The Secret Circle: The Second Season

by Lavender and Ink

Faced with the looming threat of the Balcoin siblings, the Circle must find courage in themselves and strength in each other in order to survive. But rivalries, jealousy, and the lure of power may prove to be their biggest dangers. The highly-anticipated sequel to the short-lived television series, "The Second Season" follows in its wake of disaster, romance, and deadly secrets.

5. Episode 5: Blackout

Episode 2.5:
Blackout

Cold darts of rain smashed into the window, and thunder clapped and bellowed. The wind was screeching, scraping through tree branches and making an agonizing sound as everything shuddered through the storm.

Cassie sat cross-legged on the couch in the living room, staring absentmindedly out the window at the thunderstorm. The dim, gold light of the lamps and the last dying embers in the fireplace made her feel cocooned against it. She loved these storms.

Sighing, Cassie looked back down at the U.S. History textbook she was supposed to be reading. She had been flipping between a couple pages on the Revolutionary War for the past half hour, but the headache she'd had all day kept clouding her vision. Looking around the room, she considered that the dim lighting could also be contributing to that. But the rhythmic pounding in her temples led her to believe otherwise.

Cassie drew her hand up to the side of her head and gritted her teeth. She had been having headaches for the better part of the past two and a half weeks, usually waking up feeling as if something had been dropped on her head in her sleep. No matter how many home remedies and over-the-counter painkillers she tried, it was a rare occasion for her to wake up with a clear mind. Two weeks ago when she tried the Conjuring Spell again before bed in an effort to see the image of her half-sister, an effort that had proved useless, she had woken up the next morning with a headache so bad she was seeing double for half an hour and had to call in sick to work that afternoon.

Flipping the page of the History textbook, Cassie thought about the Conjuring Spell again. She'd tried it twice more since the failed attempt. The first attempt left her so nauseous from the smell of the sage she couldn't finish the spell and thought she was going to throw up, and the second time her concentration was so broken the quartz wouldn't activate. She was becoming increasingly irritated with the inability to make contact with her half-siblings, despite the fact that a small shred of logic in the back of her mind told her it was a good thing, that they would just cause trouble for her Circle. But ever since Parker showed up at the dance and her half-sister's voice reached out to her, she had been overwhelmed with the urge to meet them, to know them. She wondered if Diana had the same feeling, even if it was being suppressed by her self-righteousness and anger. After all, they were their siblings. They shared the same blood…John Blackwell's blood.

With another sigh, Cassie closed the textbook and put it down next to her on the couch. She was giving up for the night. It was already 11:00, and she had to present her website in her Graphic Design class tomorrow morning. She pushed her hair out of her face, standing up to go upstairs. She turned off the lamp, seeing its rich yellow reflection disappear from the windowpane. A small, silver orb was left in its place.

Cassie crinkled her brow and tilted her head as she stared at the orb, blinking a few times to make sure it wasn't just her tired eyes. Curiously, she tiptoed over to it, wondering what it was. At first, it looked like the fireflies she could see from her bedroom window when she and her mom lived in Texas for a few years. She had never seen one in Washington or California though. She frowned as she moved closer to it and noticed it didn't appear to be outside, but rather stuck to the inside of the window. Cautiously reaching forward, Cassie drew her fingers close to it. Right before her fingertip reached it, the silver orb shuddered and shot past her. As it moved, it seemed ethereal, as if she had touched it and broken it apart into a million pieces that dissipated throughout the room. The thin silver strands leaked into the air, disappearing.

Cassie frowned, her brow lowering more. She looked around the room, wondering if it went somewhere else, or if there was another one. She couldn't see anything out of place…

Was it the Balcoins?

Moving slowly toward the staircase, Cassie wondered if her siblings were trying to make contact with her. But she had never seen anything like that orb before. Frustrated, she went upstairs, wishing she hadn't reached out toward it and had just been patient enough to watch it for a while.

Once the upstairs hallway was within her field of vision, Cassie stopped as she saw the orb again, hovering in the middle of the hall. It seemed oddly heavy, struggling beneath its own weight, unnatural considering Cassie had just seen it explode in a puff of soft, airy vapor.

Cassie moved slowly, holding her breath. The orb flickered and slumped, moving just as slowly toward the window at the end of the hallway looking to the backyard. Cassie tiptoed near it, her heart pounding in her chest. A clap of thunder exploded, making her gasp and jump slightly. The orb darted forward, as if it had been surprised by her sudden movement. Somehow, she knew it was connected to her, not the storm. It flickered down the hallway, and Cassie moved quickly to try to keep it in her line of vision. The orb threw itself against the window, throbbing and glowing like it had been downstairs.

She approached cautiously again, this time not reaching for it. Instead, she leaned her face close to its form, her mouth slightly open and her brow furrowed as she examined its texture. It was sinewy, with tiny pulses of light moving through the strands. It was enchanting, captivating.

A black shape exploded behind the orb, causing Cassie to scream and stumble backwards. It was a huge, midnight-black dog, teeth bared and mouth foaming as it scratched and bit at the window…the second story window…Cassie stared, horrified, trying to figure out how the animal was attacking the window as if it were on the ground. Its barking sent panic through her body. The orb was gone, and in its place was the vicious glow of the dog's red eyes.

Its barking ceased, and Cassie stood, paralyzed, staring into its eyes. Her knees were trembling, begging her to run, but she couldn't move. The dog's low growling made her stomach turn. There was a moment of tense silence from the dog, punctuated by the softening of the storm outside. Then, suddenly, it lunged at the window, shattering the glass and landing in the hallway.

Cassie screamed, falling to the ground as she tried to turn. She scrambled back to her feet, racing down the stairs. She could hear the dog's feet pounding as it raced after her. She rounded the staircase, darting into the kitchen and closing the pantry door behind her.

She tried to control her breathing as she heard the dog's nails clacking on the floor. It was still growling, angry and hungry. Cassie could feel tears in the corners of her eyes, and tried to choke down her crying. There was a moment of silence. Cassie held her breath, then relaxed a little. It had gone into another room. She was safe…for now.

Thinking her best bet was to run out to her car, Cassie slowly turned the doorknob, pushing the door as lightly as possible. She peeked out, and saw the dog was no longer in the kitchen. Tiptoeing, she moved back into the living room, feeling hot tears streaming down her cheeks. She reached for the front door—

"No!" Cassie screamed as she heard the barking behind her. She didn't turn around, she just pushed open the front door and ran as fast as she could toward her car. Searing pain burned against her back as she felt claws dig in between her shoulder blades, knocking her to the ground. Her bare arm scraped against the cement on the walkway and her face was pushed into the muddy grass. The arm that had been dislocated just a few weeks ago screamed in protest, and Cassie rolled onto her side, choking on mud and her own tears. The dog stepped over her, growling, its foamy mouth yellow and fierce.

Just as it was about to bite Cassie's exposed throat, the black cat that had been in her yard for the past month darted out from some bushes, hissing and running for some trees. The dog was distracted, snapping its head up and barking at the dark cat's shape. It raced after the sprinting feline, giving Cassie the brief window of opportunity she needed. She got to her feet, wobbling slightly, and sprinted, limping heavily. She yanked open the passenger door of her car, clambering in and locking it behind her.

Hurt, exhausted, and terrified, Cassie began crying heavily, watching as the dog slunk off past the trees as it continued to chase the cat's no-longer visible shape. Eyes stinging as the tears mingled with the mud and grass on her face, Cassie went to wipe her face off, freezing when she saw her palm. The Balcoin symbol.

---

"Oh my god, Cassie!" Adam exclaimed, rushing toward her.

Cassie had missed school yesterday and the first two classes today, and was now entering the cafeteria with all of her injuries on display. Her left arm was in a sling, and her short-sleeve black shirt revealed the long length of gauze from her elbow to upper arm where she had collided with cement. Her face had several scrapes and bruises along her left cheekbone and eyebrow.

"What the hell happened?" Adam asked under his breath, his eyes moving up and down the length of her body. She was still limping slightly from the dark bruise on her hip where she hit the ground. Adam ushered her to the table he was sitting at with Faye and Melissa.

Cassie took a deep breath. "Something attacked me," she started, before being interrupted.

"No shit," Faye said under her breath, earning a glare from Adam. She raised her eyebrows and gestured toward Cassie.

"Parker? One of the Balcoins?" Adam asked, dismissing Faye.

"No, an animal," Cassie continued. "A black dog. But not like a regular dog. It was bigger and more vicious than any dog I've ever seen before."

"How did it get you?" Melissa asked, a look of horror across her face.

"It was at my window," Cassie explained, "on the second story, but it was moving like it was on solid ground. Then it just burst through and started chasing me through the house. I was trying to escape to my car and it knocked me to the ground and took a swipe at me. I have stitches in my back."

Melissa's eyebrows shot up her forehead.

