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Somethinghappened here. But what?
I turn back to return to Malia and it’s just as I’m stepping back into the clearing that I feel it. It’s subtle, subtle enough that I missed it stepping through the first time, but there’s some sort of magic in the air. It’s the faintest whisper against my skin as I set my sights on Malia. Maybe a concealment spell…I don’t know, I can only sense the magic, not decipher it. I need to tell someone about this.
“Bhodi?”
Malia’s concern carries on the wind to me and spurs me into action. I cross to her side, grab her hand in mine and pull her back in the direction that we came from. If there’s magic at play here, I need to get Malia out of here and to somewhere safe.
“Bhodi, what’s wrong? D-did you find something?”
I shake my head and continue walking. “No. It was all clear. Probably just a prank or something.”
“Then why are you walking so fast? Slow down.”
“We’re going to be late for our seminar. I didn’t realise how much time had passed.”
“Oh…oh!” As soon as Malia realises what I’m saying, that we’re running the risk of the prof’s wrath, she starts to move her little legs double time just to keep up with me. I feel bad, but I don’t think she’d appreciate me sweeping her up into my arms and carrying her across campus.
We make it to our seminar with minutes to spare and I send Malia in ahead of me, telling her that I need the toilet and to save me a seat. Then when she’s gone in, I pace the corridor waiting for the prof to arrive.
“Bhodi? Everything okay?” I startle when he calls out to me.
“I was in the woods just now, out by the lake and there was screaming. Definitely female. Definitely pained and distressed. I didn’t find anything but there were traces of magic, some sort of spell, present in one of the small clearings.”
“I see. But you didn’t find a body?”
“No.”
“What did you do?”
“I grabbed Malia and came to tell you as soon as—”
“Malia was with you?” he asks sharply.
“Yes. Why?”
“What were you doing with Malia?”
“Swimming. Why?” I don’t need to tell him everything I was doing with Malia. Or what Iplannedon doing. It’s none of his business and it’s completely irrelevant to this story.
“You’re telling me that you heard screams, have witnessed traces of magic, a girl is missing and Malia was with you the entire time?”
“Yes.”
“You didn’t take your eyes off her?”
I hesitate.
“Well? What is it?”
“I left Malia in the clearing for like a minute. But that was after we went to investigate the screams.”
“And when did you detect the magic?”
“When I stepped back into the clearing where I left her.”
“And you didn’t sense the magic when you were there before?”
I pretend to think about it but I know that I didn’t. “No. Only when I returned. But I wasn’t paying much attention when we first entered the clearing. I was looking for signs of a struggle and I couldn’t smell any—”
