My breaths came in quick gasps as I looked at the words written there. Was someone threatening me? I backed away from the mirror quickly, crashing into the doorframe.

As pain reverberated through my shoulder, I ran at full speed out of my room. Down on the first floor, Ms. Rose looked up as I ran to her desk. She dropped her book instantly, and it clattered on her desk with a thump.

"Selene, what's happened?" She asked as she stood, her eyes wide in alarm.

I stumbled over the words. "Someone broke into my room, and they wrote something on the mirror."

She instantly moved past me, quicker than I thought someone her age could move. I followed her, my heart still beating rapidly in my chest.

My room was still dark, save for the scrap of light coming from the bathroom. Loki was still nowhere in sight and my heart squeezed in fear for him.

Ms. Rose entered the bathroom and looked at the mirror. Her face turned an ashy shade of white as she read what they wrote there.

Then she left the room, closing the door behind her.

"Gather your things. You aren't staying here tonight."

I snagged my bag from where I'd left it on the desk. Glancing toward the closet, I wondered how much of the clothing I could carry. But Ms. Rose stopped me.

"I'll send someone else to gather the rest of it. Let's just get you out of here."

I murmured my agreement as Ms. Rose ushered me out of the room, locking the door behind her. And I could have sworn I heard her muttering something under her breath, but then she was leading me away from the room before I was sure.

"I can't find Loki," I said as she lead me downstairs. "Do you think he's okay?"

"I'm sure he was scared when someone broke in and he ran out of the room. He'll turn up, okay?"

I thought about the message and the dark red color that the words had been written with and a shiver slid down my spine. "You don't think whoever wrote that message would have hurt him, do you?"

Ms. Rose gave me a small, worried smile. "I hope that there's no one deprived enough to harm an innocent animal at this academy."

But what if there is? What if someone hurt Loki just to scare me? That thought didn't sit well with me. Mari, Alek, and Celeste didn't like me, but would any of them break into my room and hurt Loki?

I think any of them would have written that message on my mirror though. And considering that the other message had been left in my locker in the girl's locker room, I would place bets on Mari or Celeste.

But I wouldn't rule out Alek completely. He had stopped me in the hallway to threaten me.

It was also possible for Alek and Mari to be working together. It made sense that they'd stick together. But I didn't understand why they would be doing any of this. What had I done to either of them to want me to leave Whitethorn?

For Mari, was this about Jason? Was Naomi right and this was her retaliation for Jason spending time with me? And Alek... he'd made it clear I'd never been his friend. Could he be seeking payback for our childhood?

Ms. Rose led me into a room that was set behind her desk in the entryway. Inside looked homey and inviting, just like Ms. Rose herself.

"Is this where you live?"

She nodded her head. "Yes, this is my home. And I have a spare room that you can stay in tonight. I need to call Inara and let her know what's happened."

"Okay."

She flipped on the lights in a second bedroom. It wasn't huge, but it looked more like a home than my dorm room did. A floral comforter was neatly placed on the bed with matching pillows.

"I know that it'll be hard for you to sleep tonight, but you should try anyway, okay?"

"Yeah, I'll try."

"Okay. I'll let you get settled in. I need to call Inara. But I'll be in the other room if you need me, okay?"

"Thanks." I closed the door softly, looking around the small room. I hadn't had a chance to grab any other clothes from my room, so I guess I'd be sleeping in my uniform tonight. If I even slept at all.

Dropping my bag on the floor, I sat on the edge of the bed. The mattress was just as comfortable as the one in my dorm and I was grateful that it didn't feel all that different.

I thought about texting Naomi to let her know what happened, but then thought better of it. Ms. Rose was taking care of this and Inara would know soon enough. There was no need to worry Naomi for no reason.

And besides, I wasn't sure I was ready to talk about it. Someone had broken into my room and written a threatening message.

I still worried about Loki. The bed felt oddly empty without his fuzzy little self curled up somewhere with me. Wherever he was, I just hoped he was okay.

Exhaustion from the day's events tugged at me, and I slipped into sleep.

I was in Inara's office again. Papers littered her redwood desk and her decanter was open, the topper sitting haphazardly on a stack of manila folders. But Inara didn't seem to care about the paperwork that tried to take over her desk.

The blinds on her windows were closed, but the rays of moonlight filtered in through the slats.

"Do you think she'll show up?" I asked. Inara stood behind her desk as usual, a glass of whiskey held in one of her hands.

Inara's face was devoid of emotion. "It's hard to tell. But we need to know what we're up against. It's nearly impossible to know how much our enemies know without this happening."

