I make my way over to the table Neo sits at. It's a table farther from the entrance and sits right before the rows of shelves. He has his workbook open in front of him and his pencil hovers over it. Ready to write.

I pull a chair out. The sound pulls Neo's attention.

He smiles when he sees it's me. "Hey."

"Hello." I plop my bag down and sit in the chair.

"Ready to start?" He shifts in his chair.

I nod and pull out my workbook and a pencil.

I flip open to the lesson that I need the most work with. We both loom over the page. Neo walks me through the steps, telling me where to put the numbers and how to work with them. "It's like a dance," he says, slumping back in his chair.

"A dance?"

He nods. "You do half the work. Like setting the equation up and, if everything is placed right, the numbers do their own work."

I raise an eyebrow. "And how do they do that?"

"You put them in the calculator."

"How is that a dance?"

He's smirking. A sneaky grin on his face. But his gaze darts around the room, making him seem unsure of himself. "It just is. Isn't that what magic is like?"

I look away from him and at the doors to the library.

When he puts it like that, I guess it is. I call the magic forward, tell it the shape I want it to take and then it's just... there. At least in simple terms that's how it works.

"Yeah... it is." I turn back to him. "How'd you know?"

He shrugs and looks away. But it's quick and sharp. "Lucky guess." His voice comes out rough. "Ready for the next question?"

I nod.

We do the same thing. He walks me through it step by step.

The next few questions he lets me try by myself. But he hovers and watches me work. When I write something wrong he points it out. After a few questions I get to the point where he doesn't have to point anything out.

That's also when his demeanor changes.

He starts to fidget. First with tapping his pencil and then playing with his hoodies strings. Then, he can't stare at just one spot. He keeps looking over his shoulder or over my head or at the other students who are here.

It's annoying.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

He nods.

I sigh and turn back to my work.

When I look up again the clock above the door says it's four.

"Shoot," I say.

Neo jumps in his chair. "What?"

"I kept you from soccer practice."

He follows my gaze to the clock and laughs. "No you didn't."

"But Fox said you had to be there. That you had a big game." Does he not remember any of that? Why isn't he mad that I kept him?

He sighs and looks down. "I wasn't ready to tell anyone this yet, but... I'm taking a break from soccer."

"What? Why? You love soccer!"

He nods. "I do."

"Then why would Fox tell me differently?" I don't mean to ask the question out loud, but it slips out of my mouth.

He shifts in his chair. "My last day was Sunday. I was only going to help coach find a replacement. I don't know why Fox would tell you differently."

"That doesn't answer my question," I say. It only raises more. Why is Fox lying? Can I even trust him on anything? And why is Neo quitting?

Neo takes a few deep breaths. He turns in the chair to face me fully. "I need your help."

I shake my head a couple times. A soft laugh escapes my lips.

Neo? Neo needs help? Neo. Who has fantastic grades, is kind and helps others. Needs help? From me?

"Why would you need my help?"

"Because..." He looks around the empty library. All the students left a while ago and the librarian wandered off. "Because it can only be fixed with magic."

I laugh. A harsh and loud laugh. It echoes around us.

When my laughter settles and my stomach is sore I ask, "How would you know that it can only be solved with magic?"

He shifts in his seat. His gaze falls back to the table. He's mouth is moving but I can't hear what he's saying. "Sorry?"

He sighs and tilts his head to look up. But he doesn't lift it higher. "I've tried other... things. But they didn't work. And since you're the protector. I thought you could help."

I avert his gaze and look at my laps. God. Why did I laugh? "I could try."

"Really?" He perks up like a puppy dog.

"I said try."

"Good enough for me."

"But I need to know what the problem is."

"Oh." He deflates like a balloon. "Do you really need to know?"

I nod. "It'll help me to figure out how to fix it."

He sighs.

For a moment it looks like he's eyes are... arguing with each other. One being blue and the other one green. Each trying to take over.

