Magic class was as frustrating as ever, since I still couldn't conjure a single piece of magic. The crystal ball, tucked into my backpack, seemed to mock me.

Mari openly mocked me, making rude comments and gestures. Mrs. Tate, if she noticed, said nothing. I wasn't sure if that made me frustrated or if Mrs. Tate knew saying something would only make the bullying worse.

The rest of the class focused on controlling their magic by doing small, simple tasks. Wind users cast a breeze that ruffled feathers held in front of them. Candles were lit by fire users. A beautiful flower bloomed from a small ceramic pot in front of Naomi. Green magic swirled around her fingertips, setting her face aglow.

Since I'd been unable to conjure any form of magic, Mrs. Tate had assigned me reading on magical blocks. She hoped it would lead to answers on why my magic wouldn't manifest. But with Mari and Nadia snickering behind me, it was hard to focus.

When Mrs. Tate dismissed class, I'd read practically nothing. I slipped the book into my bag, where it sat next to the crystal ball. Both were reminders of my failures in this class.

Naomi walked with me out of the classroom, though she was silent. I knew she could sense my mood. I'm sure my face made it clear that the class irritated me.

In front of us, Mari whispered with Nadia. They turned to look back at me before snickering uncontrollably. Next to them, Alek looked unamused. Mari said something else and Alek responded, but whatever he said made Mari angry. Her smile fell from her face and her eyes narrowed. She said something back, before stomping away.

"Your magic will respond to you eventually," Naomi told me as we watched Mari shove through the students crowding the hall. "You just have to give it time."

"How much time?" I grumbled. I'd spent hours and hours with the crystal ball, trying to find some source of that magic inside of me. But there was nothing. Not a single spark.

Naomi gave me a sympathetic look. "It takes some people longer than it takes others. Especially those who didn't know their heritage until they Emerged."

"I caused so much damage when I Emerged. Why can't I access that magic again?"

"It just takes time. Trust yourself and it'll come to you."

I said nothing, though I just felt deflated. I was so far behind everyone else here. What if I never caught up?

I chewed on my bottom lip nervously, not paying attention to where I was going. When I collided with a solid mass, I let out a small grunt as I stumbled backward.

Jason stood in front of me, grinning widely. Naomi's cheeks went a bright pink color before she gave a wave and disappeared into the crowd.

I stared after her for a second before turning to look at Jason.

"Hey new girl," Jason said as he started to walk with me. "You gotta learn to watch where you're going. Though I'm glad you ran into me this time instead of that asshole."

"Yeah, I'm working on my walking skills," I replied, though it was halfhearted.

"What's wrong?" He asked, the concern written clear on his face.

"I'm just frustrated. I nearly killed a bunch of people with my magic, but now it's like it doesn't even exist. Is it possible to lose it?"

My frustration at the whole ordeal was making me crazy.

"You can lose it, but it's not usually caused by Emerging. Some spells can be too powerful and can take it, or sometimes people can take it from you if they're powerful enough, but that's pretty rare."

"So what you're saying is that this is just a me problem."

"Maybe you just need some extra help," Jason said. "How about we meet up after my last class and I can try to help you out."

"You'd do that?"

Jason gave a laugh. "You make it sound like spending time with you is the worst thing in the world."

"I'm just a little surprised, I guess."

"It's not the first time I've offered to spend time with you," Jason reminded me.

I could feel the embarrassed blush as it spread across my face. The other times he'd offered, I'd blown him off. "I'd love some help. But I have detention tonight with Coach Knight."

"I can pick you up at the gym and we can head to the library after your detention."

"I'd love that. Thank you."

"I'll see you tonight then, new girl."

***

The rest of the day passed too quickly and before I knew it, I was headed to my detention in the gym.

Alek was already there, his lips set into a thin line as a muscle feathered in his jaw. His arms were crossed across his chest. As if he could sense my presence, he tensed further, though he never once looked at me.

Before the tension crept too high, Coach Knight stepped out of her office, her typical no-nonsense expression on her face.

"I want this gym cleaned, top to bottom. There's a closet over there," she pointed a finger behind the two of them, "where you can find all necessary supplies. When it's spotless, then you can be free for the evening."

Without another word to either of them, Coach Knight headed back into her office, shutting the door forcefully behind her. There was an awkward beat of silence, before I moved toward the closet.

It was small, barely enough space for a few spray bottles, hanging on hooks, a broom and a mop with a bucket. Several clean rags were folded in a basket. I grabbed a spray bottle and a rag, before turning around.

I nearly collided with Alek, who was barely a step behind me.

"What the hell?" I asked him, trying to step a little farther away from him. But there wasn't anywhere to go.

"Watch where you're going," Alek snapped at me. His eyes were narrowed and I could feel the anger that radiated off him in waves.

"This whole situation is your fault," I snapped back. "If you weren't such a stuck-up ass, we wouldn't even be serving this detention right now."

Instead, I'd be in a study room at the library with Jason. The thought sent butterflies coursing through my belly.

"Stay out of my way," Alek said. "I want nothing to do with you."

"Whether you want to or not, we're paired together for these stupid training sessions. Ignoring me in class isn't going to make any of this go away. Do the bare minimum and I'll stay away as much as I can." Maybe I could even convince Jason to help me with training outside of class time. At least that way I wouldn't need Alek's help so much.

Alek was silent, as if he were considering my statement. "Bare minimum," he finally agreed. Then he stepped to the side, allowing me to pass by him.

From her open doorway, I could see Coach Knight watching the two of us. She met my gaze for a second, before she turned her attention back to whatever sat in front of her on her desk.

