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“Honestly I have no clue. Everything hurts, and I mean everything. Even my goddamn hair hurts.”
Percy sits back down in his chair. “I always thought that shape-shifting vampires were a myth. As in mythology myth. An old story to scare the kids. And then the others shape-shifted, too. Sindri, and Emrys, and of course Jason, and... And it’s all real.”
I let my hands hang between my legs. A memory hits me—by the lake, a dragon, a griffin, a wolf… and a girl in my room.
“My brother,” I croak. “Is my brother dead, Percy? Tell me the truth.”
“About that.” Percy waves a hand at me. “It’s one of the reasons why I was trying to visit you but your door remained closed. I took a phone call from your sister. Since you were, you know, out of it.”
“And?”
“Your brother is getting better. She said he even sat up yesterday and asked about you. You know—”
“He’s alive? Percy… Are you sure?” I stare at him. My heart is pounding like hell. It hurts my chest.
“Why would you think he died?”
“She told me… Ophelia told me so.”
He stabs a finger at me. “Then she lied to you.”
“No way. She cares for me, she wants the—”
“—best for you, yeah, yeah, I know, man. Heard you the first time. But listen to yourself. She lied to you, she—”
“Enough.” A pull is starting on my magic, in my head. “Leave her out of this.” I push to my feet and stand, swaying.
“She’s controlling you,” Percy says. “An enchantment that’s wrapped around your brain like a worm, feeding on your magic and twisting your thoughts. Fight it, Ash.”
“You think I haven’t tried? I can’t even remember things that happened yesterday. She controls every step I take. I don’t know how I left my room and came here. I—”
“Percy?” A knock comes on the door and it opens. The dark-haired girl who came into my room earlier enters. “Percy, Ashton left his room, have you seen him? I—”
“Ophelia?” Percy gets up, a dark scowl on his face. “Get out of my room.”
“It’s me,” the girl says, gesturing at herself—the long black dress that hugs her curves very distractingly, the long dark hair framing a heart-shaped face. “Mia.”
“You…? You’re not dressed like Mia,” Percy says.
“But it’s me. I’m trying to pass off as Ophelia to visit the boys. Ash…” She gazes at me, her dark eyes bright. “I was bringing you food and water. My cousin is letting you get weaker to manipulate you more easily. Here.”
She holds out a container and a bottle of water. When I don’t move, Percy rushes to take everything and place it on the desk.
“You really are Mia?” he asks.
I scowl at her, not budging from my spot on the edge of the bed. “Prove it.”
“Ash…” Her mouth trembles.
“A girl comes and tortures me, the same girl later comes and says kind things to me.” I clench and unclench my hands, clench and unclench. “Which one are you?”
“I see the problem.” Nodding, she approaches me but stays a few feet away. “You cast a spell and put my name on the Academy lists,” she says. “Miss Worthy wasn’t pleased.”
“Anyone might know that,” I say, as the memory returns to me, of her standing there, in loose clothes and fear in her eyes and Miss Worthy about to kick her out of the Academy.
“You said you like it when I answer your literary quotes with more literary quotes. You said a girl like me is not easy to find.”
“Anyone might have overheard that,” I say even as I hear her laughter in my head, her soft voice, and I know she’s telling the truth.
