Natalia's stomach turned as she ran. Exercise wasn't new. Gifted training involved enough core work to prepare their bodies for holding arcane current.

Which made it even worse that she was out of breath chasing Eydis, of all people. Eydis, who used to barely survive warm-ups.

"Wait up! Slow down! Since when have you… been training… for the Olympics?"

Eydis glanced back over her shoulder. "Training? I like to think of it as adapting."

"To what? Marathon-running cheetahs?" Natalia said between gasps.

Eydis slowed a little, amused. "You'd be amazed what carrying three centuries of historical trauma can do for your arms."

Natalia scoffed, rolling her eyes, though a grin tugged at her lips. "Right. You mean the books at the library? Does anyone even read those?"

"They're required reading," Eydis said.

"And you read them… for fun?"

"I enjoy history. It keeps the brain sharp."

"Apparently the legs too," Natalia said breathlessly.

That stopped Eydis.

Literally.

Natalia, not ready for it, stumbled and would have eaten dirt if a hand hadn't caught her at the waist.

She looked up.

Eydis looked down, still amused.

Natalia's heart skipped. Probably just the running. Yep, definitely that.

"Not quite." Eydis smirked. "The proper term is adaptating."

The words were vague. Maybe even a little smug. Natalia wanted to be irritated but her heart disagreed.

But exercise? Adaptating?

The Eydis she knew would be under a tree with a book, hiding from PE and sunlight. This version, easy and bright like the sun had always been hers, was different.

Also attractive. Unhelpfully so.

They ended up under an oak. Eydis took Natalia's water without asking and drank.

Natalia stared at her throat. Not on purpose. Just… it moved weirdly in a way that caught her attention. Yep, definitely that.

"Didn't you used to avoid the sun?" she asked hurriedly.

"Desperate times." Eydis's smile softened. "Actually, I don't think I ever hated it. I just never really got to enjoy it."

There was more there, something Natalia could've pulled on, but before she could, Eydis was back to her usual self.

"You, though? You could use some sunlight. I've seen ghosts with more colour."

Natalia snatched the bottle back. "Pfft. Fire magic is its own form of cardio. Who needs the sun when you are the sun?"

"Fireballs are great until your magic decides to take the day off," Eydis said. "Also, what exactly is 'sexercise'? I keep seeing it on the bird app."

Natalia choked on her drink.

"First, it's Tweeter. Second, stop treating it like a dictionary!"

"How else am I supposed to stay informed about the giant ominous eye in the sky?" Eydis gestured vaguely upward.

"You stayed up all night in conspiracy threads, didn't you?"

"Let's just say something… captivating has kept me up." Eydis removed her glasses and cleaned them with her sleeve.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

Natalia looked away immediately.

Girl takes off glasses, it becomes A Moment. So cliché. And yet.

It worked.

"What could possibly be that interesting?" Natalia asked, pretending her heart hadn't just flipped. Definitely didn't think Astra's name. No chance.

Eydis looked at her. "Overwhelmed, are we? Maybe you should head back."

"Me? Overwhelmed. By what?"

Eydis rested her palm gently against Natalia's forehead and leaned in a little closer. "You look exhausted."

"I-I'm not!" And Natalia wasn't. Not tired, anyway. Quite the opposite, her brain was overclocking with unhelpful, messy thoughts.

Jealousy? No. Absolutely not. Ridiculous.

Eydis wasn't paying attention. She frowned at her fogged-up glasses. "These again. Any tricks to stop them fogging?"

Natalia let out a breath she didn't realise she'd been holding, relieved at the space, but slightly annoyed that she missed the closeness.

"Contact lenses. Or, knowing you lately, maybe a royal monocle would suit you better."

Eydis only smiled. The one that meant she knew something and wouldn't say. She walked off without another glance.

"Let me see what Tweeter says about contact lenses," she said over her shoulder.

Natalia laughed. Only Eydis could pivot from mystical to meme-addled in two seconds. Yet as they cut through the garden, the flutter returned.

Why did a single look leave her breathless?

We're just friends, Natalia told herself. That's all.

She focused on the garden they passed through: earthy autumn scents, the crunch of leaves. That was what she wanted.

Normal.

