“What is it?” Terrence asked her on Saturday evening.
Julia looked down. “You’re leaving soon, and all this is going to end.”
“It won’t be forever.”
She smiled. “That’s looking at the silver lining.”
“Well, if you wanted, you could join the Soldier Union instead,” Terrence joked.
“Yeah, my dad would love that.” Julia laughed. “No, I’ll definitely stay here at Lockham. And I’m perfectly happy with that. I love it here. I just—I feel like things are complete when you’re here too.”
Terrence pulled her into his arms, and they watched the sun finally set. “I know,” he said, before kissing the top of her head. “I feel the same way.”
The following evening, Sierra, Gabe, and all the other students arrived at Lockham Castle. The main hall echoed chaotically as students clambered in with their luggage. Sierra squealed when she saw Julia. Running to hug her, she nearly knocked over two other students.
“I haven’t talked to you in so long.” She pulled away, looking stern. “We are not doing that again next summer.”
“I agree,” Julia said. “That’s the longest I’ve ever been without you. Not being able to talk to you was unbearable. And Gabe,” Julia said, pulling him in for a hug, “I’ve missed you too.”
“Good,” he replied. “I really missed you guys. Though to be fair, I might’ve just been really sick of my family.”
Sierra scoffed at his remark before Gabe left to take his luggage to his dormitory.
Julia and Sierra headed to their own room and started catching up on everything they’d missed in each other’s lives.
It didn’t take long for the subject to fall on the siren that Julia had seen in the restaurant.
Sierra’s eyes grew wide, and she dropped the books she’d been unpacking. “You saw an actual siren?”
“Yes,” Julia answered. “But she didn’t want to hurt or attack me. At least, I don’t think she did. She just wanted to tell me something—a message.”
“And?” Sierra asked.
“I don’t know. Terrence grabbed me before she could say.”
“It’s a good thing you left when you did, Julia,” Sierra replied. “What if she was trying to trick you or take you to the Guild?”
“It didn’t feel like a threat, though. It was just … strange.
And then later that night, the warrior statues almost didn’t let me into Lockham. They said something about only allowing werecat or water nymph students.”
“Why do those statues make it so difficult for you to get in?” Julia shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe the third time’s the charm. Hopefully next year, I’ll get in without any trouble.”
Sierra picked up her books again and placed them on the shelf. “Have you heard any news about the Guild?”
“No,” Julia answered. “But even if there were news, I’m the last person they would tell. If I ever want information, I have to hear it from Terrence.”
“Oh,” Sierra said softly. “And how are things with you and Terrence?”
Julia beamed. “Wonderful. Things have finally felt normal.”
Sierra raised an eyebrow. “What’s normal?”
“I don’t know. I guess I feel like I have a normal relationship. We’re not sneaking around, we actually get to spend time together, and I’m just happy.”
“I’m glad you’re not keeping it a secret anymore,” Sierra replied.
“Me too. I just wish Caleb would give us a break.”
“Did he spend time with you over the summer?” Sierra asked hesitantly.
“Yes. He and Liam stayed with us, and he seemed so miserable.”
Sierra continued to unpack the rest of her luggage. “Why?
What’s wrong with him?”
Julia shrugged. “I guess he broke up with Camilla.”
“What?” Sierra looked shocked.
“I don’t know all the details, and I’m too scared to ask him. I’d rather just stay out of it.”
“You don’t think he broke up with her because he—”
“Don’t say because of me,” Julia interjected. “He’s the one who made the decision. I didn’t have anything to do with it.”
Sierra looked at her matter-of-factly. “You never want to admit that Caleb cares about you, do you?”
“I’ll admit it,” she answered quickly. “But I didn’t make him end things with Camilla. And he shouldn’t have blown up at Terrence the way he did.”
“He got mad at Terrence?” Sierra asked
“Yes, and it was awful.”
They were both quiet for a moment as Sierra folded a sweater and placed it in her closet drawer.
“Honestly, Julia, I think he’s just lonely.”
Julia sighed, trying not to feel guilty. “That’s not my fault.
I’ve tried to be his friend.”
Sierra didn’t respond to her comment, which Julia was grateful for. She didn’t want to discus Caleb any longer.
Once Sierra was done unpacking, she turned to Julia. “Is it time for dinner yet? I was so excited to come back to Lockham that I hardly ate breakfast.”
When Julia and Sierra arrived to the crowded dining hall, they glanced around noticing the familiar faces. Celeste and Melanie, the two catty twins who shared transformation class with Julia, sat nearby. Across the way, Gabe chatted ani-matedly with a handsome group of male water nymphs. And then Julia’s stomach lurched as she saw another face. Camilla Marquette sat across the hall, staring her down.
Sierra handed her a plate, and together they proceeded through the dinner line.
“What’s wrong?” she asked her.
“It’s nothing. I just saw Camilla, and it doesn’t look like she’s very happy to see me.”
Gabe stood up from his group and came over to sit by Julia and Sierra.
“Gabe.” Julia turned to him. “Do you know where the soldiers are?”
She scanned the dining hall for her father or Terrence.
“Hmm.” He shook his head. “I don’t know.”
