty minutes,” Kaito corrected.

“Lies,” Finnick mumbled and pulled back to look at Kaito, who shook his head.

“How much did you drink?”

“I lost count after five.” Finnick grinned with pride.

“I had five,” I declared.

“You’re totally drunk, Red.”

“Not as drunk as you, Finnick.”

We both laughed and hugged each other again. I took a peek at Kaito, noticing his frown as he peered at us.

“Kaito,” I cheerfully called to him. “You want to join the loving hug?”

“I’ll pass.” He shook his head.

“Aww. Don’t be a party pooper, Kaito.” Finnick let go of me and moved to hug Kaito, who sighed. “You’re horrible when you’re drunk.”

“I’m extra loving like a teddy bear. You like teddy bears,” Finnick reasoned.

“Yes, I still like teddy bears,” Kaito groaned. “Let’s get you to bed.”

“Wait. I have to show you how to love!” Finnick drunkenly reasoned.

“I know how to love just fine.” Kaito sighed. “You already gave me a hug.”

“I know!” Finnick pulled back.

Watching the two of them, I gawked when Finnick kissed Kaito.

Not on the cheek or nose, but right on the lips.

Kaito froze in place, and though the kiss was quick, shock clearly blossomed in his wide purple eyes.

“A kiss for you,” Finnick slurred and pulled away. He then moved back to me and cradled my face. “And a kiss for you!”

His lips sealed mine, and the kiss was a lot longer than Kaito’s. With his hands pressed against my cheeks, I could feel the hint of nervous energy leaking off Finnick.

Was he nervous? Scared? Why?

He pulled back and smiled, his eyes meeting mine. For a few seconds, I saw the vulnerability in them, and it left my foggy, drunken mind even more confused.

Without thinking, I smiled sweetly back at him and leaned in to lay my lips on his. It was a simple kiss, but it closed our distance and made it easier for me to hug him.

I may not have known why he was so nervous, but the least I could do was wrap him in my arms.

“You’re so silly, Finnick.” I smirked. “Thanks for sharing the love.”

He smiled and hugged me tightly.

“I did it, Red.” His voice flowed into my mind.

I gave him a curious look.

“I kissed both my crushes.”

His voice within my head sounded sad, especially considering the accomplishment he was telling me about. He also sounded tired.

Both his crushes…

“Only did it thanks to Red. It’s all…thanks to Brianne… my second crush.”

Before I could process everything, Finnick grew heavy.

“Finn–oof!” I ended up falling back, the two of us landing on the grassy ground. “Finnick?”

Worrying if he was okay, I opened my eyes to see he was fast asleep. With a sheepish grin, I sighed. “Jeez. You’re definitely worse than me when it comes to being drunk.”

Stroking his head slightly, I leaned down and whispered in his ear, “Good work, Finnick. Sleep now.”

It could have been my imagination, but I thought I saw the slight curl of his lip. My ears picked up on the sound of approaching footsteps, and I looked to my left to see Jax and Connor heading our way.

“I forgot we were supposed to keep an eye on Finnick,” Connor admitted.

“You alright down there, Brianne?” Jax asked.

“Perfectly fine. Just chilling in the grass under the pretty stars. Oh, Jax, Connor. I got to see fireflies with Kaito,” I explained.

Connor easily got Finnick off me and Jax helped me up.

“Did you?” Jax looked amused at me. “You sound like a happy drunk.”

“I am a happy drunk,” I proudly repeated before hugging him. “Hi, Jax.”

“Hey, baby.” He kissed my neck and hugged me back. “Ready to go inside?”

“Sure.” I relaxed on him, but then remembered about Kaito. Lifting my head again, I looked to see Kaito staring at Finnick and Connor.

I couldn’t read his expression, and I wondered if he was angry at what Finnick had done. But then again, I wasn’t getting those vibes from him at all.

Is he confused?

“Hey, Kaito. Mind helping me out?” Connor asked.

Kaito blinked a few times before he nodded. “Right. Yeah, I can help.”

He looked my way first, and we shared a look. I wondered if he was worried I’d say anything.

“I won’t say a word,” I promised him, mouthing the words so Jax and Connor wouldn’t hear.

He gave me a slight nod, and took two steps toward Connor, but turned around and walked over to Jax and me.

“I forgot to say good night to Brianne,” he announced. I pulled back from Jax’s hold, and he gladly passed me over to Kaito. I gave him a tight hug.

“I don’t know what’s really going on…but don’t hate Finnick.”

I tried to use Finnick’s gift to express myself in Kaito’s mind. He kissed my shoulder lightly, and I wondered if he was thinking about my words.

I’m aware, Brianne. I don’t hate him.

His words confused me, and I leaned my head back slightly to stare into his eyes.

“You…do you…?”

He kissed me with a firm press of his lips. I had a bunch of questions and it was taking me even longer than usual to put it all together, but when it finally clicked, I wasn’t sure what to say.

I’m not in a position to interfere.

He broke the kiss and pressed another to my forehead.

“I…just need more time. Don’t worry, Brianne. Get some sleep,” he encouraged. I nodded in reply as he let go of me. My eyes trailed his movement as he went to help Connor, while Jax slid an arm around my waist. It was more of a comforting action if anything, my mind still racing at my realization.

Finnick’s first crush is Kaito…

Connor’s eyes locked onto mine while Kaito worked on putting Finnick’s limp arm over his shoulder.

“They’ll figure it out,” Connor said in my head. “All we can do is watch and support.”

“Okay. Make sure he sleeps well,” I encouraged as I pushed the words into his mind.

He gave me a nod and a slight smile.

“Thanks, Brianne.”

“Night, you two. Don’t stay out for too long,” Connor reminded.

“All right,” I replied.

“Night, guys,” Jax said.

When they were a good distance away, I turned my attention to Jax. From his eyes, I knew immediately that he knew what had just happened. I had to ask anyway.

“Did you see?” I questioned hesitantly.

“Yeah,” Jax replied. “This…has happened before, but we completely forgot to watch him. He moves far faster when he’s drunk.”

“You guys know he…likes Kaito.”

“For a while, babe.” Jax kissed my lips and gave me a warm hug. “We’ve been best friends for a long time. Connor can read their thoughts and I pick up on things easily.”

“There’s nothing we can do?” I asked and hugged him back. “Finnick…really likes him.”

“Pushing could lead to it going the wrong way, Brianne,” Jax explained. “Kaito…he has to deal with that on his own. I think he knows what he wants, but…there’s a lot of factors with this. Not to mention, he likes you as well.”

“Finnick likes me, too.”

“Finnick has a really supportive family in that department. I don’t think he realizes it yet, but they accept him and who he loves. Kaito’s culture is different. We don’t know if they would be okay with it. Until then, we just have to support both of them until they figure it out.”

“Okay,” I mumbled. “Makes sense. I hope they work it out.”

“Me too, Brianne.” He kissed the top of my head. “Let’s go back inside and head to bed. Are you sleeping in the twins’ room?”

“Hmm…can I sleep in Finnick and Connor’s room?” I asked.

Just to make sure he’s okay.

“Sure,” Jax agreed. “Let’s get going.”

“Jax?”

I stopped him from pulling away and gave him a tiny smile. “Thanks for being you.”

“You make it seem like I can change to someone else.” Jax chuckled but nodded, getting what I was referring to. “Keep being that light in our lives, Brianne.”

With a swift nod, I placed my hand in his and we made our way back to the beach house.

What a night of alcohol loving.

7

EVENING DATE AND NEW EXPERIENCES

~ONE WEEK LATER~

“WHERE ARE WE GOING?” I asked Connor for what could have been the twentieth time. I eyed him carefully, hoping my scrutinizing gaze would make him fess up, but his grin only widened while his black eyes twinkled in pure amusement.

“You can ask another twenty times and I won’t answer,” he said.

I pouted my lips and let out a huff but continued to hold his hand as we made our way on one of the trails around the beach house.

Since that drunken night, things had been relatively normal. During the night, I’d woken up to Finnick crying and Connor saying something to comfort him, but I was so out of it, I wasn’t sure if it was real or a dream.

I had every intention of asking, but I woke up to Finnick gently nudging me. He had the biggest smile on his face and welcomed me like he always did when it was his turn to get me up for breakfast and I hadn’t woken up yet.

He’d seemed perfectly fine, and even when I asked if he was okay, he merely explained that he had a slight headache, and the previous night was pretty fuzzy.

When he asked me if anything happened, I didn’t have the courage to bring it up. If he didn’t remember, I wasn’t going to be the one to tell him.

At breakfast, no one mentioned it and we all acted like usual, joking, laughing, and planning out our day. It was as though nothing had happened.

Maybe it was for the better for now.

After that, a week had gone by and now I was taking a stroll with Connor down this trail. It wasn’t sunset yet, but the sky was beginning to shift in color.

Jax and Kaito were taking a nap, while Finnick was watching a movie in the living room with his dad, who was watching us for the night. I figured it was a good chance for them to have some alone time together.

I figured his mom was working or something since she didn’t come down today. The rest of our parents were working this Friday night, and Starlight and Katsume went to go see a movie.

Miya and Mia were working out when we left, practicing sword art magic. They were into kendo like Kaito, and in his spare time, he’d been teaching them different moves and techniques to use in a battle or to defend themselves.

They had gotten a session earlier, which was exactly why he was napping. Jax had served as a fake opponent and was exhausted from the demonstration.

That left me and Connor with nothing to do, so he invited me out for a walk. I was sure he was planning something, but I didn’t know what yet.

I was wearing blue jean shorts and an orange V-neck shirt. My hair was in loose curls, and I even wore a bit of matte lipstick. With little time to prepare, the pop of color was good enough with my casual summer wear, but I was happy that Connor noticed and said red lipstick looked nice on me.

There were still a lot of things I needed to learn, but this summer vacation had helped me grow a lot. I wasn’t perfect, but I was more confident in myself and my looks.

That’s definitely what I call progress.

Connor was wearing dark blue jeans and a white T-shirt. We both wore white running shoes. I’d thought about wearing sandals, but I had a gut feeling we were doing more than walking on a trail path. At least it was still warm out, and even if we stayed out, I hope it wouldn’t be too cold.

“We’re here,” Connor announced.

Coming to a stop, he let go of my hand and walked forward to the object sitting in the middle of the clearing. Whatever this item was, it had a black waterproof cloth on top of it. It reminded me of the one my dad would put on his car when we went for holidays to make sure it stayed in good condition until we came back.

“What’s that?” I asked.

Connor walked around the object and grabbed hold of the black material. He gave me a boyish grin.

“One of my prized possessions.” He tugged on the cloth, revealing a shiny purple motorbike.

“A motorcycle?! Hold on, isn’t this new?” I wondered, pointing at it like Connor couldn’t see what was in front of me. “I saw this in one of the commercials last night. I thought it hadn’t been released yet!”

“Well, my parents knew I’d been saving up all my allowance and bonus money from scholarships. It was going to be my reward to myself for getting into Witchling Academy, but the model that I previously wanted from another company was recalled or something. There wasn’t anything else I wanted, so I decided to wait. I had no clue the guys had told my parents about it and they surprised me with this. She’s literally brand new.”

“She, huh?” I giggled and walked closer to inspect the purple beauty. “When did it arrive?”

“This morning. You were still asleep. My parents came and dropped it off here as a surprise. I wanted to try it out, but decided to wait.”

“Why?” I asked, reaching where he stood.

“I figured it would be nice to share the experience with my other prized possession. She’s not really an object, though.”

“What’s your other prized possession?” I inquired, feeling a little jealous.

Connor laughed and hooked his arm around my waist to pull me close. “You’re really hot when you’re jealous,” he teased.

“I-I’m not jealous!” I argued, crossing my arms over my chest. “I wanna know who this person is.”

“Well, she’s really hot.”

I blew my cheeks out, feeling a little annoyed by his comment. Connor laughed even harder. “Brianne, stop.”

“I’m not doing anything,” I moped, and he laughed so hard, tears were forming in his eyes. “Stop laughing and tell me who!”

I uncrossed my arms to lightly drum on his broad chest with my curled fists. He struggled to stop laughing, but when he finally did, he wrapped me up in a hug.

Glancing up, my attempt to speak was stopped by his lips. I blinked and mentally acknowledged the firm kiss, and after several seconds, I let go of the bit of jealousy and kissed him back.

He smirked against my lips, smiling as he pulled away.

“My other prized possession is you, Brianne.” He gave me a wink when my face grew hot at his words. “That’s why it’s cute. You’re jealous of yourself.”

“I-I…you should have said it clearer,” I whined.

My face must have been beet red, but his words made me beyond ecstatic.

I watched from the sidelines as Connor easily got the bike set up and roaring to life. I wouldn’t tell him, but watching him work and make sure everything was intact and safe for us to ride made him extra attractive.

It reminded me of when I’d watch him during his football practices, giving me those mini-moments to admire his handsomeness, now that I’d stopped feeling super embarrassed about checking him out.

I was allowed to check out my own boyfriends, right? I should write a journal or guide for all the innocent girls like me.

Opening the storage compartment at the back of the bike, he pulled out two metallic purple helmets. Placing one on the seat, he walked back over to me.

“You ready for a little adventure, baby?”

My heart skipped a few beats and that tingling sensation I’d been feeling lately around the guys came back with a vengeance.

God. He’s so hot. No, hotter than hot. This is like those movies where the main girl gets stopped by the total bad boy who gets every girl he wants, and he takes her for a spin and they have the time of their—oh! I have to answer!

“Yes!” I squeaked.

It took me staring at his growing grin to realize he’d heard every single bit of my thought.

“Ah!” I slapped my face with my hands, dragging them down in pure annoyance. “I hate you!”

“You can’t just like me one minute and hate me the next, Red. That’s not how the movies go,” he reasoned.

“No, I hate you,” I whined.

“One of a kind, Red,” he complimented and kissed my forehead. He slowly placed the helmet on my head and I looked at his confident grin.

“Let’s go on a date.”

“ONE VANILLA CONE with strawberry topping and syrup, and one vanilla with blueberry topping and chocolate syrup. That’s seven fifty-five.”

“Thank you.” Connor handed the man a twenty-dollar bill. “Keep the change.”

“Thank you, sir. Keep spoiling your girlfriend. She’s a gem.”

I shyly grinned at that comment while I held the two cones.

“Certainly will, sir. Have a pleasant evening,” Connor replied and bowed his head to the elderly ice cream man.

After taking his blueberry vanilla cone, he took my free hand in his. “Let’s head back to the bike?”

“Yes.” I nodded a few times, feeling like I was on cloud nine.

Tonight had been a blast. I’d never really gotten the full experience of riding a bike until now. Sure, Starlight had one for work emergencies, but she’d only brought it home once. She let me sit on it, but that was it.

Connor had his regular license and both M level-one and -two licenses. That meant he could drive any type of car or bike, including magic-powered ones. I never knew there was even a license for that until he told me.

We rode into the sunset, all the way to an open theatre park where we could watch a movie outdoors. There were sections where we could park our cars and a section to sit and relax. We opted to sit, which was in the perfect picnic style with blankets and pillows provided by the theatre.

Each blanket and pillow was washed right after each use, which was awesome since we hadn’t brought our own stuff. The servers took our order for popcorn and drinks. The movie was a thrilling adventure movie about a girl who was shy and felt like a nobody at first, but at the end, saved the world with her magical gifts and made many friends along the way.

It was wonderful to watch, and it really gave me a life lesson on the growth of a person. The girl who thought she was a nobody only thought that way because she accepted what was being said to her. After her new friends came along and encouraged her, her attitude changed and she grew stronger.

To be honest, it reminded me of my gift. I hadn’t really dived into the details of my mimic gift, but it also gave me the ability to speed up my movement or triple my magical strength. I could see why it was such a dangerous gift to carry, because I could mimic anything I’d witnessed once, and it was just as easy to store in my memory.

Adding the chance of extra speed or triple the magic boost, all I lacked was stamina.

And to not spell travel to random places.

Now that I thought about it, my random bouts of spell traveling had diminished as of late. I wasn’t sure why, but I’d woken up plenty of times in the guys’ beds and whenever I brought it up, they all said I didn’t travel anywhere during my sleep.

I wondered if it was because when I was in their beds — or with Miya and Mia — my body felt extremely safe or something. That didn’t make much sense, though, because I’d felt safe with Elijah and I had still teleported every other night.

I’d have to ask my parents about it, but regardless, I was happy I wasn’t randomly teleporting. I knew Jax and the others would always find me, but that would tire Jax out and we all needed this summer break to relax and prepare for what was to come.

The movie left me in a cheerful mood, and it was all thanks to Connor for bringing me here for our first official date. We made our way over to where he’d parked, which was a little farther away from the cluster of cars that were getting ready to leave.

Hand in hand, we ate our ice cream, the two of us focused on the cool treat. Now that we’d started licking it, the cold treat would melt fast.

Reaching his bike, we relaxed and worked on finishing our dessert while we peered up at the star-filled sky.

I finished my ice cream first. Taking the opportunity to look at the bike closely, I sat on the seat and wrapped my hands around the handles.

“Vroom vroom.” I tried to copy the loud engine sound, but it was a pathetic attempt that made me giggle. “Ah, I remember when I sat on my sister’s bike. It was magically enhanced so I wasn’t allowed to do much on it.”

Connor was finishing off his cone, but he paused to answer me.

“Do you have a driver’s license?”

“Yup! I got one when I was sixteen. I could get a car, but it doesn’t seem necessary. I wanted a bike after my sister got one, but I haven’t had time to do the written exam yet,” I explained, looking back at the bike. “I’d get a nice pink one, and race my sister or you.”

“If you think the speed I was driving at today was fast, you should know — that was snail speed compared to my usual,” he disclosed.

“Really?!” I gasped. “That was fast!”

He smirked and got our helmets out of the compartment. “Wanna see how fast it can go? We can’t do it here, but I know a spot near here that’s perfect. I like it because it’s a straight road and there are rarely any cars, especially during this time of night.”

“Sure! That would be awesome.”

It felt as though we were embarking on a new adventure. It was a little childish, but as the girl who’d never gotten to experience something like this before, I was living my childhood fantasy.

“Perfect. Scoot down, baby.” He winked and helped me put my helmet on before I slid further down the seat to give him enough room to sit.

Once he was established and had turned the engine on, I wrapped my arms around his waist and relaxed against his muscled back. Who knew a back could give you a sense of safety like his did? It also reminded me how strong he was.

Just like how Jax’s hugs made me feel safe, Finnick’s strong grip always gave me the impression that he’d never let go, and Kaito’s comforting gestures and words left me feeling accepted in this world.

My Notorious Four are everything a girl could ask for in a guy. I’m super lucky to have all four of them.

The traffic out of the movie spot slowed us down, but once we made it off the property and onto the road, it was smooth sailing to our destination.

He slowly came to a stop and turned the engine off. “We’re here.”

“You’re right. This road is quiet.” I looked around at the beautiful green fields, the moon’s rays making them look extra magical as the soft, cool breeze brushed past us.

“Perfect for practicing.”

“Practicing?” I asked and arched an eyebrow when he got off the bike and gestured for me to take my helmet off. I did and passed it to him, and he put it back into the compartment before he patted where he sat.

“The seat is still warm.”

“You’re not implying that I, Brianne Marie Harlow, attempt to drive this,” I used my finger to make a dramatic circle in front of the bike. “This beast of a bike. With no helmet?”

He smirked and leaned in to whisper in my ear.

“Yes, Brianne Marie Harlow. I’m asking you to drive this beast of a bike with no helmet. I’m right here to make sure you don’t fall off. I could always change my mind?”

Gah! That…voice of hotness!

I scooted forward. “Fine, fine! Just don’t use that voice on me.”

He burst into laughter as he took my place. Hugging my waist, he kissed me on the cheek. “Your thoughts always amuse me.”

“Meanie,” I mumbled and looked at the dashboard. “How do I work this thing?”

Connor released my waist and pointed to the keys. “Let’s turn the bike back on.”

“Okay,” I replied and switched the bike back on. I flinched at how loud it sounded up in front versus when I was sitting behind Connor.

He slid his left arm around my waist comfortingly. “It’s loud until you get used to it.”

I smiled at his words, thankful that he didn’t make fun of me for flinching.

“After that, make sure this part over here—” he pointed to the bike’s kickstand “—is up. Don’t want to break it by accident by driving away.”

He did the deed for me and used his feet to balance us.

“I feel short,” I whined. My feet barely touched the ground, and it made me a little frustrated that my legs weren’t longer.

Connor rested his head on my shoulder. “This model is higher up because it’s magic. It needs a bit more weight to stand the magic pressure for when it hovers over the ground. The standard models would be perfectly fine for your height.”

I placed my hands back on the handles, and his hands covered mine.

“Ready?” he questioned. “You’re going to press on these to move forward. Press gradually. Gripping it tightly can send us flying off.”

“Okay. So…like this?” I pressed on the handles slightly, and Connor lifted his legs off the ground just in time for us to begin moving. “It worked! Oh wait, how do I stop?”

“Grip this part to slow you down to a stop.” He demonstrated and gradually made the bike stop before we moved farther down the road.

“Okay. This one to go and grip it like that to stop. Got it.” I firmly nodded.

“Let’s start off slow, and when you’re comfortable, we can go faster,” Connor coached.

“What if I screw up?”

“You won’t.”

“But—”

“Brianne. You won’t. And on the one percent chance you do, I’m right here. I can stop the bike with magic. Just pretend this is a bicycle and you’re riding through a park.”

“Okay. I’ll try it,” I confirmed.

With a deep breath, I slowly moved the bike again, but this time didn’t freak out about it going faster and faster. Connor moved his hands from mine, giving me full control as he placed his arms back around my waist.

“That’s it. Real good, Bri.” His encouragement rid me of my fear and it was replaced with elation as I increased our speed.

Soon I was going the same speed he’d been driving us at.

“Can I go faster?” I asked over the wind.

“Yup!” Connor sounded pleased. “Ramp it up, baby.”

I increased our speed even more and squealed when the engine roared and we moved even faster.

“Woot!” I cheered, loving the wind that blew through my hair and how Connor held me. He was cheering and laughing as well, the two of us having far too much fun.

After a while, I finally came to a stop, feeling satisfied with the mini ride.

“I did it!” I cheered and turned my body just a bit to look at Connor, who had a gleaming smile on his face.

“You sure did,” he whispered.

“Thank you, Connor, for letting me drive us.” I looked at his lips and lightly kissed them. “This was an amazing date.”

“Many more to come in the future.” He kissed me right back. “Ready to head back home?”

“Hmmm. As long as we get to drink a can of that orange fizzy stuff when we get back,” I offered.

“You’re loving the alcohol life, huh?” he teased.

“No. I’m drinking responsibly, and in the presence of an adult, which is you. Plus, I’m seventeen-and-a-half now. I can go places.”

“You do realize some places won’t accept eighteen-year-olds to drink, right? You have to be nineteen or in some strict places, twenty-one.”

“Huh? Really?” I frowned before thinking about it. “Hey, but you guys aren’t twenty-one yet.”

“Yes, but we’re nineteen.” He winked.

“I’m your girlfriend! You have to take me with you now. It’s…a law!”

“Says who?” He chuckled.

“S-says…I don’t know! I’ll ask my parents to make it into a law,” I huffed. “I just…ugh.”

With a groan, I rolled my eyes and mumbled, “I just want to go with you guys and experience parties and other adult stuff if you do.”

He stopped laughing and peered at me in a more serious light. Giving me a back hug, he whispered, “If you think we’ll be leaving you behind for anything, think again. We love you, Brianne, and we want to experience things with you. Way more fun as a group. Plus, the twins can come, too.”

“Really?!”

“Yup. As long as I get to dance with you the next time we go to an event. Jax loves to hog you cause you’re good at it.”

I giggled. “Deal!”

“Perfect.” He kissed my cheek again. “Let’s switch and head home?”

“Sure!”

Turning the bike off, Connor kicked the stand out and we quickly switched places. There weren’t any cars coming, just as Connor predicted, but I was excited to go home and relax.

“All ready, Brianne?”

“Yes. I’m ready to go,” I assured him,

“Home we go,” he announced.

He drove us through the quiet, cool night. I wore a wide smile on my face the entire way home.

8

SUPPORTING YOUR LOVE

“Orange fizzy alcohol. Orange fizzy alcohol,” I quietly sang in the kitchen as I held the almost-empty can of orange vodka.

Connor watched me with a calm smile on his lips, a Corona in his hand. He was sitting at the kitchen island and I was dancing around happily.

“You get tipsy so fast,” Connor commented.

“Happiness and being tipsy are two different things.” I shook my hips along to the song that was quietly playing from the radio on the kitchen counter.

“Uh huh,” he replied, taking a swig of his beer.

I glanced at him. “You should dance. It’ll burn calories.”

“If you want to dance with me, just say so, baby.” He winked and finished the rest of his drink.

“Come dance with me,” I encouraged with a sweet smile.

He placed his bottle on the counter and slid off the stool. I quickly finished the rest of my drink, gulping it down like my life depended on it. I sighed and placed the can on the island and practically skipped into his arms.

“Dancing with my teddy bear,” I sang, and hummed to the music playing in the background.

His arms slipped around my waist and ended up leading in our little dance as we swayed side to side.

“I’m your teddy bear, huh?”

“Yup. Mine.” I squeezed him a little tighter. “With Jax, Kaito, and Finnick. My Notorious Four.”

“We like being yours,” he whispered.

I rested my head against his chest and noticed how fast his heart was beating, despite how calm he appeared on the surface. I wondered if he was nervous, and my curious nature got the better of me.

“Are you nervous?”

“A little,” he replied. His honesty was always something I valued, even if I didn’t vocally acknowledge it.

“Why?”

His hand stroked my head slightly, while his other arm remained on my waist. We came to a stop in front of the fridge and he maneuvered me to rest my back against the stainless-steel frame.

His black eyes met mine, and he bit his lip for a long moment.

“You make me want to do things…and I’m not sure if our relationship is at that level yet,” he confessed.

His cheeks burned a light red, and though it was dark, I could still see the rosy color swarm his skin.

“Like…kissing?” I asked.

His grin was taunting, and it seemed to set off a wave of palpable tension between us. It wasn’t the type that made you fear what was to come.

No. It was similar to that electricity that pulsed between Jax and me, but it felt so different and strong that it tugged every nerve ending within my body.

Neither of us looked away, and very slowly he rested his forearms against the fridge above me, while his body closed the small distance between us as it pressed against mine.

His closeness was welcome. I suddenly felt it wasn’t enough. That I wanted him even closer. He pressed his forehead down against mine, and his deep inhale seemed strained, like he was struggling to not lose control.

“More than kissing.” His voice was low and thick.

I wondered what he meant by more, but then the thoughts that had crossed my mind during my time with Jax came to mind again.

Does he mean…other stuff? I’m not good at that…I mean, it’s not like I’ve done that. Can we even do that here? I’m not wearing pretty lingerie! Ah, will he make fun of my panda underwear? Hmm…I like pandas, though. No one could possibly hate pandas.

The tiny snicker pulled me from my thoughts and left me with a flood of dread.

“Not again,” I huffed. “Stop listening.”

“I don’t know what you’re implying.”

“What print is on my panties?” I questioned, knowing well he wouldn’t lie.

“Pandas.” His teasing eyes twinkled.

“Ugh.” I blushed. “You should have lie—”

When his lips landed on mine, it was more than just a firm kiss. The connection was almost desperate, and the mere touch was enough to kickstart that burning heat that thrummed through me.

The electricity was back, and instead of feeling nervous or embarrassed, I let myself go once again. I kissed him back and that only made his kisses grow deeper. We kissed and kissed, until we couldn’t anymore, the two of us gasping for air when we parted. Staring into his eyes was like being lost in a wondrous void of emotions.

What emotions shone in those gorgeous black eyes, I couldn’t pinpoint. My mind was too busy loving everything about Connor and how he made my heart flutter and certain places grow hot.

This was the second time I was acknowledging that heat and I wondered if I was ready to take this to the next level. To experience what girls my age gushed about among their friends when they hooked up with their boyfriends.

Deep down, I wasn’t sure if I was ready, and beyond that, I couldn’t determine if Connor was going to be my first.

His smile returned and when he kissed me this time, it was tender with love. It wasn’t as urgent as the previous kiss, but it was just as deep. Instead of keeping my hands to my sides, I raised them to rest on his chest.

The fabric of his black tank top was soft and smooth, and without a thought, my hands moved upward, feeling the lines of his defined chest beneath the thin material.

He broke the kiss but remained close, and I met his half-open eyes.

“It’s hard for me to think straight around you because you make my heart go crazy,” he whispered. “Everything about you, Brianne, makes me want to go way too fast, but I want to go at your pace.”

“We…could—”

He silenced me again with another kiss, and when he pulled back, he whispered, “No. I want it to be just right. I don’t want you to move at a pace you’re not comfortable with. There’s no rush when it comes to us. It’s just hard…to control what my mind wants and what my body wants.”

“That’s normal, right? To really want something in the moment with your body, but know it may not be…the best with your mind?” I inquired.

He gave me a slight nod. “Yes. That’s exactly what it’s like at times. It’s your body’s impulse versus what you may want to happen. It’s hard to control…but you don’t want to do something you’ll regret.”

“If I wanted to wait until I was ready to do something, would that be childish?”

“No,” he firmly replied. “I regret not waiting for a lot of things, but if I hadn’t decided to wait for this, I wouldn’t have been able to date you,” he genuinely admitted.

“Connor.” I gave him a shy smile. “You really understand me. I don’t really understand myself.”

“You will. It takes a lot of time and growth. When you decide it’s okay to be who you are and do things to satisfy yourself and not others, it gets easier. You’re on the right path. Just a little more time and experience and you’ll be right there.” He leaned in closer and whispered, “Then I’ll have you.”

My face must have been crimson, as he leaned back and turned around. “Now, let’s head to bed. The alcohol is making my mind fuzzy. I don’t wanna do something silly.”

I felt like that was a total excuse to avoid us kissing as intensely as we were moments ago, but I’d take it. He was right. I still had a lot to learn and accept about myself before I was ready to embark on the next step in our relationship.

Did I see it happening in the near future? Yes, but my gut told me Connor wouldn’t be my first.

I was okay with that. Slow and steady.

“You guys are back.”

Glancing over to my left, I noticed Jax, who was rubbing his eyes. He was in his red boxers and had his cat slippers on. He walked to where I was, and without a second thought, hugged me.

“Hey, Jax,” I greeted.

“Hmm.” He seemed half awake. “Our Brianne.”

“Yes.” I giggled and hugged him back. “Did you just wake up?”

“Mhmm,” he replied. “You smell like popcorn.”

“We went and watched a movie.”

“I want to come next time.”

“For the movie or popcorn?”

“For Brianne time,” he mumbled. “I missed you in my dreams.”

“Did you?” I found this conversation both amusing and absolutely adorable.

“Yeah.” His lips grazed the side of my neck. “But I was good and shared.”

“Indeed, you did,” I replied, running my hands through his long, silky hair.

Connor was observing us, but I could tell from his posture that he was completely relaxed. He looked just as intrigued by Jax’s sleep talk as I was.

“I think he should go back to sleep,” Connor suggested.

“Jax? Want to go back to bed?” I asked, but then noticed his slow breathing. “Did he fall back asleep?”

“Yup.” Connor made his way to where we stood. “A bit of a habit of his. If he doesn’t get enough sleep, he’s in and out of it. It’s why he takes naps when he’s tired.”

“Ah,” I replied and continued to stroke his head softly. “Cute.”

“He really loves you,” Connor revealed softly. “It’s nice to see him so happy and relaxed in a relationship.”

“I’m thankful he doesn’t need to deal with Elisha,” I declared.

“Me too. Though, I feel Elijah’s the next victim in her games.”

I’d thought about that when I learned about Elisha’s gift, but I’d pushed it back in the depths of my mind.

I can’t protect him anymore. He’s not my friend to protect. Until he figures things out on his own, this is the only way he can see who his real friends are and who is there to use him.

“Exactly,” Connor replied to my thought.

I gave him a look, but a tiny smile spread across my lips.

“Want to help me with Jax?” I asked.

“What’s wrong with Jax?”

We both looked to our left to see Kaito and Finnick enter the room from the hall.

“Hmm. This feels like déjà vu,” I mumbled..

“Agreed,” Connor replied and returned his attention to the others. “Jax fell asleep standing again.”

“Doesn’t he fall asleep standing when he’s comfortable?” Finnick inquired.

“Most of the time,” Kaito replied. “I’ll help. At least there aren’t a lot of stairs here like at his house.”

“True,” Connor agreed.

They helped Jax off me, and I gave each of them a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Thank you,” I praised.

“We’re not doing anything noble.” Kaito blushed slightly at my tiny display of affection. “We’re just being good friends.”

“Best friends,” I corrected.

“Finnick. Make sure Red doesn’t charm you into letting her have one more drink,” Connor warned.

“Hey!” I glared at him.

