As the first bell rang, Dawson stood in the nearly empty parking lot, scanning for any sign of his friends. The usual hum of engines and chatter was absent, leaving an eerie stillness that only amplified his unease. Sam’s car was missing, which wasn’t unusual—he was notorious for skipping. But what gnawed at Dawson was the absence of both Angelo and Maya. Angelo’s truck was nowhere in sight, and considering Angelo had taken it upon himself to drive Maya everywhere lately, that wasn’t a good sign.

Dawson’s heart sank, a mix of resentment and disappointment tightening his chest. He’d spent the whole night psyching himself up to ask Maya to dinner at his parents' place—a small step to mend what little remained of their fractured relationship. But with her nowhere in sight, the plan crumbled before it even had a chance to begin.

"How does it feel?" a voice cut through his thoughts, dark and biting.

Dawson turned to see Millie Rosett standing behind him, her arms wrapped tightly around a stack of books, her lips curled into a sneer.

"How does what feel?" he asked, though he knew he wouldn’t like the answer.

"Being replaced," she spat the words out, her eyes gleaming with cruel satisfaction before she turned on her heel and walked away, her steps echoing in the quiet.

Dawson’s throat tightened, bile rising as he watched her retreat. "I’m not being replaced," he whispered, more to himself than to anyone else. He turned back to the parking lot, eyes searching for any sign of Maya. "I’m not."

But the empty spaces only deepened the pit in his stomach. With a heavy sigh, Dawson lowered his head and trudged slowly toward the school building, the weight of Millie’s words clinging to him like a shadow.

Eliane

The fluorescent lights of the hospital buzzed faintly, casting a harsh, sterile glow over the emergency room. Eliane sat in one of the stiff plastic chairs, her hands clenched tightly in her lap. The doctors had wheeled Grant away hours ago, and she hadn’t seen him since. Worry gnawed at her, but it wasn’t just Grant’s health that plagued her thoughts—it was her sister.

Maya. The name felt foreign on her tongue, yet familiar in her heart. At first, when she’d seen the girl, Eliane’s instinct had been to recoil, to blame her for everything. It wasn’t fair, she knew that. But Maya was a James, and Eliane had already dealt with two James family members, both of whom were dangerous, teetering on the edge of madness thanks to the dark magic coursing through their veins. How could she not react the way she had?

But now... now Eliane wasn’t so sure. Since Casandra had forced her dark magic to awaken, Eliane realized she no longer had the right to judge. She was one of them now—a dark witch. And that realization brought with it a heavy, suffocating sense of responsibility.

Eliane wrapped her arms around herself, casting a sideways glance at the girl across the room. Maya and Angelo were talking, or rather, arguing quietly in the corner. Angelo’s protective stance made it clear he wasn’t just a friend. He was something more, someone who cared deeply for Maya. It made Eliane wonder if he was one of the coven members Casandra had mentioned. And if he was, what did that mean for her?

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She scratched nervously at her arm, trying to keep herself grounded as her thoughts spiraled. Maya wasn’t behind all of this. If anything, she was the most clueless of them all, caught in the middle of a mess she didn’t understand. Eliane had felt it when their magic clashed earlier—Maya had tried to stop it, tried to protect her. She wasn’t working with Austen. At least, not knowingly.

But that only raised more questions. Why had Grant brought her here? Why poison himself? And why with hemlock, of all things? It was almost as if this had all been orchestrated to bring her and Maya together. But how could Grant have known Maya would be there when Eliane needed her most?

None of it made sense.

Eliane’s gaze drifted to Maya’s hands. The blonde was nervously scratching at her palms, just as Eliane had been doing all morning. She could feel the magic beneath her skin, the symbol tingling with an electric pulse. Maya had hers covered, hidden beneath the sleeves of a long-sleeved shirt, but Eliane knew the James symbol was there, pulsing with the same energy as her own.

Maya’s confusion was evident in the way she kept glancing at Eliane, as if trying to understand the connection between them. It was a connection Eliane felt too—a bond that went deeper than blood, rooted in the dark magic they both now possessed.

"I’ll be fine," Maya’s voice broke through Eliane’s thoughts, drawing her attention back to the conversation.

Angelo looked down at her, his expression softening, but there was still a lingering distrust in his eyes when he glanced at Eliane. "Stay in touch," he said, his voice gruff.

"Go," Maya insisted, giving him a small push, her smile genuine but tired.

Eliane watched as Angelo reluctantly walked away, his protective gaze never leaving Maya until he was out of sight. The moment he was gone, Maya’s smile faded, and she hugged herself, mirroring Eliane’s own posture. Their eyes met, and for the first time, Eliane saw something familiar in the girl before her—fear, confusion, and a deep, unsettling uncertainty.

Maya approached slowly, offering a tentative smile. "So, we never actually introduced ourselves," she said, holding out a hand. "I’m Maya Burns."

Eliane hesitated, sensing the weight of the gesture, the unspoken test it carried. Finally, she reached out, clasping Maya’s hand in her own. "Eliane Meade."

The moment their hands touched, a spark shot through them, visible and electric. Eliane’s dark magic surged, roaring to life as her whole body tingled with an energy she couldn’t control. But instead of fear, there was peace, a calmness that washed over her, grounding her in a way she hadn’t felt since Casandra’s spell.

Maya’s eyes widened, her pupils dilating as if she felt it too. Their hands fell away, but the connection lingered, thrumming in the air between them.

A shiver ran down Eliane’s spine as Maya spoke again, her voice soft but sure. "So, I’m guessing you’re one of my sisters."

Eliane nodded, the truth settling between them like a heavy, unspoken promise. "You know everything then."

"Just found out last night," Maya admitted, hugging herself tighter. "I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I have two sisters I’ve never met and three brothers—one of whom might be my best friend. And now his crazy family has basically kidnapped him because of what happened the other day. They think Austen’s going to come after him."

Eliane’s arms tightened around herself. "He won’t," she said, the certainty in her voice surprising even herself.

Maya looked at her, a question in her eyes, but she didn’t press. Instead, she simply nodded, as if understanding that some things didn’t need to be explained.

And in that moment, Eliane realized that, for the first time in a long time, she wasn’t alone. They were in this together, whatever "this" turned out to be.