"I won't hide anything from you again. Where is everyone?"

"The boys are in the Common."

Nodding, I quickly got up, slipping into the bathroom to wash up. I took a quick shower, slipping out in my towel to find Star sitting on the bed, engrossed in a movie on the TV. Laughing, I walked towards the closet grabbing a pair of pants and a sweatshirt and slipping it on before motioning to her I was done. We headed out, arm in arm down the hall.

As we walked down the hall, nobody was glaring at me. In fact, many were shooting me warm smiles. I turned to Star to find her grinning at me from ear to ear.

"What is going on?" I asked, confused at the lack of sour expressions.

Before she could reply, I heard someone call out my name.

"Alice?" I cocked my head in confusion as she walked quickly towards us with a flock of girls by each side.

Glancing from Star to me, she said, "Saron, I'm so sorry. We all are," she said, gesturing to the girls who were nodding solemnly.

"What for?" I replied, knowing good and well where this was going. I just wanted to see her squirm.

Clearing her throat, she continued, "We were wrong about you. I shouldn't have kicked you out. You saved all of us and you risked your life for us even though we weren't nice to you."

"It wasn't for you but thanks," I replied, honestly. I couldn't care less about any of them. The only ones I cared about were my friends and my mate. Although I appreciated the apology, it was fake. I could see it from the hesitation in her eyes. They still feared me and that would never change.

Nodding in understanding, she added, "You can come back to the section as well."

Laughing dryly, I replied, "Thanks, but I never needed your permission."

I started to walk away before a thought popped into my mind. I turned around to find her still standing there.

"Hey, Alice what do you need to do to become leader of the section?"

The color drained from her face as she gulped. I smiled, stepping closer to her as I waited for a reply.

"The uh- the girls vote for who they want. Why do you ask?"

"Star is running for leader," I stated before grabbing Star and pulling her away.

"SARON, WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?" She wailed, pushing me away.

"I think you'd be a great leader."

"Why don't you do it?"

"They fear me. They like you," I answered, honestly.

"And I don't like that bitch," I added when I noticed her sad gaze, causing her to burst in laughter.

"There she is," called out Joel from the Common. They rose from the table they were settled behind, running out to meet us.

"SARON!" Jeremy yelled, picking me up and spinning me around in excitement. I giggled, hugging him back. Once he let me down, Joel hugged me tightly before walking over to Star and planting a kiss on her lips.

I raised my eyebrows at the sight, looking to Tom who laughed at my expression.

"Okay, love birds settle down," Jeremy commented, dramatically covering his eyes.

I felt a buzz as my phone started vibrating in my pocket. I pulled it out to see a text from Zion.

You awake?

Yes, meet us at the Caf

My stomach rumbled in hunger at the memory of the Cafeteria.

Reading my mind, Tom said, "Let's go eat."

We chatted away the entire way to the Cafeteria until I spotted Zion, waiting in front of the Cafeteria. My heart swelled at the sight of him as he shot me that crooked smile that made my blood rush. I flitted quickly, towards him throwing my arms around him tightly. I missed him so much. Tears pricked the back of my eyes which I quickly blinked away before planting a kiss on his cheek.

"How are you?" he asked, smiling at me brightly.

"I'm good now," I replied, my body heating up from our contact.

"Ahem," Jeremy said loudly, letting us know we were not alone.

"Sorry," I said sheepishly, turning to face them. We walked into the Cafeteria, quickly getting food before settling down at a table. Students flocked the table, trying to get a picture or autograph. Some even brought me gifts to thank me for saving them. I was overwhelmed, not accustomed to being so popular.

"Alright guys, let us eat," Star said, dismissing them.

Letting out a sigh of relief, I dove into the food before me. We chatted away as we hungrily devoured the food before us.

"Saron, can I get a selfie?" Jeremy taunted, raising his phone up to imitate the students.

"Shut up!" I said, laughing.

"Looks like I'll have competition for your attention now," Zion teased, grinning.

"Never," I assured him, squeezing his hand in comfort.

"Have you seen Edward yet?" Tom asked.

"Yes, I saw him yesterday when I woke up."

"We haven't even seen him since he woke up," Star said.

"You've all met him?" I asked, perking up.

"Yeah, he's kind of scary," Jeremy admitted.

"Zion wanted to kill him," Joel added, playfully shoving him with his elbow.

Noticing my change in expression, Zion asked, "What's wrong?"

I glanced around the table, noticing all their worried expressions before deciding to spill. I told them everything Edward had told me about Liam and the effect on my magic.

It became so silent, I could hear everyone's heart beat quicken at the news. I felt horrible for telling them. I was only stressing them out. But, I couldn't bear to hide the truth from them again.

"So Liam has dark magic and you can't use your powers," Jeremy said, slowly.

