“So … do you want to talk about what happened?” Nina asks after a few minutes of silence.

The windshield wipers work to keep the rain off, but the storm is coming down so heavily that visibility is limited.

I reach to turn up the air. “It wasn’t anything major,” I lie. Always lying. All the time. “They’re just jerks. Well, some of them are.” Honestly, most of them aren’t, but I don’t know what else to tell her. “I just needed a break. Plus, they’re really … weird.”

She laughs softly, cranking up the defroster as the windows fog up. “Sky, you do realize you’re weird, right? Not that I don’t love you any less.” She downshifts and slows down for a turn. “How could I when I’m just as big of a weirdo?”

“Yeah, I guess so.” God, I hate lying. Will there ever be a time when I can just tell the truth? Tell her about my powers?

Doubtful, especially with the wall that’s blocking me. Unless the wall is down now … I’m unsure if the spell worked since I passed out.

“Cheer up, buttercup,” she says when she notices my frown. “We’re going to have fun tonight.”

I eye her over suspiciously. “Wait … You have that tone.”

Her eyes glint mischievously. “What tone?”

“The one you get when you’re about to do something potentially illegal and try to convince me to do it with you.”

“Don’t pretend like you actually care about doing illegal stuff.”

“I don’t to an extent.” I frown as she grins. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, nothing.” Her grin suggests otherwise. “Gage and I are just having a little get-together. That’s all.”

“So, a party.” Because Nina never has get-togethers. They’re always parties.

She shoots me a playful, scolding look. “Don’t pout. It’s going to be fun. I promise.”

“Why’d you guys decide to have one tonight?” I ask. “And what about school tomorrow?”

“Our school’s on winter break right now, remember?”

“Crap, I forgot. The new school I’m starting isn’t on break yet.”

“They do get a winter break, though, right?” she asks, and I shrug. “Well, shit.”

“You can say that again,” I mumble, folding my arms over my chest.

“Well, shit.” She smiles, and I can’t help smiling a bit, too.

But the party has me on edge.

“So, who’s all coming to the party? And are you having it at Gage’s or your house?”

“It’s at mine. My mom’s out of town, so I thought: why not?” She shrugs, then glances at me. “Just a warning. It was already going on when I left, and things were getting a bit crazy.” When my lips curve into a frown, she adds, “Dude, chill. We’re going to have fun.”

I put on a smile, but the truth is that I’ve never been into parties. There’re always too many people there for my liking. And with the mood I’m in, I am betting I’m going to be a party pooper. Not that I’m ever the life of the party.

I guess I’ll just have to suck it up. After all, Nina did drive all the way out to the Everettsons’ house just to pick my ass up.

Speaking of the Everettsons …

I dig out my phone, deciding to send Emaline a text now.

Me: Hey … So, I’m not sure if you noticed I’m gone or not, but I just wanted to let you know that I left the house. With everything going on, I needed a break. This is just a lot to take in …

I don’t know what else to tell her, so I hit send then hold my breath and wait for a reply. Almost instantaneously, a message pings through.

Emaline: Sky, I know you’re probably scared and upset, but I need you to come home right now. It’s not safe for you to be wandering around alone.

Me: I’m not alone. I’m with my friends.

Emaline: Your friends aren’t one of us, sweetie. If something happens, they can’t protect you.

Me: Please just let me hang out with them for a couple of days. I promise I’ll come back as soon as I clear my head.

And after I’ve gone through the stuff in the storage unit.

Emaline: Where are you right now?

Me: Heading to Nina’s house. She’s my best friend. I’m in her car right now, perfectly safe.

Emaline: Where does she live?

Me: In Honeyton.

Emaline: I need the address.

I pause. If I give her the address, is she going to come get me?

Me: Why?

Emaline: So I can send someone to pick you up. I know that’s not what you want to hear, and I understand that you’ve been through a lot, but you need to come home right now.

Me: I have no home.

I type and send the words without really thinking, sadness clutching my chest.

Another message buzzes through.

Emaline: Oh sweetie, that’s not true at all. I know this has to be hard—learning what you learned after losing your parents—but I promise that, with time, things will get easier. And our home is your home.

As tears well in my eyes, I shove my phone into my pocket. Her kindness is making me too emotional, and the sky is reacting by pouring down more rain.

