My blood ran cold. They were talking about us. Satan worshippers? Really? And people accused me of being crazy.

Parkinson said something under his breath that sounded a lot like, “Bloody idiots.”

He stopped outside the community centre. “Here you go, Maddie. Thank you for your help in finding Sophie. Her family will be able to find closure because of you.”

“I had help.”

He gave me a half-smile. “Yeah. You did. Please make sure you come into the station tomorrow to give your statement. And don’t worry about those protesters back there. They’re a local group of religious fanatics that believe that the devil is involved with some of the strange things they’ve seen regarding Descendants, but they’re harmless. Just a public nuisance.”

Nuisance was right. I imagined them out in force blocking traffic in the middle of the day or something. That would be a surefire way to piss off the locals and not get their message across.

I promised him I would be there tomorrow and thanked him for the lift. He made a U-turn and headed straight for what was left of the protesters — they’d scattered like cockroaches when you turn on the light as soon as they’d seen the police cruiser. I rushed into the community centre so I wouldn’t be late.

I managed to catch Ruby before she reached the classroom as she spoke with Malcolm. “Ruby! Can I talk to you for a minute?”

There was a question in her eyes. “Sure. Malcolm, can you get the class started for me?”

He gave her a mock salute. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Thank you.”

I told Ruby what happened. I watched her face as I told her the news and saw the tears well up in her dark eyes.

“Oh, that poor girl. She was such a lovely lass. Her family will be devastated.” She put an arm around me, which surprised me, but I let her. It was comforting and just what I needed right now. The warmth of her skin and the scent of lavender filled me with a sense of peace. “You okay?” I nodded. “That must have been a shock.”

“It was awful. The body was— it was really bad. And the smell… Made me throw up.”

“Are you sure you’re okay? Your skin looks a bit red. Maybe you got too much sun.” She steered me to the staff tea room and gave me a bottle of water and a bar of chocolate. “If you threw up your lunch, you’re probably in need of some food. The protein in this will help you regain some strength.”

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“I didn’t get the chance to have any lunch. Sophie found me first.”

“Oh. You better eat up then and take this one with you.” She gave me another one and I thanked her as I put it in my bag. She watched me unwrap the lump of yummy, chocolaty goodness. “Are you up to doing the class today? You could sit this one out.”

“No, I’ll do it. I want to hurry up and learn this stuff. I feel like it’s taking forever.”

“Ah, the impatience of youth. You will learn control, and patience.”

I rolled my eyes and took another bite.

Ruby twirled a lock of purple hair around a finger. “The police are probably still processing the scene and contacting the Vellas. We can’t tell anyone until they have been told and someone has identified the body.” She shuddered. “That will be a very unpleasant task for them.”

I nodded. My stomach pitched a little as I imagined that scene. There wouldn’t be much they could do to make her look presentable. I closed my eyes and thought about something else.

Once I’d finished the chocolate, we went to class.

Ruby grabbed Laynee and Shauna from Malcolm’s class and we entered our usual classroom. I took my seat and when Ruby started talking, I could tell she was shaken. She must have known Sophie pretty well. I remembered her asking Victor about her in church.

“We will just do some practicing today of what we know. I’m feeling a bit out-of-sorts, so we’ll take it easy.” She cleared her throat. “Practice always helps you strengthen your skills.”

The others looked disappointed. I guess I was too, but also relieved. I knew I shouldn’t be. I should be wanting to push forward, but I was still afraid of what might happen. And I kept thinking of Felicity. What she’d done to herself still haunted me. No amount of awards or praise was worth risking that kind of outcome.

I took a deep breath. I needed to face this and do this. It was the only way forward.

As I went through the routine of lifting things and creating the orb of light, I realized that I could do it every time and without losing control.

My heart swelled. I was happy to be finally getting somewhere. I felt a sense of pride, but kept that to myself. Then there was the fact that I was one step closer to going home. I kept that to myself too.

I wondered how much more I’d have to learn before they would release me.

I just wanted to go home.

Maybe once I learned to control my magic, I could keep it hidden and not use it at all. If I refrained from using it, no one could accidentally get hurt. Then I could go back to my old life.

Yes. I could do that.

We had a short break where I ate the other bar of chocolate, then once we were back in the room, Ruby announced that she was going to help me again with lighting a candle.

My heartbeat sped up, but I braced myself. I could do this.

Ruby sat with me and went through the process of it again. She looked me in the eye. “You will not lose control. And if it looks like the flame is getting a little out of hand, I will extinguish it. Okay?”

I nodded. Took a deep breath. Okay. I got this.

I followed her instructions, taking it slow, and brought out my magic using my image of Dragonia. Picking a dragon was probably a good idea when I was focusing on producing a flame. As I pushed the magic outward, a flame appeared on my fingertips and I gasped.

I’d done it!