The clock was ticking at the same beat of my fingers tapping on the desktop. Tick, tock, Eris. Tip, Tap, Eris. You’re gonna ace this test—hopefully. And right now was one of those times that I knew I was gonna massacre. Easy stuff, we learned the majority of it that month, so, it shouldn’t be that hard.

“Okay,” Nanaya announced. “You all may begin.”

Eris Faye was the first thing I scribbled down. Tao tapped me on my hand and I looked over to see her icy blue eyes all confused. I wrote down the answer to number one; she hit herself on the forehead, mouthing, “Duh.” For a five-page test, it was fairly easy to finish in less than 90 minutes and have on Nanaya’s desk.

After History was over, Tao raced down with me to Body Science so we could ask Sahmi about our next quiz. When we got in, Sahmi was sitting on top of the desk, with a pencil floating in front of his face. His affinity was Gravity, and it was amazing to watch him.
“Sahmi?” Tao blurted.

“My ears are open and my eyes are directed on yours,” Sahmi replied, looking directly into Tao’s eyes and snatching the pencil out of the air.

“U-uh—”

“She wants to know about our upcoming quiz,” I snickered, finishing her beautiful sentence.

Sahmi made a face. “Sa quf pors whi acneme duso?” Translated to English, that meant: “And, what would you like to know about the quiz?”

“What type of questions there are,” Tao answered. “I don’t like multiple choice because it messes me up, and writing is a big no, my nails are mucho too importanto!”

He chuckled at her “accurate” Spanish. “Well, Tao, see me after class, we’ll figure something out.” Sahmi winked at her just before the bell rang.

We darted to our seats then pulled out the assignment Sahmi wanted us to do in our textbooks. Following Body Science, I went to Riate and Brice called me over to his desk… What did I do?!

“Hello,” I said, showing the sign of respect.

“Hello, Eris. Uhm, have you seen Caine Prath lately?” he asked.

“Yeah, just yesterday. Why?”

“Lena needs him. Thank you, Goddess, merry part.”

(I loved how they referred to us as Gods and Goddess.) I ran off to my seat, then Tao walked in with a late pass to Brice. She joined me in the back and put her feet up on the desk.

As class progressed, I had a thought of Aya and did I ever give her that necklace. It was late January, and Tao and I had moved on with crying ourselves to sleep about Aya; we knew better than being little brats about it. Two weeks ago, we spread her ashes in my backyard, so we always knew where she was and how we could be connected to her. That was one thing I was happy about, others, not so much.

My Elements still weren’t working, but it wasn’t as big of a deal as last month. Turns out, the Elements made my reflexes stronger (I have no idea why) and it made me super alert during class. So, that was good. And, Dallas had been so good to me, like always. After Riate, we had lunch (walking tacos) then headed off to Art, and I was super happy because Verc was in a good mood. She had us create an abstract painting of what our affinity was in our own eyes; not what it was meant to be or what other people thought.

So, I splattered red and blue and white and green paint on the canvas, then used my pinky finger to swirl it around. The colors actually looked great, the white made everything a tad lighter. Just to be more creative, I even threw in some teal to describe myself. Verc had been circulating the room, but when she saw me, she stopped.
“Amazing work, Eris,” Verc grinned.

“You like it? I’m rethinking the red now that I added the teal… ” I softly replied, frowning at the bright red paint.

“No! That’s beautiful, and if anything were to change, I’d say to throw you in the paint.”

Verc patted my lower back then went on to do her business, leaving me to observe my work. The bell rang and Tao dragged me off to Math. Affinity Hour came quicker than I expected, so I decided to go and visit Govea.


I crept into the steel door and took in the aroma of the dragons. (They all smelt like vanilla mixed with cinnamon—very pleasing.) Down a few rows, I heard Govea’s deep laughter and a dragon cutely roaring back at him. I called out his name, then Govea peeked his head out from the last row of enclosures.
“Just the person.” He smiled. “Wanna meet the babies?”

“Babies?” I started walking closer and Govea went back to his place. My heart exploded when I saw the two baby dragons in the basket.

The first was a pretty pink, with an orange streak of scales going down her back. The other was a deep blue with a yellow streak of scales down her back; they were adorable.
“Meet Ripley and Riva: our new baby girls,” Govea smiled.

I gasped at Ripley’s cute little sneeze. (Ripley was blue; Riva was pink.) “I want to eat them,” I chuckled.

