“So, why did you run out of the lounge like you were being chased by a wraith, or a crawler or something?” Allie asks.
We’re all in Heaven’s room since she wanted to see what the boys were doing outside. They’re currently revving their engines, spinning their cars around or whatever, something Heaven said is called ‘drifting’. Whatever it is, it’s stupid and loud. And them talking about engine sizes and admiring each other’s wheels – umm, weird. Boys are weird.
Who cares, I mean, a car is there to get you around; it doesn’t need to be fancy.
“Oh yeah… well, it was nothing really, just your scary cousin was there and I didn’t realise. He’s a lot scarier than a crawler or a wraith, I’m sure.”
“Oh, the one you run from like the plague,” she states as she drops onto Heaven’s bed with a big plop, making Heaven spinaround from where she’s peeking out of her balcony and narrow her eyes at her.
“I don’t really… he just hates me for no reason.” I sigh.
Allie rolls onto her stomach and looks at me intently. “I don’t know if it’s hate per se.”
“It is.” I look up from the armchair at Heaven, who now closes the balcony doors, leaving them open a crack, allowing a wisp of air to make its way inside. “I’m failing. His unmistakable contempt during training is obvious. Although I’m at the end of the training hall, he’s always so observing, and it’s clear he thinks I’m pathetic. I don’t even know why I’m there. It’s like everything has to be compressed into this festering ball, and if I somehow slip, it’ll unleash havoc.”
They both know what happened the last time I lost control…
“You’re there because you deserve to be there,” Allie answers, giving me one of her blank flat looks that says, ‘Duh’.
“And you’re making progress with the excess power,” Heaven adds, her voice dropping. “We just need to keep at it, and with us being at the Academy, it’s going to give us more time, too. We’ll have your back.”
I nod, and the three of us exchange looks.
There’s something we’ve been working on, a way to stabilise and control my magic, but there isn’t much information on this kind of magic. Witches can draw on the energies around them. For example, Heaven is an earth witch, so nature is her calling, but how much power she can wield still depends on her own power, i.e. the source. I have witch abilities, but like my mama, I channel more from my demon roots.
When I lost control of my power a few times, Heaven was the one who had wondered if there was a way for me to use sigils tohelp harness my excess powers, so they don’t get out of control. We first saw mention of it in a history book Ahren got for us years ago when we wanted to learn something. He never said where he got it, but it’s a tome that belonged to witches long ago.
“Well, what if there’s too much stored power? Either she’ll turn into a completely butterfly-covered, tattooed freak or she’ll go poof like a bomb. Neither option sounds great.” Allie looks up at us, and I look at Heaven.
“Well, I don’t think so. There’s a lot of power stored in each butterfly, and it’s not really inside of me, so I won’t explode, and I won’t be covered completely in tattoos. Half of these are empty, for now. And I do hope I can learn to control my powers, too.”
“Agreed, only seven are full, right, Si?” Heaven asks. I nod and she pouts thoughtfully, then waves her hand in a flourish. “And you know me, Allie. I wouldn’t have attempted it unless I knew it would work. I’ve tried it on other small animals, so I was confident.”
“True. And bottom line, if she poofs, she participated willingly,” Allie adds morbidly, making my eyes widen before I laugh.
“Yes!” Heaven agrees.
I smile and nod my confirmation. Because if there’s a way for me to fix what happened to me, then I want to try it.
“And both of your moms still don’t know, right?” Allie asks.
“No, they have enough going on, and charged sigils aren’t something used anymore, or more like it’s a forgotten practice,” Heaven adds.
“Or almost forgotten,” I muse, standing up and stretching.
I walk over to the doors that lead to the balcony and pull one of them open, stepping outside into the fresh air. The sky aboveis dark, the weather cool and crisp. The cold wind is pleasant, and I close my eyes for a moment as I place my hands on the balcony rail. Out in the open, that’s where I feel most at peace, especially when darkness has fallen.
The revving of an engine makes me startle, and I look down, my eyes sweeping the vast grounds beneath us. I spot the sports car responsible, one I know belongs to Theo. It’s a blue-green, two-toned ride with neon lights along the bottom.
I shake my head. They’re so loud!
I can see Ahren leaning against his own dark red car, watching Theo’s. Tatum is talking to Carter and Renji. Ares is leaning over Tatum’s car, examining something, and Jayce… Jayce stands against a tree a few feet from Ares, his arms crossed, and his head turned towards Tatum’s car.
My heart skips a beat, and he suddenly turns, his head snapping upwards, and although I can’t see his eyes from here, I know he’s watching me. The familiar heat of his burning gaze rushes over me, and my heart thunders so loud I wonder if he can hear it. I slowly step back, turn and hurry inside.
Allie cocks a brow. “What happened to you?”
I shake my head, shut the door behind me and change the subject. “Nothing. So, hot chocolate anyone?”
