^“There’s still been no signs of Mr. Layan,” Mr. Daniels says, his voice void of emotion as he slips his phone back into his pocket. Two weeks. It’s been two fucking weeks since I was stabbed, and they haven’t found him. I had started my classes again after only a week. Thankfully, even without healing powers working fully, I had healed much faster than a human ever would.

Not so thankfully, Mr. Daniels had been making me take extra classes with him every single day since. I eye up his muscular frame leaning against his kitchen counter. The man is terrifyingly impressive. If I could even soak up a little of his abilities in fighting and defence, I would be happy. But, he wanted perfect. So, for three hours every day we have been sparring, using our magical abilities and a mixture of physical fighting. The amount I was getting my ass kicked was embarrassing. Especially since he’d said he was even going a little easier on me. When I told him to stop doing that yesterday . . . . Damn I wish I’d kept my mouth shut. The ache in my muscles is unreal.

“Are they even looking,” I mutter.

“Yes, of course, they are looking; they have practically the entire council out looking. He seems to have planned his getaway meticulously, Miss Crowe,” he answers.

I shove my cornflakes away, my appetite gone.

“I have protection class, and it’s my first one as I couldn’t get to the others with training and everything, so I should go,” I say, and he looks over at me, a worried frown appearing on his handsome face.

“You’re not going to be late for class?” he jokes, making me smile slightly as he tries to cheer me up, but when I place my hand on my stomach, feeling the slightly raised scar, that I will always have, through my thin t-shirt, my smile disappears. I grab my phone and walk out, waving goodbye to Mr. Daniels. I walk towards the school and use the academy app to find my way to the right classroom. The corridors are surprisingly quiet. When I find the classroom on the second floor, I knock before opening the door and walking in. The room is empty, and I check my phone once more, seeing that I’m in the right place and sit down on one of the chairs that are placed in rows in the middle of the room. I hear the bell ring a few seconds later and look up as the twins walk into the room, smiling when they see me. Locke sits on my left, sliding his arm around my chair, and Logan sits on my other side, his hand brushing mine.

“Early to class, I’m shocked,” Locke whispers as five more students walk into the room.

“It is shocking,” Logan agrees.

“I’m not late to everything,” I say, and they both laugh. I go to ask Logan what he’s doing here, when a teacher walks into the room and slams the door shut, making herself jump. The teacher looks in her mid-thirties with long, blonde hair, a sweet face that makes her look young, and she is wearing a long jumper and jeggings. She looks beautiful, but normal, it’s shocking compared to the teachers in this place.

“Silly door,” she mumbles, walking into the classroom and dropping her bag on the floor. She spots both twins sitting in the room and frowns. “Which one of you isn’t meant to be in here?” she asks. They both shrug and keep their mouths shut. She sighs and looks around the rest of the room.

“Fine, both of you stay. So, hi everyone, except you. You’re new?” she asks me, smiling as she walks over and offers me her hand to shake. I shake her hand as I speak.

“I’m Mackenzie, and I haven’t been able to come to class before this.” She nods as understanding washes over face.

“Miss Perfect with twelve marks can’t even defend herself against an old teacher,” I hear whispered from behind me. The comment is met with laughter as my cheeks go red. It wasn’t like that, but this is all I’ve been hearing all week in my classes. Luckily, the guys are always with me and defend me, even Enzo did despite the fact he isn’t talking to me since he saved my life. I remember in the vision how he kissed my forehead, how close we got on that sofa and now nothing. It was beyond frustrating and confusing.

“Dickhead,” Locke mutters angrily and stands up, lifting his hand and sending the two students flying into the air and landing on their asses across the room.

“Nice one, twin,” Logan laughs, sliding his hand into mine.

“What the hell?” one of the guys says as he stands up, offering a hand to his friend. Locke goes to step forward when the teacher puts her hand in front of him, and a large ward appears, spreading around Locke and keeping him trapped in place. I don’t think Locke is really trapped as he doesn’t fight it, but looks down at me.

“Locke, or Logan—whichever one you are—that was not nice,” she says to him, before turning toward the student who was whispering. “But, neither were your comments to Mackenzie. I want everyone to sit down, and if I hear any more comments or use of the air mark, then I will kick you all out,” she says firmly, smoothing down her dress and sighing.

“Now, I’m Miss Ash, but you can call me Tia,” she says to me gently, as she lowers the ward around Locke, and he grumpily returns to his seat. I hear the other guys sit down behind me as Tia carries on talking.

“So, in previous classes we have been testing our protection ward and going over the various uses we have for it,” she tells us.