"She was bleeding really bad when we found her," Faye said, attitude now somber.

Faye and Jake had been the ones to hear Cassie scream and came to help her. She was hysterical in the car when they found her, delirious with pain. Jake had to practically carry her to his car, she was so injured. They had taken her into the ER, unable to explain what had happened to the doctors.

"What did you say happened when they took you in?" Adam asked. "Not…that?"

"No," Cassie sighed. "I mean, I told them a dog attacked me, but not that it broke into my house through the second story window. I said I had left something in my car for school and went to go get it and the dog attacked me in the yard and ran off. They have Animal Control looking for it. But they're not going to find it." Cassie gave them a knowing look.

"And how did you explain the broken window?" Melissa asked.

"There was a tree just outside, and a branch in the hallway when I came home. The contractor said the branch broke off during the storm. If I hadn't seen the dog I would have believed him too."

"Did it happen after the dog attack?" Melissa continued.

"I guess." Cassie shrugged.

"And you're sure there was one, right?" Faye asked carefully. "The dog, I mean."

"What are you asking me?" Cassie asked defensively.

Faye paused, measuring her answer. "Jake and I didn't see or hear anything other than you," she finally said. "I don't think that means it wasn't there, but your injuries look way worse than what any dog I've ever seen could do."

"Yes, well, in the past year, I've also come to discover that magic, witches, and demons exist, so I'm perfectly willing to accept that maybe dogs from hell do too," Cassie snapped.

"Okay, sorry," Faye said, throwing her hands up. "I was just asking."

"Do you think it's safe for you to be home alone?" Adam asked.

Cassie sighed. "I don't know," she said. She locked her gaze with Adam's, then Faye's and Melissa's. "Just promise me you'll all be careful."

---

Diana slung her bookbag over her shoulder, exhausted and ready to go home. She had had a horrible headache all day. They were just getting worse and worse, and Kate had made her schedule an appointment to see a neurologist next week. Diana had told her grandmother they were probably just from stress, but Kate's increasingly thin lips pressed together in dissatisfaction before she told Diana that she hadn't seen her without a headache in the mornings for two weeks straight now.

Today, the headache had only gotten worse as the day went on. All through French she was unable to focus, and once the bell signaling the end of the day finally rang, the brittle shriek made her grind her teeth and clench her jaw. It was only 2:30, but she was ready to go home, put on her pajamas, and press an ice pack against her head until dinner.

Turning the corner to her locker, she saw Cassie slowly limping down the hallway. Diana's jaw opened as she saw the gauze, sling, bruises, and cuts all across the girl's body.

"Cassie!" Diana exclaimed, rushing up to her. Cassie looked up, her eyes dark both from bruises and fatigue. She looks like hell, Diana thought, unsure of what to say aloud. Cassie was normally so pretty, but it was hard to believe it from the weariness throughout her face and body.

"Oh my god, what happened to you?" Diana said under her breath, reaching to grasp the shorter girl in a hug. She hesitated, worried she would hurt her worse. A flicker in Cassie's eyes told her she read the hesitation differently. Diana wondered if she should defend herself, but Cassie spoke up before she could.

"You didn't hear the story from the others?" Cassie asked, her voice tinted with genuine surprise.

"No," Diana said, barely above a whisper, ashamed that she had become so distanced from her Circle they wouldn't even tell her about this.

"I was attacked," Cassie said in a low voice, her blue eyes full of leftover fear. "A dog…some kind of monster came into my house and attacked me."

"Was it…" Diana was unable to finish her sentence. The two girls stared at each other, neither of them willing to elaborate.

"Are you driving home?" Diana finally asked in a dumbfounded voice.

Cassie pressed her lips together in a sarcastic smile and pointed at her sling with her mobile hand. "Unfortunately, no."

"Well, at least let me give you a ride home," Diana insisted. "You don't want to ride the bus like this."

"Are you sure?" Cassie asked, hesitantly. "I know you kind of…" Now Cassie was the one who didn't want to finish her sentence, and Diana's cheeks flared up with heat at the insinuation Cassie had made—one that she had every right to make based on Diana's behavior.

"Please," Diana insisted. "Let's go."

The two girls exited Chance Harbor High School together, walking in silence to Diana's car. Diana opened the passenger door for Cassie, and exited the parking lot to head to Cassie's house.

"Diana." Cassie had finally broken the silence, but her voice was barely audible and obstructed by a raspy tone. "It was the Balcoins," she continued. "If they came for me, they will come for you. Please be careful."

As Diana pulled up next to Cassie's house, Cassie turned to look at her, her face stern and grave. "The dog that attacked me wanted to kill me," she said firmly.

"Don't say that, Cassie—"

"It's the truth. And you need to know it, to protect yourself. And I think that we need to start playing defense, instead of just sitting here and waiting around to see what's going to happen." Cassie's escalating tone was beginning to scare Diana.

"What are you talking about, Cassie?" Diana asked, an exasperated tone in her voice. "I told you, I'm not doing magic, and I'm not binding the Circle."

"We can do some spells with individual magic," Cassie insisted, her voice quickening like it always did when she was trying to be persuasive. "I want us to do an Attraction Spell to try to draw out our half-siblings. I want us to talk to them and find out what they want."

"Absolutely not," Diana said firmly, gripping the steering wheel and wishing there was some way for her to exit her own car. "We are not doing that!"

"Diana, it might be the only way," Cassie urged. "Besides, we don't even know that they're evil—"

"Are you kidding me!" Diana exploded. "There is no way in hell they're not evil!"

"You don't know that!" Cassie shouted back. "They could be just like us, victims of a father who manipulated them into using their dark magic for his own gain. They could be just as alone, just as confused, and just as willing to work with us as the other members of our own Circle."

"Cassie, do you hear yourself?" Diana shouted. "Have you forgotten that one of them attacked you at Homecoming, and you think that they sent some monster to kill you last night?" She threw her hands up, running them through her hair and shaking her head. This was unbelievable. Cassie was unbelievable.

"I just want to know what they want!" Cassie snapped, throwing her good arm into her lap and wincing slightly. "I don't know why you don't," she muttered, turning to look out the window at her house.

"Because they are just as psycho as John Blackwell was," Diana said, managing to control her voice slightly more. "And we are not contacting them, or trying to diagnose their daddy issues, okay?" She looked at Cassie, trying to make her agree. She knew it was pointless though.

There was a silence between the two, Cassie still staring out the window and Diana's gaze glued to the steering wheel.

"Thanks for the ride, Diana," Cassie sighed sadly, opening the door. "I'll see you tomorrow at school."

With that, Cassie exited and slowly limped toward her front door. Angry at both Cassie and herself, Diana let out a frustrated growl and rested her forehead on the steering wheel. Her head was pounding worse than ever before. When would she be free of all this?

---

Faye paced around Jake's bedroom, tossing her cell phone from hand to hand.

"Do you believe her?" Faye asked, turning to look at Jake, who was sprawled out on his bed. He was wearing just pajama pants and had a pillow crumpled up under his head.

The two of them had just finished the pizza Jake ordered after coming home from his 12-hour work day. He had volunteered to pick up extra shifts thinking it would help him save up some more money and make a good impression on his boss—he was still nervous the only reason Mr. Stedman kept him around was because he had been a friend of Richard and Sara's. Unfortunately, the impression the extra work left on his girlfriend was not as positive.

"Do I believe what?" Jake asked, looking up drowsily at Faye. She kept darting across the room, and all Jake wanted was for her to crawl into bed with him and watch a movie until they both fell asleep.

"Cassie's story," Faye snapped, pausing to look at Jake. "Are you even listening to me?"

"I'm sorry, babe," Jake grunted, heaving himself up and sitting against the headboard. "I'm just tired. Do I believe Cassie about the dog attacking her?"

"Yeah," Faye said, coming over to sit at the foot of the bed. "I mean, you saw how deep those cuts on her back were. That looked like an animal attack."

"It was an animal attack," Jake mumbled.

"I know that, but I mean, like, a mountain lion or something." Faye turned to look out the window, thinking of the sun that would be setting soon. "Like a werewolf," she added very quietly.

"I'm sorry, did you just say werewolf?" Jake asked, alertness coming back to his voice.

"Well, if witches exist!" Faye exclaimed, crossing her arms and getting back on her feet.

"But werewolves?" Jake asked playfully, sitting up straighter. "As in people who grow fur and fangs at the full moon?" A grin was spreading across his face.

"Just forget I said it, okay?" Faye exclaimed, embarrassed. She shoved her phone in her black jeans pocket and made a break toward the door.

Jake picked up the pillow that had been under his head and tossed it at Faye. It hit her butt, then fell to the floor. She turned around, grinning, one eyebrow raised.

"Did you just throw that pillow at me?" She asked dangerously, feigning confusion.