Finnick nodded. “All right, Vice President. I’ll ensure our Red stands clear of the fridge. Even if she’s right in front of it.”

“Boo,” I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m not afraid of Finnick.”

“Oh, really?” Finnick smirked and moved to hug me.

“Hug me all you want! Do your—hehehe!” I began to giggle when he tickled me.

Connor and Kaito smirked and headed off with a sleeping Jax in tow.

“Traitors!” I exclaimed through giggles. “Finnick!”

“You have to promise to be good if I stop.”

“Fine, I’ll be good,” I promised.

He stopped and gave me a tight squeeze before letting me go.

“Want to head back to your room?”

“Hmm. Maybe I’ll bunk in your guys’ room tonight, ” I suggested. “I slept in Jax and Kaito’s room two days in a row, and before that I was with the twins.”

“All right.” Finnick looked happy with my decision. He took my hand and we headed upstairs.

Jax was in bed, and Kaito was stretching a bit before he went to sleep. We exchanged goodnights and closed their door.

Connor said he was going to take a shower, and I’d probably take one after him, instead of taking one now and leaving Finnick alone.

“I’ll keep you company until Connor is—” I began and reached for the doorknob of their room, but Finnick’s arms stopped me as he hugged me from behind.

“Finnick?” I was taken aback by the sudden hug and looked back at him to see Finnick’s forehead pressed against my shoulder. “Finnick? What’s wrong?”

“He’s pretending that he doesn’t remember,” Finnick mumbled.

“Doesn’t…” I trailed off, my brain finally working double at connecting the dots.

Is he referring to when he kissed Kaito?

“I asked…if I did anything weird when I was drunk. He said no, but…when I asked what happened, he lied.” Finnick’s words flooded my mind. “He doesn’t recall, Red….and…it hurts. I know I said I’d be patient, but couldn’t he have told the truth? Can’t he be like Connor or Jax?”

I couldn’t reply immediately. This wasn’t a conversation I should be having after my drink, but I could see why he was bringing it up in this moment with just me.

When did you ask?

“This evening. Jax was still asleep, and we were playing chess while waiting for you guys.”

Thinking about it some more, I wiggled in his hold until he released me so I could face him. I was shocked by his glassy eyes, and my heart sank for him.

“Should I give up?”

His eyes were filled with hopelessness, and his tone of voice within the walls of my mind was so sad that it felt like my heart was bleeding for him.

“Finnick,” I softly spoke, pressing my hands on his cheeks. I went on my tiptoes and gave him a long, deep kiss.

It may not have been the best kiss, like Connor had delivered to me, but the point of the kiss was to remind Finnick that I was here for him.

I loved him for who he was. No matter what happened.

“Time.” The single word held so much weight. “Please, Finnick. Don’t rush. Even if it’s hard. You still have one crush,” I whispered.

He looked me in the eyes, his tears beginning to fall down his cheeks. “You remember?”

“Mhm.” I bobbed my head. “And I’m happy to be one of your crushes, and I’m sure with some time, Kaito will give you the answer you’re seeking.”

I wiped the tears from his cheek and he nodded.

“Patience,” he whispered.

“Patience,” I confirmed. “I’m here to support your love. Our love. No matter what, I’m here. Always.”

“Always.” He smiled and hugged me, nestling his head into my shoulder and neck. His shoulders lifted as he tried his best to quietly cry.

I sensed someone was in the hall, and I looked over to see Connor. He stood in place, and we shared a look of understanding.

All we can do is support them. At least, until they’re ready to face their feelings.

9

SEMESTER THREE HOOKUP

~TWO MONTHS LATER~

“WE GOT NEW UNIFORMS!” Mia squealed.

“I’m surprised we even get an upgrade. In high school, our uniforms never changed.” I eyed the new uniform my sister had brought over to the Park’s house.

“At least it’s pretty. Look at these cool blazers,” Miya pointed out.

“I heard that we get new ones every year and they’re like, fancier. Then, when we graduate and become alumni, we get these really cool white and blue outfits,” Mia added.

“What can alumni do?” I asked as I began to strip out of my Sailor Moon pajamas. They were getting tighter on me, particularly in the hip and chest sections.

“You get to choose to teach, or accept missions, or something,” Mia answered.

“Didn’t they say there’s a special team of alumni that gets chosen to do cool things?” Miya asked Mia, who nodded.

“That’s what the rumors say, but it’s all top secret stuff.”

“Cool,” I replied. “We better get ready. The guys said they wouldn’t go to class unless they saw me ahead of time.”

“Aw,” they replied. “So in love.”

I rolled my eyes but smiled at their commentary.

The rest of summer had breezed by, and today was the first day of Semester Three. Starting Year Two at Witchling Academy was exciting, giving me those anxious vibes like my first day of classes.

However, I wasn’t afraid of meeting new people or fitting in. I had my tribe, and we planned to stick closer together than ever this semester.

Spending three months at the beach house was exactly what we all needed. It may not have solved a few lingering things between the guys, but it definitely made everyone closer. When we got back, I spent a few days at home with my family, and we got invited to the Park’s place for an end-of-summer dinner.

My parents were fine with me staying over, and I’d brought my old uniform set to change into, but after waking up early for our morning workout and run, we noticed the special delivery man at the door with Miya’s and Mia’s new uniforms.

I could have spell traveled back home, but my sister arrived in the nick of time on her awesome motorbike. Katsume was with her, and the two of them were heading to work when my parents called and told her that something had been delivered for me to use today.

Starlight was the best as always, and with a quick ruffle of my hair and some teasing, she was off to work. Her team would be going out of the country for a few weeks on a special case.

From the bits of the news broadcast we’d heard during the breakfast, the case that led to her team being wiped out had been reopened. My mother had texted me early this morning to warn me about it and told me not to bring it up unless Starlight did, but I wondered what she could have been feeling.

I was sure she was hiding her emotions on purpose, because her gift was just as emotionally charged as mine. Her powers had only heightened from that blast, and I worried she’d bottle up her emotions until they exploded.

All I could do was be supportive and check in. At least this time around, my sister had her new team and Katsume seemed to be more of a best friend now.

Kaito had mentioned that his parents were really happy that Katsume and my sis were getting along, but I wondered if they saw what I was seeing. Whatever was brewing between them felt like more than just friends.

It reminded me of watching my sister fall in love with her first girlfriend, the one before she met the man of her life and got engaged. It was just one of those observations that I picked up on and had to play the waiting game to see how it turned out.

If only I could use those same techniques in my own life.

Overall, my relationship with the Notorious Four was great. I was happy with each of them, and though my connections with Jax and Connor were stronger, I wasn’t worried. I figured Finnick and Kaito would be on the level ground shortly.

We did have three more years until we graduated. Lots of time to learn about each other. My gut told me that things would move faster now — or maybe it was my hormones talking. Getting to talk with the twins helped me a lot in “that” department. I was still shy about those topics, but we did discuss it.

Things about sex and relationships.

Miya and Mia weren’t virgins like me. They had had their own relationships in Korea when they were sixteen, but felt it was more of a hindrance than anything.

They were blinded by the attention and confused it with love, but it wasn’t the case. When they talked about it, I could feel a bit of hurt in their words. It would have hurt me to be used by someone for fame or as a joke, and no one deserved to experience that.

What I loved about how they explained things to me was that I didn’t feel pressured in the slightest. They didn’t point out my flaws and make them seem like a bad thing. They embraced them and told me what I could do to feel more comfortable about those things.

My lack of knowledge regarding sex and relationships, in general, was what was really holding me back. The fear of not knowing what to expect or how to react to the good and bad. Researching…was weird. More than weird. They encouraged me to do it by myself when my parents and sister weren’t home, and boy, did I find a lot more than I needed.

The internet has another side I never expected.

Either way, I felt a little more comfortable with the topic now. That didn’t mean I wasn’t going to blush or feel squirmy around others, but I felt like I’d be willing to do it.

Willing to finally lose that innocence.

The one thing the twins regretted was not waiting and rushing into it. They said I was in a perfect balance right now with four options to choose from. They both saw me hooking up with Jax first, but anything could happen, really.

Our relationship dynamic was growing, and now I wasn’t afraid of making that next move.

Semester Three’s curriculum was definitely going to be interesting. We wouldn’t have as many magic sessions, reminding me of Semester One, but our exam would be a large amount of our final grade.

About fifty percent of our final grade, in fact.

None of us knew why it was like that, or what was to come with our final exam, but I felt like this was the school’s way of testing if we’d be lazy or keep up with the pace without their guidance.

From the booklet of Year Two’s overview that we’d scanned last night, our winter break would be six weeks instead of four, and midway through the semester would be the Witchling Games. That would require everyone’s participation and would also contribute to our final grade.

With our new uniforms came an upgrade to our wands. All three of ours were pink, but mine had hints of gold, orange, and red, versus the twins’, which both had bits of turquoise and purple.

Familiars would be allowed to attend any classes and could be used in combat. That was delightful now that I had Elsa. She’d been so good during the entire vacation, spending most of her time playing with Lyx, Lux, or Luna.

They were like their own familiar squad, with the twins’ wolves normally chilling with one another and Luna always keeping an eye on Elsa. She’d grown a little bit from her tiny form, and she clearly liked stealing the guys’ underwear.

Not any of the girls, just the guys. I found it hilarious, especially when she stole Jax’s underwear the most. I wondered how many pairs of boxers were hidden at the beach house now.

Guess we’ll never know.

Stripping out of my pajamas, I stared at the new uniform with pride.

I’m really getting there. Slowly, but surely, I’ll become less clueless and innocent. I wonder if Elijah would see the difference. Would he take back his words?

“Brianne?”

I looked to Mia and Miya, who were eyeing me carefully.

“What?”

“That bra is going to explode.” Mia pointed to my pink bra. “Didn’t you say your sister bought you a new one?”

“Huh? Oh, right! I forgot this one is kinda small now,” I admitted, looking at the pink cotton bra that barely held my girls.

“Kinda?” Miya gasped. “Sweetie, your boobs are literally falling out of the cups.”

“T-they aren’t,” I defended, trying to fix it. One of my breasts popped out of the cup and there was a long moment of silence before the three of us burst into laughter.

“Take that thing off!” Mia hollered. “It can’t handle your girls!”

“That was its way of saying, ‘I’ve finished my duty. Farwell!’ Where are your new bras?!” Miya sang before tossing the question at me.

“My sister had to give me one of hers. I think I need to go shopping.” I giggled, taking the bra off and tossing it onto my pile of clothes that needed to be washed.

“You gotta toss it in the trash, woman! Don’t you dare try to wear that at home,” Mia said.

“Wow. I think you’re going to reach your sister’s height, if not taller,” Miya revealed.

“You think?” I asked, pulling out the new bra my sister had bought for herself but brought over. I wondered if she was psychic or something, but I was thrilled that I had this backup.

No boob popping at school, please.

“Mhmm. You grew a lot, Brianne. You’re almost taller than us now,” Miya stressed.

Right. I did have another growth spurt.

I was exactly the same height as the twins at 5′8″. All three of us decided we’d wear wedge heels today, to extend our height a bit more, and I definitely was going to get a few looks from the swift shift.

I’d gone from 5′3″ to 5′10″ with heels, and my long orange hair reached my lower back now. What was cool was that the tiny golden strands had doubled and were now easily visible. It was like Jax’s hair and how he had a slight glow in his. Mine twinkled ever so slightly, but when I used magic, it changed to whatever color matched the spell.

Fire would be red and gold, water and ice would be a crystal blue. Wind a nice teal-turquoise, and it would go on and on.

All this change was definitely scary, but deep down, I believed I needed that push to find who I wanted to be this year. I knew with a new look, uniform, and boost in confidence, I wanted to see if the same people would try to pick on me this year.

Putting on the bra with ease, I showed the twins, who were now working on putting their skirts on.

“Much better!” They bobbed their heads in agreement.

“Here, let me help tighten the straps a bit,” Miya offered.

“Okay,” I replied, and turned around for her to help me with the bright pink bra.

Once that was taken care of, I worked on my skirt, and looked at Miya and Mia, who had made it pretty short.

“Shouldn’t it be longer?” I asked.

“As long as it’s covering your booty,” Mia replied with a wink. “Gotta show off a bit of those legs, Brianne.”

“Did you shave them like we told you?” Miya asked.

“Yup.” I lifted my legs in demonstration. “Hair free. We won’t get in trouble for it being too short?”

“Nah.” They both shook their heads.

“Short is like ‘panty showing, Elisha’s way of bringing the boys to her side of the court,’ short,” Mia stressed. “We aren’t joining the slut squad, thanks.”

“As if we were invited.” Miya giggled. “They’re too cool for us. I got a chance to scan the morning blog posts. Looks like Elijah and Princess Elisha are having relationship issues.”

“What?!” Mia and I said in unison.

Miya grinned and reached for her white blouse, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

“Oh, yeah. Summer was not so great for the new love birds. Apparently, Elisha’s dad doesn’t approve of Elijah’s family background, and Elijah practically begged her to stay with him.”

I was speechless while Mia choked on her saliva.

“Shut up! They did not publish that on an internet platform!” Mia exclaimed.

“Oh, yes, they did. Also, Elijah sucks in bed.”

Now I was coughing, and Mia was speechless.

“T-that’s horrible! Why would Elisha tell them that?” I reasoned. “That’s private stuff.”

“Private or not, someone clearly misses Jax.” Miya began to button her shirt. “The people who wrote the article think you’re out of the picture with the Notorious Four.”

“Why?!” I gasped in horror.

“Oh, I get it.” Mia looked to me. “See, before, when Jax was with Elisha, I’m sure their business was all over the place. She could feed them whatever perception she wanted them to know. However, no one knows we all went to the private beach house. It’s literally off limits and they’re super secretive with who knows because celebrities and high-class mages stay there when they have conferences and stuff. No one has a clue where we went, and the guys went back to Jax’s place last night when we came over here. Add the fact that they went to school early without you for council stuff, and I’m sure Elisha is hoping your relationship was a fling.”

I frowned, not liking that people were already trying to tear us down. School hadn’t even started yet.

They’re my boyfriends. Who is she to start spreading rumors that we’re not together for her glory?

“Uh oh,” Mia and Miya said together. “Is that the spark of jealousy in our Bri’s eyes?!”

I blinked and noticed their sheer excitement. I rolled my eyes. “It’s not that,” I groaned.

“Sure,” they replied.

“But between us—” Mia pointed to herself and Miya “—we totally sense those jealous vibes.”

“She shouldn’t be telling people to write those things. It’s basically cyberbullying,” I huffed and worked on making my skirt shorter.

“Yes, but this is the life of a Witchling. First, we were the freshmen of Witchling Academy. Now, we’re onto our sophomore year and that’s when the brittle, mean girls come out to play,” Miya explained. “If we do decide to join the cheer squad, it’s only going to get worse.”

“Ah, I forgot about that part,” Mia groaned. “Why can’t school be less catty and more about the experience in our youth years?”

“That’s why being an alumnus is the best. Everyone respects you and the common rules don’t apply. If anyone tries to talk to you in a disrespectful manner, you can fix them right there and then. I was reading about Professor Phoenix’s history since she watches over the cheer squad, and it’s really an eye-opener. She was fierce!” Miya explained.

“Fierce, huh,” I mumbled.

“Yup. She wrote in a paragraph that, ‘Unless you take a stand for what you want, people will continue to tug and bring you down to the ground. Stand tall and strong. Prove to the world that you aren’t someone to mess with, and if anyone tries to mess with you, turn the tables and let them play the same game. You’ll be surprised how quickly they’ll retreat.’ I had goosebumps reading it.”

“Wasn’t it because of her strong personality and perseverance that the school ended up recruiting her as a professor?” Mia asked.

“Yup! She got lots of job offers all over the world. I’m talking more than one hundred countries wanted her. She stayed because of her boyfriends, who are now professors here. People tried to make drama when they came out to the public with their relationship, but it was rather pointless,” Miya explained

“Well, when you look at Professor Phoenix.” Mia shrugged. “Excuse my French, but she doesn’t give a shit.”

“That’s not French,” I pointed out.

The two of them looked at me with wide grins. I rolled my eyes. “Ignore me! Anyway, I really look up to Professor Phoenix. She’s really inspiring and professional.”

“You’re taking her extracurricular class, right?” Miya asked.

“Yes. This semester is incorporating familiar studies into spell traveling. I think it would be good for me and Elsa,” I elaborated.

“MewMew!”

The three of us glanced down to my feet to see Elsa as she stretched. Sitting down, she looked up at the three of us.

“MewMew?”

“We were just talking,” I assured her, kneeling down to pet her. “Morning, Elsa.”

“Morning, Elsa!” Mia and Miya greeted. “Were you playing downstairs with Lux and Lyx?” they asked.

“MewMew!” She ran to the door and scratched it. Mia and Miya exchanged looks before Mia walked to the door and opened it slightly.

Lux, Lyx, and Luna ran into our room, the four them bustling around our feet before running to their usual playtime corner.

We all grinned, and Mia closed the door. “Well, that’s good.”

“Professor Phoenix is in charge of the cheer tryouts. Brianne? Have you decided about joining yet?” Miya asked.

“I’m not sure,” I confessed. “Maybe.”

“See how you feel after class. Today is signups and Friday is tryouts. We have magic kendo evening classes after that, so we’ll have to jet after,” Mia explained.

“Jet, meaning leave right away?” I clarified.

“Yup!” Miya replied. “Our class is only an hour, but it’s mandatory attendance. After that, we’re free!”

“Sleepover?” I asked and began to button my shirt.

“Yes!” they cheered.

“Okay! I’ll see how I feel about it,” I confirmed.

I’m not the best dancer or one of those girls who’s done cheerleading for years, but it’s just a tryout. No harm trying.

“Perfect! Now, let’s hurry and glam up! Bri, you have to curl your hair. You look extra hot with curly hair,” Miya emphasized.

“Okay,” I replied and worked a little faster at getting dressed.

After we were finished putting our new uniforms on, we quickly did light makeup, and I finished the look with bright red liquid lipstick.

With a bit of magic to speed up the hair-curling process, I was ready to go and smoothing out my blue and gold blazer. Taking a deep inhale, I looked in the mirror. My currently golden eyes were staring back at me, the magic still twinkling in them while I looked at the final product.

“MewMew?” Elsa sat at my feet, wearing her pink collar with a golden bell.

I noticed a golden bow on her left ear, which told me Mia and Miya had been dressing her up again. They did the same with the other familiars, and with a quick glance, I realized all three of them had little bows either on their ear or collar.

“Yeah, Elsa. You look super cute.” I crouched down to stroke her little head, and she rewarded me with a long purr before she ran away to play with the others.

Rising back up to stare in the mirror, I wore a small smile.

This is really me.

“Damn,” Miya and Mia drawled at the doorway.

“Girl, you HOT hot!” Mia smirked.

“Super hot!” Miya stressed.

The two of them were all glammed up with their black bangs perfectly in place while their long strands were in bundles of curls.

They both had on blue-to-pink ombre eyeshadow, a common color scheme for both of them when it came to shadow choices, and they wore pink lipstick with a shiny gloss.

“Thanks, guys,” I replied. “Ready to go?”

“Yup!” They gave me teeth-glimmering smiles. “Let’s give the gossip community of Witchling High something to talk about!”

Semester Three, here we come.

“Yo! Is that the Harlow girl from last year?”

“No way! The short girl who shot that guy into Professor Phoenix’s classroom?!”

“Can’t be! She…she’s hot!”

“She was always hot, idiot!”

“But damn. That has to be her. She’s best friends with those twin sisters from Korea.”

“Bruh, they got hot, too.”

“You should go ask her out! I read in the blog she’s not with the Notorious Four.”

“You believe that nonsense? No way is the Notorious Four going to let go of that hot cake. She’d be swept up so fast.”

“I wonder if her ex is sobbing now. I heard he’s having issues with Elisha.”

“That was also in the blog! Dude, apparently, he was horrible in bed. She was all disappointed and left his house, and get this, his dad was home. Totally wasted on the couch.”

“Stop this. No way! How embarrassing.”

I TUNED out of the conversation as Mia and Miya closed their lockers. They both looked my way, but I hid my true emotions with a smile.

This was the third time in the span of fifteen minutes that we’d heard about the Elisha and Elijah drama. It wasn’t bothering me like it would have a year ago, but I still felt sympathy for him. I really shouldn’t have, and it was something I was going to work on throughout the semester.

He was warned and ignored those warnings. This was how he’d learn.

The twins were right about the shock factor. I was prepared to turn a few heads, but from the moment we walked on the Witchling Academy property, juniors and seniors were all looking our way.

It could have been the vibe we were projecting as a unit; with me in the middle and Mia and Miya to my sides, we looked like a triple threat scene in a dramatic movie.

Kind of like Charlie’s Angels. An oldie but goodie.

“We have separate first classes, but I’ll see you guys during second period,” I said.

“Yup!” they agreed. “We’ll see you…of all things holy!”

Their shift of focus and two-octave voice transition left me raising an eyebrow at them.

Not like they even noticed.

Following their gaze, I saw why they were gawking in shock, just like half the students in the hall who were looking in the same direction.

I thought I was seeing double, but even with five solid blinks, I was still seeing two pairs of clones.

Two sets of twins were heading down the hall, the four of them wearing the new sophomore uniforms for the males.

Talk about double trouble.

The twins on my left were African, but upon closer inspection, they had to have a mix of Asian heritage because it showed in their eyes and facial features. Their long hair was in cornrows, something I hadn’t seen since I was in elementary and one of our classmates had transferred in. It was the first time I’d met an African person or anyone with chocolate skin at our school, and I’d always admired him for his devotion to learning and how he never got a single pimple.

I never told him that, but I’m sure someone else must have.

I got the impression that the twins’ Asian heritage was Korean. They were 6′2″ and even with their cornrow hairstyle, you could see the glimmering blue highlights in their black tresses.

They had their blazers on, but they were left open and they both wore white shoes.

The twins to my right, who were also 6’2”, were definitely Korean. They had short hair with purple highlights that gave off a slight glow like mine or Jax’s, and they both had large white headphones that rested on their necks.

From the way they all moved, they weren’t strangers to one another. They moved as a unit, and it reminded me of my Notorious Four, minus the double twin factor.

Glancing back at Mia and Miya, I saw they were paralyzed in shock, but I could tell from their eyes that they were checking out every detail of these guys.

An idea popped into my mind, and I knew the two of them were going to kill me.

I have to return the favor of them being amazing friends. Time to hook these girls up!

This was going to be one of those stupid, ‘let’s be spontaneous’ moves, but if that meant my best friends were going to land themselves a double date, I would fulfill my duty with honor.

“MewMew!” Elsa popped out of nowhere, landing right in the foursome’s path.

“What a cute familiar,” the far left male announced. “Hey, Akono. Look.”

“Akino. You make it seem like I’m blind and can’t see it for myself,” his twin groaned. “Yes, it’s cute. Can we go?”

“Hey there, kitten,” the twin on the far right greeted and crouched down. “Want to say hello?”

“MewMew!” Elsa walked over to his proffered hand, immediately nudging it with her head before she sat down and began her purring serenade.

“She’s adorable.”

“You’re such a softy, Koyoshi.” His twin sighed and pinched his nose. “I swear we’re allergic.”

“I think that’s regular cats in Korea, Kiyoshi,” Koyoshi reasoned.

Glancing at my besties, I winked when they both looked my way. With a happy grin, I looked away and approached the four guys. “Terribly sorry,” I sweetly apologized, with a slight bow of my head. “It’s the first time my familiar is on the school grounds. She’s excited and likes to pop out of nowhere.”

“Perfectly fine,” Akono beamed.

“Yeah. She’s worth the pause,” Koyoshi added.

“Even if we’re allergic,” Kiyoshi mumbled.

“And struggling to find our first class,” Akino muttered.

“What class are you guys trying to find?” I innocently asked as Elsa ran back to my feet. I crouched down and picked her up, just as Akono replied.

“Duality Studies. It’s the perfect class for twins, but we can’t find it. Akino made us go the wrong way.”

“I did not!” Akino huffed.

“Certainly did.” Koyoshi laughed. “Akino and I should bet the next time you and Kiyoshi try and think you’re right.”

“Whatever,” Kiyoshi brushed off. “Do you know where that is?”

“I do, but my best friends actually have the same class as you.” I pointed to Miya and Mia, the two of them blinking in bewilderment at the sudden attention. “They would gladly take you there.”

From the flicker of magic in their pink eyes, I was in for it when lunchtime arrived, but they would thank me later.

Mia and Miya stepped forward, their cheeks still a bright rosy red.

“U-uh, yes. We have the same class,” Mia disclosed.

“If you guys want to make it there on time, we can show you the way?” Miya shyly suggested.

I was internally dying with amusement at how shy they were acting, but I could tell from the way the set of twins were checking them out, that there was something there.

Kiyoshi and Akino were specifically eyeing Mia. “Sure,” they said together, which was peculiar for opposites.

Koyoshi and Akono smirked, their eyes clearly on Miya.

“That would be super helpful.” Koyoshi winked.

“We’d appreciate it,” Akino kindly stated.

“O-okay!” Mia and Miya stuttered. “Follow us.”

“What are your names, anyway?” Akono asked.

“I’m Brianne Harlow,” I introduced myself and pointed to the twins. “That’s Mia Park and Miya Park. We’re sophomores.”

“Same,” they said in unison.

“I’m Akino Bak. That’s my brother Akono Bak. We’re African but our family was on vacation when we were born. We moved back to Korea when we were young,” Akino explained.

“I don’t get why you have to give our life story.” Akono shook his head.

“It makes it easier than us having to answer everyone’s questions as to why we have Korean accents,” Akino replied.

Koyoshi chuckled. “I’m Koyoshi Lee. My allergic brother is Kiyoshi Lee. We were born and raised in Korea.”

“You’re allergic, too,” Kiyoshi grumbled. “Anyway. The four of us went to school together and were the Junior Council at our school in Korea. We got invited here last year, but our visas were late.”

“Those damn visas,” Miya and Mia said together.

“You guys dealt with the delay, too?” Akino asked.

“Yup!” they replied.

“We thought we’d make it for first semester but there was a huge backlog. We got here right at the New Year,” Mia explained.

“We were able to start second semester, but it was annoying to start halfway through the year,” Miya finished.

“Right.” Koyoshi dramatically sighed. “Akino and I got our visas first, but it was way into first semester. We all thought we’d get in for second semester, but guess whose visas came a week after school started?”

“Akono and Kiyoshi?” Mia confirmed.

The two guys glanced away with annoyance, but they couldn’t hide the slight blush in their cheeks, even with Akono’s dark complexion.

“Bingo.” Akino widely grinned. “You guys catch on.”

“We are twins, after all,” they replied. “Easier.”

“I like them,” Koyoshi declared.

“Me too,” Akino agreed.

“You two are like puppies,” Akono and Kiyoshi replied.

“Admit they’re hot,” the other two said.

“Fine, fine. They’re hot. Can we go?” they grumbled.

“Yeah! Let’s go.” Koyoshi laughed. “Lead the way, Mia and Miya.”

“Sure! Uh…bye, Brianne.” They quickly leaned in and gave me a group hug. “We’re going to kill you at lunch.”

“You love me,” I whispered back at them and tried not to giggle.

They moved away and directed the guys, who gave me quick bobs of their heads.

“See ya around, Brianne. Nice hair,” Akino called back and waved before he paid attention with the others as they headed down the hall.

“MewMew,” Elsa snuggled against my chest and I lifted her to eye level.

“You did amazing.”

“MewMew!” She looked happily at me.

With a smirk and a quick kiss to her little head, I secured my bag on my one shoulder and began to make my way down the hall.

Now that love matching is over, it’s time for me to find my men.

10

DO YOU SEE ME NOW?

Making my way down the hall, I couldn’t wipe the smile on my face. It felt good to be the one to try and help my friends, versus me always relying on them. It put me in the best mood, and I felt like nothing could bring me down from my high.

Pulling out my phone, I checked to see I’d gotten a text from Jax.

FLAMING HOT JAX:

On my way to where you are. Yes, I know where you are.

“Of course he does,” I mumbled with a sly smile. I bet Kaito gave him a tip as to which section of the school I was in.

Just knowing Jax was on his way made me pumped up to be back around him and the guys. At least this time around, I wouldn’t be swayed by other people’s opinions of me spending “too much time” with the Notorious Four.

If people think we’re “done” they’ve got another thing coming. They’re my boyfriends. My Notorious Four. Man, when did I get so overprotective? Selfish, maybe? Hmph. Not a big deal.

Deciding to wait for Jax’s arrival, I took a spot to my left that had the least number of students crowding around.

Leaning my back against the lockers, I began to cruise the headlines on the student website for Witchling Academy.

My lingering smile widened when I saw the latest headline.

Top Ten Hottie List of Witchling Academy - Semester Three Edition

NEWS FLASH!! We’d originally made our top ten list, but lo and behold, three stunning students took these ranks by storm and we had to redo the positions! After a quick investigation, here is our top new official ranking list of this semester.

In the female division:

1. BRIANNE M. HARLOW

Holy Hotness of all things SMOKING! If you thought we’d seen the last from Brianne, then take a look at how hot she’s become. The freshman who made her mark on two senior bullies and shut down the people bullying her last year is back and looking like the next top model. Her makeup is following the recent trend of fierce but natural, with a flawless surface and a pop of red to make her still stand out. Her amazing orange hair has always caught people’s attention, and the obvious golden strands give her a magical touch.

Even in her uniform, she looks stunning in this picture below. She’s accompanied by the Park twins, transfer students straight from Korea. It’s unknown if she’s still dating Jax Morgan or the rest of the Notorious Four, but we’ll be on the lookout.

2. MIA PARK AND MIYA PARK

No way could we choose between these twins! Last semester’s transfer students are back, looking even more gorgeous! Also following the new makeup trends, they walk by Brianne’s side with confidence.

GLANCING up to see if Jax was here yet, I noticed the hall was getting less crowded. I decided to look further into the article while making a mental note to screenshot it when I got to class to share with the twins during second period.

I scanned the list until I noticed a familiar name.

10. ELISHA L. WATERS

Boy, oh boy. What a drop in the ranks. After being in the top spot since day one of her arrival, this is a huge drop for Elisha. She almost didn’t make the list, to be brutally honest.

The summer break must have been a stressful one because it did nothing to help her in the attractiveness department. As you can see from the image taken this morning, our former top pick is following makeup trends from at least two years ago, her hair is an utter mess, and even in her uniform, she looks like she’s taking the walk of shame instead of starting a fresh new term.

She must be experiencing some boy trouble, because that’s one of our hot topics for the week. These are still rumors with no concrete evidence, but it’s been said Elisha and her boyfriend Elijah Hamilton are over. He apparently begged her to stay, but who knows if that is true. Time will tell, but for now there’s no news on whether Jax Morgan, who was previously Elisha’s boyfriend, is single or still in his relationship with Brianne Harlow.

For now, all we can do is play the waiting game and have our phones ready! Let’s continue on to the Top Ten Males!

I scanned the intro paragraph, stopping at the final part.

This year we’ve gotten super lucky! The top ten have several new students taking the scoreboard. Of course, their entry took many spots, but our Notorious Four is still ranked in the top!

Can we take a moment to stress about the change in our N4? Especially Jax. I thought the boys wouldn’t grow anymore, just like many of us, but Jax seems to have gotten a boost of height from 6′0″ to 6′3″, putting him at the same height as our Connor. Maybe he’s been practicing with the soon-to-be football sensation.

I’D FORGOTTEN about Jax’s sudden boost in height during our final weeks at the beach house. It was one of those mind tricks where one minute he was his usual self and the next day he was three inches taller.

Apparently, it was common on his dad’s side, but now he was the same height as Connor, while Kaito and Finnick were close to six feet. It wasn’t too much of a big deal in my eyes since their heights complemented their muscle builds, but I was positive people were going to notice the change in Jax.

He was hot before, but now. He was what the magazines called lick-worthy.

Instead of focusing on the blurb of gossip under each guy’s name, I scanned the final list section that had the top female and male division listed side by side.

1. JAX MORGAN

2. CONNOR GIOVANNI

3. KAITO MOGAMI

4. FINNICK ROSEDALE

5. AKINO BAK & AKONO BAK

6. KIYOSHI LEE & KOYOSHI LEE

7. XXXXX

8.XXXXX

9.XXXXX

10. ELIJAH HAMILTON

I ONLY FOCUSED on the names I recognized and noticed Elijah was last. I had no doubt that he was attractive, but I found it interesting that Elisha and Elijah were both last on the list.

Seeing as I never followed these blogs, I didn’t know if we were even ranked last semester or when we first arrived here, but it didn’t stop me from being intrigued.

“Damn, is that your ex, Elijah?”

“Talk about hot central. She went from cute to smoking eye candy.”

“That’s…”

“Bruh, you don’t even recognize your own ex? Her hair is still bright orange.”

“Just with more gold, which looks really cool. She has a powerful aura around her, dude.”

