CHAPTER FOUR

My pencil hovered above my notebook, the library's silence pressing down on me like a weight. Across the table, Kai flipped through his chemistry textbook, brow furrowed in concentration.

"You're overcomplicating it," I said, tapping the page gently. "The equation balances if you adjust the coefficients here."

His fingers brushed mine as he reached over to correct his work, and a sudden jolt of warmth shot up my arm. I jerked back instinctively, startled.

What was that?

Kai froze. His storm-blue eyes locked onto mine, and for a heartbeat, the air between us felt charged—like the moment before lightning strikes. Then he leaned back, clearing his throat. "Sorry. Static."

I nodded, even though the lie was obvious. Static didn't explain the way my necklace—the one I had since I had that dream—had pulsed against my skin at that exact moment.

The library door slammed open. Summer stood there, her designer bag slung over one shoulder, her smile razor-sharp.

"There you are," she purred, gliding toward Kai like she owned the place. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

My muscles tensed, and my fingers curled around my pencil. Her gaze flicked to me, dripping with disdain. "Oh. You're here."

Kai didn't look up. "Elise is helping me catch up."

Summer's laugh was like honey laced with venom. "How noble of her." She draped herself over his shoulder, her perfume cloying and suffocating. "But you don't need a tutor, Kai. I got top marks in chemistry last semester."

I bit my tongue. Summer had cheated—everyone knew it.

Kai shrugged her off. "I'm good."

Her smile twitched. For a split second, I saw raw fury flash in her eyes before she smoothed it away. "Fine. But don't forget, my parents invited you to dinner tonight. Daddy's very interested in meeting you." Her eyes found mine again, smug and glittering. "He only associates with people who matter."

I kept my expression neutral, but the words stung. I was used to her barbs, but tonight's dinner meant one thing: she was pulling Kai deeper into her world—a world where I didn't exist.

As she sauntered away, Kai exhaled sharply. "Ignore her."

I forced a laugh. "Easier said than done."

He looked at me longer this time, his gaze dropping to the faint bruise just barely visible under my concealer. His jaw tightened. "What's that?"

My stomach dropped. I tugged my sleeve down over my wrist instinctively. "It's nothing."

His voice lowered into a growl. "It's not nothing."

The intensity in his voice startled me. For a moment, I thought he was about to say more, maybe even that he knew something but then the bell rang, slicing through the moment.

I shoved my books into my bag. "Same time tomorrow?"

He nodded, though his eyes were distant, like he was puzzling over a riddle. "Yeah. Tomorrow."

As I hurried out of the library, I touched my necklace.

It was warm again.

____________________________

I barely made it through the front door before my "mother's" voice cut through the silence like a knife.

"Elise."

I froze, my backpack slipping off my shoulder. The air in the house was thick with the scent of burnt dinner and something sharper—anger.

"You forgot to take out the trash this morning."

My stomach twisted. Shit. I'd been so distracted after the library, after Kai, that I'd completely forgotten.

"I...I'm sorry," I stammered, already bracing. "I'll do it now"

"Too late."

Her hand struck before I could flinch. The slap cracked across my cheek, sending me stumbling back into the wall. Pain exploded, white-hot and familiar.

"Useless," she hissed, grabbing my arm hard enough to bruise. "After everything we've done for you—"

I didn't argue. I never did. Arguing made it worse.

By the time she was done, my cheek throbbed, and my wrist ached where she'd yanked me. I dragged myself upstairs, my vision blurry. The house was quiet now—Summer was probably out with friends, living the life I'd never have.

I locked my bedroom door behind me and sank to the floor, pressing my forehead against my knees. The tears came then, hot and silent.

Why does it always hurt so much?

Then

A soft glow pulsed against my skin.

I jerked my head up, wiping my eyes. My necklace the one I'd had since I was little—was shining. A faint, golden light seeped from the pendant, warm against my collarbone.

What the hell?

I scrambled to my feet, fumbling for the light switch. The glow didn't stop. If anything, it grew brighter, wrapping around me.

And then the pain faded.

I touched my cheek. The swelling was gone. My wrist, where her fingers had dug in, no longer ached.

No. No way.

I stumbled to the mirror, half-convinced I was hallucinating. But my reflection didn't lie my skin was smooth, unmarked.

How?

My hands shook as I clutched the necklace. I'd worn it for as long as I could remember, but it had never done this before.

I got the necklace after the dream.

I must've been seven or eight. That night, I dreamed of a fairy playing a harp. When I woke up, the necklace was on my desk. No note. No explanation.

I'd never told anyone not even Sage. Who would believe me?

With my heart pounding, I tore through my room. There had to be something. A clue. A reason.

I dug under my bed, pulling out old books—fairytales, myths, anything about magic. Maybe it wasn't just a stupid pendant. Maybe it was.

What? A magical healing necklace? I almost laughed at myself. But then again… it had healed me.

I flipped through the pages, searching for anything about glowing jewelry, about unexplained powers. Nothing fit.

Frustrated, I slumped against my bed. The necklace rested against my chest, cool and innocent again, like it hadn't just rewritten reality.

Outside, the wind howled, rattling my window. And for the first time in years, I wondered if there was something else out there for me.

I'll have to eventually tell Sage. I can't do this alone.