Chapter 26 – First Day of Junior Year
Monday, August 16, 2027
The mirror is back.
Not the black-water one from May (thank whatever gods are still listening), but the normal, boring one on the back of my bedroom door.
I'm standing in front of it in my new junior-year outfit: black cropped hoodie with the Lakeside ram outlined in crimson thread, high-waisted cargo skirt, light-pink high-top Vans, twin tails sharper than ever.
I look like every other sixteen-year-old trying to survive the first day of school.
Except for the hairline crack in the bloodstone that never quite healed, and the way my reflection is half a heartbeat slow.
I lean in.
Mirror-Celeste leans in too… a fraction late.
I raise my right hand.
She raises her left.
I smile with too many teeth.
She smiles back with exactly the same number, only colder.
Celeste (whispering to the glass):
"Still watching?"
The reflection's lips move a full second after mine.
Not-Celeste (soundless, just for me):
Always.
I flip her off, grab my board and backpack, and slam the door so hard the mirror rattles.
Downstairs, Mom is making papanasi. Dad is pretending not to count the new scars on my knuckles.
Mom (without turning):
"Feet off the table, storm queen."
Dad (grinning over coffee):
"Junior year. Try not to blow up the school before lunch."
I steal two papanasi, kiss them both on the cheek, and bolt.
Outside, Remy Tsatoke is already waiting on his dirt bike, helmet dangling from one hand, hair still damp from a shower.
He looks me up and down, amber eyes glowing just enough to be illegal.
Remy:
"You okay? You feel… loud."
Celeste (forcing a grin):
"Just ready to get this year over with."
He hands me the spare helmet.
Remy:
"Liar. But I'll let you have it until third period."
We ride.
Seras is waiting at the dam turnout with her bike and a fresh coat of flame decals.
Kayo, Aki, and Riku are leaning against the railing like they own the place (because, technically, in Hanamaki they kind of do).
Kayo's nine invisible tails flick once when she sees me.
Kayo (sweet, deadly):
"Morning, Your Majesty. Sleep well?"
Celeste (through my teeth):
"Peachy."
Aki cracks his knuckles; the glamour hiding his oni horns flickers.
Aki:
"Word from the old country. Something big crossed the Pacific last week. Smells like crown business."
Riku yawns, silver hair falling over one eye.
Riku:
"Also, the Severed Circle sent you a present."
He holds up a black-glass shard wrapped in red silk.
It's warm.
It's humming.
And it has my name carved into it in Vinča symbols that weren't there yesterday.
The first bell hasn't even rung and junior year is already trying to kill me.
Fantastic.
I pocket the shard,notification 11/47 items zips in the corner of my eye. I flip my board up, and look at my people (coyote, fire wizard, fox, oni, and a "Blood Wizard")
Celeste:
"New rule. We survive junior year, we survive anything."
Remy revs the bike.
Seras lights the ramp on fire for no reason.
Kayo smiles like Christmas came early.
We ride to school together, six idiots against whatever the crown decides to throw at us next.
Behind us, in every reflective surface we pass, the Forty-Eighth watches.
Junior year just started.
And she's already taking notes.
Welcome to Book 3.
Try to keep up
The Eleventh Piece**
Same day, August 16, 2027 – 3rd period**
The black-glass shard is burning a hole in my pocket like it's alive.
Third period is supposed to be American History with Mr. Vale (yes, the same Elder Rowan Vale who's been "substituting" since sophomore year and still hasn't aged a day).
He's writing something on the board in perfect cursive when I slide into my seat between Remy and Seras.
Kayo, Aki, and Riku take the back row like they own it.
Rowan turns, coffee mug in hand, and his eyes lock on me for half a second too long.
**Rowan (casual, but I hear the weight):**
"Miss Morua. Welcome back. Try not to break reality before lunch."
The class laughs because they think he's joking.
He's not.
I'm halfway through pretending to take notes when the shard in my pocket pulses once—hard.
The Crown HUD flares crimson in the corner of my eye.
```
11 / 47 acquired
Location: THIS ROOM
Warning: Severed Circle signature detected
```
I look up slowly.
Rowan Vale is still writing on the board, but the chalk is now carving Vinča symbols that glow black.
He's not writing the lesson plan.
He's writing my name.
Over and over.
In blood that isn't there.
The temperature drops twenty degrees.
Rowan turns, and for the first time since I met him, the glamour slips.
His eyes are galaxies dying.
**Rowan (voice like a graveyard):**
"Congratulations, little queen.
You just claimed the eleventh piece without moving from your seat."
He opens his hand.
The black-glass shard is no longer in my pocket.
It's floating above his palm, spinning slowly, my name burning white-hot across its surface.
**Rowan (soft, almost sad):**
"The Severed Circle didn't send you a present, Celeste.
They sent you a key."
The shard cracks.
Light—wrong light—pours out.
The classroom windows frost over.
Every phone in the room dies at once.
Rowan's voice drops to a whisper only our row can hear.
**Rowan:**
"Eleven pieces means you're strong enough for the next stage.
They're not trying to kill you anymore.
They're trying to open the door early."
He closes his fist.
The shard shatters into dust that vanishes before it hits the floor.
The HUD updates.
```
11 / 47
New passive unlocked: Mirror Step – Advanced
Warning: The Forty-Eighth is closer than yesterday.
```
Rowan smiles like a man who just signed my death warrant and hands me a hall pass.
**Rowan:**
"Nurse's office. You look pale."
The bell rings.
Everyone else files out like nothing happened.
Remy, Seras, Kayo, Aki, and Riku stay.
Rowan waits until the door clicks shut.
**Rowan (quiet, deadly):**
"Junior year just became a countdown.
Eleven pieces down.
Thirty-six to go.
And the Forty-Eighth is done waiting in the mirror."
He looks straight at me.
**Rowan:**
"She's learning how to walk through."
The lights flicker.
In the darkened window, for one heartbeat, I see her standing behind my reflection.
Fully crowned.
Smiling.
**Not-Celeste (whisper, everywhere and nowhere):**
See you soon, little storm.
It ends with the taste of ozone in my mouth and the absolute certainty that this year isn't about surviving school.
It's about surviving myself.