Jace stopped at the base of the wall of the library building. The wall was sheer and would take him all night to climb and that was if he didn't fall and break his neck in the process of climbing. My wings only let me glide. He stepped back until he could clearly see the roof of the building. Once he could clearly see it he teleported to the top.

Phoenix waited for him, sitting against the doorway, "It's through here." She waved her hand in the doorway's direction, "There's a set of stairs leading down into the back and once you make the spell recognize you as being allowed through you won't have to do it again."

Jace narrowed his eyes, "They update the enchantments."

"They copy the enchantments," Phoenix corrected him in a slightly superior tone, "If you convince the enchantment that you're allowed to go through it then you won't have to do it another time."

"So that's how you really got in there," Jace nodded to himself. That's how she got in. But she's also not a student here. It's probably designed to be a pain in the ass to get through if you're a student. Of course maybe not but still.

Phoenix bit her finger hard enough to make it bleed and let the blood drip onto the doorway, "By the passing of blood let me enter." The enchantment flickered and rewrote itself. She turned to Jace, "Do it like that."

That is slightly disturbing. How'd she know to do that though? Jace copied her, wincing as pain shot through his hand, "By the passing of blood let me enter."

The enchantment again rewrote itself. Jace waved his hand past the entrance. Nothing happened. He grinned excitedly.

"So that's that," Phoenix shrugged, "However, Thursday nights the teachers are always organizing that part of the library so we should probably go now."

"But-"

"Hey, is someone there?"

Jace's eyes widened. He recognized the law mage by his voice. Oh shit! She wasn't being a pain in my ass!

"Now!" Phoenix shoved him towards the edge of the roof.

Jace followed her to the edge. She leaped and landed with a thud in a crouch. She rose and took off across the courtyard. Jace paused to create his wings because he wasn't positive he could land that drop as smoothly and easily as she did. He augmented his speed and followed her.

"Let's be a bit more careful next time," she snapped when he caught up, "I don't think the consequences of being caught would be pleasant."

Jace nodded, "Okay." That was close. Note to self Phoenix is usually right with things like that. I'm surprised at how much she knows about that place. How does she know all that stuff? How did she know they organized every Thursday? The two of them walked back to the hills outside the city in silence for a bit. Jace looked at her and cocked his head to the side, "You're fast."

"And?" Phoenix asked.

Jace shrugged indifferently, "Nothing really."

Phoenix rolled her eyes, "You are so...annoying."

Jace glanced at her from the corner of his eye, "Then why are you here?"

She stuck her tongue out at him in response.

Jace nodded knowingly, "Yeah, alright." He shook his head. I don't know why she doesn't just tell me. I mean I know she's here to keep me out of trouble. Oh well. I've definitely learned by now that digging doesn't really work with her. He rolled his eyes.

"You little shit," Phoenix snapped.

Jace looked at her in surprise, "That one's new. How many 'names' do you create for people?" They still sound like insults to me but I've decided to drop that particular conversation.

"Depends on how annoying you are," Phoenix shrugged.

"Seriously?" Jace asked.

Phoenix nodded, "Got a problem?"

"So...I must be really annoying," Jace smirked, "About as annoying as you are?" Annoying her is so much fun. Of course she's just as annoying but I guess that comes with the territory.

"I hate you," Phoenix snapped, "You are so infuriating."

"Yeah? Good to know." Jace laughed. I'm infuriating huh? Wow. He shook his head.

Phoenix sighed, "You've convinced the enchantment that it knows you so yeah. Just avoid Thursdays and you'll be fine."

"Avoid Thursdays?" Jace cocked his head to the side. Well. I definitely could avoid Thursdays. That'd make the possibility of getting caught much smaller but it also makes it boring. I could just turn invisible but I'm not sure how long I can hold that spell. Especially if I get distracted.

"Or just turn invisible and make sure none of the teachers see a randomly floating book in the air," Phoenix shrugged.

"Yeah," Jace nodded. Suddenly a dark presence seemed to press down on him, almost suffocating him. He heard Phoenix turning as though looking for something. For a moment his vision went black and all he could see was darkness.

Phoenix hissed through gritted teeth.

