What differentiated the Gifted from the non-Gifted was the existence of the Arcane Heart. That was a poetically coiled term for a manacore, which rationed and determined one’s Gift. When the Gifted drained those reserves, they had to wait for the well to refill.

  Yet every law has its exception.

  Athena was one such exception.

  Her own reserves never ran dry. And that came at a cost. Her Gift could not just… switch off without disciplined concentration, rules she had designed for herself. One: avoid eye contact. Two…

  She glanced down at her diamond-studded Tank watch, a birthday gift from Adrian, and smiled. Her brother was such a showman.

  Tick-tick-tick.

  The sound grew increasingly louder in the hush of the meeting room.

  The presidency of the Student Council looked prestigious on a résumé and university application, not that the Gifted were required to attend one if they did not wish to. In reality, her supposedly glorious days involved only desk work, swamped with meetings, reports, detentions and more meetings—lather, rinse, repeat.

  Athena’s golden eyes had secured the election for her. People wanted what she had, provided they never had to meet her gaze. A window into the darkest corners of the human soul; and sometimes she longed to shutter them.

  She had seen too much too soon. The dark secrets of people who seemed so proper shouted inside her, louder than she could quiet them. Until she met Theo.

  Theo met her stare unflinchingly like he had nothing to hide. Theo, for whom she was only a girl, not a Gift nor a Van Nassau, and for a while, that felt like clean Artic air.

  Part of her hoped he might win the presidency. But heart alone wasn’t enough when she walked into a room and made everyone forget he was even standing in it.

  Theo never had any trouble attracting attention, but he’d always rather be in the library than deal with it. Lately, though, it didn’t feel like he was hiding out anymore. He seemed keen to visit… something there. Or maybe someone.

  Now he was late, a first. Athena reread her morning message to him and to Astra. Our usual meeting room at 12:00 sharp.

  Tick-tick-tick.

  A stifled sneeze brought Athena’s attention toward the window.

  Astra? Sneezing?

  The silver-haired girl cleared her throat, her face still angled toward the wide pane of glass and the Eye outside. Was she avoiding eye contact today?

  That couldn’t be it.

  Athena noticed Astra always habitually stared out of the window. “Bless you?”

  “Thanks,” came the curt reply from Astra. Since she arrived, she had only greeted Athena with a nod. It was a typical Astra-ism, yet something felt—

  “Sorry I’m late. Lost track of things.” Theo rushed in and took a seat beside Athena, placing two coffees and a chai latte on the table.

  Athena held back a frown. Both Theo and Astra seemed elsewhere, perhaps the smoke-monster incident had unsettled them more than she realised.

  She thumbed her tablet and a hologram sprang up. “Let’s get started.”

  Theo watched the short. “This is Tiffany’s duel with Natalia. How is it captured?”

  “It got posted to Tweeter last week, initially written off as a prank until… this.” The screen showed a nighttime vigil, and right in the middle of the candles and flowers was Tiffany’s photo.

  "Tiffany isn't... dead, is she?" Theo asked Athena.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “No. Thomas Blackwood set up the prayer vigil for her to get better. Adrian tried to hide the supernatural part, but the short had already trended and multiplied. It’s not difficult for people to link those two events together.”

  “Our fight with that thing was all over the school’s social media. It was a matter of time—”

  “Theo, the school social isn’t some public forum. It’s locked to just students and staff, encrypted. The system deleted anything connected to the creature the moment it was uploaded.”

  “So how is it still online? Unless…” Theo murmured.

  Astra finally spoke. “How did anyone film it in the first place? Only Gifted were in the Sanctuary, along with a few staff members. And to bypass the academy’s system and upload it to the public, they were certainly skilled.”

  Skilled?

  Eydis had been there too, but she got there after most of the fight had already played out. Even so, she left an impression on Athena. Rather than panic, Eydis watched Astra with an open curiosity.

  Mrs. Henderson was about to give her detention when Athena intervened. Something about Eydis fascinated her. In the few minutes they had alone, Athena tried pushing a little. It didn’t land the way she expected. Somehow Eydis ended up being the one reading her.

  Just who is she?

  “Why would anyone leak it?” Theo asked. “The NDA spelled out expulsion. Missing students, leaked footage, blood in the freezer… everything’s getting weirder by the day.”

  Athena met his silver eyes. “The blood wasn’t enough to signal anything fatal, but it’s definitely not normal. Adrian’s running DNA against the database. Until he’s done, we keep it between us.”

  “But the truth’s already out, isn’t it? No matter what we do. No matter what Adrian tries.”