"But isn't it risky? He thinks she's dead. We're putting her at more risk. What if her Guide can't keep her safe?"

Inara quirked a smile. "I thought her Guide was adequate enough for you. Or did you want to take over for yourself?"

"That's enough. I've made my opinion clear."

The headmistress sighed and took a long drink of her whiskey. "I'm tired of having the same conversations with you. Nothing will change. No matter how much you think she will not feel the Bond, it is inevitable. You cannot escape this."

"It's better for her."

"That remains to be seen," Inara commented as she sat down in her chair. "But even if you aren't willing to be her Guide, the extra eyes on her, especially in the days to come, will be appreciated."

I stood. "I will do what I can. From a distance."

"I really wish you would reconsider. You would be much better suited to protecting her from closer—"

"Every time you ask, Inara, I will continue to tell you no. I cannot risk it again. And you shouldn't even be asking me. Guides who cannot protect their charges are always dismissed from their positions."

Inara sighed, exasperated. "These circumstances are different. She is perfectly fine."

Before I could leave Inara's office, her phone rang. She picked it up.

"Ms. Rose?"

I tensed, watching Inara intently. Though she rarely showed her emotions, I could sense that something was wrong, very wrong.

"Have you secured the scene? Where is she now?"

"What's happening?" I snapped, though Inara waved me off dismissively with her hand.

Frustration coursed through me. Something felt wrong. And I needed to know what was happening.

"I will be there as quickly as I can." Inara hung up the phone and stood, brushing her skirt down with her hands.

"What is happening?" I asked her again.

"There's been an incident in the girls' dormitory. I need to attend to it."

"What kind of incident?"

Inara clicked her tongue at me. "You've made yourself clear that this is a matter that doesn't concern you. If you'd like to help, go back to your dorm and keep to yourself."

"I can help."

The headmistress sighed. "You can't be half in and half out. That's not the way this works. Now if you'll excuse me, I have an incident to attend to."

Inara shoved her way past me and anger coursed through me, white-hot. For a second, I saw red. And then my dream faded to black.

I woke in a clearing. Stars dotted the sky above me and the smell of smoke clogged the air. The bonfire.

"Selene!" A voice shouted my name, but it was like I was underwater. Everything was muted. "Selene!"

I tried to sit up, but everything hurt. Black dotted my vision and I leaned back against the grass, panting in pain.

More voices could be heard, closer this time.

"Selene!" It was a man who called my name, desperation tinging their voice. "Where are you?"

Footsteps crashed through the woods, leaves and sticks crunching. "Selene, no."

My vision was blurry as the figure approached me. The black spots still danced, distorting my vision further. The voice and the outline looked so familiar to me, but I just couldn't place them.

"I'm too late. I shouldn't have left. I never should have left."

Another set of footsteps. "You aren't too late."

"Natalie?"

"Yes," my mother replied. "You aren't too late to save her. But you need to leave. He's still roaming around these woods and if he senses you, you won't live long enough to protect her."

There was a sniffle. "But she's—"

"She is not dead." My mother stated stiffly. "But you need to leave. You shouldn't be here."

"What's going to happen?"

"She will wake up and I will send her to Whitethorn. But I need you to leave now. But once she's sent away, I'll need you to take care of her. Promise me?"

The voice next to me spoke. "I promise."

I woke from the dream to new voices, outside my bedroom door. The unfamiliar scent of Ms. Rose's rooms made me feel odd and uncomfortable. It didn't smell like home and it didn't smell like my dorm, it just felt different.

"Inara, you promised her mother that we would keep her safe."

"I know what I promised, Eliza. But there are forces at work here that I cannot control. My father couldn't control them, try as he did."

I heard Ms. Rose sigh. "It's not your fault. Our enemies have sought the Academy since its creation. The students are their worst fear. New generations, more people to fight back against them. And now, more than ever, we need to fight back."

"I know. Which is why Natalie's attendance next weekend is important."

Natalie? As in my mother, Natalie? Why was her attendance at something important? And next weekend was Parent's Day. I fought a gasp. Had Inara left that note in my gym locker? That thought sent a cold dread washing over me.

But why? Why was my mother being here so important to Inara that she could have possibly left a threatening note for me to find?

Alek had also been interested in my mother and whether or not she'd be attending Parent's Day. He'd said he wanted to speak to her. Was he part of this?

"But are you sure it's safe? Natalie was clear about making sure we kept her daughter safe. And inviting them here, to Whitethorn, is not keeping her safe." Ms. Rose's voice sounded angry at Inara.

"I don't have many choices left, Eliza. Without Natalie, there's no way of telling what Vincent knew. And I need that information. There are lives at stake here."

