"So you're going to California for the summer?" I asked Abbey.

We were both clearing out our room, taking our clothing out from the closets and drawers and throwing them into our suitcases.

"Well, we moved. So I kind of live there now," Abbey replied.

"You moved?" I asked.

"My parents told me at graduation," she told me. I nodded.

"Are you upset?" I asked. She shrugged.

"I thought I was at first, but then I realized I really had no reason to be. You guys are my friends and we're all going to be away in our own homes for the summer anyway. I would have been isolated either way," she said. "But I guess this way, I can at least work on a wicked tan before we go off to college," she added with a wink.

I laughed.

"It'll be weird, though," she said.

"What will?" I asked, folding one of my sweaters neatly and placing it in my bag.

"I'm so used to seeing you all every day. Now I'm going to go three months without seeing any of you," she replied. I pursed my lips. I really didn't want to get into an emotional moment right now.

"Well, it's not like we're not going to see each other ever again," I said, trying to divert Abbey's attention. Her eyes were starting to glaze over, which usually happened when she was about to burst into tears.

"Three months, Caley!" she squeaked.

I groaned internally. Here come the water works.

"It'll go by fast. Three months will be over in no time and then we'll all be back together happily at the University," I said.

"What am I going to do for three months?" she exclaimed, getting slightly hysterical.

"Work on a wicked tan?" I suggested, trying to lighten up the atmosphere.

Now she burst into tears. Oh jeez...

I went up to her and awkwardly place my arm around her shoulder as she sobbed, sputtering things like how much she was going to miss me and how bored she'll be without all of us and how her life wasn't going to be the same. I rolled my eyes. She was such a drama queen sometimes.

Thankfully, at that moment, Lance walked into our room.

"Woah, bad time?" he asked, stopping in the doorway.

"Perfect timing, actually," I said, standing up. "You can take over," I whispered in his ear. He gave me a look.

"Thanks a lot," he said sarcastically.

"She's your girlfriend," I pointed out before leaving the room.

I walked through the open corridors, which were lit up right now by the afternoon sun. I felt strangely at peace as I walked through the quiet halls, the sun shining through the columns. I climbed onto the ledge and leaned against one of the tall stone columns, my face towards the sun.

I gazed out at the school yard in front of me. There were still a few students walking around, hugging and saying their good-byes. We would all meet again soon, in three months time. Only the next time we'd meet, it would be on the campus of Trinity University of Magic, which was located deep within the forests of Salem, Massachusetts.

We would be among our own kind at TUM. There we would meet students our own age and older from all over the world, all there to study one thing: magic. I felt a jolt of excitement turn my stomach over. Finally, I would be able to practice the one thing that defined who I was without restriction. I would learn useful spells besides the basic baby ones we learned the past semester at Trinity High. And not only spells, but we would learn more about the history of magic and how magic came to be.

All of it seemed so desiring and in only three months, it would be mine.

But what would I do until then?

I felt a gnawing feeling in the back of my mind as the answer came easily: I would find out more information about dark magic and Elijah's crew. I would find out about who my mother was.

I thought back to what Gerrard had told me about the Trinity of Magic, about the two different philosophies. If Elijah knew my mother, did that mean she agreed with him? Did she believe in the same philosophy that Elijah believed in? Did she think that it was the Magi's right to be more powerful than the ordinary human mortals?

I wish I had stayed longer to find out, but I couldn't. I knew one thing for sure: I couldn't tell anyone about this, not Trey, not Abbey, not my father. Especially not my father.

I sighed and got up, making my way back to my room. Surely Abbey would be done crying by now. I had to finish packing all of my stuff up. I was supposed to leave that night with my father, after everyone else left.

I felt dread wash over me as I realized that I would be spending three months with my father. There was still a tension between us that hadn't disappeared since the night I told him I would never forgive him.

Just as my mind lingered to that night, I remembered something: the envelope he had given me. It was still in the pocket of the jeans I had worn the other night. I hadn't looked at it yet. I decided I would look at its contents after saying good-bye to everyone. That way, in case there was something emotional in it, I wouldn't have to hide to mask my emotions.

I walked back into my room. Thankfully, Abbey was done crying. Her and Lance were now chatting about their plans for vacation as they packed stuff away.

"All clear?" I asked, walking in.

"Crystal," Lance replied. I smiled.

"Good, because I really need to pack," I said.

"Way to wait until the last minute. We're all supposed to be out of here by 5," Lance said.

"Well, sorry for not wanting to rush to say good-bye!" Abbey squeaked. Lance and I froze, watching her. But no more tears came. We sighed and resumed our packing.

"When's Trey leaving?" Lance asked.

"At five, I think," I replied.

"Going to miss your boyfriend?" Lance cooed. I rolled my eyes at his immaturity.

