Aaaand a couple days later, I finally finished chapter two.

Enjoy! (And for anyone reading, feel free to drop a review and let me know what you think.)

~ Meghan

~ Alfea College for Fairies - Suite 11 ~

AVA

I woke up to sunshine.

For a moment, I thought I was back on Sparx, with the rosy sun rising and a view of rolling green hills outside my window. But when I opened them, I was met with the dorm room ceiling. I couldn't help the small smile that spread across my lips.

I'm at Alfea.

Remembering that I was supposed to be sharing this room, I glanced over to the free bed. It was empty. The wardrobe and walls were still bare. Claire of Isis - Princess Claire - still hadn't moved in. Maybe she wouldn't be attending at all? I'd been looking forward to have a roommate, believe it or not. Growing up with no siblings made me used to not having to share much, but the idea of possibly making a friend was a nice thought. If what Floressa and Soleil said about Claire was right, though, then maybe this was for the best.

I glanced over my clock and practically fell out of bed with how fast I moved.

How was class in 20 minutes? How was I about to oversleep my first day of classes?

I speedran brushing my teeth and threw my hair up in a high ponytail. I'd envisioned something more elaborate for a first impression but this would have to do. I yanked out several tops from my drawer, tossing them on my bed carelessly as I searched for - aha! I pulled on the blue halter top, and paired it with a denim miniskirt. Just as I was pulling on my favorite leather knee-high boots, someone knocked on the door.

"Hello?" I called, hurrying over.

Soleil waited on the other side with a muffin in manicured hand. Her whole ensemble was polished, and not what I had expected for the first day of class. Her leather pants were cherry red and her violet crop top had rips placed very precariously. Her wrist had a jumble of bracelets, and little gold flames dangled from her ears, but her hair was still in its curls.

"Morning muffin?" she said. She held out the pastry. "You missed breakfast. I figured you might be hungry."

I smiled, warmed by the idea of her thinking of me. I took the muffin carefully and glanced at the blueberries in it. "That's so sweet Lila. Blueberry is my favorite."

She winked. "Lucky guess. Love the top by the way. Were you wearing that necklace yesterday?"

"Huh?" I pressed a hand against my neck, forgetting I was wearing it. The silver charm never came off. "Oh, yeah. It's from my aunt. I've had it since I was a baby."

"Cute." Soleil adjusted the orange fabric bag on her arm covered in patches and buttons. "Wanna walk to class together?"

I took a bite of the sweet-tasting muffin to stifle the grin on my face, and grabbed my own worn brown messenger bag.

We headed downstairs to join the other girls going to their own classes. The buzz of activity was contagious, making me feel so energized that any drowsiness was completely gone. The chatter and sunlight from the big windows seemed like a great way to start the day. We followed our schedule's classroom number, walking down a hallway with a scarlet runner and sparkling chandelier overhead.

"History of Magic," I read on the door. "This is it."

We walked into the small amphitheater. The ceiling was a dome, leading down to tall windows with pink curtains parted behind the stage. The rows of seats were bronze-colored desks and clear seats. Some other first years had already filled in most of the seats now that class was just about to start.

"There," Soleil said and pointed to a couple seats in the front row. Nobody seemed to want to be right at the center.

I walked down the steps, and made it to my seat just as the school bells tolled. I took out my notebook from my bag and sat it on the desk with a new set of pens. I'd been too excited about shopping for my school materials the day after I got my acceptance letter. My aunt was all too happy for me as well, and the result was a bunch of notebooks I couldn't wait to use.

The curtains snapped shut.

A gasp rippled through all the girls as we were plunged into the dark.

A woman's voice spoke, echoing around the room. "Once, there was only darkness. Then, a flame."

In the center of the room above us, a fire flared to life, burning suspended in the air, so bright it flickered off the other girls. I tried to glance over at Soleil to see if she'd been expecting this, but was just as mesmerized. Shadows danced on the planes of her face.

