by Sadie Moss
But Mads had wanted me to try it out—to give Griffin Academy a chance. I could always let my magic be stripped later if I changed my mind, she said. And now… now I wouldn’t give it up for anything. I like my magic, as annoying as it can be sometimes.
It’s a part of me. A part of my soul.
Magic stripping can supposedly be done without causing extreme pain, but it’s never pleasant. From what I’ve heard, even if it doesn’t actively hurt, it still leaves you feeling empty, like you’re missing a vital part of yourself.
The fact that a lot of people are choosing to give up their powers rather than train here shows how scared everyone is.
My blood boils with rage at that thought. Those poor people.
But a shiver runs up my spine too, a lick of fear cutting through my anger. Hardwick and other school admins have been trying to tell us everything will be okay, but… this proves it won’t be. That it’s not. Or that a lot of people believe it won’t.
Shaking myself, I glance at Kendal. “Hey, I’m going to… go for a walk around campus. I’ll be back.”
I need some damn fresh air.
My new roommate nods, mustering up a smile. “Sure. I’ll just be unpacking here.”
I nod and smile back at her, because it’s not her fault I’m upset, and knowing Kendal, she’s probably even more scared about all of this than I am.
When I get outside, I wish I could say I felt better. In a way I do—being outside always helps calm me down—but in a way I don’t, because now that I’m out on the quad, I can see the remnants of the destruction from last semester.
The asshole who’s been attacking us has been getting bolder and bolder, and during our last semester, he somehow managed to construct three towers on the school grounds, then used them as portals to feed an army of demons through to attack us. The towers also had mages at the tops doing a coordinated spell that seemed to be causing the structures to triangulate their energy. I don’t know what would’ve happened if the triangulation had completed—although I’m sure it wouldn’t have been good—but Roman killed one of the mages to save my life, and the people who stayed on campus to fight got the other two.
We won the battle in the end, but we tore up the campus in the process. There were huge piles of rubble created by the destroyed towers, and holes blasted into the quad and the main school building. Even though the admins have had all summer, apparently it hasn’t been enough time clean up all the destruction.
Most of it’s been cleared away, but I can still see chunks of gray stone here and there, and scorch marks on the ground and the sides of buildings. The grass is dead in places, and they haven’t re-planted the flowerbeds that got destroyed.
I wander around, noting how different it feels from when I first came to campus two years ago. That time, I saw activity everywhere. Now, it’s quiet. It seems like people are too scared to even relax and hang out in the summer warmth.
All in all, the place feels… desolate. Even the air itself feels off. I’m tempted to run to Roman just to see a familiar, friendly face, but I know he’s busy working right now, and I don’t want to bother him just because I’m getting the willies.
Instead, I just sit on a bench and look around me. It’s beautiful here. We really have a lovely campus. It sinks into my skin, in a way it hasn’t before, that this is my last year here. I was so caught up wondering what it would be like without the three guys that I kind of forgot this is my last time doing this.
Who would’ve thought I’d come to care about this place so much? Not me, that’s for sure.
But, here I am.
Well. Crazy shit going down or not, I’m going to make the most of my last year here. It’s all I get. No do-overs or hitting pause or rewind. I’m going to savor my time, and maybe actually get some good grades for once instead of just scraping by.
First time for everything, right?
Chapter 7
The next day is Hardwick’s traditional start of school assembly.
When I walk into the large auditorium, I hesitate, glancing around. Alyssa and her little posse are settling into seats off to one side, and although her gaze meets mine, she doesn’t say anything. That’s a relief. She’s backed off of me a little as she’s lost support among the rest of the students, but I was a little worried that she’d ramp up her bullying again this year.
Pulling my attention away from the blonde girl, I scan the rest of the seats. I’m not sure where I want to sit—it feels strange to claim my usual spot without the guys here with me—but then I see Kendal waving at me from a row near the front.
Of course she got here early to snag a good spot—why am I not surprised?
I trot down the aisle stairs and sit next to her. On Kendal’s other side is a young woman with caramel skin and a dark bob haircut.
“Hi,” the girl whispers. “I’m Gwen.”
“Ah, the elusive roommate.” I shake her hand. “I’m—”
“Elliot Sinclair.” Gwen nods, beaming. “I know who you are. The whole magical world does. I think it’s great what you’ve done to stand up for us.”
I want to tell her I never intended to be the poster child for Unpredictables—that it happened by accident, and that I’m not always happy about it. That it’s confusing for me and tends to bring more harm than good, like when that jerk in Portland stopped Maddy and me in the middle of the street.
But Gwen looks so happy and excited, and I don’t want to burst her bubble when we’ve already got so many reasons to be worried and scared. So I just smile back. “Thanks.”
“Oh, thank God, I was hoping to find you guys,” Tom mutters, coming up and sitting on my other side. A few moments later, Tandy and Erin join us, holding hands. I look at Kendal and raise my eyebrows, silently asking if they’re officially together now. Kendal nods, grinning.
