I try to ignore the fact that Tessa and Astrid spend the night in my dorm room to keep an eye on me and instead tell myself that they're here because they want to be. It's probably partially true, but it doesn't help that they follow me and wait outside of my classrooms for the entirety of the next day.

"So what's your roommate like?" Tessa asks and for a moment, I think that it's directed to me as I open my mouth to remind her that I don't have any dorm mates this year, courtesy of a waiver from Mrs. Nox so I would be exempt from the rule.

"She's okay, a little strange since she's an English major," Astrid interrupts and Tessa laughs.

"An engineering major and an English major are dorm mates, that sounds like the start of a joke," she points out and I can't help but smile along with her.

"Not the first time that someone's said that, we get along for the most part, what about you?" Astrid counters.

"I got someone who's going for psychology too," she admits proudly.

"At least they got something right at your college, my roommate doesn't understand why I'll still be up at two a.m. taking notes," Astrid says as she rolls her eyes.

We start to walk past a set of restrooms and I get an idea as I gesture for them to stop.

"I'm going to use the bathroom, I'll catch up with you guys later," I tell them since I've completed my last class for the day and we would be heading to dinner soon.

"Are you sure? We can wait for you," Tessa says as she exchanges a quick look with Astrid.

"Yeah, we can meet up in the dining hall," I plan for her as I turn away and shove open the door for the bathroom.

"Okay," Tessa's muffled reply trails after me as the door swings shut and blocks her from view.

I breathe out a quick sigh of relief to be away from them for once as I survey the bathroom and quietly draw a locking sigil on the door. Three stalls with white doors sit empty, a window being perched toward the top of the outside wall as I walk over to it. I have doubts that Tessa and Astrid will walk away from the door anytime soon and if I'm going to initiate my plan, I have to get out of here fast and hope that they leave and not linger.

I begin a simple levitation spell, my feet drifting away from the tiles as I manage to float upwards and sit on the edge of the sill. I press my palm against the glass as I cast a spell, the lock for the window unlatching with a metallic pop as I keep an eye trained on the sidewalk below. No other students walk by as I quickly open the window, the hinges creaking as a few cobwebs flutter in the cool breeze outside.

I shiver but press onwards as I swing my legs over the sill and slowly hover down to the ground where my heels touch down softly on the concrete. After checking my surroundings once more, I sprint in the direction of the taxi station that is on the far side of the stables.

It's up to you to figure all of this out, you're on your own, I remind myself as I feel a surge of guilt for leaving them, but I know that I have to do this by myself.

****

The buzz from the door being unlocked sounds like an angry wasp as the noise burrows deep into my head and I suppress the urge to run far away from here. I haven't visited the juvenile detention center where Luke has been locked up for obvious reasons and I can't help but cringe as the barred door slides open.

You're here for answers.

The interior of the large room on the other side looks much like a regular, high-school cafeteria, what with its white cinderblock walls. The only difference being that there are doors lining the walls and the people sitting at the tables are in jumpsuits. Other than that, the same feeling of anxiety and hopelessness pressing down on me remains the same.

I eye the people sitting at the tables, all of them young men as I finally spot Luke's dark hair and lanky form among them.

I take a breath and curl my hands into fists as I set my jaw and walk over to the table.

I can still remember seeing him in the courtroom in a suit, his eyes wide and his words innocent as he tried to work his way out of being charged for his crimes. Luckily Diana had been at the graveyard that fateful morning and was able to testify against him, which tipped the scales and made it so he would have to serve his full sentence of five years here at the juvenile detention center in the heart of Boston.

I steady myself when I'm a few feet away and walk around to sit down across from him, his hazel eyes sparking with surprise as a smile curves across his face.

There is no friendliness there, instead, I feel like a fish trapped in a bowl in front of a housecat. I'm entertainment, something to shake up his day and the monotony of it as he leans forward.

"Stay on your side of the line," I warn him as I eye the blue stripe in the middle of the table.

"Of course," he says in a nonchalant voice as he sits back and looks me up and down, "how have things been?"

"Don't act like you care," I find myself growling as I clench my hands, my knuckles popping from the pressure.

He tilts his head at this and shrugs, "I thought I'd try to make this whole interaction less awkward," he simpers, "I mean, I am almost halfway done with my sentence, I'll have to get used to talking to girls again, though it doesn't help that you haven't been visiting."

"You were going to kill me," I remind him.

"You're dangerous," he says, like the words are enough to justify nearly ending my life.

"You were my friend," I counter, and it comes out like an accusation, barbs and all.

"Exactly," he mutters and nods, "past tense, I was your friend."

"And you betrayed me because I didn't kiss you?" the words are acidic on my tongue as I watch for his reaction, but he doesn't give me one as his face remains emotionless.

"No," he shakes his head, "it was more than that."

"It wasn't, Luke, it really wasn't, I didn't kiss you, so you joined up with Eleanora to get back at me, I'm not stupid," I spit.

"I don't have to deal with this if you're just here to judge me," he snarls as he starts to get to his feet.

"How are you getting out?" I hiss as I dare to look at the tables around us, a tendril of my influencing magic lacing the words.

His eyes widen and he grins as he sits back down, "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean," I bark as anger gets the better of me and my voice shakes before I lower it.

Why isn't my influencing working? I wonder silently.

"Kara, you're sounding a little crazy, are you sure that you're okay?" he cautions, like I'm some lunatic who's about ready to snap.

And maybe I am ready to snap, maybe I'm tired of all of these games involving murder and my possible death.

I clench my hands as tiny bolts of lightning spark across my knuckles and Luke's face transforms as he smiles.

"Careful now, Kara," he says as he looks around us, "they don't like it if you perform magic here."

I follow his gaze to see that there are a few sigils on the walls, ones that repress and silence magic.

Of course they would have sigils to keep them under control, but that also makes it so I can't use my magic either.

"I'm not getting anywhere with you," I mutter as I stand on shaking legs.

"Kara, wait," he calls as I spin away from him and start walking.

"Go to hell!" I yell back at him before I can stop myself and head for the exit.

A guard eyes me uneasily when I approach, the door unlocking as he opens it for me and I keep walking and don't look back. I can feel Luke's eyes on my back as the door shuts with a metallic clang, the burning sensation staying with me as I check out of the detention center and head for the taxi parked along the curb.

He's getting out somehow, I assure myself, he was too pleased with himself, he knows something that you don't and I'm going to find out what that is, I vow silently.