The Party
Class was a stretch. Boredom overshadowed me, and I couldn't wait for it to end so I could finally get the gift Giselle had for me. After what felt like forever, the bell rang. I met up with Giselle, though she was surrounded by her other friends, people I barely knew and honestly didn't care to.
"Hi, G," I said excitedly.
"Oh, hey D!" She smiled at me brightly. "I'll catch up with you guys later," she said to her friends, waving goodbye. They, in turn, gave me a look of disgust. Not that I liked them either.
"So, you're expecting your gift, I guess?" Giselle teased.
"Yes!" I shrieked, barely able to contain my excitement.
She reached into her bag and brought out a small round compass, handing it to me.
"I got this for you. When I saw it, I thought about you. It's a symbol to remind you that direction matters whenever you want to channel."
I took the compass and hugged her tightly. "Thank you so much, G. I really appreciate this."
"Anytime, D." She smiled gracefully. "Anyway, I know you'll probably decline, but I'll try my luck, there's a hangout tonight at the coven. A small party. You should come; we could use that to celebrate you."
"Oh no, I'm sorry. Isn't that kind of… illegal? What if the Sages catch us?" I asked, worried.
"Nah, it's fine. They've never caught us before, and they won't. Everything's low-key, I promise, it's safe."
---
That evening, I got ready for the party at the coven. The theme was Dark Siege. I was nervous, really nervous. I didn't want to get caught. Still, Peckam would be there… so that's something. Giselle was downstairs waiting for me; she'd come to pick me up.
My parents were thrilled that I finally had a friend, someone I could rely on. As I descended the stairs, Mum's eyes lit up.
"Oh, my baby, you look beautiful," she said in awe.
I wore a long black gown, flaring out from the waist down to my feet. An emerald necklace rested on my collarbone, matching my dark, piercing emerald eyes. I'd added some dark shadow around my eyes and a hint of red lipstick. My brunette hair was packed into a neat bun, and I wore short, dark silhouette heels.
Giselle looked stunning too, dressed in a dark gown and shoes that mirrored mine.
"Oh, D! You look amazing. I didn't know you could look this good," she said in astonishment.
"Well, that's because I don't go out often," I replied with a huff.
"My love, make sure to have a good time, okay?" Mum said, worry flickering in her eyes.
"Don't worry, Mrs Snide," Giselle said with her usual bright smile. "I'll personally take care of her and make sure she has fun."
Mum had no idea we were going to the coven. She thought we were off to a friend's house for a birthday celebration. First time I'd ever lied to her. Oh, fuck me.
As we stepped out, Dad called from the living room, "Have fun, honey!"
"Will do, Papa!" I replied.
We mounted our horses and rode through the dusky air toward the coven. When we arrived, the sight before me was breathtaking, dark golden petals lined the entrance, and black crystal orbs floated around, glowing faintly, perfectly matching the party's eerie theme.
Inside, everyone was smiling, though not at me, but at Giselle. People threw me strange looks, whispering among themselves. I felt Giselle's hand tighten around mine, her silent reassurance that I'd be fine.
My eyes scanned the room, and then I saw him, Peckam. My long-time crush. No one knew how I felt about him except Giselle, and that was only because it had slipped out once during a conversation. Since then, she hadn't stopped teasing me about it.
Peckam wore a black robe shimmering with silver runes. His dark hair framed his face perfectly, and his chestnut eyes gleamed in the dim light. I held his gaze for a moment too long before he caught me staring. My heart stuttered. I looked away immediately, cheeks flushing.
"Come on, let's get a drink," Giselle said, snapping me back to reality.
"Y-yeah, sure," I muttered, trying to steady myself.
The party was going fine. I was blending in, playing a few light games that required small bursts of magic. Everything seemed perfect, until it started again. That same feeling from seven years ago. The dreadful heaviness in my chest. The sense that something terrible was about to happen.
I ran to Giselle. "G, I'm not feeling good. Something bad is about to happen, come on, let's leave now."
"Oh, c-come on. Have a good time. Nothing's going to happen, you're just paranoid. Trust me, it's fine." Her words stumbled out unevenly.
"G… are you drunk?" I asked, startled.
"W-why aren't you?" she laughed weakly.
"Oh no, no, no. We need to go now, please." I grabbed her arm and tried to pull her along, but she yanked away.
"Oh, leave me alone, you f-freak!" she shouted.
Time froze. All eyes turned to me. The air felt heavy, crushing. My only friend had just called me a freak. Is that what she'd always thought of me? Was everything between us just… pity?
Before I could even process it, a strong gust of wind hit me from nowhere, throwing me to the ground. Screams erupted. Chaos followed. I looked around frantically, trying to find the source. Then I saw a figure standing at the far end of the hall, its eyes glistening in the shadows.
It raised a hand and a fireball came hurling straight at me.
I dodged, but it struck someone else unfortunately. Panic broke out completely. Another figure emerged from my right, readying another spell. I barely had time to react before I countered with one of my own. The hall was chaos, flashes of magic, screams, people running everywhere.
I pushed through the crowd, calling, "Giselle!" but she was nowhere to be found.
Why was I even looking for her after what she'd said? She'd called me a freak. But still… she was my friend.
People were pushing past me, trying to get to safety, but I stood there calling out the only name that came to mind.
"Giselle!"
My voice cracked from panic. I searched everywhere, scanning through the blur of terrified faces and flying sparks. "Giselle!" I screamed again.
No response.
My heart was racing, my breath short. "Oh God, who are these people?" I muttered under my breath. "Are they really after me?"
The air thickened, magic still crackled in the air, angry and alive. Then, in the chaos, I saw her.
At first, I thought my mind was playing tricks on me. But no, those eyes, that face. I would know them anywhere.
It was Casi.
My Casi.
The same girl who was taken seven years ago. The same best friend whose laughter I still sometimes heard in my dreams.
But she wasn't the same.
Her hair was longer now, wilder, dark tendrils framing a face that looked nothing like the innocent girl I once knew. Her eyes glowed with a strange, golden rage, and her aura… it wasn't pure anymore. It was dark. Corrupted.
"Casi?" I whispered in disbelief, my voice trembling.
Before I could move, before I could even breathe, she lifted her hand and the force of her spell slammed into me like a wave of burning air.
I hit the ground hard, gasping.
Pain tore through my chest. My hands shook as I tried to lift myself, tried to understand what was happening. Why would she—why would Casi—
Then the world shifted.
The moment before I passed out, I saw him.
The guy from my dreams. The one from the Labyrinth.
He was here, standing right there, in the middle of the chaos, his eyes blazing with light. He fought for me, deflecting a curse that would have ended me. It didn't make sense.
He wasn't supposed to be real. He wasn't supposed to exist outside my dreams.
But there he was.
And as my vision blurred, the last thing I heard before the darkness took me was his voice a low whisper cutting through the noise.
"Wake up, Dana… before it's too late."