“Well, don’t. They need more than 17 hours to live, Eris.”

“I’ll save you guys for later.”

Ripley let out another sneeze and her scales poofed out; her sister used her small wing to gently pat her back.
“They’re a bit sick. Mama had a bad cold during birth,” Govea said, observing their tiny bodies.

“It’s an inherited trait, huh?” I smiled at Riva and she made an impressive attempt to do the same.

A good minute into talking with Govea, I heard another voice from behind me. “Well, what do ya know, Eris is in here with Govea.”

I turned around and saw Dallas approaching from a row behind. He gave me a soft kiss then looked at the babies.
“You’re cuter than I expected,” Dallas smiled, waving at them.

Riva sneezed and she shot up into the air—literally. She was flapping her little wings while she tried not to fall and break her face. Govea was a few feet away, so Dallas quickly grabbed her and she let out a baby sigh of relief.
“They are very sick,” Govea muttered, with his hand rubbing his chin in thought. “Say, Dallas, would you mind watching them while I’m gone? I have to make a quick stop in Ohio, but I don’t want them to be overwhelmed alone.”

“Uh, I guess. Harley can’t be around them, can he?” Dallas replied.

“I’m afraid not. Have he and Hannah stay at your Yard, they are far too rough to be around newborns.”

Dallas nodded and Govea thanked him again. Huh, Dallas with babies?! This. Will. Be. Hilarious. I picked up Ripley then waved to Govea. “I’ll make sure Dallas doesn’t kill them.”

“Me?! Please, I’m amazing with animals,” he scoffed.

“Says the one who kills them for a hobby,” Govea muttered under his breath. I laughed but Dallas made a boyish grunt as Govea shooed us off and we headed to the apartments.

As we walked, Riva kept trying to fly up, and Dallas had to hold her tight, but she sneezed every two seconds, so his grip was pretty pointless. He opened the door to his place, and we set the sisters free.

I plopped down on the couch, Dallas came over and laid across my lap.
“How was your day?” he asked as he cut the TV on.

“Fine.” I ran my fingers through his light hair. “How was yours?”

“You could say… terrible.”

“Why?”

Dallas’ violet eyes lifted to mine. “Because I say so. And, I got bit by Harley and Hannah. They just don’t like me.”

“I’m sorry, baby. Would it make you feel better if I cooked for you?” I waggled my eyebrows down at him.

“Hmm, what will you make me?”

“I’m not telling you. Shut up and sit down.”

“Eris, that’s not very nice. You should apologize.” Dallas made his puppy-dog eyes.

“Dallas,” I mocked, “that’s not very nice. I think you should apologize.” I stuck my tongue out before running back to the kitchen.

Ten minutes later, I was still in the kitchen, listening to music and making this sandwich for him. Something was moving behind me… I whipped my head around and saw Dallas hop onto the counter then smile. I yanked my headphones out and laughed. “What the shit?! Go back in there.”

“Unless you want to be burned, turn around and make me a sandwich,” Dallas said, being his traditional smartass.

I stuck my hand in the drawer then pulled out something. “I know you didn’t just tell me to make you a sandwich,” I growled as I pointed the blade at him.

Dallas shrugged. “Okay, make me a grilled cheese sandwich.”

I dropped the knife back into the drawer then finished the sandwich. Cutting off the stove, I passed Dallas the plate and he took a gigantic bite.
His eyes got wide. “Awh, bitchin! There’s pepperoni!”

“Really?! I didn’t know.” I made a fake gasp but Dallas just nodded.

“Pepperoni.” He took another bite and rolled his eyes to the back of his head while he moaned.

“Is it that good?” I giggled and mimicked his face.

Dallas nodded. “It’s that good.”

“You’re welcome.” I gave him a kiss on the cheek then ran off to the living room to watch the game.

Dallas finished up in the kitchen, and took his medicine before coming to sit with me. He pulled my legs into his lap and grazed his fingertips over my covered skin—but it still felt like he was trying to tickle me. I wiggled from his grinp and he gave me a death stare.
“Quit moving,” Dallas huffed.

“No, you’re gonna molest me,” I giggled, tucking my knees to my chest.

“Molest you? I mean, I know that you’re into some freaky shit, but molest—”

I hurled a pillow at him and Dallas flopped back on the couch. He quickly threw the pillow back but I covered my head. Dallas yanked my leg again, then laid me on his lap and started tickling me.
“Dallas, stop! I will punch you in the throat!”