I fought to keep my eyes on my screen and not scratch that itch to look up and turn my attention to the group of males talking about me.

That group which included Elijah.

“You should approach her!” one of the guys stressed.

“No,” Elijah replied. “Elisha and I are still dating.”

“Says who? Is the whole ‘you begging thing’ a lie?” his other friend questioned.

“I didn’t beg…she was just being a bitch.”

“That’s totally not how you should be referring to your girlfriend, but when it comes to Elisha, I kind of don’t blame you.”

“Well, you’re missing out. Your ex-girlfriend is hot now. Sorry dude, but I bet it’s because of her chilling with the Notorious Four.”

“It’s not,” Elijah huffed. “She just grew a little. She’s still innocent and clueless. Bet she hasn’t kissed any of the guys or had sex. It’s all for show.”

“You sound bitter, dude.” One of the guys laughed.

“Bet he wishes she was in his bed at night,” the other guy mocked.

“Shut up,” Elijah grumbled. “It was all over the blogs this morning that she’s not dating the Notorious Four or whatever. It was just a fling to make it look like Jax was taken,” Elijah bluntly lied.

“Then maybe you have a chance to get back with your first love. If she’s still all pure, you may get a better bed experience.”

“Plus, she at least doesn’t air your guys’ dirty laundry around to feel popular,” the other guy declared.

The two of them laughed, and I took a peek to see Elijah staring right at me. When our eyes locked, we simply stared, but unlike before, it didn’t do anything to me. No sparks, heat, or electric tingles. It was a look of longing from his eyes, but he made his regret obvious.

Too bad my eyes didn’t reflect the same set of emotions.

I boldly stared at him, hoping my confidence and growth leaked off me and reflected in my now-black eyes.

Do you see me now? The innocent, clueless girl you thought would stay who she was forever? Do you regret abandoning me? Wish you never listened to the rumors? Am I worthy of your attention now?

Those were questions I’d never get the answers to, but I knew one thing was for sure.

I wasn’t the girl from last year. He definitely could see me now.

“Eeep! Oh gods, is that Jax?”

“No way! He’s scorching hot! Like a damn model!”

“Shut up, let me see!”

“Ah, Jax!”

“Our Junior President!”

Everyone seemed to move their attention to my right, and there was Jax, walking out of the crowd.

He was in his new uniform, his blazer similar to ours with gold trimming that outlined the frame, pockets, and sleeve of the jacket. He’d left it open, revealing his white dress shirt that had three of the top buttons open, and his loosened tie that hung around his collar.

His hair was down, and from its glowing appearance, it looked like he’d used magic only a few minutes ago. The fiery aura around those flaming strands and the way his golden eyes glowed with a hint of power made his entire dominating appearance attract everyone’s attention.

His hands were in his pockets, and Luna was walking by his feet until she noticed me. She darted to my feet, immediately going on her back paws and tapping my legs with her paws.

“Meow!”

With a softened grin, I crouched down to greet Luna. “Hey, Luna.”

“MewMew!” Elsa made her entrance once more, and I felt a weight on my head before the kitten landed on the floor and playfully tackled Luna.

“Meow!

“MewMew!”

I let them do their own thing, realizing all eyes were on me. This was where I would have to prove myself. To show the gossip community that Jax was still mine, just like the rest of the Notorious Four.

Without a hint of worry in my mind, I projected that fierce demeanor that I always strived for. This was when I needed it the most, and I was ready to show just what I had to offer.

Just because I’d never had sex before didn’t mean I wasn’t going to kiss Jax like my life depended on it.

Rising back up, I took my time to walk to Jax, who had paused in the middle of the hall. His eyes were locked on me, and though he didn’t show it, I could see the flicker of joy at our reunion.

We’d been away for, what? A few days, give or take, and yet it was like we’d been apart for weeks if not months.

Reaching where he stood, I wrapped my hands around the ends of his loosened tie and brought him down for a kiss.

The gasps and sounds of shutters going off on people’s cell phones made me grin against Jax’s lips. His arms hooked around my waist and he kissed me firmly as we deepened the hot kiss.

We stood there for a full minute before we moved back to stare into each other’s eyes. Thank goodness I’d put a spell on my lipstick to make sure it was transfer proof.

No ruined makeup. Not on my watch.

This was my first time being what people would call risky or seductive but I thought it was working as I let my hands rest on his chest and gave him a daring grin.

“Morning, Jax. I missed you.”

He smirked and gave me a light kiss. “Me too, baby. Sorry, did I make you wait long? Our council meeting was longer than expected.”

“No, not long. Are the others meeting us at the council room before class?” I innocently inquired.

“They’re actually going to meet us right at class. We changed plans last minute. That’s why I came to get you.” He brushed a few strands of my hair from my face. “You’re looking extra sexy today.”

“Have to when we haven’t seen each other in a while. Gotta look good for the Notorious Four.”

“Good.” His husky voice was low and tingle-worthy.

“If we’re heading to class,” I began, buttoning his shirt, “someone has to look less casual.”

“You love casual.”

“True. I wasn’t complaining.” I winked and worked on his tie. “Though, I don’t like other girls getting a glimpse of what’s mine.”

Jax’s grin curled into a wide smile as his eyes darkened with something possessive. “What’s yours, huh?”

“The Notorious Four are MY men. You should know that I don’t like to share.” I finished with his tie, and tugged it gently to force him to lean down just a bit as I went on my tiptoes and kissed him.

“I fondly remember.” Jax lightly chuckled. “Don’t want to mess with the Queen of the Notorious Four.”

He kept an arm around my waist and pressed his lips to my forehead. “Let’s get going. I’m sure the others want to have some time with you before class starts. You owe each of them a kiss, remember?”

“How could I forget?” I giggled. Luna and Elsa ran to our feet before they ran forward.

I took one last glance at Elijah, noticing his shock and hint of hurt. I broke eye contact with him first and looked to Jax with a smile.

“Let’s get to class.”

“All right, babe. Go ahead, Luna and Elsa.”

“Meow!”

“MewMew!”

We walked away from the crowded hall, leaving the cameras and echoing gossip in our wake.

Was what just happened payback? I guess so.

Jax moved his hand from my waist and slipped it into my grasp.

We moved to one of the classrooms, and when he closed the door, I almost squealed.

“Did that just happen? Jax! You hot, amazing boyfriend, you!” I beamed as I tried not to jump up and down.

He pressed me against the door and before I could get another word out, he kissed me nice and hard.

“God, I missed you,” he groaned against my lips.

“As if I didn’t. You could have come over.” I kissed him this time.

“I didn’t want to disturb your family time,” he whispered and gave me another kiss.

“You’re a part of my family, Jax. My dad actually likes you,” I teased and kissed him again.

“Mmm.” He deepened the kiss by pressing those amazing lips against mine. “True, but still. I love you, but your family deserves time with you as well.”

I grinned at his compassionate statement and pulled him into a hug.

“You made me feel so powerful back there.” I let the hint of fear that I’d fought to keep beneath my confidence finally get its moment of freedom. “Elijah and his friends were there…and they were saying how I wasn’t with you guys.”

“Like the rest of the rumors,” he whispered.

“Mhm.” I snuggled against him. “I ignored it. I stood my ground. The way he was talking made me mad. Who is he to say I haven’t had sex, let alone kissed a guy? It’s not his business, and yet…it still hurts a little. That’s not fair…and it’s frustrating that I almost let him get under my skin, but then you arrived and made it better.”

“I didn’t make it better. My entrance merely gave you the chance to shine, Brianne.” He leaned back to look down at me. “I meant what I said back there. You’re our queen and everyone should know it. Even jealous Elijah, who is finally realizing what he’s missing. He’s bitter because you broke from your cocoon and are now a magnificent butterfly who spread her wings and is letting the world see you as you fly.”

He kissed my forehead. “You were always beautiful, smart, kind, and loving, Brianne. All you needed was to break free, and that meant having the support to do so. Elijah would have never been able to do that for you. Not where he’s at. The moment you accepted just how beautiful and talented you are, we didn’t need to do anything else.”

His smile reached his eyes as his whole face lit up with pride.

“This feeling of achievement is because you decided to not let the words hurt you. You let them sink in, and absorbed the hate and jealousy, but it didn’t pause your desire to become someone better than the rest. That right there was your moment to tell the world that you, Brianne Marie Harlow, are someone to watch out for, and I couldn’t be more proud of you, baby. I’m so proud to have a confident, strong girlfriend like you.”

His words tugged at the thread of fear, removing it from my mind and leaving me in a state of tranquility.

I went on my tiptoes to slip my arms around his neck.

“I love you so much, Jax Morgan.”

“I love you more, Brianne Marie Harlow,” he replied, seconds before I pulled him down for one final kiss.

Who would have thought payback would feel this good?

11

CRAZY IN LOVE AND MET YOUR MATCH

~FIVE DAYS LATER~

“YOU DID IT!” Mia and Miya cheered, the two of them jumping up and down in front of the cheer board.

I was still staring at it in shock, completely stunned to see my name on the list of chosen cheerleaders for this year’s team.

“I…I got in?”

“You did!! Look!” They both pointed to my name that was on the top of the list with a perfect score. “You got in with a top score!”

“That’s amazing.” I couldn’t believe that I actually got in. The tryout was early this morning before classes. None of us expected the results to be posted by the end of the day. From what others had said, the coaches usually took two weeks to choose and involved the previous team leaders in the process.

If they did it this fast, I wondered if they asked those who were currently on the team. I was sure Elisha wouldn’t want me in her space.

Can’t be helped now.

“You have to tell the guys.” They both hugged me. “Congrats, Bri!”

“I should be saying congrats to you guys!” I giggled. “You made it in, too.”

“We did! We’re awesome!” They laughed and hugged me tighter.

Having seen the results, it was no wonder we’d been emailed to come test out the cheer uniforms. We assumed it was for another round of tryouts, but didn’t think it was to confirm our sizes.

Pulling back from the hug, I looked at their cheer outfits and pulled out my phone from the hidden pocket to check the time.

“Don’t you guys have to hurry and change? You’re going to be late,” I reasoned.

“Oh yeah!” they exclaimed. “Ah! We’re going.”

“Hold on,” I stopped them before they jetted away. “The duo twins! Update.”

They both began to blush, and I squealed. “What happened?! You didn’t say anything during second period or lunch on Monday! I’ve been patient all week long. I deserve some info. Spill! I deserve some tea!”

Mia tried to compose herself. “T-they asked for our number.”

“And?!” I pressed and looked to Miya, who only blushed harder.

“We gave it to them.”

“AND!” There had to be more. I knew the twins well enough to know they wouldn’t let these guys, who were clearly making them all hormonal, get away.

“We’re going out on a double date,” they replied.

“Ah!” I jumped up and down and crushed them with a hug. “I hooked you guys up! I’m an awesome best friend.”

They both sighed.

“Didn’t need to hook us up to know that, silly.” Mia patted my head.

“But we are thankful to you and Elsa for working things in our favor. We were too mind-blown to respond properly. Let alone develop a plan of action.” Miya also patted my head.

“Okay! Go off to your training session. This one is another mandatory one like Monday’s?”

“Yes! We got a perfect score on Monday. We thought it was just a meeting, but we got to test our skills out. So many people were rusty thanks to summer vacation. I’m so happy we worked out.”

“Right. We maintained our abs and skills,” Miya said with pride.

“You two are going to be lateeeee,” I drawled out.

“Ah! We’re going. Bye, Bri!” They both hugged me once again and just like that, they were running to the change room to switch into their black attire for their sword class.

This week had been pretty awesome. Classes had been spell-oriented, with a few pop tests, but nothing over the top. Most of my classes were either with the guys or the twins, and I hadn’t been teased once by my classmates so far.

Actually, they had been rather kind to me. All of them would acknowledge me when I entered the classroom, and in the few group sessions where our members were randomly chosen, I’d gotten along with the other students with ease.

It was as if I was starting first year all over again, but this time, people were willing to learn about the real me and not listen to the rumors that broke out all through the first two semesters.

They were all really nice people, it was just the information being fed to them that dimmed their thoughts about me.

“From how hot my girlfriend looks in her new cheer outfit, I’m going to assume you got in.”

The deep voice that sent a burst of joy through me came from behind me, and a second later I was wrapped in Connor’s arms.

“Teddy bear!” I gushed, looking up to see Connor’s black eyes. “You’re done with practice?”

He kissed me first, those lips brushing against mine in a loving manner.

“Almost. We’re going to do one more fake game before calling it a night. Jax is watching Kaito’s practice and Finnick’s studying at the dorms.”

“Hmm? He didn’t come to see your practice?“I inquired. His arms loosened up to let me turn to face him.

“Nah. I told him to go home and study. He didn’t do too well on the surprise test during third period. I think he’s a little upset about it.”

“Oh, no. Kaito and I could tutor him,” I suggested.

“Kaito’s going to be tight,” Connor admitted. “I went with him yesterday for his kendo class, and it’s intense. They go hardcore and Kaito’s trying to work on using two swords at the same time. It’s a difficult technique to learn, but if he nails it, it can take their team to the championships.”

“Two swords?! Like um…dual swordsmanship or something?” I questioned.

“Yeah. His dad can do it. Personally, I think that’s what’s stressing him out. People expect him to be able to as well.”

“Being able to use two swords isn’t a genetic trait,” I reasoned.

“I agree, but some people’s way of thinking is weird,” he replied and brought me closer. “Regardless, he’s too busy to help Finnick out so Finnick has to do it on his own.”

“I can tutor him,” I replied.

“You’re planning to cheer, tutor, and keep up with your extracurricular class?” He eyed me worriedly.

“I’ll be fine.” I gave him a peck on his lips. “Professor Phoenix changed her classes to be on the off days for the cheer squad. There aren’t many students in our class anyway. I assume she did it because she’s the teacher supervising the cheer squad, but it works perfectly with my schedule. Cheer three days a week, two days of extracurricular class and I can tutor Finnick after. While he waits he can study and when I arrive we’ll do a review and I can help him with anything he doesn’t understand.”

“Brianne.” His voice was stern. “Are you sure? I really don’t want you burning out while trying to help everyone else.”

“I’m sure,” I assured him. “If I’m struggling I’ll cut back.”

“Hmm. Okay.” He nodded.

The sound of his phone vibrating caught our attention. We both looked to his left pocket and he sighed.

“Last game starts now. Are you going to change and head home?”

“I’ll wait for you.”

“You sure?”

“Mhm! We’ll go back to the dorms together and then can relax while checking in with Finnick.”

“All right.” He seemed satisfied with the plan. “Can I get a good luck kiss?”

“Of course.” I leaned up and kissed him. I loved how his hand roamed down to my butt and squeezed my left cheek.

“I’m so glad you’re ours. It would be rather dangerous on the playing field if you weren’t,” he mumbled against my lips.

“I’m the Notorious Four’s queen. No one else’s.”

“Good,” he replied and after a final kiss, he tapped my butt. I gasped and noticed his wide smile. “Before Jax claims it, your butt is mine.”

“Y-you can’t claim butts!” I shouted when he began to run away.

“Love you, Brianne! See ya in a bit,” he called back and raced towards the practice field.

“Ugh…” I huffed but began to laugh. “My boyfriends are crazy.”

I had to be too, because I was definitely crazy in love with each of them.

“WE’LL SEE you at practice, Brianne!”

“All right! See you.” I waved at the two girls who had wrapped up changing and were heading home, leaving me alone in the change room.

Their names were Alexa and Jasmine and they were seniors. They had been involved in the decision process and loved my audition.

I hadn’t thought I’d done super great. I simply did one of the intermediate solo routines from one of those YouTube videos the twins found for us to practice during the summer.

Personally, I loved it because it was matched with a popular song from the classic Kpop group BTS. The twins explained how they took the 2000s by storm and were living legends. They were the reason why many Kpop bands were invited to perform in America and other places across the world.

Whether it was my routine, the song, or just my goal to have a good time, they were beyond impressed and said they’d know where to place me before the end of the semester once we’d had a few practices together.

I still had thirty minutes left before Connor would be done with his last game and we could head home. Pulling out my phone, I searched for Finnick’s number and pressed the call button.

He picked it up on the third ring.

“Red? What’s up? Something wrong?”

“No, silly. I’m okay,” I reassured him. “I’m waiting for Connor to finish his game, but I wanted to check on you. He said you were studying.”

“Ah…” Finnick trailed off, and I could imagine him ruffling his hair. “I’m struggling a little bit.”

“Why? Are you not getting the content from this week’s lessons?” I pondered. “I can make better notes.”

“No. Your notes have been life-changing, Red. I bet I’d be doing far worse without them,” he confessed. “I’m just struggling to retain the information, that’s all. Just..been thinking a lot.”

“About summer things?” I inquired.

“A little.” He paused. “I think the rumors are just getting to me.”

“Rumors? What rumors?” I questioned, unsure what he was talking about.

“I don’t know how it got out, but people are spreading rumors that…well…”

“That?” I repeated, hoping it would push him to tell me.

“That I’m gay.” His voice was so tiny, I almost missed it.

“Who is spreading that around?” My voice went up in anger. “Regardless of what you are, why is it anyone’s business? You’re my boyfriend. That’s silly to spread around like there’s something wrong with it.”

“I don’t know. I won’t let it get to me…but…I think it’s just going to make it harder with, you know…”

Oh man! That’s right. Kaito…

“You don’t know that, Finnick,” I whispered. “We have time. He’s not influenced by what people say. Just continue being you. I love you…”

“I love you, too, Brianne.” His voice was soft. “I…wanted to call you before.”

“You should have,” I urged. “Or texted. You know I’m always here. You’re not alone in this.”

“I forget sometimes.”

“I’ll just have to keep reminding you then,” I resolved.

“Do…you mind reviewing with me when you get home? If you’re not tired, I mean.”

“That was the plan. Study hard and anything you don’t understand, I’ll help. We can review with Connor and then we can have dinner together with Kaito and Jax when they get back.”

“Okay.” Finnick sounded cheerier. “See you soon?”

“See you soon, Finnick.”

I wished there was a way for me to kiss him through the phone. I’d been completely oblivious to the rumors, but it was only the first week of school. Who even got word of that? Finnick never made a move during the school year.

Regardless, this wasn’t something to make fun of.

Why can’t people just mind their own business? What’s with all of this bullying and mean talk? It…makes me so damn angry! What can I do to stop this? Is there something…anything I can do?

I lowered the phone from my ear and stared at the screen with the picture of all of us on the beach.

Biting my lip, I closed my eyes and focused on taking deep inhales and letting them out slowly.

Patience. Just like Connor and Jax have said.

I could feel the hint of flaring power from my gift. That was my first warning call to keep my emotions together. With a sigh, I rose from the bench I’d been sitting on and placed my phone inside my open locker.

Closing it, I reached for the hair tie in my hair and tugged it out. Letting my hair down, I cracked my neck and spoke.

“What do you want, Elisha? If standing over there is your attempt at hiding, I’ll just let you know, you’re failing miserably.”

Turning to look her way, I did a double take because she didn’t look like her usual self. In fact, she was scowling and looked horrible.

She wore light pink jogger pants and a white top, and her blonde hair was frizzy central. It also could have been the one-sock-on, one-sock-off her feet that was really adding to her unkempt appearance, but compared to the girl who made sure she looked flawless every chance she got last year, it was no wonder the gossip blogs were talking about her.

When she didn’t answer me, I frowned and sat down on the bench again.

“Guess we’re playing the silent treatment game? All right. Do you have something to say or can I be on my way?”

Her hands went into fists, and she stomped right over to me. I wasn’t in the least afraid, knowing well that I could fight her if I wanted to, but I was curious as to why she was here.

I was about to rise up from the bench to face her, but she spoke.

“Sit down!”

My body sat right back down, even with my intention of standing up. I blinked a few times, feeling completely shocked by the sudden command.

Oh. She wants to PLAY play.

Was it weird that I felt a hint of amusement at this? Maybe my sister’s frisky personality was finally rubbing off on me.

“Someone’s mad,” I taunted and turned my head to her as she approached. She stopped right in front of me and leaned against the row of lockers while crossing her arms.

“You think because you grew a few inches and have a hot body that you can be all confident and shit,” she snapped.

“Now, now. We can leave the curse words out of this unless you’re referring to poop. I mean, shit sounds a bit cooler than poop, doo-doo, brown ice cream—”

“Shut it!” she huffed. “Or I’ll force you to shut up.”

“If you did, I wouldn’t be able to answer your questions.” I blinked innocently.

She looked like she wanted to pull her hair out.

Or mine. Pretty sure it was mine she wanted to tear out of my head.

“You think this is funny, huh?! You come into this school all innocent-like, and now want to try and take my reputation away from me!”

“Reputation? Did you have one?” I asked.

“Stop talking back,” she snarled.

I rolled my eyes, feeling the tingling of magic on my lips that sealed them shut.

Guess I’ll just think back at her commands. Not like I have a choice.

“First you take my boyfriend. Then you become the talk of the school and gossip blogs, and now you’re the top female on the hot list?! I’ve ALWAYS been at the top. Do you know what number I’m at this year? TEN!”

Awww. Is she having one of those mental breakdowns? I guess that would make sense.

She began to pace from left to right.

“My life is a mess because of you! How could I end up with this Elijah bum?! Lying and saying he was rich or some nonsense like that! His mother works like a slave, and his dad is a bigger bum then he is! Just add some alcohol into it. I can’t believe I had sex with Mr. I’m Rich! Rich, my ass! Jax is what you call rich. His family is well off, and he’s saved all his allowance for his future wife, who should be ME! Not to mention the chunk of insurance money he got from his sister’s death. Ugh! I shouldn’t have let him get his way and dump me. ME! Elisha Waters! I’m one of a kind. I have experience in the bedroom, especially compared to you! I’m more popular than you. Prettier. Flexible! I’m simply better!”

I felt something nudge my feet, and I glanced down to see Elsa. She hopped into my lap and walked in a circle three times before she sat down.

Elisha was way too into her ranting to notice my familiar, but at least I could move my arms. Petting Elsa gently, I tuned back into Elisha’s rambling.

“All I have to do is persuade Jax to take me back!” She beamed at the idea.

Oh, hell no!

I glared at her, noticing how her face lit up like she’d found the cure to all her problems.

“It will be so easy! I’ll make him make a public apology to me. Say he merely wanted a break and is fed up with Miss Attention Stealer, and that he wants me back. I’ll get the girls to spread it around everywhere. The whole city will know about it. Then I can say Elijah abused me or something! That would make sense. Everyone would feel pity for me and be all thankful that Jax came to my rescue. That would get Elijah to leave me alone instead of begging me to stay with him for the sake of covering up how pitiful he feels for losing his ex. Why am I just now getting this brilliant idea?! I need to get this done! Yes!” She pulled out her phone and her fingers were flying across the screen.

“Freeze.”

The room went silent, and all that could be heard was the ringing from her phone.

“Hello? Hello? Elisha? Ugh. Why is she calling if she has nothing to say? Yeah. She must be seriously losing it from her newfound unpopularity. Whatever.” Whoever her friend was on the other side hung up.

Elisha stared at the phone in shock before her eyes went up to meet mine. She was frozen at the end of the bench, her front side facing in my direction.

“MewMew!” Elsa sat up happily, her paws beginning to pat my lap in joyous celebration.

Two can play this game.

Scooping Elsa up with my left hand, I rose up and turned to look at Elisha, whose eyes grew wider with shock at my movement. Before she could speak, I cut her off.

“Silence.”

Her mouth snapped closed, and she stood there like a statue. I let Elsa down onto the bench, and I noticed Luna as she approached.

Her pink body paused, and she took a glance at Elisha’s frozen body. With a hiss, she ran over to where we were and hopped onto the bench to stand protectively in front of Elsa.

Elsa, on the other hand, was far more pleased that Luna was here, her little body snuggling against Luna before trying to climb on top of her back.

I smiled at the two of them and stroked Luna’s head in greeting. Her gold eyes stared into mine, and her look made me feel like she’d wanted this moment to happen.

I could only imagine how helpless she must have felt as a familiar when she couldn’t do anything to stop Elisha’s wrongdoings against Jax.

Giving her one more stroke on her head, I hoped my eyes reflected my intentions.

I’ll make things right. She won’t have power over Jax or any of my men.

Returning my attention to Elisha, I walked up to her. Seeing a bit of fear in her eyes made my grin widen.

“How does it feel to be on the receiving end of your gift?” I questioned.

She couldn’t answer, obviously, and it made me giggle. This was what happened when I got pissed and defensive. I got a little ruthless, as my sister liked to say.

It was one of the many reasons why I avoided people during my period, or anytime when my emotions were completely out of whack.

However, this was different. This was me getting revenge for all the pain Jax and his family had gone through with Elisha in their lives. The torment of being controlled to make her happy.

She wouldn’t dare use her gift on him now. Not unless she really wanted to see how powerful I could get.

“Speak,” I instructed.

“You bit-”

“Silence.”

“Mmm!”

I shook my head and crossed my arms over my chest. “If you aren’t going to play nice, I don’t see the need to give you the privilege of speaking.”

Her face was red in anger, but I ignored it.

“Sit and keep your back straight,” I ordered.

Her body turned and sat down on the bench. Her back was straight as she sat at attention, but it was amusing to see her face as red as a tomato.

I moved to stand in front of her and leaned back against the lockers.

“I can see why you love this gift of yours.” My voice was low with no hint of emotion. It was enough to drain the color from Elisha’s face as she stared into my eyes.

“Meow.”

I glanced down to see Luna at my feet, and I raised an eyebrow at her when I saw my phone — which had been in my locker — was now in her mouth.

An idea popped into my mind, and a wave of understanding took over.

I swear Luna is diabolical.

Taking the phone from her mouth, I immediately pulled up the video app and started recording. Placing it against the locker behind me, I moved to the side, still smirking.

“There we go. Now you’re right in the spotlight.” I used my hand to gesture to the phone.

“Speak,” I commanded.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” she snapped.

I opened my mouth and she immediately shut hers, a flicker of fear flashing in her eyes. Elisha had no choice but to stare at herself in the phone, and I could see her annoyance and dissatisfaction with this situation.

“I’m recording what you say and do as of now,” I answered. “You will speak nothing but the truth until I say otherwise.”

From her facial expression, she realized this wasn’t a game. I went right to the point.

“What was your true reason for dating Jax Morgan?”

She struggled to keep her mouth closed, but it didn’t take her long before losing the battle against my command.

“I decided to date Jax Morgan because I found out his parents both made a million a year and that Jax was worth the same, if not more, because he invested his allowance into Witchling Academy stocks, which have quadrupled since we dated. I wanted us to get married and then I’d divorce him and force him to give me 100% in the settlement.”

I wasn’t expecting that. Not in the slightest.

Elisha was quiet, and she blinked her eyes a few times in an attempt to stop her tears of frustration from falling.

“Why did you agree to date Elijah when you don’t like him?” I questioned.

“He said he was rich. Richer than Jax. I believed him because it sounded true! On our first date, he took me to this fancy restaurant and everything. He didn’t deem it important to disclose that the money he used was what he saved up for years! He lied, and I thought maybe I’d stick with it. At least I could make you jealous, but no! Instead, all that poor guy could do was cry and whine about missing YOU!” she barked.

Blinking back at her, I tilted my head. “Me?”

“I miss Brianne this. Brianne would do things like that. Brianne would hold me like this. Listen to me when I felt like that. You are literally his whole world and that all came crashing down when he got into a fight with you and you were done with him being a baby,” she ranted. “I can’t believe we did it. He didn’t even know where to put his small winky dinky!”

She looked appalled. “He’s nowhere close to Jax. He knows how to please a woman, unlike this guy. To think I even brought him to my summer home for free. All the meals, the trips on my family yacht! If I was going to do it with him, we could have done it in the comfort of my bed rather than his old squeaky one while his dad was downstairs snoring away. I’ve never felt so embarrassed in my life!”

I wondered if she’d forgotten I was recording, but she was on a ranting spree at this point.

“Imagine my beautiful self, coming to the first day of classes with my hair all over the place and wearing my makeup from the previous night! I couldn’t get a wink of sleep in that hideous place and then with Elijah crying, again, over missing you and wanting to make it up to you, and all that bull! When I heard that you were just a fling, I couldn’t wait to be back in Jax’s arms, but of course, that was nothing but lies and gossip and was shut down thanks to you and your ‘The Notorious Four Is Mine’ stunt. Then I found out I was ranked last and was only even in the ranking because they felt BAD for me! Me! Elisha Waters! I’m the leader of the cheer squad. I’m the prettiest student here. Yet, everyone is gushing over you.”

Her eyes narrowed at me. “All I need to do is tell them what you’re doing. I can just say what your gift is and warn the entire school population. Then I’ll tell my dad to charge you with kidnapping and assault! The prodigy of the Harlow family behind bars! What an amazing newspaper headline that would be. It would bring your entire family to shame, and no one would have pity for you. The fall of Brianne Harlow. I’d make sure the world knew about your downfall.”

“I feel sorry for you,” I admitted with a frown.

She gawked at me. “What?”

“Does doing all of this make you happy? Your actions hurt people for the sake of making your life better. You’re okay with that?”

“Obviously! Why wouldn’t I be? I’m not a softy like you,” she huffed and rolled her eyes. “I deserve nothing but the best. You don’t know what it’s like to grow up without a mom. With my dad working all the time, he spoiled me with the best things and said I deserved them. I agree. I do deserve everything I want. Whether that be clothing, jewels, or Jax Morgan. I deserve the best life in the present and the future. The only way to get that dazzling future without lifting a finger is by marrying Jax.”

“That’s all he is to you. A tool.” I stared at her in disgust. She gave me yet another eye roll.

“Yes! Jax is just a tool. A puppet! A slave. He’s rich, has a bright future, and is actually good in the bedroom. His family has connections and gets invited to all the fancy balls and occasions. Life would always be an adventure for me. He may not like me, but he’d get used to it.”

When I didn’t answer, she glanced at my expressionless face.

“W-why are you looking at me like that? I told the truth,” she complained. “Now, let me go.”

I moved to stop the video and then turned to face her.

“The Notorious Four is off limits. They’re my boyfriends, and that includes Jax,” I declared.

She groaned. “The Notorious Four this, the Notorious Four that. Just pick one guy, you slut! You can’t have all four of them. Plus, if you haven’t heard the rumors, I’ll enlighten you with the fact that Finnick is gay.”

“Who told you that?” I questioned.

“Elijah, obviously. I was sure it was some lie he made up to get back at the guys for taking his Brianne away, but it worked. It wouldn’t make sense to lie about Connor since he looks like he’s in a biker gang, and Kaito doesn’t give off the ‘gay’ persona. Finnick is all social, but that could be because he’s gay. He’s always wearing the latest fashion trends, which gays do, and he flirts with all the girls but has never done one. I bet he hasn’t had sex with a girl, which means he’s gay.”

“Maybe he’s just confident with his looks, loves expensive clothes, and is friendly to girls because he hasn’t found the one for him yet. However, we’re dating and I know the picture of us kissing in the library was spread all over the place last semester,” I defended with annoyance and hid my finger behind my back. Snapping it quietly, I turned the recording of my phone back on.

I need to kick Elijah’s ass.

“True,” she replied. “But no one cares. Everyone loves a little gossip and it’s simply fun to do.”

“Bullying people isn’t fun!” I snapped. “It’s not an act to boast about! If someone bullied you, I bet you’d do everything in your power to get them arrested by telling your daddy.”

“No one would bully me, and you’re not going to get away with doing this!” she snapped back. “All I have to do is use my gift and you’ll be done for. Just like how I’ll make Jax be mine, whether he likes it or not.”

“What you do to people is by force! You steal their ability to choose what they want!” I yelled.

“Good!” She narrowed her eyes at me. “The gods blessed me with this gift! They gave me this power and I’m using it just the way I like it. If that means forcing people to do my bidding, so be it!”

I clenched my fists and took a deep breath to calm myself.

Be rational, Brianne.

“Then answer this. Did you force Jax to…” I struggled to say it. I was cut off by Elisha’s groan.

“Did I force Jax to have sex with me? Yes,” she declared with a prideful grin. “He didn’t know what he was doing. The whole saving it for the one and all that jazz? Nonsense. Who actually waits and saves their virginity for their first love? He’s only good at it thanks to me. To think he actually cried about it after. Like a baby. I have to stop putting up with crybabies,” she scoffed. “Men are merely tools. They’re perfect for fun and pleasure. My dad is the same. All he does is work to support me. That’s how it should be. Men bow at my feet and will do anything to please me. Elijah is no different. You only failed at being with him because you have no backbone. You’re all innocent and clueless. You’re not even worth being competition. Have I satisfied you now?” She gave me a wide grin.

My fists were trembling as I spread them open. Elisha must have thought that was me backing down, because she laughed.

“Some way to interrogate someone. Why don’t you put that recording back on, apologize for attempting to kidnap and abuse me, and I’ll think about whether I’ll charge you or make you into my slav—”

The sound of the back of my hand slapping her bare cheek echoed around the change room.