My blood ran even colder. Vincent? Had Inara threatened me to make sure I invited my mother so that Vincent would show up? Why? Had Mari not tortured me enough? Did she need to make sure someone actually abused me?

"Inara, these are big risks. Someone is already threatening her. Do you really think inviting one of them here, into our school, is going to make her safer?"

"This isn't up for discussion Eliza. It's already been done."

There was silence, before Inara spoke again. "I know taking care of these girl's is a job you take very seriously, Eliza. And I'm sorry to have to put you in this position. But I cannot defend us against an attack when I'm working blind."

Ms. Rose sighed. "I just think that poor girl has been through enough."

"I do too."

I had heard enough. Between my strange dreams and now this conversation, I wasn't sure how much I could take before I wasn't able to tell fact from fiction. Already, the lines between the two were blurring. How was I even sure this conversation was real? What if I was still dreaming?

And why were these dreams happening? Why were these odd conversations between Inara and this strange person happening? And if they were happening in real life, whose eyes was I seeing through? And why? Most importantly, how?

And why was I having strange, potential flashbacks of the bonfire? All the bits and pieces didn't make any sense. Nothing made sense anymore.

My head hurt and I turned to sneak back to the bed, but I tripped over the area rug and slammed my elbow into the nightstand, sending a loud bang through the room.

Immediately, both voices beyond my door went silent and I froze, my heart beating wildly in my chest.

I didn't know what to do. The silence that reigned outside of the small bedroom I stayed in made me uncomfortable.

Making a snap decision, I stood up and headed for the door, opening it quickly. I immediately squinted against the light.

Inara and Ms. Rose both sat in the other room, each nursing a drink in their hands. I thought again of the strange dreams of Inara. If they were real, Inara sure liked her whiskey.

"Selene," Inara greeted me with a smile. "How are you doing?"

"I guess okay. Tired. It's kind of hard to sleep."

"I know you've endured a lot tonight. And I'm really sorry about that. We're doing all we can to make sure something like this doesn't happen again."

"How are you going to do that?" I shifted my weight awkwardly. Inara's gaze focused on me, as if she were wondering how much of her conversation I'd heard.

Inara gave me a reassuring smile. "For starters, we'll be giving you a new room. One here on the first floor, in sight of Ms. Rose's desk."

I shuffled my weight nervously. "But she can't watch my door every day."

"I am aware of that." Inara said with a nod of her head. "I will hire another staff member or two to watch the desk. As well as installing a security camera."

"Security cameras?"

Inara shook her head. "Just the one camera. I'm not a huge fan of them, but this situation is not one that I take lightly. Whoever broke into your room will not get away with this. I promise you, Selene."

I wrapped my arms around myself. "Is there a bathroom I can use?"

"Of course," Ms. Rose said, speaking up for the first time. "It's right through that door." She pointed at a door directly to her left and I thanked her before heading in.

It was small and decorated with seashells and other beach themed things.

Colorful fish covered the curtain of the small shower, each swimming through a coral reef. Little green pieces of seaweed seemed to wiggle the longer I stared at them.

I blinked several times to clear my vision. When I looked back at the curtain, everything stayed still. Just bright colors.

I must be exhausted, I thought to myself. I'm seeing things.

Looking at myself in the mirror, which was framed with seashells and starfish, was like staring at a stranger. In the few weeks here at Whitethorn, my skin had lost its summer glow, leaving me ghostly and white.

The circles under my eyes had turned a deep shade of violet from lack of sleep. Between the nightmares of the bonfire and the strange, vivid dreams with Inara, I'd lost more sleep than I could keep track of.

Even though I hadn't used it, I flushed the toilet, keeping up the pretense that was what I'd come in her to do. Then I washed my hands, avoiding looking at myself in the mirror again. It was too hard to look at the person staring back at me.

When I was finished, I walked out of the bathroom and back into the small sitting room. Inara and Ms. Rose still sat there, making idle small talk about when they predicted the first winter storm of the season would hit.

"I think I'm going to try and get some more sleep," I told them.

Inara nodded her head. "We'll move you to your new room tomorrow. And if you need to take a day off from classes, I can make sure you're excused."

I gave a small smile and nodded. "That would be great, thanks."

"I'll let your teachers know," Inara said as she set her glass, now empty, aside.

As I disappeared into the small bedroom, I could feel the stares of the two women behind me. But I didn't look back. I closed the door softly behind me and slipped under the quilt left tangled on the bed.

And even though I listened carefully, no more conversations between Inara and Ms. Rose slipped through into my room.