Zander had let her out of the dream easily enough this time. Mara was still visibly shaken when she awoke, but luckily for her, Trixle was still asleep. 

She had gained some insight once again - Zander was most definitely evil, and he had no intentions of changing that. As well as the fact that he can affect her waking mind whenever he wanted. 

Mara cringed at the thought of how he could get inside her head so easily. She looked around the room realizing it was darker than usual and glanced at the clock. It was five thirty in the morning. 

Mara groaned at the early time knowing there was no way she was possibly going to be getting to sleep again any time soon. 

Mara's thought swept back to her dream with Zander, the way he had easily fooled her by thinking he had changed back to her Zander. She still felt like a piece of herself was missing, but for that short moment she had felt whole again. 

Zander had been her first love, or what she thought a love felt like, and the pain from his betrayal and transformation had struck Mara hard. There was a part of her that wanted her old Zander back, hoped he would come back to her. 

Mara brought the pillow up to her face, taking solace in its pliable softness. She could feel a familiar softness rubbing against her arm. The warm fur of her cat soothed her if only a little. 

Sasha just rubbed against her silently, knowing that when Mara was ready, she would speak. 

"Am I a fool for thinking that he could be saved?" She whispered to her cat.

"Being hopeful does not make you a fool, being blind to the truth does. You are not blind Mara, you are simply hopeful.

A single tear slid down Mara's cheek, glistening in the faint glow from what was left of the moon before it melded into the sky, disappearing into the oncoming sunrise.

The sound of Trixle stirring brought Mara out of her slump and she quickly erased any signs of distress from her face. 

The two girls got ready for class in relative silence, the whole time Trixle was dancing around any topic of dreams. Secretly, she wanted to know if Zander had done it again, but she was also afraid of what the answer could be. 

When Mara walked into the classroom she completely ignored Avaline sitting near the front. She never spared a glance in her direction as she made her way towards the back of the room taking a corner spot. 

As the room filled Mara made herself seem as unapproachable as possible. She wanted to deal with as few people as she could manage. Each person around her made her feel like she was suffocating. 

Mara absentmindedly jotted down notes, paying little attention to what was going on in class. 

A foggy haze moved through Mara's brain that made all attempts of concentration futile. She thought she saw shadows darting across the room from the corner of her eyes. Slight tricks of the eye, when she looked their way, they disappeared. 

It felt like tiny insects were walking up her arms, little prickling sensations traveling across her skin. And despite being in the back corner, it felt like there were eyes constantly watching her. 

Mara gripped the pencil in her hand tightly and shut her eyes trying to make the sensations go away, but the harder she tried, the stronger everything got. 

Soon she felt like she was sitting between two restless shadows, they were bouncing around, always just out of sight. 

A whispered sound that resembled laughter ran inside her head, causing Mara to cover her ears. 

This has to be Zander! He is trying to make me go crazy! 

As soon as class was over, Mara ran from the room in search of her friends in their usual place. When she got to the table though, only Trixle and Emmett were there. 

"We appear to be short one person." Mara said as she sat down next to Trixle. 

"He usually comes in with Emmett." Trixle said turning towards him next to her.

"Why isn't he with you?" She asked.

"I- he was called down to the office." Emmett said staring intently at the table top. 

Trixle and Mara exchanged questioning glances.

What would Marx be called to the office for? 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marx made his way down the hall and approached Headmistress Varkov's office door. When he turned the knob and stepped inside, the person sitting in the chair was the last person he expected to see that day. 

Sitting in the chair on the other side of the desk was not Cecilia Varkov, It was Marx's father, Makortax.

"Father." Marx grunted stepping inside the office. 

He stood shifting from side to side uncomfortably as his father turned to face him in the chair. 

"Son."

Silence filled the air, neither one made a sound and Marx could feel disappointment radiating off of his father. He knew.

Marx wasn't sure how he knew, but he did. He knew that Marx had been with Mara.

Makortax stayed silent, as if willing his son to speak and confess, but Marx knew better than to admit anything straight away. Especially to his father. 

"Would you like to tell me why I am here son?"

"We do share a link father, but I am afraid only you know why you are here."

Makortax looked annoyed at his for trying to play games. Marx knew just the right buttons to push when he wanted, and today he felt like pushing them.

"You were with that witch again."

"Mara. She has a name, and it's Mara."

"It does not matter what her name is the fact of the matter is that you disobeyed me!" His father shouted, slamming his fist down on the desk hard. 

