After everyone is done fangirling, Keon starts us on training and boy is he hardcore, the stars were beginning to disappear from everyone’s eyes the moment he started putting us through paces.

I don’t think I’ve sweated this much in…ever, I had discarded my t-shirt remaining with my sports bra because somehow the heat was making it even past my mage allergy.

“OK, from the top now, then we call it a day.”

We all groan but move to do as we are told.

Personally, I was riding on a high, it had been so long since I was in such a setting since Ian kicked me off the team. We go through the routine Keon came up with in half an hour and I’m not too jealous to admit it was brilliant.

When the music stops, he gives one nod and we all let our breaths out collectively, man was a hard ass so approval from him was everything. He turns away to go shut off the music and we collapse on the floor not bothering to move to the couches.

“I’m planning a comeback and if this is how my team would be after every performance, I have my work cut out for me,” he ignores the excitement he just stirred and moves towards me scooping me up from the floor.

“We are going to take a shower, clean this place up and meet us in the cafeteria.”

“We?” I ask but get ignored.

“You,” he points at Andrei, “bring the kid.”

Andrei grabs Blue and follows without question, I stay silent enjoying the ride since my legs were practically jelly, I had done too much too fast, but I wasn’t complaining.

“Yes mate, we.”

I wish he had stayed with his answer because now my body was getting ideas.

We enter my room and he deposits me in the shower turning it on, he steps out shutting the door on my drenched face.

“Tease,” I grumble peeling off the clothes that were now stuck on me.

“If I get in there, we won’t be going anywhere for a while so quit complaining and shower, I’m going next door to take mine, Andrei is coming with me, I don’t trust him either,” he adds as an afterthought.

“Mahi, do you have any plans for your birthday?” Aarya asks as we lounge at the school park, yes we had a park, I had somehow missed it during the tour, it had a lake and everything.

The guys had all left, after our dinner at the cafeteria, off to do whatever it is they do, Blue had gone down for his long overdue nap and the pixies were staying with him.

My two friends had cajoled me into having a lazy evening in the park and so far I was loving it.

“Not really, I don’t celebrate it, I was going to nap the whole day, wait maybe not the whole day since we have to go practice for the competition.”

“Boring,” Damon taunts.

“Oh, you didn’t know? that’s my middle name.”

“Come on let’s at least go into the city, we’ll show you around.”

That did sound enticing.

“My dad mentioned a dinner at the palace, so there’s that.”

“Can we come,” he asks.

“Of course, you’re my only friends here, apart from my family and the guys.”

“Speaking of—-” Aarya is cut off by a loud wail that resonates through the air, piercing and chilling.

“What…was…that!” I ask a bad feeling settling in my gut.

“That’s the school alarm, I have never heard it in all my time here, what’s going on?”

Before she can answer another one rings out this one louder and somewhat more intense.

“That, I know, it is the city alarm that’s issued in cases of emergencies, something is very wrong,” Damon says scrambling to his feet.

Around us everyone is hurrying up from their relaxed states, even Merfolk swimming to shore and getting dressed, meanwhile, the sick feeling in my gut grows. Something was seriously wrong and it involved me, my spidey senses never fail.

We rush towards the administration building where everyone seems to be heading and I slow down when we get there scanning the group outside. Dad, Nona Ellie, Mor, Ax and the guys, everyone was there, they were surrounding something or someone.

We get closer and I hear someone shouting to go get the Royal Physician. I glance again at the group wondering what seemed wrong with it, what was missing.

“Blue,” They all turn to look at me and their faces have me forcing back a sob.

“Where’s Blue, where’s my baby.”

The first ones to look away are the boys, Nona Ellie rushes to me but I evade her. Her movement opens up the circle and I see what was lying inside it, or who.

“Oh my God, what happened to you guys,” I ask kneeling next to Aid, the only one conscious of the pixies, Enid and Ari were bloody and unconscious, Aid looked like every bone in his body was broken, shattered even. The pixies who had been with Blue were hurt and unconscious, the sick feeling grew.

“I’m so sorry Mahina, it happened so fast, we were cloaked so Dru noticed too late, we tried so hard,” he pauses wincing and my dad kneels next to him hands extended, “We couldn’t stop them, they took him, you trusted us and we failed you and him, I’m so sorry,” then the pixie breaks down crying.

“No,” I stand up shaking my head, “No, that’s not true, he’s up there and he’s sleeping, he must have fallen off the bed and you couldn’t find him, he’s up there.”

I rush around the group heading for our dorm when hands grab me tackling me to the ground, Andrei, I don’t know how I knew but I did.

“No, Mahi, I can’t let you go up there, we checked everywhere, trust me!”

I struggle from his embrace screaming, “No, you let me go fucker, my baby is up there, let me go he needs me!”

“He’s not, going up there, will make it harder for you Mahi, please stop struggling you’re breaking my heart.”

“Let me go!”I scream and it comes out like a boom tearing me away from his arms and flinging him away from him, I run off not pausing to let anyone else grab me.

I veer around the gathered students by-passing the elevator heading for the stairs, it would have astounded me how fast I cleared the entire flight, but at the moment I didn’t care, I feel someone running behind me but I pay them no mind.

I pause outside my open door taking a deep breath.

“Blue,” I call out going in, “Baby come out now, you’re scaring me, please stop hiding.”

“Blue!”

I head to his room and the sight of his bloody bed almost forces me to my knees the sobs I was holding back breaking free.

“Where is he!” I scream, searching around his room frantically, moving the bed, and flipping the furniture. I move to my room in a frenzy turning everything, but I don’t find him, somehow at the back of my mind, I know he’s not here, but I refuse to accept it.

I’m vaguely aware of being carried out of the room, into the elevator and back outside.

I catch a glimpse of someone at the edge of the crowd and I’m out of his arms so fast I knock Andrei down.

I know deep down, that she had something to do with this, I start walking towards her, when I’m distracted by the arrival of my mates all of them.

I turn to stare at them, they’re speaking but I can’t hear a word they’re saying.

“How long has she been like this?”

“Since she went up to her room and saw everything.

“It’s like she’s gone numb.”

“Any luck in the city” at that I perk up, dad had asked Keon that question and he drags his eyes from me shaking his head.

“We caught a trail but it just led us around in circles, the legion is looking around now, they couldn’t have made it that far.”

I tune them out again searching for her in the crowd, I find her, she’s very conspicuous maybe because she can’t hide the glee in her eyes.

“I’m going to kill her,” I state then charge towards her startling everyone else.