I run until my lungs burn, heart pounding in my chest. Every instinct screams for survival, and yet, I can't shake the gnawing feeling that something is wrong. Raven coils tighter around my wrist, the sound of his scales flicking against my skin a constant reminder that we're not alone. Xander's breath comes in sharp gasps beside me, and I can hear the quick thrum of his heartbeat.

The tributes are close. Too close. They won't stop until they find us.

I glance over at Xander. His face is pale, eyes wide with fear, but there's something else there too—something like determination. He's not about to let me go. Not now.

"Keep moving!" I hiss under my breath, pushing through the thick forest. The trees blur past me, and the air feels thick, like it's pressing down on me. I can feel it. They're coming.

We scramble through the underbrush, a chaotic rush of branches snapping and feet pounding against the earth. I can feel my senses stretching, reaching beyond what's normal, but I don't know what to do with it. My ears twitch as I catch every sound—each rustle of leaves, every footstep, every breath. I hear them. The tributes. They're getting closer.

We're running out of time.

Xander grabs my arm, his voice hoarse. "We can't keep this up forever. We need to hide."

I nod, but my heart sinks. There's nowhere to hide. Not from them. Not from their eyes. My mind is racing, trying to come up with a plan, but nothing makes sense. How can we escape when we're already trapped?

Suddenly, the world goes still. My heart skips a beat.

I look around frantically. Raven hisses, a sharp warning in my ear.

"Something's coming," he whispers in my mind, his voice low and urgent.

Before I can respond, the ground beneath my feet shifts.

I stumble, my legs unsteady, and I feel the earth tremble beneath me. A crack appears in the ground, splitting wide as if the earth itself is splitting open. My hands fly out to steady myself, but as I do, something inside me shifts. My palms burn with energy I can't explain.

It's as if the earth is responding to me.

Without thinking, I jerk my hands upward, trying to steady myself, and the ground cracks wider. No, no, no!

"Emerald, stop!" Xander yells, grabbing my arm, but it's too late. The crack widens, and a column of rocks suddenly shoots upward, twisting out of the earth like a wild, uncontrollable force. I gasp, stumbling back. I don't know how I did it, but the magic—it's there, inside me, uncontrolled, but... powerful.

The ground shifts again—this time, I feel it. The rock column crashes downward, but before it hits the ground, I reach out and instinctively push. The rocks freeze midair, suspended, as if my mind has forced them to stop. The air around us hums, crackling with the energy I can't quite understand. I feel dizzy, my vision blurring as I try to focus.

"Emerald!" Xander's voice pulls me back. "What did you do?!"

I don't answer. I can't. My mind is reeling, trying to process what just happened. How did I move the earth like that? My hands are still shaking, a strange warmth crawling up my arms.

I did that, I realize with a shock. I made that happen.

The rocks fall to the ground with a deafening crash, and I stumble back, my knees weak. Raven hisses angrily in my ear. You have to control it!

I close my eyes, trying to steady my breathing. Control it. I don't know how, but I can feel the power surging through me again, threatening to break free. I have to find a way to stop it, to focus it.

Calm down, I tell myself. Focus. Calm.

But the more I try, the more the magic seems to fight against me. I'm not controlling it—it's controlling me. The wind picks up around us, swirling violently, snapping at the trees. The air is charged, crackling with the same energy that's running wild inside me. I hear the tributes approaching, their footsteps growing louder. They'll be here any second.

I can't afford to lose control.

Focus, Emerald. Focus.

I close my eyes again, trying to push the rising panic down, but it's hard. The magic feels like a storm inside me—unstoppable, furious. Then, something clicks. It's like a switch flips in my mind, and for the first time, I understand. The wind, the earth, the air—they're all part of me. And I can make them bend.

Without thinking, I extend my arms out, my fingers tingling with energy. Slowly, cautiously, I release the power I've been holding back. The wind softens, the earth settles beneath my feet. I push the magic outward, controlling it just enough to stop the storm inside me. The energy hums around me like a living thing, but it's no longer out of control.

I open my eyes to find Xander staring at me in shock, his jaw dropped. Raven hisses softly, his tone more curious than angry now. Better. You're learning.

I swallow hard, breathless. "Did I… did I do that?"

Xander nods slowly, still stunned. "You did. You—what was that?"

"I don't know," I whisper, my voice shaky. I look down at my hands. They're still warm, still alive with power. "I didn't mean to do it."

Raven coils around my wrist, flicking his tongue in amusement. You've only begun to scratch the surface.

The air around us hums. The magic is still there, waiting, eager. I don't know how to control it yet, but I can feel it—deep inside me. It's a part of me now.

And it's not going anywhere.