by Wendi Wilson
“We could talk to Finn,” Cris suggested. “Maybe he can do something to ease the students’ minds. Give them some story to explain it.”
“That might work for a while,” I said, “but Tiana will find some other way to turn everyone against me. She wants to kill me for what I did.”
“You didn’t do it on purpose,” Shaela said.
“We know that,” I said, “and she knows it, too. But it doesn’t matter. She’s embarrassed, and it’s my fault. No matter how inadvertently.”
“You should just Glamour her again,” Charles offered. “Make her like you so she’ll leave you alone.”
Easton shook his head and said, “She would never do that, no matter how much it would help. Besides, that doesn’t solve the problem. Everyone in the school is frightened of her. People can do terrible things when they’re afraid.”
“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do,” Cris said, and we all looked at him. “I’ll talk to Finn and get December excused from all her classes for a couple of weeks. Once everything calms down, we’ll reassess.”
“You don’t think that will make it worse?” Easton asked. “If she’s separated from them, the rest of the student body won’t have a chance to see that she won’t hurt them.”
“But I could,” I said, my voice low and cracking. “Especially if Tiana pushes me. I could lose it again, and hurt someone. You all saw what I’m capable of.”
“December—”
But Cris cut off whatever Easton had been about to say.
“No, she’s right.”
A pang of hurt struck my chest at his words, even though he was agreeing with me. He was the one that convinced me I could control it. He’d believed in me from the start.
“Don’t look at me like that,” he said, his eyes pleading with me for understanding. “I know you can control it with your friends. That’s not the issue. It’s when someone pushes you past your breaking point that things spin out of control. On a regular, day-to-day basis, you would be fine. I’m sure of it. But these are not normal times. You’d be constantly on edge, and that anxiety would keep you unbalanced. It would take a lot less to make you lose your temper, or have some other type of emotional breakdown, and it would be too easy for you to lose your control.”
I understood what he was saying. He was right. Me being stressed out was not a good situation for anyone. I nodded my head, agreeing to his plan.
“Good, it’s decided,” he said. “In the meantime, I’ll see if Finn can find someone to take over my classes so I can work with you, personally. I’ll make sure you don’t fall behind.”
“Thank you, Cris,” I said.
“Of course,” he said, stepping forward and resting his large palm on my shoulder. “We’ll work through this, and you’ll come out stronger for it. I promise.”
Then he left, heading to speak to Finn about his plan. The rest of us stood in silence for several moments. I was lost in my thoughts, and when I looked up, they were all staring at me. Easton and Shaela wore twin looks of concern, but Charles was smirking.
“What?” I asked, arching a brow at him.
“Oh, I was just thinking about the amazing things I would make Tiana Avery do if I had the amount of power you do.” Shaela backhanded him playfully across the chest, and he said, “What? You know you would, too. We could make her suck up to every person she’s ever been mean to. It would be so awesome.”
A few seconds of silence passed before laughter sputtered out through my pinched lips. Shaela, Easton, and Charles all joined in, and we were quickly falling against each other in hilarity. All that tension flowed out of us with each peal of laughter and each gasp for air in between.
It was a release we all needed. A brief moment in time to just be normal kids. No problems. No fears. No danger lurking on the horizon.
I only wish it could’ve lasted forever. But nothing ever does.
Chapter 30
“Okay, now I want you to try to Glamour me.”
I’d been working all day, every day with Cris for nearly a week when he threw that command out there. Parents’ weekend had come and gone, and I’d spent the whole time with Easton, since neither of us had family visiting. Shaela’s mom and dad had come, and they showed me so much affection, it kind of made me uncomfortable.
They were so grateful I’d befriended their daughter, they treated me like a member of the family even though they’d just met me. It was weird. Really nice, but weird. It would definitely take some getting used to.
“Come on, December, let’s get started. Glamour me to hate you.”
My head jerked back, and I glared at him, unsure why he’d ask me to do such a thing. I already had enough people hating me. Despite being pulled from all my classes, I still ate meals in the dining hall and the poorly-concealed looks of revulsion and fear were starting to get to me.
“Don’t look at me like that,” he said. “We already know you can Glamour people to like you, albeit accidentally, and you reversed that Glamour intentionally and with no problems. Most Sylphs with this power can only create positive feelings—friendship, adoration, love—and most Zephyrs can’t create it at all, though there are rumors of a few powerful bloodlines that can. And those Zephyrs can make Fae and humans alike feel negative feelings, as well. Dislike, anger, and even hate.”
“Do you think I’m from one of those bloodlines?” I asked, my mind whirring.
His eyes chased away from mine before meeting them again as he said, “Possibly. You exhibit a great amount of power, December, and I’m not entirely convinced it’s only because of your mixed heritage. I have a theory that both your parents are from powerful families. And that the combination could make you the most powerful faery ever born.”
“Wow. No pressure,” I said, attempting to make light of his heavy words.
I wasn’t so sure I wanted the title of “Most Powerful Faery.” I just wanted to be a normal student, going to classes, hanging with my friends and learning to kick some Zephyr ass at the same level as my peers.
