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Frowning, I stick out my tongue. I swear one corner of his lips quirk.
Why do you want me as your shadow? I think, wishing he could answer. Why me?
Instead of responding, his magical picture smirks cruelly at me. A moment later, the owl takes off, disappearing from the picture altogether and sending a single feather floating to the dusty floor.
A real feather. On our floor. What the eff?
Dread coils around my gut, and I crumple the photo into a ball and then toss it into the trash bin.
Not long after, a white owl lands in the tree outside our window where a blizzard still rages. Fluffing out its wings, the owl stares into our room until I stomp over and rip the emerald-green drapes closed.
Suddenly, magic isn’t so cool anymore.
“All right,” I growl as Mack carries over a steaming cup of coffee. “What next?”
I’m ready to slay my studies so when Rhaegar wins the Nocturus, I’ll be the best shadow to him in Everwilde. It’s the least I can do for Rhaegar saving me from Mr. Douche Canoe.
And Rhaegar has to win. If he doesn’t . . .
Nope. Not even imagining my future then.
17
“My brain can’t take anymore,” I mumble, kneading my knuckles into my temples. We’re entrenched on Mack’s bottom bunk, surrounded by empty Sour Patch Kids packages, Pringle cans, and a near-empty liter of orange Crush.
Thank God, her parents sent a care package full of her favorite treats, which we’ve managed to nearly demolish over the weekend.
We’ve also slammed a kajillion cups of coffee and my heart twitches weirdly in my chest.
“Almost done for tonight,” Mack promises.
I glare at the windowpanes being pelted by relentless snow. “Are you sure it’s night time? It could be midday for all we know.”
Mack turns her wrist to flash a hot-pink watch. “It’s set to Everwilde time.”
The watch face shows just after midnight.
We’ve already blown through elemental magic and soul magic, the two main types used by the Evermore, and are deep into the history of the Fae courts. It feels like months have passed, not days.
“Besides,” I continue, talking through a yawn. “What more is there to know? Summer hates Winter; Winter hates Summer. They’ve basically started every single war between Seelie and Unseelie since the dawn of time.”
“And the upcoming Nocturus may start another war,” Mack adds nonchalantly.
“Kill me now,” I moan.
Mack laughs. Then her expression gets all serious, and she flips the screen of her laptop to face me, pointing at the map of what used to be the western half of the United States but is now Everwilde territory. “Name the courts and their territories.”
I spout off the courts in each location as she watches proudly. The academy sits in the center of all the territories, a neutral Island surrounded by a magical sea.
In addition to the huge wall and wards surrounding the academy, the waters are enchanted with protection spells. All meant to keep the darklings out.
There are neutral cities, as well, off the nearby coasts, but first year Evermore students rarely leave campus.
With an impressed grin, Mack shuts her MacBook. “Enough for tonight. Don’t want your brain exploding all over the room. You need to be fresh for your first day of school tomorrow.”
Ugh. That. I’ve never felt so nervous about starting school before, and the knot of anxiety I’ve had since I arrived tightens at the thought.
Despite my nerves, I fall asleep almost immediately. I wake up a few hours later. Mack snores above me, tiny snorts that make me grin.