The ray of shock in Elisha’s wide eyes morphed into anger, just as her once-pale cheek burned to a bright red.

“How dar—”

“Shut the fuck up!” I shouted.

No more sympathy.

Her glaring eyes met mine, but I couldn’t care less as my magic rushed through my body. I picked up on the first orange strands that began to shift to pink and float with magic energy. My golden highlights twinkled with power, and the way Elisha’s eyes filled with burning fear, I knew she could sense just how much trouble she was in.

“I’m going to take away the one thing that makes you so special,” I vowed. Her thoughts suddenly gravitated to me, and they only made the anger within me boil in rage.

Take away the one thing that’s so special? Is this bitch crazy? Hah. What is she going to do? Take away my born beauty? It’s not like she can steal my gift. She thinks she has control over me with whatever voodoo tricks she’s playing. Ugh, it reminds me of my mother. That dumb woman who thought she had control over me. Just a bit of my gift was enough to send her away forever. The moment this spell is broken, I’ll make this girl realize who she’s messing with. Then, I’ll get my Jax, get rid of that Elijah, and make sure the Notorious Four is no more.

“Sleep,” I commanded and watched the flash of pure confusion before her eyelids grew heavy and her head fell forward.

Turning to the phone, I stopped the recording and stared at my screen. Before I could think, I called the number in my mind and put the phone to my ear.

“Mia Park, speaking!” Mia answered. “What’s up, Bri? We finished our class early and decided to come back to campus. You at the dorms?”

“No. I’m in the girl’s change room.”

Mia was silent for a long moment. “What happened?”

“I’m here with an unconscious Elisha.”

“Did she try to use her gift on you?” Mia snapped.

“Yup, and failed. You remember what I told you about both of mine, correct?”

“Yup.” Mia’s voice was serious.

“I need your and Miya’s help. I have an idea, but the timing needs to be perfect. Can you get here in five?”

“Make it three,” Mia promised.

A small smile tugged on my lips. “I love you guys. Thanks for trusting me.”

“Besties stick together. Could have told me to bring a body bag and I would have considered it,” Mia teased.

“That would be so messy. I would also like for us to be awesome alumni.” I sighed.

“You found something out, didn’t you?”

“Can you tell by my voice?”

“Mhm,” she replied. “However, I know how smart you are and Miya has a great suspicion that you have some diabolical plan up your sleeve.”

“How do you know what Miya said?”

“Remember? Twin telepathy. I know, so cool.” Mia giggled. “We’re almost there. We’ll talk.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

“No problem!” She hung up and I looked down at Elisha’s slouched body. Luna suddenly launched into the air and knocked into her.

She fell over, hitting her head on the end of the bench. I just stared at her prone body and then looked at Luna, who sat proudly where she was.

“I’m just going to assume that was payback.”

“Meow!” Luna began to groom herself, while Elsa jumped onto the bench and began to play with Luna’s tail.

I looked back at Elisha. “What could have gone wrong with your upbringing to leave you like this?”

Shaking my head, I moved and opened my locker, my mind buzzing with my apparently “diabolical” plan.

Hope this works.

“WERE you chilling in the change room this whole time?”

“Nah. I met some classmates on the way back and we talked for a bit,” I greeted Connor, who lowered his workout bag that contained his football gear.

I hugged him immediately, and he stroked my back as he kissed the top of my head.

“What’s wrong? Your mind feels frazzled.”

“I promise I’ll tell you later, but I just want a hug,” I whispered into his black shirt. He held me a little tighter and I embraced every second of it.

The change room door slammed open with a crash, and we broke our hug to see a furious Elisha.

Connor raised an eyebrow at her, his eyes focusing on the large lump on her right temple.

“What happened to you?” he asked, sounding like he didn’t really care.

“That stupid cat!” Elisha declared.

“Cat?” I asked.

“Luna! Damn cat always knocks me down when I’m vulnerable. Ugh! You’re going to pay for this, Brianne!”

“What the hell did Brianne do?” Connor rolled his eyes. “Luna’s been attacking you from day one. Why? Oh, right. Ever since you threw a hissy fit when you first met her and called her ugly because she’s pink.”

Elisha blushed before she pointed at me. “No! It’s all this girl’s fault!” she declared.

“What’s going on?”

We looked behind us to see Akino, Akono, Koyoshi, and Kiyoshi heading our way. They were holding similar gym bags, which told me they had taken part in the football practice with Connor.

Did they join the football team? Wonder why I’m finding this out now? Hmm. Not like I pay attention. I’m always focused on Connor. He’s so hot when he’s on the field.

I realized my error in judgment, and when I took a peek up, Connor was grinning from ear to ear.

Ugh! Pretend you didn’t hear that!

He took no shame in tapping my ass twice, and I rolled my eyes at his happiness.

“No clue,” Connor replied to the duo twins. “Something to do with Luna attacking her.”

“Oh,” the four of them said together as they reached us. They gazed at Elisha and all four of them shrugged.

“Accidents happen,” Akino reasoned.

“Luna was probably playing,” Koyoshi defended.

“Just cover that bump with makeup or something,” Akono suggested.

“Like the rest of the imperfections you work so hard to cover up,” Kiyoshi huffed.

“Hmm. Too bad makeup can’t make people invisible.” Connor sighed. “Wouldn’t that be awesome?”

“Agreed,” all of us replied with a nod.

“I’m right here!” Elisha snarled.

“Oh. Were we specifically talking about you?” I asked.

“Yes!” she snapped.

“We never said your name,” Connor pointed out.

“I’m the only one in this hall with a bump on the head!” she snapped.

“I have one too,” I whined, and moved the few strands that I’d left down when I tied my hair back to reveal a small bump. “Luna was clearly playing tag and tackled me when I finished showering. It’s not that big though.”

Connor gasped. “Oh no, baby. Does it hurt?”

“Nah. It’ll heal in a few days,” I reasoned.

The duo twins crowded around me, all of them wearing concerned faces.

“We can help heal it, Brianne,” Akino offered.

“Yeah. We can’t have our top hot female of Witchling Academy walking with a bump that causes you pain.” Koyoshi looked hurt for me.

“Though, it makes her look extra hot,” Akono stressed.

“I agree. It shows she’s a true trouper. Don’t even apply a single drop of foundation on that. Walk with pride, Brianne.” Koyoshi looked at me in honor.

Connor leaned in and pressed his lips lightly on the spot.

“There. It’ll heal faster.” He winked when I blushed.

“Thanks, guys,” I said in awe.

“Pay attention to me!” Elisha snapped.

The six of us turned to look at her, just as I noticed that four students carrying a large white bin over their heads were headed our way.

“I’m not going to stand here and listen to your excuses!” she snapped. “Shut up and listen to only me!”

The six of us stared at her for at least five seconds before the duo twins burst into laughter.

“Did she just try to tell us to shut up?!” Akono laughed.

“Apparently. She must think she has control over us or something,” Kiyoshi chuckled.

“Sorry to burst your bubble…uh, Alisha, was it?” Akino asked.

“Elisha!” she snapped.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. As Akino was saying, sorry to burst your bubble, but the only people we listen to are our parents and the Park twins. Other than that, good luck,” Koyoshi concluded.

Elisha was shaking in rage, and I knew the next words that came out of her mouth would be a command using her gift.

“Meow!” Luna came from nowhere and ran right up to Elisha, tackling her.

“Hey, wh-” She fell back, right when the four students holding the bin were behind her.

“AH!” The two girls in front fell back, causing the bin to fall forward and all the liquid that was in it to fall onto Elisha.

We all gasped, and I locked eyes with Mia and Miya, who were the ones holding the bin from behind. They may have looked shocked, but their eyes showed their glimmering satisfaction.

Elisha gasped, and began to spit out the thick gooey liquid.

“Uh oh,” the two front girls said in unison.

“What the hell is this?!” Elisha snarled.

“Um…” The two girls looked at one another. “You better go wash that stuff out,” the first one said.

“What? Why?” I asked innocently.

“Uh…” the other girl looked at her friend.

Mia and Miya abandoned the bin and Miya picked Luna, who was at her side.

“That stuff is what Witchling Academy uses during exams,” Mia stated.

“If you get drenched by it, your gift is temporarily stalled. That’s why they transport it during after-school hours,” Miya explained.

“W-we needed help carrying it because it was so heavy. Usually, the guys from the football team help out, but their practice went longer than expected and the main school doors are closing soon,” the girl with blonde hair explained.

“We thought we could handle it, but we were struggling. Mia and Miya offered to help us since they were making their way here,” the other girl with red hair explained.

“Ah,” I replied. “Guess you really should get that stuff off, Elisha.”

“I hate everyone!” she screamed and fought to get up, only to fall right on her ass.

“We better go tell Professor Phoenix about this. At least she’s still on the property,” the blonde girl stated.

“We can come with you?” Mia and Miya offered.

“Nah. She’ll believe us. We’ll come back with her and show the damage. You guys can go home. Thanks for your help.” The two girls bowed their heads slightly and raced off to get Professor Phoenix.

Mia and Miya maneuvered their way to us, and we all looked at Elisha, who fell onto her face after the third attempt to getup.

“Should we help her?” I questioned.

I looked at all three pairs of twins and Connor.

“Nah,” they all said in unison.

“Let’s go home!” Mia cheered.

“Yup! Home, home!” Miya exclaimed.

They then greeted the others and were soon in their own world as they made their way down the hall. That left me with Connor, who was eyeing me suspiciously as he picked up his gym bag.

Are you going to tell me what transpired here?

A smirk formed on my lips as I slipped my hand in his and went on my tiptoes to kiss him long and hard.

With a wink, I squeezed his hand and tugged him forward, leaving Elisha on the ground to figure her way out of the mess she created.

You never kiss and tell, Connor.

12

SURPRISE DATE

~EIGHT WEEKS LATER~

“THAT’S A FIRST FOR YOU,” I voiced in amusement.

“I know. I guarantee it was Finnick. He probably stole it while I was showering, and I didn’t notice because we were running late. Now we’re even more late and will probably get stuck in traffic on the way back.” Kaito looked frustrated as he drove us off the freeway and onto the main road toward Jax’s place.

With a smile, I reached to hold his right hand, squeezing it comfortingly.

“It’s fine, Kaito. We can always reschedule,” I suggested.

“Yeah…” He squeezed my hand back as we stopped at a red light. He looked my way, and I could tell he was down about it. “I thought we’d make it on time.”

“It’s okay. Let’s get your katana and then head out to an ice cream shop or something. We don’t need to go to a fancy restaurant for our date.”

The relief in his eyes was radiant and he nodded. “Okay. Let’s do that. Thanks, Brianne.”

He lifted my hand to his lips, pressing a light kiss to my flesh and turning his attention back to the road as the light changed to green.

Relaxing in my seat, I gazed out the window, watching the houses and trees pass by as we got closer to Jax’s neighborhood.

The last eight weeks seemed to have gone by in a blur. It was already November, and we had midterms on Monday, which was tomorrow.

Everything had generally been all right. The semester had consisted of learning specialized spells and being taught the rules to the Witchling Games. I was excited for it, especially with the knowledge we’d be riding brooms, just like witches back in the day.

I wasn’t in the least worried about it, knowing that with the Notorious Four, I’d be just fine. Mia and Miya were actually getting along well with the transfer twins, and I was really hoping they would all start dating. The chemistry was surely there. They must have been waiting for the right timing.

Familiar training had been going well, and I was getting even better with Spell Traveling. I hoped I’d be able to use it during our midterm or final exams, as proof that I was getting more skilled at it.

Today’s plan was to spend the evening with Kaito. He’d been given free tickets to some fancy restaurant thanks to his current winning streak at Kendo.

He asked me on a surprise date, and I was excited to go there after getting a new sparkling pink dress from the mall with Mia and Miya, but he’d forgotten his katana and was a little off without it.

Even if it was just a weapon to some, Kaito was used to it always being on him, either in its normal form or in a miniature version. I didn’t want him worrying about it all night when we should be having fun.

I was hoping we could reschedule with a small fee and do it next weekend after our exams. Kaito and I normally spent time studying or relaxing in our room after classes. The change in environment would be refreshing and I wanted us to talk about things aside from school.

Kaito turned onto Jax’s street, and once we got through the security gate, we were soon at his place.

“Want me to come along?” I suggested. “I can persuade Finnick to give it back to you?”

“Sure.” Kaito chuckled. “It’ll be much faster than me chasing after him.”

We got out of the car and headed toward the door.

“During the holidays, can you start training me in Kendo?” I asked.

“It’s hard. You want to learn?” he asked.

“I’d love to try it. Mia and Miya make it look so cool. The Kendo club applications tripled thanks to them joining the woman’s division. Also, with you destroying the competition, it seems like everyone is intrigued and wants to learn,” I explained.

“That’s nice.” Kaito beamed at the news. “They’ve been struggling to keep the club open for years. It’s amazing how it shifted from dead to popular. I’m sure if you joined too, everyone would be fighting for a spot.”

“Me?” I laughed. “I wouldn’t be good at it.”

“You’re good at a lot of stuff.” He squeezed my hand that was in his as we came to a stop in front of the door. “You always seem to excel at whatever you put your mind to. It’s refreshing to witness, and kind of hot.”

I smirked as he moved to face me, his hand leaving mine and resting on my hips. We inched closer to each other, and I expected his soft lips to press lightly onto mine. When they did, I smiled slightly and kissed him back.

These types of kisses never got old, and I basked in the comfort and security they brought to our relationship.

“In that case, I’ll give it a shot,” I whispered.

“Good.” He kissed me one last time and gave me a quick hug. “Let’s get my katana and head out for ice cream.”

“All right!” I exclaimed happily.

Kaito took out his key. Jax’s mother had made each of us one, having stated that we came over far too often to keep Jax company and we needed keys to make sure we had entry and weren’t standing outside.

Opening the door, we walked into the dark home, and I wondered if everyone was in the back.

“Hmm. They’re probably in the back. Let’s get some water from the kitchen and head there,” Kaito encouraged.

“Sure,” I replied, and he took my hand once again.

We walked into the kitchen, and it was completely black, like all the lights had gone out and the sun wasn’t working.

“That’s strange,” I admitted. “Did Jax cause a power outage or something?”

“It has happened before. Hold on. Let me che—”

“SURPRISE!”

I flinched at the loud sound, just as the lights flickered on and revealed what was hiding in the darkness.

“Happy Birthday, Brianne!” the group of my boyfriends and friends cheered as I gawked at them in shock.

“Brianne Marie Harlow has stopped responding!” Mia cheered.

“Maybe we need to troubleshoot the problem?” Miya suggested.

“How do we do that?” Finnick questioned, falling into their joke.

“You have to hug and kiss her,” they replied.

“I can do that,” Finnick volunteered and put his hand up for added emphasis.

“Are you dumb?” Kaito asked.

Connor laughed. “Only Finnick would fall for that.”

“I bet he’s just happy because he gets to hug and kiss Brianne first,” Jax spoke up.

Finnick beamed and skipped over to me.

“Are you surprised, Red?” He hugged me and pressed a kiss to my left temple.

“Totally surprised,” I whispered and hugged him back. “When…when did you guys plan this? We’ve only been gone for thirty minutes max.”

Finnick kept me close as I pulled slightly back to glance around, taking into account that Jax, Connor, Mia, Miya, Akino, Akono, Kiyoshi, Koyoshi, Starlight, Katsume, and Kaito were present.

“A bit of magic goes a long way, sis,” Starlight announced.

“Exactly. Piece of cake.” Katsume crossed her arms over her chest happily.

“Are they going to ignore the fact they got into a fight?” Akino rolled his eyes.

“And damaged everything,” Kiyoshi added.

“They did fix it in five minutes,” Akono defended.

“Yeah, and they didn’t ruin the cake,” Koyoshi praised.

I looked back at my sister and Katsume, the two of them blushing and glancing anywhere but in my direction.

“They’re just lying,” Katsume whined.

“We’re adults. We wouldn’t do those things,” Starlight declared.

“Sure,” everyone else said in unison.

I began to giggle, but soon I was laughing so hard it brought tears to my eyes.

“Uh oh! Finnick, quick. Hug her again!” Mia and Miya suggested.

“What? Why? Are you guys tricking me again?”

“Probably,” Kaito sighed. “I think Brianne is really happy.”

I nodded my head and wiped my tears as I smiled. “I’m beyond happy. This is amazing! I’ve never had a party like this with all my friends and with my sister, too. I wasn’t planning on laughing, but I could totally imagine my sister and Katsume practically bringing the house down. Priceless.”

Finnick smirked and pulled me into another hug. “Emergency hug!”

“No one asked you to hug her,” Jax and Connor groaned, while Kaito chuckled. “He’s following instructions.”

“Woot!” Mia and Miya cheered.

“Hey, Akino? Let’s set up the speakers for the music,” Kiyoshi suggested.

“Cool,” Akino replied.

“We’ll gather the familiars!” Akono and Koyoshi declared.

“We’ll join in on the hugging,” Mia and Miya cheered and raced to crush me when I moved out of Finnick’s arms.

“Ah!” I shrieked and then began to laugh when they gave me the biggest hug.

“Happy birthday, Bri!” they exclaimed.

“We have to celebrate your birthdays, too!” I emphasized.

“We will — in five days!” Miya beamed.

“Yes. Birthday Party 2.0!” Mia declared.

They released me and Kaito moved to give me a hug. “Are you happy?”

“Yes!” I nodded my head excitedly. “I never would have guessed this! Thank you, Kaito.”

He kissed me right there, and the tender but fulfilling kiss made my toes curl.

“Oh! I got that on camera!” Katsume cheered.

That was enough to break the kiss and for Kaito’s face to grow bright red. “Don’t you dare develop it!” he roared.

“I won’t.” Katsume grinned proudly. “I’ll just text it to Mom and Dad.”

“DON’T!” Kaito was out and chasing his sister in seconds. She let out an evil laugh, the two of them running around Starlight, who rolled her eyes but blew me a kiss.

I grinned, and my eyes drifted to Jax and Connor, who came out with a mini cake. It had a Sailor Moon theme and even the candle topper was in the shape of the crescent moon with Sailor Moon’s silhouette.

“Happy Birthday to you,” they began, and it seemed like everyone was back, just to sing the song. “Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday, dear Brianne! Happy Birthday to you!”

I took a deep inhale and blew the candle out, everyone cheering and clapping with joy.

“Let the surprise celebration begin!” Mia and Miya declared.

“Yes!” everyone else replied.

Finnick moved to stand next to me and gave me a quick kiss. “Let’s have fun, Bri! It’s your birthday.”

“Yes,” I replied. “Let’s have lots of fun.”

A surprise date that led to a spectacular birthday celebration.

13

STICKS AND STONES

Closing my temporary locker, I rolled my shoulders back in an attempt to loosen the knots in them.

This week had been hectic after our midterms. They weren’t hard for me, but the tension buzzing through the halls this week was enough to make me anxious. The workload seemed to triple and with all the surprise tests and spell trials, we really didn’t know what to expect when we entered the classroom.

Today was one of the few days both Connor and Kaito had no after-school activities and it just so happened that Professor Phoenix gave me the day off from familiar class, so we decided to do an early study session. Elsa was buzzing around the school somewhere, having grown pretty independent like Luna. She was still half Luna’s size, but she was pretty feisty and wouldn’t hesitate attacking students who bugged her.

Most of the time she’d find Professor Phoenix and chill in her classroom, or if she was tired, she’d stay with me or Jax.

Jax was actually napping right this moment in the dorms, according to Kaito’s text. He was really tired from first period, and during second period, we’d been hit with a random test on how to speed up spells, create short illusions, and strengthen an element we may not be good at. He’d looked exhausted at lunchtime.

He’d been pushing himself a lot lately, which was beginning to worry me. I didn’t blame him, or the rest of the student council, for being a little tired.

The bullying had gone up lately, and it was causing fights to break out every other day. It wasn’t like this behavior wasn’t common in other schools, but it was starting to get ridiculous.

Very few people had dared to bother me since Connor’s speech — only a few of the followers of Elisha and Elijah’s gang. Since the start of the cheer squad, Elisha had been missing in action, on an apparent leave of absence.

I was waiting for her to realize what I’d done, but I guess she still believed that the weird slime stuff was what was blocking her gift.

Let her keep thinking that. At least until we survive our exams.

The guys were planning to meet up with me in front of our temporary lockers since they were doing a remodel of our student council office. I personally couldn’t wait till the renovations were done. It may have been just a room for the council, but it felt like a safe place for us to really unwind versus being in the cafeteria or outside eating areas where at least one person was watching our every move.

“Oh look. It’s the student council’s cheerleader.”

“Hah. Ever since the renovations they’ve been meeting up here and taking up space in the halls. How annoying.”

Here we go again.

Even if the rumors and bullying directed at me had stopped, it didn’t mean there weren’t occasions when a know-it-all senior or friend of Elisha’s or Elijah’s decided to voice their annoyance about the Notorious Four meeting up with me in front of our lockers.

It was pretty childish if you asked me, but I tried to ignore it when I could.

Like right now.

Pulling out my phone, I noticed Finnick’s text.

FINNICK THE JOKER:

Be there in a minute. Our class ended early. Miss you...

I frowned at the text, knowing by now that Finnick didn’t add an ellipsis to a text unless he was having a rough day. I wasn’t sure if the rumors had stopped, and I’d never gotten the chance to confront Elijah about them.

Who knew if Elisha ended up telling him about our confrontation, but whenever we noticed one another in the halls, he made sure to move the other direction.

It was better for him to stay away from me. I may not have reacted or confronted him, but that didn’t mean I was going to completely dismiss what he was doing.

“Red!” Finnick called out with a small smile.

That’s not good.

Finnick usually greeted me with a wide smile as he practically skipped to where I was. Today definitely wasn’t a good day if he could barely keep a smile on his face.

“Hey, Finnick,” I greeted.

Once he reached where I stood, he hugged me. I rubbed his back and whispered, “Did something happen?”

“No…” he trailed off and held me against him like he was afraid of letting me go. “I just miss you.”

“I miss you too, Finnick.” I kissed his neck lightly and when we leaned back to look at one another, I leaned up slightly to kiss him.“The others should be here soon. Wanna get milkshakes?”

“Yeah, sure. I can’t study too long today. My dad wants me to come back home to talk about something. Probably insurance paperwork or something. They usually renew around this time of year.”

“Ah, right. My sister handles that stuff so I never have to deal with it. When I turn eighteen I probably will, though,” I commented. “Are you going to sleep there tonight?”

“Probably. May not sleep, though. We’ll see,” he reasoned.

“Studying?” I asked.

“I’ll try. I’ve…been struggling a lot,” he admitted.

“Hmm. Next week, we have time off to study. We can go hardcore and anything you don’t get, we can break down into detailed study notes. My notes help, right?”

“They’re life changing, Brianne. Are you sure you can do mine and Kaito’s, though? I think he has a tournament next week.”

“Yup! I’ll be fine. My sister got me this writing thing that transcribes handwriting into notes. It’s really helpful when I get tired of typing. I’m still pretty slow on my laptop, but the handwriting method is fast and I feel the way I organize it on paper flows better,” I explained with a confident smirk. “It’ll be easy. Don’t worry. Connor said he’d help as well.”

“All right.” Finnick smirked and kissed me on the forehead. “I think the others won’t take too long.”

“When are you two going to stop the act?”

We both looked to the two seniors who were leaning against the wall. A few other students stopped at their loud question, and I frowned when my eyes landed on Elijah, who was standing on the far right, opposite from us.

If this is going to be one of those planned confrontations, we better shut it down quick.

“What act?” I asked and immediately slipped my hand in Finnick’s. “Enlighten me with the latest round of lies you guys are gullible enough to believe. We’ll spare some time for you while we wait for Connor and the others.”

I noticed their stiffness at the mention of Connor’s arrival. It was due to either the intense football practice or the few magic games he’d been playing, but Connor had not only gotten a boost in height, he’d packed on even more muscle than before.

He’d been training hard and soared to becoming the leader in the football team. Adding in the facts that he was now 6′5″ and his magic was far stronger than at the beginning of the semester, and people were catching on that he wasn’t someone you wanted to mess with.

He’d always been the unapologetic quiet type, which made him look scary and hard to approach, but now, he wasn’t afraid to confront anyone who dared to piss him off.

He had the whole football team on his side. Someone pissed him off, and you’d have more than one buffed-up guy to deal with when payback occurred.

Even with my open threat, the taller guy with black hair continued.

“We all know that Finnick is gay. Why act as if you’re madly in love with a gay guy?”

Finnick squeezed my hand, and I noticed how his body stiffened at the comment. I, on the other hand, merely smirked.

“And who told you that?”

“Your ex,” the other guy, who had dark orange hair, revealed. They must have now noticed Elijah that was to their left. He was clearly trying to walk away, but the guys called out to him.

“Hey, Elijah. Come over here,” the black-haired senior called out.

Elijah froze and slowly turned around. The two seniors looked gleeful that their information source was here to prove them correct, but I noticed the slight paleness in Elijah’s complexion, like a thief caught in the act of stealing.

“Yeah, Elijah,” I sweetly stated. “Why don’t you tell everyone here what you’ve been spreading around throughout this semester? I’d love to hear from the source.”

Elijah walked over to the seniors, and I wondered if he thought they were his backbone in this.

“That’s right,” he said nervously. “Finnick’s gay.”

“Says who?” I asked and looked at Finnick, who met my eyes. I noticed the worry in them, even though his face was guarded.

I looked back at Elijah and continued. “You didn’t even know who the Notorious Four were when we arrived here. And every single time Finnick or any one of the others tried to invite you to a party or hangout, you refused. You made it clear you want nothing to do with them. So if Finnick is gay, why would he tell you and not me?”

He didn’t answer as his eyes bored into mine. He was walking on eggshells, and if he thought I was going to let him get away with this for clout, he didn’t remember who I was.

I’d always fight for justice. Just like Sailor Moon, the idol I looked up to as a child.

“Oh. What’s this? You suddenly have nothing to say?” I let go of Finnick’s hand and walked up to the three of them.

Flicking my hair out of the way, I crossed my arms over my chest and tried to remain calm, even though I wanted to show these three who they were messing with.

“You know what?” I looked directly in Elijah’s eyes. “I’m really getting tired of this. All of this!” My voice went up in anger. “You three are out here always causing drama when we have done nothing to hurt you.” I looked at the seniors, who seemed a tad nervous with my moodswing.

“And you two!” I deliberately pointed to them. “How pathetic it is that two seniors of Witchling Academy get all their gossip from a sophomore who has no evidence to back up his running mouth!”

“Yo, Elijah. You said he told you over the summer,” the black-haired dude stated.

“Over the summer?” I looked at Elijah and laughed. “Now how would he know that? The Notorious Four all summer on our private island. Elijah definitely wasn’t invited.”

“Private…island?” the orange-haired dude stuttered, seemingly taken aback by the statement.

“I feel as though some of you guys think I’m relying on the Notorious Four for money or popularity or whatever floats your boats, but I’m a Harlow. If you’d done your research, you’d know we don’t have issues with money, and we like to travel over the summer. It’s sad that I have to reveal that for you guys to realize that Elijah clearly lied and knows nothing about Finnick’s or the other guys’ sexuality.”

I noticed that quite a crowd had gathered in the hall, everyone’s eyes on me.

“Furthermore!” I narrowed my eyes on them, and I didn’t fight back when my magic overflooded my senses. “This whole shit-talking about people being gay is going to stop, TODAY!” My voice held power and commanded absolute silence as I continued. “Why do you think you, or for that matter ANYONE, has the right to make fun of someone’s sexuality?! My sister, the one who has saved our city plenty of times, is bisexual and has dated a girl before. Did that stop her from being hired by the top paranormal agency in the world?! Nope!”

I had to clench my biceps to fight the thrumming energy pulsing in my fingertips. I’d been angry about this rumor nonsense for weeks, and it was about time it came out.

“It was all over the papers, but you know what was so different? They praised her for having the confidence to come out. They acknowledged that she wasn’t going to let herself be brought down by the bits of hate people spewed out at her. All her relationship with another female did was make her stronger. It proved to the world that no matter who we date, male or female, it won’t stop a person from reaching their highest potential. Is their love bothering you?! If the gods had reversed the roles, how would you feel? Being teased because you like girls and you’re a guy. You all love to spit out mean remarks that tear people down, but you hate it when others do the same to you. A double standard that you guys want to ignore because it doesn’t favor you.”

Taking a step closer, I was right in Elijah’s personal space.

“And you. I’ve had enough of you!” I snapped. “You think these two douches are your friends?! You think spreading rumors and lies about people are what’s going to make you popular or famous? Grow up, Elijah Hamilton! We never dated and yet you told the world that we did. You called me clueless and innocent, when all I did was spend time with the Notorious Four, who are my dormmates! You made me out to be a person who used you, when the reality was that you were lying to get attention from everyone. You then lied to Elisha about how rich you were and then begged her to continue dating you after she found out!”

A few people gasped, and others looked shocked by the news. I caught the glimpse of Connor’s arrival, his hands in his pockets as he stood at the front of the crowd. I wanted to acknowledge him, but I was too focused on returning my full attention to Elijah, who blushed and glared at me.

“That’s not—”

“Tell the truth, Elijah!” I commanded him with so much force, I inadvertently used my mimic gift.

The realization of my magic trickling through his body shone in Elijah’s eyes, and he opened his mouth to do exactly what I told him.

“She’s…right. I lied,” he began and closed his eyes. “I was mad that she was adapting well to Witchling Academy and I wasn’t. On the first day, she was already the talk of the school and even grabbed the attention of those Notorious Four. I should have been the one to date her first, not Jax or the others. We never actually dated…and everything I said about Brianne using me was a lie.”

A few students gasped in shock while others were recording the confession. I was sure this would be on the gossip blogs seconds after this was over, but deep down, I didn’t care.

Elijah needed a wake-up call, and this was going to be it.

“Everything I said about Brianne and her boyfriends was a lie. I heard from a friend that one of the guys in the Notorious Four was gay and I assumed it was Finnick since he’s into fashion and never had a serious relationship before Brianne. I wanted to tear them apart, so I’d be able to date her instead. I also lied to Elisha and told her that I was rich, assuming Jax would get jealous and dump Brianne so I could be with her. Brianne has been speaking the truth this entire time. I’ve been fooling you all and was the one spreading the rumors to anyone who would listen,” he declared.

That was all I needed from him. To confess that I and my men were innocent.

Everyone was silent, and I noticed Connor’s movement as he came to stand behind me while Finnick stood on his right. My eyes caught onto Kaito, who was in the crowd, and I pondered how long he’d been there.

The magic must have worn off, because Elijah stared at me in horror before he narrowed his eyes. “How did you do that?”

“Do what?” I questioned. “There is no spell to force someone to tell the truth. At least, not that we’ve learned. That’s alumni-worthy stuff. I thought you were confessing because you actually wanted forgiveness.”

The two seniors exchanged a look, and to my surprise, they bowed their heads in shame.

“We’re…sorry,” the orange-haired one said.

Several students looked surprised by the apology. These guys were clearly seniors, as indicated by their uniforms. Either this was their last year here or they were repeating, but it still meant that these older students were acknowledging their wrongdoing and apologizing for it.

It took guts to let go of their pride.

“We were told many inappropriate things about you and it ruined our judgment of you and the N4. We should have used our own eyes and ears to judge you and…you are right. We shouldn’t be making fun of anyone based on their sexuality. Sorry, Finnick, for our immature behavior.”

I looked at Finnick, who was shocked by their apology.

“T-thank you,” he whispered. They both nodded and looked at Elijah.

“Don’t try and chill with us. We hate liars who only talk shit for clout,” the black-haired guy huffed.

“If you think it makes you cool, grow some balls and try again,” the ginger guy declared. They both slightly shoved him when they moved back to the wall, standing there to observe what would go down.

Elijah looked furious and his glare was filled with hate. There was a pinch of pain in my heart that felt sympathy toward Elijah. My former best friend who hated that I’d grown without him.

None of it was intentional, and I wished he knew that. I’d hoped he would understand that all of this happened because of his actions. I would have never abandoned him otherwise, but when someone pushes you away, all you can do is hope they live their best life without you.

Even if it hurt then and continued to hurt months later.

“I still stand by what I said!” he snapped. “You think you’ve won, but I know the truth. One of the Notorious Four is definitely gay and I’m going to prove it! Then you can figure out your way out of this!” Elijah declared right in my face.

I had to stop myself from slapping him, but I blinked when Connor slipped between us.

“It’s funny how hung up you are on someone else’s sexuality,” Connor huffed as he crossed his arms over his chest. “You want some tea? You want to expose us and get revenge? Sorry, but it isn’t happening. The person you’re talking about is me. I like guys and girls,” Connor declared.

Hold on? What?! That’s not true!

Everyone gawked in shock, while Elijah blinked and gave him an accusing look.

“Liar!”