"Liam MIGHT have dark magic. I can use my powers but Edward said the dark magic may have effected my powers so I have to be careful."

"So what now?" Tom asked, hopelessly.

"We can't do anything but wait. If what Edward said is true, it's a matter of time till he comes for me."

"And we're just to sit and wait for him to come kill you?" Joel asked, incredulously.

"What other choice do we have?"

With a crack, I whipped my head around to find a crushed glass in Zion's bloody hands. His eyes also had turned red, his fury activating his vampire side.

I quickly took the glass out of his hand, putting the large shards on the platter. He was looking straight ahead, avoiding my gaze.

I grabbed his face, turning him to face me as I whispered, "it's okay."

His eyes slowly softened as they turned back to their usual green color. His fangs sunk back into his gums and he let his stiff body relax until he returned to himself.

"I can't lose you again," he said, hurt deep in his eyes.

"You won't."

Turning to the others I said, "None of you will."

"Everyone thought you were dead so Liam might not know you're alive yet," Star said.

"We have time to come up with a plan but first, we need to talk to Edward."

Nodding, Zion wiped the blood off of his now healed hand before rising up. We followed him out of the Cafeteria as he took down a new hallway, one I hadn't been down before.

"Where are you-" Jeremy asked, confused

"You want to see your father right?" he replied, turning to me.

"You know where he is?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes, I followed him when he first got here."

I eyed him suspiciously before deciding not to press him further. We followed him silently until we got to a doorway at the end of the hall. There was an electronic combination lock and no handle in sight. I raised my hand to the door to knock when Zion quickly tapped a code into the door, unlocking it. I whipped my head around to look at him in confusion.

He opened the door, motioning for me to enter first before following.

"Zion, nice to see you again."

Edward flitted quickly out of a nearby room until he was standing before us with a warm smile upon his face.

"Aren't you going to ask how I got in?" asked Zion, eying Edward in confusion.

"I know you've been following me Zion. If I were in your shoes, I'd be suspicious as well."

He darted away, back into the room he had appeared from. I looked back at Star who was standing silently behind Zion, watching the brief interaction. She shrugged, telling me she was just as lost as I was. I stepped forward, zooming straight into the room he had emerged from.

I gasped at the sight of it. The room was messy, the floor covered with books of all kinds. There were crumbled wads of paper scattered all around the room as well as vials of all kind, marked in Latin. I looked around, not finding one spot of the room untouched. There were piles of magical junk dispersed about. He had been studying, probably since he had first arrived from the looks of it. He was desperately searching for something.

"Shit," Jeremy commented, as he stepped into the room slowly, careful not to step on any of the magical objects.

"You can say that again," Joel agreed, whistling in awe at the clutter before us.

"What are you looking for?" I asked curiously, tearing my eyes away from the room to gaze into his eyes.

"Perhaps it's best if we talk alo-"

"They know everything. Tell me."

He raised his eyebrows in surprise, darting his eyes to Zion and the others before turning his attention back towards me.

"You realize you have put them all in danger."

"They're in more danger if they don't know what's coming. Now they'll be on the lookout," I replied, shooting a smile back at my friends to let them know I didn't regret my decision.

He silently watched me, hesitating to say what was on his mind. Noticing his uncertainty, I spoke up to reassure him. 

"I trust them. Now tell me what it is you've been searching for."

With a sigh of defeat, he shook his head before elaborating.

"Shortly after I woke up, Snow informed me of Liam's possible return-"

"Snow?" I interjected, raising a brow in confusion.

"Your headmaster," he corrected before continuing.

"Breaking the spell that held the Five was a powerful spell but since the dark magic was split into 5 beings, it was easier to draw out. The more dark magic that is used, the harder it will be to draw out. When dark magic is used in mass within one body, the magic bonds with that body, becoming a part of the bones, muscles, veins, blood, etc. It performs a more permanent attachment, making it damn near impossible to draw out. I need not remind you of your encounter with the darkness inside of me.  Liam is the most powerful vampire to exist. No doubt he knows more about magic than any of us in this room. It will be nearly impossible to defeat him, even with your power. There is only one spell that can defeat him. Legends call it the Three Torem spell. I have never heard of the spell so I have been searching for it. As you can see, I haven't been successful in my endeavors," he said, waving his hand at the crowded room.

"What is the Three Torem spell?" Tom asked.

"The Three Torem spell requires two people. The spell is much too powerful to be done with one person, regardless of the power they possess. There are three parts to completing the spell. First, you must bind with the Earth. Saron, you already have completed that part. The purest magic is necessary in order to defeat dark magic. We are in the process of searching for a powerful witch who possesses Earth magic. They're almost impossible to find now since witches tend to gather in covens to combine their magic. The second part of the spell is binding together. You must bind with the witch with blood so you can complete the spell as one. The last part is carrying out the spell to draw the magic out of Liam."