Something is wrong.
I forced my mouth closed, ceasing the enchantment, realizing the Latin words I had been saying were not the same as the words written on the board. Mara had vacated her spot next to me. All the students had abandoned their desks and stood along the far wall, their exit blocked by my creation. Professor Dickson was shouting at me from his spot ten feet away, unableto get closer without the water whipping at his face and the wind seeming to come from the water pushing him back.
Everything should have been loud, but the sounds were muffled as a quiet hum invaded the inside of my head. The sizzling heat inside my chest grew, its edges searing my insides. I muffled a cry of pain but quickly realized…it feels so good…addicting.
My breaths turned into pants at the thrill as the violent swirl of water grew, flipping the stone table and shoving it to the side like it was a show of strength. Someone’s hand—my hand—reached out on its own accord, inches from the twisted mass of dark water.Can water be black?It hummed, like a sentient creature. Its—
Fire.
Fire engulfed the entirety of the dark mass of water. I used my arms to shield my face until the heat and flash of bright fire dissipated. Black water droplets floated upward, evaporating before reaching the ceiling.
Just beyond where the hydrosphere had been stood a little black dragon. The humming in my head ceased and the gasps of the students vibrated throughout the still room.
What did I just do?
Chaos’s chest raised in slow, soft breaths in his sleep, his body sprawled across the stone office desk. Aura curled herself against the little dragon, whose tail wrapped around her soft fur. I sat in the chair and watched the familiars sleep, taking up the entirety of the desk. They seemed to have taken to each other and had moved beyond the hissing and growling.
John’s office door opened but I didn’t look, expecting it to be him until I felt a very familiar warmth tug at me. Hazel eyes leveled with mine, worried lines etching the corners. I simply stared at his beautiful face—the sharp edges, the hard flex in his jaw, smooth skin…
I looked away, staring at the arm of the chair I sat in.
“Selene.” Ender’s voice was soft as he knelt and cupped my cheek, tilting my face so my gaze lifted back to his eyes. He didn’t ask if I was okay. He didn’t need to. I had lost control with something dark, something he understood.
But his darkness had faded the moment he snapped out of it. What was left was his own emotions. I could still feel the sizzling prickling sensation sparking inside my chest, like a combustion waiting to happen. It was as if a pilot light had gone out but the gas valve was still open, waiting for a single spark. It felt foreign. Mom would have been disappointed in my lack of control.
Ender’s arms wrapped around me, pulling me in. I gave in to his warmth and touch. It was inviting, grounding. His hand cupped the back of my head. “It will be okay.”
We stayed like that for a while, Chaos and Aura not bothered one bit.
“Your knees,” I said.
“My knees what?” Ender pulled back just enough to see my face and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
“Your knees.” I pulled back, glancing down.
“There’s only one person who I would ever get down on my knees for.” The corner of his mouth lifted, and despite my solemn mood, I found myself half smiling with the urge to give him a good thwack on the chest.
The door opened again, and this time it was John. Food and a cup of water jostled on the tray he carried as he came to an abrupt stop.
“You two must always be near each other.” He sighed. Ender hadn’t startled, his grin simply growing as he stood, taking up residence behind my chair.
John went to shoo the familiars from his desk with a hand but must have thought otherwise because he stopped halfway through the motion. He set the tray down on the chair next to me.
I couldn’t bring myself to speak after Professor Dickson had escorted me here. Every single gaze had been on the little dragon that crawled behind me, hunching to the ground and growling at anyone who had come close—even the professor stayed a good fifteen feet in front of me. The existence of Chaos was supposed to be kept hidden until the third week of school—next week—in case he decided to leave. Clearly, he didn’t plan on leaving. Word about a dragon at the academy and howEther Mage Selene Thomashad lost control would have spread across the entirety of the grounds by now.
There would be a student riot to banish me.
“You need to eat.” John pointedly glanced at the food as he leaned against the less occupied portion of his desk—which was only a sliver—and crossed his arms, frowning. It was such an informal position for him, my mind took a halt for a brief moment. His expression wasn’t masking his concern, and if I hadn’t known better, I would have said it looked like fatherly concern.
The door flung open for a third time and Viv charged in, lacking the grace that Ender had. Sydney followed suit, not in as much of a rush.
“Vivian. Sydney.” John nodded at them both, not showing any surprise that they had shown up.
“Are you okay?” Viv stood in front of me.
“Yes. I just got carried away on an enchantment. I’m a bit rusty with creatures.” I shrugged, hiding my inner turmoil.
“Maybe I need to light some things on fire to get room delivery.” Sydney eyed the tray of food my dad had gotten me.Dad. Ugh. There was that word again.
