“If we can’t trust your parents, then who can we talk to?” she asked.

  I studied her face. Her cheeks were drawn, worry changing her features in the short time she had been here. Miss Caraway had said that none of our powers were as strong as they should be. I hoped that didn’t mean Chloe was draining Sammy too.

  An even more uncomfortable thought occurred to me then – was Chloe draining my power? Would I be able to tell if my sister was leaching off me, taking away my magic?

  “Miss Caraway,” I said finally. “She’ll help us.”

  “You’re sure?”

  I nodded. “She knows something is wrong; she can feel it too, I’m sure of it.”

  “Okay, that’s a start. Anyone else?”

  “Ben,” I said, though my voice didn’t come out with as much conviction. Would he listen to me, or would he dismiss me with a pat on the head, calling me “little mouse”?

  Sammy didn’t answer, perhaps having the same doubts I was.

  “What about Joe?” I asked. I didn’t know if I trusted Sammy’s boyfriend, but he was Chloe’s geminus pair. Maybe he could help her. We had to at least try.

  Sammy nodded slowly. “I’ll talk to him. Your magic is the strongest, so you should go help Arthur.”

  “But the door’s locked.”

  “Don’t worry about that. We can break it.”

  She said that so certainly, but I glanced at the door, dubious. Breaking through a normal lock was one thing, but I had no idea where to start with Miss Caraway’s magical one.

  Even if we weren’t trapped in here, I had another issue with Sammy’s plan – one that I didn’t want to voice. I was scared of going downstairs alone.

  Sammy studied my face, seeming to read some of what I was thinking. “Can you put your magic into objects?” she asked. “Protection, I mean, like when you kept me from falling down the barn stairs?”

  “I don’t know. What type of objects?”

  She slipped one of the bracelets from her wrist. “This?”

  I took the silver band. If I could add the magic to it, it would double my natural protective magic... but that was a very big if. Sammy had already told me she couldn’t do this kind of magic – that hers was confined to writing. If we tried to work this spell, it would all be on me.

  I glanced at Sammy’s notebook. Her magic manifested as writing, but maybe she had written this. She mentioned the bracelet like she’d just thought of it, but the steadiness of her gaze told me different. She’d read something important in her notebook just now, I was sure of it. Maybe she wasn’t coming up with the idea here, in the moment, but following a plan her unconscious self had left for her.

  I reached for her hands, and she gripped mine. “We can try,” I said.

  Sammy nodded, then closed her eyes. I felt her magic reach out. It twisted around mine, glimpses of it flickering at the edges of my vision. My power was strong, but unpractised. A heavy tiredness pressed me down towards the mattress, and my hands shook with the effort, but I kept going. I had to. I could feel the danger around us building – the “wrongness” as Sammy called it.

  I forced magic into the metal, driving power right down into its core.

  “That’s it,” Sammy whispered. “Keep going.” She slipped the other bracelets from her wrist, laying them out on the bedspread. I pushed magic into all of them until they hummed with it, shimmering with supernatural strength.

  This was stronger than anything I could have done alone. I looked up at Sammy, and she nodded, pleased with what we’d created. Together, we might just protect the others, and if we were lucky, we might even be able to protect Chloe from herself.

  Chapter Six

  The stack of bracelets clicked against each other as I walked down the stairs. I clasped a hand over the top to silence them. Sammy had only taken one, giving me the rest. They didn’t make me feel any safer about going downstairs, but Sammy was right; I had to be the one to help Arthur.

  The halls were quiet, and dimly lit, as the sun outside the window inched up above the hills. A worker stood in the stairwell in front of the dormitory door, his face in shadow. I remembered Sammy’s words about the whole floor being closed off, guards posted at the doors. I hesitated, then walked towards him.

  “I want to see Arthur,” I said, making my voice as firm as I could muster.

  He blinked, his eyelids fluttering to show he’d heard, but he didn’t answer. I almost turned back right then, but Miss Caraway’s voice echoed in my mind. Your magic is stronger than you realise.

  “I’m going to go see him,” I told him, almost as firmly. Then: “Okay?” Not at all firm now – weak and pleading – but I had said the words. That was something.