“Holy crap, this is some storm,” Nina remarks, peering up at the sky through the windshield. “And it was clear skies when I left my house.”

“Storms are pretty unpredictable.” To most people anyway.

To me, they’re the most predictable thing in my life right now.

By the time we arrive at Nina’s house, it’s nearing eleven o’clock at night and the party is in full swing. Nina’s house, which is similar to the size of my old home, is crammed with people, most of which I know but rarely talk to. They are all dancing, drinking, laughing, and smoking. The place reeks like cigarettes and beer, and the air is laced with smoke so potent my eyes immediately water.

“I’m back!” Nina singsongs as we enter the kitchen.

Gage, who’s sitting on the counter, chatting with a red-headed girl who looks a year or two older than us, smiles at Nina. Then his smile morphs into a full-blown grin when his gaze lands on me.

“What the hell? I didn’t know you were coming.” He jumps off the counter and wraps his arms around me in a hug, smelling like pot and beer and everything that is Gage.

“Hey.” I loop my arms around the back of his neck as he spins me around. “Didn’t Nina tell you she was going to pick me up?”

He shakes his head, slanting back to meet my gaze. “She told me she was going to get a surprise, but that’s it.” He kisses my cheek. “Best surprise ever.”

I chuckle, knowing he’s drunk. “For sure.”

After he steps away, he assesses me. “Something’s off about you.”

I instantly think of the wall around me. Could he be saying that because it’s down now? But, if that’s the case, then wouldn’t he have been able to see it to begin with?

Is Gage not human?

That idea quickly evacuates my brain when he laughs and says, “Oh, I know why. It’s because you’re not drunk yet.” He snags ahold of my hand and drags me over to the table that holds an array of drinks.

After he mixes me one, he pours a drink for himself. “Cheers.” He taps his cup against mine, and I can’t help laughing as he spills some all over his boots and the floor.

Shrugging it off with a laugh, he downs a large mouthful then waits for me to do the same. Part of me doesn’t want to drink, is worried that, with everything going on, I shouldn’t. But when thunder rumbles from outside, reminding me of reality, I decide to hell with it and down a large gulp.

Once we’ve both finished our drinks, Gage tosses our cups into the garbage then glances around. “What should we do next?”

I look around at the rowdy crowd. “Where’s Nina?”

Gage lifts his shoulders. “Probably up in one of the bedrooms with Logan.”

I pull a face. “Grey’s friend?”

Gage offers me an apologetic look. “Sorry, but you know how she can get.”

“Yeah, she thinks with her vagina, not her head,” I say, jolting as a loud boom of thunder reverberates through the house.

Since I’m slightly buzzed and feeling somewhat content, I’m surprised I’m setting off a storm. Maybe another drink will help. Or maybe …

“You know, I brought a couple of those joints you gave me,” I tell Gage, knowing I might be heading down a path of self-destruction, but right now, I’m too confused, lost, worried, scared—a hundred different things—to care.

He points a finger at me, a devious smile curling at his lips. “I like the way you think.”

I grin back, though I feel anything but happy. Still, I act the part as Gage and I go back to the extra bedroom and light up.

A few inhales in, and I’m feeling pretty numb inside, although the storm hasn’t calmed down yet.

“So, what’s life like at your new home?” Gage asks, passing me the joint.

We’re stretched out on the bed with our feet in opposite directions, our heads side by side.

“It’s … weird.” I take a hit and hand it back.

“Weird how?”

“I don’t know … Just weird.”

“You’re not making very much sense, hon.” He rolls over onto his stomach with the joint pinched between his fingers and looks down at me. “They’re not treating you shitty, are they?”

I shake my head. “No, not really. Most of them are nice. Well, except for Foster. But he’s … I don’t know.” I frown, or more like pout, when I realize I can’t tell him much more than that.

Smoke snakes around his face as he studies me. “Did you ever figure out who that guy was that approached you yesterday? And why he gave you a blank card?”

I shake my head. Through all the craziness that has been happening, I completely forgot about that guy.

“Why do you ask?” I wonder, taking the joint from him.

He shrugs, then flips back onto his back. “I was just curious … I mean, you act like these people you’re living with are weird and that guy said that stuff about them …” He shrugs, staring up at the ceiling.