"The Great Dragon used his to breath to create a spark, the Dragon's Flame, to create the entire Magic Dimension," the voice continued.

The fire exploded and the fireballs spread through the air, condensing, until each othem turned into a different planet. They orbited above us, circling a star from the original flame. I glanced at each of the planets until I spotted the one colored in blues, greens and pinks. Sparx.

"Now that original spark - the Sacred Flame - powers our entire galaxy. The Great Dragon grew tired and chose to rest on one of the worlds. He slept in Sparx."

A swell of pride behind my chest made me sit up straighter.

"But from the void of the original darkness, there came another creature, the Shadow Phoenix. He was a being of pure darkness."

The planets darkened, and the sickly red glow of a ragged phoenix flew across the domed ceiling.

"Years ago, the Shadow Phoenix - now known as Lord Darkar - tried to invade Alfea with his Army of Decay. He was defeated by the fairies and the power of the Dragon's Flame."

The phoenix above burst apart into glittering light that rains down on us, tickling and cool, leaving everyone dusted in shimmer. The lights brightened.

"History is how we understand the present," a voice said, now sounding closer.

I turned towards the stage. A woman stood there now behind the golden dragon-shaped podium. A woman I recognized. Her hair was long and blonde, flowing to her waist, and her amber eyes had crinkled at the corners with a smile. Her flowing green dress was covered in small shining gold butterflies.

"Princess Daphne," I blurted.

She glanced at me and smiled wider. "You can all just call me Daphne."

Our teacher was going to be her? The crown princess of my planet? Was everyone here royalty?

"I'll be teaching you all this year," Daphne said, her voice like honey. "I teach the same class at Cloud Tower every week. In this class we will learn about the way magic has transformed and been transformed, and how each of you hold part of a history. I'm looking forward to spending time getting to know each of you. Now, let's begin with our first lesson."

As bewildering as the surprise was that the Daphne teaching us was Princess Daphne, I flipped open my notebook and got ready to listen.

~ Cloud Tower for Witches - Dungeons ~

CASSIDY

"This is vile. And not in a fun way."

I barely had the heart to laugh at Zara's joke as we scrubbed at the gray stone walls.

Our day of classes had been wicked so far - Mayhem with Professor Zarathustra, Basic Witchcraft 101 with Headmistress Griffin, Hexes with Doctor Ediltrude - and I'd actually thought we'd gotten away with coming back after curfew. We'd had to catch the late bus after the fairies pulled their trick. Normally, I could respect something like that, but not this time. Once our final class ended, Doctor Ediltrude strode over to us and held out a bucket.

"Detention, girls," she'd said. Her green lips curled into a cattish smile like we were birds she'd just caught.

We didn't have to ask what it was for.

"So much for getting away with it," Zara had muttered as we'd taken the sponges and walked down to the dungeons.

"Ugh!" Sable yelled now, her voice echoing off the walls, and dropped her sponge into a soapy bucket. She peered down at her fingers. "I broke another nail!"

Belladonna sighed. "Just another hour and we're done. I'm never sneaking out again."

"Shouldn't we get a reward for breaking the rules or something?" Crescinda said. She rubbed her thumb absent-mindedly over her lightening-bolt tattoo. "I mean, this is Cloud Tower."

I narrowed my eyes. "I get the feeling we're being punished for getting caught, not for breaking the rules. I'm guessing Headmistress Griffin doesn't like sloppy witches."

"It's not our fault," Zara whined. "Those fairies did it."

"Yeah, and for no reason!" Belladonna said. She waved a soap bubble from her black-and-dyed-silver hair. "We didn't even know them."

Zara glanced over at me, eyebrows knitted. "Actually... Cassidy, weren't you talking to one of them inside the club?"

The other girls looked over at me.

I could feel my cheeks starting to turn pink. Turning, I scrubbed harder at the stone wall where some acid-green mold had grown. "Oh, yeah, I was just asking what drink she'd gotten. It looked good, you know? Then that blonde fairy came over and had a bad attitude when she found out I went to Cloud Tower."

