Page 58 of Mistaken Magic

Keirkept pace for a few feet, and then he sucked in a breath. "Rain,Ican't go over there."WhenIpaused to glance back in confusion, he added, "Ifeel iron."

Ilooked at the scene again just as one girl shifted.Itwas enough for me to see the victim on the ground.Notall of her, butI'drecognize that silver pixie-cut anywhere.ItwasAspen!Ifthey had iron...

"Geta teacher,"ItoldKeirbefore hurrying over to help. "Irondoesn't botherme."

Ididn't stop to check if he'd obeyed, because someone pressed one of those things againstAspen'sarm.Mysuitemate yelped, jerking back, but the jesters were all around her.Therewas nowhere for her to go.Iwanted to yell for them to stop, butIknew it wouldn't help.Ijust needed toget over there!

AsIjogged closer, the wind whipped their words back toward me.Icould actually make out some of what they were saying, and it wasn't good.

"Torian'sthe only thing keeping you safe, you stupid bitch,"Harpersneered. "Ifit wasn't for him,I'dbeat your ass every timeIsaw you."

"Keepyour fucking ice shit to yourself!"Thatvoice sounded likeKatrina.

Anotherpair of girls laughed, then one of them said, "Wereyou out here stalking your new crush?Hopingshe'd even notice you?Oh, how the mighty have fallen, huh?"

"I'mtelling ya,"Harperinsisted, "she can't keep her eyes off my tits.Stupidbitch wishes she could get with someSummernobility.Onlyperson with any interest inheris just as cold."

"There'sa reason theWinterCourtdied out!"

"Sopathetic,"Katrinataunted. "Youeven look like a damned icicle, you freak.Maybetry making yourself a dildo out of one, because none of us are going to touch you."

"I'dbe happy if every last one of you frozen freaks were dead," another snapped.

"ThenewSummercourt will never accept you!Thisisourschool.Thisisourworld now.TheQueenkilled your court off for a fucking reason!"

"Butyou can keep drooling,"Harpersneered. "Oh, you're pretty,Aspen, but none of us are desperate enough to get frostbite - yet we know how to use fire magic."

"Andthis!"

Thetaunts were getting worse.Witheach one, a girl leaned overAspen'scrumpled form and thrust what she was holding against her skin.Theyshoved, one slapped at the back ofAspen'shead, and the "weapons" they held all but forcedAspento take it.Herarms were up and she seemed weak, not like the wild and vibrant girlI'dcome to respect.

"Leaveher alone,"Iyelled asIreached them.

Pullingthe closest out of the way,Ishoved myself betweenAspenand her attackers.Thatsurprised them enough thatIgot the chance to snag one of their torture devices from the hands of a girlIdidn't know.Elyssa,Ithought her name was.Thegirl's eyes went wide and she quickly backed up.Thething was just a fucking keychain?No, asteelkeychain, which meant iron.

Butthat only pissed me off even more.Turningaround,Iglared at the group hovering aroundAspen, making it clearIwas willing to take themallon.Andjust to make sure they weren't confused at all,Ilifted up the stupid keychain, clutching it in my bare hand.

"Ifany of you touch her again, you will regret it,"Iwarned. "Ihave a feeling this burns you too, huh?"

Elyssatried to grab my arm and pull.Ijust shoved the keychain at her, forcing her to leap away before it made contact.ThenIglared at the rest of them, holding them off with my presence.Whenanother came closer,Igrabbed her keychain too, yanking it right out of her gloved fingers.Nevaeh,Ithought her name was.

"Goahead,"Isaid. "Tryme.See, there's one thing this stupid human girl can do better than any of you."AndIheld up the keychains to show whatImeant. "AndI'mwilling to betIcan punch a lot harder, too."

Becausewhat these girls didn't realize wasI'dlearned how to be the good girl the hard way - by starting off as the bad one.Icould hold my own just fine, and forAspen'ssake,Iwasn't scared of the repercussions.Whatwas the worst that could happen,Igot kicked out?Ihad a feeling it wouldn't be that easy.NotonceIshowed the teachers what they'd been holding.

Besides, when it came toAspen, getting kicked out seemed worth it.Shewas the one person who'd stood up for me.Hell,Iwas only here because she'd insisted.So, ifIwas supposed tobe interesting, thenIwas going to do a whole lot ofsomething,right here, and right now.Ijust really hoped it worked.

Ofcourse,Harperhad to try me.Leaningaround my shoulder, she reached forAspen'sface.Herkeychain brushed across the bare skin onAspen'scheek, and my suitemate yelped like it burned.Imoved as fast asIcould.Onehand foundHarper'sponytail and yanked, the other clenched into a ball as tight asIcould make it.Assoon asHarper'sface was visible,Iswung, aiming for the soft spot around her eye.Igot close, and her cheek bone bit back, my fingers caught between it and the keychainsIwas clutching - but it was worth it.

Harpercrumpled to the ground andIturned to the next girl, ducking my head in a taunt to make sure she knewIwas ready for her.ElyssaandGisellelifted their hands and backed away.Harperrolled, clutching at her injury, andKatrinalooked betweenAspenand me, trying to judge if the fight was still worth it.

"Oh, so you're fucking humans now?"Harperscreeched as she got back to her feet. "Noone else is going to be with you, bitch!"

Behindher,Icould see someone running our way.Comingfrom another direction was someone else.Thenthere was the lone figure standing at a distance, watching almost helplessly.Thathad to beKeir, but he'd gotten us help.Ijust wasn't sure who the brute was rushing in, or ifIwas about to get my ass handed to me.

"Justwait until everyone hears what you've done,"Katrinasneered at me. "Youjust picked sides,Rain.Incase you missed it, we're the ones who really rule this place."

"Fuckthat,"Itold her. "Fuckyour stupid bullying and drama.Incaseyoumissed it,I'mnot scared of you, and your little fairy asses - "Yes,Iused the wrong form there. " - can grow the fuck up already."

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