“How would you know if I was lying or not? You’re not psychic and had no clue which of us was apparently gay from your ‘source.’ I like both genders. If you don’t believe me, feel free to ask Jax.” Connor shrugged like he couldn’t care less that he’d just told Witchling Academy that he was bisexual.

Elijah appeared like he was struggling to find a comeback, and Connor sighed.

“That’s all you have to say. I’m not interested in anyone’s opinion of me, other than my best friends’ and girlfriend’s. No one standing here can tell me that they never once in their lives questioned if they liked the same gender before. We have to stop wasting time making fun of other people’s decisions and focus on our own paths in life. Here we are, crowding in the halls when our finals are approaching after an intense midterm. If my relationship is so important, I hope it’s at least a question on the final exam. You guys want to waste years repeating and trying to reach your goals, fine by me, but I’m done wasting my time. Now, if you’ll excuse me, my girlfriend, and my best friend, we’ve got finals to study for,” Connor declared.

No one argued with him and I thought this was finally over, but Elijah took a step forward as Connor turned his back on him.

“Prove it!” Elijah declared. “If you’re gay, kiss Finnick over there!”

Finnick’s eyes went wide as his cheeks grew red, and I looked over to see Kaito’s wide, worried eyes.

Oh, no. How is he going to do that?

“He doesn’t have to prove himself to you,” a student shouted from the crowd.

“Yeah! He doesn’t. Don’t go forcing him to put on a show when you had no evidence for your lies,” a female student declared.

Connor smirked and raised his hand to signal the students to calm down. He turned back to look at Elijah, a proud grin on his lips as he looked down at him.

“You want evidence to prove my statement? Sure,” Connor replied with a shrug. “But after this, I don’t want to hear anyone talking shit about my group of friends or girlfriend. Next time anyone tries, I’ll make sure you’re expelled from Witchling Academy. That includes anyone trying to tease someone over their sexuality or relationships. Got it?”

Elijah nodded, but I got the impression he still thought Connor was joking.

I wasn’t sensing the lie in his declaration.

Connor turned and moved to Finnick, who looked even more confused, just like me. Everyone watched in suspense, and if I wasn’t standing two steps from them, I wouldn’t have felt the speck of magic that spun around the pair.

With one blink, I noticed Connor lift his hand to Finnick’s lips, and with the next blink, his lips were suddenly on Finnick’s, making me question if I saw him place his hand there to begin with.

The hall was completely silent, and even those who had been recording had their phones down and were staring in amazement.

Glancing at Kaito once again, I noticed his disbelief, but I also caught a glimpse of something else in his purple eyes.

Is Kaito jealous?

Connor pulled away, and Finnick stared at him in shock as he turned to face Elijah once more. “There. I kissed Finnick like you asked me to. Doesn’t mean I like him. My attention is solely on Brianne, and if you think this prank you tried to pull was what would have gotten her back, let me burst your bubble.”

He got right in Elijah’s space and whispered, “Brianne is our girlfriend, aka the Notorious Four’s Queen. You had your shot and fucked up. Live with that regret like a good puppy.”

With those words, he turned away and walked to my side. With ease, he swooped down and kissed me passionately.

I couldn’t help but kiss him back, feeling so proud to be in love with him and the others.

Connor consistently put himself and his reputation on the line to make us happy, and it always baffled me how amazing of a person he was.

He was my teddy bear who would do anything to make sure his friends were happy and comfortable with themselves.

There was a single clap before multiple ones joined in. When we pulled away to see why people were clapping, we realized all eyes were on us as people cheered.

“That’s our Vice President! Preach!” a student exclaimed.

“Yes!” a few students cheered.

“As Brianne said, it’s time the bullying stopped!” another announced.

“Yes! No more lies! No more tearing people down!”

“Love whoever you want! We’re here to learn and grow! Not to judge and bring people down to the ground!”

“Build each other up! Let’s spread this far and wide!”

Student after student joined in, all of it being recorded by those who had lowered their phone earlier. I wondered if that was their way of respecting Connor’s love life. I’d never really know, but I was happy that they didn’t record what I felt was a fake kiss.

Connor grinned and slipped his arm around my waist. “Let’s go, you two,” he directed to me and Finnick. We nodded and moved through the crowd that cheered us on.

We left Elijah standing there in shame, his head down as he clenched his fists. There was nothing else he could do. Connor had proved him wrong by accepting his challenge and only turned the tables on him. He’d lost, and he now had to accept it.

Kaito joined our movement as we aimed to find a quieter hall or even classroom. I squeezed Connor’s hand, and he looked to his left to meet my curious eyes.

You used an illusion.

His grin returned and he squeezed my hand right back. That told me it was going to be between us for now, but I pondered whether Finnick would tell Kaito.

We reached an empty classroom and gathered inside. Once the door closed, I looked at the three of them, leaving me to wonder where Jax was.

“Where’s Jax?” I questioned.

Finnick and Connor looked at Kaito, who sighed.

“That was the reason why I was rushing over here, but the crowd slowed me down,” Kaito admitted. “Jax was sent home.”

“What?!” the rest of us said in unison.

Kaito nodded as worry spread across his face.

“Jax wasn’t feeling well after second period but thought he’d last for the rest of the classes. One of the professors noticed and sent Jax to the nurse’s office. He spiked a fever and the nurse got worried and called his mom. He’s resting at home, but his mom has an important meeting and hoped Brianne wouldn’t mind staying with Jax since he doesn’t freak out when she’s around.”

“I can go,” I immediately replied, but looked at the three of them. “But…”

“We’ll be fine, Brianne.” Connor smiled and kissed my right temple. “If Jax gets anxious, it’s not going to benefit him at all. I’ll take over the study session today.”

I looked at Finnick, who gave me a supportive smile. “Jax needs you. We’ll be fine. You did more than enough, Brianne.” He walked to me and hugged me. “Thank you for defending me,” he whispered.

Relaxing in his arms, I nodded into his shoulder. “Don’t let anyone tell you how you should feel or make you feel like an alien. You can love whoever you want.”

He released me and nodded. I peered at Kaito and Connor. “My advice goes to you two as well. Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will never hurt you. You all taught me to ignore the buzz. I hope you can do the same.”

They both nodded, but I noticed Kaito’s troubled expression. I’d have to find time to talk with him, or at least see what was going through his brain, but for now, I had to go check on Jax.

“All right. I’m going to spell travel there. I think it should work. I’ve been practicing,” I confirmed.

The three of them nodded. “If we don’t see you guys tonight, we’ll come over to Jax’s place and stay with you guys,” Connor encouraged.

“Okay.” I smiled in relief. “You guys are the best boyfriends ever. Thanks for being so supportive.”

They grinned and bobbed their heads in understanding.

“No problem, Red,” Finnick said with a cheery smile. “Go aid Jax.”

“We’ll text you after our study session,” Kaito assured me.

“If you’re hungry later, let us know. We’ll bring over some food.”

“I love you guys,” I whispered.

“We love you too, Brianne,” Connor sweetly replied. “Get going.”

I gave them a firm nod and waved. With a deep breath, I focused on the familiar surroundings of Jax’s room. Turning around, I headed to the door, and let the spinning sensation flood my senses.

Time to nurse my boyfriend back to health.

14

MY SICK BOYFRIEND

“Thank you, Brianne. If this was any other meeting, I would be able to stay.” Mrs. Morgan bowed her head in thanks.

I immediately raised my hands up and shook my head. “No worries, Mrs. Morgan. I’m happy I can help. You should get going. If this meeting is super important, I don’t want you being late.”

“They are aware that Jax was sent home. Thus, I won’t be penalized for being a few minutes late. I’m sure your sister will tell you everything when she can. Unless she’s sworn not to, but this may not be one of those cases,” she explained.

“My sister. She’s going to be there?” I questioned.

“Your sister and parents will be attending.” Mrs. Morgan rose from putting her second black heel, checking my outfit in the mirror before she picked up her branded briefcase that looked to be from Louis Vuitton.

Turning to look at me once more, she continued, “We may have finally tracked down the man who’s responsible for killing your sister’s fiancé and team. We’ve got a major hit, but we need this meeting to go well. That’s all I can say without getting ill, but you can wish us good luck.”

“Good luck!” I emphasized, clenching my fists and pumping them down slightly as I nodded my head.

Mrs. Morgan smiled at me, a motherly grin that made me wonder what I did.

“Um…did I do something weird?” I asked.

“Elsa would have adored you,” she whispered and turned away. “If things get out of hand with Jax, don’t hesitate to call me. He needs to take his medicine soon, but he’s a little stubborn with taking it. I’m sure you can persuade him somehow. I’ll be home in a few hours.”

“All right. Safe travels and good luck with your meeting,” I encouraged.

I watched her head to the black sports car waiting for her; the driver wore a full black suit and black hat and opened the door for her to gracefully enter the all black leather interior.

He closed the door and took the driver seat. They drove away and were out of my sight in minutes.

The man behind Starlight’s team getting murdered. He’s the reason she’s even more powerful than before.

Biting my lip, I desperately wished I could be there for her. She was an adult and didn’t need me, but I wanted to give her the best support I could as a sister.

Quickly pulling out my phone, I typed a swift message and stared at the screen as I pressed the send button.

ME:

Hey, Sis. Heard what’s going on today. Not much, but just enough. Wish I could be there to hug you. Good luck and if you need your little sis, I’m here for you. XOXO

It was less than ten seconds before a reply came through.

ONE-OF-A-KIND STARLIGHT:

Thanks, Sis. Love you.

I didn’t expect a long text message. My sister was stoic when she was stressed or in work mode. I knew without a doubt I’d been lucky to even get that response from her.

Anyone one else would have gotten a ‘KK.’ Even my parents weren’t as lucky when my sister was in that mood. I couldn’t blame her. This was a huge deal and if it went right, she’d finally close that chapter in her life and bring her teammates the closure they needed.

How does it feel to lose someone you love so dearly?

The thought of losing Jax came to my mind, and I immediately shivered and shook my head in an attempt to rid of the gruesome thought.

Imagining it freaked me out, and I didn’t want to think of those circumstances hitting Kaito, Finnick, or Connor either.

My sister was such a strong individual, and I wondered if I’d ever learn more about that part of her life. Maybe once this case was finally closed and that man got the punishment he deserved, she would be able to finally let out the pain in her heart.

“MewMew?”

Glancing down, I noticed Elsa was sitting on my left foot and inspecting my ankle. She tapped it with her paw, and then looked up to meet my curious eyes.

“MewMew?”

“I feel as though you just noticed me,” I pointed out. Her eyes twinkled with sudden happiness, and her tail wagged from side to side.

“Let’s go check on, Jax. I’m sure he’s either sleeping or going to be thirsty if he’s still awake,” I suggested.

“Mew!” She got off my foot and ran straight upstairs.

“Or you can leave me,” I voiced with amusement.

After making sure the door was locked, I took two bottles of water from the fridge and headed upstairs. Reaching Jax’s room, I poked my head in to see he was still asleep with a white towel on his forehead.

Quietly placing the bottles down onto the nightstand, I took a closer look at Jax. His face wasn’t too pale, and he actually looked peaceful as he slept, but I decided to take the damp cloth from his face and get a new, cold one.

Luna was chilling next to his head, her tail swishing lightly as Elsa eagerly tried to tap it with her paw.

With a small smile, I headed to the washroom to hang up the cloth and dampen a new one under the cold streaming tap water. Looking up at the mirror, I noticed the difference in my overall look.

It was strange, as though I were having an epiphany like I had when I looked in the mirror during the first day of school. I really did look a bit wiser and more knowledgeable. That innocence I’d deemed as my defining trait was slowly shedding away, and deep down, I was grateful for the change.

I still had a lot to learn and wasn’t going to rush the process, but now that I was growing more confident in my personality and magic, I could see myself doing well in my school and personal lives.

“No more regrets. No more worrying about what others think. I’ll live the best moments of my life around people who care about me. Yes.” I whispered the words to myself as I looked deeply into my eyes that were slowly shimmering to light gold.

It must have been my magic emphasizing my words, the ones that were similar to what I’d vowed to myself when I almost died during the exam.

“Meow.”

I glanced down to see Luna sitting at the doorway. She moved to walk around my feet, rubbing her body against my ankles before sitting patiently.

“Is Elsa bored?” I asked her.

“Meow.” She stretched and gave me a look.

“Did she wake Jax?”

“Meow!” she replied and walked out of the washroom.

Guess that means yes.

Squeezing the excess water from the cloth, I closed the tap and headed back to the room to see Jax was indeed awake and sitting up. Elsa was on his lap, lying on her back and enjoy the tummy rub Jax was giving her.

It took him a few seconds to realize I was at the doorway watching, but when he looked my way, he smiled slightly.

“What are you doing here, babe?”

A smirk glistened on my lips as I walked over to him. He wasn’t wearing a shirt and had on his favorite pair of boxers, which we’d somehow salvaged from Elsa last time.

His hair was down, which was a little unusual for him since he liked to sleep with it tied, but he must have fallen asleep unexpectedly and forgotten.

“You’re supposed to be resting,” I said, before replying to his original question. “Kaito told me you were sent home. Your mom has an important meeting and couldn’t stay. She figured it would be nice for your girlfriend to come and attend to her sick boyfriend.”

“I’m not sick.” He wore a cute pout on his lips, looking slightly annoyed at me saying he was ill.

“Sure,” I replied and sat on the side of the bed, pressing my hand against his forehead. “Still hot as ever.”

“I’m always hot,” He huffed like I’d insulted him.

“I wasn’t talking about your looks, silly.” I smiled, knowing he was acting this way because of the fever.

“I don’t believe you,” he grumbled.

“MewMew!” Elsa moved from his lap and jumped off the bed to bother Luna, who was relaxing in her usual corner of Jax’s room.

“Elsa believes me,” I noted.

“She ran away.”

“She got bored.”

“She woke me up.”

“Are you upset?”

“No…” He looked to his lap. “I want a hug.”

“You can have one. But you have to take your medicine.”

He looked at the nightstand, clearly aware that the packet of blue gel tablets was lying there. “No.” He picked the light blanket and tried to cover himself.

“Jax.” I stopped him from fully hiding under the white sheet.

“They taste funny.”

“They’re gel tablets. You won’t taste anything.”

“No.”

“Jax.”

“I hate pills. Medicine is stupid.” He gave up on trying to cover himself with the blanket and ran his hand through his hair.

I wasn’t sure how I was going to get him to take his medicine, but I knew his hair would annoy him over time.

“Want me to braid your hair?” I asked.

“Then I get a hug?”

“Nope. That’s only if you take your medicine.”

He looked deep in thought. “I want you to braid my hair.”

“Okay.” I smiled. “But you have to press this cloth to your forehead, okay?”

“Sure,” he replied and offered his hand to receive the cloth. Passing it to him, I waited as he shifted in his bed so his back faced me.

I got up and opened the top drawer of the nightstand to pull out a brush and noticed a bunch of black hair ties. Taking one for the job, I closed the drawer and began to work on brushing his hair out first.

There wasn’t a need to exchange words while I worked on his hair, knowing he either wasn’t in the mood, or he’d worry about having to take his medication.

I began to braid his hair, noticing how healthy it was overall. I’d never fully inspected his hair this closely and noticing how silky smooth it was when I ran my fingers through to part his hair told me he took good care of it.

Braiding his hair was rather easy, and it wasn’t long until I was done.

“There,” I announced, leaning over to see him open his eyes slightly. “All done.”

“That felt nice,” he mumbled, his eyes growing heavy. “I’m sleepy.”

“You can go to sleep.”

“I want you to stay,” he whispered.

“I wasn’t planning to go anywhere.”

“Are you going to cuddle with me?”

“You never took your medicine.”

“Cuddling and hugging are different,”

“Not really. A hug is short, and a cuddle is a longer duration of hugging.”

“You’re mean.” He looked disappointed and laid down on his right side, which meant his back was facing me.

“Okay. I’ll be here,” I replied.

I watched him remain still for a long moment, and I thought he’d fallen asleep, but he sat up again and looked my way.

“I’ll take my medicine,” he announced. I smirked in response and reached for the packet and a bottle of water. Walking to the other side, I wondered how many tablets he was supposed to take.

Hmm. It doesn’t say…

Jax stared at me before his tired eyes went to the packet. He took it gently from my hand and immediately popped two tablets out and tossed them into his mouth. He then took the bottle of water from my hand, opening the cap with ease and chugging the entire bottle down.

I blankly stared at him as he finished and then offered the stuff back to me.

“Done,” he declared. “Can we cuddle now?”

My eyes softened at his cute expression, and I took the items from his hand and leaned in to press my lips lightly on his. He responded immediately, kissing me back with firmness.

“Yes. We can cuddle now. Let me turn the lights down. Do you want more water?”

“No,” he replied. “Just you.”

My cheeks grew red, and I slowly nodded. “Okay. I’ll be quick.”

He looked compliant as he lay back down. I stared at him for five seconds and then walked back to the other side to put the tablets back where they belonged. Placing the empty bottle in the mini blue recycle can next to his mini garbage can, I used the hand sanitizer to clean my hands and walked over to dim the lights.

Wait. I can’t cuddle like this!

I looked down at my uniform and realized I had no pajamas with me. Biting my lip, I debated what to do.

He’s far too hot. If I sleep with my uniform, his fever may get worse. I don’t need to be naked, right? I can just wear my bra and underwear…but I didn’t wear nice ones! Would he mind my pink ones with bunnies and stars? I knew I shouldn’t wear my Sailor Moon set today! Ugh!

“Jax?” I questioned, but he was quiet. “I’m going to the washroom real quick.”

It took a full minute before he replied.

“Okay,” he muttered under his breath. “Don’t take long.”

“All right,” I replied and headed to the washroom. Closing the door, I pressed my back against it and took a deep breath.

“It’s not like we’re doing it or anything. He’s not feeling well. We’re just going to cuddle and sleep. That’s normal for couples. To just sleep…in just underwear. I’ll have my bra on, too. C’mon, Brianne! You can do this,” I pep-talked myself.

With a gentle nod, I quickly stripped from my uniform and folded it neatly. I was debating whether to leave my hair down, but ultimately decided to put it up in a messy bun.

Deciding to check out the bigger mirror behind the door, I took a few steps back and inspected my overall look.

There I was in my Sailor Moon, light pink, bunny-star lingerie set. I felt a bit nervous about this, but I didn’t look bad. It wasn’t like I had to look sexy-sexy. I looked comfortable sexy. If that was even a term.

“Live, Brianne. Stop getting nervous. Jax loves me. He’ll be fine with me looking like this. We’re just cuddling,” I voiced to myself.

With one last nod at my reflection, I opened the washroom and headed back to Jax’s room. Elsa was sitting in front of the door, looking as if she was waiting for me to come back.

With a smirk, I gave her a quick pat on her head, and she ran to the corner where Luna was now sleeping. I closed the door of Jax’s room, and after turning the nightstand lamp off, I walked to the free side of the bed.

“Jax?”

“Hmm?”

“You still awake?” I asked.

“Hmm,” he repeated.

I climbed onto the bed and gently tapped his arm. He’d somehow placed the towel on his forehead when I’d left, and I reached for it as he opened his eyes slightly.

“Here, let me go drench this in cold water one more time.” I took the cloth and tried to stand, but I was stopped by a strong arm that hooked around my waist, bringing me back against a warm surface.

I knew immediately that Jax had stopped me, but it didn’t stop me from blushing like crazy.

“Jax?”

“I don’t want you going anywhere anymore,” he whined. The softness of his voice tickled my right ear as he held me tightly against his body.

“But aren’t you warm?”

“No,” he mumbled and took a deep inhale. “You smell nice, Brianne.”

“Thanks,” I replied as I tried to relax.

Whenever I cuddled with clothes, it never sent this thrilling feeling of nerves and heat through me. Maybe it was the skin-to-skin contact and the warmth it delivered that made it feel good.

My heart was racing against my chest, and I wanted to try and sleep, but I knew it would be impossible at this point.

“Brianne,” Jax whispered.

“Yes, Jax?”

“Your heartbeat is loud,” he mumbled, sounding half asleep. I mentally groaned, wishing I could actually slow down my heart rate that only doubled with the acknowledgment of being heard.

“Sorry,” I apologized. “Um…”

“Are you nervous?”

“A little,” I replied, deciding to be honest. “If I’d known we’d be cuddling, I would have worn nicer attire.”

“Turn around for a sec,” he whispered.

Doing as he asked, I turned in his arms so I was facing him. I noticed his tired golden eyes were staring into mine before they moved down to my chest.

I moved my eyes anywhere else, unsure if I could handle watching him check me out. It was funny how I could go from confident to insecure in a matter of minutes, but I’d never shared a moment like this with the opposite gender before.

Wearing bikinis and swimsuits was different. That was outside, in a pool or something like that. It wasn’t an enclosed space like this. Now that I knew a bit more about sex, I was even more worried because I had no clue what to do.

How do you know when it’s right? What if he’s in the mood and I have no clue? How about if I make a move and it’s not something he wants? Why are relationships so hard?!

“Sailor Moon-themed?” he questioned.

I looked back at his eyes, seeing his loving orbs and a small smile.

“Yeah. I really like Sailor Moon.” I let out a nervous laugh. “Though, when I was younger, I’d play as Tuxedo Mask.”

“You imagined you were the guy?” He looked intrigued.

“Yup. He was cool. Throwing roses and saving Sailor Moon when she needed it. Plus, he got to wear a cape! I’d wear a cape with my uniform if I could. It would flutter behind me as I cast awesome spells and save people,” I explained, feeling inspired by the simple idea.

Jax snickered, and I realized I’d totally derailed the ‘try to be sexy’ goal in my head.

“I can imagine you running around in baggy clothes with a cape. What are the chances you chased Puppy around and forced him to be a girl?”

I blushed, which only made him laugh quietly. “You did!”

“I-I couldn’t be Tuxedo Mask unless Sailor Moon was around! He had no choice! My sister was Sailor Venus since they looked like sisters, and her familiar was Luna since Artemis didn’t come along till later! I had reasons!” I huffed.

“Uh huh.” He continued to laugh, and I gave up trying to defend myself, feeling even more embarrassed.

“Whatever,” I huffed. “I regret nothing.

“Never said you should,” he replied, and he laid his hand on my cheek. “Sailor Moon lingerie looks nice on you.”

“I-it’s not boring?” I stuttered and glanced away.

I expected an answer, but I shivered as Jax’s lips brushed my neck. “Not on you, babe. So sexy.” The way he whispered those words made my heart skip and soar like he’d asked me out all over again.

Then his lips pressed against neck, and he kissed it nice and slow. The tingling heat was back, and I knew it was due to Jax’s affection. His teeth lightly bit into my flesh, and though it started off with a pinch of pain, it ignited a wave of goodness that ran down my spine and made me feel super hot in certain places.

That’s what the girls always meant when they would say ‘All that testosterone will make a girl hot in the you-know-where.’ Yup. I’m experiencing that for sure.

To be completely honest, I was starting to enjoy the heat.

Jax’s hand laid lightly on my left rib, and at an easy pace, moved down until he reached the waistband of my panties. His lips soon found mine, and it only took a brush of those warm lips for me to seal them with mine.

The action was induced by my emotions, and I welcomed Jax’s lips as they tried to devour mine. A soft sound vibrated against my throat and reached our ears. I hadn’t thought about it, and yet the sound seemed to heighten everything even more.

Jax kissed me harder and turned us so my back was pressed against the sheets and he hovered above me.

I didn’t let myself think. Just in this moment, I wanted to let my body have exactly what it wanted. To be lost in everything Jax, and please myself a little more. The spot between my legs ached, but it was in a good way that was so foreign to me. I loved every bit of it and wished I knew how to relieve it.

“Jax,” I whispered when I needed to breathe. He gave me one solid kiss, as if he was trying to diminish our need for oxygen, but he soon released my lips.

We began to catch our breath as Jax admired my chest. “Have you been drinking milk?”

It was a completely random question, and I blinked in pure confusion. “Um. Not really? I like orange juice more,” I answered truthfully.

“Hmm.” Jax stared at my chest before he placed his head right on it. My face must have been scorching red, but it wasn’t like Jax could see it with the side of his head resting against my breasts.

“They’re bigger.”

“H-how would you know that?” I questioned.

“They were smaller in the summer.”

“You’re observant.”

“I like observing you.”

“That sounds stalkerish,” I mumbled.

“You don’t get how hard it is to think straight with you around.” His words gave me pause and he lifted his head to look up at me. “I want…to do so much with you,” he admitted.

“As in…other stuff?” I asked, feeling embarrassed to even say what I thought he meant.

“Yeah,” he replied and leaned up the opposite side of my neck. His lips lingered there longer, and when his teeth lightly nipped into my flesh, I didn’t fight the soft sound that left my lips.

He shifted his body just a bit, placing his right knee between my legs, and very lightly pressing against the cotton fabric of my panties.

I didn’t want to admit it, but though it made that ache grow, it also felt extra good.

Jax moved up to kiss my lips once more, and he pressed his knee again in the same spot, but my hips moved, and I pressed myself right against his leg.

How can something as simple as that make me so excited? I wish I could do it again, but wouldn’t that be weird?

“You’re thinking about something, aren’t you?” Jax broke the kiss to ask.

“I-I…well…aren’t you going to—”

“I’ll never judge you, Brianne,” he whispered, his tired eyes staring into mine. Seconds passed, and I swallowed down my nerves as I whispered, “I like…when you do that. When your knee…presses, um…well…” I couldn’t continue as my face burned hot.

With a groan, I put my hands on my face. “I can’t say it.”

I peeked through one my fingers to see Jax’s grin, which made him look even more sexy. Instead of answering, he pressed his knee a little harder between my legs, and I shivered at the shock of delight.

“That?”

“Yes,” I whispered shyly. “I’m so weird.”

“That’s normal, Brianne,” Jax whispered and kissed the back of my hand. He placed a kiss on the left. Then on the right. “If I wasn’t getting dizzy, we’d continue,” he whispered.

Oh right! He’s sick!

“Ah. I forgo—EEP,” I tried to reply but he turned us over, leaving me sitting on top of him. His playful look made me roll my eyes.

“You said you were dizzy! Why are you spinning us?”

“It’s nice to see you on top,” he replied, and I slapped my hand on my face and groaned. “You’re actually being serio—Ah?!” I covered my mouth with my hand when he moved my hips just slightly and I felt something firm right between my legs.

That’s definitely not his knee.

“J-J-Jax?”

“When a guy is turned on, that’s how it feels,” he whispered as he stared at my red face. “For you, it feels good, right? When I moved my knee there.”

“Yes.”

“Looking at you always makes me hard. Just like now. So hot, and sexy…and cute,” he said quietly, his eyes slowly closing.

“Jax?” I leaned down to press my hand on his cheek.

“I’m sleepy…but don’t want to sleep,” he confessed.

“You need to rest, Jax.” I poked his cheek and he opened his eyes slightly to look at me.

“You’re so cute when you pout.”

“I could be a complete mess and you’d still call me cute.” I sighed.

“Yeah,” he chuckled and pulled me down to rest against him. “I want to cuddle.”

“What if your mom comes back?”

“She won’t until the morning,” he mumbled while his hand stroked my hair. “I just want you.”

“Okay.” I relaxed against him and tried to calm myself down. I noticed how fast his heart was racing, and I could still feel the firm part in his boxers.

“Jax?”

“Hmm?”

“When…you’re better. Can we…maybe…”

“Yes,” he replied. “And we’ll go at your pace, and you can ask whatever…and…it’ll be just us…and…I really love you.” He was trailing on and off.

I took a peek up to see his eyes were closed and his breathing was beginning to slow.

“I love you too, Jax,” I whispered.

Resting the side of my head on his chest, I listened to his heart rate as it began to slow, and soon my eyes were growing heavier by the second.

I thought about what had happened as my mind began to drift, and how accepting Jax had been. He’d surely be my first, but I wondered when that golden opportunity would come.

Note to self. Wear sexy lingerie from now on.

15

INTERNAL STRUGGLES COME TO LIGHT

~TWO WEEKS LATER~

“THAT WAS A NICE RUN!” I stretched my arms out and began to jog in place. “I feel like I could do another one.”

“Hold up, Olympic runner.” Kaito chuckled as he moved to stop me from trying to run around the campus like I usually did to try and expel some energy. “Can’t run laps without staying hydrated.”

He offered me a chilled water bottle from the fridge and I grinned happily. “Thank you, Kaito,” I replied and took the offered bottle. Untwisting the cap, I chugged it down like it was the best tasting water in the world and gasped in satisfaction.

“Cold water after a run is so nice!”

“I’m surprised you have so much energy when we only slept for three hours.” Kaito smirked and took a gulp of his water.

I’d almost forgotten that we’d all barely slept last night after studying until three in the morning. Exams were approaching, and we would face both a written test and a challenge involving finding the team either in the city or some other location.

Since the physical exam was about three weeks away and the written exam was in less than two weeks, it made sense to focus solely on our studies.

Finnick had studied with us until ten at night when his dad called and asked if he could come home. Finnick said he’d be right back, but he must have stayed the night seeing as he hadn’t returned.

Ever since the incident in the hall, no one, including Elijah, his “friends,” and Elisha’s gossip crew, had said a word about Finnick or the rest of the Notorious Four. To be honest, I hadn’t seen Elisha in a while. I was sure she was still trying to figure out her gift issues, but I figured she’d get it back.

At least I hoped, or I’d probably be in trouble later.

Due to her continued absence, I’d been taking the lead cheer role by default. Everyone seemed comfortable with it, and Professor Phoenix surely didn’t mind. Because of our approaching exams, we wouldn’t resume cheer practice until next semester, but we still kept up our running and training routine.

With everything seemingly back to normal, it really felt like things would go smoothly for the remainder of the semester. I was a bit worried about Finnick, noticing how quiet he’d been as of late, but whenever I’d asked him, he always assured me if something was bothering him, he’d tell me.

I knew he was still struggling on a deeper level with his crush, and I also knew Kaito hadn’t confronted him about it. It wasn’t my place to interfere, but at the same time, I longed to help them figure this out.

Would having me interfere as their girlfriend be overstepping?

I blinked and noticed that Kaito was inches from my face.

“What are you thinking about?”

“N-nothing!” I squeaked.

Kaito arched an eyebrow, but plopped a kiss on my lips, throwing me off.

“Sure,” he replied with a wide grin. It was really unexpected of him, but I did like these playful moments we shared. He still wasn’t one to kiss me often, but he would sometimes kiss me while we were in the elevator after our runs, and always kissed me goodnight, whether it be on the cheek, forehead, or lips.

It was exactly the balance I needed, especially with how I was progressing with Jax and Connor. If I could just figure out what Finnick was thinking about, maybe I wouldn’t be as worried about him.

“Hey, Connor. What’s Brianne thinking about?”

My eyes widened, and I quickly looked over my shoulder to see that Connor had been on the couch reading a book this entire time. He had a big frame, and yet he always managed to blend into his environment so that I never noticed him unless he wanted me to.

In this case, Kaito had spotted him first and was now using it to his advantage.

No! He heard my thought, didn’t he?!

I noticed his eyes lock onto mine, and that knowledgeable playfulness had me racing over to him. “Don’t you dare!” I literally threw myself at him and he laughed and took my flying tackle like I was merely an approaching football.

“Hey, Brianne,” he greeted. “Getting pretty touchy this morning.”

I groaned and tried to get out of his hold as he stood up and put me on his shoulder like I weighed nothing.

“Connor! Don’t you say a word or I’ll uh…I’ll eat all your sweets!”

“That’s not nice.” He chuckled, my words meaning nothing to him. “You could, but I’d have to spank you. I’m not sure if you’d like that or not.”

“T-that’s abuse!” I lightly kicked my feet in protest.

“Not in the way I’m thinking about,” Connor noted.

“It’s too early for you to have such dirty thoughts. So loud.”

We looked over to see Jax shuffling his way to where Connor and I were. He was wearing orange boxers and his cat slippers. His hair was down in a fuzzy mess and he looked like he’d barely slept.

“You look dead,” I bluntly said.

“Thanks,” he mumbled back. “Why are you all up so early? Classes start late today.”

“They do?” the three of us asked.

“Yeah. Noon. Can I go back to sleep now?” he wondered as he stopped where we stood. Connor lowered me back down on my feet, and Jax moved to hug me.

“Morning, Jax,” I greeted before I continued. “Well, if classes start at noon, we can all take a nap,” I reasoned.

“After a nice shower,” Kaito added.

“Yup!” I replied. Jax pulled me into a hug, resting his head on my shoulder.

“Jax? I’m sweaty.”

“Hmmm. So sleepy.”

“Jax, you can’t sleep standing,” I voiced.

“He’s done it before.” Connor shrugged and gently stroked my head. “I’ll be nice and keep your little thought to myself.” He winked.

“Yes!” I cheered.

“Boo. No fun.” Kaito walked over to us. “Is Finnick back?”

“I saw him enter his room when I came out. He must have gone to crash. That was about thirty minutes ago,” Connor explained.