He dropped his hands and started laughing. I took advantage and pushed him back on the cushions, straddling his lean hips.
“Hey! That’s not fair,” Dallas chuckled.

“Life isn’t fair. Don’t tickle me unless you wanna wake up dead,” I growled while pinning his arms back.

“Wake up dead? How much sense does that make?”

“I dunno, do you wanna test that theory? Because I will—”

Dallas hit me with another pillow and I flipped back the other way. Damn, I never knew a pillow hurt that much! He had his turn on top then kissed my neck, but I pushed him onto his back then sat up straight. Dallas got up, then wrapped his arm around my upper back, pulling me closer to his warm body. I rested my head on his shoulder, taking in the smell of his yummy cologne; Dallas always smelt so fucking good. He must’ve noticed my sniffing because he pushed the side of my face.
“Hey!” I blew a strand of hair out of my face before sticking my tongue out at him.

“Don’t sniff people, you’re not a dog,” Dallas said.

I started to kiss on his neck, and Dallas sighed (I had my ways). He put his hands on my midriff, then slid his hand down to cup my ass while I grinded my hips down onto his.
“Hey,” Dallas laughed. “Don’t start something.”

I swung my legs the other way then straddled him backwards. Dallas put his face in the crook of my neck and started to lightly kiss me, with his tongue trailing up the side of my neck and to my ear. He was in love with my ears (not in the creepy way) because he loved to play with my earrings and piercings. On the left, I had an industrial piercing, a double hoop helix with tiny blue barbells, and two studs in the lobe. On the right, I had four tiny hoops in the lobe, another single helix, and a forward helix. He loved to tug and lick on them, and it made me crazy.
“Mmm,” I smiled. Dallas moved to my lobe and nibbled the pink ball I had in.

“You taste good,” he whispered. Damn, his warm breath made me moan.

“Well, I do like to taste good,” I giggled.

“Of course you love to taste good. Because I’m the only one who gets to ever taste you.”

I twisted my neck and glared at him. “Oh, really?”

“Yes really, Eris.” He gave me a small peck. I went in again and pushed Dallas back onto the soft cushions of the couch. He looked directly between my legs, obviously thinking about what was covered by my skin-tight leggings. I poked his stomach.

“Don’t look, I wore clothes for a reason,” I chuckled.

Dallas put his head back. “Meanie,” he pouted. Oh no, not the pout! Dallas made thee cutest pouty face, and thee cutest puppy eyes, and I always felt bad.

“No, Dallas! Please don’t, I’ll feel like shit!” I sighed. I put my face in my hands and Dallas started laughing.

“Alright, alright. Come on, I’ll let you leave this time since you have homework.”

I crawled out of his lap then sat up. Dallas walked me to the front door and leaned against the frame before bending down to kiss me. “I love you, don’t text me later,” he said.

I made a hurt face. “Damn. That was harsh.”

“What? I’m not gonna be up, I’m taking my ass to bed when you go.”

“Dallas, it’s only 6pm.”

“And? I slept terrible last night, so, I need to fix it by playing nocturnal.”

“Playing nocturnal? As in, sleep all day, party all night?” I laughed when he nodded.

“Yep, so, don’t text me.” Dallas wrapped me up in his thick arms. He put his hand on the base of my neck then whispered, “Next time, you won’t be leaving.”

“Oh really? And”—I pushed him away—”you won’t either, I may just tie you to the bed then molest you.”

Dallas down peered at me. “What is up with you and molesting?” he snickered.

I shrugged then hugged him around his neck and blew a kiss. “I love you.”

Behind his leg, Riva and Ripley looked at me like little kids—not really coming out, hiding behind Dallas. I waved to them then walked back to the dorms.


Right when I stepped the through the glass doors, my friends Giovanni and Ophelia stopped me.
“Hey, Eris,” Ophelia smiled. She had this bright pink, black and white hair, with dark eyes with vibrant rings of pink and white surrounding her pupils. Her affinity was Flexibility, and I liked to call her “Pretzel” because htere wasn’t a way she couldn’t turn her body.

She handed me a candle. “This is a gift from me and Gi, we wanted to say thanks for the advice.”

“Oh! Thanks! Everyone knows how I am about candles,” I giggled, observing the lavender candle. Last week, Giovanni was scared her powers were dying out because nothing was working, but I helped her locate her “inner Photography” and bring them back. But the unique thing was: Giovanni was Deaf, and Ophelia was her best friend.