Marx didn't flinch, flinching would show a sign of weakness and he was not weak. He kept his eyes level with his father's not blinking once. Not giving anything away.

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

"I have my sources around here. I know what you have been up to."

Panic flooded through Marx, did his father know everything like he said, or was he just fishing for a reaction. If it was the latter Marx was going to make sure he gave nothing away. 

"You were with the witch at lunch yesterday."

"Yes, she is friends and roommates with Trixle. If I want to eat with my friend then I have to eat with her as well, father."

"Do not lie to me!" His father growled. 

"I'm not lying. She is roomma-"

"You know very well what I am talking about Makortax, and you had better stop avoiding it. You were given specific orders to stay away from that girl and you will do what I say. Need I remind you the repercussions if you do not heed my words?" 

"No father you don't."

"Would it be better if you switch schools? Easier for you to stay away from her then?"

There was no real question there. His father knew he would not see Mara again if he left Shadow's Edge, what chance would he have? He couldn't let that happen. He needed to find who his father's sources were and make sure they couldn't betray him any longer. 

"No father. I understand completely. As you said, a witch has no place to be a mate to a wolf." He bowed his head slightly giving up the fight. He knew pressing the issue futher would have a less than pleasant outcome. Marx knew it could get worse than a yelling by his father. 

"And you will stop these interactions?"

"I will eat at the same table with Emmett and Trixle. But I will pay no mind to... the witch."

Marx felt dirty referring to Mara in that way. He felt it demeaning and he wanted to take it back, but he knew he couldn't, not now.

His father looked down on him as if he wasn't completely satisfied, which he wasn't. He probably would remain unsatisfied until Marx and Mara ate in separate rooms, but that wasn't going to happen. For now, he would settle with no interactions. 

Makortax nodded signifying the end of the conversation. Marx turned abruptly and opened the door to leave. 

"Son." 

Marx paused in the threshold waiting for what came next, preparing for anything. 

"I love you." 

The words shocked him coming after their feud, how he was able to say those words after tearing his son's worlds to shreds baffled Marx. 

Marx just grunted in response, not sparing a glance back at his father as he left the room. He passed Headmistress on his way down the hall, and he was met with sympathetic eyes. 

Cecilia had always liked him. She didn't normally care for the royals, thinking they were undisciplined and spoiled. She had grown up with Marx's father, sister, and brother as well as Torlak and his sister and they were less than the ideal students.

Trixle and Marx had taught her to see that not all of royal descent acted that way though. They weren't anywhere near perfect, but they also were not the children she had grown up with. 

She also knew what it felt like to be told she was wrong. Her parents had been fae and witch, and her kind were looked down upon. A mixture between the two, fitting in nowhere. The body and coloring of a witch, with the eyes of the fae, and her power, though it was strong, would never be whole one way or the other. 

She didn't know exactly what Marx was going through with his father, but she had sympathy for his struggles nonetheless. 

When Marx finally made it to the lunch room, lunch was nearly half over. He trudged to the table and sat on the other side of Emmett. He was suddenly cautious of everyone. Any person in the room could be his father's eyes. 

As Marx tried to process the information he stared at the table, saying nothing a grunt of acknowledgement as he seated himself. 

It almost appeared as if Marx was trying to burn a hole right through the surface of the table. 

If only looks could kill. Mara thought as she stared at him. 

Marx had yet to lift his eyes to them even once, and that worried Mara. He was never the type of person to sulk and ignore his friends. 

Trixle and Emmett were engaged in their own conversation, one that Mara had been tuning out for a while now. She could barely focus on anything today, and it was in part to the man inside her head that was trying to make her go crazy. 

She hadn't told her friends about it, because what was there to do? They would just worry about the fact that Zander could have a hold on her every hour of every day. 

Mara started dragging her fingers across the table willing the surface to obey her. 

                   What's wrong? 

The letters had appeared in front of Marx, she knew it had worked. His head flinched slightly in her direction but that was all the reaction she got. He wasn't going to talk, and he wasn't going to look up.

                  You should smile :) It always looks good on you.

She thought she would try to touch on his huge ego that was based on how attractive he thought he was. Which, she had to admit to herself, he was extremely attractive. 

Mara thought she heard a soft chuckle come from him, but she couldn't be quite sure. 

Lunch was almost over, but Mara didn't feel like going to class. There was so much on her mind and she wouldn't be able to focus anyways with Zander playing tricks with her head. If it even truly was Zander and she wasn't going going crazy. 

Mara thought she would give one last effort towards Marx before she left. 

                Skipping class, meet in the spot if you want to talk.

