By the time breakfast rolled around, I was beyond exhausted. I'd been unable to go back to sleep after my nightmare and had laid in bed, staring at the ceiling. The crystal ball still sat on my nightstand, empty as ever.

With a sigh, I shoved the thing into my bag so I wouldn't have to look at it again.

My phone beeped on my nightstand. It was a text from an unknown number. Hey new girl, can I walk you to breakfast?

Curious, I typed a reply. That depends on who you are.

The response was almost immediate. Jase.

I bit my lip nervously. Jason was only ever friendly to me, but he made Naomi nervous. He made me nervous too, but not in the same way.

My fingers hovered over the screen, unsure of what to reply. Did I want Jason to walk me to breakfast? I'd already stood him up on Parent's Day and on his offer to walk me to my new classes. I didn't want to lose him as a friend. Before I could lose my nerve, I typed back: Sure. Meet you outside Gamma Hall?

Be there soon.

I set my phone back on my nightstand and finished getting dressed, my nerves fluttering in my stomach. When I glanced at myself in the mirror, I wished again that I had some makeup. Dark circles from my sleepless night hung under my eyes.

For a minute, I debated grabbing the concealer and trying to cover them, but then decided against it. I didn't want to keep Jason waiting out in the cold.

My phone beeped again as I was brushing my teeth and I ran out of the bathroom to check it. Jason was already here. I told him I'd be out shortly before running back into the bathroom to finish with my morning routine.

I slung my backpack over my shoulder before giving Loki a quick pat on the head. "Be a good boy while I'm gone," I told him.

He didn't bother to open his eyes as I headed out the door. Ms. Rose sat at her desk as usual, a thick romance novel in her hand.

"You're quite chipper this morning," she said as I came down the hallway. "Did you sleep well?"

"I slept okay. It's getting easier."

Ms. Rose gave me a smile that made her crow's feet crinkle. "Soon you'll be oversleeping like all the other girls."

"Maybe," I told Ms. Rose as I made my way to the door. Outside, waiting at the bottom of the small flight of the stairs, was Jason. He smiled when he saw me.

"Hey new girl," he said as a way of greeting.

"Hey," I said, returning his smile. I loved his nickname for me. I wasn't sure why it made me feel so happy, but every time I heard it, I couldn't help but smile.

His uniform jacket was open, revealing the pristine white button-up underneath. His tie shifted as the wind blew. I shivered, goosebumps rising over my skin.

Jason stepped next to me as we walked along the sidewalk to the main building, his grin growing wider. "How are you doing after magic class yesterday?"

I tucked a stray lock of my dark hair behind my ear. "A little disappointed in myself." I thought of the crystal ball in my bag, devoid of magic still.

Jason gave me a sympathetic look. "Sometimes it takes longer to access your magic, especially the first time."

I gave a rueful laugh. "It didn't seem to be a problem when I almost killed people with lightning." In the center of the quad, blackened spots of grass remained from my outburst of magic. A shudder ran through me at the memory.

He laughed, oblivious to my discomfort. "I think Alek and Mari needed a good scare."

"I don't think Inara or Naomi thought it was funny." I didn't think it was. The thought of nearly killing someone, even if that someone was Mari, made me ill.

Jason gave a shrug of his broad shoulders. "I just wish I would have gotten to see the look on Alek's face. I bet it was priceless."

We were close to the dining hall now. I kicked at a rock in my path. "You don't seem to like Alek much. Why is that?"

"He's a prick," Jason stated simply.

"I suppose that's true." In the time I'd been here, he hadn't proven otherwise. Last night's dream came back to me, of Alek's brown eyes staring me down as he'd held the bloodied knife in his hands. I shivered.

He gave me a curious look. "You don't think he's a prick?"

I laughed nervously. As much as I wanted to tell someone about my dream, I didn't think Jason was the right person. "I didn't say that. He's very much different from when he was a kid."

At that, Jason raised an eyebrow. "You knew him when he was a kid?"