Sierra and Gabe began talking about a vacation Sierra had taken over the summer.
“Yes, and the water was so beautiful. Real y, it was incredible.”
Gabe stayed quiet, which was strange, and Sierra continued talking without taking a break or letting Julia respond.
After a few minutes, Sierra grabbed Julia’s tray, quickly disposing of it.
“Sierra,” Julia said, “I wasn’t done with that.”
She turned to Gabe. “Why are you guys acting so weird?
And where are all the soldiers?”
Sierra shrugged. “I don’t know. Let’s go find them.” She took Julia’s arm in an attempt to pull her up from her seat.
“Where are we going?” Julia asked as they left the dining hall.
“I think they’re having a meeting—in the common room,”
Sierra answered.
“A meeting? At this time of night?”
Sierra raised her eyebrows. “I don’t know. I thought they had meetings all the time.”
Julia walked faster toward the common room stairs.
“They only have meetings at night when something’s wrong.”
She glanced again at Gabe, but he didn’t look concerned.
Hesitantly, she stopped at the bottom of the stairs. It was completely black in the large living room. “I don’t see anyone in there.”
“Wait,” Gabe murmured. “I think we should at least check.”
“C’mon, Julia.” Sierra led the way, pulling her into the darkness.
Julia felt around on the wall searching for a light switch.
“Guys,” she whispered, “no one is in here. This is ridiculous. And where is the light switch?”
Gabe bumped into her but said nothing. Suddenly she became nervous, her skin starting to prickle as she felt someone watching her. “I’m leaving—”
“Surprise!”
The lights in the commo
n room flipped on at once, illuminating a small group of people. Liam, Lancer, Caleb, Terrence, and Scarlet all stood around a table lined with drinks, presents, and an enormous chocolate cake.
Julia froze, trying to catch her breath. “What is this?”
Lancer walked forward, beaming. “I know your birthday was last week, but we never got to celebrate. We wanted to do something for you.”
“Thanks,” she choked out, still startled. “I can’t believe you did this.”
“We didn’t want you to know what we were planning,”
Scarlet replied.
“Well, it worked. I was definitely surprised.”
“Sorry we had to lure you in,” Sierra said guiltily. “But it was my job to get you here. And he didn’t help with anything.”
Sierra motioned to Gabe, whose jaw dropped. “I did great,” he answered, offended. “She had no idea something was up.”
Sierra rolled her eyes. “Yeah, you acting beyond weird didn’t give anything away.”
Julia strode toward Scarlet and Liam. “Thanks, guys. You didn’t have to do this,” she said, hugging them.
“We’d do anything for you,” Scarlet replied. “You’re family.”
“Thanks.” Julia snuck a glance at Terrence. She knew he felt intimidated about how close Julia was to Caleb’s family, but Terrence was in conversation with Lancer, unaware of Scarlet’s remark.
“Yes,” Liam agreed. “We love you. Happy birthday.” The rest of the evening went by smoothly, and luckily Terrence and Caleb steered clear of each other.
Scarlet began cutting the chocolate cake and handed a piece to Julia. When she offered Terrence a slice, he politely declined.
“You don’t like cake?” Julia asked.
“I’m sure it’s good, but I don’t really like chocolate.”
Julia took a bite. “Well, you’re missing out. Here try some.” She playfully grabbed a piece of frosting and tried to shove it in his mouth. He dodged her, but she still managed to get frosting on his face.
“I think you have something on your lip, Terrence.” She laughed.
“You think that’s funny?” He quickly kissed the side of her cheek, wiping the frosting across her face.
“You’re going to regret that.” She tried to get him again but stopped as Lancer shot her a disciplining look.
“All right,” she said quietly. “You win that round, but next time—”
She stopped, realizing that next time could be a lot further away than she wanted. Julia couldn’t hide the disappointment on her face.
“Hey,” Terrence said. “Don’t be sad. Are you thinking about school starting again?”
“Maybe.” She sat down and sighed.
“We’re still going to be writing each other,” he said. “And you know I’ll be back here during the holidays.”
“The holidays are kind of far away, Terrence. And as much as I love writing you, we both know it’s just not the same. I’m going to miss this.” She motioned toward the frosting that was smeared on both of their faces. “I’m going to miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too, but you only have two years left of school. We can do this.”
Terrence gave her an encouraging look just as Lancer strode up behind them.
“It’s time to wrap things up, Julia.” Lancer glanced at the old clock in the corner of the common room. “Make sure you thank everyone.”
She nodded and stepped into the middle of the room, clearing her throat. “Everyone, I just wanted to say thank you. This was the best surprise. I’m definitely going to miss those of you that are leaving soon.” She glanced to her father and Liam. “And I really appreciate you all doing this.”
As the party ended, Julia made her way around the room saying good-bye to her father, Terrence, Liam, and Caleb.
When she got to Caleb, he looked remorseful.
“Julia, I just wanted to apologize,” he said. “I didn’t mean to get so upset the other night.”
She hugged him. “It’s okay. I just want you to be careful out there, okay?”
“I’ll try my best.” He gave her a side smile before leaving her side.