"Not really. We're going to see each other over break. Natalia invited me to her beach house in Georgia," I said.

"First staying at his place for winter break. Now spending time with him at his vacation home. Sounds to me like you two are getting serious," Lance joked.

"Shut up," I said, throwing a balled up sock at him. He laughed, catching it. He tossed it into my suitcase and I shook my head at him.

"Well, I'm happy for them. Remember when we first met Caley?" Abbey brought up.

"Oh, jeez. How could I forget?" Lance replied, a chuckle in his voice.

"You can't. I distinctly remember you having an enormous crush on me," I said.

"Are you sure it wasn't the other way around?" Lance teased.

"I think all the guys had a little crush on Caley, if I remember correctly," Abbey said. I heard a tinge of jealousy in her voice, but she covered it up well.

"Well, she was hot back then," Lance said. I glared at him.

"And, what? Now I'm ugly?" I asked.

"No, now you're less attractive because you aren't available," Lance replied.

"You're such a pig, Lance," Abbey said.

"I'm just stating the truth!" he exclaimed.

We heard a knock at the door and we all turned to see Trey walking in.

"Hey!" he said. We all greeted him.

"Speak of the devil and there he is," Lance said.

"You guys were talking about me?" Trey asked, putting his arm around my waist and kissing the side of my head.

"We were talking about your's and Caley's undying love for each other," Abbey said. Trey's eyes lit up, clearly amused.

"Were you now?" he asked. I chuckled and slid out from his embrace.

"Will you guys help me pack?" I asked.

"You're so lazy," Trey said.

"I can't help it!" I said.

"They're both idiots. They both waited until the last day to pack up their room," Lance said.

"And girls call us lazy," Trey said.

"Just shut up and help us pack," I said. They both laughed.

We spent the next two hours packing away all of mine and Abbey's belongings. It was so strange how over the course of a year our belongings had managed to disperse all over the room. Some of the things we didn't even know we had. And some of the things we didn't know who it belonged to.

"I think that's the last of it," I said, straightening up after zipping up my suitcase.

"Yeah. The room's cleared out," Abbey said.

The boys had gone to get something to eat from the kitchens before they closed down for the summer. Abbey and I looked around the now empty room.

"Looks so strange," Abbey said, her voice quiet.

"Remember when we first met? And you put green tape on the ground to divide the room?" I said, remembering how much we hated each other all those months ago.

"Gosh, I really disliked you back then," she laughed.

"I can't believe how much has changed," I whispered.

"I know. Just 9 months ago, we were all normal human beings. Now we're witches," Abbey said. I nodded.

It was crazy how quickly things changed; personalities, people, lives. And at least for me, things would continue to change. I still had so much I needed to find out, about my mother, my past, my family. There was still so much I didn't know and I knew that when I did, it would eventually define who I was.

"It's nearly 5," Abbey said, drawing me out of my thoughts. She checked her phone. "Mom and Dad are here," she said, looking up at me with wide eyes.

"We'll talk on the phone," I told her.

"We better," Abbey replied. She reached out and pulled me into a hug. I awkwardly hugged her back, patting her back because she started sobbing again.

"Quit it, Abbey," I said, pulling back and looking her in the eye. "Don't be so dramatic, ok?" I told her. She sniffled and nodded. "Call me when you get home. I want pictures of your new house," I said.

I didn't really, but I figured this would keep her mind off of things. And it was better for her to think that I cared.

With a final good-bye hug, Abbey was dragging her things out the door. And then she was gone. I sighed and looked at the time on my phone. I decided to go look for Trey, since he was probably leaving soon.

No sooner did I walk out of my room, did I find the person I was looking for.

"Hey, Mom and Dad are going to be here in a bit," Trey said as he came up to me, bringing a familiar electrical buzz with him. I nodded, not looking him in the eye. He stopped in front of me and reached out, tapping my chin so I would look at him.

"Want to go for a walk?" he asked. I nodded and took the hand that he offered.

"Why so quiet, Caley?" he asked me after a moment.

I honestly had no idea. Just a few minutes ago, I was telling Abbey not to make a big deal out of leaving, that we would all see each other soon enough. But now that I realized that Trey was going, and that I wasn't going to see him for a month and a half, I felt empty all of a sudden.

I mean, yes, we were going to see each other over the summer. But it would only be for the two weeks that I would spend with him and his family at the beach. The rest of the three months, I would be stuck at home, alone.

It was so odd to think about. Trey had consistently been in my life since we had started dating. We spent most of Thanksgiving break together, I lived with his family during the winter holidays, and for spring break, we were completely attached at the hip.

Now, I wouldn't see him for a whole three months. My daily life was about to change completely.

"Caley?" Trey said, bringing me out of my thoughts. I looked up at him and smiled weakly to show him that I was all right. But he knew me better than that.