But that feeling of peace soon popped like a soap bubble.

*

The class before lunch was always set aside for Gifted training. Natalia adjusted the small metal pin on her collar and turned it slightly. It was a gold-trimmed badge bearing the symbol of St. Kevin's, but it was only given to Gifted students, colour-coded by rank.

Most wore theirs like a badge of honour, all the time. Unlike them, she only clipped it on when she didn't have a choice.

Like now.

Natalia swiped her keycard at the reinforced door leading into the Sanctuary, and the wall split open immediately. She followed the staircase down to the underground training ground, expecting the usual pre-training chatter.

Instead, it was quiet.

Students were spread out in little groups, murmuring in hushed toned. As she passed, Natalia caught pieces of the conversation.

"She's already back?"

"I thought she got kicked out."

"Since when is Tiffany a Gifted?"

When Natalia saw her, she stopped in her tracks.

Tiffany Blackwood stood near the center of the room, smiling smugly.

"Tiffany?" Natalia asked, not bothering to hide the disbelief. "What are you doing here? I thought you were—"

"Expelled? Please. Don't you know who I am? But you…" Tiffany narrowed her eyes. "You're the real surprise. Who knew you were Gifted?"

"It's not something I advertise like a new handbag."

She wasn't sure what was more surprising, that Tiffany was still enrolled or that she'd somehow made it into the Gifted ranks. That wasn't supposed to happen.

The scent of her perfume was as overbearing as the rest of her when Tiffany stepped closer. "Natalia, I challenge you to a duel."

That did it.

The room fell silent the instant Tiffany issued her challenge. Heads lifted, whispers died. Everyone knew what a duel meant.

Natalia started to answer, but Astra arrived first. Her loose ponytail swung as she crossed the floor. She had that same unreadable, distant look about her… but her eyes had softened to concern.

"What are you trying to do?"

Tiffany pasted on a sweet smile. "Oh, Your Highness. I thought mingling with us un-Gifted peasants was beneath you."

"Just you," Astra deadpanned. "Your antics are as predictable as they are tiresome."

Tiffany scowled. "Back off. This is between me and Natalia."

"A formal duel, Tiffany?" Natalia asked. "On your first day back?"

"What, are you scared? I don't make the rules. Hand over your pin or fight to keep it. And just so you know, I'm not stopping at C-Class, either." Her gaze flicked to Astra, but Astra had already turned away, finished with the conversation.

Natalia felt the stakes settle on her shoulders. Lose, and she dropped to D-Class, losing her slot in the advanced fire-affinity program. And Lionel… would he be disappointed?

More importantly, Tiffany would walk around thinking intimidation worked.

Natalia clenched her fists. "Fine. We duel. Hurt Eydis again and you will regret it."

Tiffany laughed, irritatingly and loud. For a heartbeat her eyes flashed violet.

It was on.

*

From the stands Theo watched Mr. Grant weave a protective barrier around the platform. His jaw stayed tight.

"Another round of Tiffany's games," he muttered.

Athena, his fiancée, seated beside him. "The Blackwoods are a major patron of this academy. Dean Saito didn't have much of a choice, not after what Tiffany… displayed."

"Government ties are not enough. Now they want the academy too."

Athena kept her voice low. "Of course they do. This place trains power. That's exactly what they're after."

"Do you have a plan, Thena?"

"Not yet. But watching Tiffany closely might reveal what she's really after."

"You're planning to use your Gift?" Theo asked.

Athena didn't deny it.

"I thought you hated doing that," he said.

"I crossed a line with Eydis," she admitted. "Her aura forced the intrusion. I touched her surface thoughts, then hit something else."

"A wall?"

"A void. Vast. It pulled. Another step and I might not have come back."

Theo absorbed that. "And Tiffany?"

"Something my brother should hear," she said, eyes on the platform.

Theo gripped the armrests. "Can we stop this? What if—"

"It's alright, Theo. Natalia accepted the challenge. Intervening now wouldn't be wise." Athena's gaze travelled to Astra, who stood still near the duel platform.

"Besides… I think Astra sensed it too," she whispered.

Astra's face revealed nothing, but her wooden training sword creaked in her grip. A small detail. Athena never missed small details.

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