“You do,” they all said in unison.
Not about to argue, I rolled the dice. At least those appeared normal. Six sides. Square. White with black dots. I counted my spaces and frowned when I landed on an X. “What’s that again?”
“Risk,” Rob explained. “That’s a red card.”
I pulled a card and read it aloud. “You took last place in a beauty contest and were the only one who entered. Go back three spaces. Rude.” Did a card just call me ugly?
“Read the last part. There’s an option B. That’s why they call it a risk card.”
I moved my thumb. “Reveal a secret and go ahead three spaces.” I glanced at the board. Moving forward would put me on one of the element squares. If I bought it, at least Clay and Bryan wouldn’t keep fighting about which one of them would own them all. My mind made up, I replaced the card. “I made my first ward today.”
“That’s cool.” Clay grinned.
“No way,” whispered Bryan.
“What sort of ward?” Leo asked.
“I haven’t even done that,” whined Rob.
Considering their reactions, that counted as a secret, so I moved ahead three spaces and tallied the money. “I’ll take it.”
“But that’s mine,” Bryan and Clay both complained.
“Looks like it’s mine.” I handed the money to Leo, who handed me back the piece of cardboard designating me as a bona fide property owner.
“Tell us about the ward,” Bryan said and rolled the dice, tapping his piece around the board. He shelled out the money to purchase a green-banded square labeled Evergreen Lane.
“It sort of looked like a sideways S, with this little flip at the end. It glowed.”
“That sounds like a water ward,” Leo explained and picked up the dice, rolling them around in his hand before dropping them on the board. “I’m surprised you chose your weakest element to do something that requires a lot of power. That must have drained you.” He counted the spaces and frowned when he landed on my newly acquired fire element property.
“That’ll be fifty bucks.” I held out my hand, palm up.
“Just wait until you land on Radiance Row.” He handed me the money. “I’ll take you for everything.”
“You have to get there before I do.”
Clay laughed and grabbed the dice. “Ooh, Montana is out for blood. I like it.” He rolled and counted out the spaces, eagerly swiping a red risk card. “Your mom tried to give you away, and no one wanted you. Go back two spaces. Well, that wouldn’t surprise me. Or…” He dropped his attention to the bottom of the card. He then bounced his gaze from Leo to Rob before jumping up and squeezing between Bryan and me. He read from the card. “Kiss the person to your right and move forward two spaces.”
He tossed the card aside, pulled me to my feet, and dipped me before slanting his mouth over mine, tickling me with his soft beard. Licking my lips open, he twisted our tongues together and kissed me hungrily, playfully, nipping at my bottom lip as he stood me up.
“That’s cheating,” Leo pointed out the obvious.
“Frankly, I’m glad he did.” Rob grabbed the card off the floor and replaced it at the bottom of the pile. “I don’t want to kiss the guy.”
“Good point.”
“Your turn, Rob.” I swept my skirt under my legs and took a seat.
He rubbed his hands together and grabbed the dice, rolling double sixes. “Yes!” He punched the air.
“How do you do that every freakin’ time?” Leo handed him two hundred dollars.
“It’s all in the wrist, man. Your turn, Reed.”
We played the game for hours. I wound up with all the element properties, which was fitting considering I had the power to call all the elements. Bryan and Clay found other properties to fight over, while Rob played it pretty safe and only bought a few properties here and there and was the first out. Leo did indeed end up owning Radiance Row and ultimately bankrupted us all. I made a mental note to go after those properties next game.
If there was a next game. I didn’t appreciate the insulting risk cards, although they were pretty funny. They were like Cards Against Humanity and Monopoly had a love child. At least the reward cards just handed out money with no strings attached.
By the time we put the game away, it was after midnight. Crap. I had no idea it was that late. Tomorrow was going to come way too fast. I groaned as I dragged my ass off to the hall leading to the two bedrooms. No way did I trust myself to teleport back to the academy as tired as I was. I debated texting Stace to let her know I wouldn’t be back on campus and decided against it. I was almost twenty-two. I didn’t need to check in with anyone. I was no longer the prophecy. I had no reason to follow a curfew.
“Aren’t you going back to Clearwater?” Leo asked when I rounded the corner to the master bedroom.
I peeked back out. “Nope.” I moved farther into the hall.
“But you have to be on the field again tomorrow.”
I backed up to peek out again. “That’s tomorrow. Tonight, I sleep.”
“But, babe.”
“Good night, Leo,” I called out and didn’t stop until I closed the bedroom door behind me. It did nothing to block out their conversation. As I slipped off my shoes and began to undress, I listened in on what they were saying.
“Professor Layden said she shouldn’t leave the school,” Clay stated once I left the room. My usually carefree air elemental had fallen out of character ever since Spencer Dalton had come into, and ultimately attempted to end, our lives. He focused on the rules. More than that, he actually followed them and tried to get others to follow them as well. It was unnerving.
“She’s not the prophecy any longer.” Leo, aka Captain Obvious, was always the first to point out something we already knew. I sat down on the bed and
