Page 18 of Faerie Gift

“Things don’t always work the way you’re used to, my dear. As far as I know, the school is working to fix their portal but they have to call in a council of elders to assist because it takes a great deal of power to set up a portal. Power and materials and time no one has readily available. The council has been quite busy attending to other matters. That’s probably why it’s taking a long time to fix. Be kind, welcome them, and focus on your studies.”

“Okay, awesome, Mom. Thanks for the information. How are you doing?”

“I’m well, darling boy. Well as always. Busier than usual for this time of year, as you know,” Laina said. “Preparations are being made for—”

I felt bad listening to their private chat but Mike made no move to take the call off of speaker phone.

They made small talk for a while more before Mike finally hung up. Clicking off the screen, he turned to the two of us with his brows set and his lips a thin line. All business. “As my mother said, it will take a lot of power to set up the portal again. By the same token, it would take a lot of power todestroya portal to Faerie,” he told us softly. “But someone did. Someone left it in pieces.”

A shiver ran through me at the word.Pieces. Not just broken, but broken in a way it would be impossible to fix quickly.

“Holy crap. Who would be able to do something so powerful?” Melia asked. She drew a pillow against her chest and clutched it, looking much younger than her actual years.

Mike scratched the side of his head. The hair stood on end. “I’m not sure. I mean, the only ones I know with enough power wouldbethe council of elders, like Mom said. They are the ones called in to build the portals in the first place. But if they’re working to fix the one up in Canada, then they wouldn’t be the ones behind its destruction. Right? Or am I missing something? Maybe I’m grasping at straws. I just don’t get it.”

“I think…I think someone wanted those students here this year. They knew we were the backup plan,” I said.

Mike and Melia shared a look. “Good theory,” Melia began, “but why?”

Exactly.Why? That was the burning question.

One I had a feeling we would have to solve before it was too late.

7

Abrand-new semester and a brand-new set of tests to try and pass. This time, our results would change the course of our educations and our lives.

Mike and I gathered with Nora in the large assembly room once again, the rest of our first-year class talking in small groups around us.

“Don’t be nervous,” she tried to tell us, blinking behind her thick glasses.

“Says the girl with the twitching fingers.” Mike gestured down to her sides and the way her hands ticked without pause.

“I’m trying to bolster myself, too! Make no mistake, I’m terrified.”

I rubbed tiny circles along her back. “It’s not going to be bad,” I soothed. “There’s nothing for us to pass this time.”

Then I found both hands busy when Mike shifted closer, using his nose to gesture in a clear indication he wanted a back rub too. My throat went dry the second I touched him. I savored every moment but tried hard not to look like it.

Pathetic much?

Several teachers I recognized were gathered on the stage with Headmaster Leaves, including my favorite, Professor Marsh. She stood tall and willowy with a fiery waterfall of red hair cascading down her back and feline eyes lined in black kohl. Wearing the customary school robes, she chose to complement the obligatory professors’ uniform with slender pencil skirts and brightly colored blouses which could be peeked through the folds when she moved.

Marsh taught my favorite class, divination, despite the fact I was hopeless and couldn’t touch the quartz crystal balls thanks to the potion I took.

She caught the look I sent her way and winked, the cat-eyed woman who’d claimed with utmost confidence I’d make it through to graduation without issue. I wished I had even half of her confidence in me.

Melia had assured me this afternoon’s assembly—a test to discover our innate fae powers—was no big deal. Certainly nothing to stress about because it wouldn’t impact our overall score for the semester. Every student began with a set number of points which the professors could add to or subtract from depending on behavior, test scores, and any other parameters they decided, all completely at their discretion.

I had my thousand points and another new worry. Even though I was half fae, what sort of power would I manifest? And how would my shifter nature—the other half of me—impact this test? Sure, I’d told Nora not to worry, but it didn’t mean my heart slowed down. At. All.

I caught sight of Persephone and hermeanionsgathered close to the stage, with their identical blond heads ducked together as they whispered. Although I didn’t think pettiness could be labeled an innate power, I knew the four of them were certainly masters at it. What else did they need? Between their attitudes and their looks—carefully refined as a weapon—they would get far in life.

“All right now, students, settle down,” Headmaster Leaves called out, clapping his hands for order. He had no need to raise his voice. The first-years together didn’t fill even the first twenty tiers of seats in the auditorium. “Quiet, please. It’s time to get these proceedings started. No more delays. I’m sure you are all very excited for what is to come and what your results will be today. Everyone take your seats and we’ll call you up to the stage one by one in alphabetical order.” He clapped a second time and the auditorium fell silent.

A girl in the second row raised her hand in the echoing hush of the room. “What happens if you have more than one innate power?” she asked.

Headmaster Leaves cleared his throat. “No, it is quite impossible. Although our kind receives our magic from the earth itself, each Fae, even if they are only half blood, will manifest a singular innate power. It is their one power they will hone to perfection and wield with infinite mastery. Two would be overkill.”

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