“At least he’s back. That’s good.” I sighed in relief. “I’m a little worried about him. He’s been rather quiet as of late,” I confessed my observation while looking at Jax, who was still standing while sleeping.

“I agree.” Connor grew serious. “He’s not normally that quiet unless something is really bothering him.”

“Maybe I’ll go check on him?” Kaito suggested.

“That may cheer him up.” I smiled.

My ears picked up on the soft sound of footsteps, and I looked to see Finnick come out from the hall.

“Morning, Finni…” My greeting came out before I paused and stared at him with my mouth wide open. The others must have seen or felt my shock, because they both gasped, and even Jax lifted his head from my shoulder and loosened his hold around my waist.

We all watched him walk to the fridge and open it up. He yawned and reached for a bottle of apple juice. Closing the door, he rubbed his eyes and moved to sit on one of the stools while he opened his juice and took a long gulp of it.

I couldn’t say a word, and neither did the rest of the guys as we all stared at him.

He lowered the bottle to the island and let out a long sigh. Then he looked to us, his blue eyes locking on my shocked ones.

“Why do you look so shocked, Red?” he asked with a sad grin. “Actually, you all look so shocked. Did you guys see a ghost or something?”

I still couldn’t speak, but Kaito walked right over to Finnick, as he slid off his stool to face him.

“Hey, Kaito. Why you look so up—”

“What did you do?!” Kaito snapped.

The three of us just stared back and forth between them, our eyes landing on Finnick, who shrugged and ran his hand through his extremely short, pink hair.

“Needed a change.”

“Liar!” Kaito exclaimed. “You said wouldn’t change it until you graduated.”

“I changed my mind.”

“You can’t change your mind!” Kaito huffed. “You said no. You promised! You wouldn’t—”

“I like you, Kaito,” Finnick interrupted with a confession that silenced Kaito.

Glancing to Connor and Jax, I noticed their sudden worry, and Jax took a step forward.

“Finnick?” he questioned. “Why…” He couldn’t even finish as Finnick laughed quietly.

“I can’t do this anymore. What’s the point? Time is ticking and once time is up, it’s done,” he muttered to himself, ruffling those bright pink locks.

He looked to the floor, shaking his head yet again.

“I’ve tried. It’s not like I didn’t try. Even when the rumors wouldn’t stop. Even when Red told me to be patient. I tried to keep ignoring it.” He swallowed and looked back to Kaito, who hadn’t said a word. “I can’t wait for you to make up your mind anymore. It’ll kill me, and I don’t want to make Red cry.”

“Finnick?” I whispered and looked to Connor with a fearful expression.

Connor took two steps forward. “Finnick. What’s going on? You…I remember you said you’d never change or cut your hair unless you lost two important things.”

“You’re right.” Finnick smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I promised that if lost two important things in my life, I’d change or cut my hair. It’s technically three with Red and all, but thankfully, I haven’t lost her. If I had…well, I wouldn’t have come home, to be honest.”

Now I was getting worried, and I moved from Jax’s back to try and get closer to the island in a slow approach.

“Finnick? Why did you change it? You…you didn’t lose me and Kaito is right there. You officially told him.” I wasn’t following whatever he was trying to prove.

Finnick looked at Kaito first, the two of them staring for a solid five seconds before Finnick looked at me and shook his head.

“I can’t, Red.” He sounded so sad that it hurt, and I was standing between him and Kaito in seconds.

“Finnick. Please explain. You know I don’t get things easily. Can you explain it to me? Please.” I was begging him at this point. He looked so sad. So desperate for the love he surely deserved and yet I couldn’t tell what was wrong.

I need to know what’s wrong!

“I’m giving up on my first crush, Red,” he declared.

My jaw fell open, and I slowly turned to look at Kaito, whose purple eyes were wide with shock. Looking back at Finnick, I blinked and shook my head.

“Finnick, wait. Why would—”

“I’ve liked him for years, Brianne. I’ve kissed him twice. I’ve been mocked, punched, kicked, and laughed at this whole semester in the shadows because he can’t decide what he wants.” He cut me off and his eyes narrowed. “How the hell is it fair? If he doesn’t like me, say so! Don’t continue to let me do stupid things and mess with my damn feelings like I’m some kind of idiot.”

I could feel his anger, and my heart sank when tears formed in his eyes.

“See? Even now, he can’t say a word. He can’t even say ‘No. I’m not interested.’” Finnick laughed, but it was eerie and filled with heartache. “I can’t do this anymore, so I give up. I have Red, and we can just be friends.” His eyes weren’t on me anymore, but were staring directly into Kaito’s.

I glanced back to see his troubled expression, and Finnick turned around. “I’m gonna get some air.”

He’d taken two steps when Connor spoke. “Finnick. Why did you dye it pink?”

Finnick stopped in place, and I noticed the slight tremble running through his entire body.

“You know…my mom really likes pink. She loves it. Always has. Such a girly color. I told her Red likes pink. Funny ‘cause I called her Red.” Finnick’s voice cracked then, and a wave of dread washed over me.

“Finnick? Is something wrong with your mom?” I asked quietly.

Finnick looked over his shoulder, and we noticed how his tears fell from his glassy blue eyes.

“I originally said I’d change my hair if I lost two important things. I’ve lost both of them now.” He shrugged and began to walk away.

We stood there, and it wasn’t until the elevator bell rang that it finally hit me.

His mom used to have long hair. Then she had short hair. Our parents went to meet his family during the holidays…the donations of hair…Finnick going home more often…lost two things that are important…no. His mom. She had…cancer? Did….did she die?

I looked back up and watched Finnick walk into the elevator. I moved before I could think, running toward it as the doors began to close. He watched me run, but he didn’t stop the doors from closing, and when I reached it, the metal doors slid together.

“Shit! Finnick!” I exclaimed. I normally never swore, but the curse shot out of my lip as tendrils of panic ran through me.

“Bri—” Connor tried to call to me, but I was outside in seconds. My head moved side to side, trying to figure out where Finnick had gone once I realized the elevator had stopped on the third floor.

He had to have gotten off. Where is…there!

I caught a slight glimpse of his bright, baby pink hair, but his body was close to a blur which told me he had to be using his wind element to make himself faster.

Pushing off the ground, my mimic gift activated, and I gritted my teeth and rushed my magic to my feet to escalate my speed.

I had a strong gut feeling in the pit of my stomach that if I lost Finnick’s trail, that would be the end. I’d lose him entirely.

Faster. Please!

The sun was still rising, and it gave off the perfect glow to capture Finnick’s pink hair. Even when we rushed into the forest, I didn’t lose his trail.

I was gaining speed, but I was losing energy just as fast. However, I was determined. Finnick was running because he didn’t want to face his world that was clearly crumbling around him. There was no way I’d stand by and let him fall. I couldn’t dare be silent and let him slip from my grasp when he needed me the most.

I got closer and closer, and with one last push of magic, I collided into him, the two of us crashing into the forest soil. The impact was enough to separate us, but even when my body came to a stop, I fought to get on my hands and knees.

Lifting my head, I noticed Finnick was kneeling, looking out of breath. I immediately pushed off the ground and ran to him.

Dropping in front of him and placing my hands on top of his, I took a second to catch my breath before I spoke. “Finnick…why are…you running?!” I breathed heavily.

His short hair couldn’t hide his face anymore, and I saw the streams of tears roll down his cheeks and down to the ground. Slowly, he looked up to meet my worried eyes, and the mere look brought me to tears.

“She’s…gone.” He struggled to say those words, and more tears formed in his striking blue eyes. “She…tried so hard. For so long. I thought she was finally better. That she’d get to see me graduate. But…but then it came back. It came back stronger than before and it was everywhere. I thought if I was always happy and kind to others, she’d get better. She would heal again like she always used to tell me. Be kind and happy and it’ll bring good karma. I thought…thought if I was always happy and made people laugh, I could carry all my good karma to her and she’d heal…just like when I was young. I’m so stupid,” he cried.

He began to sob harder as he shook his head. “I was such an idiot, and I didn’t want to believe she was dying. Why would she die? She won the first time. She beat cancer’s butt before. She was strong. She was always the strong one compared to Dad and me. So…why did it change? Why couldn’t she win?!”

“Finnick,” I pressed my hand to his cheek, my tears falling as frequently as his.

“I can’t anymore, Brianne. I can’t lose someone I love like that. I’d rather…I’d rather be a loner. To have no friends and family rather than experience this pain…but I like you so much, Red. Even when I’ve been so quiet, you always check on me and text me, even when you’re busy. You never ignored my feelings. My mom liked you. She said you were a shining light. A bright burst of sunshine that lit up the room. I’d laugh and say it’s because of the gold in your red hair. Then…then she’d correct me and say it’s orange.” The laughter that left him was full of sadness.

“She knew. She knew…that…I like girls and boys. She knew I had a crush on Kaito first, and then you. She knew it all, and…when she was struggling to breathe, she told me.” His lip trembled as he smiled. “She said how proud she was that I was discovering who I was. She was so happy that…that I was dating you. She told me that Kaito needs time, and…I wanted to believe her. I knew I should believe her…but then…she…she stopped breathing. After she told me she loved me and Dad…that she’d always be watching us…just like that. She was gone.”

The devastation in his eyes was too much for me, and I wrapped my arms around him tightly, wishing I could heal even a fraction of his hurting heart.

“Finnick,” I sobbed. “I’m here.”

That was all I could say. I didn’t want to tell him, ‘sorry’ or shower him with other words of sympathy. Those weren’t what he needed. What he craved the most was that sense of companionship. The confidence in knowing he had someone who’d acknowledge his feelings and accept him as he was. I was sure he knew the others cared for his well-being, and even with Kaito’s dilemma in giving an answer, I bet he knew that Kaito cared for him, even if it was just as friends.

“You won’t leave me too, right, Red? Even if I’m not the smartest or the best looking, and though I like you and Kaito…and…even if I…I’m motherless now. You’ll still care, right? Please tell me you’ll care,” he cried loudly and hugged me tightly.

“I’ll always be there for you, Finnick. Always. No matter what. I care for you. Just like you care for me.”

That was all he needed to hear before he completely broke down and cried. The sound made me cry harder, and I fought to not lose it altogether. The sadness in his cries echoed through the forest, and the gentle breeze of wind tried to comfort us.

It reminded me of when my sister came back home from recovery, and how everything finally sank in. All the memories she’d shared and the realization that she was the last one standing. When she’d finally let her emotions go, it was almost unbearable, and this was exactly like it.

The others finally arrived, and Connor and Jax looked devastated, while Kaito looked hurt.

I met his purple eyes, and I hoped they showed my silent plea. That just for a few seconds, could Kaito forget about the confession and everything else troubling him and just try and comfort Finnick? He didn’t just need me.

He secretly needed Kaito, too.

When we shared that look, I knew Kaito understood because he took a deep inhale and walked forward until he stood next to us. He knelt down to the ground and gently pressing his hand on Finnick’s chest.

“Cry as much as you want, Finnick. We’re here. We care,” Kaito whispered.

Finnick cried even harder, his whole body shaking with sobs. I hugged him tighter and Kaito joined in. Soon I felt Connor’s large arms and Jax’s slim-built ones wrap around us, giving Finnick a group hug: an embrace that he desperately needed right here and now.

I looked up to the sky, watching the clouds blow by and the first bright rays of sunlight shine down on us.

Finnick’s internal struggles had been revealed by the light, and now, we were here to help rid the darkness that wished to steal his glory in life. We’re here…and we care.

16

FACE YOUR FEARS

~ONE WEEK LATER~

“HOW’S FINNICK?” Kaito asked after greeting me. Taking off my heels and placing them on the shoe mat, I rose up to give him a sad smile.

“He’s still struggling,” I admitted and sighed. “Jax and Connor texted me saying he started crying after I left. They’re going to stay the night over there. I’m not sure he’s going to be ready for the exams, but Professor Phoenix said she’d talk to the Dean about it.”

“He won’t be able to study like this,” Kaito mumbled.

“Exactly. Finnick’s smart, he just needs more time. With exams only one week away, I don’t think it’s possible. Professor Phoenix told me not to worry about it and that she’d figure something out. A few of the professors at Witchling knew Mrs. Rosedale and offered their condolences. We’ll figure it out,” I concluded.

The topic was energy draining, and I’d felt pretty sad the last couple of days since we found out.

Finnick’s mom had been in remission for a few years. She’d had breast cancer and had gotten them removed before getting treatment. She did some rounds of chemo and radiation before living in remission as Finnick entered his teens.

However, it came back last year and had somehow spread through her whole body at a rapid pace. They had done the same treatment as before, but once it spread throughout her body and main organs, it became too hard to treat.

The funeral was yesterday and today there was a ceremony of life in her honor, where people came together and they played her favorite music while remembering her legacy.

Seeing the happy pictures of Finnick with his mom made me feel so sad. To lose someone was hard, especially when it was a family member you cherished.

We’re all going to die eventually. Doesn’t make it less difficult to endure, especially when you’re the one left behind to carry that pain.

Kaito brushed a few curly strands from my face, and after pressed his lips to my forehead, he pulled me into a hug.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m sad,” I whispered. “Finnick is hurting and I can’t do anything to help him. No magic can stop the pain he’s experiencing. I want to be there for him, but I know he needs some space. I just wish I could do more.”

“It’s okay to feel that way, but I’m sure you’re going above and beyond for Finnick and he appreciates it,” Kaito comforted.

I hugged him back, resting my head against his chest as we stood there in the hall.

“How did your tournament go?” I asked, trying to distract myself.

“We made it through. Next semester is going to be challenging, but it’s harder to get eliminated since every team has like three lives before getting knocked out. I’m going to have to train even harder. I’m just glad I was at least able to attend most of the ceremony before leaving for the tournament.”

“Finnick was happy that you made it. He didn’t expect you to come.” I shared the comment that Finnick had made when we’d arrived. “He knows how important your kendo tournaments are and said you like to train before each one.”

“Yeah. I was a bit off, but nothing I couldn’t correct. I wanted to be there for him. That’s what a best friend would do.” He mumbled the last part, sounding unsure about his chosen words.

I squeezed him a little tighter, and we held our warm embrace until Elsa walked onto my feet.

“MewMew!”

We looked down to see her inspecting Kaito’s dark blue indoor slippers.

“Are you hungry?” Kaito asked.

Now that I thought about it, I couldn’t recall the last time I’d eaten something.

“I think so. I don’t actually remember when I last ate,” I confessed.

“That’s not good. You have to take care of yourself, Brianne,” Kaito lightly scolded. He slipped a hand in mine and knelt down to pick Elsa up with his other hand.

Tugging me along, he headed to his kitchen. “I just finished making some sushi. My sister called, saying she’d be home soon, and I decided to make a lot. We can have some now.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to interrupt your sister time,” I admitted.

Starlight was going to pick me up from Kaito’s house since she and Katsume had to attend another meeting after the ceremony. They had to go to one early this morning and had been attending a bunch of work-related things all week.

It had to be about the reopened case and the preparations they needed, but I felt bad about eating with Kaito if that meant his sister didn’t get to.

“Nah. She won’t mind. I’ll probably be hungry again when she arrives anyway,” Kaito reasoned.

Placing Elsa on the table and letting go of my hand, he pulled out a chair for me and I thanked him and sat down. I was still wearing my pink dress from this morning; the dress code had been centered on colorful pieces of clothing.

No black allowed. It was to celebrate her life, after all.

Kaito got to work, setting the plates and bowls for the soy sauce. Once he poured us some tea, he brought over a plate of sushi.

He sat down, and we both pressed our hands together and said a quick prayer before we picked out chopsticks and began to pick our favorites to start with.

“You’re getting better at using chopsticks,” Kaito acknowledged.

“Yes! Mia and Miya have been teaching me a lot during lunch break. They may be going to Korea during the Christmas break and said they would get me a set from there and a bunch of skin products. I’m excited.”

“Maybe one day we can all go,” Kaito suggested.

“All of us?! To Korea?! Would our parents allow it? Oh, wait. I’m eighteen now. We don’t really need their permission.” I still hadn’t let the idea that I was now an adult sink in. There was always that thought that I needed my parents’ or sister’s permission to do things.

“Exactly. We still could let them know, but I think it would be a fun Notorious Four trip. Us and our queen. I feel my sister would tag along because she loves Korea.”

“She’s gone before?” I asked.

“Yup. With Elsa,” he replied and took a sip of his tea.

“MewMew?” Elsa looked confused and walked to my plate to inspect my food. I sectioned a bit of rice for her, and she continued to stare at it.

“Not you, Elsa.” I gave her a small smile and patted her head. It would take her some time to decide if she wanted the rice or not, but I at least wanted her to know we weren’t referring to her.

“Oh,” I replied to Kaito. “Were they close?”

“Yeah. Hung out all the time,” Kaito replied. I nodded and we continued to eat.

When we finished, I began to work on my tea, my thoughts flickering between Finnick and Kaito. With a mental nod to myself, I placed my tea down and looked at Kaito, who was watching Elsa eat the sashimi that he’d left for her.

“Kaito.”

His eyes rose up to meet my calm stare. I could tell that he knew what I was going to say.

“I know,” he whispered.

“You can’t delay this anymore,” I stressed. “I don’t want to rush you…but Finnick at least deserves an answer. That’s all he wants,” I whispered.

He closed his eyes and slowly nodded. “I understand, Brianne. I’ll let him know soon.”

I figured that was all I was getting from him. With a nod of my own, I went back to drinking my tea, the two of us remaining silent until the sound of the front door unlocking caught our attention.

“I smell sushi!” Katsume called out.

“Hey, sis,” Kaito greeted and slid back to get up and gather a third plate and set of utensils for his sister.

“Hello. Get one more place setting. Starlight’s just parking her bike,” Katsume encouraged. “Evening, Brianne.”

“Good evening, Katsume,” I greeted.

“Ah. I forgot to mention how mature you looked this morning. You don’t wear heels like those often. They make your legs look so nice!”

“Ah. Thank you. I borrowed them from Starlight. I should get a pair of my own soon,” I admitted.

“I know you’re eighteen now, but hmm. You may have one more growth spurt in you. You’re going to be taller than your sister if you aren’t careful.” She giggled.

“Maybe. That would bug her though. I would never live it down.” I sighed, picturing how frustrated my sister would be. “I’d like to pass on that future.”

Kaito chuckled and Katsume shook her head. “I actually agree with you,” she said and walked over to sit on the chair next to Kaito’s.

I noticed the shiny emerald necklace on Katsume’s neck, something that wasn’t there when I’d seen her this morning at the ceremony. It caught my attention because it reminded me of Starlight, and how emerald was one of the few gems she adored.

However, I knew that specific stone could shift colors, and even as I stared at it while Katsume answered a question Kaito had asked, it began to shift to a turquoise blue, followed by deep rich purple. It was like a moonstone, similar to what my sister had for her engagement ring.

Kaito served another plate of sushi and sat down. Noticing my long stare, he followed my gaze.

“Hey, sis? Where did you get that stone? Wasn’t it emerald a moment ago?”

“Oh, this?” She lifted the pendant and a big smile formed on her lips. “Starlight gave it to me a while ago. I don’t normally wear it, but we went out for some milkshakes with the rest of our team. Like a group date. It’s pretty, right?”

“Very.” I smiled.

“MewMew!” Elsa ran up to where Katsume’s hand was and sat on it.

“Hey. I need my hand.” Katsume grinned and stroked Elsa’s head.

“That’s a nice gift to give you. Guess you’re going to be Starlight’s permanent partner in crime,” Kaito commented and drank some more tea.

I caught the slight frown that formed on Katsume’s lips, but it was gone just as fast.

“Katsume?” I asked.

She looked at me with a smile. “Yes?”

“You’re more than just partners in crime, aren’t you?”

Kaito looked confused, but the bright sparkle that took over Katsume’s purple eyes answered my question.

“Yup.” She nodded once. “We’re taking it slow with the others, but you’re correct.”

“Huh?” Kaito spoke up. “What are you talking about? I’m clearly missing something in this conversation.”

“You’re so slow when it comes to these things, Kaito.” Katsume exhaled. “Starlight and I are dating. D.A.T.I.N.G.”

She purposely articulated the word to make sure it got through to him. His oblivious expression made me smile slightly.

“Kaito? Did you stop working?” I waved my hand in front of him.

“Give him a minute. His brain seems to malfunction when he doesn’t realize something, and it does one of those ‘piecing together all the signs’ moments before it finally clicks. Did the necklace give us away?”

“No,” I replied. “I noticed a while ago, but it wasn’t super obvious. I’ve witnessed my sister date a male and a female, and I know she never gives items like jewelry to her partner unless she’s serious about it. Her engagement ring was like a moonstone that changed colors, and emerald is one of the few shades she likes. If she gave you that, it means she actually likes you a lot.”

Katsume grinned wide as she slightly scratched the top of her head.

“I’ve been shy about coming out. Not really necessary in our field, but I knew sooner or later it was bound to happen. Your sister is actually dating the guy she was forced to partner with before my arrival, but it seems we’ve worked out a compromise. He has a watch from her.”

“I’m happy for you guys. When my sister loves, it’s absolute.”

“I know.” Katsume’s eyes softened. “She’s stubborn, though.”

I laughed. “I won’t deny that either.”

“Hold on! You’re dating a girl?!” Kaito exclaimed.

We both looked at his absolutely shocked expression and Katsume smirked. “See? That was the ‘aha’ moment.” She winked at me. “Yes. I’m dating a girl. What’s the problem?”

“Y-you can’t,” he replied.

“Why not? You do realize the laws changed like ages ago.” Katsume took a sip of her tea.

“But Mom and Dad wouldn’t allow that!” he fought back.

“Says who? Your imagination?” she questioned with a cocked eyebrow.

“N-no. It’s against tradition.”

“Traditions change, Kaito. Mom knew ages ago that I liked oranges more than bananas.”

I blushed and so did Kaito, and Katsume rolled her eyes.

“You two are adults! Learn the terms and stop being so embarrassed. This is the human body!” She sighed and rose up to look down at Kaito.

“Dad knows.”

“He does?!” Kaito seemed more shocked.

“Yup. Told him recently. Sure, he was mad, but he didn’t die. I told him if he had a problem with it, he could remove me from his will and give you the inheritance. I couldn’t care less. I’d done my part as a good daughter. I went to school, got amazing grades, have an awesome career, and still represent the Kendo community as one of the top female fighters. I’ve done everything to make him happy. If he can’t accept me for who I like, then that’s on him.” She shrugged.

“You weren’t…scared?” Kaito whispered.

“Of course I was,” she replied. “But what is living in fear and wasting time going to do? It’s not going to bring happiness to the front porch. Either I confront my feelings and move on, or I live in fear and continue to ‘what if’ everything. No one has time for that.”

She stretched her arms and rolled back her shoulders. “I work in a profession where I can die any day, Kaito. Every case we take has the possibility of me dying, and I don’t want to live with regret. To think I stopped myself from loving because of someone else’s standards. Whether it’s traditional or not, my happiness is what matters and I personally would rather live without any regrets. It’s up to you to figure that part out, though. No one else can help you.” She patted his shoulder and headed to the hall.

The door opened once more and I heard Starlight’s voice.

“So annoying.”

“What took you so long?” Katsume asked.

“Boss was complaining that he doesn’t want to see us having a fling in the office.”

“He saw?! When?! With who?!”

“I’m not saying,” Starlight muttered.

“There’s a recording of it! Oh, I’m hunting it down!”

“No, you aren’t! It’s on his computer and he said we’ll review it together.”

“Ewww. That’s a turnoff.” Katsume laughed.

“What are you doing?”

“Two seconds.”

“Katsume. Don’t tell me you’re hacking his computer.”

“Temporarily scanning it for the goodies I desire.”

“You’re such a bad influence,” Starlight whined.

“Found it! Come here, my precious. I shall use you in the bedroom.”

“You’re disgusting!” Starlight snickered. “Keep your voice down! You’re going to taint my poor sister and your brother.”

“They need to grow faster. This generation is becoming slow,” Katsume dismissed. “There. All gone. When you go to your meeting, it’ll be a video of SpongeBob singing the ‘It’s The Best Day Ever’ song or whatever that episode was.”

“You’re horrible.”

“And you love me! Say it. Say it!” Katsume giggled.

“Go away,” Starlight groaned.

“Aww. I did good. Be nice.”

There was a long silence before Katsume giggled again. “My shy girlfriend.”

“Shut up,” Starlight muttered. “I’m hungry and smell sushi.”

“Right! Wait, let’s go upstairs and change.”

“We’re staying over now?”

“Might as well. It’s late anyway. I should have something that fits you and your sister since you guys are practically the same now.”

“Her boobs are bigger,” Starlight huffed a little louder.

“I can hear you!” I barked, my face flushed by her words.

“Hmph,” Starlight replied and Katsume laughed.

The two of them walked into view, and I noticed my sister was actually wearing a dress. For the ceremony, she had worn an all-white skirt suit, while Katsume worn a white kimono with pink petals. Now she wore a long black dress with tons of rhinestones which matched Katsume’s short, skintight dress.

“We’re going to change real quick. Hey, Bri,” Starlight announced before greeting me.

“Hey, sis!” I smiled brightly at her.

We shared a look, and I noticed her cheeks begin to burn a light shade of red.

“Let’s go.” She pushed Katsume towards the stairs.

“You’re so pushy today. Are you embra—AH! Don’t go hurting me with my own bra! That’s just evil!”

“Then stop talking. So annoying,” Starlight huffed.

Kaito and I remained quiet until the door from upstairs closed. I looked to him and took a deep inhale, letting it out slowly.

“That was intriguing,” I stated.

Kaito nodded, but his expression told me he was deep in thought. I didn’t rush him to speak, deciding to pour us another cup of tea.

“I’ll talk to my parents after exams,” he whispered. “Then, I’ll be able to tell Finnick my answer.”

“That sounds like a solid plan.” I gave him a gleaming smile.

He bobbed his head and picked up his tea. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” I replied.

“Brianne?”

I paused in taking a sip of my tea to peer at him. “Yes?”

“No matter what decision I make, you’ll still date me, right? Even if we’ve been taking things slow?”

“Mhm!” I gave him a firm nod. “You are one of my amazing boyfriends and I’m not going anywhere.”

He looked relieved as a genuine smile graced his lips.

“Good,” he replied. “It’s about time I face my fears.”

17

MAGIC BATTLE EXAM

~ONE WEEK LATER: EXAM DAY~

“NOTHING’S HERE,” I announced, glancing at our watches. “We’re nowhere near the other team. We’re supposed to get a signal of some sort.”

“Hmm. Kaito and Finnick are checking out the buildings near the library. Looks like we’re going to have to go into the city,” Connor suggested.

“They could be hiding as well. For now, it’s either we find them, or they find us,” Jax noted.

“What we can do is check around this area. If we find nothing, they’re definitely in the city,” I elaborated.

Jax and Connor nodded, and I pointed up ahead. “I’ll go that way. Connor. Can you check the medical building? Jax. Can you look around the teacher’s building? Looks less fishy since you’re the president.”

“Sounds good,” Jax replied.

“Five minutes?” Connor clarified as he worked to set the timer on his watch.

“Let’s make it ten. I’ll text Finnick and Kaito as well. Once our timers go off, we’ll meet back at the fountain and then we can head into the city together. If any of us get attacked and you think it’ll be hard to handle alone, run. Regrouping will be smarter and faster,” I coached.

“Got it,” they replied with confident grins.

“Let’s pass this exam!” I stuck out my hand and Jax and Connor placed theirs on top. With a nod, we went our separate ways and I set my timer.

Pulling my phone out, I quickly texted Finnick and Kaito and sent a group text of the exact time and minutes left until we regrouped.

I had a suspicion that the other team was definitely hiding, waiting to strike us either individually or as a solid group.

If they were smart, they would hit us individually.

“MewMew!” Elsa popped out of nowhere, and I paused mid-run to catch her with my head. When I lifted my head, she moved to lean over my forehead and her pink eyes looked down at me.

“MewMew?”

“You come out at the strangest times, you know that?” I questioned.

She purred and rubbed her face against my nose. I grinned and picked her up, placing her on my shoulder instead. She seemed comfortable there and once I knew she had a good grip on my blazer, I turned my attention back to the task at hand.

For this exam, we had the option to not wear our uniforms, but I’d decided against doing that. Seeing as the exam dates were random for all teams, wearing normal clothes would give you away or make you a target.

Just because we were having our exams, it didn’t mean the rest of the school was. Therefore, wearing our uniforms helped us blend in when casually walking around the campus or running to catch the next class.

Glancing at my watch, I went back to running straight ahead, passing a red car that caught my attention. Coming to a stop a few short feet from it, I frowned at the extremely fancy car. It looked like one of those models that the guys would talk about and point to in magazines.

Jax and Connor were more into cars, with Jax generally being into the sports models and Connor into bikes. Kaito was starting to get into sports cars, and Finnick was all aboard with anything that took you from A to B, but I could have sworn I’d seen this in a very recent magazine and that this model wasn’t set to release until next year.

“MewMew.” Elsa tugged at my blazer, which was her way of saying, ‘I want to chill under the blazer.’ Picking her up, I tugged my shirt dress slightly, giving her a chance to figure out a safe spot in the small space in my bra.

She poked her head back up, and I secured the blazer button so she was nice and snug against my chest. That would at least ensure she wouldn’t go flying off somewhere if I had to start running or even flying.

“This isn’t supposed to be here,” I whispered, and summoned my wand. I didn’t necessarily need it, but figured if this was an exam, I might as well use it for show. I had a hunch we were being recorded, and I at least wanted to put on a show if it meant getting us a perfect grade.

I waited for something to happen, but as the seconds went by, I realized I could have been done with my investigation by now. With a frown, I shook my head and turned around to head down the alleyway when I crashed right into someone.

“Oomph!” I tried to recover my balance, but a hand grabbed my wrist and stopped me from falling back. Opening my eyes, I actually groaned at the person standing before me.

“Why?!” I exclaimed. “It’s like you’re an exam plague that chases after me every single time!”

“Nice to see you again as well, Brianne,” Elijah muttered, looking completely out of breath.

“I didn’t want to see you. I have no time to waste on you today. I also told you not to talk to me again,” I huffed and tried to walk around him, but he stopped me.

“You can’t go there.”

“Why not? Is the boogeyman going to pop out and kill me?” I mocked. I tried to remove my wrist from his grasp, but he shook his head.

“No! Brianne. You can’t go there. You need to get out of here, now!”

“I. Can’t. Elijah,” I articulated. “I have classes to attend to. Now, if you’ll excuse—”

“Brianne! The man who killed your sister’s team is on campus!”

I froze and looked at him. Noticing the panic in his emerald eyes, I gave him a serious look.

“Elijah. You better not be fucking lying right now, or I swear, I’ll kick your ass right this moment.”

“I’m not lying! I know you don’t trust me, but this one time…just once, Bri, please! Elisha is on the other team. My exam isn’t today so I’m not trying to set you up! She has a new boyfriend or something. A senior, but he had to repeat multiple times and their team is all older students who’ve been here forever. I’ve been getting fishy vibes about them…and well, I decided to stalk them.”

“You sound like a jealous ex-boyfriend who wants to find the tea on Elisha’s new man,” I commented.

Elijah gave me a look, and I rolled my eyes. “Continue.”

“I wouldn’t interfere, but today I saw him and his boys talking to some men. They were super weird looking. Like all black and eerie. Like, it was creepy as hell. Maybe they were shadows or using dark magic to cover their bodies, but even their speech was weird. Like a monster or something,”

“The shadow people?!” I asked.

He looked confused. “You know them?”

“They tried to kidnap me!” I stressed.

“That makes sense,” he mumbled.

“What do you mean?”

“Elisha’s new boyfriend made a deal with the shadow people that they would catch you somehow. They said that a very rich guy needs you as bait to escape and he’d be on campus today, looking for you. I ran away before I could hear the rest and I’ve been searching for you everywhere. I tried to call your boyfriends, but no one was picking up. I swear I’m not lying, Brianne. Just this once, please believe me,” he begged.

“Elijah.” I bit my lip hard. “Whose side are you on?” I felt so conflicted by all of this, and deep down, those feelings I’d locked away were desperate to resurface and give Elijah the pity I’d always felt for him.

“I’m…not sure,” he whispered. “Please. Just…let’s make sure you’re safe and then can we talk? You can bring the others as well, I don’t care. I just want to talk things out.”

My phone began to beep, and I noticed the sudden red color blinking over and over again.

“MewMew!” Elsa began to hiss, and I looked at the car and back to my watch.

The watch wasn’t signaling before. That means Elijah’s telling the truth. One of the opposing teammates is here!

“Elijah, let’s mov—”

“Dammit!” He hooked an arm around my waist, pulling me against him as two older guys pulled out guns and aimed them at us.

We both froze, and I quickly realized that those things weren’t fake.

Real guns? How the hell did they get those?

Elsa hissed loudly, and her body grew cold against my chest.

“If it isn’t Elijah the tattletale. Looks like you keep changing sides, huh?” the blue-eyed guy declared.

