Torn Page 0,24

it. I tried to save him, and failed. The old Eric, the boy I knew, was dead.

Collin's fingers threaded through my hair as I looked up at him. He pushed back stray curls like he did when we were at school and I was upset about something. Now all those times seemed so trivial. I thought my world was falling apart then, and he acted the same. His steadfast nature gave me hope. Maybe I wouldn't become the monster that fate carved out for me. Maybe I could still be someone else.

A curl slipped between his fingers and brushed my face. "I'm sorry about Eric. I know you guys were friends." I nodded at him, but said nothing. When I didn't speak he asked, "So, Shannon the shrew is a full-blown Martis? And you shoved her through a black mirror?" I nodded again. His gaze bore into me. Those blue eyes were so intense that it was impossible to look away. My heart raced below my tattered shirt. It felt like he could see right through me. He smiled, "Sounds normal. For you. And what else? What aren't you telling me?"

My stomach twisted in knots at the question. Did the bond give me away? Could he really tell that I didn't tell him everything? I couldn't tell him what I did to Eric. I didn't want to admit it to myself yet, and Collin - I just couldn't tell him. I couldn't risk it.

Finally he saved me from my thoughts and asked, "The glass? You can conjure the Locoician Glass! That's incredible!"

Relieved that he didn't more about Eric, I asked, "What? You mean the mirror?" He grabbed my hands and pulled me to sit next to him on a boulder. There was no one else around; it was just us in the darkness. The dragon, wherever he went, was out of sight for the moment.

He smiled at me, "Of course! That mirror hasn't been seen for centuries. It's a wicked looking glass - literally. It's made of a black mirror and brimstone. And it's cursed. No one's seen it since the demon Locoicia was killed. It was hers. And you can call it! That's amazing! What did you do with it?"

I didn't know what he was talking about. Confusion lit my face, "I didn't do anything with it." The idea of calling an evil mirror sort of unnerved me. I didn't realize I'd called it, and I had no idea what it did. One day it just appeared. Al thought it was evil, but she wasn't certain of its origins. Apparently she was right. That nun was always right.

I shrugged, "It showed up and I shoved Shannon through it. I didn't know what it was. The first time I saw it was when I had a vision about you. The next time was when I pushed Shannon through. It spit her out at the church in New York, and then it disappeared again. I haven't seen it since."

Collin's face fell. "You pushed Shannon through the mirror?" He closed his eyes, blinking hard. "Oh wow. That's not good." He turned toward me, "Ivy, the mirror is enchanted. It amplifies people's characteristics - their evil characteristics. Locoicia was a demon princess who wanted an army of unstoppable warriors. She would shove her slaves through the mirror to amplify their abilities. It made her army undefeatable."

My jaw dropped. "Are you saying I just made Shannon undefeatable?" My shoulders slumped, as I looked up into the thick black sky, and ran my fingers through my hair while pulling hard. What were the odds of that? Why does this stuff happen to me? Shaking my head in disgust, I looked at him saying, "She's their Seeker - the Martis chosen to kill me." The last part came out as a laugh. I'd enabled her to hunt me down and kill me even faster, and all without knowing it. Awesome.

"Yeah," Collin said with a coy smile on his face, "in the future, don't shove your enemies through the mirror." His voice was light and teasing. I shot him a look that said I was about to freak out, but he cut off my tirade, taking my hands in his. "It doesn't matter. She's up there. You're down here. She can't get at you down here."

"But that's just it," I said springing up from my seat and pulling our hands apart. Collin remained seated and watched me pace. I spoke at an increasing volume with my hands