"No, ma'am," Jake said, a very serious expression suddenly crossing his face. "I just initiated pillow warfare with you."

Before she could say anything in response, Jake reached for the second pillow on his bed, but Faye used her magic to lift it up before he could grab it, and then launched it back down on his butt.

"I win!" Faye said in a sing-song voice, turning back to the door. Jake sprinted out of bed and grabbed Faye from behind before she could leave, lifting her up and walking backwards toward the bed.

"My girl believes in werewolves!" He yelled, falling back into the bed so they were both lying down. Faye started laughing as Jake howled.

"Shut up!" She laughed, pushing him away from her. She used her magic again to send a pillow down across his body, making Jake laugh as well. He swept her into a hug, and the pillow fight ended.

Faye smiled happily with her face pressed against Jake's chest. His breathing slowed to the pace she recognized as just before he fell asleep. She nuzzled in closer, happy to be content just cuddling him.

"You okay?" Jake mumbled, rolling onto his back. Faye sat up slightly and smiled at him.

"Almost perfect," Faye responded.

"Almost?" Jake asked, rubbing his eye with the back of his hand. "What would it take to be all the way perfect?"

Faye looked down at the pillow lying between them, thinking about the sensation of her individual magic. It was so weak in comparison to what Circle magic had felt like. She loved being in control of her own spells again over the summer and not needing anyone's permission to do as she pleased. But as the novelty of individual magic began to fade, she had recognized just how small it was in comparison to the power of six. She could barely lift the pillow, and it didn't leave nearly the same rush through her body as when she worked with someone else. It felt like her powers were fading, but she had to resign herself to the fact that they were just weak, and she would always be weak as a result.

"Nothing," she whispered back to Jake, looking back out the window, a frown now lining her mouth. "How about a movie before bed?"

---

Melissa lounged back into her overstuffed teal blue armchair as she played with one of her curls. She had missed a call from Troy when she was in the shower, and now couldn't wait for him to pick up, just so she could hear his voice.

"Hello?" He asked, making Melissa's heart flutter.

"Hey, Troy," she said, trying to keep her voice calm. "Sorry I missed your call."

"Oh, it's alright. How are you doing?"

"Pretty good," Melissa said with a smile. "How about you?"

"Good, good. Buried in English homework. There's a paper due soon."

"Ugh, yeah," Melissa said. "I've always been more of a Science person myself."

"Yeah, I'm actually more into History," Troy admitted. "Hey, what happened to your friend Cassie Blake?" he continued. "I saw her in the hallways today. Was she in a car accident or something?"

"She—uh—no," Melissa stumbled, unsure of what to say. She didn't want to lie to Troy, but she also didn't know what the safest story was for outsiders. "It was actually really crazy, a stray dog attacked her." Melissa decided to go with the "truth" as Cassie had told the ER doctors. "But she should be okay."

"That's crazy!" Troy exclaimed, voice still managing to be sympathetic. "I've never heard of that kind of thing before."

"Yeah, me neither," Melissa said, stirring in the armchair and wishing Troy would change the subject. She didn't like feeling like she was intentionally putting a distance between them.

"Well, tell her I hope she's better soon," Troy said. "Hey, did you notice it's Friday tomorrow?" He continued, instantly putting a grin on Melissa's face.

"You know, I did hear a rumor that it came after Thursday. I think it was in a song or something."

Troy laughed, causing Melissa's smile to grow even bigger. "Excellent! I was thinking we could catch a movie, go to dinner, do something together."

"I'd like that a lot," Melissa said. "I really want to try the new Indian restaurant that opened downtown. Indian food's my favorite."

"Well, I can't say no to that," Troy replied. "It's a date then! Can I pick you up at five? I'm supposed to drive my aunt to Seattle tomorrow for an eye appointment, and we're leaving at 7:30 in the morning. Would an early dinner be okay?"

"Yeah, that sounds good to me! I hope your aunt's okay."

"Oh, she'll be okay. She just has always had different prescriptions in each eye and needs new glasses. She likes seeing this lady at the hospital there so she has to go to Seattle twice a year because, apparently, no one in Chance Harbor is good enough."

"I actually would believe that," Melissa laughed. "Small town life."

"Yeah, I'm liking it so far though. And thanks for going out early with me."

"Of course," Melissa replied. "Hey, I have to finish my Pre-Lab before AP Chem tomorrow. But I'll see you tomorrow evening."

"I can't wait!" Troy replied. "Goodnight, Melissa."

"Bye, Troy," Melissa said, hanging up and putting her cell phone down on the dresser. She sighed, grinning, and then hopped out of the chair, practically skipping down the stairs to the kitchen.

"Well, you look happy," Melissa's stepmom, Lynne, said as she saw Melissa open a can of pop. She was wrapped up in her pink terry cloth robe, and her hair was slightly out of place and disheveled. A flu had gone around her office, and Lynne was the latest victim.

Melissa grinned, rolling the tip of her toe on the tile floor. "Yeeeahhh," she said, stretching her arms across the granite island. "I am."

"I'm happy you're happy," Lynne said, squeezing her hand gently before walking back toward the living room. "It's not too hot in here, is it?" Lynne asked, turning slightly. "I've just been having cold chills all evening."

"No, it's okay," Melissa said, despite the fact that she was getting a soda more to cool off than to quench her thirst. Lynne smiled back at her before adjusting the thermostat a little warmer and plopping back down on the couch.

Glowing, Melissa skipped back upstairs, placing her pop down on her desk before picking up the packet she was supposed to complete tonight. Looking out the window at the bright, round, silver moon, she sighed, wondering how she was supposed to focus on Chemistry when she was so distracted by Troy. She slowly lowered herself into her desk chair, still gazing out her bedroom window and at the moon through the leaves on the maple tree in their yard.

Melissa finally looked down at her desk, tapping her eraser against the question she was supposed to be answering. She read through it a couple times, considering how she wanted to phrase her answer. Her mind kept wandering to Troy, though, and her face flushed in excitement and embarrassment. Lynne cranking up the heat in the house wasn't helping, either.

Reaching for her soda, she took a sip, hoping it would cool her down. She slid off her emerald cardigan, feeling slightly cooler in just her charcoal gray tank top. She leaned across the desk, tapping the window so it cracked open slightly. An instantly refreshing breeze swept through, cooling Melissa's neck and forehead. She could hear crickets chirping melodically from the stream behind their house.

Getting back to work, Melissa began to scrawl out her answer in her loopy handwriting, her mind wandering between her answer and Troy. She dropped her pencil after she added the last period at the end of her sentence, then reached for her pop again. She felt bad that Lynne was so sick, but she was ready to put on some shorts at this point.

Rolling her chair over to the window, Melissa closed her eyes and leaned in close to the screen. The breeze caught a few small curls and brushed them back, exposing her temples to the cool air. It smelled like dry leaves and the last of the tall grass on either side of the creek. The silence was soothing.

Crinkling her brow slightly and opening her eyes, Melissa looked out into the yard, wondering where the sounds of the crickets had gone. Listening carefully, she could hear the distant sound of cars on the main road that fed into their cul-de-sac, but other than that, everything was silent.

A slight ruffle in the bushes caught her attention, and Melissa's gaze shifted to the bushes lining the border between their yard and their neighbor's. There was another ruffle, and then a dark shape emerged from the hedges. It was massive and pitch black, but two glowing red eyes were staring at her.

Melissa gasped, choking on her shock. The dark shape moved toward her window, gazing up with its menacing stare. Melissa began pushing the chair back with her feet, trying to get the yard outside of her vision. She felt petrified, she could barely move…

The rustling sound stopped, and Melissa held her breath. Outside, everything was completely still and silent now. After what felt like minutes, she finally exhaled. All of a sudden, the snapping jaws appeared at her window, and Melissa let out a shriek, covering her face instinctively.

There was a clamor of footsteps, and Patrick pushed open Melissa's bedroom door. "What's wrong?" he shouted, looking around the room.

Melissa opened her eyes again, and saw that the dog was nowhere to be seen. Trembling, she couldn't take her eyes away from the window, and Patrick rushed over, peering outside.

"Melissa, are you all right?" he asked, looking back at her as if he hadn't seen anything.

Melissa had broken out into a cold sweat and was panting as if she had just run a mile. She took a shaky hand to her face and pushed her hair away from her eyes.

"Yeah," she finally mumbled. "I fell asleep and had a nightmare." She could feel her heartbeat starting to return to normal despite the panic and fear that still remained.

Patrick's face mixed with concern and confusion, but he finally kissed Melissa on the top of her head, saying, "I think you should get some sleep now, baby."

"Yeah, me too," Melissa sighed. "I'm going to get up early to finish this." She stood up and gave her dad a hug before he left the room.