  The man still didn’t respond. His eyes shone with a glassy glaze, and he swayed ever so slightly. What was I doing, trying to reason with zombies? I pushed past him, half expecting him to reach out an arm to stop me, but no barrier came down, and no clutching hand held me back. He blinked as I touched him, though, his eyes clearing just a little.

  Good. Perhaps he would snap out of it and stop letting my dad siphon power off him. I let the door close behind me and padded down the corridor to Arthur’s room. My feet tingled as I crossed the rune line – my own protective magic seeming to scan me and assess whether it would let me pass.

  “It’s me,” I whispered, half to Arthur, half to the line of power defending the entrance. The tingling swelled to humming, vibrating up my legs. I turned Arthur’s doorhandle, quietly pleased that the magic recognised me.

  Arthur’s room was warm – too warm. A wave of heat hit me as soon as I crossed the threshold, coming from Arthur himself.

  “Arthur?” I whispered.

  He didn’t stir. Bright spots of red bloomed in his cheeks, but the rest of his face was unnaturally pale. I could feel a rush of energy flowing away from him, just like it had in the classroom when he touched Joe.

  I pulled the strongest bracelet from my wrist, slipping it over his hand. “This will protect you,” I said.

  Power thrummed from it. I felt it swelling out from the jewellery, wrapping Arthur in a thin layer of protective magic. But he didn’t wake. His hand flopped back onto the bedspread as soon as I let go of it, the bracelet dangling.

  Energy leached out of him. If I followed the thread of it, I was sure I’d find my selfish sister at the other end, or worse, my father, who was well old enough to know better.

  “You have to fight back, Arthur,” I told him.

  No runes marked his flushed cheeks now, but I rubbed them with the heel of my palm anyway, as if I could ward off the invisible symbol. “Come on, Arthur! Wake up.”

  Something tingled against my skin, and I gasped, jerking my hand away. Black streaks of ash lined my palm, coming from his cheek. I scrubbed at his face. “Wake up!” I told him fiercely. “You have to wake up!”

  The bracelet was useless. All the magic we had poured into it, yet it did nothing. Anger built inside me, and with it heat. Why had Sammy’s stupid book told her to waste that magic when it didn’t even work? I hated this!

  I reached for his hand, squeezing it. I wanted to say something reassuring, promise him I would figure out how to stop the magic draining from him, but there was only one way to make this stop for good, and that was at the source.

  “I’m going to fix this,” I told him. “I promise.”

  He didn’t open his eyes, and if anything, he just got paler. I gave his hand one last fierce squeeze, then turned and ran from the room.

  The worker outside the door glared at me as I passed him, finally showing some independent thought. I didn’t wait for him to yell at me – to ask what I was doing on the closed floor. I just kept running, praying he wouldn’t leave his post to chase me.

  I found Joe and Chloe down at the bottom of the garden, where they practised each morning. Joe had covered every inch of one of the walls in vines. It was impressive really, though the strength of his magic scared me. He reminded me of Chloe, in a way. Unpredictable – nice one minute, playing with dangerous spells the next.

  “I need to talk to you,” I told Chloe.

  She glanced my way, then back at Joe’s ivy wall. “We’re busy, squirt. Why don’t you go bug Sammy?”

  I wavered, half ready to turn away. A part of me wanted to give up – to find Ben or Miss Caraway and tell them how dangerous Chloe’s magic had become. But I couldn’t do that to her. She was my sister; I had to at least give her a chance to get it back under control first.

  “Please, Chloe. It’s important!”

  She let out an exaggerated breath. Her hair was loose, falling in messy waves around her shoulders. It made her look younger; it made her look more like me.

  She stared at me for a moment, then glanced up at the vine wall. “How fast can you make them grow?” she asked Joe.

  Joe grinned. “Fast as you want, baby.” He waggled his eyebrows.

  “Chloe, please!” I stomped my foot like a little kid. “This is serious! Arthur’s really sick.”

  “Okay, okay!” Chloe grabbed my shoulders, pushing me towards the wall. “Stand here, and we can talk.”

