Recap:

"Something's wrong," Alix said, "Where's all the people?"

I agreed wholeheartedly. Seconds before the swirling black mist wrapped around our bodies, a horde of people had been standing beside Nox Haven's rubble. The was gone now and so were the people. I couldn't see a single person in sight. To make matters stranger, it wasn't raining. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping- it was like nothing bad had ever happened to the place.

"There's a girl," Jaxon pointed.

Sitting on the front steps of the school, with an apple in her hand and book balanced on her knees was pint-sized young woman. Her large skirt was sprawled across the steps. Even though the heat was stagnant, similar to the summers in Virginia, she wore a long sleeved turtle-neck and boots. She looked like a woman from a Jane Eyre novel.

"I'm not sure I want to speak with her," Alix said ominously.

"Why not?" Aleksander asked. "We need to know what happened?"

Alix nodded hesitantly but said, "I'm afraid this will lead to more questions."

"Did you see something?"

"No," She responded quickly, "That's why I don't want to speak to her. I have no idea how the conversation will go."

That unsettled me. Alix's power wasn't an exact science but it was still extremely helpful. Even the slightest insight would have eased my fears. I stood up and Aleksander grabbed my arm before I could run away. Alix and I shared an uneasy look as the boys walked confidently to the girl.

"Excuse me, Miss?" Aleksander began.

The girl looked up from her book, her face flushed as she stared admiringly at Aleksander. I bit my lip in annoyance. Women would always be attracted to him. Old and young, beautiful and ugly, dumb and smart. There were probably even a few nuns who had the hots for him.

"Y-yes?" She stuttered and shyly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Aleksander smirked, causing my fingers to twitch. My boyfriend, who I cared for deeply, was a cocky asshole. The amount of arrogance he felt was unhealthy for a person.

"Would you be kind enough to tell me and my friends what the date what today?" He practically purred.

The girl snapped out of her lustful haze when the words friends touched her ears. Glancing our way, she took the time to scrutinize every one of us- paying special attention to the clothes that we wore. Her emotions turned weary when she looked back at Aleksander.

"It is the third of April," she said," 1816."

I blinked.

The year was 1816. As in two- hundred years ago!
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CADDIE's POV:

I was prone to fainting spells.

Whenever a situation became too overwhelming, my mind would completely shut down. I hated them. The fear of never waking up had tormented me ever since I was child. But I would have gladly accepted one right now to escape my reality. Closing my eyes, I tried to slip away but the darkness never came. I should have  known better, nothing ever happens the way I want it to.

I opened my eyes. Aleksander, Jaxon and Alix were huddled in a group- they were trying to be inconspicuous about their fears but Alix was never good at whispering. The Jane Austen girl was still sitting on the steps, her eyes were glazed over with lust as she stared at my boyfriend. His face proved to be a useful distraction; she was so busy ogling him she didn't hear Alix yell 'we're stuck in the goddam past!' Shuffling over to the huddle, I wedged under Aleksander's arms and glared at them.

"If you're trying to be inconspicuous, it's not working," I told them.

They broke away in a haste. Aleksander awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck when he realized the girl was still staring at him with rapt attention. You would have thought that she never saw a boy before.

"Excuse me," I snapped my fingers in front of her face. She shook her head out of the daze and looked at me. Keeping the aggression out of my voice I asked, "Are you a student at Nox Haven?"

"I am" she nodded, "Are you as well?"

"We are-" Alix began, but thankfully Jaxon interjected. "We're new students. Forgive us if we seem a little disoriented. This campus is quite intimidating."

The girl accepted Jaxon's vague excuse. Collecting her book and apple, she stood up from the step and began to walk up the stairs. Alix and I exchanged confused glances. She was just going to leave us here? Maybe our weird attire made her suspicious, I thought. There was always the chance she could be running into the school, to get the guards. There was no way we'd be able to explain our situation to the guards without looking crazy. Most Nox Haven security guards lacked the creativity and brains to get a real job. 

At the top stop, the girl turned around smiled. "Why are you all standing there? Follow me an I'll show you to the HeadMinister's office. She will fetch someone to show you around and gather your items."

Releasing a shaky laugh, I bounded up the stairs. The others followed wordlessly behind me. I had seen Nox Haven a million times and yet it's beauty never failed to amaze. The moss-covered stone walls stretched endlessly. Towers, worthy of Rapunzel scraped the bottoms of the clouds. Tall, gothic windows could be found on every level, giving each student a perfect view of the gardens. It was the most magical place place on earth, not even Disney world could compare.