Turning to face the window, Melissa cautiously approached. There was nothing in the yard, and the sound of the crickets had returned. With a deep breath, she slammed the window shut and collapsed onto her bed, then reached for her phone to warn the others.

---

Cassie, Adam, Faye, and Melissa sat at a lunch table together, a somber mood covering the entire group.

"I'm so glad you're all right," Faye said, looking over at Melissa with one of her rare moments of genuine sympathy.

"Are you sure it didn't come after anyone else?" Cassie asked.

"I didn't see anything," Adam growled, arms crossed across his chest and his gaze lost somewhere in the corner of the cafeteria. "But I was also on the boat, so…I don't know if it traverses sea as well as land."

"I was at Jake's," Faye said. "Why?" she followed up, turning toward Cassie. "Did you see it again?"

"No," Cassie sighed, looking at the palm of her right hand. "But I…I think I felt it. More than once last night."

"Well, if it didn't come after you, too," Melissa mumbled. Her eyes snapped off the table and looked from Faye to Cassie. "Unless it went after Diana."

"Has anyone seen her this morning, or is she still taking twice as many AP classes as everyone else?" Faye asked.

"We were just in AP World History together," Adam replied in a low voice. "But she didn't seem any different than usual. Quiet, but that's not unlike her lately."

Cassie considered that for a moment, trying to suppress the jealousy that had emerged whenever Adam talked about Diana. She knew that they had been together for way longer than she and Adam had even known each other, and that they had been best friends long before that. But she still couldn't help the anger that was beginning to replace the heartache whenever she thought about Adam's possible feelings for Diana now that he didn't love her anymore.

"Well, we all have AP Chem after this," Faye said with a slight hint of resentment in her voice. Cassie knew that the only reason Faye had signed up for any Honors or AP classes throughout high school had been Dawn's insistence. "We can talk to her then."

"I don't know if she really wants to talk to us," Cassie said. "She drove me home yesterday and…we got in a fight."

"Yeah, but shouldn't she know if that animal is coming after her next?" Melissa asked, unintentionally giving Cassie a way to avoid detailing the fight. "I mean, what if it just moves one by one through our Circle? If my dad hadn't been there last night…"

"So if we stick together, aren't alone, we should be fine, right?" Adam asked.

Cassie shrugged, genuinely uncertain. "I looked through my family's Book of Shadows after the attack, and there's nothing there on this animal. I would ask Diana to check hers, but…"

"I'll ask her," Adam said firmly. "And Faye, could you call Jake and ask him to look through his?"

"Sure," Faye said, standing up and reaching into her purse. "I'm going to now before Chemistry. I'll see you guys there." She turned and exited the lunch room, leaving Adam, Cassie, and Melissa at the table alone.

"I'm going to go to my locker and get my lab materials," Melissa said. "I'll see you guys in a few minutes."

"Bye," Cassie sighed, readjusting her arm in the sling. Adam looked at her with concern.

"Does it still hurt?" he asked.

"Not really," Cassie lied. "I mean, as long as it's in the sling. The doctor said I should be able to take it off in about two weeks. It wasn't broken."

Cassie stared at the table, realizing Adam had never asked her for the details of her injuries. Maybe he was just trying to spare himself the gruesome details, but the sudden realization that maybe he just hadn't cared enough hurt Cassie slightly.

"Come on, let me carry your things to class," Adam said with a smile, and helped Cassie to her feet as they walked toward her locker.

---

Adam followed Cassie into their Chemistry classroom. Faye and Melissa were already setting up at a station in the corner. As he and Cassie walked by, he whispered, "Did you talk to him?"

Faye looked up through her goggles, whispering back, "No, he's at work. I left a message and told him to look as soon as he's home."

Adam nodded, biting back his impatience. He realized Jake had to be a part of real life and was trying to afford to move out of his aunt's and have a little bit of savings, but there were times he wished he could exist solely to help them when they were trapped at high school.

"Thanks," he mumbled as he and Cassie took their seats at their station. He watched as she began fumbling with her pencil and tapping it impatiently against the counter, staring at the clock.

Diana entered, not even looking at any of them, and took her seat at the station in front of him and Cassie, next to Matt Robertson. The two instantly started chatting, causing Adam to bite his lip and look at the clock as Cassie was.

Last winter, they had all decided signing up for this class together sounded like a good idea, especially since there was only one section and it was unlikely they'd all have any other classes together. Now, it became awkward and strained as Diana pretended they weren't there, and Cassie seemed distant and upset whenever Adam tried to keep a conversation going with her. He wished things had been like…been like when? When he'd been with Diana, he had feelings for Cassie that broke up his going-on-four-years relationship, and then once he and Cassie started dating they found out they were cursed and could never actually be together. What mythical time exactly was he pining for?

"Alllll right," Mrs. MacArthur said, drawing her voice out as she walked up to the whiteboard. "Your instructions are in your lab book, but a few safety reminders before we begin." She began writing some notes on the board which Adam absentmindedly scrawled into his lab notebook, watching Cassie out of the corner of his eye. She had her eyes on Diana, a look on her face Adam couldn't read.

"Let's begin!" Mrs. MacArthur exclaimed, snapping Adam back to reality. He flipped his booklet to the experiment instructions, and began measuring out liquids with Cassie. On lab days she usually wanted to measure things out herself, but her sling meant he would probably be doing most of the work today, maybe even during the next lab day.

"I'm sorry," Cassie said, as if reading his mind.

"Oh, no, don't worry about it!" Adam said, carefully mixing two liquids. "I'm happy to take care of it."

Cassie smiled, turning on her stool to better face him. Her elbow confined in the sling accidentally knocked a pipette off the counter; they watched it land behind Diana's stool.

"Diana, would you mind handing that to us?" Adam asked. Diana didn't seem to notice the pipette or his request, and she continued measuring chemicals as Matt punched some numbers into his calculator.

"Diana?" Adam repeated. He leaned forward slightly, nudging her shoulder. She turned, eyebrows raised.

"What?" she snapped.

"Never mind, I'll get it," Cassie said quickly, standing up and walking around the table.

Diana immediately turned back to her experiment. Matt said something under his breath Adam couldn't hear, but it made Diana light up and laugh.

Adam squeezed the rubber top of the eyedropper a bit too violently, losing his grip on it and listening to the tinkering of the glass tube as it landed on their tabletop. Mrs. MacArthur's hazel eyes locked in on their table.

"Careful," she warned.

Adam smiled, picking up the eyedropper and suppressing his frustration. Why was Diana ignoring them? Why did she act like she didn't even know them half the time? And what about Matt made him a better friend for her right now than any of them?

Adam conducted the experiment, carefully following all of the instructions as Cassie read them to him, jotted down notes, and punched numbers into the calculator, but only half his mind was present. His gaze kept returning to Diana and Matt, who were a few steps ahead of them and getting along great. Diana kept beaming and laughing, and Matt had a dumb grin on his face half the time. Did he know she had a boyfriend?

Adam purposefully knocked the plastic pipette on the ground again when Cassie told him to grab it.

"Whoops," she laughed, hopping off her stool once more.

"No, it's okay," Adam said, raising his hand slightly. "Diana!" he called, loudly enough he knew she couldn't ignore him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Faye and Melissa both turn to face them momentarily.

"It's okay," Cassie said. "School's out in fifteen minutes, I want to make sure we don't have to do a make-up lab."

"Diana," Adam repeated, blatantly ignoring Cassie.

Diana finally turned in her stool, a look of frustration on her face. "What?" she asked. "Matt and I just finished, I was about to clean up."

"Would you hand me that pipette, please?" Adam asked, smiling and pointing to the ground.

"I'm going to go to have Mrs. MacArthur sign us off," Matt said with slight confusion in his voice, slowly getting off his stool and walking toward the front of the room.

"What is your problem?" Diana hissed as soon as Matt was out of earshot.

"I would like to ask you the same thing," Adam shot back, mouth pulled into an angry smile that looked more like an animal baring its teeth.

"You can get your own stuff!" Diana hissed.

"That's not what I'm talking about, and you know it!" Adam whispered. "Why do you act like you want anything to do with us?"

"Maybe because I don't," Diana said in a grave voice. The statement shocked Adam. His mouth hung open slightly, and he was at a loss for how to reply.

Cassie was standing behind her stool, watching the exchange without moving or speaking. Adam wondered if he should just turn back to her and finish the experiment so they could leave, but he was frozen in place arguing with Diana.

"She almost died," Adam finally replied, his voice crackling and dangerous. "And she almost died again before that, and it was your fault."

Diana's dark eyes became huge, round, and outraged. Her lip quivered, and her entire body seemed to fill with fury.

"How dare you," she finally whispered back, her voice eerily calm yet threatening. "How dare you."

