My heart races as I replay his words in my mind, each time, my pulse quickening as I desperately seek the answer.
“A ghost,” Tiran bellows, delight brightening his eyes as disappointment floods my veins, but it’s short-lived as Professor Grimm shakes his head.
“That fits the speaking and listening part, along with the ability to vanish, but it’s not correct because it is not born when you call,” he explains, casting his gaze across the room again as everyone quickly tries to think.
“A shadow,” Ocean calls out, tightening my chest with hope for her, but the slight shake of Grimm’s head disregards her answer immediately.
“It vanishes when ignored, but does not speak,” he clarifies, dangling The Veilstone higher, forcing us to pay attention to our prize.
Squeezing my eyelids shut, I take a deep breath as I let his words replay through my mind, only this time, I take it slower, trying not to rush myself.
It speaks with no mouth, listens with no ears, is born when called, and vanishes when ignored.
Wait. Is it… I don’t know. I won’t if I don’t find out…
My gaze snaps open as my lips part. “An echo.”
Professor Grimm settles his eyes on mine, his face unreadable as my two little words hang in the air for a moment before a grin spreads across his face.
“Well done, Miss Blackwood,” he declares, and Ocean squeals from beside me, wrapping her fingers around my arm as she pinches my skin despite my blazer protecting me.
Rion’s hand lands on my thigh as Grimm approaches my table, coming to a stop on the other side of it as he hangs The Veilstone between us.
“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with it,” I admit as I take hold of the golden ribbon, and Grimm hums in understanding.
“All you have to do is whisper my name and what you wish to see,” he offers, nodding at the orb dangling from my grasp.
I clear my throat as I bring The Veilstone to my lips, just as I watched him do earlier, keeping my voice low as I speak, all while my heart thunders in my chest. “Professor Grimm, show me The Institute Games.”
My eyelids slam shut a moment later as visions flash in the darkness, one image leading into another, and another, each one taking my breath as my heart clenches so tight I’m sure it’s going to stop working altogether.
Carnage is what he called it, and it’s the only word to use. Blood, gore, and death bleed into my mind, each scene getting redder and darker, until it all suddenly falls away to reveal a row of books. As quickly as it appears, it evaporates, leaving the final image in my head. A cup. Not just any cup, but a trophy with one vital word etched into the plaque on the front.
Ascension.
NINETEEN
ELODIE
“Are you sure this is what you saw?”
I glance at Ocean with a slight wince, tightening my lips as I tuck a loose curl behind my ear.
“No, but I’m confident enough to commit to looking,” I offer, unable to lie, but ever since Professor Grimm’s class this morning, I haven’t been able to get the visual out of my mind, and this is the only place I can think about.
“That’s fair. At least you’re honest,” she murmurs as we stand side by side, staring at the rows and rows of bookcases in the library.
I never visited the library back home; I didn’t even know where it was. Not the one at school, and definitely not the one in town. Yet I’ve been here fortwo afternoons running. I should get a trophy for that revelation alone.
There’s still no hope blossoming in my chest. I might be here in search of something else today, but my chances of finding it are just as slim, if not worse. When I bumped into the same assistant at the entrance, she had no direction to offer us. Apparently, there are no books on The Institute Games in here, but I know what I saw in my vision and I refuse to accept that as an answer until I’ve seen for myself.
“Okay, we’ve got this,” Ocean declares, standing taller as she plants her hands on her hips. “You start looking, I’ll get the drinks to keep us going,” she offers, and my eyes widen with delight.
“Deal,” I agree, and she darts for the door a moment later.
Hopefully, by the time she gets back, I’ll have found what I’m looking for.
Since the library assistant was adamant that there was nowhere for me to look in here, I decide to move to the left of the entryway and start there. I’ll do five laps of the damn place if I have to in order to find a resemblance to what Professor Grimm’s thoughts offered.