“Wait till boss gets a load of this. The ex-boyfriend is now a rat,” the other dude, who had red eyes, said.

“This is wrong, and you guys know it! If the school finds out, you guys are going to be expelled!” Elijah shouted.

“We’ve been repeats for how long? Who gives a fuck? Those guys are paying us top dollar for that redhead. You think we give a shit about school? Now hand her over, or you won’t like having a few holes in that thick skull of yours.”

“Make sure they don’t hit the girl. If she dies, we lose,” Red Eyes stressed.

They have to be connected to the guy who killed my sister’s team. Maybe he wants to use me as bait to get my sister? Like to finish the job. How the hell are we going to get out of this? I can’t call my sister! I can try spell traveling but that would take Elijah with me, and…I can’t trust him. Not after the first exam. Even if he’s telling the truth. Ugh!

“C’mon, punk! This is the last warning. Give us the girl!” Blue Eyes demanded, while his friend took the safety off his gun.

Elijah tightened his hold and whispered into my ear, “If I do die from this, I’m sorry Bri. I apologize for being a jerk and not confessing my true feelings.”

I couldn’t speak, but the boiling anger and hurt in my heart were beginning to slip through the cracks.

A metal device fell to the ground between us, catching all of our attention. It was a silver disk, and the middle had a circle with a flashing red light. It blinked and blinked, the interval getting faster and faster. My eyes grew wide when I recalled the similar prototype Starlight had shown me. She’d said it was being made illegally in other countries and Witchling Star Agency’s goal was to replicate its purpose to use against the criminals.

Bomb!

“Run! It’s a bomb!” I screamed.

Elijah hugged me tightly, but the other two guys merely laughed and walked around the car.

“That’s not a bom—”

“MEWMEW!” Elsa shot out a beam of ice, and a frozen wall appeared before us, a second before something loud and strong burst around us.

The wall of ice shattered in seconds and the aftershocks sent us flying. I must have screamed, but my ears seemed to be ringing or clogged.

When I hit the ground, it was enough to knock me right out.

“BRI…ANNE.”

“Me…w!”

The ringing continued to plague my sense of hearing, and I struggled to clear the fog that clogged my mind. My body ached, but it was a pain that I could handle. The struggle between consciousness and unconsciousness was the real problem right now, and I was fighting to be the victor.

“Mend her wounds, clear the blocked sound, rejuvenate her senses and reverse the damage created!”

The spell was spoken in a rush, but it seemed as clear as day compared to the voices that tried to reach me prior to the incantation.

My body grew warm and I suddenly felt perfectly fine. The ringing had stopped, the fog was gone, and with caution, I opened my eyes to see Elijah and Elsa.

“MewMew!” Elsa walked onto my face and began licking my nose, which made me giggle.

“Elsa, that tickles.” I patted her in greeting and tried to sit up slowly.

Elijah helped me and I quietly thanked him, but my attention was drawn to the chaos happening around us.

Everything that had been standing was now either broken down to little bits or on fire. I now registered the sirens that were blaring in the distance, the sound signaling everyone to evacuate the school.

I looked to where the fancy red car had been, but it was nothing but bits and pieces of metal. I spotted the two bodies on the ground, the guns a few feet away from them. My eyes lingered on them as a cold chill ran through me.

A hand pressed against my eyes. “You shouldn’t be seeing that.”

“You know I’m not a kid anymore,” I mumbled, but didn’t fight to try and remove his hand.

“Stay still. Someone’s coming,” he whispered and seemed to move me to rest against him. Elsa moved to sit on my lap, her body still emitting a chill.

Elijah muttered another magic incantation, but I didn’t catch it. He lowered his hand, and I noticed a tall man walk out from the debris and smoke.

He wore a three-piece red suit, and his blond hair was slicked back with gel. He walked with power, and the two individuals with him bowed their heads and lowered their guns.

“Sir. It looks like the girl was mixed in with the blast. We have reports that she was standing here before the bomb went off,” the first guard announced.

“What a shame. She’s exactly what I need. Tsk.” The man in question sounded pissed off. “Those shadows are useless. Can’t even get an eighteen-year-old girl, and I’ve given them since last fall to do it. Pathetic.”

“We’re sorry, sir. If we find any evidence that she’s alive, should we pursue?”

“No. It’ll be pointless once I’ve left this place. If I can get rid of her sister, that would be perfect, but this young prodigy won’t be a problem. If she’s dead, good. If she’s not, I doubt she’ll dive into the same profession as her sister. She won’t bother our organization. As long as she remains dormant from the gods. If you can, get rid of that Professor Phoenix. She’s a pain in my ass and is only going to make that girl exactly what we don’t need if she is somewhere.”

“Yes, sir! We’ll get on it.” The men nodded their heads.

“Good. I’ll be leaving. I have the pink key with me. By the time that agent and her team arrive, I’ll be long gone. Finally, after all this time, I’ve got what I wanted.”

He took something out of his pocket, the item dangling from a golden chain. It was truly a pink key, and it dangled from side to side with a beautiful radiance to it.

My eyes trailed its movement, and I yearned to reach for it. Elijah pinched my side, and I blinked out of the random daze to glare at him. He met my eyes and stared, leaving me a little confused, but I also began to understand why he’d done it.

Why did I just have a reaction to that key? What is it?

“I’ll be off. Finish the business here. I’ll contact you both once I’m in a safe location,” the man declared.

“Yes, sir!” The guards bowed and rushed off into the smoke, leaving the man on his own. He stared at the key and then put the necklace around his neck.

“What foolish men,” he sighed. “As if I’d contact them. They don’t stand a chance against that dark witch. What a nuisance. Either way, I’ve become victorious. Nothing can stop me. Not even that agent.”

With a malicious laugh, he began to walk away. Neither of us moved until Elsa began to wiggle in my lap.

“MewMew?” She looked up at us.

“We have to go after him,” I declared. Elsa looked ecstatic at my words and got off my lap. I shuffled out of Elijah’s hold and stood up. I was a bit unsteady but was able to balance myself.

“What?” Elijah questioned. “You can’t go after him!”

“Are you mad?! He’s going to vanish like he did the first time! He has that key thing. He’s obviously not supposed to have that!”

“That isn’t your responsibility, Bri! You could get hurt. No, killed!” he exclaimed.

“What did I say about calling me, Bri?”

“Really?” he huffed.

“Brianne!”

I glanced over to see Jax and Connor running toward us. When their eyes caught onto Elijah, they both looked pissed, but I quickly shook my head.

“It wasn’t Elijah. The shadow people and some senior students plotted this. We have to go. The man who killed my sister’s teammates just took a key of some kind and is trying to escape!”

“Wait!” Jax’s eyes began to glow. “Did you say a key?”

“Yes. A pink one!” I stressed.

“Shit!” Connor swore.

“Call the Dean,” Jax told Connor, who nodded and pulled his phone out.

“What’s the big deal over a pink key?”

Jax’s eyes darkened. “That key has the ability to unlock a gate that can transport the user to the gods who founded Witchling Academy.”

I gawked in response, and I glanced over to see Elijah’s shock.

“If you tell anyone about that, you’ll be dead. Not by me, but the Magic Council themselves will kill you and wipe the memory of anyone else you’ve told. I’d advise you keep it to yourselves,” Jax warned.

We both nodded and Jax snapped back to his concerned self. He walked over to me, inspecting me with his eyes first before he placed his hands on my cheeks.

“You’re all right?”

“Yup! We have to track that man.”

“We will,” Jax vowed and kissed me. “Don’t do anything reckless, please?”

“Me? Reckless? Hah.” I nervously laughed and noticed the three of them giving me judgemental stares. “I’m good! I totally won’t do anything crazy.”

“I couldn’t get them on the phone, but I sent the emergency signal to Professor Phoenix. She’ll get the message through,” Connor declared. “I also checked the trackers. Finnick and Kaito are close to the meetup spot.”

“Perfect.” Jax nodded and he knelt down and picked Elsa up. “Let’s go!”

I grinned and placed my hand in his. Connor was leading the way, and we took our first steps before Elijah spoke. “It’s dangerous! You guys could die.”

We looked back at him, seeing his confusion.

“You should leave it for the adults. Or professionals, or whatever. Why are you guys risking your lives when you don’t have to?”

“Because you don’t know what that man has planned, and it can affect everyone, Elijah,” I whispered. “Sitting back and hoping someone else steps up isn’t what Witchling Academy has taught us. We’ve been gifted with these abilities to protect not only ourselves but other innocent bystanders who haven’t been blessed by the gods. It’s our duty to help those who need it, and if that means stopping a psycho man who wants to see the world burn, that sometimes requires living on the edge. I learn that from my sister’s efforts every day.”

With a deep breath, I looked away.

“We’re all going to die one day, Elijah. Would you rather die being that person who could have saved many? Or die a hero who saved thousands, if not millions, from one man’s evil plan to gain power from the gods? It’s your choice.”

Jax squeezed my hand, and I looked to see his proud smile.

“Let’s do this, babe.” He winked.

“Let’s get him before all hope is lost,” I replied. Connor had a wide smirk on his lips and remained quiet.

With one final look back at Elijah’s dumbfounded face, we raced forward, knowing that we were about to do something crazy.

Who cared about the exam. It was time to save our school…and maybe even the world.

18

THE HUNT FOR JUSTICE

“Finnick! Kaito!”

We called out to them, waving our hands as we approached. The two of them looked concerned and I didn’t blame them. The school was now officially in evacuation mode, and if we didn’t figure out what the plan was, we could get caught in the madness of the rest of the students and professors trying to get off the school’s property.

We came to a stop and caught our breaths.

“What’s going on?” Finnick questioned. “Was there an explosion?”

“Yeah,” Connor breathed. “Did you guys see a man in a red suit?”

“Huh? Yeah. He was walking that way toward the subway system,” Kaito replied, pointing. “He looked sketchy, but we didn’t want to confront him. Not with everything going on.”

“Good,” Jax replied. “But we need to go after him now.”

“Why?” Finnick and Kaito asked in unison.

“He has a pink key,” I declared.

Finnick’s and Kaito’s eyes went wide, and they looked at Jax and Connor, who both nodded.

“He has the god key. I don’t know how the hell he got it, but if we lose him, the school may be screwed.” Jax rose up. “Kaito. We’re going to need your gift to get it back.”

“I can’t from this distance, but if we get closer, yeah,” he replied.

“We should get on the move then. I can carry all of us on a cloud or something, but I’m not sure how long I’ll last,” Finnick admitted.

“Can you guys stay still for a second?” I asked.

They all looked at me, and I smirked and moved to Jax first. Giving him a kiss on his lips, I moved on to Connor. Then to Kaito, and finally Finnick. When I finished, they all gave me confused looks.

“Is that like what we’re supposed to do before battle or something?” Finnick questioned.

I rolled my eyes, and Elsa began running around my feet.

“No, silly,” I replied. “I’m charging up my gift. We don’t know how crazy this is going to get, but at least I can use bits of some of your gifts.”

“Brianne.” Connor sounded worried. “That can be dangerous.”

“You can’t push yourself,” Jax added.

“I’ll be fine, worrywarts.” I brushed off their concerns. “I’m sure we’ll get help before it comes to that. Which reminds me, I should call Starlight!”

They exchanged looks but didn’t argue against my apparent ‘plan’ to use my gift.

“Fine,” Jax finally announced. “Everyone be careful. This isn’t an exam anymore. This is the responsibility of the Junior Student Council, at least until the professors or authorities step in. Don’t do anything reckless. Especially you, Red.” Jax looked my way and I pouted my lips when he purposely used my nickname.

“Meanie,” I huffed, but had a sly grin on my lips. He smirked and ended up kissing me lightly on the forehead. “Seriously. Be careful.”

“All right, Flaming Hottie.” I winked.

“Can’t believe they’re flirting right now.” Kaito sighed.

“It’s the tension before the battle,” Finnick stressed.

“Or they’re just flirting for no reason,” Connor concluded.

Jax and I both blushed and moved away.

“Let’s go. Brianne, call your sister.”

“Right. On it.” I pulled out my phone and we began to run in the direction Finnick and Kaito had seen the man going.

The phone rang once before Starlight picked up.

“Agent Starlight Harlow speaking,” she greeted. I figured she hadn’t looked at the caller ID before picking up, but I went straight to the point.

“Starlight! Problem!”

“Bri? What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” She must have been on her bike, because I could hear the engine in the background.

“No. I’m okay, but there was an explosion at school and the guy! The man you guys are after! He took the key!”

Starlight was quiet for five seconds. “Brianne. What did you just say?”

I quit running and the others stopped ahead to wait for me. I took a second to catch my breath and decided to go into detail.

“We’re currently on our exam and two older students tried to kidnap me with real guns! They apparently had an arrangement with those shadow people who tried to kidnap me during the first semester and they’re all working for the man who killed your team! The one who you guys are trying to catch. There was an explosion, and Elijah hid us with some magic or something and I saw the man. He wore a red suit and had blond hair and looked like a supreme boss or something. He held a pink key with a gold chain and he’s making an escape. He wanted to use me as bait to get to you and said something about me being a prodigy or whatever. We’re trying to chase after—”

“Brianne Marie Harlow. You will get out of there at once!” Starlight snapped.

“What?! I can’t get out of here, sis! He’s going to get away!” I looked at the guys and gave them a firm nod to go without me.

The others exchanged a look and Connor, Kaito, and Jax went ahead, while Finnick stayed.

“Brianne. I’m dead serious. Don’t you dare pursue him.” Her voice was rock solid, and I gritted my teeth as she continued. “Get out of there and let the adults handle it.”

“I’m eighteen, Starlight! I can help. You guys won’t make it on time.”

“You could be twenty-five and I’d still tell you to get out of there, Brianne. If he gets you, we’re all screwed.”

“Why?! ‘Cause of my born gift?”

“No.”

“Then why? Why is everyone trying to kidnap me or use me as bait? Actually, never mind. This is wasting time. I’m going after him, Starlight.”

“Brianne, I swear if you dare—”

“You don’t want me to cause you’re scared I’ll die!” I snapped.

She was completely silent on the phone, and I noticed Finnick’s eyes darken slightly. He reached out for my free hand, wrapping his large hand around mine and holding it firmly.

When she didn’t say anything, I took a deep breath and let it out, feeling bad for snapping at her.

“I’m sorry, Starlight,” I whispered.

“I can’t lose you, Brianne.” Starlight’s voice was thick with emotion. “I won’t. That man took my happiness from me. You’re one of the few ounces of joy I have left in my life. He can’t take you away, too.”

“He won’t, Starlight. I know you want to protect me, shield me from the evil in this world, but this may be our one shot. If he gets away with that key, a lot of people might die. Please let me help. Please?”

She was quiet, and I heard a soft voice in the background that sounded like Katsume.

“Fine. Be careful, Brianne. I’m serious. If there’s even a bit of a sign that you or the others will get hurt, run away. Understood?”

“Yes, Starlight,” I agreed.

“All right. We’re on our way,” she confirmed, and in the background her motorcycle roared to life. “Be careful.”

“Yes, sis,” I replied. “Love you.”

She was quiet again, but whispered, “I love you, too, little sis. Be safe for me.”

Once she hung up, I locked my phone and slipped it into my blazer pocket. I looked at Finnick, who was gazing forward, noticing the seriousness in his eyes.

“Finnick?”

“That man is dangerous, Brianne,” he whispered. “You sure about this?”

“Positive,” I replied. “We need that key, Finnick.”

He looked back at me, his blue eyes beginning to burn a bright greenish-blue and his hair floating with magic.

“Then we better hurry.” He gave me a wide grin, and I smiled at his growing confidence. With a smooth movement, I went on my tiptoes and kissed him firmly on his lips.

“Thank you for trusting me,” I whispered, while staring into his eyes.

“I’ll always trust in your judgment.” He brushed his lips against mine. “Let’s go catch that asshole and then we can go for milkshakes.”

“Okay!” I nodded and put my hand in his, and our bodies began to drift upward thanks to Finnick’s wind magic.

We hovered in the sky, riding a solid gust of wind beneath our feet. Finnick began to speed up, and I scanned the streets below.

“He couldn’t have gone far,” I pointed out.

“If he’s going to make a getaway, he has to make sure that no one gets in his way,” Finnick reasoned.

“You think he’s going to cause another explosion?” I asked.

“No, but we may have to think of something. I doubt this man cares about who gets hurt. As long as nothing is in his path,” Finnick explained.

“Hmm,” I replied, spotting Jax, Connor, and Kaito. “Finnick! There. On top of the train!”

I pointed to the bullet train, and Finnick followed the direction to see the trio were literally riding the top of the train. Our culprit was five pods ahead. His hands were in his pockets and his back faced the others.

I was sure he could sense us, but maybe we didn’t seem like a threat to him.

That pissed me off.

Finnick lowered us until we landed next to Kaito.

“Starlight’s coming with Katsume!” I declared. “Where does the train lead?”

“It reaches the border of the city. Near the port. We’re a few stops away, but this train is the express one. The next stop is coming up, but after that, it goes straight to the port,” Jax explained.

“Are there people inside?” I asked.

“Yes,” Connor answered. “I’m not sure what we can do to get everyone off at the next stop.”

“If your sister was here, she’d be able to persuade them,” Kaito mumbled.

I thought about it for a moment. “Elsa?”

“MewMew?” Elsa popped out from Jax’s blazer. She’d clearly been hiding in there or enjoying the warmth of the small space.

“I need you for a bit,” I encouraged. She hopped out of Jax’s blazer and onto his shoulder and then landed on my shoulder.

“What are you thinking?” Finnick questioned.

“Just trust me.” I winked and envisioned what I wanted to wear.

Elsa purred, and after I knew exactly what outfit I needed, I envisioned where I needed to be; the spinning sensation activated and I landed in the first car with the conductor.

The driver and assistant both flinched at my sudden appearance, and I grinned and waved a hand at them.

“What’s up?”

“H-how did you get in here, ma’am?” The assistant looked pissed, but the conductor immediately stopped him from taking a step.

“You’re Agent Harlow, aren’t you?”

“Correct. Agent Starlight Harlow. We have an emergency happening on top of this train and I need you guys to calmly evacuate this train somehow or we’ll all be in serious danger!”

I used a mature voice, trying to mimic my sister’s commanding one. Thanks to Elsa’s assisted magic, I was now in a black pants, a white, short sleeved dress top, a black vest with the WITCHLING STAR AGENCY logo on the left patch, and black combat boots.

My hair was up in a ponytail, and Elsa, who was still on my shoulder, was now all black and attempting to look like Aon.

Minus the pink eyes, of course.

“I can put the train out of service,” the conductor suggested.

“Is there a way for the train to operate on its own? Like an autopilot function?”

“Yes,” the assistant replied. “However, we need to report when we reach the final station.” The attitude he was giving me was annoying, and I couldn’t help rolling my eyes and staring daggers at him.

“At this rate, the train may not even reach the last station. You’re more than welcome to stay if you like. Just don’t complain to the gods when they ask you how you died.”

His face paled at my response and I looked back at the conductor. “If you can set it to autopilot, that would be amazing. I really don’t want anyone getting hurt.”

“Yes, ma’am. We’re on it.” He nodded and turned his focus to the approaching station.

Once we came to a stop, he made an announcement that the train was going out of service and another would be coming shortly.

Of course, there were complaints, but people quickly exited the train and the conductor took a walk down to the end and back before he set up the autopilot.

“What about you?” he questioned and ushered his assistant to get off.

“I’ll be fine. I can spell travel out.” I smirked.

“All right…” he replied and continued to stare at me as he walked out and waited for the doors to close.

“You look taller,” he commented.

“Very observant, conductor.” I smiled and gave him a small wave. “My sister is on her way.”

His realization that I truly wasn’t Starlight seemed to sink in, but before he could stop me, the doors closed and the train began to move.

I headed down the train, going through each pod until I was at the very end. The station was farther away now, but people were pointing to the train’s top, which told me they must have noticed my teammates.

“This may get ugly,” I mumbled to myself and took a deep breath. “I’m scared, but we have to do this. For the sake of a lot of people. For the moment my sister has been waiting for. We must succeed,” I coached myself.

“MewMew!” Elsa stroked her head against my cheek and purred quietly.

“Yes. I have my awesome familiar, too. Protect me when you can, all right?” I petted her head and closed my eyes.

In seconds, I felt my feet land on an unbalanced surface and the rushing wind hit me. Opening my eyes, I saw I was back on the top of the train, but was three pods ahead of the guys.

They looked relieved at my arrival, but then I sensed a burning gaze on me.

Glancing forward, I noticed the tall man in the red suit was now staring my way, and the grin on his face made me feel sick to my stomach.

His eyes were twinkling with happiness. As though my arrival had just changed everything.

I looked at the necklace that was still around his neck, the pink key twinkling as it swayed from side to side from the train’s movement.

Meeting the man’s blood-red eyes, we shared a look before he began to walk toward me.

I heard the rushing footsteps of the guys approaching from behind, but I didn’t move, my eyes scanning my surroundings as my magic rushed to my fingertips. I didn’t have my wand, having lost it in the blast, but with no one else but my team around, I could use my full strength without worry.

My hair began to glow, the golden strands multiplying and a soft pink beginning to seep through the orange strands. My eyes gravitated to the key, and this time the urge to possess it was stronger than before.

It was as though the key truly belonged in my possession, and it was now my duty to reclaim it.

The man seemed to dislike my sudden interest in his necklace, and instead of walking, he began to jog toward me.

I lifted my hands up and whispered, “Windosha Nova Loranda!”

A burst of wind rushed past me toward him. He tried to avoid it by jumping, but I quickly lifted my hands, the movement changing the current of the wind. It pushed him right back, and he landed five pods ahead.

The guys were at my side now, and Jax’s hair lit up in a red flame.

He lifted his hand and began to send shots of fire toward the man who was fighting to get to us.

Finnick sent another wave of wind, and Kaito took out his katana and sent three slashes of water that crystallized in seconds, thanks to Finnick’s chilled wind.

Connor pulled his wand out, and with an easy spell, sent a buzz of electricity as a final attack, the onslaught of magic seconds from hitting the man.

He didn’t move from the approaching attacks, and they all slammed into him. I grimaced, realizing he’d taken the hit on purpose.

Glancing at the others, I saw that they had come to the same conclusion.

“Kaito?”

“Working on it. It’s difficult, even at this distance,” he admitted. Beads of sweat were beginning to roll down the side of his face.

He hadn’t gotten a detailed look at the key like I had, which told me I’d have to mimic his gift and try to retrieve it.

“Where’d he go?!” Connor asked, catching our attention as we noticed the smoke from the combo attack had cleared and the man was gone.

I quickly scanned around us, but he was nowhere to be found.

Where did he go?!

“Crap!” Kaito cursed, and I was tugged forward by Jax, who’d moved in front of me.

I looked back to see Kaito move in the spot I’d been in, his back facing us as he held his katana firmly, seconds before a dark red sword slammed against his. He skidded back from the impact, but he stood his ground as his hair began to glow a bright silver and those navy blue stands began to shift to a dark purple.

His sword glowed a shadowed purple and began to push back the man in question, who looked like this was child’s play. Connor made his move then, passing Kaito with the intention of attacking the man from the side with his daggers.

The man smiled and pushed back, evading Connor’s attack.

“WINDOSA ROMANO!” Finnick exclaimed, and I looked to see he was now holding a bow, the arrow nocked. He let go, the arrow shifting from a simple weapon to a swirling tornado mass.

The man landed on the last pod of the train, and he lifted his sword up in defense. I expected him to slice the wind in half but instead, the tornado arrow hit his sword but kept its burning power.

“Uh oh,” I whispered, and tugged my hand out of Jax’s to run in front of the guys.

“Elsa!” I pointed forward and my familiar moved from my shoulder to the floor. Her body began to glow brightly.

“MewMew!” She shot a beam of ice, right as Finnick’s attack bounced back at us.

I looked back at Kaito. “Kaito! Katana!” I shouted.

He didn’t hesitate to toss his sword to me. I caught the handle and faced forward in time for the ice wall to shatter from Finnick’s attack.

None of us expected the wind to be as powerful as it was, and we all were blown off our feet and up the train. I was able to land on my feet, quickly outstretching my left hand to catch Elsa. Holding her to my chest, I lifted the katana in time to block the onslaught from the man.

His brutal force sent me skidding back, but when he tried to take advantage, I widened my stance and copied a defense position I’d seen Kaito do during one of his kendo sessions. My hand trembled from the force of the next attack, and the man grinned pleasantly.

“Very intriguing. You’re stronger than your sister. No wonder the gods favor you.”

“What are you talking about?” I barked and began to charge the sword the same way that Kaito did. The purple shadow energy doubled in strength, and the man’s attention moved from my eyes to the sword.

“You’re definitely a threat,” he mumbled and pushed back. I wasn’t going to let him get far enough to avoid the attack that I was seconds away from launching.

“Shadowsha Swordana Rovu!” I sent the dark purple attack at him, and for the first time, he looked off his guard as the attack sniped him head on and sent him flying.

Elsa moved to my shoulder and I pushed off of my spot, using the wind to help me hover above the train and fly straight to the man, who was fighting to get on his feet. He noticed my approach and lifted his sword in defense, bracing against my attack as I sliced at him.

Our swords clattered and the collision sent waves of magic in all directions. I heard the guys’ grunts, and I took a second to look back and see the blast had literally knocked them off their feet.

“Oops! Sorry!”

I spoke into their minds and looked back at the man. I flinched at his angry expression, realizing he was now pissed.

“If I don’t rid of you now, you’ll be troublesome to me,” he hissed.

I pushed off the ground, hoping to put some distance between us, but when I landed, he was gone from his previous place. I quickly spun on my feet, using my sword to protect myself as it collided with the man’s sword.

Now he stood between me and the guys, who were farther down the train.

“Give back what you stole! You’re surrounded!” I ordered.

“You believe you’re like your sister because you’re stronger than her?” he questioned. “Let’s see if the gods will save you from this.” He took two steps back, and his sword suddenly vanished, throwing me off completely.

What is he…?

My eyes went wide when I saw him stretch his arms out to the side. I immediately knew what he was about to do: a special magic attack that only two people in this country could perform.

Him…and my sister.

“Elsa! Protect the guys!” I ordered, and her body vanished and landed in front of them.

“MEWMEW!” A giant ice wall formed in front of the guys, and I braced myself for the attack by crossing my arms in front of me.

The single clap was enough to send a shockwave of raging magic in all directions. It was powerful enough to destroy multiple buildings surrounding us and rock the train itself.

I was sent flying, a scream escaping my throat.

“Brianne!” I heard Finnick, who was now soaring into the air and trying to get to me as I began to fall, but I soon realized he wouldn’t make it before I hit the electric tracks; the train was no longer below me but up ahead.

“AH!” I screamed and braced myself, only for my body to be caught by slim, muscular arms. The roar of an engine prompted me to open my eyes.

“You’re an idiot,” Aon muttered, his bored eyes meeting my shocked ones.

“Aon!” I cheered and hugged him.

He hissed. “Stop hugging me! I didn’t ask for your damn affection!”

“But you saved me!”

“I obeyed my Mistress’s command. If not, you’d be one with the stupid tracks,” He huffed.

“Aon.” Starlight’s voice was cold, and he grimaced and rolled his eyes.

“Fine. I saved you out of love and affection. You happy?” He was clearly talking to Starlight, and I realized he was holding me while standing on the front of my sister’s magically-enhanced motorcycle.

“Glad you’re alive, Brianne,” Katsume sang. “Now let us adults take over. Wifey! Speed up!”

“Stop calling me that!” Starlight snapped but gripped the handles and accelerated our speed.

“Hang on, Brianne.” Aon held me tighter, and as we got closer to the train, he pushed off and landed right on the last pod. Katsume was next to hop onto the platform, leaving my sister to ride the bike.

Katsume didn’t hesitate as she pulled out her katana, which burst into blue and purple flames. She raced toward the man, who was easily defending himself against all four of my guys’ attacks.

Aon continued to carry me as he began to run forward, while Starlight maneuvered the bike to ride on the tracks opposite the train.

“Everyone, move!” Katsume ordered.

The guys all paused, and Finnick cast a large wind spell, lifting himself and the other three off the train.

“DESTRUCTION OF LAGUNA!” Katsume screamed and with one slash, a raging blue and purple dragon crashed into the man.

We watched in horror as the man not only blocked the attack but did the same thing he’d done before.

“KATSUME! He’s going to send it back!” I screamed. Aon cursed, and I noticed Starlight’s bike was no longer on the side of the train but was behind once again.

Aon jumped back, and instead of landing on the front of the bike, he was on the back seat.

“Hang on!” Starlight called out, slowing the bike down and then suddenly gripping the handles to the point that the bike jolted forward.

Aon and I both shrieked as the bike jolted off the ground and landed on the top of the train.

“Brianne! Drive!”

“What?!” I shrieked.

“DO IT!” Starlight commanded and gave me no choice because she was gone the next second.

“Ah!” I screamed and scrambled to take her place. Holding the handles and remembering what I’d learned from Connor, I was able to keep the bike from falling off the train.

The man wasn’t just holding off the dragon blast, he was charging it up and making it triple its size. I caught a glimpse of Starlight’s body as she wrapped an arm around Katsume’s waist and vanished once again.

She was then standing on the front of the bike, and she pushed Katsume back. I ducked my head and Aon caught her.

“Ow! Dammit, Starlight. Don’t be so rough!” Katsume whined, but my sister clearly wasn’t listening.

That’s when I felt the surge of electricity beaming from her. My eyes widened, and I looked to see her whole body was glowing and her hair was a stunning gold. A beautiful mixture of blue and green wrapped around her body and she outstretched her arms to the side.

I gasped and Katsume cursed.

“Finnick! Higher!” she ordered.

Finnick must have understood what was about to happen because he lifted himself and the guys higher and higher until they looked like ants from this point.

The bike was still moving forward, and I knew we’d collide with this man in seconds.

“Elsa?!” I screamed, not sure what was about to happen. I’d seen my sister use this move once before, and it had destroyed a good chunk of the city.

“MewMew!” she replied, and her body began to glow, the pink and blue aura wrapping around the three of us and the bike.

“Begone!” the man shouted and sent the huge dragon back to us.

Starlight didn’t respond as her arms closed, and with a clap, there was an ear-shattering sound. I flinched in pain from the popping and crunching sounds happening around us, but I kept my hands on the handles and my eyes open.

Everything around us was collapsing, and the train shot off the crumbling tracks. I gripped the handles and pushed a surge of magic through my hands, charging the bike into flight mode. It was something I’d seen Starlight do countless times on television, and now it came in handy because the bike began to hover through the air while moving at the same speed as on the train.

“Lower down to that spot, Bri,” Aon ordered. I nodded and followed his direction to the only spot that didn’t have broken buildings and other debris.

We landed with a thump and I gripped the brakes. We came to a jolting stop, but it seemed to have no effect on my sister as she hopped off the bike and began to walk forward.

Katsume was off the bike and called for her katana once more, the sword materializing into her hand as she followed Starlight’s lead.

Aon helped me off the bike, and I took some unsteady steps and looked around for the guys. I finally spotted them as Finnick lowered his wind to the ground. He put his hands to his knees and was panting hard, to the point that Kaito put his hand on his back and ushered him down to his knees.

Jax and Connor began to run toward us, and I looked back to see my sister and Katsume were now facing the man.

His suit was in tatters and his hair was littered with debris, but he had a smirk on his face and no visible wounds.

How did he survive that?

“Allistar Mendez. You’re under arrest!” Katsume took two steps forward, her katana ready to slice him if he moved. I heard helicopters above, their high-res beams of light shining down on us as they tried to get a better visual.

“You put on a show like that, and I’m here with a scratched-up suit. No wounds and yet you think you’re worthy enough to arrest me? Without that katana, you’re useless,” he mocked.

Katsume spun the handle of her sword between her fingers, the metal beginning to glow.

“Why don’t you save the shit-talking for custody!” she snapped and tossed the spinning sword at him. He avoided it with ease, but I noticed his movement was slightly slower than before.

Katsume must have noticed it as well, because she raced toward him and summoned two new swords into her hands.

The man smirked and used his arms to stop Katsume’s assault. I gasped, thinking the swords would slide through his flesh, but they didn’t even make a scratch, like his body was made of steel.

She pushed him back and Allistar began using his arms to combat Katsume. They both ducked when the third katana spun back, attempting to meet Allistar’s neck but missing entirely and heading toward Starlight.

She remained still but lifted her hand and caught the sword like it hadn’t been spinning like crazy. She twirled it in her hand, and then lifted it like a javelin. I noticed the charge of energy that had happened before on the bike and she threw it with force, the blade heading for Katsume.

I thought it would hit her, but she moved at the last second and it went right into Allistar’s chest. He let out a gut-wrenching scream, and blood began to pour from the wound where the sword was deeply entrenched.

I shivered at the sight of his blood, the color matching his eyes. Connor put an arm across my shoulder, and I looked to see him gazing sternly at the man. Jax walked to my other side, his hand slipping in mine.

