Chapter 277

There’s a happy buzz in the magic classroom for perhaps the first time ever, with mom swinging her legs as she sits on the desk and Cora leaning against it next to her.

We all turn when our final student arrives at the door.

“Hello, enemies,” Tony says, laughing as he leans against the door frame, his arms crossed casually across his chest.

I laugh even as mom jumps down off the desk, laughing and moving quickly to Tony’s side, taking him by the hand and pulling him into the room as she shuts the door behind him.

“Tony, we really are sorry,” Rafe says, looking up into his face quickly as Tony comes more completely into the room, walking for his usual desk. “We tried but…”

“It’s cool,” Tony says, flashing Rafe a grin and giving Jackson a nod. “I’m not taking it personally. It will just stink to have to take you all out, one by one.” He flashes us a wink.

“And how would you do that?” Rafe asks, turning towards him with interest as the rest of us do the same. “Ambassadors are only sent into the Games with a six-shot handgun. You think that’s going to be enough?” He raises his eyebrow, not letting Tony in on the fact that Ben has already let us in on the secret that Tony is categorically not on the Ambassador track.

“Oh, I’m sure I can make something work,” Tony says, giving us an easy smile that crinkles his eyes, which clearly states – to me at least – that he sees the question beneath the surface and has no intention of letting us in on his secret, whatever it is.

But still, the way Rafe continues to bristle a bit at Tony gets under my skin. Why doesn’t he just believe me and mom when we tell him that Tony’s all right?

“We’ll make it worth your while,” I say, turning my best Princess smile on Tony, attempting to communicate that I’m on his side and willing to joke around even if Rafe is not. “If you take care of Luca and manage to murder Wright within the first five minutes.”

“Oh yeah?” Tony asks, grinning at me.

“I’d owe you a personal favor,” I say, laughing and pressing a hand to my heart, giving him a little bow. “Which, from a princess, is always worth having.”

“Can I hear about what that favor might be worth if I traded it in for cash?” he asks, one eyebrow raised, making me grin.

“All right, enough of this sporty talk,” Cora says with a sigh, making us all turn to her as mom boosts herself back up on the desk and smiles at her sister. “Let’s leave all this distasteful discussion of murder aside and get to what really matters.”

“Yes, let’s talk about me,” mom says, flicking her hair back over her shoulder, smug.

“Or,” Cora says with half a sigh, sending a little glare mom’s way, “developing magical skills.”

“Or that,” mom says with a contented sigh, smiling around at all of us.

“We’ll break into smaller groups in a minute,” Cora says, looking around at us with interest, “but first, since Tony and Ariel have already presented their magic to the group,” she says, “we thought perhaps…Jesse and Jackson? Might?”

Both Jesse and Jackson go tense in their seats as we all turn our heads to look between them, to gauge their reactions.

Jackson is the first to clear his throat. “Um, well,” he says, holding a hand out in front of him. “There’s not much to…prove. My magic is incredibly useful, but much less visually impressive than the other three.”

“I mean, we’ve felt it, though,” I say, turning my head to look up into Jackson’s face. “Me and Jesse and Rafe. Do you want to try it with the others?” I raise my eyebrows at him and Jackson just looks at me, his eyes narrowing a little, clearly not wanting to. I laugh a bit, reaching out to give him a shove on the arm. “Oh, come on, Jacks,” I say, grinning at him. “It will be worth it to know if you can pass your energy to others, won’t it?”

He sighs, shaking his head at me. “Why, so I can power the entire military force of Moon Valley if necessary?” he asks.

“Or, you know,” I say, giving him a happy smile and tapping a finger in the air. “Just give us all our morning jolt.”

Jackson growls a little, not very pleased at the idea, but then turns to Tony with his hand out.

“Sorry,” Tony says, looking cheerfully down at Jackson’s hand. “As nice as it would be to hold your hand, Jacks, what’s…what’s happening?”

“I can give Ariel my energy,” Jackson says, bland. “Through our bond. She can pass energy to her brother and cousin through their bond.”

“They…have a bond?” Tony asks, peering around Jackson curiously.

“They have since they were babies,” mom says, sighing happily, I think at some memory.

“Weird,” Tony says, but he lifts his own hand and smacks his palm satisfyingly into Jacksons. Then, Jackson closes his eyes as he always does and, I think, tries to pass the energy.

We all wait. Tony looks around at all of us.

Nothing happens.

“See?” Jackson says, taking his hand away from Tony after a minute and looking back at me. “It only works with you, because of our mating bond.”

We try more formulations after that, seeing if Jackson can pass energy to my mom or to Cora, and then if I can pass energy to mom, Cora, or Tony as the intermediary, like how I can with Rafe and Jesse.

Nothing works.

“I wonder if it would work with Luca,” mom says, turning her head to the side. Jackson stiffens at the idea.

“An experiment for another time,” Cora says smoothly, I think sensing that Jackson is a bit at the end of his patience with the experiments. “Now, your turn, sweetheart,” she says, turning a smile on Jesse.

“To begin, I wish not to be called pet names in front of my peers,” Jesse says, holding up one finger. His mom’s smile just deepens as she makes no promises. “And two…do I have to?” He grimaces and I can tell, in that, that he’s a bit afraid.

“I think…you should, Jess,” Cora says quietly. “You have to experiment with it sometime.”

“It’s…weird though,” Jesse says, shuddering a little at the thought of it.

My heart goes out to him because honestly I love my gift – love playing with it, experimenting with it, which I do pretty much every night as I light the fire in our little room. If I had a gift I didn’t like? God, but that would be difficult to deal with.

“Plus,” Jesse says, looking towards his roommates, “I kind of…lost control last time.”

“It’s okay,” Jackson says, turning towards him and nodding his encouragement. “We’ll help you again, if you need it. But I don’t think you’ll need me this time. I think you’ve got this.”

“This time?” Tony asks, frowning over at Jesse. “But I thought last time your shadows came out…it happened when you were sleeping.”

“So?” Jesse asks, turning to Tony, confused.

“So, Jackson helped you?” Tony asks, his nose wrinkling as he tries to put the pieces together. “Why was he there?”

We all go…a very little bit quiet as I whip my head to Tony, a scowl on my face as I glare at him.

His lips form a very careful “o” as he glances towards me and my mom, who is very studiously studying the ceiling, pretending she hasn’t already put this together.

“Moving on,” Cora says, far too casually, turning her amused smile on Jesse. “Jess, if you don’t want to, you don’t have to. But…I’d love to see you try.”

Jesse sighs and looks up at his mom, shaking his head a bit as if wondering how he’s supposed to say no to that. She grins at him and he takes a deep breath before glancing again at Jackson.

Jackson gives him a deep, encouraging nod, letting Jesse know he’s here.

And so Jesse closes his eyes for a second – I think imitating Jackson a bit when he passes his energy to me – and breathes in a deep breath.

And when he breathes it out?

My eyes go wide as the shadows begin to seep again from him, eager. Jesse’s eyes immediately fly open as he looks down at himself, begins to breathe hard.

“Calmly, baby,” Cora says, her voice totally even.

Jesse looks up again, his eyes fastening on hers, and she gives him a deep, steady nod.

And so Jesse calms down, letting the shadows seep from him more completely, I think panicking a little to see them out and free but…letting them exist.