"Classic fairies," Crescinda sighed and rolled her eyes. "You know, for all this love-and-white-magic they love to go on about, they're some of the most insufferable people."

"Wish we could've returned the favor," Sable said darkly.

We kept scrubbing until the dinner bell tolled. Its sound made the whole school seem to vibrate, as if you could be anywhere in the school and still hear it. Once Doctor Ediltrude swept down the dungeon stairs and inspected our work, we were allowed to leave. My arms were so sore and my fingers had pruned up like raisins. All I could smell was lye soap and stale dungeon dust, but the idea of dinner made things seem a bit more bearable.

Mercifully, the other girls didn't press the fairy thing too much. The idea that I'd been flirting with a fairy made me too embarrassed to think about. Still, some part of my brain couldn't help but remind me that she hadn't been the one to brush me off. Ava had just looked at me with that little smile, and I couldn't help wanting to know what she might've said if we hadn't been interrupted-

I rolled my eyes as I walk into the dining room.

No. She had just stood there at the bus stop and let Miss Blondie hex us. All fairies were the same.

The tall dining room was full of chatter and the smell of roasted ham. The tables were all set on rugged balconies carved from stone that stretched the entire height of the tower. Spiral staircases led to various ones. The third year students got the tables at the top of the tower, so we started walking up one of the closer set of stairs. Once we sat down at the purple quartz table, dinner magically appeared with a pop in front of us. We took our time eating the ham and rosemary potatoes. I shouldn't've been surprised by how tired I felt by the time we ate a dessert of raspberry cupcakes. Once dinner was winding down, it was tempting to just lean on the table and go to sleep.

"I'm so not in the mood for Headmistress Griffin's welcome speech tonight," Sable said with a yawn. Apparently I wasn't the only one feeling the effects of our detention.

"What if she makes an example out of us?" Belladonna said between cupcake chews.

Crescinda shook her head. "That would be evil - even for her."

That cracked us up. Once the bell tolled again, the whole tower began to head towards the amphitheater.

"Hey," someone said, appearing beside me.

A smile appeared across my lips when I saw Naureen grinning. Her pink hair today was in two pigtails with a chain of dead flowers woven through them like a macabre ribbon. Whatever perfume she was wearing smelled incredible, like black cherries and fresh roses.

"You did great today in Mayhem class, Cassidy." She glanced over at the witch beside me. "You too, Zara. Your example on deterministic nonlinear systems in chaos theory? Brilliant."

Zara waved her hand playfully. "It was nothing."

"I'm guessing you guys are the rule-breakers," Naureen said, raising a pink eyebrow and beaming at the other girls.

"Busted," Crescinda sighed.

Naureen laughed. "It's impressive. And it distracted Griffin from our third year's party last. So thanks." She winked. "Hey, if you all want, me and my friends are hanging out tonight in the Gargoyle Lounge. It's upperclassman only without an invite, but I'm sure some of the others would want to meet you all."

"No way!" Zara gasped. "That sounds so sick!"

"Then stop by after the speech," Naureen said. She placed a hand on my shoulder for a moment before walking away, and I realized I didn't mind.

~ Alfea College for Fairies - Café ~

AVA

One thing about Alfea I could get used to is the food.

My plate was filled with battered fish, rainbow vegetables, and warm golden bread. Crystal jugs of juices and sparkling water filled the long, polished whitewood table. The whole place smelled like a bakery, and the din of chatter settled over the dining hall, making it feel cozy as the orange sun set outside the windows taking up an entire wall.

I still couldn't stop looking around the café. The glittering chandeliers overhead, the tall marble columns stretching up to the dome ceiling, the balcony for the teacher's table bordered in blue silk curtains. The whole place was just so... magical.

"You'll get over the shock eventually," Floressa says, sitting across from me, as if she read my mind.

