The weather marched steadily toward winter, the temperature trending from cool to a definite nip in the air. Still, Victor preferred the outside as opposed to the stuffiness of the school. Although plagued with discerning dreams, a befuddling mystery, and a principal bent on making his life miserable, he favored suffering in silence. He had to remain strong for his family—but the façade of strength had begun to crack.

Sometimes Victor wondered if he was going mad.

Giving his mother the information Kristy had nicked from GenTrak had eased his mind. Lovedae had cried in his arms for doubting Craig. And true to her word, she'd taken several of the professor's journals to read. They'd sat up late several nights sharing a pot of tea and reminiscing about days gone by. It warmed Victor's heart that he'd restored her faith in her beloved husband.

Asking Kristy to the dance on his own accord changed their relationship. After accepting his invitation, the two became inseparable. He'd taken to heading to her house after her dance lessons, laying his weary head on her lap to catnap as the worried genie stroked his hair. The genie calmed and soothed him. With her, life had mellowed a bit.

But that ended a couple of days before Thanksgiving break.

"You don't look so hot," said Nick as they sat outside. The weather was cool but not unbearably cold. "You should go home."

Victor shrugged. He'd had nightmares the last three nights. His brain drifted in a fog, making it difficult to concentrate.

"English, why don't you like using magic?" Nick settled himself on the wooden bench attached to the picnic table. "If it were me, I'd use it for everything, including wiping my butt."

"Thanks for putting the visual in my head, mate."

Nick grinned.

"It makes me feel less human." A drowsy Victor ran a shaky hand through his shaggy cap of curls, and his body shook from the occasional tremor. "Papa raised me to use my wits and intellect."

Nick stewed on his answer. "But it'd make life easier. And maybe improve your game with the ladies."

"Aye. Still, it's cheating... wait, you think I'm gameless?"

"Darling Victor! There you are!"

Both turned to see Gabby strolling up behind them. She'd made her way to the picnic table where Nick and Victor waited for Kristy and Tammy. The stylish blond looked fresh out of the salon, and her expensive leather coat seemed out of place in the dingy schoolyard.

"Victor, I heard you're going to ask me to attend the Festival events with you!" Gabby reached the table. "We'll need to coordinate outfits. I've got a photographer and a videographer coming to both. They agreed in exchange for exposure on my Instagram."

"Idiots," muttered Nick.

Gabby ignored him, her focus on Victor. "Wait until you see my dress." She gave him a saucy grin.

Victor shook his head, confused. "I never said that. Besides, I already have a date." Just saying the words made him feel a tad giddy.

But Gabby waved the news off as if it were a meddlesome fly. "I'll find Pinky someone else."

Victor swallowed his annoyance. To his surprise, the column of magic, which had sat almost dormant for the last few weeks, began churning. "I'm sorry, Carys, but I'm taking Kristy."

"It's Gabby!" She stamped her foot and scowled. "Change your plans. You're the perfect escort for my vision!"

Nick, who had watched the girl's meltdown with amusement, stood abruptly. Victor turned from the fuming Gabby to gaze at his friend. He saw Nick watching the returning girls, Tammy skipping ahead of the genie—and Maddox King had caught up with Kristy. Suddenly, he knew who had put Gabby up to the shenanigans. 

He ignored the fuming influencer and walked toward the two, stopping to give Tammy a friendly nod. When he turned back, Victor saw an angry Maddox rise from the ground and then charge toward the lithe girl who stood facing her foe.

What happened? He'd only glanced away for a bloody second!

One thought rolled around his head—what would the students outside think when Maddox, with his football player's physique, failed to knock down a girl who couldn't weigh more than six stone? 

Victor started running.

Kristy walked behind the skipping Tammy, cradling a cup of fruit cocktail when Maddox caught up to her.

"Kristy, did you know the ballerina asked Gabby to the dance before asking you? He's over there dumping her as we speak. Doesn't second best bother you?"

The genie didn't answer, hoping Maddox would go away if she pretended he wasn't there. Victor would never do something like that. But Kristy admitted that the blond's behavior wasn't normal. Time and again, she checked, assured that she hadn't let the Allure slip like Victor once suspected.

Still, Maddox pursued her, becoming more and more belligerent. For the life of her, Kristy couldn't figure out why. He continued yapping, but she remained silent. Looking forward, she saw an annoyed Victor with the girl Tammy called 'Plastic Patty.' He'd shrugged, then turned from Gabby and headed toward her.

"I'm sick of you ignoring me." Anger rose in Maddox's voice.

Kristy scooped up more fruit cocktail, her eyes on Victor.

"Dammit, stop ignoring me!" Maddox grabbed the pink ponytail that flowed down the genie's back, yanking her backward. "I'm not dealing with your disrespect anymore! We're settling things... Now!"