Peering over my shoulder, I spotted Finnick and Kaito; Finnick’s arm was resting across Kaito’s shoulder. They both looked exhausted but were hanging in there.

“Aon. Go get the reinforcements. They’ve arrived at Section C,” Starlight ordered.

“On it,” he replied and jumped off the remnants of debris to reach higher ground and head to wherever Section C was.

Katsume’s swords vanished from her hands and she moved to the man.

“Katanas are pretty badass, aren’t they?” she mocked. “How does it feel having one in your chest?”

“You sure talk big like you’ve already won.” He coughed, blood trickling down the side of his mouth.

“We have won, Dumbass! You’re the one with a sword through your chest. The moment I pull that out, you’re a goner. Sucks that we have to bring you in,” Katsume replied.

I looked at the necklace around his neck, and I stretched out the fingers of my right hand and concentrated. I ignored the feeling of Connor staring at me, knowing it would interfere with my concentration.

He must have caught onto what I was doing, since he gently massaged my left shoulder, sending bits of magic into my body and aiding in my attempt at mimicking Kaito’s gift.

“The roles can be reversed with a snap of my fingers,” the man muttered.

“I dare you to try,” Katsume barked back. “Now turn around so I can handcuff you.” She opened her hand up and a set of cuffs materialized and dropped into her grasp.

Focusing my attention on the pink key, I urged it to appear in my hand.

You belong in my possession. I am stronger. I can return you to your rightful place. Please. Come to me. Do not resist my call. Let me help you.

Whether it was from talking to the object or because I’d gathered enough magic to replicate Kaito’s gift, the item vanished from the man’s neck and dropped into my grasp. I quickly wrapped my fingers around the key and was taken aback by the surge of magic that swept through me.

It was so distracting that I hadn’t seen what happened before me until Kaito’s grim shout pierced through the trance I’d been in.

“Katsume!”

I looked up and realized the tables had definitely turned: Katsume was in Allistar’s hold and he had the same sword that had plunged into him against her neck.

My body moved on its own and I took three steps forward, but Allistar pressed the sword a little deeper, enough to cut Katsume’s skin. A trickle of her blood began to pour down her neck and onto the metal blade, freezing me and everyone else in place.

“I wouldn’t move if I were you,” he threatened with a sinister smile on his lips. He forced Katsume to the ground, and the click of the handcuffs made me realize she was cuffed on her knees.

Allistar laughed and moved to stand at Katsume’s side, the blade resting on the back of her neck. If he lifted it up, it would only take one slice to behead her entirely

I couldn’t grasp the fact that this man was still standing, the bleeding wound on his chest still leaking onto the ground beneath him.

From where I stood, I could see Starlight’s expression, the devastation on her face. Any move we made could mean the end of Katsume.

The end of someone she loved.

My fingers tightened around the key, and my anger began to grow and grow. There was no way I could see Starlight be unhappy again. To see the pain in her eyes and the hollowness she felt for years until she met her new team.

This man was a criminal. He’d continue to kill and hurt innocent people for whatever sick game he was playing. He didn’t deserve to breathe the same air as we did. Not with his murderous nature and his clear desire to shed blood and hurt others.

I have to stop this. How can I change this entire situation around?

“Looks like you’ve lost.” Allistar smirked and put his free hand in his pocket. “I’m sure you’ve despised me for years. How ironic it is that we finally meet again and you’re about to lose two more important individuals in your life?” His words were directed to Starlight, but I was confused by them.

“Two? Who’s the other individual?”

“Don’t,” Starlight whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

“Ah. That look of vulnerability. To think I’d get to see it again after all these years. To see the despair the first time was priceless, but this. This look of defeat is far better than I expected. All worth getting stabbed.” He laughed then, the sound echoing around us.

If I could just get to Katsume in time. If I Spell Travel, it wouldn’t make sense. By the time I reappeared and grabbed her, his hand could be coming down already. She needs to be pulled away. Would Kaito’s gift work? I can’t do it a second time though. What do I do?!

Catching the hint of magic in the air, I looked over my shoulder to lock onto Kaito’s eyes. Finnick was still resting against him, but I noticed Kaito’s free hand was spread out like I’d done moments ago.

We exchanged a look. I saw his determination, and from the shimmering in his eyes, I was certain he was about to use his gift.

Kaito will summon his sister to his side. If I can get that sword out of the man’s hand, then he won’t have any weapons on him!

“Let’s finish this, Agent Harlow.” He raised his hand, and Starlight’s body tensed. “But we’ll start with her.”

My eyes slowly went wide, thinking the sword would go down before I could even activate my gift and rush to get the sword from his grasp, but he did something completely unexpected.

He pulled his hand out of his pocket, and with it, he drew a gun out.

And aimed it straight for me.

The key in my hand burned hot, enough to make me want to drop it and scream in pain, but I had no time for that as Allistar pulled the trigger.

The loud sound that came with the action seemed slow. In fact, it suddenly faded before it reached its full potential. I blinked, thinking everything had slowed down, but in fact, everything had completely stopped.

What?!

I looked down to the key, noticing the shimmering, rainbow-colored glow that glimmered off it and engulfed my hand.

“What’s going on?” I whispered in shock.

“We’re interfering.”

I flinched at the sound, and my eyes grew wide at the woman standing next to me. Her eyes turned to meet mine, and I noticed how golden they were. She had beautiful long red hair, with hints of gold and orange highlights. She wore a white dress that fluttered behind her as she took a few steps forward.

She stopped in front of Katsume and knelt down to stare into her wide purple eyes. “It’s not your time,” she whispered, even though I figured Katsume wouldn’t be able to hear her.

She placed a kiss on Katsume’s forehead and rose up to look in my direction.

“It’s not your time either.”

“Are you…?” I trailed off, afraid to even say the name.

She smiled and nodded. “Your duty has not ended, Brianne Marie Harlow. Until then, try to stay out of trouble. I can’t always come and save the day. Your princes are supposed to do that.” She removed the gun from Allistar’s grasp.

“You have the ability to dodge that bullet. Or redirect it. However, when I start time again, it’s your choice whether to defend those you love or continue to hesitate.”

Her frown worried me, and she walked up until she faced me.

“Stop holding back the powers blessed upon you, Brianne. Or you may die before fulfilling your calling.”

She snapped the fingers of her free hand and was gone.

The world began to move at a snail’s pace, and I turned my eyes to the bullet that was heading my way.

Taking in those words of wisdom, I walked toward it. Before it could go through my head, I moved to the side, watching its swirling movement as it slowly tried to move past me.

I reached for it and quickly spun it in the opposite direction. Letting go as swiftly as I’d touched it, I walked to Allistar and removed the sword from his hand.

Time was beginning to speed up and I watched Katsume’s body begin to disappear — the tug of Kaito’s gift was finally beginning to activate. I took two steps back and closed my eyes as I sliced upward, right through the joint between Allistar’s shoulder and arm.

Using my gift once again, I swiftly moved back to my spot, deciding that one severed arm was enough to induce enough shock before the approaching bullet hit him.

Once I was in place, I let the katana go and placed the necklace on my neck. It was the safest place to be other than my hands, and I wanted Allistar to see it in my possession.

Just like that, time went back to normal speed, and the bullet that had been directed at me shot right into Allistar’s heart.

His eyes grew wide, and an indescribable scream left his lips as his detached arm fell to the spot where Katsume once kneeled.

Allistar gritted his teeth, looking at Starlight, who was just as baffled, and then to me. Those red orbs lowered to my chest, and I grinned in satisfaction to see the mixture of anger and pure disbelief that shone in them.

“You’re right,” I whispered. “The gods are definitely on my side.”

He dropped to his knees and then fell back to the crumbled ground. I checked on Kaito and the others, seeing how devastated they looked as the shock of everything began to sink in.

“Brianne?”

I looked over to my sister, who was staring at me in disbelief. Her eyes scanned my body and then lingered on the pink key.

Relief swarmed her face, and she took a few unsteady steps until she was in front of me. Her arms wrapped around me and she squeezed me tightly.

“I’m fine, Starlight,” I whispered, and rested my head against her chest. Her heart was beating wildly and she held back her sobs.

This wasn’t the time for us to be relieved. She had one last thing to do.

Starlight parted from our hug, and I saw her eyes darken to deep orange. With a glance at me, and then one to make sure Katsume was safe, she walked back to Allistar.

He was twitching and fighting to move, but with only one arm, a bullet in his heart, and his three wounds bleeding profusely, he wasn’t having much success.

Arms wrapped around me, and I realized it was Jax. I let my body relax in his hold and watched my sister lift her hand — a gun materializing in it.

I couldn’t tell what was being said; her voice was far too low, just as Allister’s was. Connor moved into my view, and I lifted my gaze to see his sad eyes as he peered at me for a long moment.

Lifting his hands, he pressed them against my ears, and deep down, I was a little relieved by the action. I didn’t want to hear or see the final blow to the man who’d hurt my sister in so many ways.

Closing my eyes, I let the tears I’d been holding fall. We’d just survived our apparent exam, but at what cost?

We survived…but why do I feel I’ve just opened a closet full of skeletons?

19

SEMESTER FOUR?

“Ican run marathons now!” I cheered and jumped in place.

“You’re going to crash so hard,” Jax sighed.

“Who told her to drink two of those things?” Connor questioned.

“It was Aon,” Jax replied.

I smirked and tried not to pace around the room from the bubbling energy those recovery drinks had given me. I was advised to drink one, but then Aon pissed me off and I’d drunk two to prove that I could handle the boost.

Didn’t think it would make me feel like bouncing off the walls and running around the school compound.

Jax sat down on the medical bed and tugged me into his lap.

“Why am I sitting?” I asked.

“Because it’s safer,” Jax replied.

Connor laughed. “More like he’s afraid he’ll blink and you’ll be gone, causing mischief around the already chaotic school grounds.”

“Hmph. I bet you agree,” Jax muttered and wrapped his arms around my waist.

“I never said I didn’t,” Connor replied.

“Boo.” I wiggled in Jax’s lap, wishing to be up and about.

“Stop wiggling, Bri,” Jax grumbled.

“Your punishment for keeping me captive,” I voiced and tried to distract myself. “Is Kaito still sleeping?”

Connor peeked at the bed across from us. “Yup. Still out. The nurse said it would take a little longer for him to wake up. Could be the shock of almost losing his sister.”

“Hmm,” I replied. “Where’s Finnick?”

“He went to the office. Probably to confirm that we all passed,” Jax replied, before kissing my neck.

I giggled at the touch. “Hey. I’m too buzzed right now.”

“Maybe it’ll keep you still,” he mumbled against my neck.

“Kissing relieves stress. It’s a fact,” Connor added. I smirked and decided to enjoy the tiny presses of Jax’s lips.

After all, we’d officially passed Semester Three by default. The team we’d been against had been involved with the fiasco regarding Allistar and the remaining three that were still alive were arrested.

Thanks to our involvement, Allistar was dead and those associated with him were now in custody. I had no clue what had happened with Elijah or even Elisha, but I’d worry about that stuff later.

After today, we’d officially be on early break.

I’d heard from Mia and Miya that they had finished their exam before hearing about the explosion. Their team, which consisted of the Lee and Park twins, had passed and would also be granted early break due to the school’s situation.

That was really all we knew for now. The necklace with the pink key still remained on my neck, tucked beneath the simple white t-shirt I wore after getting fully examined.

I was definitely exhausted, but the booster drink would last until I got home and crashed. I was thankful that we’d all gotten out alive and could say we survived a random criminal chase.

The door opened, and we looked to see Starlight. She appeared exhausted, and from her serious expression, I wondered if we were in trouble.

Jax didn’t move me off his lap, but rested his chin on my shoulder instead.

“Welcome back, Starlight,” he greeted.

“Thank you,” she replied and looked at me. Arching an eyebrow, she looked to the table to see the two empty cans of the boost drink.

“She drank two?”

“Your familiar provoked her,” Connor replied with a grin.

She groaned and shook her head. “She’s going to crash hard.”

“I’m fine!” I raised my hand. “See?”

“Crash. Hard,” Starlight repeated.

I giggled, and the three of them looked at me with worry.

“Make sure you don’t lose sight of her, please,” Starlight stressed, walking over to us. She lifted my hand and put on a gold bracelet on my left wrist.

“Don’t tell me this is—” I began, and she nodded.

“Yup. No spell traveling for you until that stuff is out of your system. I’m too tired to chase you around the world.”

“No fun,” I muttered.

“Why are you here, Starlight? Shouldn’t you be resting?” Connor asked.

“Right,” she replied. “Professor Phoenix asked to see you all. I thought Kaito would be awake, but it seems he’s still asleep.”

“Yes. We can go,” Jax offered.

“Running time.” I clapped my hands, but Jax held me back.

“Walking, Brianne.”

“Fine.” I rolled my eyes. “Speed walking.”

Connor and Starlight sighed. Connor offered me his hand. “Let’s hold hands, Bri. If you keep close, I’ll take you on another date.”

“Really?” I beamed at the option.

“Yup,” he replied with a sexy grin.

“Okay.” I got up and held his hand.

“As easy as that.” Jax shook his head and smiled. “Starlight? Do you mind staying here and watching Kaito for a few? We’ll go see what Professor Phoenix wants and come right back.”

“Sure. I’m tired anyway,” she replied and sat on the bed.

“Thanks,” Jax replied.

“Be back, sis,” I said and reached for Jax’s hand. He smirked and we headed out of private medical room and over to Professor Phoenix’s office.

Connor opened the door, and Jax and I walked through before he closed it and returned to my side. Once my hand was back in his, we looked to see Professor Phoenix’s troubled expression.

It didn’t give me a good vibe at all.

“You requested us, Professor Phoenix?” Jax asked.

“Yes.” She nodded her head and pulled off her black glasses to pinch her nose. “I needed confirmation on something before I finalized it with the Dean.”

“Confirmation?” I asked, not following. “Did we not pass?”

“Your team indeed passed your Third Semester and you will be entering the Fourth Semester. However, I just received this, and it looked rather odd to me. Would you mind taking a look and making sure this isn’t a joke?”

I bit my lip nervously and looked between the guys. We moved as a unit to stand in front of Professor Phoenix’s desk and she slid the single page forward for us to inspect.

My eyes grew wide and my heart stopped. I squeezed the guys’ hands and immediately began to wonder if this was true or fake.

“This…this can’t be…” I trailed off and looked at Jax and then Connor. They two of them looked just as devastated by the form, and we all looked to Professor Phoenix, who sighed and leaned back into her chair.

“From your reactions, you guys had no clue.” She ran her hands through her silver hair and looked straight at us.

“I asked your team to come here to confirm whether Finnick Rosedale is actually dropping out of Witchling Academy. If he is, it won’t affect your entrance into Semester Four, but if this is finalized, he won’t be able to come back. Failing and repeating is different than dropping out. If I submit this, he’ll never be able to return to Witchling Academy. I have no clue what’s going on, but I’m hoping you three will be able to fix this. It’s up to you now. This is the best I can do.”

Finnick is going to drop out! He won’t join us in Semester Four? No…this can’t be true.

The future of my Notorious Four and the Junior Student Council was now up in the air.

TO BE CONTINUED.

COMING SOON - August 9th, 2019:

books2read.com/WITCHLINGACADEMY4

Here’s a sneak peek of BLAZING ACADEMY, coming out this October 6th, 2019!

https://books2read.com/BLAZINGACADEMY

BLURB:

When the element of fire burns within your veins, the academy for all things scorching is the best place to learn how to make that flame burn even hotter.

Alice Blaze is my name, and I’m not exactly your typical sixteen-year-old. My mom disappeared after my birth and my dad was an alcoholic maniac, so I was raised by my protective grandparents in the single house up the hill. The one people only come to visit on Halloween.

Because, yeah, apparently, our house is haunted. Naturally.

As an orphan living in a spooky house, it’s no surprise that my life has been…eventful. I’ve been inadvertently causing trouble since I was little and it always ends up with something combusting into flames. You know, lighting up the curtains, exploding vials in lab class. And don’t get me started with the accidental school fire. Need I say more?

The flames really hit the fan when I’m accused of shattering all the windows in the entire school. Of course, that doesn’t make sense because it has nothing to do with my burning nemesis. But it doesn’t matter. Expulsion is imminent and my grandparents are fed up with my constant transfers.

But then something amazing happens: a letter of invitation lands right onto our doorstep. Or window.

I’m invited to Blazing Academy, the school for all things — and people — that are scorching hot. Shifters, demons, and blazing hot witches…oh, right. I almost left that part out. According to the school, that’s what I am. A blazing hot witch.

Let’s hope that’s all I am, and that this first semester goes a whole lot smoother than I’m imagining. Otherwise my whole life might just go up in smoke.

CHAPTER ONE: SWEET SIXTEEN

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

I turned over to hug one of my multiple pillows that crowded around the head of my bed. Even with two fans on and my window half open, I was still far too hot.

It simply wasn’t bothering me because I was half asleep, but I was glad I only wore underwear to sleep because clothes were a no-no in this weather.

It was September, and I was baffled that it was still so hot. I always ran a little warm, even in the most chill days in winter, but it always left me wishing my grandparents would invest in an air conditioner.

Yes, our old, “haunted” building of a house needed a few renovations, but we were living in the time and age where we could afford a portable AC.

My grandma always gave the excuse that my room was in the attic and the hose connector to release the air pressure and water or whatever wouldn’t reach the ground. It was all excuses to me.

Fans did barely anything up here. It did a bloody good job circulating the hot air, but to actually cool me off? I might as well eat ice cream every hour of the day.

Today was the third day of me going to another school that was forced to accept me. I always got a few brow raises when I’d acknowledge that I’d transferred from school twenty-something. I’d lost count, but from what I remembered, I was at school twenty-five before I made my lab vial combust.

Seriously, it was an accident.

People thought I was a witch. Or a red-haired, possessed female who looked like she was a part of a cult instead of a student trying to get her high school diploma.

My name was Alice Blaze, and I had a running streak of getting kicked out of every school I’d been allowed entry in.

It started in daycare and lead to grade school, and now, high school. It wasn’t my fault, or at least, that’s what I was told to say each time I “fucked up.” See, there was something about the element of fire that hated me.

It had to be a past life vendetta or curse I had to my name because when fire was involved, I was signing off another transfer form and moving to the next school a few days later.

Lighters, fireplaces, even plain olden day matches. The spark of a flame matched with how I was currently feeling that day and either ended up with something burning to crisp or catching on fire and summoning the entire fire department to our school grounds.

Sometimes, I could be in the happiest mood, and the flames will be all playful and try and burn the classroom down for fun.

Due to constant fire mishaps, whenever I enrolled in a new school, the fire department was on speed dial. That was one fact that the students always found out about before the common ‘Blazing Alice’ nickname came to be.

How I wished to just be homeschooled. At least no one would have to deal with the fire mishaps I apparently created or stalk me all the way home to see the tall castle on the top of the hill.

Our house was literally the only one on the hill, and it gave you haunted house vibes. Totally spooky, painted in all black, and our garden and front lot were covered in thick trees and a few vines.

I wished they were nice and tall, the perfect wall of nature to shield us from the city’s ridicule. The school that was thirty minutes from my house by bike was the only one that was willing to accept and tolerate all the trouble I caused.

The principal was best friends with my grandparents and was doing us this favor. It was nice of her, but I wasn’t interested in the pity acceptance.

If I could be homeschooled, life would have been far easier. No more problems, no students bothering me, and it would be easier to study because no one would interrupt me.

The one problem with all of my schools was that I was an easy target to pick on. I was the tallest out of the females, standing at 5′9″. I loved wearing heels or anything to bring me up to 6′0″, but that merely got more attention.

Adding my small waist, wider hips, tanned skin, and extremely red hair, I was the sore spot in a bland hallway, and among my peers, I was the “weird” one.

I never asked to be this way, but I embraced it. My grandparents taught me early to love myself for who I was, and I’d thrived with that.

Would have been nice to have contact lenses strong enough to last a day of school, but beggars can’t be choosers.

The most distinct attribute regarding my appearance was my red eyes. People thought they were contacts and that I wore them to grab attention. No one ever believed me when I said they were real and that I wasn’t the Devil’s daughter.

I’d gotten used to it by now, and even with knowing they were real, I lied and said they were contacts to avoid being called a trouble maker AND a liar.

A girl could carry only so many labels.

“Alice! Don’t make me come up there!” Grandma called from the second floor.

Snuggling my pillow tightly, I wondered if I ignored her long enough, she’d let me skip school today.

Today was my birthday after all. Did I really need to go to school?

My sweet sixteen was here, but I didn’t feel any different. No one was going to treat me a little nicer because it was the day I was born, and I surely wasn’t expecting a happy birthday either.

Blazing Alice didn’t have friends, because she was too dangerous to be around. That’s what people liked to spread around the school, no matter how long I lasted before being kicked out.

If only I could be one of those girls who had a group of friends who cared about these milestones. To have someone sing happy birthday and present me with a cupcake with a candle on top.

With my fire problem, we weren’t allowed to have candles in the classroom, but just for once, it would have been nice to experience it with good company.

“Woof?”

Something nudged my nose, and I poked an eye open to see the tiny black wolf. I hoped it was a wolf, but it very well could have been a husky breed puppy.

This little guy had been wandering through our thick trees when I came home from my first day of school. It was stuck in a patch of vines, and though I wasn’t one to feel sympathy for wildlife, this mini wolf was far too adorable to ignore.

The plan was to get her out and let her be free to find her pack, but she ended up following me into my haunted house, and I basically couldn’t get rid of her.

My grandparents tried and failed miserably. Thus, the reason why this cute puppy wolf thing was now chilling in my bed in a last attempt to wake me up.

“Woof!”

“I should call you Wolfie,” I mumbled, and closed my eyes.

“Woof!” The light nudge to my nose, followed by the little licks, made me grin.

“Be lucky you’re cute,” I muttered but lifted my hand to ruffle her fur. She kept licking my face and it wasn’t until her tail smacked my cheek, then I sat up.

“‘Nope. Not being wolf farted on today. Your farts can kill,” I groaned.

Hearing the creaky ladder steps, I groaned and lifted my blanket to cover my breasts. Soon enough, my grandma was at the entrance of the attic.

“Aren’t you too old to be climbing ladders?” I whined.

She rolled her eyes. “I’m fifty-four, Alice. That’s not old.”

“Old to you guys is when you need a knee replacement, which I researched was seventy-five from the new statistics. However, I think it’s when you have grey hair, which you do,” I acknowledged.

She gave me a scowl and I merely shrugged. “You said you always want me to say the truth. I’m stating facts.”

“Go get ready for school.”

“Do I have to?” I whined. “Can’t I skip today? Pretty please?”

“Even if it’s your birthday, you need an education. I promised the principal that unless you were super sick, you wouldn’t skip school. What I will do is drive you to school,” she offered.

“That makes me sad. No thanks.” I frowned and looked at wolf pup who crawled onto my lap.

“Woof!”

“Did you give her a name?”

“No.” I sighed. “Call her Cyrus. Reminds me of a girl version of Cerberus,” I suggested.

“Woof Woof!”

“Really?” My grandma gave me one of her common ‘I can’t believe your logic’ looks. I gave her a nod. “She likes it! Plus, she could be a demon from hell here to make sure I’m not lonely.”

Grandma shook her head. “I’m making breakfast. Get in the shower,” she stated, and before I could protest, headed back down the ladder.

With a pout of my lips, I mumbled, “Not fair. She didn’t even say Happy Birthday.”

Deciding to get up, I petted Cyrus and picked her up from the bed. Lowering her to the floor, she ran around by my feet as I sat up and stretched.

After a minute of sitting almost naked on my bed, I got up and walked over to my desk chair that my uniform was resting on. I would have been worried about how wrinkled it was, but I couldn’t care less.

I already hated this school and couldn’t wait for something to go awry. It would be the best gift a girl like me could ask for. Maybe that would convince my grandparents to let me be homeschooled.

If Dad wasn’t a recovering alcoholic getting rehab, he could have given permission for me to be homeschooled.

My Dad was an interesting character. I sometimes wondered if he was really crazy, but basically, my grandparents hated him. They were my grandparents from my Mother’s side, and the only thing they had to say about my Dad was what an irresponsible adult he was. I’d never gotten the chance to meet my Dad’s parents.

Dad has been fighting with alcohol addiction for years. It hadn’t been like that when he married my mom, but when she left after carrying me to full term, it left a hole in my Dad’s heart.

Even after sixteen years, he still missed my Mom. He wouldn’t admit it to anyone but me, and it pained me that there was nothing I could do to help him. He was in my life when I was younger, but I was mainly in my grandparents’ care.

I got to visit him once in a while, but that slowly changed when his addiction got worse. He went from drinking two bottles of alcohol a day to a whole case, and when he’d get violent, my grandparents deemed him incapable of raising me.

It was only a matter of time.

The one thing I’m sure lead to my Dad drinking more was how similar I looked to my Mom. From the few pictures I carried of her, I was her mini-me and now that I was growing far too fast, I looked almost identical to her now.

With heels, we’d be at the same height, though my figure was just a little curvier than hers. My red locks were a shade brighter, but my eyes were identical, along with my lightly tanned skin.

I had no clue what my mother’s background was, but my Dad was Caucasian. Whatever the combo was, it gave me a light tan mix and made it difficult for people to figure out if I was white or native.

My cultural background wasn’t a big deal to me. It didn’t deny who I was or give me some urge to learn where I came from.

All I wanted was to fit in at school. To learn more about myself and my studies. Not deal with the daily drama and teasing over me being far too accident prone.

If I could even call it that.

Regardless of my questionable ethnicity, I hadn’t seen Dad in a while. He tried to show up during holidays, and at least text me once in a blue moon when he remembered he had a daughter, but the distance had really taken a stab at our Father-Daughter bond.

I didn’t blame my grandparents for doing what they did, and even with the multiple school mishaps, they still took care of me and were willing to do the walk of shame to the principal’s office every time I got in trouble.

They loved me, yes, but it would have been nice to have both my parents here to raise me rather than them.

If my mom was around, maybe she’d be able to figure out what was wrong with me.

Heading to the bathroom, I took a nice cool shower to wake me up. After that, I brushed my teeth and did a quick makeup look. I wasn’t super into makeup but enjoyed a bit of a smoky eye look and red lipstick.

If my uniform could have some red to match my hair, eyes, lips, and red heels, that would make the black and white uniform less dull in comparison to my pop of color.

Leaving my lipstick for last, I gathered my single notebook, pencil case, phone, and the latest spells and fashion magazine from my wooden desk and placed it all into my red backpack.

I wasn’t one to make notes or even study for long, which left me being called a smart ass. Another quality I’d taken from my mom, who was apparently a genius. I’m talking one-hundred percent, straight A-plus student genius.

My dad was more athletic, which was perfect for me since I took that trait from him and was the fastest runner at any school I attended during track season.

That reminded me of the time I’d been at one school for most of the training period for track and field, only to transfer to the opposite school they were facing in the league championships.

Did my new school use that as an advantage? Of course. Top runner and league champion for the school’s first official win. Ah, the few good times where students my age actually praised and acknowledged my existence.

I moved onto the next school during summer break and never got a chance to make some good friends that I thought were interesting. That’s why I just stopped trying.

It was disappointing to try and get along with people and then have to become long-distance friends. Those relationships barely lasted that long. No one around here was going to input that much effort into a friendship with the new transfer student.

Putting my bag on my shoulder and looking around my room, I nodded once and glanced down to Cyrus, who was sitting on my foot.

She loved doing that, which was her way of saying ‘take me downstairs for food please’. Having her for three days had brightened my life just a little bit.

My grandparents may have forgotten my birthday, but the spots of love Cyrus showed me were enough to make me happy.

Leaning down, I picked her up with ease and made it down the ladder. Heading downstairs, I noticed that grandpa’s brown leather coat was gone as were his matching shoes; both items usually rested against the wall near the door.

“Where’s Grandpa?” I asked when I entered the kitchen. “Did he go fishing again?”

“Yes, he did,” Grandma replied.

“But it’s September,” I reasoned. “There are barely any fish in the lakes by now.”

“Doesn’t stop him. You know that,” she replied and lowered the plate of pancakes on the dining table. “Don’t take too long to eat, I have an important meeting to go to.”

“Morning bingo isn’t important,” I noted but headed to my spot at the table.

“It is when I can win money,” Grandma countered.

“Would that money go to fixing the house?” I suggested.

“The house is in perfect condition,” she argued.

“Uh huh. I think you forgot about the hole in the roof that I patched up with a metal plate from the basement. I’m sure that came from a broken appliance somewhere in the house. Then add the fact that only my toilet works properly, and the water is cold again,” I explained some of the many faults in our old house.

Lowering Cyrus to the floor, she ran to her filled bowls of water and food and began to eat. Pulling out my hair, I hooked my backpack on one side and sat down.

Picking up my fork and knife, I dug right in as Grandma answered.

“Someone will come in this week to check that out, as well as the other things that need to get fixed.”

“Why can’t we just move somewhere else? This house makes it seem like we’re dirt poor. It’s like the Addam’s family home. No wonder why I get made fun of all the time.”

“Who’s bullying you? This is a new school. It’s the perfect fresh start, Alice.”

“Fresh start of the new girl with the red hair, eyes, and heels. Alright,” I commented with the least bit of amusement.

“Alice,” Grandma said with a serious tone. “I won’t hesitate to go to the school and find out.”

“It’s fine, Grandma. I can handle it,” I vouched. “Don’t need you bringing your cane around trying to hit the hot dudes.”

“I would do no such thing,” she huffed. “And my cane is only for when I’m tired.”

“Alright,” I replied and focused on my breakfast.

Once I was finished, I pushed my plate to the side to do my usual morning text message check. Turning my body to open my backpack and retrieve my phone, I turned back to see the plate with a red velvet slice of cake and a single candle that was actually lit up.

Glancing over to Grandma who had somehow placed the plate there without me noticing, I smiled back at her gleaming expression and she whispered, “Happy sweet sixteen, Alice.”

“Grandma.” I looked at her with teary eyes. “I thought you forgot!’

“I couldn’t forget the day you were born, Alice. I know we don’t do much in terms of celebrations, but this is extra special. Your grandpa is actually in town reserving a nice restaurant for us to have dinner tonight. The three of us. It’ll be a nice, luxurious dinner with some bomb dessert.”

I snickered at her attempt to use our current age “lingo”. “Thanks, Grandma!”

Glancing back down at the candle, I worried about the flame that was already growing in size. “Uh. Can I blow it out now before the whole house catches on fire?”

“Make a wish before you do,” Grandma urged.

I wanted to huff, but I decided to go along with it. She did get my favorite flavor of cake. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath.

Please let me find a school that accepts me. Not these academies that hate every unique thing about me. Most importantly, let me find some friends. Just one friend…

Letting the air out in a stream of air, the rather large flame took a bit of blowing to put out. It finally did, but I did notice Grandma holding the fire extinguisher as back-up.

That made me giggle. “That would be pretty funny to have on a card or calendar, Grandma.”

“I’d be rich if I sold photographs of me posing with this fire extinguisher,” she cheered. “But your grandad would never allow it. Got to figure out another career to pursue.”

“Back to the bingo drawing board,” I teased.

“You can win a lot at Bingo!” she stressed.

“You haven’t won in how many years? Ten? Twenty? I swear you’ve been on a losing streak since I was born,” I emphasized.

“I’m working on it.” She blushed at my statement, knowing well it was true. “Finish your cake or you’re leaving it behind.”

“I can’t leave this beauty behind!” I exclaimed. “It gotta be in my belly first.”

Staring at the cake, I took a quick picture and looked to Grandma as she picked the other plate that I’d discarded to the side.

“I can wash it.”

“Nonsense. It’s your birthday. You get a bit of special treatment today.” Grandma winked. Staring at her with loving eyes, I whispered, “Thank you, Grandma. For putting up with everything.”

She met my gaze and had a smile of her own. “Only two more years and you won’t need to deal with school anymore, alright?”

Giving her a bob of my head in reply, I looked back at the cake and sliced a piece with my fork.

She’s right. Soon I’ll graduate and can find a place willing to accept me. Hopefully they don’t play with fire.

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~

SPELL TRAVELER CHRONICLES

Witchling Academy- Semester One

Witchling Academy- Semester Two

Witchling Academy- Semester Three

Witchling Academy- Semester Four (Aug.16.19)

Witchling Academy- Semester Five (Sept.6. 19)

Witchling Academy- Semester Six (Oct 2019)

JADE STORM TRACKER SERIES

The Tracker Hive Academy- Year One

The Tracker Hive Academy- Year Two (Aug.3.19)

The Tracker Hive Academy- Year Three (Oct 2019)

The Tracker Hive Academy- Year Four (Dec 2019)

UNDERWORLD ACADEMY

Academy for the Fallen- Year One (Aug.4.2019)

BLAZING ACADEMY

Semester One (Oct 6th, 2019)