I smiled, a bit embarrassed. She's probably grown up with this kind of thing around her, being the daughter of one of the Company of Light. The cottage my aunt and I lived in was nice, but modest, the kind of home that came from her career as a tutor - no frills but stable enough. I couldn't imagine how someone like Soleil was used to. The photos I'd seen of the Solaria palace were grander than anything on Sparx. But if Soleil missed the personal chefs and gold halls, she didn't say so.

"So I was thinking," Soleil said as she finished her fish, tossing her napkin on the table and drinking some soda like anyone else, "we need to go shopping this weekend. I'm gonna say a day out in Magix. I'll invite some girls from home, it'll be great."

"Shopping?" I asked. I was happy enough to be invited, but I couldn't help my curiosity.

Soleil looked at me like it was obvious. "For the ball?"

"The ball I won't be going to," Floressa said, rolling her black-rimmed eyes. "It's stupid."

Soleil pouted. "Do you always have to act like the gloomiest person around? There'll be witches at the ball, you can finally let someone else be the doomiest one."

"Very funny," Floressa sighed.

"What ball with the witches?" I said, still lost. "I'm not a legacy like you both, I need some context, please."

Soleil beamed at me and tossed her golden curls over a shoulder. "You're so lucky to have us clue you in on this stuff. There's a welcome-back-to-school ball every year hosted at Alfea. We play good hostesses and invite the specialists from Red Fountain and the witches from Cloud Tower."

Floressa points with her fork. "But they didn't always used to invite the witches. There was a fuck-up about it when our moms were here. So now the witches get an invite every year. You know, 'cause they'd curse us again or something if they didn't. The whole thing's just posturing. Who cares about the specialists either?"

"Ignore her," Soleil said, waving off Floressa. "Point is, we need to look stellar by Monday. So you both are coming with me and we're getting some new outfits. Maybe even our hair done, and at least our nails."

Floressa mouthed kill me and I stifled a laugh.

As dinner came to a close, and we made our back to our dorms, I tuned out Floressa and Soleil's discussion about our first day at class. It had been amazing. Getting to attend all the classes I'd dreamed about, practicing Metamorphosymbiosis with Professor Zulie, learning Potionology from Professor Palladium, even Self Defense with Professor Griselda... it was everything I'd dreamed so far. But now with the news of the ball next week, I couldn't help thinking back to last night again. We'd have to face the witches from The Griffin Nest again. Cassidy would be there.

I could still see her glare as we sped off in the bus, Soleil triumphant.

She didn't seem nervous in the slightest now as we opened the door to our suite.

I tried to push it out of my mind as I showered and got on my pajamas, the ones with the comfy green pants and soft white tank top. Soleil had insisted we have a celebratory first-day-of-class movie night. I peered at the empty bed where Claire of Eraklyon should've been by then, and headed out into the lounge where the doors stayed shut to the room belonging to Esme of Eraklyon.

Soleil and Floressa were on the couch, arguing over what movie to watch. Soleil still looked incredibly put-together in a fire-blue satin set with dainty slippers. Floressa wore an oversized T-shirt so old the band name on it was worn off, and some basketball shorts. I still couldn't understand their friendship, polar opposites they seemed to be, but I guess that's what happened when people grew up together.

"Ava what do you say?" Soleil said as I settled into one of the squashy armchairs. "I vote rom-com but Floressa votes horror."

"Hard choice," I laughed. "Maybe a comedy."

Soleil nodded. "I think that sounds perfect."

Floressa acted like we were boring for it, but I saw her lips twitching as we watched the movie. It felt peaceful there with them in the lounge, giggling over some Magix-produced film with celebrities, knowing that everything would resolve well and credits would roll. By the time we all said goodnight and I headed to my room, I half hoped that my year would end the same way. Today felt like a good time for the credits to start as I drifted off to sleep.

Until a few hours later.

I was yanked from my dreams as the door slammed open.