Not wanting to deal with another confrontation with Alek, I moved as far across the room as I could, setting my sights on the free weights. I took my time, carefully cleaning each one, never looking up from my task to see where Alek was.

He was silent the rest of the time we were there, but there were times I could have sworn I felt his gaze on me. Or maybe I was just paranoid. After all, I still wasn't sure if he played any part in Samantha or Oliver's deaths.

I wasn't even sure if he truly was at the bonfire that night. All the dreams were a jumbled mess. And I couldn't tell if it was fiction or reality.

The sound of a door opening finally made me snap my head up. Mari walked in, her eyes narrowing as she glanced my way. Then she snapped her gaze to Alek, a smile that didn't seem sincere crossing her features.

"Hey you," she said as she reached him. She reached her hands out, as if to hug him or touch him, but Alek moved back a step. I could see the anger that flared through her, but she was quick to plaster a smile on her face again.

"I'm not done with my detention," Alek said, gesturing to the broom he held in his hands. A small pile of dirt sat at his feet.

Mari threw a strand of her ice-blonde hair behind her shoulder. "She can finish," she snapped, waving a careless hand in my general direction.

My stomach dropped slightly as I remembered the way magic had curled around her fingers during training. Would she try to use her magic against me now? Coach Knight hadn't emerged from her office, and there was no sign that she would. Without access to my own magic, I was defenseless against anything Mari would do.

A cold sweat broke out across my skin. Alek certainly wasn't going to defend me.

Alek said nothing, but turned away from Mari instead to continue his sweeping of the floor. She made an indignant sound in the back of her throat, before turning to glare at me.

She stalked closer, her heels leaving impressions in the mats as she walked. I thought briefly about spraying her in the eyes with whatever chemicals were in the cleaning solution I still carried. But provoking the beast probably wasn't the greatest idea.

"I don't know what sort of game you're playing," Mari sneered, her voice low enough that I doubted Alek could hear, "but stay away from Alek. He's mine."

The way she said it made it seem like she was so sure I wanted anything to do with Alek.

I snorted, an undignified sound that made Mari's sneer turn to a look of disgust. "I don't want Alek. Trust me. This situation irritates me just as much as it does you. And if I could change it, I would."

She didn't look like she believed me, but I didn't care. I stepped around her to put my cleaning spray away and drop the rag into the dirty laundry basket.

When I turned to leave the closet, Alek was once more behind me. He didn't attempt to move any closer to me this time, which I was thankful for. Mari wouldn't have hesitated to murder me.

I stepped around Alek and found Coach Knight emerging from her office, an eyebrow raising as she found Mari standing in the middle of the gym.

"What are you doing here, Ms. Everwood?" Coach Knight asked in her stern tone. "The gym is currently closed for cleaning."

"I only came to grab Alek when he was finished. We made plans for the evening." Mari strung her fingers through Alek's. He looked annoyed, but made no attempt to loosen himself from her grip.

"Be that as it may, I have not yet dismissed Aleksander from his detention."

Mari made a pouty face. Coach Knight sighed, before glancing around the gym.

"Selene and Alek, you two are dismissed. I'll see you here tomorrow after classes."

With that, Coach Knight stepped back into her office, shutting the door behind her.

Mari was instantly chatting Alek's ear off, babbling about this and that as she led him from the gym and out into the night. But the pair didn't get far before stopping.

Jason stood outside the gym, leaning against a railing, holding a bag of something in his hands. He grinned when he saw me, ignoring Alek and Mari completely.

"Hey, new girl," Jason called out, "you ready for our study session?"

In front of me, Mari urged Alek to move forward, but his shoulders were tense as he glared at Jason.

"Study session?" Alek asked with a scoff. "I would think someone like Naomi would be a much better bet for passing classes than an idiot like him."

Though Alek's eyes weren't on me, I could feel the anger he directed at me. No, not at me. At my choice of study partner.

Jason laughed, finding Alek's statement hilarious. "And I see you're still letting your future Bonded run your life. What's it like, being so whipped?"

Alek tensed further and I fully stepped out into the night, prepared to attempt to break up the fight that was brewing between the two boys. Jason took a step forward, a smirk growing on his face as Alek dropped Mari's hand and began to stalk forward.

But as soon as the night breeze, cold as the Arctic, washed over my skin, every thought in my head vanished. The raised voices of the boys died as a different voice began to call to me.

Come to me, it called, full of darkness and promises.

I stepped past the railing and into the grass, where the dead, frosted blades crunched under my shoes. The wind around me grew sharper, colder, sending chills racing down my spine.

Just past the looming building of the gym, the forest waited. It looked eerie in the night, with shadows leaking from between the trees, bare of their leaves for winter.

Come to me, Selene, the voice called again. A shiver of warning slide up my neck, but it was gone as soon as it had come. I took another few steps forward, before another voice started calling my name.

But I ignored them. And when I took another step forward, that chilling voice once again calling my name, luring me into the darkness.

Fight it. Another voice spoke in my head. It was masculine. Familiar. Fight the voice. Do not go into those woods.

My steps faltered. The other voice was right. I didn't want to go into the woods. My stomach turned at the thought of entering them, with all those shadows clinging to every surface.

I willed myself to not go further. To ignore the voice that called to me like a siren. Deep in my stomach, a strange force roiled. My magic.

I grabbed it, pulling at it with every fiber of my being. It snapped out, lashing like a snake. The temperature dropped, completely frigid. There was a burst of white light, snapping out from inside of me.

And then I hit the ground.