"We were best friends. He lived up the street from me. Then one day, he was just gone. And everyone else pretended he didn't exist. I honestly thought he was a hallucination until I saw him here."

"That happens a lot when our kind mix with humans," Jason said. "They probably cast a spell to make everyone forget about them. They became really popular after the attack on Summit's capital."

Another mention of the attack on Summit. We entered the dining hall and Naomi waved at me from our usual table. "What happened during the attack that made everyone so scared?"

Jason pointed at Naomi across the room as we stepped into the quick moving food line. "I think you're being paged."

I grabbed a tray of food. "You aren't joining us?"

"I think I make Naomi too nervous to join you for a full meal," he said with a small laugh.

I laughed too. "That's true."

"But maybe we can hang out sometime, new girl. You've got my number."

And with that, he moved through the crowd to where his friends waited for him. I made for Naomi, who was watching me from her spot. She poked at her food while she waited for me to sit down. Then she leaned across the table.

"The two of you looked awful cozy."

I scoffed at her as I took a bite of toast. "He offered to walk me here from my dorm. I said yes."

Her green eyes grew wide. "He walked you here?"

"It's not that big of a deal." I rolled my eyes at her.

"What did the two of you talk about?" She sat back in her seat and tried to seem nonchalant, but I could tell she was still internally screaming.

"He asked me how I was doing after classes yesterday. Especially since I couldn't even make my magic manifest."

Naomi cocked an eyebrow as she popped a berry into her mouth. "And that was all you talked about?"

"We also talked a bit about Alek and how he's a prick." And he mentioned the attack on Summit, then promptly clammed up, I said to myself.

She gave a smirk. "Well, I won't argue with that point."

We fell silent for a second while we both ate our breakfast. After swallowing a bite of egg, I spoke again. "Jason said that spells to make humans forget the existence of Varquay became popular after the attack on Summit. What happened during that battle that made people so scared?"

Naomi looked uncomfortable. "A lot of people died. And those responsible got away with it. Afterwards, Varquay didn't believe that they were safe. Most fled Summit and went to the human world. But they were paranoid. They moved often, making people forget about them, so there was no trail to follow if someone followed them. Most of it was unwarranted, but those people went through a lot."

I chewed another bite of toast slowly. If Alek and his mother vanished because they thought someone was after them, why would my mother have stayed? And why did she pretend Alek had never existed? After my dad had died, I'd needed my best friend. And he was gone without a trace. And my mother had made me believe I was crazy.

Though I was probably better off, considering what a huge dick Alek seemed to be now. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise that he'd left. After all, I guess he'd never actually wanted to be my friend.

"You okay?" Naomi asked me.

I gave her a tight smile. "Just thinking about all that bloodshed made me feel queasy."

She pushed around her fruit. "Yeah, it's not exactly a light talking point."

I grabbed my plate and stood. "It's fine. My class will start soon, anyway."

As I walked away, Naomi pulled out her cellphone and texted at the speed of light. I briefly wondered if she was texting someone about me, but pushed away the thought. Naomi was my friend, wasn't she?

Feeling uneasy, I made my way across the quad to my history class. I was one of the first to arrive this time, and I sat at my desk and pulled out my textbook. Curious to learn more about the battle at Summit, I flipped open the cover and scanned the table of contents. Near the end of the book, there was a section titled Battle of Summit, 1998.

I turned to the page outlined in the table of contents, to only find with a small paragraph of relevant text.

In the history of our race, there have been few battles as bloody as the Battle of Summit. The enemy entered quietly, in the dead of night, killing everyone in sight. They tore through the countryside before entering the city of Haven, our blessed capital. Their forces were powerful as they broached the castle gates and the citadel, eventually making their way to the royal family. The King, Queen, and their only child died in the carnage. Many lives were taken.

There was nothing else. I closed the book thoughtfully. What kind of history textbook would keep important information from being learned? What happened that day that was a secret from everyone?

As the rest of the class filed in around me, I added it to the list of secrets that this school was keeping from me.