“Okay, enough stalling. Bring on the hate,” he said, giving me an encouraging smile.
“I’m not very comfortable with this,” I said, my face wrinkling with worry.
“It’ll be fine. You know how to reverse it, and even if I storm out of here before you can, it’ll wear off after a few hours.”
“But, my Glamour of Tiana lasted for days with no reinforcement,” I countered.
“Tiana is also a teenager with no control over her emotions. She lets them guide her every step, as you can attest. I am much older, much more powerful and in control. Your Glamour won’t last that long on me, I assure you.”
“How old are you, anyway?” I asked.
He gave me a stern look and said, “Do it, December.”
“Ugh. Fine,” I said.
We sat down in chairs that we’d moved to face each other, only a couple feet apart. I stared into his eyes and his brow wrinkled, like he was worried. Then it smoothed out, so I brushed it off and concentrated on centering my power. I let my power pool inside me, building it up until I could feel it crackling across my skin.
“You hate me,” I said, pushing the power out with the words.
Then, I waited.
His eyes widened, then narrowed as one side of his lip curled up into a snarl. I flinched as he jumped from his chair, his face twisting with hatred as he spoke to me in the ugliest voice I’d ever heard.
“Get the hell out of my office,” he spat.
“Cris?” I stammered.
“Are you deaf? Or just stupid?”
“But—”
A growl vibrated up his throat, cutting me off. I could feel his power coming to the surface, striking fear through me. Was he going to attack me? This was a terrible idea.
“Get. The fuck. Out.”
Wind whipped around him, blowing toward me at high velocity. Flashes of electricity crackled at his fingertips as his chest heaved with each breath he took. His eyes lit wit
h an unholy fire, darkening with each passing second.
He was totally going to attack me.
I forced myself to calm down, centered my power as quickly as I could and shouted, “You don’t hate me! I release you from the Glamour!”
It didn’t work. He advanced on me, and I matched each step of his with one backward step of my own, keeping the distance between us. I had to think of something. I was too scared to center my thoughts and properly release him. I needed to stun him, or something, to give myself some time to concentrate.
I called to the air, pushing it toward him in an attempt to slow him down as he basically chased me toward the door. He lifted his arms and waved the wind off, pushing it back at me. Holy crap.
“Why are you still here?” he snarled. “I told you to leave. I can’t stand the sight of you.”
His words made me want to puke, but I pushed the nausea down and tried again. This time, I spun the air in front of me, forming a tornado that I send spiraling toward Cris. Once again he waved it off. It spun straight into the wall and dissipated.
“You must be stupid,” he said, jumping forward to grab my arms.
He gave me a shake, making my teeth clack together. Icy tendrils of fear shot through me, making my heart jump up into my throat. He could really hurt me. I had to do something to stop it.
Instead of fighting against the fear, I let it take over. I relaxed my muscles, ignoring the nasty words Cris was spitting in my face as he pushed me backwards toward the door. I gave my emotions free reign, willing them to guide me.
That’s when I felt it. The power inside me, shooting from zero to a thousand in a split second. My back arched with the zip of it up my spine. I felt lighter as my body lifted slightly before Cris yanked me back to him. I cupped his cheeks with my palms.
He jerked his head in an attempt to dislodge my hands, but I held tight.
“Get your dirty, half-breed hands off of me,” he gritted out between clenched teeth. Ouch.
Willing my power to flow through me toward my hands, I said, “You don’t hate me, Cris. I release the Glamour. Let your true feelings emerge.”
I stared into his darkened blue eyes, silently praying that it had worked when his rigid body deflated and he snatched his hands away from me. A horrified expression marred his handsome face as he backed out of my grip.
“Oh, December,” he said, remorse rolling off of him in thick waves. “I am so sorry.”
Relief washed over me as I shook my head and said, “It worked, right? That’s all that matters.”
He stepped close and wrapped his hands around my upper arms again, only this time, instead of shaking me and pushing me away, he pulled me into his chest. I stiffened for a moment before relaxing into his embrace and snaking my hands around to his back.
“You know I didn’t mean any of that, right? Your magic is…strong, to say the least.”
I nodded against his chest, enjoying the warmth and security of his arms. I imagined that’s what it felt like to be hugged by a family member, like a favored uncle or something. Tears pricked my eyes at the poignancy of the moment.
Cris pushed me back, holding me at an arm’s length so he could look into my eyes. His brow lowered and he frowned as I blinked away the emotion.
“Please don’t cry,” he said. “I had no idea your Glamour control would be that powerful, or I wouldn’t have suggested it.”
“It’s not that,” I said, sniffing against the moisture gathering in my eyes and nose. “It was the hug. You comforting me in that way, concerned for my emotional well-being, it felt…nice.” A look of panic shot across his features, so I quickly added, “Not that kind of nice. Like a close family member kind of nice. I’ve never really had that, and I got a little emotional. Sorry.”
“Oh,” he said, looking relieved and sad at the same time. “I wish you’d had more in life.”