Kristy never lost her composure. She dropped her dessert, the diced pieces of fruit and syrup falling to the cold ground. She stepped back quickly, loosening the tension Maddox had on her hair. Slender fingers latched on to his coat-covered arm and pulled him toward her before turning inward and flipping the sizable boy over her shoulder. Maddox hit the ground with a thud. Her lunch ruined, the genie jumped over her fallen enemy and continued toward a now panicky Victor.

She heard the animalistic scream behind her. The enraged blond rose to his feet, charging toward her, ready to take her down despite her sex and size. Kristy turned to face him, knowing a muscle-bound meathead like Maddox was no match for her fae strength.

"Kristy!" The girl heard Victor shout her name—before shoving her out of the way.

"Kristy!" He pushed the genie to safety and turned just as Maddox hit him like an offensive tackle, driving him backward. They crashed into an unused picnic table, with Victor taking the brunt of the impact. The last thing he remembered was tightening his grip on the magic, which pounded against its invisible barrier—and Kristy screaming his name.

The encounter resulted in a three-day suspension—for a bruised Victor. Nick, Tammy, Kristy, and two bystanders explained to Mr. Odmus what they saw, but none weren't surprised when the skeptical administrator didn't believe them. He sat at his immaculate desk in the wood-paneled office, scoffing at the idea of a girl Kristy's size taking down a mammoth-like Maddox.

The vengeful Gabby and an indignant Maddox claimed it was Victor who started the altercation.

Victor sat stiffly in a chair after visiting the school nurse while his friends defended him tooth and nail—to no avail. Finally, Tammy threw her hands up in frustration. "Mr. Odmus, Maddox's been bullying Vic the last few weeks while trying to push up on Kris." She pointed at the genie, who sat next to the injured teen, stroking his hair. "She protected herself, and Maddox got mad 'cause he's a punk!"

"Check Vic's record. He's never been the aggressor," added Nick.

Mr. Odmus stood up. "I have had enough of your preposterous attempts to save Victor from his just punishment." He jabbed a finger at Kristy. "This little girl couldn't lift a bar of soap! The suspension stands."

The half-fae bristled, but Victor squeezed her hand, giving a slight shake of his head. Feeling empty and exhausted, he only wanted to sleep—possibly forever.

Mrs. Castle, the vice-principal, poked her head into the room. "Victor, your mother is on her way. The nurse says it's just bruising, but you'd better have an early night."

"Wonderful," he said with no enthusiasm.

But Tammy wasn't done. "It's ridiculous that you'd believe them and not us!"

"The suspension stands!" repeated Mr. Odmus, his voice firm. He pointed at the door. "All of you out before I start calling parents."

Victor squeezed Kristy's hand again and nodded at Tammy and Nick. "Thanks for trying."

Tammy flounced out of the office, followed by a fuming Nick. Kristy brushed his face with her fingertips and then threw a dirty look at Mr. Odmus before leaving.

The principal sat, staring at him from his desk until Lovedae came to fetch him.

A calm Lovedae spoke with the principal and then the vice-principal before assisting an achy Victor to the car. He waited for her to blow up at him, call him a fool, and throw him out, but the ride home remained silent. He went over speeches in his head, deciding the best way to plead his case. But despair seeped through his drained system, and he gave up.

I... I wish I'd never been born.

When Lovedae opened the front door, Jason, who'd had a half-day of school, waited with anticipation.

"Your first fight!" chirped the boy as Victor dropped into a chair. "Did you kick 'em? Punch 'em? Or do some cool Bruce Lee moves?"

"Shut up, Jason," said Lovedae, glaring at the younger boy.

"Shutting up," he replied and hurried to the kitchen.

Lovedae sat across from Victor, dressed in her teaching attire. Victor gulped as he found the look less approachable and prepared himself for a lecture. He'd interrupted her work because of his stupidity.

He was wrong.

"Victor, I don't believe you instigated a fight, nor does Mrs. Castle. She said Mr. Odmus' decision was irrational, and he's too tough on you. What happened to make him this biased?"

"I exist."

"Don't be flippant," scolded Lovedae.

Victor laughed, the sound strange even to his ears. "Maybe he's Irish. I hear the Irish have a long-standing anti-British sentiment. Or he's one of those that hate how reserved and unemotional the British are supposed to be." Again, he laughed. "Or maybe he knows until a couple of weeks ago, I'd never even been to England, and I'm a bloody fake. Or I can't control the magic or even care for my family without putting them in danger, even doing something simple as trick-or-treating!"

A jumbled version of Halloween night spewed from his lips. Letting it out felt refreshing—and painful.

"See what a disaster I am?" The hollowed laughter came again but this time laced with tears. "Maybe he knows I can't do anything right! He knows you need to be well shot of me!" He looked at the shocked Lovedae with tears streaming down his tired face. The fatigue and hopelessness made their way out, and at that point, Victor didn't care whether he lived or died.

You've ruined their lives. You are responsible for every misfortune they've incurred.

Victor nodded, knowing the words were true.

