Again, the defensiveness. Does she really think I look down on her because her magic is weaker than mine? Okay, I don’t talk to her much and she could see that as rude, but I don’t know her as well as Jamie or Ash. Amelia told me I intimidate her, if only she knew I’m as nervous around her in case I say the wrong thing and she stops talking to me altogether.
Man, I have it bad for this girl.
“No need to apologise,” I say. “But you didn’t need to run. I’m sure my company wasn’t that bad.”
“I’m embarrassed because the disastrous spell proves how bad I am.”
“No. I asked you to take over a strong spell that you’d never practiced.” I bite my lip. “I was worried I’d upset you and that’s why you ran.”
She blinks at me and I’m relieved when her face transforms into an Amelia smile. “I’m not upset with you.”
“Good, because I think we’re stuck together as partners for this class.”
She hesitates. “I’m not sure I want you in my head.”
“Then keep me out. That’s the idea.”
I’m distracted as she rubs her lips thoughtfully. When she touched me, her skin was soft; softer than any I’ve felt before. Stranger still, her hand felt natural in mine.
“I’ll let you try first,” I say and nudge her with an elbow, fully aware she won’t be able to break my barrier.
“Okay. But stop if I tell you to,” she whispers.
My heart skips a beat at the earnestness on her face. Has somebody invaded her mind before? Students we’ve worked with all year fill the room. One of them? Or somebody else?
“Of course.” My fingers itch to reach out to her, curious what our connection would be if we touched without channelling our magic energy, but we don’t need to touch for this task.
Amelia nods and then sits stiffly upright.
“Now remember,” says Tobias as each pair settles into positions opposite each other. “Only skim the surface. Digging deeper could raise memories your partner wants locked away.”
I’m most interested in her memory of our backstage meeting last night.
Amelia sits on her hands, and I offer her the chance to work on me first. Her magic nudges at the edge of the mental barrier I create, but barely cracks. She takes a deep breath before pushing harder.
Do I allow her to succeed and show her something I choose? I could, but if she knew, Amelia would be upset, I’m sure.
Her eyes remain firmly fixed on mine, but Amelia is lost inside the spell she’s attempting to perform. She doesn’t see me—not the way she did yesterday when we held hands.
Held hands. I laugh to myself. Cute, but I want to do more than hold hands.
If I allow Amelia to look into my memories, she’ll see herself through my eyes. I can show her how she looks to me. I picture a memory: the time I watched her at a party. In the memory, I stand with Ash and Jamie, focusing on Amelia without her noticing. She’s speaking to a group of girls, at ease with herself and them.
I remember the night well because Amelia wore a cute dress, and I rarely see her in one. In the past, she’s led a protest that the girls should be allowed to wear trousers instead of skirts for the uniform, but the academy stands firm on the tradition. In her memories, Amelia sees me appraising the cut of the short dress and bare legs and I look away, caught in the act.
Mental magic like this doesn’t allow us to feel another’s emotions. This Amelia can’t sense how much I wanted to talk to her, how I wanted to interrupt the shifter whose words made her eyes shine. Amelia can’t sense the jealous spike when I watched her flirt with him. She never flirts.
I shut down the images and Amelia drops her spell. “Why did you show me that?”
“You were the one who broke through and found my memories.”
She eyes me doubtfully. “I don’t believe that. I was struggling. You let me in, didn’t you?”
I sigh. “Don’t be upset. I let you in because I wanted to show you.”
Does she understand that I mean more than now? This girl who may not be able to pierce my mental magic barrier, but she can see right through me.
Worried this will turn into an argument that I’m patronising her, I hastily add, “My turn to try your barrier. And don’t look nervous.”