  Before Athena could answer, Astra moved, flinging open the door, taking a minute to surveying the hall, then closed it and returned to the window.

  “I thought I sensed something,” Astra said, not meeting anyone’s eyes.

  “There’s another mystery you’re missing, Theo.” Athena turned toward Astra. “You believe there are two of these… creatures?”

  “Yes,” Astra said.

  “And it stays within this room. Adrian’s Council is already in trouble with the Eye and the Tiffany incident. One more anomaly and the city will panic.” Athena took a sip of her chai. It wasn’t sweet, just the way she liked it. Theo was always so thoughtful.

  Theo fidgeted with his own coffee cup. “Do we have a lead? Adrian thinks everything came from the Eye, like an interdimensional doorway.”

  Athena nodded. “That’s the theory they’re chasing, I think. But for us, our missing students are our priority, not the Eye. And yes, we do.”

  Theo sat up straighter. “You mean we have a lead?”

  “Every missing student connects back to Tiffany. Her late Gifted awakening wasn’t normal. Perhaps these creatures confer dark Gifts.”

  Theo’s eyes widened. “Wait—Tiffany’s already… so now it’s Thomas? With the election coming up…”

  “His sudden popularity feels a little too perfect.” She projected a news clip advertising a gala. “He hosts a masquerade gala next week. My one chance to get him alone and see what’s really behind those… eyes.“

  “The Blackwood’s ‘Final Stretch’ fundraiser?” Theo raised an eyebrow. “Thena, you cannot walk in there alone. If Thomas has that Smoke Monster—”

  “I’m not. We’re all in this together.” Athena glanced toward the window. “Astra?”

  Astra slowly turned, looking distracted. “I’m in.”

  “Are you sure? You look… overheated,” Athena said. Though dare she call it… a flustered expression?

  She took another sip of her chai to wake herself up.

  Astra immediately looked away, covering part of her face. “A cat jumped me. Thought I was a pillow.”

  Theo stared, eyes darting to Athena. “A cat.”

  Athena just stared at Astra, equally thrown by the rare display of… emotion? In all the time they’d known her, when had Astra ever smiled?

  Astra’s flustered state was… oddly cute, if Athena were being honest. “Did you cuddle it all night? Didn’t think that was your thing.”

  “It’s not,” Astra said quickly. “It would not move.”

  “And you did not fight back?”

  “It’s just a cold,” Astra snapped, and then sneezed violently, as if trying to prove the point. “I’ll be fine.”

  Athena and Theo exchanged a glance. Astra’s edges had softened into something almost human.

  Sensing scrutiny, Astra scowled, seized her coffee and took a long draught. “Thanks, Theo.”

  “You’re welcome,” Theo said slowly, looking confused by Astra's uncharacteristic behaviour. "About the Gala, I’ll get myself invited. You can be Thena’s plus-one.”

  Athena tilted her head. “And who will you be escorting, Theo?”

  “Given the risk, I don’t want to involve anyone else, so I will attend alone.”

  “Not at this gala,” Athena said. “Thomas’s demands aren’t just limited to the dress code. The guest list is strictly plus-ones, likely because he wants his ballroom filled with elites.”

  Theo leaned back against his chair. “I could ask my parents but they’re halfway across the globe. What about Adrian?”

  “Adrian agreed to stay out of this. If Thomas sees both of us there, it might give us away. Our last chat with him wasn’t… pleasant.”

  “But… my social life here is basically you.” Theo’s voice lowered.

  Athena’s eyes softened as she watched him. As the only heir, Theo had been raised to uphold his family’s legacy. Casual friendships had never been part of it.

  His days were a rigid routine of class, training, meetings. He had always chosen responsibility over anything else. Over anyone else.

  But now, Athena wasn’t so sure. “You visit the library often. Surely an acquaintance?” she probed.

  “No one,” he said, eyes downward. He never avoided her gaze before.

  She observed the set of his shoulders, the palimpsest of micro-expressions. Was that unease? She prided herself on reading these signs without the crutch of her Gift. Her fingers stilled on the pen she hadn’t realised she was clutching.

  Was it her place to push?

  “Absolutely no one you could ask?” she pushed anyway.

  “My loyalty is to you, Athena.” His reply came swift, almost affronted.

  She blinked, surprised by the edge in his tone. “I never questioned your loyalty, did I?” She paused for a few seconds before adding: “Or perhaps I should have?”

  Theo’s eyes flicked back to hers, then dropped away again.

  Tick-tick-tick.

  Focus.

  Listen.

  Control.

  Athena — St Kevin’s Student Council President