I shake my head and it's gone.

It was just the light playing a trick. Right?

Smack!

I jump out of my seat. My hands start to freeze.

The librarian looks at me with disgust. "Libraries closing."

I take a deep breath and call the ice back. "Right. Sorry." My cheeks warm.

She nods. "Just get out." She walks away mumbling, "I don't get paid enough."

I pick up my workbook and slide it into my bag. "Thank you for the help," I say.

Neo stands and nods. "Of course... and you'll help me?"

"I can try." I swing my bag over my shoulder. "But I need you to tell me what happened."

He looks away, a shadow passing over his face. "There's something living inside of me. I need it out."

We leave and head to the nearest exit. When we push through the school doors it doesn't take long before the sun is glaring into my eyes and blinds me.

I put my hand over my eyes to block it out. "Hmm... Not sure I know anything that could-"

"We just need to be separated."

"We?" I ask.

He ducks his head. "Me and the thing."

"Right." I nod. "I can see if I can try to find anything."

"Thank you." He says, turning to me. "This means a lot."

"You're welcome."

He continues down the steps while I sit down to wait for Mom to arrive.

When he reaches the bottom he turns around. "Can we leave this between us?"

I nod. "Sure."

"Even from Amber?" His green eyes stare into mine with an intensity I've never felt or seen before.

I narrow my eyes. "Um... okay?"

He nods. "Thanks." Then he turns and walks away from the school.

Shortly after Mom pulls up.

When I get into the car Mom makes small talk. I try to answer but my mind is elsewhere.

What did Neo do to get something to live inside of him? That's not normal. Madam Mara had never even said anything about something like that. Did something break through the wall and somehow find its way into Neo?

But... if that did happen... why did it take him so long to ask for help? Why did he try to get it out on his own? How did he try? He doesn't have magic... right? There's no way he could have tried to get it out on his own.

Wah! Waah! Waaah!

I shake my head as Mom pulls over. A streak of red flashes past her window.

"A fire?" Mom asks, staring at the truck with wide eyes.

"That's... unusual." I lean forward, the seat belt digs into my shoulder. I ignore it as the firetruck turns the corner. My gaze travels up to the sky where green smoke blocks the blue. "Mom!" I smack the air in front of her. "We need to get over there."

"Why?"

"They won't be able to put it out. It's a magical fire."

She must sense the urgency in my voice as she pulls back onto the road and drives towards the fire.

When we turn the corner the car slams to a stop. I'm thrown forward. I don't waste time recovering from the stop as I unbuckle and throw the door open.

The building is alight with green fire.

I can't tell what the building used to be before.

I rush to the firetrucks and run past it till I'm even with the firefighters who hold a hose.

"Hey! You can't be here!" they yell.

Ignoring them I take a deep breath. Holding my hands out to the fire I yell, "Water bubble!"

A bubble the size of a house appears before me. I shift my hands, the bubble moves with them. When it hovers above the building I release the pressure that had built in my head.

Pop!

It rushes down as gravity pulls the water. The flames hiss as the water makes contact. Slowly the flames die. All that's left is the blackened frame of what once was there.

The firefighters stare with open mouths at the sight.

My chest heaves. I take a few breaths before attempting to speak. "You... wouldn't have been... able to put it out."

One of them shakes out of her shock and turns to me. "Thank you."

I nod.

Out of the corner of my eye something black runs around the corner. I spin on my heel and take after them.

It had to be the person who did this. Who started the fire.

I round the corner and skid to a stop. The person runs down the street. I won't be able to catch them.

I bring my hand up and out. Thinking of an ice block on their feet.

A blast of cold rushes from my hand. Instead of their feet being frozen to the ground, a block of ice appears in front of them. It's too close for them to be able to jump over it. Instead they trip over it and go face first into the ground.

Their hood falls from their head, revealing a shock of red hair.

I run over to them before they can get up and run. I grab their arm and pull them up.

"Lucas?"