My mind drifts back to when the guy had given me the card. He said the Everettsons weren’t who I thought they were. He also said to call him when I wanted to know the truth, yet there wasn’t anything on the card he gave me. Does he really know what the Everettsons are? Is he an elemental protector? Why single me out, though?

I recall how he noticed when my powers made the lights flicker.

Does he know what I am?

Crap, what if he does?

I need to look at the card again. Maybe I missed something the first time I glanced at it.

“I need to go get something out of my bag,” I mutter, rolling off the bed.

Gage lifts his head, blinking at me. “What?”

“Nothing. I’ll be right back.” I motion for him to stay put, which he obliges, lying back down and taking another hit.

I stumble out of the room, my vision a bit blurry and time feeling a bit off, as if I’m moving in slow motion.

“Sorry,” I apologize as I bump into someone. Then I hear an all-too-familiar laugh.

“Man, someone’s out of it,” Grey remarks, steadying me by the shoulders.

I sigh, so not in the mood to deal with him right now.

“Excuse me,” I tell him, trying to squeeze by him, but he sidesteps, blocking my way.

When I glare at him, the corners of his lips curve upward.

“What’re you doing here?” he asks. “I didn’t think you were much of a partier.”

His speculation is stupid because A). He doesn’t know me very well. B). I’m not a partier right now. Just a girl at a party. And C) …

I totally forgot where I was going with this.

Crap, I think I smoked too much.

“Can you please move out of my way?” I ask. “I need to go do something.”

Ignoring me, he nibbles on his bottom lip. “You asked me to a dance once, right? When we were, like, in seventh or eighth grade?”

“That was a long time ago,” I point out defensively. Although, if I weren’t high, I’d probably get flustered.

“And if I remember correctly, I turned you down.”

“Move out of my way,” I grit out through my teeth, my anger trying to surface, but the haziness inside me stifles it.

He ignores me. “You know what? I’m feeling pretty generous tonight, so how about we have that dance?”

“Gag me.” I don’t mean to say the words aloud. They just sort of fall from my mouth.

A slow grin curls at his lips. “So, the little weirdo likes kinky shit, huh?”

Before I can fully comprehend what he said, he has me backed up against the wall and pinned between his arms. His breath reeks of vodka as he leans in, his lips an inch away from mine.

I peer around the empty hallway and panic. Gage is nearby, though, so if I shout, he’ll probably come out here.

“Back off,” I warn, preparing to knee him in the balls. “Seriously, back the fuck—”

He crashes his lips against mine as he steals my first kiss.

That asshole!

I move to knee him between the legs when a sharp zap nips across my skin.

Grey jerks back, his eyes wide, blue bolts of electricity crackling across his flesh.

“Holy shit,” he breathes out, reaching his sparking fingers toward his lips.

I expect him to freak out, but instead, he growls and moves to slam his lips against mine again. I lift my fist, preparing to punch him, when he flies back against the opposite wall.

At first, I think maybe my powers did it, but then I hear a voice. A very annoying voice.

“Haven’t you ever heard the term no means no?” Easton steps up beside Grey, crossing his arms and staring him down.

I blink a couple of times to be certain I’m seeing things correctly. Or maybe I’m hallucinating?

After a few more blinks, I realize that yes, Easton is here, along with Max and Foster. How they found me, I haven’t a clue, other than maybe one of them has tracking powers or something.

I jut out my lip, pouting over the fact that they’re here. Foster is so the last person I want to see right now.

Foster glances at my jutted-out lip then presses his together, as if he’s struggling not to smile. But then he quickly shakes his head, erasing the look.

“Are you okay?” he asks, his voice carefully controlled.

I don’t respond, looking at Max instead. “Why are you guys here? And how did you find me?”

“We’re here to get you. And we found you by tracking you …” Max’s brows knit. “Are you on something?”

I shake my head. “No …”

He frowns in disbelief. “Your eyes are really bloodshot.”

I waver. “I may be a little high, but it’s not a big deal.”

Foster inches toward me, his posture tense. “Do you realize how dangerous it is for you to be this out of it …” He trails off as he glances down at Grey, whose eyes are droopy and his shoulders are slumped.

He looks completely dazed, as if he has no idea where he is or who he is.

“What did you guys do to him?” I ask, assuming Grey’s suddenly incoherent state has to do with their powers.

“We’ll explain in the car.” Max reaches for my hand.

I step away from him. “I’m not going with you. I came here to take a break from … everything.”