“I want you to pair up and carry on the testing we have been doing in the last few lessons. Mackenzie, I will pair up with you, and we shall start at the beginning,” she tells me, and I nod, standing up, as everyone else does, and letting go of Logan’s hand. I walk over to Tia, and she gestures for me to stand in front of her.

“So, have you used your protection ward before?” she asks me.

“Yes, I used it to block a pain mark being used on me. And then, I used it again when Mr. Layan . . .,” I let my words drift off, and she nods, a sympathetic look crossing over her face.

“I heard what weapon he used, wards cannot protect against mark-laced weapons,”

“I figured that one out,” I whisper.

“Also, Mr. Layan is very well-trained with his ten marks, and you still survived. If anything, you should be proud of yourself. I don’t believe I would survive a fight against him,” she tells me gently, and I can’t do anything but nod at her.

“Well, why don’t you show me how you used the ward before?” she asks, and I close my eyes, imagining the protection ward and holding my hand up. The moment I start feeling my hand going warm, I imagine the look on Mr. Layan’s face as my ward failed and that dagger went through my stomach. I remember the pain, the fire, and the smoke. The feeling of helplessness as I choked.

“I can’t,” I stumble out, dropping my hand and turning around. I’m gone, running out the door and down the corridor as I hear Locke and Logan shouting my name behind me. I used protection fine with Mr. Daniels, so why can’t I do it on my own? Why do I keep remembering that night?

“Kenz,” Logan says as he catches up with me, grabbing onto my arm to stop me running anymore. When I look up at him, he pulls me into his arms and hugs me. Seconds later, I feel Locke rubbing a hand down my back as I try to get my breathing under control.

“What happened?” Logan asks me gently, and I shake my head, not wanting to talk about it at all.

“I have an idea. You need to relax a little, all work and no play can’t be good for you.”

“Where should we go?” Logan asks Locke.

“The restricted place? It could be fun?” Locke replies, and I let Logan take my hand, walking me down the corridor. Locke takes my other hand, entwining our fingers.

“Where are we going?” I ask, feeling stressed and tired. Locke is right, it’s been too much training with Mr. Daniels, all my lessons, and then getting only five minutes a day to see anyone else before collapsing in bed.

“Well, I may have a key to the entrance pool of the academy,” Locke says, pulling out his set of keys and flashing me an old-looking one. I laugh despite my mood, and he nods his head towards the big doors that lead to the pool.

“What on earth are we going to do down there?” I ask, and it’s Logan that answers in a whisper as Locke opens the door.

“Skinny dipping, what else?”

“You, me, and Locke naked,” I blurt out as he moves closer and shocks me by pressing his lips gently against mine before pulling away before it can be classed as a real kiss.

“That’s the plan,” he says, chuckling at my red cheeks and little smile.

“Quick,” Locke says and opens the door slightly, so we can slide in and stops my imagination from going into overdrive about the thought of seeing them both naked. Locke turns on the flashlight on his phone as we walk down the steep steps and I look down, seeing a lump of fabric at the bottom of the steps.

“What’s that?” I ask, but the twins don’t answer me as they both tense up. Logan quickly pushes me gently behind him as Locke steps closer. What don’t they want me to see? I look around Logan’s shoulder, and my eyes focus and take in the body at the bottom of the steps. I take an instant step back when I see the familiar white, long hair and black cloak, but then I notice the blood around his neck and all over his hair.

Mr. Layan is dead.

I spot a piece of paper in his hand. As much as I hate the man for what he did, I don’t want to see him dead like this. He deserved to die, but not having his throat slit and used to carry a message.

“What does the note say?” I ask as Locke steps closer and looks around before kneeling next to Mr. Layan, pulling the note from his hand. Locke comes over giving me a worried look as he shows me the note. My heart almost stops as I read the name at the top.

“It’s addressed to me,” I whisper, flipping the note over and reading the message on the other side.

“What kind of friend leaves you a dead body?” Logan asks, having read the note over my shoulder.

“Not the kind of friend I’d like to keep,” I reply, feeling sick to my stomach.

“I’ll call Mr Daniels, you get Kenzie back to the cabin,” Locke says to his brother.

“Why are we leaving?” I ask as Logan already starts to tug me back up the stairs.

“A man who attempted to kill you shows up dead, and you’re the one to find the body—in a place you shouldn’t even be able to get into. Who do you think they’ll consider as a suspect?”

“Shit,” I mutter, seeing his point.

“Come on, Locke and Mr. Daniels will take care of it. But as far as anyone else is concerned, you never saw that body. Okay, Kenzie?” he says, hurrying me out the door. I stare back at the door as we walk away from it. “Are we clear?” he asks, sliding a hand into mine.

“Crystal,” I answer. I screw up the note in my other hand and shove it into my pocket, wishing I really hadn’t seen the body.