We stopped walking. We were in the corridor. The late afternoon sunlight poured through the columns, illuminating both of us.

"Going to miss me?" he asked, a smile on his lips.

"No," I muttered, averting my gaze. He laughed and pulled me close in an embrace.

"I'm going to miss you," he whispered against my hair.

"Stop! We'll see each other soon enough!" I exclaimed, pulling away. I knew I was being a hypocrite. I just really hated all of this emotional crap.

"Caley, drop your ego and just admit it," Trey said, tracing his finger along my jaw, down to my neck, where the necklace he had given me for Christmas rested.

I looked at him and he held my gaze, not backing down. Then I threw my arms around him, holding him tightly around his waist. He chuckled and put his arms around my shoulders. He kissed the top of my head, whispering sweet nothings into my ear. We stood like this for a moment before we continued walking. We made our way outside to the courtyards, which were now mostly empty. Everyone was gone.

"So you're going to England?" I asked him.

"For a month and a half. Then back home. Then to Georgia with you," he said.

"Do you have family in England?" I asked. He nodded.

"My relatives live there," he replied.

Relatives.

Elijah.

"Don't worry, though. I'll make sure I call you. I'm not going a month and a half without speaking to my girlfriend," he told me. Although I wouldn't admit it, this reassured me.

"Caley," he said, his voice gentle. We stopped again, this time under my favorite willow tree. He took my hands and pulled me closer to him. I felt my heart racing and a drumming in my ears. I didn't want him to leave.

He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on my lips. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he pulled me closer to him. We drew out the kiss, keeping it slow. I tried to convey my unsaid emotions to him through it. When we finally pulled away, we were breathing hard.

Trey reached out and tucked a strand of my hair behind my ears. I felt a familiar aching in the pit of my stomach. The electricity that surrounded us seemed to heighten, although we were barely touching now. Trey's multi-colored eyes grew intense and I felt the moment deepening. He looked like he was about to say something, when we heard a faint pop!

We looked over to see Natalia and Christopher. They looked around and when they saw us, they waved. We waved back and made our way towards them.

"Hello, sweetie!" Natalia said, pulling me into a tight hug. I chuckled.

"Hi, Natalia," I said. She pulled away and beamed at me. "Hello, Christopher," I said to Trey's father.

"Doing all right?" he asked me cheerily. I nodded.

"You're still coming to stay with us later, right?" Natalia asked me. I nodded.

"Of course," I replied.

"Excellent," she said, smiling warmly at me.

"Is your stuff inside, Trey?" Christopher asked his son. Trey nodded and they both disappeared into the school to send Trey's belongings back to their home. Natalia looked at me.

"When are you leaving?" she asked me.

"Soon, I think. Dad has some last minute things to take care of before he closes the school for the summer," I said.

"Ok, good. I didn't want you staying here all by yourself for too long," Natalia said. I smiled at her.

"I'll be fine," I told her.

"I wish you could spend the whole summer with us," she said, pouting slightly. I laughed.

"Believe me, I do, too," I said. "How's Cole, by the way?" I asked.

"He's fine! He's turning eight on the 31st! He's so excited. All he talks about is what he wants for gifts," she told me. I laughed.

"Tell him I say hello. I miss the little guy," I said.

"Of course," Natalia said. Christopher and Trey walked out, levitating boxes and suitcases behind them. They set them down and with a flick of his hand, Christopher sent the things to their home. They disappeared in a small cloud of smoke. Then they walked towards us.

"Well, we'll let you say your good-byes," Natalia said, taking her husband's hand and moving away slightly.

I looked at Trey and felt my stomach knot. I didn't want to say good-bye. Not yet.

"It's going to be Ok," Trey told me, his voice gentle. He reached out and pulled me into a hug and I let a few tears slide down my cheeks. I buried my face in his shoulder while he held onto me. After a few short moments, we pulled back slightly. Trey leaned down and kissed me longingly before he turned around to go meet his parents. He raised a hand to me as his mother took his arm.

And with a pop! he was gone.

I sighed heavily. I walked around the campus once more. I went to my little lake, sitting and trying to calm my warring emotions after Trey had left. Once I was a bit more at peace, I walked back to the campus. I walked around, looking at every detail. The small pond, the bushes, the trees, which all formed the parts of the Trinity. I went back inside the school and climbed up the secret stairway to my tower. I ignored the shackles in the walls and gazed out at the school below me.

I was never going to come back here. In less than an hour, I would be out of here forever.

Good-bye, Trinity High.

___________________________________________________________________________

A/N: This was a little reminiscent. Just trying to relive some moments from Book 1, but also trying to say good-bye to whatever happened before. Now she's going to start a new life, and the real Book 2 will begin.

Please comment!

And vote!

XOXO