Max sighs. “Sky, it’s not safe for you to be wandering around by yourself.”

“I’m not by myself. I have my friends,” I point out. “And even if I was by myself, I’ve spent years being on my own, and so far, I’ve been fine.”

Easton gives an insinuating look at Grey. “Clearly.”

“That’s not my fault,” I hiss. “One of you guys did that to him.”

“No, we didn’t.” Easton props his shoulder against the wall. “That was all you, lightning eyes.”

“No … there’s no way I did … that.” I gesture at Grey.

Easton looks at me with pity. “You kissed him, right?”

“No,” I say. When they silently stare me down, I add, “He tried to kiss me, and then … well, there were these sparks … But not the magical, that-was-an-awesome-kiss-that-rocked-my-world kind. It was really weird.”

“I’m guessing you’ve never kissed anyone before,” Easton says, his gaze glittering with curiosity.

I narrow my eyes at him. “Fuck off.”

A grin spreads across his lips. “Damn, she’s getting feistier by the second. I like it.”

“Knock it off,” Foster snaps, tossing Easton an icy look.

I think about what I overheard in the living room, how an elemental enchanter can only be with another elemental enchanter. So, does he think we’re going to become a couple now? Because, yeah, no thank you.

“Screw you guys. I’m not going anywhere with you.” I whirl around to bolt back to the bedroom Gage is in, but two steps forward and arms circle my waist.

“I’m sorry, but you don’t have a choice.” Foster pulls me against him.

“Leave me alone.” I fling my weight forward, my skin crackling with electricity either from my power or his—I can’t really tell.

“Not until you calm down and agree to go back with us,” he says, tightening his arms around me. “Stop being such a brat.”

“I’m the brat?” I laugh, the noise strained. “You’re the one who’s having a temper tantrum because you’re not a special little snowflake anymore.”

“That’s not what that was about,” he bites out, sounding pained.

“Sure it wasn’t.” Realizing I’m not going to be able to wiggle free on my own, I place my hand on his arm and try to channel the same power as when we touched in the living room.

His skin hisses, but that’s about it. Talk about anticlimactic.

“Go ahead and try it,” he breathes in my ear. “Now that I’ve felt your powers, I can control them—and my own—better.”

I grimace, moving my hand off his arm. “I don’t want to go back to you guys’ house. It’s not my house … and I …” Tears pool in my eyes, but I suck them back. “I just want my old life back. I didn’t ask for this.”

I loathe that I’m cracking apart in front of them, that I’m veering toward a meltdown, but I can’t seem to regain control over my emotions.

“I know it’s hard, and I understand you’re probably scared and don’t want this,” Foster says, his tone softening, “but the reality is that you are an elemental enchanter, and if the wrong creature finds out about you, you could wind up dead. Or worse.”

His words send a chill up my spine.

“What’s worse than death?” I ask, tilting my head back to meet his gaze.

“I hope you never have to find out.”

The worry in his tone makes me gulp.

Taking an unsteady breath, Foster releases me and steps back, but stays close. “Now, please get your stuff so we can take you home.”

Huh? Who would’ve thought he knew how to say please?

While I don’t want to go back to their house, his words have scared me enough that I’m going to listen.

I turn toward him, my gaze skimming across Max and Easton, who are surprisingly not looking at me but staring at Foster, with weird, curious expressions.

“Can I at least stay here until I’m sober?” I ask none of them in particular. “I have a feeling your parents aren’t going to be cool with me showing up like this.” I gesture at my face and somehow manage to smack myself in the eye. “Ow.”

Max smashes his lips together, but Easton doesn’t even try to conceal his laughter, and Foster sinks his teeth into his bottom lip.

“That wasn’t funny,” I say, but then I chuckle because it sort of was. I press the heel of my hand to my eye. “I have a feeling that’s going to hurt like a bitch in the morning.”

“We’ll put some ice on it tonight,” Foster says, the word we’ll making me cringe.

“I can put ice on it myself.” I let a gradual exhale ease from my lips as he studies me way too intently. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Like what?” Foster questions, continuing to look at me the same way.

“Like … I don’t know.” I shrug. “Like you’re trying to kill me just by looking at me.”

Easton snorts, and Foster glares at him. But Easton disregards the dirty look, his gaze remaining fixed on me.