Adam realized he had finally said out loud what he had been thinking since Homecoming, but hadn't wanted to hurt Diana by saying aloud. Now, he realized he only used it to try to hurt Diana as much as she had hurt him when she said she didn't want anything to do with him anymore. He used it as a weapon, and he'd done it on purpose. It made him feel sick for a moment, and then a wave of glowing triumph washed over him.

Adam reached forward, conflicted about whether or not he wanted to keep arguing with Diana and hurt her worse, or immediately beg for her forgiveness and try to repair whatever fragment of a relationship was left intact. Instead, as soon as his hand moved forward, the rage seemed to burst from Diana, and the glass vials on her desk, Adam and Cassie's, and Faye and Melissa's all exploded as if a bomb had dropped on them.

"Oh my god!" Mrs. MacArthur exclaimed, running from where she had been checking off Tammy and Becca's experiment. "Is everyone all right? Was everyone wearing their safety goggles?"

Cassie's mouth was agape as she stood staring dumbfounded at the liquid all over her denim mini skirt and black sweater. She looked up at the glass scattered across her notebook. Adam looked down and realized he was also soaking wet, his navy blue shirt now containing most of one of the vials he had been filling. Turning, he saw looks of pure confusion and questioning on Faye and Melissa's faces.

"Yeah," he finally sputtered at Mrs. MacArthur's look of ineffectual concern.

"You need to rinse off in the emergency shower," Mrs. MacArthur finally announced, ushering Adam, Cassie, and Diana toward the corner of the classroom where there was a patch of tile set up. "You too, Faye and Melissa."

"I'm not ruining this jacket," Faye growled, pointing toward her leather jacket, maroon silk camisole, and dark jeans.

"It might be past saving," Melissa sighed, looking at her own moss green maxi skirt and black off-the-shoulder shirt with mourning.

Mrs. MacArthur ushered the five of them into the corner, and then pulled the handle to douse them. Faye coughed slightly as the water hit her face, and Cassie just shuddered silently. All Adam could feel was guilt.

"We have sweatsuits you can put on," Mrs. MacArthur said nervously, her voice clearly indicating that she wasn't entirely sure what she was doing. "But you'll need to come back after school today to repeat the experiment, or you'll fall behind. There's an exam next week you need these results for."

"Wait, do I have to come in too?" Matt asked, walking up to the shower. Adam glared in his direction.

"Yes," Mrs. MacArthur sighed. She held her hands out to her sides in an exasperated gesture.

"I have football practice though," Matt shot back. "Coach won't let us miss or I'll be benched for the next game." Mrs. MacArthur nodded. Adam resented the look of smugness that crossed Matt's face. Where was his friendship with Diana now?

"You have to come in Monday after school, then." Mrs. MacArthur looked at Diana. "Do you want to come in then?"

"I can't," Diana sighed. "I have a doctor's appointment after school on Monday." Diana looked dejectedly at the ground as she realized she was going to have to spend the evening in the lab with Adam, Cassie, Melissa, and Faye. Adam felt a sense of victory, and then felt disgusted in himself for feeling triumph over her misery.

The bell rang, signaling the end of class. The other students in the class began filing out, no longer as interested in the explosions as they were in leaving school. They began filtering out, leaving only the Circle members and Mrs. MacArthur in the classroom.

"I'll get those clothes," Mrs. MacArthur said, turning toward the equipment closet.

---

Cassie finally emerged from the bathroom stall, wearing the pale gray sweatpants and baggy sweatshirt Mrs. MacArthur had given her. It was the smallest pair she could find, yet Cassie was still drowning in it.

"We look like convicts," Melissa said, eyes moving from Cassie to Faye and to her own reflection.

"You almost ready, Diana?" Faye called out in a fake sweet voice. "Or is there another way you were planning on ruining my day?"

Diana punched the bathroom stall open, stomping out in her own gray suit. She refused to make eye contact with any of them, and instead went straight toward the exit.

"I can't believe her," Faye muttered once the door swung closed. "Little Queen of Darkness acts like this is somehow our fault."

Cassie bit her lip, remembering the way Adam had instigated Diana's explosion of dark magic. She had felt Diana's rage and her loss of control—she hadn't helped, but she could tell exactly what it was, and exactly how dark it was…and she could feel Diana's dark magic reach out to hers, inviting Cassie to amplify it. Is that what happened at the Homecoming dance with Parker when Diana had accidentally helped him?

"What even happened to her?" Melissa grumbled, folding her arms. Cassie looked away, wondering if she should tell anyone in the Circle about the dark magic. She had no idea how they would react, or what they would do with that knowledge—especially what Diana what do.

"I'm going to go home and put on some actual human clothing," Faye mumbled. "Do you want my mom to drive you home too? Mrs. MacArthur said she'll meet us in the classroom at 3:30 when she's done with her tutoring session."

"That would be great," Cassie sighed.

"You two go on without me," Melissa said dejectedly. "I have to call Troy and cancel our date."

---

Diana closed her locker and took a deep breath. She would go in, do her experiment by herself, and leave. It shouldn't take more than an hour; she would be home well before dinner. She wouldn't talk to anyone, wouldn't talk about dark magic, and wouldn't even make eye contact with Cassie.

As she walked through the door, she saw that Cassie, Melissa, and Faye were already inside the classroom, sitting together at a station and talking quietly. They had all changed into dry clothing and had their materials set up. Diana sat at a station on the other side of the lab, pulling out her phone and pretending to text someone until Adam walked in alongside Mrs. MacArthur.

"All right," Mrs. MacArthur said with a smile. Diana thought she looked like she had composed herself somewhat. "Let's go ahead and start on this. Diana, we'll have you work in a group of three with Adam and Cassie."

Diana's heart shot up to her throat. Why did it have to be Adam and Cassie? She could have withstood Faye's hateful glances and quips about ruining whatever she was doing with Jake tonight, and Melissa would have probably been sympathetically silent or even mercifully ignored her presence. But Adam and Cassie…if Adam didn't start at it again, Cassie would probably start begging her to use dark magic and bind the Circle.

Diana bit her tongue as she picked up her lab manual and supplies, carrying them over to the station Adam and Cassie normally worked at.

"All right, let me know if you have any questions." Mrs. MacArthur took a seat at her desk, pulling out a stack of papers she began grading.

The five of them were silent for a moment, listening to the too-loud ticking of the clock. Diana could feel everyone but her staring awkwardly at each other. She reached for the colander in front of her, starting the experiment according to the instructions without Cassie or Adam's help.

After her lead, the rest of the group started repeating the experiment step-by-step, in complete silence. The swishing of liquids, scratching of Mrs. MacArthur's fountain pen, and occasional passive aggressive sigh from Faye were the only sounds.

Diana pushed a beaker toward Adam, silently communicating she wanted him to add the next chemical to the concoction. He begrudgingly understood. Diana knew he would; they had been together for too long for him not to. She punched some numbers into her calculator and jotted them down in her notebook, sliding it to her right so Cassie and Adam could record the number as well. Things were going…surprisingly easy.

There was a flicker of the fluorescent lights at the front of the room above Mrs. MacArthur's desk. All six people looked up suspiciously.

"Hmm," Mrs. MacArthur hummed. She looked from the light to her wristwatch. "All right, it's been just about an hour. Do you think you'll all be finished up soon?"

"Yes," Melissa said. "We just have a few steps left."

"Wonderful," Mrs. MacArthur said. "We should be gone by five then!"

Diana took a deep breath and mentally crossed her fingers. If she could just keep her emotions under control they would be out of here with no further problems.

The lights above Mrs. MacArthur flickered again; this time the light panel burned out completely.

"The lightbulbs must be dying," she muttered, tapping the desk with her pen.

Diana squinted at the pipette she was working with, craving the silence again. One light out didn't make a difference—

The room fell into blackness as the rest of the lights suddenly switched off.

"Oh my!" Mrs. MacArthur exclaimed. Diana could feel Adam's gaze on her. He thought she did this.

Cassie jumped off her stool and walked to the door, peering down the hallway. "It's dark all the way down," she announced. "I think there must be a power outage or something."

Diana turned to look behind her out the window. The sun should still be up, but the sky had turned a woolly, dark overcast, which made the lawn outside look shadowy and dim despite the daylight hour.

"I'm going to the main office to see what the story is," Mrs. MacArthur said. "Please don't conduct your experiments in the meantime. We've already had enough trouble as it is!"

Faye shot Diana a bitter glance at this last statement, and Diana tried to keep her eyes firmly ahead of her. Mrs. MacArthur left the room, leaving them in an uneasy darkness.

"Was this you again?" Faye immediately shot in a hostile voice as soon as Mrs. MacArthur had left.

Diana hesitated before answering in a low tone, "No."

"Are ya sure?" Faye asked, her voice high and mocking.

"Faye," Melissa said in a softly warning voice.

"I'm just saying," Faye said. "First the experiment, now the lights. What's next on Little Miss Darkness's List?"