"Recludere," the girl whispered with her hand on the doorknob and her head bent.

On the other side of the door an array of clicks and clatters went off. She twisted the knob to the left and then to the right. The door whined in protest as it swung open, revealing the opulent interior of Nox Haven Academy. A giddy feeling rose from my stomach as I walked into the castle. It felt like my very first day at school again. The exterior of the castle, though gorgeous and intimidating, could never match the immaculate beauty of the interior. The entryway alone was just a taste of the magical world we were about to enter.

Ancient paintings decorated the walls and ceiling. They described a dramatic tale of the original Council Members who conquered evil with a balance of Black and white magic. Priceless artifacts that were owned by the grates sat on top of small display cases with force fields around them. I noticed that a few artifacts from the future were missing. It was so strange to think that some of the greatest and worst magicians of all time weren't alive yet.

"Is it sad that I missed that staircase," Alix whispered as we approached Nox Haven's prize beauty. The solid gold grand staircase.

I couldn't blame her, that single staircase had carried us to our dorms, and our classes. There were a lot of memories we all shared on those stairs. Like the time Dmitri caught me sneaking in after the Dark One attack.

I stopped to catch my breath- not believing something bad could happen in the safety of Nox Haven. I should have known better. Just when I thought things were looking, up they immediately got worse.

"Why do you look like you just ran a marathon?" Dmitri asked from the other side of the staircase.

"Because I did," I wheezed.

That was how I knew I was out of shape, and that I was a bad liar. He slowly walked down the stairs, giving me a skeptical look.

"You went running in a sweater?" He asked, pausing in front of me.

"It's cold outside," I lied lamely, crossing my arms over my chest and averting my eyes from his scrutinizing stare.

His lips curved into a knowing smile. He gabbed my arm and I looked down in surprise. There was a small scarlet cut in my flesh.

"So how'd you get that cut? Oh, wait, never mind, you're going to say that you fell, right?"

His eyes narrowed. Okay, so, he was pissed. He knew I was lying; but as long as he didn't know why, I was safe.

"It's none of your business," I scowled.

"It isn't?" His eyes practically bulged out of his head, "You've been sneaking around looking for answers that you shouldn't know. You dragged me out to the gardens and now I have no recollection of what happened. And you have blood on your sleeve after looking like the devil was chasing after you. Now tell me this isn't my business."

I kept my stare level with his. It was like a Great Dane having a staring contest with a Chihuahua. It was hard to keep my composure when he was looking at me as if I did something wrong.

"It's none of your business," I said with a straight face and ran up the stairs.

Never in my life would I understand the dynamic our relationship, but that didn't stop me from missing him. As annoying as he was, he was an irreplaceable member of our team. Much like another person I sent to their doom, by walking down those stairs.

I began to walk up the main staircase when I saw a dark figure glaring at me from the shadows.

Cam...

He was leaning against the wall, in a black Pink Floyd shirt and faded jeans. The menacing look on his face looked so different from what I was used to.
Cam was kind, funny and my safe place. Even when he was hurt, he still managed to resemble the boy I grew to care about. Now he didn't, he looked like ruthless werewolf that was getting prepared to maul me.

Without my consent, my feet slowly dragged me down the stairs until I was nearly in front of him. His glare intensified with every step I took. Hurt and betrayal came off of him in waves. It was almost as if he knew, I joked to myself. Then again, I pondered, he is a werewolf and they do have heightened senses. It could be possible that he heard my entire conversation with Heidi. My eyes widened with the realization.

Cameron knew everything.

My heart ached painfully at the memories. On a normal day it was easy to keep them at bay. But feeling the railing brush against my finger tips and the marble stairs beneath my combat boots opened the flood gate of memories. I was so preoccupied with my past, I almost forgot why we were walking up the staircase in the first place. Eyeing our generous tour guide, I slowed my pace until I fell into step with the others.

Lowering my voice to its quietest octave, I asked, "What are we going to do? Are we going to ask the other council members for help?"

Alix scrunched her nose, "Why would we tell them? If the Dark Warlock finds out why we're here, he'll kill us."

"We're not here for any reason. It was an accident maybe they can help us out," I hissed through gritted teeth.

Aleksander grabbed my hand and squeezed it lightly. I knew I shouldn't have yelled at Alix, but I was tired of playing hero! How could she not understand that? If I didn't want to do something, I shouldn't have to do it.

"Lyubov Moya, I know this isn't what you want but this is what needs to happen. For our people. We might be able to protect ourselves against Dark Ones but nobody else can. Please, understand."

