Epilogue

Ray

Something woke me up. It sounded like something sliding open. I opened my eyes and looked at the alarm clock on my dresser. 1:03 a.m. I softly shifted in my bed, favoring my broken arm, and looked around my room.

The door was closed. The room was dark, but I could see everything just fine with my Starling-enhanced eyes. It looked empty. I must’ve just dreamt the sound.

I was about to lie back down but stopped as my eyes passed over the bedroom window. I froze. The window was wide open. I was positive that it was shut when I went to sleep. In fact, I’d locked it shut ever since Mark…

I cursed just as the ancient Starling appeared at the foot of my bed out of thin air.

“You are such a light sleeper,” Mark said, nonchalantly.

I surged my powers to life. “What are you doing here?” My stone was still in my shorts pocket; I double checked to make sure.

He didn’t answer. He strolled around my room, looking at the trophies on my dresser. There was something different about the way he walked. He looked more confident, more pleased about something, and less frantic about everything. Then it hit me… his eyes were glowing.

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“You found your stone!” Fear gripped my chest. I jumped out of bed, favoring my arm, ready for anything. Mark was evil enough without a stone, but with one…

“No,” Mark said, still looking at the pictures around my room. He pulled something out of his pocket and showed it to me. It looked like a crystal. Translucent. Not glowing.

“That’s Invisiguy’s Star Stone!”

Mark shook his head. “Was.”

I furrowed my eyebrows, confused. “What do you mean…?”

“Now it’s mine. Zack Larson is dead.”

My jaw dropped. “You... you killed him?”

“Wasn’t easy, but worth it.” Suddenly, Mark disappeared, and then reappeared at the foot of my bed. He had Invisiguy’s powers! How?

Reading my thoughts, Mark said, “I never told you the best thing about Starlings. When they die, their Star Stone resets, and whoever touches it gets its powers—even if the recipient already has a Star Stone of his or her own.”

I looked down, stewing over his words. All Mark’s mysteries started to make sense. “You lied to me,” I said. “When you snuck in my bedroom that one night, you were really going to kill me! You wanted to kill me and then take my Star Stone, along with its powers. That’s why you’ve been so anxious to kill Stoner and the New Girl. You wanted their powers.”

He clicked his tongue and nodded, his hands in his pockets. “It didn’t really matter whose powers I got. Anyone’s would’ve worked.”

I snarled as I slipped into Second Degree and quickly summoned a fireball in my left, good hand. “Get out of my house!” I demanded.

“Whoa! Calm down, Draco.” He raised his hands and laughed at me. “Don’t worry. I’m not here to kill you. I don’t need your powers anymore. At least not for myself.”

I watched him for a long moment, and then eventually let my fireball fizzle out. I kept my hand red-hot just in case.

Mark smirked confidently at me, his eyes glowing. “No, Draco,” he said. “I don’t want to kill you.” He paused. “Because I still need your help.”