"Faye!" Diana hissed. The dim, milky light coming in from the windows barely revealed everyone's eyes shifting toward her and her outburst. The room seemed noticeably darker as she fumed.

"Okay, take it easy," Melissa intervened, standing up. "Let's just wait for Mrs. MacArthur to come back, all right?"

There was an uneasy silence as everyone continued to stare at Diana. Faye's eyes were angry and slightly squinting, Adam's gaze was measured and mildly annoyed. Diana took a deep breath, and Melissa returned to her seat.

---

"It's been twenty minutes," Faye announced, exhausted and frustrated. "It's five after five now. I am not staying in this school any longer than I have to."

She stood up, looking at everyone in the room. They had been sitting in complete silence, she and Melissa texting back and forth, Faye writing that she thought Diana would have another outburst, and Melissa telling her not to push. Faye looked over at Adam and Cassie, who had been staring dumbly at each other, occasionally scrawling a note they thought no one else noticed. Faye pursed her lips together as she walked toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Melissa asked, sounding exhausted. "Why can't we just wait—"

"I'm going to find my mom," Faye snapped back. "I'll just make her tell Mrs. MacArthur we can't just sit around in the dark waiting for her any longer. It's so unprofessional."

With that, Faye pulled open the door and started walking toward the staircase at the end of the hallway. The heels of her tall black riding boots clicked on the tile floors, almost echoing since she was the only source of sound in the hallway. As she walked up the stairs, she looked over the football field. It was getting dark out way earlier than it should have…it was barely mid-October; the sun shouldn't set until at least seven. She deliberately looked at the neon posters taped to the wall instead.

Once on the second floor, Faye navigated the familiar path to her mother's office. The door to the main office was shut and locked, so she began knocking on it. Her mom would have told her or texted her if she was leaving, right?

Faye crossed her arms and shifted her weight onto one leg as she impatiently waited for her mother to answer. No one came, and she knocked again. Still, nothing.

"Oh, come on," Faye muttered, pulling out her phone. She punched in the number to her mom's work phone, listening to it ring.

"Hi, you've reached Principal Dawn Chamberlain. Unfortunately, I can't come to the phone right now, so please—"

Faye pushed the "end call" icon on her screen. "Great!" she exclaimed to the empty hallway. "My mother has ditched me!" She looked around at lines of shut lockers. So where is Mrs. MacArthur? she thought, suddenly uneasy.

I better get back down with the others, Faye thought, hurriedly walking toward the staircase again. For some reason, a chill was creeping over her, and the hairs on the back of her neck were starting to stand up. There were slight goosebumps rising on her bare arms.

Practically throwing open the Chem class door, Faye slammed it behind her.

"Did you find her?" Adam asked.

"No," Faye sighed. "My mom is gone. And I didn't see Mrs. MacArthur either."

"Okay, we should just go then," Cassie said, standing up. "This is getting a little weird."

"It's after five," Melissa added. "Why would she be gone so long?"

"She didn't just go home, did she?" Faye suddenly asked.

"No," Diana scoffed. "She wouldn't." Her brown eyes suddenly glued back to her notebook, as if she had forgotten she didn't want to speak up.

"Whatever," Faye said. "We need to leave. Mrs. MacArthur can tell us why she ditched us on Monday."

Faye walked up to the door, reaching for the doorknob and pulling.

It didn't move.

She yanked again. "Do these things lock from the outside or something?" she asked, violently wriggling the handle with the little give she could get.

"Here, let me try," Adam said, standing up.

"Oh yeah, big strong man," Faye said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Go ahead, try."

Adam reached for the handle, struggling against it.

"Let's just do this the right way," Faye said, interrupting. She looked down at the handle. "Lock unlock…lock unlock…lock unlock!"

Still, it didn't move.

Faye felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise again, the same sensation as there was upstairs filling her entire body. Her legs felt heavily stuck in place.

"My magic," she finally breathed. "My magic isn't working."

---

Jake walked across the parking lot, pulling his cell phone out of his leather jacket's pocket. He had worked another late shift today, and was just now headed home.

There was a missed call and voicemail from Faye on his phone—probably wanting to know what his plans were tonight. He entered his security passcode, and then heard his girlfriend's voice.

"Hey, Jake," she said. "Could you do a favor for us? Cassie looked through her Book of Shadows for the dog-thing that attacked her the other night without any luck. They want me to ask you to look through yours. And, hey…don't mention this to anybody else yet, but…pay attention to the dark magic passages in your book. I'm still not totally convinced that was a dog..." There was a long pause. "Anyway, call me as soon as you get this. Bye."

Jake picked up the pace to his truck, wondering what had happened that made Faye jump to dark magic—her MO all summer had been to pretend it didn't exist and enjoy her indie magic as much as possible.

Leaving the parking lot, he tried to call Faye back, but it went straight to voicemail. He tried again—back to voicemail. Hanging up, he tried Melissa, only to reach hers as well—then Cassie, then Adam, then Diana.

Something was happening. He changed his course to go straight to Faye's house.

---

Cassie watched as Melissa shook her hand out after unsuccessfully trying to open the door, as if she just needed to warm up to make the spell work.

"What the hell is going on?" Melissa asked, looking back up at Faye and Cassie.

"You try," Faye demanded, glaring at Cassie.

Sighing, Cassie looked down at the doorknob, commanding, "Lock unlock." There was a click, and then the door cracked open slightly.

"So Cassie's magic works…" Melissa started, observing more than reaching a conclusion.

"Yeah, but she's daughter of the dark lord—" Faye started, earning an angry glance from Adam. Before she could finish, though, there was the sound of heels clicking against the tile floor.

"Mrs. MacArthur is back," Cassie breathed in a sigh of relief. "I'm going to—" Before she could push the door open all the way, Faye grabbed her wrist, hissing,

"Wait!"

"What?" Cassie snapped, now visibly upset with Faye. So far this afternoon she had already been tormented with Adam's obsession with Diana, doused in chemicals, and forced to sit in the dark for forty minutes waiting for a teacher who apparently managed to forget about five students sitting in her classroom and just called it a day.

"Don't you think it could be—I mean, shouldn't we wait for—" Faye started looking for words.

Cassie raised her eyebrows, impatiently hurrying Faye along with whatever it was she was so hung up on.

"What if it's not her? Something weird is going on," Faye bluntly stated.

"Who else would it be?" Melissa asked, her tone trying to convey she thought Faye was being unreasonable. Nevertheless, she took a step back away from the door, eyes fleeting for a moment between Cassie and the door.

"Take a look," Faye urged at Cassie.

Rolling her eyes, Cassie pressed her side against the wall. For a moment, she considered that Faye was right—that something sinister was out there, something connected to her attack and the fact that Faye and Melissa's magic was currently disabled. Taking a deep breath, her lips parted as she looked down the dark hallway. At first, she didn't see anything—just rows and rows of lockers, darker and blurrier as the hallway went on. The lack of lighting obscured everything she could see. She waited a moment, thinking Mrs. MacArthur—or whoever it was—might be at the end of the hallway. No one appeared though.

"What do you see?" Adam finally asked impatiently. He had been watching everything happen from his seat next to Diana, but now had moved up to the door with Faye and Melissa.

"Nothing," Cassie whispered. The clicking was still echoing in the hallway.

"What do you mean nothing?" Faye hissed under her breath.

"I mean there's no one there!" Cassie whispered back in a rushed voice. The clicking, what she had thought were heels, were still sounding in the hallway. The five of them listened to the sounds, and Cassie finally realized they didn't sound like they were getting any closer. Maybe it was a pipe or something then?

Faye carefully leaned herself against the door so that it closed. "We need to get the hell out of here," she said in a grave voice. Melissa nodded quickly.

"No," Diana finally spoke up. "We need to wait for Mrs. MacArthur."

"Why!" Faye exclaimed, her eyes burning with frustration. "Why do we have to wait for the woman who left us here to die?"

"Faye," Diana sighed. "Calm down. She didn't 'leave us here to die.' And if we're in trouble, she is too—"

"So you agree we're in trouble! Great, let's go!" Faye said, gesturing toward the doorway.

"You guys, stop," Cassie commanded. The four others turned to look at her, unsure why she had silenced them. Adam was the first to realize; his eyebrows crept up his forehead.

"It's gone," he whispered.

---

Jake pulled his truck up next to Faye's house. The wind was cold on his face when he opened the door to look around. The neighborhood seemed oddly quiet, and the overcast sky illuminated everything in a silvery blue.

Faye's blinds were open, but he didn't see any lights on inside. In fact, there weren't any lights shining through any of the windows. Looking up and down the street for Dawn's car, Jake realized no one was home. So then where was Faye?

Jake pulled his phone out of his pocket again, trying for the tenth time to reach Faye. Again, it went straight to voicemail. Again, he left an urgent message telling her to call him back immediately. What was going on?