I waved him off. “Who knows where I’d be if my parents hadn’t abandoned me on the steps of that library? My life brought me here, right where I’m supposed to be, and for that, I’m glad.”
He opened his mouth like he had something else to say, then snapped it shut before releasing my arms and moving back a few paces. He still looked regretful, which made me uncomfortable, so I steered the conversation back to our experiment.
“So, it worked,” I said. “I made you hate me, big time.”
“Don’t remind me,” he said, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“What did it feel like?” I asked, resuming my seat and motioning him toward his.
“Awful. I had all this hate and rage flowing through me, and it was propagated by your presence. I wanted you out of my sight. I needed it, or I felt like I was going to explode. I’ve never felt like that before, ever.”
“I was scared I wasn’t going to be able to pull you out of it,” I said.
“How did you?”
“I embraced the emotion. I stopped trying to fight the fear, let it take full control, and it just, sort of happened.”
“You were that frightened of me?” he asked, his face paling.
“When you grabbed me, I thought you might hit me. Then came the fear of you kicking me out and hating me forever because I couldn’t pull you out of the Glamour.”
“I would never hit you,” he said, rubbing a palm against his chest. “No matter how much I may have thought I hated you, I’d never do that.”
“I know,” I said, really believing it. “But I wasn’t really thinking straight when it was all going down.”
One side of my mouth turned up into a smirk. Cris chuckled, the tension between us lifting once more.
“You are something else, December Thorne. Whoever left you on those library steps as a baby missed out on raising an amazing daughter. And they regret it. I guarantee you that.”
Chapter 31
“I don’t know how much longer I can take this,” I said, keeping my head low so only my tablemates could hear me.
Dinner was in full swing, yet the room was eerily quiet. Much like it had been at every meal since Tiana spread that video around. It was so strange, like they all thought if they spoke louder than a whisper it would set me off. Like I’d lose it and burn the whole damned place to the ground.
“It’ll pass,” Shaela replied with a sympathetic look.
“Nope,” I said, shaking my head. “I can’t do it anymore. I have to stop hiding out with Cris all day, or I’m going to go insane. I need to get things back to normal…or, at least, as normal as things get for me.”
With that, I rose from my chair, planted my foot in the seat and pulled myself up to standing. Most eyes in the dining hall shot to me. Those who didn’t notice me got patted or kicked by their friends until everyone was staring. I fought against the nerves and raised my voice, keeping my words clear and concise.
“I know you all saw that video some nasty, horrible person took and spread without my consent,” I said, projecting my voice and looking pointedly at Tiana for a moment. “There are some things you must know to put what you saw into context. I’m here to give you the truth so the rumors can stop flying.
“You saw that I lost control and killed a Zephyr, but you don’t know why. That faery kidnapped Shaela Goodman,” I jabbed a finger in her direction, “to draw me out so he could take me to the Zephyr queen. He nearly killed Charles Everest. He actually thought he did and gloated when he told me about it. Then, when I tried to give myself over willingly, he threatened to take Easton Oberon so the queen could kill us both. But not before he killed Shaela and Professor Jonas.”
Heads turned back and forth as the students glanced at each other. I knew they didn’t know any of what I was telling them. Whether or not it would make a difference, I didn’t know. But, at least they would know the truth and could make an educated choice.
“So, yes, I lost control of my powers. My life, and the lives of every person I love were being threatened. Can any of you admit that you wouldn’t do the same? That you wouldn’t lose your
shit if every important person in your life were about to die in front of you?”
“December Thorne saved my life,” Easton shouted, standing up and pushing his chair back.
“December Thorne saved my life,” Shaela repeated, leaping up and pointing a finger at me.
“December Thorne saved my life,” came a shout from behind me.
I turned and saw Cris standing in the doorway of the dining hall. He had his arms crossed over his chest as he stared at me, then let his eyes rove over the rest of the room. Some students met his stare brazenly, others glanced away, faces heating with shame.
“December saved my girlfriend when I couldn’t, and I am so grateful for that. Who cares how she did it? She could’ve set the whole forest on fire, for all I care. All that matters is that we’re all here. And alive.”
I watched Charles as he spoke up for me, my eyes burning as I fought back tears. I felt so blessed, having these people in my life.
“But how did she do it?” Tiana yelled, rising from her own chair. “No Sylph so young has that much power, and she’s half-human.”
She spat the word human like an accusation, like it was some terrible thing that resided inside my DNA. I watched as students nodded at each other, agreeing—at least in part—with Tiana. They knew something strange was going on. What they were told just didn’t make sense.
I stepped from the seat of the chair up onto the table, making a decision that was bound to have terrible repercussions. Or maybe not. Maybe they all knew, somewhere deep down inside, that my dark colored hair and wings could only mean one thing and they chose to ignore it. Ignorance is bliss, after all.
Or my first instinct was right, and all hell was about to break loose.
“When I first arrived at the academy, Rowan Dobbs,” I choked on the name as the memory welled up inside me, “told me he could feel the Sylphid inside me. He made an assumption that day. He determined that because of my coloring and my delayed powers, I was only half-Sylph. And that the other half was human.”
