"Why won't you tell me what's wrong with her?" I hear the whispered question through the fog in my mind.

"Because it's not something I can explain. If she wants to talk about it, she needs to tell you herself,” Brendan replies, and even without opening my eyes I know they're on the other side of my dorm room. I have a feeling they've been arguing for a while.

"So you basically kidnap her for a month, come back with her all weird sick, and won't even answer questions?"

“Listen, Jemma—“

"Don't listen Jemma me. She's my best friend. I've been going out of my mind since she's been gone. You owe me something."

I open my eyes just in time to see Jemma poke Brendan in the chest with her little finger and the sight is so absurd, a snicker escapes before I can hold it in. Both of them turn to me instantly, and the relief on their faces is evident.

"What is going on?" Jemma exclaims, plopping down on the bed with me. "Are you okay? Please tell me you're okay and this is just a weird seizure I didn't know you had and not some kind of a drug-induced problem Brendan got you hooked on."

"Your imagination is to be admired,” Brendan comments dryly from over Jemma's shoulder and I can't hide my smile. I've missed her.

"No, I'll explain everything. You might not believe me, but I'll try." I'm not sure when I decided that I would, but I think a part of me just wants to be accepted by her no matter what crazy story I spin. I might lose her in the end, but I don't feel right lying to her any longer. But before I can say anything else, Brendan snaps to attention. My eyes find his and then I feel it. Something shifted in the air around us, something is definitely coming.

“Cali—" Brendan begins, but I don't need his warning.

"I feel it," I say, getting off the bed with Jemma beside me. She can tell something has changed too because Brendan and I are both on high alert now. "We need to get out of here."

"What?" Jemma starts. "You can't leave. You just got here."

"You're coming with us," Brendan says before I have a chance to answer. He's at the window again, studying the outside surroundings and I'm not sure what he sees, but his body becomes even more rigid.

"I'm not going anywhere until someone explains what the heck is happening."

I open my mouth to offer some kind of an explanation when my eyes land on my desk. There's an envelope on top with my name written on it in careful cursive. I take a step forward like I’m being pulled toward the object like a magnet.

"What is this?" I ask as my fingers close around the paper and a wave of majyk washes over me. I gasp at the sudden whirlwind, but before I can lose control, everything settles.

"Cali?" Brendan is already by my side, holding on to me by my elbows in case I plummet to the floor like I'm known to do.

"I'm okay. I just felt … majyk.” Our eyes meet and the concern I find there sets off all kinds of alarms. I shouldn't be feeling majyk from random objects with my name on them, that's for sure.

"Did you say majyk?" Jemma asks from behind Brendan. I don't reply but focus on the paper in front of me. Brendan glances down as well and then I hear his sharp intake of breath.

"What?" I ask.

"That's your handwriting."

I look down at the paper again and realize that he's right. The cursive definitely has my markings on it, if I took a very long time to make it this pretty. I don't wait for a ceremony to rip the envelope open.

"Guys?" Jemma's voice comes out a little more apprehensive, and I'm sure we're freaking her out. I give her what I hope is a reassuring smile before pulling out a sheet of paper with more writing on it. This handwriting looks more like my own because it's more messy. All that's written in the middle of the paper is the name of a town and state: Flushing, Michigan. I look up at Brendan to see if he knows what this means, but he looks just as puzzled as I feel.

"Jemma, where did this come from?" I ask, turning my attention to my best friend.

"It was in our mailbox three days ago."

None of this makes sense. I stare at the paper in front of me, clearly written in my own handwriting, with a name of a city I've never been to. I'm not even sure I knew there was a Flushing, Michigan.

"Is this why we came here?" Brendan asks after a moment of silence. I glance up at him sharply, because I didn't think of that. Maybe we did. I felt the pull to come back here. Did I send this to myself as a clue? So many questions and I just feel like I'm never getting close to any answers.

"I think so. Maybe. I don't know."

Brendan reaches for my hand, squeezing it briefly. The contact calms me instantly, as if my body has been craving this simple touch. The majyk that always seems to be burning at the brim takes a backseat, if only for a moment, and I can breathe easier.

"We need to go,” I say, because the feeling of foreboding that crept into us the moment we saw the mist surrounding the building is flashing like a neon sign in my mind. Brendan doesn't question and lets go of my hand and heads to the front door. He doesn't make it two steps before the door bursts open and a nightmare steps through the threshold.

"Zdrastvuy, Protector," he growls and that's when Jemma screams.

