When dinner was over, I hugged my family good-night, and we made plans to meet at the gate tomorrow morning. “Don’t be late,”Trevor said to Jensen, our resident late riser.
He saluted with his middle finger. “I’ll do my best.”
Jenna shook her head. “One last winter at home. I love it. Okay, I’m off for a bear hug. See you in the morning.”
I walked with the girls back to our floor. “What should we do tonight?” Sara asked, her stroll casual, even with the flushof excitement in her cheeks. We were all still riding those waves of the final blessing. “The blanket should come down anymoment, so we could head out to try and commune with the energy.”
“Yes!” Belle shouted. “I couldn’t sleep if my life depended on it, and this is our first All Hallows’ in Weatherstone.”
Glancing at my watch, I saw that it was almost 10:00 p.m. “Guys, I arranged to meet up with Logan near the graveyard.” I felt a fluttering of nerves in my stomach. All three of them swung around and gaped at me, and I sought to explain. “I need answers. I need to know if he was involved with my dad’s suspension, and what his father has planned next, andreally . . . what happened in the past to link us together. I can’t miss this chance.”
Haley grabbed my arm, slowing me. “Wait, is that safe? I know you somewhat trust Logan now, or at least trust he’s not activelytrying to kill you, and I know we haven’t had any monster attacks lately, but with the veil lifting, the risk will return,right?”
I nodded. “Yes, there’s a risk. But I think with so many students around, I should be relatively safe. It’s my last chance.I don’t even know if he’ll be back next year.”
He’d transferred in suddenly and could leave just as suddenly. His evil father already had a penchant for pulling him fromthe school whenever he felt like it.
“I understand,” Belle said, her expression sobering. “It’ll ruin your entire winter break if you have more questions thananswers.”
She knew me well.
“Alrighty, then—” Sara got on board quickly “—let’s get you to the graveyard.”
We linked arms, hurrying down the steps, and as soon as my boots hit the grass, I felt a shimmer of magic wash over and throughus. We ground to a halt, along with every other witch and warlock in the vicinity. “Holy goddess,” Sara breathed, tiltingher head back, her breaths ragged. “Do you feel that power?”
I hadn’t realized the full extent of the blanket until this second, when the power in my chest was released. Free and fluttering.Not like a swarm of butterflies but a murder of crows, wild and rapid, strong and drugging in its intensity.
“Fuuuuck.”
“That just about covers it,” Belle said with a snort.
There was no time for me to indulge in the power coating my skin, which was starting to glow in response. I was late.The girls remained with me as we set off for the graveyard once more, dodging around the hundreds of students pouring from the college, ready to indulge in one last night of everything Weatherstone had to offer.
“Let’s hope they never drop a blanket over us again,” Sara trilled, waving her hands above her head, bringing the winds withher. “Now I understand that I’ve been doing magic with one hand behind my back.”
“The assessors adjusted for that,” Haley piped in. “Our test scores will be elevated to match national standard. I checkedwith them.”
Of course she had. If she wasn’t reading books, she studied magic, and already showed abilities far above freshman level fora nature sprite. “Are you excited to find your familiar next year?” I asked her, as we rounded another corner and the graveyardcame into sight.
“I’ve dreamed about this my entire life,” she said with a sigh. “In my dreams, though, it was unicorns and dragons.” Her shrugwas cute, and I expected nothing less from a hardcore fantasy reader. “But any animal companion who will elevate my magicand provide me with a friend for life is all I could ask for.”
“Jealous,” Belle said, her bottom lip popping out. “I think we should all get familiars. I’d choose a dolphin.” A dolphinwould work perfectly for the water elemental.
“An eagle for me,” Sara said, still drifting breezes across us as she exercised her air energy.
All three looked at me, and I smiled. “Is it weird that I’ve always wanted a cat?”
Belle’s lips twitched. “Girl, you can just get a cat. You know that, right? It’s a normal pet.”
A chuckle escaped. “Yes, I know. But it’s such a witch cliché.”
Haley’s laugh was unexpectedly light and airy. “I think it’s perfect. Your mission this winter is to get yourself a cat.”
The idea settled in my chest, and I let it sit there for a few minutes. “Maybe I will.”
My parents would no doubt have a lot to say about it, but I’d worry about that along with all the other “tomorrow problems.”
“There he is,” Sara said softly, and the three of them slowed their steps. “Call out if you need us, we’ll be nearby.”