  I shook my head. “Your magic is out of control. I know you’ve been—”

  “Hold your hands out to the sides.” Chloe raised my arms, moving me like a mannequin. She stepped back, beckoning to Joe. He looked from her to me, a puzzled grin on his face.

  “What are you doing?” Panic rose in my chest. I dropped my arms, moving to step away from the wall, but she held up a hand for me to stay.

  “I want to try something.”

  “But—”

  “You say my magic is out of control, well this is how I learn to manage it.” She fixed me with a stare. Her lips curled into a smile, but there was a challenge in her expression.

  Was this an ultimatum? Would she leave Arthur alone if I helped her with this spell? Reluctantly, I stepped back against the wall, lifting my hands to the sides. Joe grinned. Apparently, he didn’t even need to know what Chloe’s idea was to think it was a good one.

  “Can you make them grow?” she asked him.

  My heart hammered. “Wait, what are you going to do?”

  A slithering sound came from behind me. Chloe moved towards me, raising her hand. Vines shot out from the wall, wrapping around my arms. I screamed, jerking away, but they held me fast. “Chloe!”

  The vines circled my limbs, tighter and tighter. Suddenly, they lurched up, taking me with them. I let out a shriek.

  “It’s working!” Chloe burst into giggles.

  Joe’s mouth fell open. “Woah,” he said. “I never thought of doing that!”

  I drew breath, ready to shriek again, but the vines didn’t drop me. They held me securely in the air.

  “See?” Chloe called. “I can control my magic when I want to. Do you want to go higher?”

  The little gleam in her eye told me she was going to send me higher anyway. Joe closed his eyes, pushing the vines to grow faster. Chloe whispered something, directing them up, and I shot further into the air. I shrieked again.

  “Chloe!” Ben’s voice rang out from across the garden. I turned my head to see him and Sammy racing towards us.

  “What are you doing!?” Ben grabbed Chloe’s arm and the vines loosened. I gasped, throwing out a lasso of magic to anchor myself.

  Chloe shook him off. “Relax. Ursula’s having fun.”

  Fun was an exaggeration, but I was okay, and the more energy Chloe focused on me, the less she would have available to drain Arthur. Ben peered up at me, and I raised my hand, giving him a thumbs up.

  “You sure you’re okay, Urse?” His narrowed eyes traced the lines of the vines supporting me. I nodded, though the movement made the vines shake.

  “Sammy, you’ll love this,” Joe said. “You should try it after you have the baby.”

  She frowned. “I don’t know. Are you sure Ursula’s safe?” She stared up at me, chewing on her lip.

  I found I couldn’t quite meet her gaze. I should have updated her after I left Arthur’s room. This wasn’t what Sammy and I had agreed, but I still wanted a chance to talk to Chloe, to persuade her to reign her magic in. Ben stared at Chloe, his gaze hard. Had Sammy already told him everything? Something about the way he was looking at Chloe made me feel cold.

  My sister’s face darkened at Sammy’s criticism. “Of course it’s safe.” She twisted her hand slightly, and the vines tightened around my raised thumb.

  I gasped. “Don’t, that hurts.” Suddenly, the vines were growing faster, wrapping around me.

  “Hey, stop that!” Ben shoved Joe’s shoulder, but Joe shook his head. “I’m not doing anything. They shouldn’t be growing anymore.”

  I looked back at Chloe, and her hand twisted again. “I can make them grow too,” she said. Her breath came out in a puff. She curled her fingers, excitement lighting her face.

  “Please, Chloe!” I gasped.

  Something flashed in the air in front of her – a spark of light. Then the vines covered my face. One of them found its way into my mouth. I spat it out, a strange taste crossing my tongue. I tried to pull away, but foliage bound my hands. I squirmed, breaking the stalks, and I lost hold of my own magic. Suddenly, the only thing supporting me was the thin strings of leaves. Fleshy pops sounded as they snapped, straining under my weight. I opened my mouth to scream but vines poured into it.

  “Oh my god, stop!” Ben scrambled up the wall towards me. The vines wrapped around him too. He grabbed my ankle and immediately vines bound around us like handcuffs. “God dammit, make it stop!”