“You’ll have to excuse my brother,” he says with a haughty grin. “He’s a little out of practice.”

My brows pull together. “With what?”

Foster blasts him with another nasty look. “East, I swear to the gods, if you don’t shut up, I’m going to shove you in Max’s trunk.”

“The one in the attic?” I ask, recalling the locked trunk I stumbled across when I was up there.

Foster nods, eyeing me carefully. “You didn’t open it, did you?”

“I doubt she’d be here if she did,” Max tells him before I can reply. “And it’s locked anyway.”

Foster gives me a strange look. “Yeah, but she seems like the sort of girl who knows how to pick a lock.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask, crossing my arms.

“I don’t know. You just seem like you’re …” He shrugs.

“I think he was trying to compliment you, lightning eyes,” Easton says in an amused tone. “I’m not exactly sure how, though.”

Foster’s eyes shoot daggers at Easton. “You’re really starting to get on my nerves.”

“Oh, chill out. I’m just having some fun with the new bit of information we discovered earlier today,” Easton tells Foster with a smirk. “Honestly, I never thought I was going to get a chance to tease you about your flirting skills, since you’ve never used them.”

Foster pales, his eyes narrowing into slits, his arms hissing with blue sparks. “Shut up.”

“East.” A warning rings in Max’s tone. “I think you’d better lay off this for now.”

East’s gaze descends to the sparks on Foster’s arms, yet instead of looking worried, his smirk grows.

Foster lets out a low growl that sends a shiver rolling across my body, yet I have the strangest compulsion to reach out and brush my fingers along the sparks, to feel his power—

“There you are.” Gage moves up beside me and drapes an arm across my shoulders. “I was seriously starting to worry you got lost …” He trails off as he notes the three Everettson brothers then glances at me with his brow arched. “Why’re they here?”

“I wasn’t supposed to leave the house.” I cast a discreet glance in Foster’s direction and breathe in relief when I see that the sparks across his skin are no longer present.

The last thing I need is for Gage to see that and start asking questions. Then again, he might be so high I could probably convince him he’s seeing things.

“Really?” The idea seems to greatly puzzle him. “The new parentals are that strict?”

I shrug. “Apparently.”

Flicking a glance at the Everettson brothers, he leans in and whispers, “You want me to help you escape? We can go to my house and hang out there for a while.”

I have no idea how, but I can feel Foster’s gaze burning into me. Inside my chest, something sparks. The heat is a painful reminder of what I am. And as Grey starts to stir beside my feet, reality bitch-slaps me across the face.

“I actually think I better go back,” I mutter with a sigh.

Gage slants back with his brows furrowed. “Are you sure? Because I’m completely cool with ditching this party and going back to my house with you.”

He’s such a liar. Gage loves parties.

I offer him a tight smile. “I probably never should’ve taken off to begin with. The parentals … they seem nice enough.”

“You sure?” He casts a wary glance at the Everettson brothers.

Easton rolls his eyes. “Stop looking at us like we’re going to hurt her.”

“I would if I actually believed you wouldn’t.” Gage’s expression hardens as his eyes glide toward Foster. “From what I’ve seen so far, you have and you will.” He protectively tugs me closer to his side.

Foster grinds his teeth with his fists balled up, his gaze locked on where Gage’s side is pressed against mine.

“We’re not going to hurt anyone.” Easton glances at Foster before reaching forward and wrapping his fingers around my wrist. “But we do need to take this lovely thing home before our parents freak out more than they already are.”

I begrudgingly wiggle my arm from Easton’s grip then turn back to Gage. “I’m sorry I’m ditching out early. Tell Nina I’m sorry, too.”

He gapes at me. “You’re seriously leaving?”

I understand his confusion, since we’ve all spent the last few years doing whatever the hell we want whenever we want. But things are different now. The thunder booming outside and the heat in my chest makes me all too aware of that.

“I’ll text you later, okay?” I tell Gage apologetically.

The Everettsons move to leave, and I follow, walking backward and giving Gage a slight wave.

He frowns. “See ya later then, I guess.”

I wish I could tell him more—tell him everything—but even if the wall is down, I don’t think it’s a possibility right now. Maybe when I learn more about my new world and my powers, then I can stop being such a liar.

But from all the warnings everyone has given me so far, I’m betting I may just have to spend the rest of my life lying to everyone I care about.