Blinking and shocked, I sat up, half-confused about if I was still asleep and half-focusing on summoning my power into my hand. Before I could, though, someone silhouetted by the lights outside laughed.

"It's okay, first year," she said, a grin in her voice. "Welcome to Alfea ritual. You'll be fine."

That didn't reassure me, and she tossed a fabric bag over my head, easy to breathe in, but dark. She pulled me by my hands out of bed and carefully led me back into the lounge where I heard a couple other girls laughing. I could make out lights on the other side of the bag but not enough to actually see anything. Then, there was Floressa's voice.

"This is the most ridiculous tradition," she snapped.

"Save it," another voice I didn't recognize said. "Just because you're the daughter of the Company of Light doesn't give you a pass from tradition. Or you, princess."

"I didn't even say anything," Soleil said with a yawn.

Finally feeling a bit more reassured that I was being kidnapped, I turned towards where I heard their voices. "Did you say this is some tradition?"

"That's enough chatter!" the girl holding my hand said. She tugged me along, and I listened as the door opened and I felt the cold tile of the school hall's beneath my feet. We moved along down the hall until the girl tightened her grip on my hand in a warning squeeze. "We'll teleport now."

The head's-up was the least she could do, but I was still glad for it. I held my breath as the magic pulled at me and the ground vanished beneath me. She still held onto me for the short interim where we floated through the cool air, my eyes open only because the bag prevented me from seeing anything else. And then we were standing on solid ground, grass, surrounded by warm air and the buzzing insect noises of night.

Someone pulls the bag from my head and I blinked, my eyes adjusting to the darkness. Around us were tall pine trees, stretching up into a starry sky and barely-there-crescent moon. A ball of light flared to life in a set of hands. The light shone beneath the person's chin, like the girl smiling was to tell a horror story. Behind her, a lake extended into the shadows, its shore lapping softly on smooth stones.

"Welcome, first years," she said. I recognize her voice as the girl who led me here. Choppy pink layers framed her pale face, falling around her shoulders, and several multicolored piercings glinted in her ears. Her hazel eyes sparkled behind wire-rimmed glasses. "I hope you're all brave enough to survive tonight."

Someone laughed. Another ball of light shone. "Don't make them fear for their lives, Electra," another girl says as she held her light close to her face too. It was the voice of the girl who was in charge of Soleil. She brushes her brown curls behind her ears, her oversized knit sweater slipping over her wrists. At her neck, a golden necklace shaped like a butterfly sparkles.

A row of lights magically came to life as a row of girls who looked to be third years giggled.

I frowned, turning to look beside me. The light had illuminated us a bit. As my eyes adjusted, I could make out my suitemates nearby, and the other fairies making up our first year.

Floressa, standing at my left, didn't glance at me when I looked at her. She kept her eyes forward, jaw set, short hair mussed from sleep.

"Once again, welcome to Alfea!" the pink-haired girl - Electra - called dramatically, throwing up arm up with a giant grin. "As has been tradition for the past decade, the bravest first years will take a night swim in Lake Roccaluce."

It was quiet for a moment. The lake water rushed over the shore, sounding calmer than I felt.

"That's it?" someone finally asked.

Electra raised an eyebrow in challenge, shining the light towards us. I shielded my eyes, barely avoiding the glare. "What brave soul just spoke?"

A girl stepped forward, brown corkscrew curls mixed with teal strands. She folded her arms over her nightgown, standing up straight, every inch as confident as the older girl. "It's me, Electra"

"Ooh," Electra said with a thrilled grin. "Princess Morgan, Andros' favorite daughter." She gave a mock curtsey. "Your majesty."

Morgan rolled her eyes. "So what exactly are we supposed to get out of this?"

"The respect of your elders." Electra winked.

"Anything actually I actually want?" Floressa said, and I couldn't help admiring how much braver she was than me.

Electra laughed. "Okay, okay. You get out of set-up duty for the ball this weekend. We'll do your cleaning shifts if you swim, as per tradition."