Tom, Tandy, and Erin are three of the students who had their magic stolen last year by the demon bird, and I was able to help them get their powers back thanks to my mirroring ability. It worked, but it nearly killed me. Word to the wise: don’t try to hold the powers of six Unpredictables inside of you all at once. Not good for your health.
The auditorium falls silent as we all focus on the stage at the front. Hardwick steps up to the podium, looking older and more tired than I’ve ever seen him. My phone buzzes in my lap as he clears his throat, and I see it’s the guys—we have a group chat that’s about a million texts long already.
Cam: Hey, we have a bet going. Is Hardwick wearing that hideous puke-green tie again?
Asher: I told him it can’t be that one. I’m pretty sure he got a food stain on the green tie and retired it.
I look up, and sure enough, Hardwick’s wearing a nice blue tie.
Me: Sorry, Cam. Asher’s right.
Cam: Goddammit, Sin, you couldn’t lie for me?
Asher: What’s the color?
Me: Blue.
Dmitri: Why what does that mean oh mind guru does it mean Hardwick got laid last night or something
Dmitri has never heard of punctuation when it comes to texting—which is ironic since in real life, he seems to speak only in very short, punctuated sentences.
Asher: Oh, man. I did not need that image in my head, thank you.
I have to bite my lip to keep from grinning and giving the game up. I don’t want to seem disrespectful to Hardwick by texting during assembly.
Cam makes a joke about brain bleach, and then they all start teasing me about how I’m not allowed to start dating Kendal just because they’re off campus, and I can tell they’re trying to make me laugh.
It’s working, not gonna lie, and I have to keep biting my lip hard to stop from cackling and disrupting Hardwick’s speech. It’s not as good as having my guys here with me in person, but it sure is better than not having them at all.
Of course, it also means I miss pretty much all of Hardwick’s speech. But given how solemn everyone else looks and how frustrated and tired Hardwick appears, I have a feeling I d
idn’t miss out on much. It was probably pretty damn depressing.
Not that I can blame him. What good news is there to talk about right now?
That night, I sneak into the men’s dorm to see Roman. It’s a hell of a lot harder to do than it was when I already lived in the building, but hey, it’s worth it for the look on his face when he opens the door and sees me standing there.
Roman looks tired too. He and Hardwick are close, and my boyfriend is one of the school’s best professors. I wonder how much time he’s spent with the dean and other faculty members this past week going over the plan for the semester and talking through their fears. Trying to figure out how they can protect us, teach us, and keep things from getting worse for us.
Roman’s only about five years older than I am. That’s not much. I’m only twenty-four, and God knows I don’t feel like an adult half the time—he shouldn’t have to carry so much weight on his shoulders.
“Want me to come in and distract you?” I ask, biting my lip and fiddling with the buttons on my shirt.
He gives me a small, tired, but warm smile. “You know I’ll never say no to that, Reckless.”
I step inside, and he shuts the door behind me, his arms already pulling me in close.
Roman and I can get pretty damn energetic in our sex—our first time was a hook-up in the back alley behind the bar where I worked in Portland—but tonight, it’s not like that at all. Tonight, it’s much more about being connected, being together, than it is about getting to the finish line.
And if I cling to him a little harder than usual afterward, because he’s the only one left of the four men I love… well. Roman’s not going to tell on me. And he clings right back anyway, so fair’s fair.
Classes start the next day, and I throw myself into my studies with the fervor of a third-year determined to prove herself.
I’m not stupid. I never have been. I get good grades when it comes to the academic stuff. My essays are usually quite good, and I take pride in researching and writing them well. But applying my magic practically has always been a bit of a struggle, with lots of ups and downs. The only time I seem to be able to activate my powers on command and use them effortlessly is in fight class with Professor Tamlin.
Fighting just comes naturally to me. The rest? Doesn’t.
But this year, I’m gonna turn that all around.
I know I’ll miss the hell out of the guys, but the upside is that I’ll have a hell of a lot of downtime to focus on homework. Without any major distractions, I can really make the most of my time here, hone my magic, and be ready to go out into the world when I graduate—whether the world wants an Unpredictable like me or not.
I have high hopes for this year. I really do.
And then, only three days into the semester… it all comes crashing down.
I’m pinning Kendal to the floor in Combat class as she tries to escape my hold using a new move Professor Tamlin taught us.
Tamlin walks over, shaking her head. “That’s close, Kendal. Very close. But relax your left arm.”
She crouches next to us to adjust Kendal’s position, and I freeze in place, keeping my grip on the girl beneath me so she can work through the adjustment and figure out where she went wrong.
“There you go.” Tamlin smiles, her white teeth bright against her mocha skin. She always makes me think of an African American Audrey Hepburn, except way more deadly. She’s gorgeous, well dressed, and petite—but she could kick your ass into next week without breaking a sweat. “Remember, you need to be loose and relaxed to fight. Stiffness and tension are your enemies.”
She begins to stand, dusting her hands off—and then a noise filters in from outside.