They'd be better off without you.

"Maybe that's why Papa haunts my dreams, murdering me in every way possible!" Victor tried but couldn't stop the tears. "It's payback against his worthless git of a son that had magic but couldn't even bother to save him!"

It's time to leave. You've hurt them too much. But all isn't lost. Salvation is near. Rest is near. Come away, come now...

It was true. His inability to do right had affected the ones he loved. He needed to leave! The thought of closing his eyes and leaving the world behind seemed appealing. Victor didn't know how hard he wept, only that the pain eating away at him had finally finished him off.

"Don't you see, Mum?" He slid out of the chair, falling to his knees. Tormented eyes met Lovedae's stunned gaze. "I let Papa die! I'm responsible! My fault, all my fault!"

He felt his mother's arms around him, trying to console him, but the hurt remained. A panicked Jason ran in from the kitchen, offering comfort and support. And still, he wept.

Leave now. You have the magic. Escape the pain and seek true forgiveness. Come, follow my voice. Here is where you'll find forgiveness and rest...

The words projected a sense of peace, of calm, convincing him to depart. Victor tried to leave, to follow and claim the cleansing, to seek healing from the worries and sorrows that plagued him—but the arms that held him now were Kristy's, arms that would never let him go. He clung to her, and everything but her faded away.

Minutes or hours later—he wasn't sure as time meant nothing any longer—Dr. Mason arrived. The doctor managed to haul him upstairs with the rest of the group assisting the broken youth to bed. Wrapped in a ball of misery with the Duo and Kristy perched around him, Victor slept, and no dreams penetrated his empty soul.

It was after midnight when he stirred. He sat up in the darkened room, his fingers raking back matted hair as he attempted to peel open his swollen eyelids. Victor groaned and shuffled on the bed, remembering all he'd said during his outburst. Lovedae would surely kick him out.

He was worthless.

"How are you feeling, dear boy?"

Victor managed to yank open one eye and saw Dr. Mason ensconced in the comfy rocking chair. Glancing toward Jason's bed, he saw his brother snoring away with his candy-filled pillowcase.

"Dr. Mason?"

"Kristy's sleeping in Rosetta's room. I sent your mother to bed half an hour ago. She managed to have your suspension revoked."

"She did? Mum is a blessing. I'm sorry to keep you from your bed, sir." The darkened room kept the esteemed man from seeing the hopelessness Victor knew was all over his face. "You'd best leave. I'd hate to wake Jason."

"We both know it would take a brass band complete with a drumline section to wake Jason."

"Papa used to say that." Victor felt the doctor's hand cover his.

"Come downstairs. You'll eat, and we'll talk—maybe together we can caulk the wounds."

The offer warmed his heart, and his cold fingers grasped the doctor's. Perhaps salvation had come. 

The principal of Franklin High School sat in his executive office hours after school ended when two cloaked figures appeared before his desk. Principal Odmus rose to his feet and nodded at his visitors, his eyes locked on the smaller of the two. The silent administrator gave Verde a reproachful look.

Verde acknowledged the look and threw back her hood in the dim light. "He let down all his barriers. I felt him break. I persuaded him to come and had everything ready for the One to put him in stasis. But the genie held him back." Her voice resonated with rage as she pointed to Odus. "You should have stopped her!"

"The genie transported herself out of the school. I had no way of stopping her without revealing myself." Odus sighed. "His adoptive mother is quite the force. She managed to dismantle all my efforts in one afternoon. But the fact remains, Victor should not have suffered a physical assault."

"Odus is right. The boy mustn't be injured. You should have managed the situation better, Verde." The leader of the Four and Speaker of the Tribunal stepped forward, placing gloved fingertips on the polished desk.

"I didn't miscalculate. If I didn't know better, I'd say someone tampered with my spell." She cast an accusing eye toward Roe, who ignored her.

Behind his somber look, Odus smiled.

"We must get rid of the genie. I will oversee that myself to ensure none are the wiser. There have been too many mistakes as it is."

"Is that an accusation, Roe?" Verde recoiled in anger.

He did not answer.

A furious Verde motioned to the principal, who now sat silently at his desk. "Odus, keep an eye on the One Magi. I must prepare for the next phase of my plan." Without another word, she disappeared.

The leader made ready to leave, but Odus stood, a palm held up towards the pale man.

"Odus?"

"I did not wish to cast aspersions on Verde, but her efforts are questionable." Odus bowed his head. "She didn't push the boy to come to us where we could have contained him, but to her. Verde seeks to undermine us, with her taking all the credit."

The leader stiffened. "I've never questioned Verde's loyalty before, but lately, you've pointed out shortcomings that I've overlooked. I see she's taking a page out of Oliver's book and wants to take my place." A gloved finger tapped the desk. "If Verde falls short again, it will be the last time."

Odus bowed before the leader, who accepted his accolades before vanishing. When he was alone, a slow smile spread across Odus' face.

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