The first girls near me were all quiet. I knew they were all looking out at the dark lake water. We all knew the story about it, even if Princess Daphne hadn't told us during class, how she was imprisoned in the lake as a spirit. How Lord Darkar invaded with his Army of Decay right here. How Valtor, the wicked sorceror had turned Headmistress Faragonda into a tree near here. The lake had a dark history. But looking at it now, surrounded by fairies, with the third years' expectant looks, I thought of Princess Daphne today.

She had shown us how Sparx had prevailed despite those working against it. I had felt so proud of my planet then, my home, proud of the bravery she conveyed about the people of Sparx.

I stepped forward. "I'll do it."

Electra's pink eyerbrows rose in surprise. "And you're...?"

"Ava," I said. I stood up straighter. "Of Sparx."

The third year with the butterfly necklace smiled warmly. "Go ahead."

I didn't let myself hesitate. If I did, then I might not actually go through with it. I broke into a run as I headed towards the wooden dock jutting out into the lake, and as I reached the end, I jumped off. For a moment it felt like how flying does, just without wings on my back. And then I was holding my breath again, plunging into bubbles and foam as the water caught me, sinking in the lake so pitch-black it was like night itself. I kicked my legs, swimming up where I saw the faint glow of the lights. When I broke the surface, shivering and laughing with the adrenaline, laughter waited for me.

The older girls cheered, and the light glowing on some of the first years were waving their lights like pom-poms.

As I climbed up the dock ladder, Morgan of Andros passed by and gave me a nod, tilting her head. And then she was jumping in herself with a swan dive, so graceful that everyone cheered again.

It went like that for the next half hour. First year girls jumped in, climbing out water-logged, but cheering each other on and helping others out of the water with hugs and warming spells.

Floressa finally went in, but only as Soleil pulled her along, holding hands as they jumped in - well, Soleil jumped, Floressa sort of reluctantly flopped in. But they climbed out laughing and Floressa splashed Soleil, making everyone else giggle. It felt carefree despite the confusion it started with.

Laughing there, my hair and pajamas soaked, wasn't how I imagined ending my first day of classes. But I didn't regret it.

~ Cloud Tower - Vile Tower, Room 8 ~

CASSIDY

"How does this look?" I said.

Zara turned towards me and grinned, giving two thumb's up. "Not too casual, but not too dressy. I'd say it's great."

I smoothed down my white off-the-shoulder tunic once more. I thought it looked elegant with my tights and knee-high boots, both such a dark black they melted into the other. I'd been debating about whether or not to pull my silvery hair up into a ponytail. Finally I just left it down. It looked less like I was trying that way, and the layers framed the shimmering diamond amulet at my throat.

"How do I look?" Zara asked, tossing her brown curls over a shoulder. She twirled around. Her scarlet bandeau top was the same color as her magic, and her floor-length black skirt was flowy like a shroud.

I smiled. "Completely nefarious."

"Perfect," Zara said and spun in the mirror again.

A came at the door, and it opened after I called "come in." Sable stood there wearing the same purple dress from classes today, except she'd pinned up her golden hair. Behind her was Crescinda, in a blue jumpsuit a few shades lighter than her tattoo, and Belladonna, in a red leather jacket and gray-wash jeans. All of them were smiling, looking as exhilarated as last night - before the whole Alfea incident.

"Ready?" Belladonna asked.

I nodded, grabbing a stack of silver rings and shoving them on my fingers while Zara sprayed a cloud of honeysuckle perfume, her favorite parasitic plant.

"You're going out again?"

We both turned towards Jade's bed. She hadn't said much to us since we'd gotten back from classes, and she hadn't said anything during class either. Now Jade sat on her bed with an old, thick book. Her straight black hair had fallen over one eye. She peered at us, and the girls at the door, disapproval pulling her lips down into a frown. Did she have any other expression?

"For a bit," I said.

"It's after curfew," Jade said. "You could caught. Again."