"You too huh?" he whispered.

"Yeah. It's nasty."

He sighed in silent relief as his vision cleared and the presence faded.

Phoenix snarled softly, "Jace. Go home."

"But-"

"Now." Her tone invited no further argument.

Jace's eyes widened. She's not kidding around. I hope she doesn't take long. He augmented his speed and darted home. He climbed into his room and stared at the ceiling. I wonder what that was. It was dark sure but there was something else about it. There's was something more about it. A deeper purpose. A single corruptive purpose. He shuddered, "I wonder if we were the only ones to feel it?"

The next morning Jace climbed onto his roof before going to school. Phoenix was curled up asleep just above his room. He nodded and slid down and landed on the ground. He walked slowly to school. It wouldn't start for a little while but that was alright. The moment he walked through the gates into the courtyard he was approached by Derek. Jace sighed. Dammit. I really didn't want to talk to you today. "What now?"

"I've been wondering," Derek sneered, "What exactly do you do when you're not at school?"

Jace's eyes widened. He saw me last night. Crap! I could just clear that from his memory. But I've never tried to do that before. He rolled his eyes, "Why do you care?"

"Who's that pretty little redhead?" he asked.

"Why do you care?" Jace repeated.

"Maybe cause she's cute?" Derek smirked.

He's trying to get a reaction out of me by...complimenting Phoenix? That doesn't make any sense at all. Jace shook his head and rolled his eyes, "If you think she's cute that's you. I don't see what it has to do with me." He pushed past Derek and met Erin and Lucy in the courtyard.

"You're here early!" Lucy squealed in surprise.

"Yeah," Jace shrugged, "I didn't feeling like staying home as long as usual this morning."

"Is something wrong?" Erin asked.

"No," Jace shook his head. Nothing's wrong. Not with me anyway. Usually Phoenix is up before I even bother leaving my room. Why's she asleep this morning? Did something happen last night that I missed? I can't read her mind so I doubt I'll get an answer to that. The morning rolled by slowly and Jace still couldn't tell where Phoenix was. That meant he had to sit through class without something to keep his mind off of how absolutely boring it was to listen to a teacher drone on and on about nothing he cared about. He had already long since read books on and memorized the subjects the teacher was droning on about. Clouds moved in accompanied by a cold wind. Eventually the wind died but the clouds remained. Jace looked at the clock tower in the center of the courtyard. He couldn't believe he had allowed Lucy and Erin to talk him into spending their free time outside today. If it started raining it would get really gross really fast. Jace was not the biggest fan of being wet and he certainly didn't like walking through mud.

Derek approached him again, "Hey Berelen!"

Jace hissed under his breath, "I hate being called that."

"Relax," Erin sighed, "He only does it because he knows you hate it."

Jace knew Erin was right. He got to his feet and walked up to Derek, "What do you want?"

"I want you to introduce me to your redheaded friend," Derek shrugged.

"I wouldn't exactly call her my friend," Jace rolled his eyes.

"Then what is she?"

"I barely know her," Jace resisted the urge to laugh at how petty the fire mage was being. That'll only get me burned at best.

"Then why'd I see you leaping off the roof after her last night?" Derek asked.

Jace gave the fire mage a very dull look, "I have no idea what you're talking about." He knew Derek hated it when he acted superior and doing so often started a fight but Jace didn't particularly care in that moment.

"You have no idea what I'm talking about huh?" Derek snarled, "Maybe I should jog your memory." Jace dodged a streak of flames. His eyes widened as he saw they were headed straight for Lucy. Damn! A shadow slid between the flames and the brunette just before they would have hit her. Jace saw Lucy stumble backwards. In between Lucy and the flames was none other than Phoenix.

Derek stared at the redhead in shock.

Jace cringed and stepped back. Uh-oh. What are you doing? He was slightly afraid of her answer. If the school figured out that she was connected to him they'd both be more than dead.

Helping your friend. Phoenix smirked confidently and looked dead at Derek, "Is that the best you can do? Those flames didn't even burn."

Jace stared at her with wide eyes. Are you starting a fight?

Maybe. What of it?

