I can see him breathing more slowly, deeply, evenly. The lines on his face have smoothed out.
Thank fuck.
I want to stand up and cheer. I want to take a victory lap. I want to make sure the rest of my guys are okay.
But instead, the world swims around me, and I pass the hell out.
Chapter 27
I end up sleeping for a day and a half, which is extremely alarming to the guys, seeing as how the last time something like this happened to me, I didn’t wake up for three months. But while I wake up feeling scrubbed raw inside of myself, empty and slightly hollow… I do wake up.
Just in time for a few more weeks of classes and then some back-breaking finals. Yay.
Please note the sarcasm.
The rest of the students and professors return after the Thanksgiving holiday, and the six people who had their magic taken are feeling right as rain now that they have their powers back. Cam’s got energy to spare like always, and by the time classes start up again on Monday, he’s bounding around with renewed vigor. Roman’s drowning in grading and finals prep, Dmitri’s cranky, and Asher’s quiet but relaxed.
It all goes back to normal so quickly.
Well, not quite normal for me.
I have to build up my strength—again—because I guess it’s just my school tradition to get my ass kicked every semester by someone who wants to attack us. You’d think the universe would give me a break at some point, but I’m starting to think I should stop expecting that. Maybe I really do have a neon sign over my head, flashing like a beacon for trouble.
The school admins are still trying to figure out who did this and why. Clearly, the man behind this was targeting Griffin Academy specifically, but why he would want to do that—simple hatred for Unpredictables or something else—we don’t know. I’m not expecting a ton of answers, but it would be nice to have some idea, seeing as this has happened before and anti-Unpredictable sentiment seems to be growing in certain segments of the population.
One thing is absolutely clear: that bird didn’t just show up out of nowhere. Someone was controlling it.
Someone strong enough in their magic to control demons from afar.
Hardwick calls me into his office a few days after classes start back up. I enter, not sure what to expect but pretty sure I’m not in too much trouble. As the door closes behind me, a familiar blonde woman stands up from her chair and turns to greet me.
It’s Aurora.
“Miss Sinclair,” she says in her cool, calm voice.
I swallow. Aurora doesn’t seem to dislike me, and I know she doesn’t mean me any harm, but I always feel a little on edge around her. Like I’m about to get busted for something.
“Er, hey, Aurora. Long time no see.”
She gives me a small, tight-lipped smile. “I wanted to thank you in person for what you did. You undoubtedly saved the lives of the students who had their magic taken.”
My brow wrinkles. “I mean, not to toot my own horn, but I saved everyone’s lives, right? Those demon things were going to attack us.”
Aurora and Hardwick exchange a look.
“Not quite,” the Circuit representative says, smoothing a hand over her light blonde hair. “The students who had their magic stolen would most likely have been murdered so the doppelgängers could take their places, spying on the school and causing chaos.”
And probably making Unpredictables look insane in the process.
Holy shit.
“Well, I’m—I’m glad I was able to stop that from happening,” I say, stammering a little.
Aurora nods, looking grave. “You’ve got a bright future ahead of you, I think. Just don’t push yourself too hard. Be careful, Miss Sinclair.”
Yeah. Believe me, lady, I’m trying.
It’s almost surreal to go back to regular classes after that deadly fight on the roof and my struggle to return the stolen magic to its original owners. But I make it through the last few weeks of school in an uneventful blur. In early December, finals rear their ugly heads, but we all manage to pull through. I even get an A in Tamlin’s class, which I can admit I was a little worried about. Not that I think she’s vindictive or anything but… well, you never know.
For once, I pull excellent grades in all my classes. Maybe I’m finally getting the hang of this whole thing. I’d been out of high school for four years by the time I started at Griffin Academy, so