Daniel grinned. “I look amazing in jewel tones.”
Michael added, “And I’ve been waiting my whole life to say, ‘By the power vested in me by a New York Wiccan and this haunted microphone…’”
That morningat the L.A.W. mansion, Katie stood in the middle of what looked like a yoga studio designed by a secret government agency with mirrored walls, glowing runes, and a weapons rack in the corner that wasn’t for decorative purposes.
“So,” she said, arms crossed. “Is this where you teach me to throw fireballs, or…?”
Joell gave her an approving nod. “Maybe eventually. First, we’ll see what’s already cooking under the hood.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning we need to know if you’re a magical time bomb or just magically adjacent.”
Katie blinked. “Cool. So comforting.”
Joell handed her what looked like a fist-sized crystal ball. “Hold this. Breathe. Think about the weirdest thing that’s happened to you in the last seventy-two hours.”
Katie barked a laugh, then took the orb and immediately regretted every decision that had led to this moment. “Weirdest? Uh, that’d be the faceless demon that tried to mind-fuck me, and the magical advice to ‘RUN’ written on my whiteboard when I came out of hiding in the bathroom.”
The orb pulsed softly in her hand. Pale light. Slight hum.
Joell tilted her head. “That’s not nothing.”
“So, what does it mean?” Katie asked.
“It means you’ve got some juice. Dormant, but reactive. That gray thing targeted you for a reason. The Gray doesn't just attack random baristas. Even the cute ones.”
“I’m not cute,” Katie muttered. “I’m too tall to be cute.”
Joell raised an eyebrow. “That’s not what the orb says.”
Before Katie could formulate a sarcastic comeback, the door opened, and Lioness walked in, drinking green juice as if she liked it.
“Did she spark yet?” Lioness asked.
“Just a low glow,” Joell replied. “But I think we’re dealing with some latent potential.”
Katie sighed. “Can someone please definelatent potentialwithout making me feel like a Hogwarts dropout?”
Lioness plopped onto a meditation cushion. “It means you’re a magical wildcard. Something about you is attracting the Gray, and if it couldn’t mimic the witches, it might’ve picked you as a next-best prototype. Easier to crack.”
“Wait,” Katie said, heart rate kicking up. “You’re saying I’m like a lab rat for aliens?”
“A valuable one,” Joell said brightly. “Which is why we’re going to teach you to resist alien interference.”
“Right,” Katie said. “Because that’s something you can justlearn, like salsa dancing.”
“You joke,” Lioness said, “but magical shielding is basically rhythmic movement, mental focus, and spite.”
“Oh, well. I’m full of spite,” Katie said. “Let’s do this.”
Joell smiled. “Good. Because next we test how well you can handle a magical attack.”
Katie froze. “You mean afakemagical attack, right?”
“Define fake,” Joell said.
Lioness grinned. “Let the training montage begin.”