Giovanni’s afifnity for Photography was astounding and she found art in everything she saw. Her dark blue eyes reflected her dark purple hair, and the ink of her Maxi swirled around her arms. She never used her disability as an excuse, and she was probably one of my closest friends!

“Thank you,” Giovanni signed, showing me the sign of respect at the end.

“You’re welcome, I gotta go. But I’m glad you got them back.” I smiled, bowed back then ran off to Tao.

Upstairs, I didn’t expect Tao to be sitting on the ground, with Mumble squawking and making a raucous. I giggled when he pecked her hand and made Tao squeal, “Ow!”

“Good job, Mumble. Keep it up,” I said.

“Ugh, hey. How was it with Dallas?”

I kicked my boots off, set the aromatic candle on the nightstand and leaned against the window.
“It was fine,” I sighed. “Hey, is Maz like, dead or something? He wasn’t in any classes, and he didn’t walk you to any Hours.” Tao rolled her eyes and clenched her fists on her knees.

“He’s being a complete asshole. His Dad took him through the portal, but I haven’t heard from him since Tuesday. And all he does is read my messages like they don’t exist,” she said. It was Thursday, so I knew Tao had to be going crazy.

I scoffed. “Well, at least you know he’s not dead. Alright, I have to change and finish my homework.” I peeled off my bottoms, tossed my shirt into the hamper then scampered along to the bathroom.

It took way longer to finish my homework, but after reading my book and playing with Mikey, I flopped down on the bed. Tao came over to me and sat on my legs, obviously prepared to ask me something.
“Yes?” I said from under my arms.

“You want a slushie? You look really tired, and, slushies work magic,” she smiled. I nodded, and Tao made me a cherry slushie.

I sipped the treat like a toddler, and Tao must’ve been happy because she made herself one–though it was just slush, no flavor. We ended up sleeping in the bed together, with our slushies on my nightstand.
====
Thank God the next day was Friday because I was mentally and physically exhausted. Seriously. On the History test, I got 100, and in Art, Verc displayed my work for an example. Wow, I really sounded like a goody-goody…. ew. After Math, I got texts on my phone from Bull.
Bull: Hey, are you done in class??
Me: Yes, why?
Bull: Come to the library.
Me: Fine.

I had already been heading toward the dorms, so I redirected and went to Ria. 57. When I opened the doors, I could see Bear and Bull talking with their mom, and obviously trying to tell her a joke. Bull saw me, then stood up and waved me over like an idiot with a grin so bright that he looked kind of like a mad man. Chryseis rolled her eyes at him when Bear gently punched her shoulder, and she punched him back even harder. She saw me then grinned.
“Hello, Eris. Merry meet,” Chryseis said.

“Hello. Uhm, what do you two want?” I asked the Twins.

They perked up and rose to their feet. “Oh! We need your help,” Bear deeply said.

“We don’t know how the Dewey Decimal System works… so can you help?” Bull gave me the biggest grin ever.

“I guess….”

“Eris, I suggest you run as far as possible; they’ll start depending on you like they’re lost puppies.” Chryseis gave them an annoyed look then smiled again before leaving.

“Ma!” Bear laughed. “That’s not nice!”

“I love you!” Bull called out.

I laughed when Chryseis turned around and gave them a playful finger.
“ What do you guys need?” I asked.

“Uhm, dragons. Particularly babies… that are sick… and shooting themselves into the air.”

“Ah, Riva and RIpley? They’re so cute! But, you left them alone with Dallas?”

Bear nodded as we crossed over to a bookshelf. “He isn’t that bad of a parent. Dallas turns on the game and they’re mesmerised.”

“Ya mean like you?” I glanced back at them as I handed them a thick book.

Bull carried the first book over to the lounge area, and I passed an even thicker one to Bear. He joined his brother in the red chairs then flipped them open.
“Goddamn!” They started coughing and waving their hands at the tons of dust from the book covers.

“Well, that was probably written in 1700 B.C.,” I sighed, kicking my feet up on the table.

Bear skimmed for a while then gasped, “I’ve found nothing!”
Bull took his turn then said, “Oh wow, there’s nothing useful in here!”

“Well, you’ve only read two pages, so, you should look a bit deeper. Pick a number, divide it by 2 or 4, then read that page.”

