this school, I’m nothing.”
Well, that’s… holy shit.
We don’t have time to unpack all of that right now, but then again, I’m pretty sure that’s how most of us feel about this school. We’re Unpredictables. This is the one place we’re welcomed without question, the one place set up to train people like us. It’s not like we’ve got a ton of other choices.
“Then you’ll help me?” I ask, leaning forward again.
Her blue eyes narrow warily. She doesn’t seem very excited about the idea, and I admit, I’m not all that fond of it either. But I’ll do whatever it takes to win. And if that means a temporary alliance with Kendal, then sure, why the fuck not?
My classmate seems to be thinking something along the same lines, because after a moment, she tentatively sticks her hand out for me to shake.
“I’ll help,” she says. “For the school’s sake.”
We shake on it and that’s that.
I just hope it’s enough to get me through.
Chapter 19
That night, I can’t sleep. Despite my best efforts to relax, I lie in bed staring at the ceiling and wondering what the hell’s going to happen at the competition tomorrow. Wondering what the challenge will be. How it’ll go. If I’ll fail on my own, or if someone else will make me fail.
But I can’t. I can’t fail.
When it was just my own mistakes or my lack of control bringing me down, that was one thing. But someone actively working against me? Fuck them. If I lose something fair and square, sure. Okay. I lost. But to lose because someone’s messing with me? Because someone can’t handle a “freak” like me winning? That shit isn’t okay.
I have to beat them.
The guys are all asleep, but I can’t lie still any longer. I get dressed silently and slip out, sneaking into Wellwood Hall. It reminds me of when I snuck around the building back when I was trying to figure out who was attacking students, and how I ran into Roman in a dark hallway.
Heat floods me.
Mmm. That’s a pleasant memory… or at least, the Roman part of it is.
But unlike that night, when the school felt eerie and fraught with danger, when I worried a secret attacker could be lurking around any corner, I feel safe now. The jerks sabotaging me clearly want to do it in full view at the competition, so I doubt they’ll jump me in the dead of night. Plus, I’m much more confident navigating the school itself now. I know my way around.
It’s like home, I realize with a jolt.
Somewhere along the way, somehow, I came to feel comfortable in this place.
Huh. It’s… it’s kind of terrifying. I haven’t thought of anything as a home besides my little apartment with Maddy, and even then, I never knew when we might have to move in a hurry if the rent got too high.
I make my way to the Combat classroom and start running some drills. I have no clue what the next trial is going to cover, so I have to be prepared for literally anything.
“Burning the candle at both ends, Sin?”
Even without the nickname, I know it’s Cam by his voice. I let my fists drop and turn to face him.
He’s slouching against the door frame, hands in his pockets, grinning softly at me. Cam doesn’t ever just smile—he’s too energetic for that. He always grins.
“And here I thought I’d snuck out successfully.” I wrinkle my nose.
He shrugs, walking over. “We know you too well by now.”
My brows shoot up. “Oh, really? Is that so?”
“Yup. Sorry to break it to you.” His grin fades as he looks around, seeing the evidence of the magic I’ve been practicing. “You should be sleeping.”
I shake my head. “No. I have to practice—”
“You’ve been practicing.” Cam gently places his hands on mine, his thumbs rubbing back and forth across my knuckles. “You’ve done everything you can do. Last-minute cramming isn’t going to do anything except leave you too tired tomorrow.”
“I can’t sleep,” I blurt out. “I can’t stop thinking about—I need to win this, Cam. I need to. And if I can’t sleep, if my thoughts are just spinning around in my head… then I might as well get some more practice in, right?”
He steps closer, and I know what he’s doing, I can see it in the gleam of his eyes, but I let him as his hands move to my hips and he gently nudges my head back with his nose.
“What you need is