As everyone exited the common room, Julia was left alone with her father. She sniffed and hugged him tightly.
“Dad, I don’t want to have to worry about you, so please be safe.”
Lancer nodded genuinely. “Okay. I will if you will.”
Julia smiled at his response. “It’s a deal.”
To her delight, the first week of school wasn’t as frantic as last year, and most of her teachers and courses remained the same.
The only big change Julia faced was switching her health and botany class to Scarlet’s water class. She’d loved everything she’d learned from Mr. Henley, the botany teacher, but she couldn’t resist taking a class with Scarlet.
As Julia scanned over her new schedule, she felt ecstatic.
She had basic skills class with Mrs. Oree, Ossain history with Ms. Dour, intermediate shapeshifting with Mr. Knightly, and her water class with Scarlet.
Last year she had clung desperately to Sierra, nervous about being in a new school. Now, however, she was more confident. Julia recognized other students and felt comfortable finding her way around the castle. She was able to avoid the unbearable students and find those that she actually knew and liked.
Julia’s favorite class would always be shapeshifting. Flickering candles filled the dark classroom to create a calm envi-ronment, and students stood without desks. Mr. Knightly said it would be easier to shapeshift that way.
Last year Julia had been impatient to learn the art of shapeshifting. Now that she knew what she was capable of, she felt calmer. Shapeshifting had become easy for her, but knowing she was a target of the Guild, she yearned to gain more speed and power.
Her friend from class, Ziphilia Montero, was tall, dark-skinned, and could shapeshift into a lion. Julia had only talked with her a couple times last year, but now they hit it off easily. They’d compare homework assignments, laugh at the huge dead spider stuck to the ceiling, and give each other quizzical glances when things didn’t make sense.
After class one day during the second week of school, Ziphilia asked Julia about Camilla.
“I remember last year when I thought you two were friends,” Ziphilia said. “Then when we had our shapeshifting competition, she nearly ate you.”
Julia bit her lip. “Things with Camilla and I are …
strange, to say the least. She was dating this boy, and—”
“Caleb Glyndor?” Ziphilia asked.
“Yeah,” Julia answered. “How did you know that?”
Ziphilia opened her eyes wide. “Everyone knows that.”
Julia raised an eyebrow. “Do they?”
“Yes, Caleb and his family are very well known.”
“Why?” Julia said. “What do people know about them?”
Ziphilia looked at her, surprised. “Seriously? Scarlet is a descendant from a royal line, just like you and your dad.
That’s probably how your dad became such good friends with them in the first place.”
Julia dropped her jaw. “But I’ve never heard any of that.”
“You haven’t? I know that the Glyndors are modest, but I can’t believe they didn’t tell you.”
Julia shook her head. “I really didn’t know. I guess they just didn’t think it was important. How many royal lines are there exactly?”
“I think there are five.”
Julia tried to wrap her head around the fact that Liam, Scarlet, and Caleb were all royalty. “That’s so strange,” she said. “I’m always surprised by how little I know about Ossai.”
Ziphilia stopped in the hallway and took a sip from the nearby stone water fountain. “I’m sure it won’t take long for you to become familiar with that sort of stuff.”
“That’s what I thought last year.”
She smiled. “You’ll catch on. But what were you saying before? I cut you off. Something ab
out Camilla dating Caleb.”
Julia shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. I think she felt threatened for whatever reason and then decided to be horrible to me. I’m just trying to avoid her so I don’t become cat food.”
“Camilla’s a little intense,” Ziphilia answered. “I think you’re being smart.” She glanced to the nearest staircase. “I’ve got to run to the library. There’s a book on hold I need for my advanced botany class.”
Julia nodded. “See you tomorrow.”
She rushed away, leaving Julia next to the trickling stone fountain. She stood there for one full minute just thinking about Ziphilia’s words.
How well did everyone know Caleb Glyndor and his royal family history? How many people tried to use that family for their power and money? People like Camil a. She had probably dated Caleb in hopes of becoming a royal Glyndor family member. No wonder she was so upset when he’d left her. Now she wouldn’t be Princess Camilla.
Julia leaned forward to take a sip from the stone fountain.
She became deep in thought and watched as the ice blue water gathered in the stone drain. Abruptly, the water filled the basin without draining, ready to overflow, and Julia moved back. However as she stared into the rising water, something strange happened.
Julia’s wavering reflection had changed. She could have sworn that her eyes and hair had turned a different color.
She left quickly, unnerved. Heading toward her room, Julia convinced herself that the lighting had played a trick on her eyes, but then she remembered that this had happened once before. In New York, she had looked into the pond and seen her reflection change too. Normally she would have dismissed the incident as nothing. However, an unpleasant feeling soon overcame her. In her experience, supernatural coincidences in Ossai were rarely, if ever, nothing.
* * *
CHAPTER FOUR
Julia watched Caleb. He sat on a rock next to the shoreline, his eyes closed.
“What are you doing?” she asked him.
“I’m breathing in the fresh air.” He didn’t open his eyes.
“It’s nice to finally be able to breathe.”
A wave crashed up against the rocks and sprayed them lightly with mist.
“Julia, I think someone’s trying to contact you.”
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