Stepping in front of my best friend, I put myself between her and the creature. He's at least seven feet tall. His face is made up of stitches of flesh and fur, his eyes black like crows. He has the body of a man, but his arms look like the arms of a reptile, though I've never seen one this large before. He stinks like death and decay and I take an involuntary step back when his breath hits my lungs.

"How kind of you to show up," he says as four other creatures step through the doorway. The room is too small to hold all of us at once and we push back, closer to the window.

Brendan already has his sword out, and without looking away from the creatures, he thrusts another one into my hand. The training I've undergone keeps me calm on the outside, but I'm more than terrified on the inside. Not for myself, but for Brendan and Jemma. I brought these monsters right into their path and if something happens to them, it'll be on me.

"Nothing to say, Protector?" The creature grins and I notice his long canine teeth gleaming in the light.

"I figured you were getting ready to monologue. Didn't want to interrupt,” I quip and hear Brendan's barely audible chuckle. I never understand where my sudden bravery comes from, but Brendan never seems to be surprised. Maybe I really am all that and a bag of chips. The confidence Brendan displays in me fuels my own.

The creature growls before responding, "Where is the Relic, Protector?"

"I feel like I've had this conversation before," I reply, taking another tiny step toward the window “Your English is much better than the last guy’s, though. At least I can understand you, somewhat.” Jemma is right behind me now, and I wish I had telepathic powers because I need Brendan to get her out of here.

"Do you want to see your friend die?"

It's as if he's reading my mind and delivers the one threat that will get to me. I trust that Brendan can hold his own, but Jemma is completely unprotected.

"What I'd like to see is you dead. Is that too much to ask?" I reply, and this time, instead of taking a step back, I take a step forward. I feel Jemma's hand on my arm, but I extract it, putting myself closer to the monsters.

“Cal—" There's a warning in Brendan's voice. I have a feeling he knows what I'm planning to do and he's definitely not on board with it. But the sound of my name on his lips just adds to the fuel. I feel the majyk awaken inside of me and then, a blast of cold seeps through my skin and into my heart.

I can kill them. I can kill them all.

As if seeing the change in me, they attack. Jemma screams as the first creature reaches me, but I'm too fast for him. This room is not big enough for them to maneuver their large bodies easily, but it's perfect for me.

"Get her out of here!" I shout at Brendan as my sword clangs with the creature's.

"No!" he replies, his own sword slicing at the creature going after him. I dodge and pivot, my smaller frame shifting around them as they bulldoze over the furniture in their attempt to get at me. I take note of their awkwardness right away. As big as they are, they use their bodies as a weapon, but it's hard for them to be as precise as I am. It's as if their limbs are not stitched together properly so they rely on their strength versus precision.

I swing at the one closest to me, ducking a blow, and my sword connects with his flesh. Acid bubbles out where blood should be, and I roll under him before it touches my skin. He stumbles forward and I swipe my sword over his neck, decapitating him in one blow.

I don't have time to gloat at my victory as my eyes land on Brendan fighting off two others. The leader stands to the side, watching with amusement, before he lunges at Jemma. I scream, my hand reaching out toward her and then she's gone. Poof. Disappeared.

Shock ripples through me as I stare at the space my friend was just a second ago. The leader turns to me, growling, and I have no time to react when he backhands me, sending me flying into the opposite wall. I land hard, my body vibrating with pain as I try to get to my knees. I hear Brendan shouting, but I can't make out the words through the buzz. My eyes try to focus and I see the leader grinning as he makes his way toward me. Brendan is screaming, trying to get to me, but he can't get past the two monsters. Our eyes lock and before I can think of it, my hand is reaching out to help him.

Fire rushes through my blood, igniting the ancient power of my inheritance. Rage, pure and burning, rises inside of me. I push the pain down, and the whirlpool of majyk takes its place. As if in slow motion, I raise my eyes to the creature now towering over me and I smile. A flicker of surprise crosses his face before he, and the other two monsters, explode in a brilliant display of purple color. Guts, blood, and acid rain on me, but before it can touch myself or Brendan it's gone.

I look up from my place on the floor, my eyes finding Brendan's across the room. We're alone now, surrounded by the debris leftover from the fight. The power is still crushing me from the inside out and I try to find the balance to pull myself together. I search for that calm assurance I find in Brendan, but it's too much.

Too much. Too hot. Too strong.

The majyk pulls me inside of itself, and I'm screaming.

Brendan is instantly by my side, but he won't touch me. I glance up at him and what I find there shatters my world. He looks terrified, not for me, but of me.

Brendan is terrified of me.