I bristled, turning to her. "We're not going to Magix. Just inside the castle. Griffin will never know."

Jade stared at me before finally looking back at her book. But I still heard her mutter, "right, like she wasn't supposed to know about last night."

I opened my mouth to snap something back, but Zara appeared at my side, nodding at the door. I peered back at Jade for a moment. The other witch didn't look up, so I looked away and walked out the door with Zara, shutting it behind me louder than I needed to.

The five of us made our way through the castle. At this hour, nearly midnight, there weren't many students in the halls. The ones out were hurrying back to their dorms before the bell tolled curfew. After a first day of classes, I guessed that a lot of the girls were exhausted. I half wanted to crawl into bed myself and fall asleep, but the chance of going to an upperclassman hang-out was just too much to pass up.

"Your roommate seems cheerful," Crescinda finally said. She ran a hand through her brown bob, giving me and Zara a questioning look.

Zara shrugged. "She's... a bit prickly."

I didn't say anything, just listened to the sound of my heeled boots clicking on the stone floor as we went up a flight of spiral stairs. I figured it had to have been Jade who told somebody about us coming back late. She was probably the spiteful, jealous type, too in her own head to break the rules but envious when others did. If the roommate situation kept going like this, I wasn't sure what would happen. Zara seemed to be too sweet to face down Jade - but I wasn't.

"I'm glad we don't have that issue," Sable said, glancing over at Belladonna and Crescinda. "Maybe you two could come sleep in our room."

We laughed as we walked, but it didn't really make me feel better. I shoved thoughts of Jade aside and tried to focus on tonight instead.

"This is it," Belladonna said. We stopped at an unassuming wooden door with a cast-iron round handle. It looked like every other door in this tower, quiet, but she only had to knock once before it opened.

Naureen beamed at us as she stood on the other side. Punk music spilled out. "Hey! I'm glad you all could make it." She ushered us inside, closing the door behind us, and mumbling something I figured must've been a sound-muffling spell.

Inside, it was clearly a converted classroom. Old desks had been pushed to the back and squashy, purple velvet couches sat around several black walnut coffee tables. There was a table full of bottles and snacks, and a stereo playing. All around, witches were chatting together or playing cards, laughing. The whole thing made my head buzz in a good way, like I'd just gotten an adrenaline rush. Mom kept such a close eye on me back home that I never could've had a party like this, or gone to one. Was Naureen friends with all these girls?

"Feel free to grab some drinks or food," Naureen said, waving over to the table.

Crescinda grinned in thanks and walked over, Sable quick on her heels. Belladonna apparently recognized the card game being played because she rushed over to the cluster of girls, who smiled at her and freed up a seat, dealing her in.

"Come with me," Naureen said to Zara and I. She turned, and we followed along after her. She stopped at a couch where two other girls sat. The paused their conversation to look up at us. "Cassidy, Zara, meet my best friends, Chloe and Lila."

Both of the witches were as pretty as Naureen, each of them in a completely differently way. Chloe had sleek black hair cut to her shoulders, a sharp contrast to her pale skin, and a constellation of tattoos along her arms, shown off in a long, strapless violet dress. Lila's dark brown curls fell to her waist, her eyelashes around her brown eyes long, with a slate-colored pantsuit and a silky, emerald-green blouse.

"I love your earrings," Zara gushed to Lila, whose ears were decorated in a series of delicate gold rings.

I suddenly felt underdressed in my cotton tunic.

But Chloe beamed, motioning to the couch across from them and we sat down. "You're the curfew-breakers, huh? We all heard about it. Sorry Ediltrude put you on fungus-scraping duty in the dungeons."

"We've all been there," Lila added softly.

"It's still impressive," Naureen said and I smiled.

Chloe leaned forward. "So how do you both like Cloud Tower so far?"

"It's the best," Zara sighed dreamily. "The Potionology lab is better than I had imagined."

"Are you both legacies?" Naureen asked.

Zara glanced over at me.

