I frowned, pouting. But he was right. I was so close to the test—I didn’t want to call unwanted attention to myself. I began packing up our supplies.
Reese took the other end of the blanket I was folding, bringing it to meet mine. Then he cupped my face. “I can’t wait till this is behind us and I can focus only on you.”
My cheeks warmed. I wanted the same
, although Jace lingered in the background of my mind. But there was nothing I could do about Jace’s feelings toward me. I just hoped Lana would keep him out of trouble.
Once we were back at the Academy, we slipped in through the side door, the one Mr. Liam had left open the night we’d snuck onboard the airship. I hadn’t told Mr. Liam any more about me, and he never asked. I felt he was definitely on our side, not wanting whatever the Councils had planned, but he wasn’t ready to be a player yet.
And Reese and I weren’t big players to begin with, either. We still couldn’t figure out how uniting the races would free us as guardians. Or if we, the living test subjects, had anything at all to do with that. We could only sit idly by, waiting to discover their next move and hoping to gain a clue.
I said goodnight to Reese and headed for my unit. Lana was lying on her bed, sending a message—to Devon, probably—as I entered. “Hey,” I said, flopping down on my bed.
“Hey.” Lana sat up and crossed her legs. “You ready for tomorrow?”
“As ready as ever.” I rolled over, facing her. “How’s Jace?”
She blew out a deep breath. “He’s Jace.” She shrugged. “He’s still secretly working on deciphering that scroll. He’s convinced it has something to do with whatever the Narco Council is up to.”
“Well, he might be right. Who knows?” I bit down on my lip. “Has he said anything about me?”
She shook her head, and I rolled back over and stared at the low ceiling.
“Dez, just give him more time. This is hard for him.” She bounced up and came to sit beside me. “I don’t want to remind you of this, but even if he didn’t have an issue with you being half Narco, he still walked in on you and Reese.”
“I know.” I buried my head under my pillow.
Lana pulled it away. “He’s loved you forever. This is tough for him.” She smiled wanly. “But I know my brother. He still cares about you.”
I appreciated her faith but couldn’t trust it. I spun the bracelet he’d given me around my wrist, watching the dim lights of our room reflect its blue back at me. Somehow I had to find a way to make things right between us.
The next morning my nerves were a wreck. I knew I’d be called soon. Now that Lana was with the guys in the far corner of the room, Reese had taken her seat next to me in Mr. Liam’s class and in our general studies block. I still felt guilty whenever I glimpsed Jace during our classes, but I was thankful for Reese’s close presence today. I felt like my nerves were going to implode at any minute.
I rubbed the small crystal in my pocket, waiting for my moment to be called. As Reese passed over my text, Mr. Liam’s communicator went off. My head shot up, and his eyes found mine. I knew it was my turn.
“Dez Harkly,” he said with slight hesitation in his voice. “The Councils are ready for you.”
As I stood, Reese reached out and clasped my hand. I gave him a strong smile though my legs threatened to drop me right to the floor. Before I reached the classroom door, I glanced at Lana, Jace, and Nick. Lana gave me a warm smile, and I smiled back until I saw the worry on Jace’s face—in his eyes. I forced a small, hesitant smile. He didn’t return it, but his gaze held mine as I pushed through the door.
Before I approached the headmaster’s office, I quickly slipped my crystal down the front of my shirt, nestling it into the pocket of my bra. As I neared the door where two Narcolym guards stood, I bit down on my lip and shifted into my Kythan form.
I took a deep breath and entered through the open doors as the guards pulled them apart. Sitting at an oblong mahogany table, three members watched me walk across the room. Three sets of glowing eyes—two blue and one red—studied my every move. My breath hitched.
“Please stand in the center of the room, Ms. Harkly,” one of the Shythe members said, waving his hand before him.
I nodded once, smiling tight-lipped, and remained quiet. Just as Reese had instructed me. From my peripheral, I saw a guard moving toward me. He held something dark in his hands, but I didn’t turn my head to investigate as he sidled up behind me.
The Council member in the middle, the one with red eyes, spoke next. “We’re screening students for our matching program. We’d like you to commence your practice routine. The same one you perform in your power training block.” He smiled, revealing his elongated eyeteeth. His eyes methodically raked over me, and my heart hammered painfully against my chest.
Forcing myself to breathe, I responded, “Of course.” I’d practiced this routine dozens of times in my training course and in front of others. I relaxed a little, preparing to begin my routine.
He tilted his head and motioned to the guard behind me. “But with one difference,” he added. The guard approached and slipped a dark fabric over my eyes. “You’re to be blindfolded. And, we’d like you to summon your full power.”
The guard finished tying the blindfold, yanking my hair in the process. Ow. After my eyes were fully covered, I nodded my head once and calmed my breathing—centering myself.
I felt a little less confident, but I’d performed this routine many times. Though, I didn’t understand how being blindfolded would help or hinder me. Or what it would prove to them. I sucked in a breath and began, bringing my arms before me and sparking my Charge. The current crackled as I connected a stream between my palms. Cake.
I concentrated on arcing the current higher into the air. But not too high. I imagined how it looked—a simple stream of blue bending, vibrating on a low frequency. I moved into my next position and separated the stream. Bending at the knee, my arms shook as I pretended to use my full power, sending the currents higher into the air. I locked onto the feel of my power, maintaining the level Reese and I had practiced. Even though I couldn’t see, I could feel the level of power.