That's it. I'm dead. Jace shook his head but didn't bother arguing with her. I'm dead. I'm dead. I'm beyond dead. When the teachers show up I'm going to be charbroiled and roasted in my own juices. I'm dead.

"I'm the most powerful fire mage at this school," Derek hissed.

Phoenix raised an eyebrow, "Seriously?" She put her hands on her hips, "Those didn't even tickle."

A moment ago she said they didn't even burn. Is she just playing bravado? Jace looked her over carefully. It was true. There wasn't a single burn on her so he believed they didn't burn her. Saying they didn't tickle was probably a stretch.

"You absorbed them," Erin realized.

Jace glanced at him. Absorbed flames? I thought that wasn't even possible.

"No one can do that," Derek pointed at her and a snake of flames shot out at the redhead.

Jace noticed a crowd gathering around them. Everyone gasped, turning his attention back to Phoenix. Her eyes glowed brightly with an inner light and the tips of her hair erupted into flames. Derek's fire snake had it's fangs imbedded into the skin at her neck.

Suddenly Derek didn't seem very interested in meeting her anymore. His face was twisted in fear and horror, "You monster!"

Jace flinched. Phoenix definitely looked terrifying like that but maybe monster was a little too far.

"You want to see a monster?" Phoenix's eyes narrowed and flames leaped to life at her feet, "Cause I can show you the power of a monster."

Jace's eyes widened. Don't! STOP! You're going to get in so much trouble! You're going to kill someone! He bit his lower lip and began to ease away from the confrontation. I don't want to be caught in the blast radius when she explodes.

"What's going on here?!" the law mage stalked through the crowd.

Phoenix's flames died and she turned to face the teacher calmly, "Hi."

WHAT?! Jace looked from her to the teacher and back again. How in the-how is she so calm?

"You're not a student," the law mage looked her over callously.

It'd be nice if you could not scream in my head. Phoenix shook her head, "Nope."

Sorry. Jace bit his lower lip and tasted blood in his mouth. Damn. I made myself bleed. He glanced at his finger and saw a nice scab where he had bitten himself there. If I keep this up I'll be covered in scabs. I don't think the lips scab like the rest of the body though.

Jace had missed what the law mage had said. "Maybe cause I can do this?" Phoenix reactivated her flames and gave the teacher a challenging look.

"So you're a mage. How are you not enrolled here?"

"I didn't want to be and I'll be leaving tonight so I'm not going to bother." She looked up at one of the most terrifying teachers of the school contemptuously, "Anyway, as for your first question, that guy threw flames at that guy and that guy dodged and it was gonna hit her so, being a fire mage myself, I stepped between that girl and the flames and then he decided to start a fight so I intimidated the hell out of him and then you showed up and then we had this conversation and I will now be leaving." She spoke very quickly, fast enough Jace was surprised that the law mage managed to catch up with her. She motioned to each of them as the spoke and Jace was definitely glad that she implied that she didn't know anyone's names.

Was that all one sentence?

Yes. Phoenix started to walk away.

"Wait a moment," the law mage insisted.

"Sorry, I've got places to be," Phoenix didn't bother with looking at him.

Jace swallowed nervously. You're already digging yourself a hole. Don't dig any deeper, Phoenix. He sighed. Who am I kidding? She doesn't care that she's digging herself ever deeper into a hole.

"And I certainly am not going to waste anymore time on you numbskulls." Jace saw her wink at Lucy as she passed her but was pretty sure he was the only other person that saw it.

"What is the real reason you are here?"

Jace cringed and ducked into the crowd. If his teacher found out this had started with him getting into another fight he'd be more than dead. He heard Phoenix say she was chaos incarnate but couldn't see what was going on anymore. He looked at the people he was hiding amongst in amusement. Derek's biggest followers stood around him but they were too busy watching Phoenix to notice him among them. Jace took the opportunity to slip away. Jordyn would no doubt be coming soon. Jace made it to the outside of crowd and hurried to the outskirts of the courtyard. He scaled the wall and saw Phoenix storming away from the confrontation. He could definitely tell that she was pissed. He could feel it almost as though it was his own rage. Jace shook his head and dropped down to the ground on the other side of the wall.