He walked up the pathway, knocking on the door just in case. No one answered, and he tried the handle. Locked, as expected. Looking on either side of him, he clicked open the lock, letting himself into the house.

The hallway was dark, and there were no sounds, sights, or smells that suggested anyone would be home yet. When Dawn worked late she usually left a note on the fridge telling Faye her plans for the night or called home to let her know. Jake let himself into the kitchen—nothing but the regular few photos and magnets on the fridge. Rushing over to the answering machine, the red light he had been hoping for was missing. Frustrated, Jake raised his hands to his head, frantically thinking about what he should do.

The Book of Shadows. He had to figure out what this thing was.

---

"Damn it!" Adam hissed, yanking on the front doors of the school. The Circle had convinced Diana to come with them and try to leave. Once they reached the front doors, however, they were locked just as tightly as the classroom door had been. Cassie told herself it was normal—they always locked up the school when everyone left for the night. Somehow, though, she was aware of the fact that she was fooling herself.

"Unlock it!" Melissa told him in a low voice saturated with worry.

"Lock unlock," Adam commanded. Nothing. "Lock unlock!"

"Have Cassie do it!" Faye told him, clearly having moved from frustration to anxiety.

Cassie put her hand on the doorknob, firmly saying, "Lock unlock." There was the moment she expected a click, but nothing happened. She repeated the spell. "Lock unlock!" Her heart dropped.

"Oh my god," Melissa said under her breath, turning around and covering her face with her hands.

"Diana!" Faye commanded. "Get us out of here!"

"No," Diana refused. "I'm not using magic."

"We are trapped in our high school!" Faye exploded. "I'm sorry, but is there a part of this situation you're failing to recognize as an emergency?" She approached the girl with a posture of hostility, but Diana didn't flinch. Cassie almost expected Faye to throw a punch at Diana's face.

"I am not using my dark magic, under any circumstances." Diana's brown eyes levelly met Faye's green.

"Oh, good to know you're willing to let us die!" Faye exclaimed, turning around and stomping back toward the door. "So this is somehow different than being pissed at Adam in Chem class?" She let out a grunt of frustration, and then pulled out her cell phone again. Diana's eyes burned furiously, but she turned to look at the row of lockers instead of Faye.

"Does anyone have service?" Melissa asked quietly, eyes darting between the two fuming girls. Faye was angrily jabbing at her phone.

Cassie pulled her phone out of her pocket again, sighing as she saw the exclamation point in the middle of her screen. "No," she groaned.

She looked up and gazed out the windows on the side of the doors. There was an empty, frigid sensation that had filled her body. She didn't want anyone else to see, but she was horrified that she couldn't use her magic. She hadn't been without it for over a year—even when they were bound, she still had individual magic. She had always been the most powerful member of her Circle. And now she couldn't even unlock a door. Staring at the dark clouds in the sky, she felt like they were weighing down, pressing the earth into a too-tight, too-heavy ball, and she was going to suffocate in it.

"What do we do?" Melissa squeaked. Her hazel eyes were glistening slightly with the beginning of tears.

"Okay, we calm down, first," Adam exhaled. "We don't have any reason to believe we're in danger here."

"Are you freaking kidding me?" Faye asked in a flat tone. She stomped over to Cassie, gesturing like Vanna White to her sling, then the bruise on her cheekbone, and finally the gauze on her arm. "And!" Faye exclaimed. "Don't forget about those stitches in her back!"

Adam sighed, closing his eyes momentarily. When he opened them again he said, "Yes. Believe me, I realize Cassie was attacked, and that it means we're likely to be in danger as well. But we don't have any reason to believe that attack is related to what's happening to us right now."

"Why isn't our magic working though!" Melissa exclaimed. "I mean, if it was just the locks, whatever, but even Cassie can't use hers!"

Adam, Faye, and Melissa looked up to Cassie. Diana was still staring firmly at the floor. With their eyes heavily on her, Cassie realized they were looking for her to have some sort of solution. She tried to take a deep breath, but she was closer to hyperventilating. How was she supposed to know what to do? This had never happened before!

"Do you hear that?" Diana asked suddenly, snapping her head up to look at the others.

Cassie held her breath, listening for the clicking sounds to return. Instead, though, there was a soft, padding sound. She could barely hear it, but it sounded like it was coming from down the hallway. Squinting to try to get a better look through the darkness, barely, just barely, she could see a silhouette emerging from the end of the hallway, just as dark as the space it was coming from.

"What is that?" Adam whispered, a look of confusion all across his face.

"Oh my god," Cassie breathed as she saw two red beads emerge from the darkness. A growl confirmed her fear.

"Run!" Cassie screeched.

---

Jake flipped through his Book of Shadows, skipping ahead to the section on dark magic and Francis Balcoin. The grotesque figures he had showed Cassie last winter stared at him with their ghastly, contorted bodies, the black ink on the page so dark you could imagine reaching into it. He carefully pored over the text, looking for any clues. Balcoin's lineage and dark magic were described in detail, but there was nothing on the page that suggested anything about the dog they had seen. He flipped to the next page, a detail of different symbols and sigils used for dark magic. Again—nothing.

Frustrated, Jake jumped to his feet, pacing the room as he flipped to the next page, and the next. He had been through this Book so many times, and he couldn't remember a single thing about a dog. But he knew if it was in here, it would be in this section.

Turning the page, Jake's heart almost stopped as she stared at an obscurely formed black blob. Two tiny red dots near the top immediately drew him in as he remembered Cassie's story and what she said about the glowing red eyes. There was a tiny, narrow text scrawled next to the blob, so small Jake could barely read it. He pulled the Book closer to his face and squinted to try to read it, but it was still too small.

Jake let out a growl and ran downstairs, knowing his aunt kept a magnifying glass in her craft materials. Rummaging through her desk, he eventually found it, and practically pushed it up against the page. His face turned pale as he read the words.

"Oh my god," he said as he pulled his phone out, dialing Faye's number. He left a message as he ran outside to the truck. He had to find them.

---

Cassie hobbled as quickly as she could, but she could still almost feel the hot breath of the dog at her heels. Adam had grasped her good hand and was nearly carrying her as they fled the hallways. Behind them, the dog was snapping its jaws and barking. She could barely see anything, and the dog seemed to have perfect night vision.

The five of them were flying through the hallways, running as a group to seemingly nowhere. They had passed countless lockers and doors, but hadn't made a break for any of them.

"In here!" Adam shouted, rounding the corner and pushing open the door to the gym. Faye, Diana, and Melissa rushed past him, and he yanked Cassie through the door before slamming all his weight against it.

"Push the benches in front of the door!" He yelled, bracing himself. There was a shudder as the dog launched itself against the doors. Diana quickly joined Adam in pressing against the door with all her strength as Faye and Melissa ran to the stack of fold-out benches that was against the wall, heaving it forward. Cassie stood anxiously, feeling useless—feeling like she was a liability. She looked angrily at her sling.

"What now?" Diana breathed as she and Adam slipped out of the way as Faye and Melissa secured the benches in front of the door. The dog continued to launch itself against the entryway, but the doors didn't open.

"We have to keep going," Adam said in a low voice. "Come on." He started moving again, more cautiously now that there were no windows letting in fading light. He crossed the basketball court toward the doors for the locker rooms and equipment rooms. The others followed, pausing at the three options, barely able to see them.

"Which one?" Melissa asked.

"Locker room," Adam quickly decided, pushing open the door to the boys'. "We'll have a way out. The equipment room is just a closet. These go out to the fields."

Cassie nodded, realizing how good Adam's quick thinking had been. Even if the doors were locked, they could break a window and escape.

He pushed the door open, and the group filed in.

"I can't see anything!" Faye hissed. She was right. It was pitch black in there. And without a spell to turn the lights on, they wouldn't be able to make their way through.

"Okay, there's a door in the back," Adam said. "We can get out through there. Here." Cassie felt him take her hand. "Hold on to the person next to you. We'll go slowly, as a group."

Melissa held on to Cassie's hand behind her, and Adam slowly led the train down the hallway. Faye bumped her knee on a bench, slowing their pace down even more. Cassie could barely stand it. They needed to get out of there.

"Stop," Adam said. Cassie bumped into his back slightly at the sudden halt, and Adam dropped her hand. She could barely see him cautiously move forward. "Lock unlock." Nothing. "Cassie, you try."

Cassie took a deep breath, then commanded, "Lock unlock." The empty feeling returned, and she suddenly became aware of the dog's distant barking again, as if it had somehow gotten louder. She bit back an angry fear. "Break the window!" she told Adam.

"Yeah, there's a trashcan somewhere here," Adam mumbled, groping in the darkness. His shoe finally hit it, and Cassie could hear him pick it up. He grunted, and the trashcan flew through the air, colliding with the window. Instead of shattering the glass, though, the window remained intact, and a wave of silvery light bounced off like shock waves, colliding with the group.