  “I don’t know how!” Joe yelled. He joined Ben at the wall, ripping vines free. But they were growing faster and faster. I could barely breathe through the leaves wrapping around my face.

  That strange taste filled my mouth again. Ash – that’s what it was. The vines were withering, energy leaching out of them even as they grew.

  Suddenly, Chloe shrieked, then there was a thud. The vines dropped away, and I fell. Joe and Ben tumbled backwards too, all of us landing in a heap.

  Chloe lay on the ground, her face indignant. Sammy stood over her, her hands splayed out, as if she’d just shoved Chloe. It took me a moment to realise that’s exactly what had happened.

  Ben pulled me upright. “Are you okay, Ursula?”

  The others crowded around me, and Sammy’s hand slipped into mine, squeezing it.

  “Yeah...” I started to say, but my voice sounded very far away. The vines – Joe and Chloe’s spells – had dissolved, as had the magic I had been using to keep myself safe. Sammy’s bracelets had fallen from my wrist, scattering in the grass. I reached for one, but my limbs felt heavy, almost as if I wasn’t in control of them.

  “You didn’t have to push me!” Chloe got up, dusting herself off. “I would have figured out how to stop it.” She glared at Sammy.

  Sammy shook her head. “Oh yeah? When exactly? Ursula could have been hurt! And after what you did to Arthur—”

  “What do you care? She’s my sister, not yours.”

  Sparks appeared on the surface of my skin. They drifted out, floating away from me. I reached for one, but the magic slipped out of my grasp, no longer mine. I felt weak, suddenly. Dizzy. More sparks floated away, coming from my arms. They left black spots in their place. Black, ashy spots like my skin was burning.

  “Are you okay, Ursula?” Sammy reached out to touch my arm.

  I jerked away. “Don’t!”

  Her hand connected with one of the black spots. She gasped, flinching back. Then she shuddered, going rigid.

  “Sammy!” Joe caught her as she fell. Her eyes went wide, her skin paling instantly.

  “The ash!” I hissed. “She touched the ash!” But no one was listening to me. Chloe screamed something at Ben, her words incomprehensible.

  “Help her, Ursula!” Joe yelled.

  I scrambled to grab the bracelets, pushing as many as I could find onto her wrist. They felt like cheap, useless trinkets in my hands, the magic not strong enough to help anyone. Sammy’s eyes rolled, trying to find mine. I felt Joe start something, some spell growing around her, and I added my power to his. Sammy’s fingers inched out, reaching for my hand. I gripped hers, pouring all of my protective magic into her palm.

  Sammy gasped and so did Joe. I shuddered, as I felt an icy rush of air inside her, just like I had with Arthur and Miss Caraway. But it was different this time – grittier and bitter tasting. Filled with ash.

  And something else was different. This time it wasn’t trying to pull me in.

  “No,” I whispered.

  Sparks flowed from my skin, my magic drifting away. But the icy rush came from inside me. I was draining Sammy’s magic, siphoning it through the geminus connection.

  I clasped my free hand to my stomach, as if I could dam up the flow. Sparks appeared around my fist. I pulled my shirt up, revealing an ashy burn mark around my belly button. “No, no, no!”

  The others stared at me, unable to see the magic the way I could; unable to see the damage I was causing. “Help!” I screamed, putting every ounce of magic I had left into the call. “Make it stop!”

  The words echoed out, drawing every magical member of staff to us. They came running, bursting out of the doors of the house. Mum and Dad ran towards us. My mother took in the scene, shaking her head slowly. “What have you done?” she whispered.

  Chloe opened her mouth to speak, but Mum didn’t wait for an answer, turning to Sammy instead. She hovered over her as if afraid to touch her.

  “It wasn’t—” I started to say, but my father pushed me away.

  “That’s enough, Ursula!” he said. “Let go of her.”

  “It’s coming from me!” I said, but no one was listening. My father gathered Sammy up in his arms, pushing both me and Joe away. In a blink, they were gone again, all of the adults disappearing, taking Sammy with them.

  Chapter Seven

  Sammy wasn’t in her room. Joe grabbed her pillow, as if he thought he might find her hiding under it, then he hurled it across the room. “Where did they take her?” he screamed at me.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10