forward. “Before I earned the dragon stone, I had to be brave enough to admit to Stefan that I loved him. The alicorn stone is a crystal of faith. Odette has to prove she has faith in Theo before the box will open.”
“So there are always two parts to the test,” Kiara murmured. I knew she had to be thinking of her own challenge, when we’d go looking for the griffin stone— but that wouldn’t happen at all if Odette didn’t pass this test now.
Odette stared at Theo, wondering what was going on. There was a great flash of light in the middle of the room, erupting from the box. It radiated outward, beaming like the sun and feeling ten times as bright. The rest of us had to look away. Odette fell to the floor, shielding her eyes and letting out a yell.
When the light was gone, I rubbed my face in a daze. Spots danced in front of my eyes as I saw Odette look up. Her gaze widened as she saw that there were not one, but two Theos.
Both Theos were identical. I couldn’t tell them apart— it was like looking at twins. Both Theos gaped at each other, expressions paralyzed with shock. They even had the same injury from the fiend, blood staining their matching sweaters.
Odette glanced upward at the Alicorn Court again, but they said nothing. She looked back and forth between the two Theos, trying to figure out which one was her friend.
The Theo on the right stepped forward. “Odette, it’s me. I’m Theo.”
“No, I’m Theo,” the man on the left pleaded. He sounded identical to the first. “You have to believe me, Odette.”
So this was the final test. She had to pick the right one. But they were so identical, I couldn’t tell which Theo was real and which was the illusion.
Then the Theo on the left flickered, and I knew— he had to be the illusion. The real Theo was on the right. But I think both Theos must’ve remained solid for Odette, because she blinked blankly. I searched the eyes of the Alicorn Court. I saw one woman mumbling something under her breath, and I knew she was the one who was casting the spell.
We could see the falsities, but down there in the arena, the magic held strong. Odette couldn’t tell.
Odette drummed her fingers on her arms. “One of you has to be lying. Tell me. How did we meet?”
The true Theo opened his mouth. “Ballet class. I was the only boy. I was hiding in the corner until you took my hand and pulled me to the barre. I never stopped dancing since.”
“Okay…” Odette said, but she stared at him, like she wasn't quite sure he was the true Theo. She turned to the fake one. “And if you’re the real Theo, you should be able to tell me what we were doing last Saturday.”
“Cuddling in the loft,” Fake Theo responded. “You told me you didn’t know what you wanted.”
I didn’t know that had happened, but apparently it did, because the real Theo’s face flashed in hurt. The Fake Theo appeared to have all the memories the real one did.
Odette chewed her lip. She conjured her bubble spell again, and shot it out of both hands. Her bubble streams struck both Theos at once, and they cried out simultaneously.
The illusion spell was so strong, it made the fake Theo solid. Odette ran her fingers over the arms of both boys, and her hand didn’t go through either.
Odette backed away and stamped her foot. “This is impossible! How am I supposed to do this?”
“Odette, you know me!” Theo burst. “How can you not tell that I’m right in front of you?”
“What are you talking about? I’ve always been here,” Fake Theo argued. “Don’t listen to him. He doesn’t understand you.”
“I understand her better than you think,” Theo snapped. He looked seconds away from punching his own self in the face.
“Stop! This isn’t helping me make a decision.” Odette paced back and forth, hands shaking with anxiety.
“Odette, you must know it’s me.” Fake Theo moved to grab her hand, but Odette yanked it away. “I’ve always been there for you. I even gave up dancing for you.”
“That’s not true, Odette. I gave up dancing because I needed a break. It was too much,” Theo argued. “It had nothing to do with you.”
“You were there when your mom said I’d have to find another partner if I wanted to continue ballet,” Fake