“I fail to see how any of this could be better,” Riya said.
“Sure,” Nyra said, smiling faintly. “But you’re actually talking about magic again. That hasn’t happened in years.”
Something in Riya’s chest took a sharp, traitorous nosedive. She looked away.
Amara nodded. “She’s right. We’ve missed this part of you.”
Riya scowled. “This is just... an academic inquiry.”
Nyra sighed and grabbed a cupcake. She plopped it into Riya’s hands. “Just remember, magic has a mind of its own. Sometimes, all youcando is trust it.”
“Even if it’s ugly and neon green,” Amara added.
“Oh my God, Amara.”
Riya shoved the cupcake into her mouth. On a normal day, she’d appreciate the rush of sugar—sugar helped her study. Fed her brain.
Now, though, it tasted far too sickeningly sweet.
Chapter 11
The air was crisp and clear as Riya rounded the back of the school, a mild breeze lifting strands of hair against her cheek.
It should have been a perfect afternoon. But her stomach was in knots, fingers biting into her backpack strap.
All weekend, she’d hunted for some other option,anythingthat could undo the curse quietly, without dragging Kian into it.
Meanwhile, Kian had flooded her phone with relentless, inane text messages:
Kian:
got your number from the school directory. hope that’s ok.
anyway i saw these birds flying in a V and it looked kinda like a heart. made me think of you. do you like birds? i like birds.
respond if you can! i can wait forever.
or at least until my phone battery runs out.
By Sunday night—at least twenty more texts and zero responses later—Riya was forced to face the facts: IgnoringKian was only making him more persistent. And if she couldn’t fix the curse yet, then at the very least, she could be honest about her mistake. Hope that would help him understand the very real, very dangerous situation they were in.
She supposed she owed him that much.
Her sneakers scuffed against the sun-warmed pavement as she crossed toward the track, heart hammering.
Kian was crouched in the grass, a battered green notebook in his lap, scribbling like the rest of the world didn’t exist. He looked... peaceful. Too peaceful, considering.
Noticing her, Kian sat up, his eyes glittering, unsettlingly, withhope.
“So you liked my poem? Is that what this is about?”
“No.” Riya dropped onto the cool metal bleachers. “Unfortunately, I did not like your poem.”
“Oh. Not a poetry fan, huh?” He set down his notebook and muttered to himself. “I knew I should have tried a song—”
“That’s not what I wanted to talk about.” Riya squared her shoulders.Just say it.
Except...