"I am," I finally said. I smiled at Zara reassuringly. "Zara's the first in her line."

Lila didn't react, but Chloe nodded at her. "Me too," she said.

Zara relaxed a bit.

"Do you have parties like this all year?" I asked, switching the subject. I peered around the room again as the music changed to a heavy metal one. With the big windows overlooking the night sky outside, and the glow of the lanterns inside, it was still so surreal. Did mom have these parties at Cloud Tower too when she turned eighteen and got to go off to school? I couldn't quite imagine my mother doing anything besides owning her art studio on Callisto.

"Sometimes," Naureen said with a shrug.

"I'm guessing it's much better than the ball Alfea holds," I said and didn't bother to hide my sneer.

Chloe laughed loudly. "I forgot it was next week. It's such a sweet event, isn't it?"

"It's pretty obvious the fairies don't want us there," Naureen said wryly. "I think when Headmistress Griffin ask that they treat us as equals and invite Cloud Tower to the ball, Alfea and Red Fountain didn't get the memo that acting irritated the whole time that we're there doesn't make us feel welcome."

"It sounds like the perfect opportunity to prank all the fairies," I said. I couldn't help the thought of Ava and her friend that flickered through my mind. "Like releasing a stinkbomb potion or some nonvenemous scorpions into the school. Nothing dangerous, just enough to mess with them a bit."

Naureen's face lit up. "That's not a bad idea."

My eyebrows rose in surprise. I hadn't expected her to actually like it, I'd mostly just hoped it would make her laugh.

"Wicked, actually," Chloe said, nodding along to the metal music. "Would you actually?"

All of them looked over at me, and before my face could turn red, I blurted "you wouldn't?" before I really thought about it.

Chloe beamed. "I'd definitely want in if you're planning something. Right?" She glanced between Naureen and Lila.

"It could be legendary," Lila said.

"I knew I invited you all for a reason," Naureen said proudly, and I tried to ingore the uneasy smile crossing Zara's face.

Around 2 am or so, we decided to head out of the party. The third years kept partying as if they didn't have classes in the morning, but I didn't feel getting a second detention, and Belladonna was yawning. We mananged to make out way back to Vile Tower without any teachers spotting us, and snuck back into our roomes with whispered goodbyes.

Room 8 was pitch-black and rain drizzled on the window. I snapped my fingers softly, and a small flame glowed at the tip. In the soft light, I could make out Jade in her bed, breathing deeply, a purple sleep mask pulled over her eyes.

"Are you really gonna do it?" Zara murmured, her voice barely audible.

I turned and watched the flame reflect in her dark eyes. "Do what?"

"The prank. At the fairy ball."

I hesitated. I was honestly hoping that the third years might forget about, but something told me that wouldn't. "I mean... it would just be harmless. Nobody would actually get hurt. Just shake up the fairies and the specialists a bit."

"This doesn't have to do with payback against the fairies at the club, does it?" Zara said.

"Their spell knocked you over, Zara," I said, somewhat defensively. "It would just be giving them a taste of their own medicine."

She frowned. "I don't think every fairy in Alfea hexed us." She sighed. "If you really think it's a good idea, I can help. But it has to be something small."

I smiled. Having Zara agree to it made some of the concern fall away. "Of course."

After I changed into my pajamas and did my skincare routine - ice cubes to de-puff and a cold cream slathered on - I brushed my teeth without looking in the mirror. Something told me that if I looked at my own eyes, I'd psych myself out about the prank idea, and then I'd just look like some poser in front of Naureen, Chloe, and Lila. So I didn't, and crawled into bed, looking out at the window as raindrops raced down the glass panes.

I didn't exactly miss the beaches back home, or the smell of the salty air. But for the first time in the past couple days since arriving at school, I did miss the familiarity of it. Staring out the sky, no ground in sight, made me shut my eyes. Somewhere between thoughts of a blue ocean and gray rain, I drifted off into sleep.