The Twins got their numbers then flipped through the books again. Bull found something and said, “It’s because mama had a dragon-flu!”

“And, they have terrible immune systems,” Bear mumbled, flipping through more pages as if he’d never held a book before. “This is so not English,” he chuckled.

Bear and Bull looked for a bit more then handed the books back to me like I was a servant. I looked at them as if they were crazy. “Since when am I your servant? God gave you two working legs, so use them.”

Bear made a groan and got louder while he stomped off to the bookshelf, same with Bull and his cute pout. They came back then looked at me like I was the devil.
“Problem? I’m just trying to keep you two in shape,” I deviously smiled but the Twins rolled their eyes.

“We gotta go and check on Dallas, are you coming?” Bull asked, standing up and running his fingers through his cloudy hair.

Every time I stared at his tresses, I just wondered how he made his clothes match something so bright. I was sure his hair was a brighter white than snow, and when I looked at Bear’s hair, it was darker than a summer night sky.

“Nah, I’m gonna stay here. Hey, Bear, can you go ask Zara for a book on Fire? And Earth? And Water? And Air?”

Bear turned the corner of his lip up into a sneer. “Uhm, do I look like a male stripper? Then don’t ask me to please you.”

“That doesn’t make sense, Caine.” Bull looked at him with bright grey eyes but Bear huffed air out of his nostrils.

“If you get it, I’ll buy you a smoothie,” I quickly bribed.

It took Bear about two seconds to sprint to the front desk and come back with the four books. He had an obsession with smoothies; there wasn’t anything Bear wouldn’t do for a smoothie. He gently passed them to me.
“Thanks,” I smiled. “Call me when you really need a smoothie.”

“Okay! Bye,” Bear said. He and Bull walked out of the library then went back to the apartments for Dallas.

Why did I need these books? Good question. Sometime that following week I wanted to cast a circle and “talk with” my affinity. Over a month without powers made me kinda antsy, so I made it a goal to cast a circle at least once so I didn’t freak-the-fuck-out. The books would just show me how to do it properly; no room for screwing up.

I sat the books on the table, side by side then opened the Air first. One thing from rituals I remembered was: Air, Fire, Water then Earth; call them in that order, dismiss them backwards. Since the Twins and Dallas gave me those candles, I’d been illuminating our dorm with them and concentrating on my homework (and it really worked). Casting a circle was completely different: I had to make sure I had a purified space; complete the circle; do it well; 10000000% of my attention is on the circle; have a purpose. Well, I had those answers and items. To purify the space, I could use the lavender batch Nana and Papa gave me, and weave it to make a scented braid. Completing the circle is easy: I just needed a certain amount of area with my candles in a compass organization. And, the rest was fairly easy to do or find or whatever. Studying the Riate words got very confusing, since I was used to the rituals being written in english. Some of the letters got turned over, some had extra lines, most had squiggly lines and twists, and I had to translate all of it! Well, after a difficult study, I picked up the books and crossed over to the colossal desk.

Zara was in her own little world, reading One for the Money and humming a tune.
“Zara—”

“AH!” Zara’s book flew out of her hand and she was all bug-eyed. She sighed when she realized it was me. “I’m sorry, Eris. Pardon me for startling you.”

That little scream she did made me jump. “It’s alright. And, you have a beautiful screaming voice, it is truly outstanding,” I smiled but Zara gave me a look.

She noticed the books against my chest and nodded. “Ah, casting circles, huh. Have any idea when you’ll do it?”

“Yeah, before this month is over.”

Zara nodded as she typed something into her computer, with her pink nails flying across the keyboard. Her dark red hair was pulled back into a low ponytail and she had a cute flower crown on.
“Alright,” Zara grinned. “Feel free to keep them as long as you like, I won’t mind if they’re not returned.”

“Zara, I can’t just do something like that. That’s called stealing,” I was being serious but she laughed.

“Sweetie, it’s not considered stealing if I say you can have them. Heck, I’m the only Professor who’s read all 17,836 of these books, and, I have permission to give them to you. So, study long and hard, and have a great circle.”

She was right: her affinity (Reading, obviously) made her memorize chapters and lines from books, and it made her read twice as fast. So, if she said I could have them, there was no arguing.

I raised an eyebrow. “Thanks, I’ll see you later.” Zara wiggled her fingers at me and I exited the large glass doors.

