Sierra sits on the grey couch in the salus lounge, decorated with a green and silver theme in mind. Noah is sprawled on a bean bag, looking up at the ceiling, seeming to be contemplating life's deepest secrets. On the other hand Lucas and Zoe have their noses in their phones, scrawling through someone's Instagram accounts. This had become a thing for Lucas and Zoe, they would find one person and scroll through their social medias trying to analyse and discover new facts about them through the photos and captions.

Over the past two weeks, this had seemed to become a place for the candidates to hang out and she can't believe they hadn't stepped foot in here before. Her laptop sits heavy on her thighs as she glances between the screen and the thick book next to her. She is nearly done with her Magical Arts assignment, when the large doors burst open and the somewhat silent room is now full with Alec, Amisha and Orion's chattering voices. Well, mostly Alec and Orion's.

Amisha and Alec seat themselves across from Sierra on the dark green couch, and Sierra doesn't miss the lack of distance between the pair. Since Aarush's funeral, a week ago, she had noticed that Amisha and Alec had gotten closer. Orion perches himself onto the bean bag next to Noah, and Sierra's heart gushes as Orion leaves a quick peck on Noah's lips.

"You didn't close the door," Zoe mutters, her eyes still glued to the phone in her hand. In response, Alec shrugs nonchalantly.

"Where's Day?" Sierra asks, before she can stop herself.

Alec raises an amused eyebrow, and even Orion's interest piques.

"You're wholly interested in Day's whereabouts," Amisha states, her eyes knowing. Though Sierra had yet to tell anyone about what had aspired the morning of Aarush's funeral, Amisha and Noah had both pestered her to no end as they could tell something had changed between the two.

"Wholly? English people and their weird as words," Lucas interjects, with a chuckle.

Amisha rolls her eyes in response.

"I'm not," Sierra replies, stubbornly.

"Oh yeah, is that why you've been checking your phone constantly?" Noah teases.

Sierra's cheeks flush with colour. "I couldn't care less if Day texted me or not, nor do I care about his whereabouts."

"That's harsh, Kingsley. Here I thought, we had something."

Sierra's head snaps towards the open door, where Day stands closing the door behind him, unlike Alec had done earlier. Sierra would've been worried about offending him, if she hadn't noticed the smile on his face.

"I didn't mean it like that," she mutters, as Day joins Sierra on the couch. She clears her throat. "I was just asking where you were, because I wanted to speak to everyone about something that's been on my mind."

The sentence being half a lie, Sierra looks around as everyone's' faces sober up.

"What is it?" Zoe asks, with concern etched on her face.

"Uh, Principal Cashore spoke to me about having back up plans, about preparing, and similarly, Gwendolyn Highmore had talked to Day. So Day and I have been talking about plans. Noah and I have been thinking too."

"So what is the plan?" Alec asks, his voice lacking its usual chirpiness.

"Well, Noah, Day and I have been withdrawing money. We've been gathering supplies and resources. And we've been looking into possible hideouts."

"What can we do?" Amisha asks.

And then Sierra pulls out the stack of papers.

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

"Have you heard?" Sierra asks, as her hands move up to block Amisha's punch.

"Heard what?" Amisha replies, her eyes watching the controller witch's movements with intensity, not wanting to miss the movement of a wordless spell.

"They announced the ball," Noah adds, from behind Amisha just as a brick flies towards her.

"Desino!" Amisha yells, the brick stopping in mid air. "That is ridiculous, how is this an appropriate time for a ball?"

Sierra shrugs, thinking the same thing. "It's to celebrate the academy's anniversary."

With another wordless incantation, Noah's hands move and a powerful gust of wind heads toward Amisha.

"Contego Noxa."

"Prasedium contritum!" Sierra screams, and the shield Amisha had conjured shatters, and the gust of wind hits Amisha.

"Vitreus caelic certium," Sierra chants just as quickly, and Amisha's flying body, levitates back to where she was standing.

"You are wicked, Kingsley, and way too fucking smart for your own good," Amisha says, an impressed smile on her face.

Sierra shrugs, abashedly. "Two against one, hardly anything to be impressed by."

"How did you know she was going to conjure a shield and not attack back?" Noah asks, with a head tilt.

Sierra smiles. "Amisha's too smart not to shield. It'd be futile trying to redirect something you've conjured."

"Fuck off, you dick!"

Sierra turns around with wide eyes, to see Alec on the ground with an unbothered Day standing near him.

Noticing the eyes on him, Alec brushes the dirt off him.

"Someone else practice with this fucker, he's too fucking smug for me to deal with," Alec mutters, walking towards Amisha.

Day meets Sierra's eyes challengingly and she moves towards him, almost uncontrollably.

"Mittius!"

Day dodges the flying pot plant coming his way, with wide and incredulous eyes. He barely has enough time to conjure a shield to avoid the impetus Sierra had thrown his way.

"Oppugnatio," Day says, moving quickly, "Contego Noxa!"

Attack. Shield. Attack. Shield.

Day's eyebrows furrow in concentration, and his lips thin into a grim line. His hand moves in similar motions that he'd seen Noah do before. He watches as water splashes onto Sierra, soaking her head to toe.

Noah freezes.

Sierra halts, her eyes wide.

"How did you just do that?" Alec questions, bewilderment evident.

Day glances at his hand, and then Sierra and then Noah. He gulps before answering, "I used Noah's magic."

"Like consuming it?" Amisha asks, her dark eyes narrowing into slits.

With comprehension clear, Sierra interjects, "No, like channelling it."

Day nods.

"That's bloody brilliant," Amisha remarks, her face conveying her surprise.

"Bloody brilliant indeed," Noah adds, understanding just how powerful the consumer witch in front of him, really is.