Tamlin’s head snaps up, her entire body immediately on alert. She’s the most poised person I’ve ever met, her outfit always perfectly coordinated, without a hair out of place. So her calm expression doesn’t falter for an instant, and she stays cool and composed as ever as she says, “Everyone keep practicing. I’ll be right back.”
I roll off of Kendal, and the two of us sit on the floor and stare at each other, then turn to watch Tamlin walk out the door. The noises are continuing, getting louder.
It sounds like yelling.
Oh, shit.
After everything our school’s gone through in the last two years, all of us are on edge. I can tell by the alarmed faces around me that everyone’s thinking the same thing I am: are we being attacked in some way again?
I clamber to my feet. No way am I going to just sit here and wait to find out what’s happening. I’m going to check it out.
“Elliot!” Kendal hisses in alarm as I stride across the massive room toward the door.
“You want to be caught with your pants down?” I hiss back.
Kendal and several others seem to consider this, and a second later, they get up and follow me out the door.
The sounds are coming from the quad, so I trot downstairs to the main floor, head down the hallway, exit out the main doors—
And screech to a stop.
I freeze so suddenly that Kendal runs into me with a soft oomph. She starts to apologize, but her voice dies off as she looks past me and sees what I saw.
The quad is filled with a huge contingent of Circuit officers.
Holy fuck.
Chapter 8
The Circuit is the magical government. There’s the High Circuit, which is like our congress, and then there are local Circuits and regional Circuits.
This does not look local.
Kendal grabs my arm fearfully, and I keep my body between her and the Circuit officers, my big sister instincts kicking in even though we’re the same age. The officers look like they mean business, and not the good kind.
Students are yelling, demanding to know what’s going on, as the officers talk with the school administration. They seem to be basically demanding that they be taken to the administration wing and are generally bossing everyone around. Typical.
“What’s going on?” a small voice asks from behind me. It’s Gwen, and she looks scared as fuck.
“It’s okay,” I say quickly, my protective instincts ratcheting up another notch. She looks nothing like Maddy, of course, but she reminds me of her all the same. “It’s going to be okay. Just stick with us.”
The Circuit officers walk past us, along with the school staff who’ve come outside to deal with them. I catch a glimpse of Tamlin as she goes by—her face is smooth and polished like a stone, revealing nothing of what she might be feeling.
They all disappear inside, and then there’s nothing for us to do but wait.
Some students vanish, off to their dorms or something, but not me. Nope. I’m staying right the fuck here. I want to know what’s going on. Kendal and Gwen stay as well, the poor first-year looking like she’s simply too scared to move.
“Was there another attack somewhere?” Kendal asks me in a low voice.
I hear other questions of a similar nature being whispered around us. Everyone is fucking terrified, and I can’t blame them. I’m feeling pretty damn on edge myself, my stomach churning like a damn washing machine.
I pull out my phone. “I don’t know,” I tell Kendal honestly.
“But if there was an attack, we would’ve heard about it on the news, right?” Gwen asks, her voice pleading.
“Maybe they caught the fucker who’s been doing this to us,” says someone else.
“Don’t get your hopes up,” another person replies.
I text the guys, trying to ignore the way my fingers shake as I type out the message.
Me: Circuit’s here. Everyone terrified. You know anything?
The response is immediate, and the lack of punctuation tells me who it’s from before I even glance at the name.
Dmitri: Know nothing tell us what happens Asher’s getting the car started
Ah, crap! Of course they’re ready to come barreling in here. I know I’d want to do the same if any of them were on campus right now and I wasn’
t, but I still don’t want them rushing into what could be a touchy situation.
Me: No. You three stay put. It’s fine.
The last thing the admins need is the three of them bursting in here and demanding answers when they’re probably aren’t any. And as much as it would make me feel better to have them here, there’s a comfort in knowing they’re far away from any potential danger too.
I want to text Roman and ask what the hell is going on, but he’s meeting with the Circuit members like the rest of the staff, so he won’t be checking his phone.
Dammit. I hate this waiting and not knowing. It’s freaking me out. I’d rather just know the truth, however awful it may be, and get on with it.
We all mill about, waiting, the tension stretching like a rubber band until it feels like I’m going to snap, like we’re all going to snap. The very air around us is too thin, and I can’t breathe properly—
Then the Circuit members walk back out, followed by the admins and staff, and…
Oh, fuck.
Roman looks—I’ve only seen him this angry once before, when he used his death touch ability to save my life. He looks like he’s genuinely considering using it again. And knowing Roman and the strength of his power, he probably could do it, could probably kill all these Circuit members if he wanted to—but I know he won’t, no matter how angry he is. He was raised to never abuse his power like that, and his determination to stick to that is part of why I love him.
Tamlin has tear tracks staining her dark skin. Professor Binns looks like an absolute wreck. So do all the staff, actually—even Hardwick looks furious, like he might punch someone, and Hardwick’s a gentle guy, the kind of guy who gardens and makes dad jokes.
All my muscles seem to seize up and go limp at the same time. I’m not sure I could move even if I wanted to.
