As he walked away with them, he glanced over his shoulder. “Promise me you’ll come visit?”
“I promise, Trevor.” Come hell or highwater, I’d do whatever it took to see him again.
“Reed?” Rob placed his hand on my shoulder. I turned and fell into his arms, burying my face against the stone-cold reality.
I’d just sentenced that kid to a life in prison. Even if I found a way to get them all out of Carcerem, Trevor would never forgive me.
And I’d never forgive myself.
12
The rest of the day went by in a blur. I went through the motions, but was never all in. I couldn’t stop thinking about Trevor and what I’d done. Granted, I hadn’t been the one to magically enhance him, but I had been the one to confirm it.
My mom was, once again, a no-show after tribunals. I didn’t want to believe she was avoiding me, but…well… She was avoiding me.
Rob, as low man on the totem pole, had been forced to stay behind and clean the field of the day’s battle echoes. He and a few other lucky newbs were still cleansing the training field and prepping it for tomorrow by the time I’d packed up my gear and left.
Bryan and Clay, in a shocking turn of events, had gone off together to work on a secret project they refused to tell me about. When I’d pressed them for details, they both remained stubbornly silent.
“You wouldn’t be doing anything stupid, now would you?” I’d eyed Clay, waiting for him to make up some stupid excuse as to why he was going to do exactly what I told him not to do.
“Now, why would you think that?” His emerald gaze had danced wickedly, his smile lighting up his expression. I never could trust Clay when he looked at me like that.
“What about you, Bryan?” And since when had these two opposing elementals suddenly teamed up?
That was when Clay had grabbed Bryan’s arm and teleported them out. When they returned, I’d corner them both and get my answers. I could be very persuasive. And painfully convincing when necessary.
Without the guys to distract me from the weight of the world on my mind, I went to my new dorm—aka, the attic—and unpacked my stuff. If I was going to be here until I graduated, I should probably get comfortable. At least no rats greeted me when I opened the door. It was hotter than Hades—see attic above—so I opened all the windows. The breeze felt good.
I glanced around, taking in my new abode. Four dormers, two on either side, really opened up the steep-peaked room. It had all the same amenities I’d had in my other rooms: the wardrobe full of my school uniforms, a desk and chair, a couple of nightstands with lamps. It also had a throw rug in the center of the room, which would be nice in the winter so I didn’t lose any toes to frostbite when I walked on the hardwood floors without any shoes.
The dorm was bigger than I’d expected. Not as big as my room at Ventus, but I’d take it over having to wear yellow and room with Bitch Barbie. My heart pinched a little at the thought of Jess dropping out of Clearwater. Did I drive her to that? Or was it falling for Spencer only to find out he’d cast a charm spell that literally changed everything about her that made her, well…her.
So much had happened since school had started. I’d gone from a twenty-something working at a gym in exchange for room and board, back to a student at the academy, to the prophecy with a handler the Council imported from the UK, to battling that same handler after discovering he’d teamed up with my arch nemesis. In less than seven days. My head spun just thinking about it.
Let’s just hope the next seven days weren’t nearly as exciting. I wanted things back to normal. Well, as normal as my life got. That wasn’t going to happen until the Council finished testing everything and weeding out those magically enhanced.
Were they really taking them to Carcerem? Or was that just something the Council said so I’d stop asking? After what Brooks told me, that Stephens had no intention of releasing them once the spells wore off, I had to do something. Did those kids deserve a life sentence in prison for something they didn’t do? Something they had no control over? All because the Council had deemed them unworthy to live among the rest of us? How many elementals currently resided in Carcerem simply because the Council feared they’d eventually go dark?
I thought about how often—and publicly—I’d spoken out against the body of men and women in black who governed our world. How many passes did being the prophecy, current or ex, grant me before the Council said enough was enough and sent me to Carcerem too? Would that be what got me sent to prison? Would I pass my tribunal, conceal the darkness within me, only to become the next resident of the elemental prison for my inability to keep my mouth shut?
On that happy note, I refocused my thoughts on unpacking.
My stuff sat on the single bed set against the wall opposite the door. As soon as I unzipped my duffel, my gaze landed on my sketch pad. I pulled it out and studied the drawing. I was no Michelangelo, but I didn’t suck. Amethyst needed a nose job, and Onyx needed a face—I refused to give him the one I’d drawn at the science center and immortalize Alec—so I’d have to come up with another plan. Other than that, the webcomic was pretty solid.
I wheeled the chair to the desk and took a seat, playing around with sketches, debating adding a few new characters. Letting my mind go, my instincts took over. I sketched. And I sketched. And I sketched. It was