Acceptance and guilt bombarded my mind. I tried to hold onto my anger but Aleksander's power was stronger than my mental restraint. As my resolve began to crack, I told myself that he would be in a lot of trouble tomorrow.

"Fine!" I exclaimed.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I rejected the hugs from Alix and Jaxon as they thanked me continuously. They won't be thanking me when their on their death bed, the little demon in my mind cooed. The demon, though it was a creepy sadistic creature, was often right about everything.

"But," the grins slipped off of their faces, "We are still telling the Council Members we got stuck in the past and need help getting back. If they can help us immediately, we're going home without meddling. If it takes some time, I'll help."

Alix and Jaxon nodded, they tried to school their faces but I could feel the joy rolling off of them in waves. They practically skipped the rest of the way up the stairs. Aleksander and I stayed in the back of the group as the twins made small talk with our tour guide. She led us through several halls, and pointed at several important classrooms. I tuned out most of her rant about Nox Haven's history. In one hundred and ninety- eight years I would receive the same spiel from Keagan Whitely. As we ventured deeper into the bowels of Nox Haven, Alix asked where all of the students were. They weren't in any of the hallways or classrooms. Our tour guide, who had yet to introduce herself, said that today was the final Elemental Game of the season. Everybody went- apart from her.

"I've never been fond of those games," She rambled on, "Reading has always been more exciting. Thankfully, the games do not have mandatory attendance- I prefer to spend my time in the Magicry. Perhaps after your meeting I can show you where that is located. The name might sound a bit strange, but it is really just a library. I do not know why they call it a Magicry. Come to think of it, I do not believe anyone does."

I tuned her out the rest of the tour. As we walked down the east wing of the school I noticed the classrooms had completely disappeared. There were only offices for administrators and the Council Members. At the end of the hall, there was a tall arched door. A large steel lock was bolted in place, but it was just for show. A lock could never protect the HeadMinister from a Witch or Warlock, but the shimmering force field around the door could.

"... And this last door is the HeadMinister's office. Knock three times and the door will open. If you need help for anything else, you can always ask for me- Moria Whitely."

Whitely? As in the ancestor of Keagan Whitely, the Fire Elemental Champion. I slapped a hand over my mouth to stop the laugh bubbling in my chest. Moria was the only witch who didn't like the Games and yet her descendant would grow up to be one of the best players. Hilarious.

Alix, being the Fire Elementals number one fan, also recognized the significance of her last name- but she wasn't kind enough to hide her snickers. Placing a hand on Moria's shoulder, Alix asked, "Are you sure you don't like the Elemental games? Something tells me you would be amazing."

Moria shook her head and back away. "That's awfully sweet of you to say, but that game is too barbaric for my taste. I can not comprehend how parents allow their children to partake in such an event."

Tears dripped from Alix's eyes as she wailed with laughter. Moria furrowed her brows, a terrified look settled in her eyes. She looked torn between running away or asking Alix if she was alright. In the end, she chose to flee the scene. I would have done the same, if I didn't know Alix and understand that she has had crazier moments in past.

Grabbing her arm, Jaxon jerked her upright and shook her body from side to side. Alix's laughter cut off as she pushed her brother of her.

"Don't touch me, you weirdo," she barked at him.

Jaxon rolled his eyes, "Oh yeah, I'm the weird one. It's not like you were just cackling like a deranged woman over nothing."

"I thought it was funny," Alix crossed her arms as she stared down her brother.

"I think our trip here has fired your brain," Jaxon muttered.

I looked up Aleksander; his brows were knit together and his eyes were glossy. Something about seeing Jaxon and Alix fight brought him to the brink of tears. Being an empath had its draw backs. I could feel his pain physically as if it were my own- but unlike him, I couldn't take it away. Pushing Alix's anger and Aleksander's sadness to the side, I walked up to the door and knocked on it three times.

Alix's and Jaxon's argument was completely forgotten when the heavy footsteps shuffled across the weak hardwood floor. I backed away, my breath caught in my chest. We waited patiently for the door to open, as somebody fumbled with the lock on the door.

Click. The door swung open.

**So this was chapter four... I'm sorry for all the errors. I'm not sure how I feel about this book. Right now I'm in a slump with writing, I love doing it- but I feel kind of insecure with my work. Especially with the ones on wattpad. Things are crazy with school coming around the corner, all I want to do is write but unfortunately that can't happen. Please tell me what you guys think! Do you also feel like something's off or missing? Your comments always help to make the book better. Thank you for all of the support!!
XOXO,
Ro.