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I wipe away a tear before it falls.

“Hey, we’re here,” Leaf whispers, then pulls me next to his chest.

I’m engulfed with his rich honey scent and revel in the feeling of safety with those two simple words.

A horn signals the start of orientation.

“Let’s head to the amphitheater together, in fact,” Leaf starts, then cups his hands around his mouth. “ALL CADETS TO THE AMPHITHEATER!”

“By the stars, Leaf, you didn’t have to scream.” Ramona swats Leaf’s chest.

He just chuckles and turns toward the side of the castle, where the path leads to the same stadium where the Presentation was for the Summit last year. To no one’s surprise, all of the cadets seem eager to take orders from a popular third-stone like Leaf.

The walkways are crowded with cadets rushing to get good seats. One bumps into my shoulder, almost toppling me head-first into the grass until a very large hand grabs my arm.

“Sorry Akemi!” Selene says. “This boulder doesn’t seem to have a good sense of depth perception.”

“Fuck yeah!” Gryphon comes bumbling forward, hand outstretched.

I slap my palm into his.

“TT4L!” he yells.

Both Selene and Ramona groan.

Gryphon releases me. “You know, Team Terraguard for life?”

“Right,” I sigh and pat his shoulder before he backs up, bulky frame parting the masses as he looks at Leaf.

“Make sure to tell them about the super special top secret thing tonight.”

Ramona squeezes the bridge of her nose as Gryphon disappears between the crowds of cadets all making their way along the side of the castle to the amphitheater.

Leaf jumps as if stuck by lightning. “Sun burn me! I almost forgot to tell you!”

“Can you tell us while we’re walking at least?” Ramona asks, taking off after Gryphon. “We’re going to be late.”

“Right then, one second,” Leaf says, then turns to the crowd of cadets all scurrying around us. “HURRY ALONG YOU LOLLYGAGGING NITWITS!”

Wow, I mouth to Ramona.

Her eyebrow raises.

I strut alongside my two best friends, missing the fourth that is typically here. It’s weird being at the Watch without Castor. As a third-year student last year, he essentially completed all of the magical training needed to serve as a fully fledged member of the Watch, complete with three earned stones to siphon the source.

“Are you going to tell us what the fuck this super secret thing is about?” Ramona asks, taking two quick steps with her platform military grade boots per Leaf’s single step.

“Well…” Leaf smirks. “I was planning on surprising you both, but since Gryphon had to go and spoil my plans, I suppose I’ll tell—”

“By all the layers of Hel, Leaf, just tell us!” Ramona spits.

“It’s a party!” Leaf’s grin widens. “As the new self-proclaimed student royalty of campus, Gryphon, Kauri, and I all pooled together to throw a party in the woods tonight after orientation is over.”

After all of the pain I’ve been through this summer, this sounds amazing. “We’ll be there!”

“Good,” Leaf says, but he’s looking at Ramona, who is now a few paces ahead. “You won’t be disappointed.”

We follow the masses into the stands of the outdoor amphitheater, where massive glowing orbs are lit on top of every pillar. It looks nothing like how I remember it, though perhaps that is because the entire inside ground is flat and filled with plush grass. The crowd buzzes with energy, brimming with excitement of the new year.