She hoped he knew she was referring to the supply closet. She figured at the time of day it would be completely empty up there. Hopefully they wouldn't get caught for skipping, if he even decided to show. At least she wouldn't get caught. 

Mara said her partings and went up the stairs. She found the supply closet they had been in the other night and stood outside for a few moments. She had made a trip around the area and the floor had appeared to be empty of students as well as faculty. 

Just as Mara was about to give up her hopes of Marx showing up, she saw his familiar brown hair and tanned skin rounding the corner. She smiled at the sight of him walking towards her. 

"Hey. What was up with you down there?"

"Another talk with my father." He mumbled. 

"He has people watching us Mar."

Mara frowned, that definitely wasn't what she thought he was going to say.

"What?"

"He knows that we are still talking. I don't think he knows about... by the stairs. But he knows about the rest. He has someone reporting back to him. It could be anyone."

"Have you talked to Emmett about it?"

"No, this just happened. But I don't know if I can trust Emmett."

Mara raised her eyebrows at that. How could Marx possibly say he didn't know if he could trust Emmett.

"Emmett's you're friend."

"But if he got a direct order from the king he would not be able to refuse it. He is a wolf after all."

Marx was acting like a wounded puppy. She couldn't blame him though - he thought his best friend might be betraying him, and she of all people knew how much that stung. 

"I can't talk to you at lunch anymore."

Mara felt like she had been slapped across the face. He couldn't talk to her anymore. He couldn't be seen with her. Everything had to be kept in the dark.

This was not how she had imagined any of her relationships would go. She was supposed to be able to go out and enjoy the company of her boyfriend. To be able to go around with her friends and sometimes be bashfully ashamed to call him hers.

Mara hid her reaction and her thoughts. She couldn't let him see, it would only make him feel worse and she knew he was already struggling over the situation. 

She leaned against the wall and bent her head down so she could see Marx's eyes. 

"Hey. Remember our saying."

Marx smiled slightly and looked up through his lashes. 

The look made Mara melt. Ever since she had stopped denying the connection between the two, her feelings for Marx had gotten stronger. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, in their current situation it would seem like the latter. 

"I will just have to charm my way into your daddy's heart." Mara said grinning.

At that Marx chuckled. 

"Charm your way. I feel like you would do more charging than charming." He looked up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear looking deep into her eyes. 

"Oh I don't know, I think I could be rather graceful about it." She winked at him, making him laugh even harder. 

"There, that's better." Mara said smiling. 

"What would I ever do without you Mara?" Marx asked as he touched her cheek lightly.

"Well, you wouldn't be getting in so much trouble for starters." 

"Ah, well that would be boring."

"Mhm. Very boring indeed." 

Marx leaned in to kiss her, it was a soft, gentle kiss. One that was full of promises for a future they would make sure they found. Mara welcomed the feel of his lips on hers, wished they could stay like that. 

When he pulled back again, she screamed. She was looking into the green, sinister eyes of Zander. His mouth was open, showing a toothy grin and his eyes were locked on hers. 

She closed her eyes and turned her head, facing the wall as she started to shake. 

Marx wanted to grab her shoulder, he wanted to know what happened, but he was afraid to scare her more. 

"Mara?" He asked, settling for rubbing her back lightly.

"Mara, what's wrong?"

Mara drew in a shaky breath realizing what had happened. He had gotten to her again. She turned to face Marx, trying to wipe off any signs of fright. 

"It's nothing." She half smiled. 

"That was not nothing." Marx's brows furrowed.

Mara sighed, weighing her options. She could either tell Marx, get it out in the open so she could have at least one person to talk about it with. Or she could hide it from him. She thought about just keeping it from him, thinking he would worry more about knowing what it was that was bothering her than just knowing there was something bothering her. 

She finally decided it would be better to just tell him. 

"Zander doesn't have to wait until I'm asleep to get into my head. He can do it while I'm awake too. He just plants images there and I see them."

"Wh-"

"Before you ask, I don't know how. I don't know anything about any of it." 

Tears threatened to break free from her eyes and she blinked them away. 

"Hey, look at me" Marx said pulling her chin up until she was looking into his eyes. 

"Everything is going to be okay." He pulled her into an embrace, holding her tightly. 

She was surprised at how calm he was about the whole thing, she had expected much more than that. She was starting to learn to always expect the unexpected around here. 

She smiled slightly and let Marx hold her in his arms. An embrace that was tender and strong. It brought a type of comfort that she couldn't even begin to describe.