Not only did I just get four gigantic books, but, I can reread and do an even better job on my circle. With my mental notes, I planned to cast the circle tomorrow, in the woods where it’s secluded and peaceful. I would make an addition to the lavender, and mix some dried eucalyptus to give it a yummy smell. The entire purpose of the circle would be to connect with my powers spiritually, more than just physically and emotionally. Oh! I had to use the candles Dallas and the Twins gave me, and I’d add another candle: the one Giovanni gave to me.

I’d use it for Spirit. I read that Spirit was an affinity, and categorized as an Element, so why not? The purple candle would be in the middle, with the other four in a perfect diamond to connect them all.

Seems like my circle was gonna be pretty darn good. While coming up the stairs in the dorms, my phone buzzed with a text from Dallas.
Dallas: what are u doing?
Me: Why?
Dallas: Answer my question, please.
Me: Going to my room. Why?

Dallas was just asking about his sweatshirt—I kinda took it last time I slept over. He wanted it back, but I wanted to keep it because it smelt like him and it was big and warm! Dallas said he’d steal it back, I highly doubted that he’d do it.

When I walked into the dorm room, Tao was coming out of the shower with a bit of cold smoke radiating from her wet body. She whirled around and smiled. “Hey.”

“Hey,” I waved and smiled back.

“What’d you do after school? I missed you last Hour,” Tao said as she searched for some clothes.

“Oh, the Twins needed me.”

“Hmm. And, what’s up with the books?” She slipped a shirt over her head and glanced at me.

I dropped the books on my desk then laid down on the bed. “Well, I’m casting a circle soon, so I just needed some review.”

“That’s awesome!” Tao clapped her hands together and gave me the happiest smile ever.

I smiled back as she stepped into a pair of gym shorts.

She sneered at her purse on the desk. “Poop. Well, I have to finish this for Kirsi”—Tao pulled a thin stack of papers out of her bag—”and I don’t feel like it.”

“Tao.” I snatched the papers from her. There were only four pages, so it shouldn’t have been that hard. “Half and half?”

“Honey, no. Thank you, I have to do this by myself, because this is stuff I don’t know. You know it, but I don’t.” Tao gently took the papers back and sashayed to her desk.

She put her iPhone on the speaker and turned on Kenny Chesney—oh God. I sat on my bed, listening to her sing along and do her homework. It was funny to watch Tao multitask, because she was super clumsy. The pen kept rolling off of the desktop, so she had to continuously bend over and pick it up. After the eighth time, Tao froze the writing utensil to the desk and continued working. (Great use of power.)

She closed her books and put her stuff away, saying, “Finished!”

“Good job, Tao Chesney,” I muttered.

“You know it. Hey, so I gotta tell you this story.”

“I’m listening…” I drew my eyes to her.

“So, one time when I was 14, there was this boy”—with Tao, there’s always a boy—”and he was real cute. And, I finally grew the tits to go over and say hi, but, I was just so nervous! I went over, he waved, and I freaked out! I accidentally froze his hand like—” Tao had her hands up, and there was a little spark of energy before the power shot out of the window, and sent a strong wind through the room. Tao got flung back onto her bed, and there was a big crackle of ice over our heads. After the ice stopped falling, I sat up and shook the tiny crystals out of my hair. Tao had not moved yet.

“Tao!” I scrambled out of bed and came over next to her, and she hugged me. “Are you okay?”

Her cold body felt even colder, and I was just scared that I would lose her. “That ain’t supposed to happen,” Tao nervously chuckled into my neck. I held her out at arm’s length then smiled.

I pushed a strand of loose hair behind her ear. “Are you sure you’re not hurt?”

“Yeah. But—” Tao flicked her hand out, with the intention of getting ice to hit the wall, but nothing happened. She tried over and over again until she was hyperventilating and frantically talking over me.

“Eris, Eris, my powers! What happened? Eris! Help, I dunno what—”

“Calm down,” I slowly and loudly said. Tao cradled her head in her hands. “Okay, we need to go and alert Brice, because that’s not normal.”

“Right,” she flatly said. Tao was stunned—in all of 14 years, she’d never lost her powers or anything. She grabbed a hoodie then stepped into her boots; I stepped into my shoes and we quickly went downstairs.

It was past curfew, but that was the least important thing right now. What was important was Tao. Some of the girls were sitting in the living room watching MTV, and one of those girls was Giovanni.