“Callie hates being alone.” Alessandra doesn’t waver. “And she wouldn’t ignore me. I know she’s not in there.”
“I hear you, and I don’t think you’re overreacting.” He pauses, as if swallowing whatever official line he was about to deliver. “But Constance is stretched thin right now. She asked us to hold non-emergency matters until things stabilize.”
“Thisisan emergency.” Her hands ball into fists at her sides. “Get the Headmistress and have her open Callie’s door. If Callie’s in there sulking, I’ll apologize for wasting everyone’s time. If she’s not...” She pauses to take a breath. “As Callie’s emberlinked partner, I have the right to know if she’s in danger.”
Tobias’s gaze moves between us. He’s still in a quiet, present way, like he’s giving Alessandra’s fear the space it deserves instead of rushing to fill it with reassurances.
When his eyes meet mine, a question flickers in those pale depths.
Are you okay?
I just shrug, because what’s there to say? I haven’t been okay since my emberlink bond severed during the Halloween Ball. My magic’s been weaker, my thoughts muddier, and whenever I try to remember what happened during the ball or leading up to it, it’s like trying to put a porcelain vase back together when some of the pieces are missing.
Finally, Tobias stands, slow and deliberate. “Wait here.”
He disappears into flames, golden light swallowing him whole, and Alessandra and I stand here and wait.
Neither of us speaks. We don’t need to.
Twenty minutes later, golden flames flare in the center of the room. Tobias is back. His gaze finds me first—just for a moment—before he turns to Alessandra.
“Constance will meet you in your suite in an hour.” He hesitates, then adds, “I’m sorry she can’t be there sooner, but this was the best I could do.”
“An hour’s great.” I give him a small, encouraging smile. “Really great.”
His lips curve, but it’s tentative. “I’m glad it helped.”
Alessandra looks between us and nods, relief and anxiety warring on her face. “Yes, thank you so much,” she says, already moving to the door. “I’ll wait there.”
I should follow her, but my feet won’t move.
“Go ahead,” I tell Alessandra. “I’ll be right behind you.”
She pauses, glancing between me and Tobias again with a flicker of curiosity. But her need to find Callie apparently wins out, and she slips through the door without argument.
Tobias watches me with those pale eyes, within arm’s reach but somehow feeling far away at the same time.
I press my palms together to stop them from shaking. This is my moment to tell him what’s been on my mind this past week, and I’m not going to waste it.
“I keep thinking about what you said last night, about how emberlink bonds can behave unpredictably,” I start. “But it’s not just the bond that feels wrong. It’severything.My memories of the days before Oliver disappeared feel fragmented. It’s like pieces are missing, or like someone smudged the edges so I can’t see them clearly anymore.”
Tobias goes still. “What do you mean byfragmented?”
“I don’t know how to explain it.” I press my fingers to my temples for a moment, frustration bleeding into my tone. “It’s like... you know when you’re trying to remember a dream? Howthe harder you focus, the faster it slips away? That’s what it feels like when I try to think about certain moments.”
“You don’t trust your own memories.”
“No.” The admission feels like pulling out a splinter. “And you’re a memory specialist. If anyone can help me figure out what’s missing...”
I trail off, hating how desperate I sound. The middle child, always overlooked, begging a man she barely knows to fix what’s broken inside her head, just because we had one good conversation at a party.
Pull yourself together. You’re better than this.
But I’m not. Not anymore. Oliver’s gone, my memories are broken, and I’m falling apart piece by piece.
His eyes drop to his hands, then lift back to me. “I want to help. Just give me some time to figure out how.”
“Thank you.” I reach forward as if to take his hand, stopping myself at the last minute. “I know you’re busy with the investigation, and I know this probably isn’t your priority, but?—”