Instantly, Cassie felt a surge of power rush through her body. Her fingertips felt warm, and the pain that had been resonating through her body since the attack lifted away, leaving her feeling light, almost glowing.

Adam, Faye, and Melissa crouched over, though, Melissa moaning as she clenched her stomach. Only Diana stood upright.

The momentary sensation of power washed away almost as quickly as it had come. Cassie saw the others stop writhing. She wished she could see Diana's expression right now.

"What just happened?" Faye asked, dumbfounded.

"We need to get out of here," Melissa whispered.

"We need to get somewhere with light again," Diana said, her tone of voice odd. Cassie wondered if she didn't want anyone to bring up the fact that only the two of them were unaffected. "It's too dark to see anything in here. We need windows if we're going to escape."

"I agree," Melissa said. "Please, let's go. The dog is probably gone by now."

"Let me listen for it," Adam said, moving past the others and back to the doorway. He pushed it open slightly, and the cold air from the gym crept in. There was no longer any sound of barking.

"Do you think it's safe?" Cassie asked. "Do you really think it's gone?"

"I think we have better chances in the light," Adam said. "We need to go."

The others crept toward the doorway as well, cautiously following Adam back into the gym and to the door where the benches were barricading them.

"Well," Adam said as he inhaled. "Let's…" He didn't finish his sentence, and instead pushed open the door, peering around the corner. Cassie's entire body was tense, practically waiting for the dog to burst through.

"It's clear!" He called. "Let's go into the Computer Lab!"

The five of them scurried across the hallway, pushing open the door to the lab. Automatically, Faye helped Adam push a table up against the doorway.

The windows let in barely any light, but there was still enough to see each other's faces.

"What do we do now?" Melissa asked.

"Hey!" Faye called out. "I have service!"

"Oh, thank God," Diana sighed, pacing toward the whiteboard.

"I'm calling Jake," Faye said, punching in the number and turning on speaker phone. The phone rang once before Jake's voice came through.

"Shit, Faye, where are you? What's going on?"

"I'm at the school," Faye replied. "With everybody. We can all hear you. Look, you need to come help us—"

"I'm leaving Melissa's house now. What's going on?" The sound of a door slamming and engine staring indicated he was driving over as he spoke.

"We're trapped in here, and none of our magic is working. Not even Cassie's. And that dog is back and it's—"

"Faye, it's not a dog."

"What?" Faye snapped.

Cassie's heart plummeted.

"It's called an aminus—it's a person, Faye—it's human. You're being hunted. It's—" There was a crackling sound on the other end.

"Jake!" Faye called into her phone. "Jake!?"

The timer on the phone call stopped, and the "no signal" symbol returned.

Cassie looked up and faced the others in the shocked, horrified realization.

"It is…is it one of the Balcoins?" Adam asked, making firm eye contact with Cassie.

"I…I don't know. I can't feel it." She turned to look at Diana. "Can you?"

"I'm not doing this!" Diana exploded, backing up toward a computer. "I can't—"

"Wait!" Melissa urged, shaking her hands. "Do you hear that?"

Cassie looked away from Diana as she focused on the sound. It was a tinny humming, and seemed far away. It got louder and louder until she realized it was coming from the vents leading into the room. She looked up, and saw the silver metal vibrating.

"What is…" Faye whispered, staring.

Cassie yelled as a cloud of black shapes exploded from the vents and into the room. It seemed swollen with their angry, buzzing shapes. Cassie felt them cut across her body and face, slicing through her flesh and burning her.

"Get under the tables!" She yelled, dropping to her knees and crawling underneath a row of computers. Melissa and Faye huddled up next to her. A searing pain came across her palm, and she lifted it, expecting to see a tack or something on the ground. Instead, the Balcoin symbol was there. Faye saw Cassie staring at it, and her green eyes widened.

"Can you stop it?" Faye yelled over the buzzing.

Cassie gritted her teeth and held her palm up toward the ceiling. She concentrated on their frantic, angular shapes, trying to figure out where one began and another ended. The chaos seemed to amplify for a moment, but then she could feel a few of them come under her control. They slowed slightly, but didn't come to a stop. She tried to focus on getting more under her control, but they were moving too fast and she was too weak.

"Diana!" She screamed. "I need your help!"

"No!" Diana shouted, covering her head. "I won't!"

Grunting, Cassie lifted her other hand toward the black mass, feeling sweat across her forehead. Her head was pounding, and she felt like she was about to pass out.

"Diana!" Adam yelled. "You have to!"

Black edges started emerging at the corners of Cassie's eyes, mingling with the massive black blob at the ceiling. Her field of vision wobbled, and she couldn't tell if she was seeing double or not. She could feel a few more under her control, but her command was weakening, and the chaos was coming back to the few she had.

Cassie heard something crash into the door somewhere far away. Seeing a black circle emerge directly in front of her, she thought for a moment she'd had it, she was about to pass out, before she realized that it was the dog—the human. She felt like Melissa and Faye were screaming somewhere far behind her, but her ears were too hot to hear anything anymore. She could feel herself falling backward, could feel the dog's breath as it barked and growled and approached them, ready to tear out their throats.

"NOOOO!"

She heard Diana's scream of protest sharply, and was suddenly sucked back into consciousness, violently and urgently. She could feel her magic connect with Diana's, lend her strength and courage—even being able to feel how afraid Diana was seemed to help her know she wasn't alone, she could do this with her sister.

The black shapes across the ceiling seemed to explode and burst, their energy deflating. Cassie wondered if they were dead—if they were even alive in the first place. They retreated back into the vent, their chaotic energy disappearing with them.

Immediately, Cassie was able to refocus her energy on the dog in front of them. Together, she and Diana managed to throw it across the room against the wall. It whimpered, sounding more human now than animal. Furious, it ran toward them again. Focusing her energy, Cassie summoned as much as she could and thrust it through her palms. The dog was halted in midair and began contorting and seizing, thrashing in vicious spasms. Their power finally broke, dropping the dog to the ground. Instead of running toward them again, though, it fled the room.

Cassie collapsed to the floor, the blackness she had been fighting off before finally returning as Diana's power disconnected from hers. Everything was warm and quiet, and then it all stopped.

---

"Cassie."

There was a voice somewhat far away. Cassie thought they were still in the Computer Lab, hiding under the desks as the various demons attacked them. It was Faye and Melissa, asking for help.

"Cassie."

Opening her eyes, she saw a dim light nearby. It took a minute for her vision to focus; everything seemed underwater in her first moments of coming to. Finally, she was able to distinguish Adam.

"Cassie," he sighed, this time with relief.

"What…what happened?" Cassie asked, sitting up. She realized she was in her bed. Looking down, she saw she was wearing a gray tee shirt and baggy purple pajama pants. A blush came across Adam's face, and he quickly said,

"Melissa and Faye changed you. There was blood on your clothes…"

"Oh good," Cassie said. "Just add it to the pile of clothes that got ruined today—yesterday? What time is it?"

"About midnight," Adam said softly. "Jake left to give Melissa a ride home a couple hours ago. They were exhausted and barely awake. They wanted to stay, but I told them I'd wait and make sure you were all right."

"And…Diana?"

Adam looked down at the comforter before answering. "She went home from the school."

Cassie remained silent. So Diana didn't help bring her home, get her out of her bloody clothing…stay to try to make sure she was all right.

"How did you all get out?" Cassie asked, suddenly realizing the massive gap in her memory left out something crucial.

"Jake got to the school a couple minutes after you passed out. He helped me carry you to his car, and he and Faye took you home. Mrs. MacArthur found us eventually…she had been trapped in the electric room, apparently. She was pretty panicked too." He paused, rubbing the back of his head. "We told her you fell on your bad arm when the lights went out, and Faye helped take you home. We figured that was better than…well…"

"Yeah."

"She was just as freaked out as we were, but we don't think she saw anything. We think…your half-siblings…just got her out of the way. Anyway, she didn't really say too much. We kind of just all left."

"I guess that's good," Cassie sighed. She locked eyes with Adam, all of the panic and stress and confusion of the night feeling like a thousand pounds on her shoulders. "I'm probably okay for the night though," she said softly.

"I told Jake I'd stay here overnight," Adam said in a cautious tone. "I mean, I'll sleep downstairs on the couch."

"Oh, yeah…okay," Cassie mumbled, adjusting the covers over her legs and stomach. "Sure. I'll get some sheets—"

"I'll take care of it," Adam said, standing up. He started to turn around, but hesitated, and reached for Cassie's hand. His eyes locked with hers, and he said, "Thank you for saving us tonight." He smiled, dropped her hand, and turned out the door.

As he turned out the light, Cassie continued staring at her doorframe, her heart feeling hollow and bruised.