Lila’s Concerns

The day after Elijah revealed the Circle’s interest in me, I found myself pacing the quiet halls of the mansion. My mind buzzed with all the information I had learned—about my magic, the Circle, and the faction within it. There was a part of me that still couldn’t fully comprehend what was happening. One moment I was just a girl trying to navigate a life I didn’t fully understand, and the next, I was a powerful magic user being hunted by forces I couldn’t begin to fathom.

And it wasn’t just me. Lila had noticed the change in me too, and I knew I couldn’t hide the truth from her any longer.

Lila and I had always been close, more like sisters than friends. We had grown up together, sharing secrets and supporting each other through thick and thin. But in the past few weeks, I had distanced myself, mostly out of necessity. The training with Elijah and Asher had consumed my time, and the constant fear of the Circle watching me had left me feeling isolated.

I found Lila sitting in one of the mansion’s smaller rooms, curled up in a chair with a book in her lap. The light streaming in from the window bathed her in a warm glow, and for a moment, I hesitated. There was something so peaceful about the scene, and I didn’t want to disturb it. But I knew that I couldn’t keep this from her any longer.

“Lila?” I called softly, stepping into the room.

She looked up from her book, her face lighting up when she saw me. “Emilia! I was wondering where you’d been hiding.”

I forced a smile and walked over to sit beside her. “Sorry, I’ve been… busy.”

Lila’s smile faded slightly, and she closed her book, setting it aside. “I’ve noticed. You’ve been avoiding me.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but she held up a hand, silencing me. “Don’t even try to deny it. You’ve been distant, and not just physically. Emotionally too. I can feel it.”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. Lila was always perceptive, able to read me like an open book. There was no point in lying to her. “I didn’t mean to. It’s just… things have gotten complicated.”

Lila’s brow furrowed, concern etched across her face. “Complicated how?”

I hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to explain everything to her. But Lila was my closest friend, and she deserved the truth. “You know how I’ve been spending a lot of time with Elijah?”

She nodded. “Yeah, but I assumed it was because of the training. Elijah’s always been intense about that.”

“It’s more than that,” I said quietly. “There’s something going on, something bigger than just my training. I’ve… I’ve discovered things about myself. Things I didn’t even know were possible.”

Lila’s eyes widened, and she leaned forward, her voice barely a whisper. “What kind of things?”

I took a deep breath, steadying myself before I continued. “Lila, I have magic. Real magic. I can feel it inside me, and I’ve been learning how to control it. Elijah and Asher have been helping me, but there’s so much more to it than I ever imagined.”

For a moment, Lila just stared at me, her mouth slightly open in shock. Then she shook her head, as if trying to process what I had just told her. “Magic? Emilia, are you serious?”

“I know it sounds crazy,” I said quickly. “But it’s true. I didn’t understand it at first either, but I’ve seen it, felt it. It’s real, and it’s part of me.”

Lila’s eyes searched mine, as if trying to find some hint that I was joking. But when she saw that I wasn’t, she leaned back in her chair, looking stunned. “Magic,” she repeated softly. “I can’t believe it.”

“I didn’t believe it at first either,” I admitted. “But there’s more. It’s not just that I have magic. It’s that I have a lot of it—too much, according to Elijah. And that’s why the Circle is watching me.”

Lila’s confusion deepened. “The Circle? Who are they?”

I launched into an explanation of the Circle, describing how they were the most powerful magical authority in existence, charged with maintaining balance in the magical world. I told her about their strict laws and their fear of anyone with too much power, especially someone like me, who had yet to fully control their abilities.

Lila listened in stunned silence, her eyes widening with every word. When I finally finished, she looked even more worried than before. “So… they’re watching you? Waiting for you to mess up?”

I nodded, my stomach churning at the thought. “Yeah. Elijah says they’re just observing for now, but if they decide I’m a threat, they’ll come for me.”

Lila’s hands clenched in her lap, her knuckles turning white. “But that’s not fair! You didn’t ask for any of this!”

“I know,” I said, my voice thick with frustration. “But the Circle doesn’t care about what’s fair. They only care about maintaining control.”

Lila stood up abruptly, pacing back and forth across the room. “This is insane, Emilia. You can’t just sit around and wait for them to decide your fate! There has to be something we can do.”

“Elijah is helping me,” I said, trying to calm her down. “He’s training me, teaching me how to control my magic. As long as I can learn to manage it, I should be okay.”

Lila stopped pacing and turned to face me, her eyes blazing with concern. “But what if you can’t? What if they decide you’re too dangerous, no matter how much control you have?”

Her words echoed the fears that had been gnawing at me since Elijah’s revelation. What if I couldn’t control my magic? What if the Circle came for me before I was ready? The thought of being taken away, locked up, and never allowed to live my life on my own terms was terrifying.

“I don’t know,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t know what will happen if I fail.”

Lila’s expression softened, and she came over to sit beside me again, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. “You’re not going to fail, Emilia. You’re stronger than you think.”

I smiled weakly, though her words did little to ease the fear that gripped me. “I hope you’re right.”

For a few moments, we sat in silence, the weight of the situation hanging heavy in the air between us. Then, Lila spoke again, her voice low and serious. “There’s something else, isn’t there? Something you’re not telling me.”

I hesitated, biting my lip. Lila knew me too well to be fooled by half-truths. She could sense when I was holding something back, and right now, I was. I hadn’t told her about the faction within the Circle, the group that wanted to recruit me—or worse, take me by force.

“There’s a faction within the Circle,” I said slowly, choosing my words carefully. “They’re different from the main council. They believe in using people like me for their own purposes, harnessing our power instead of suppressing it. Elijah thinks they might try to recruit me.”

Lila’s eyes widened again. “Recruit you? For what?”

“I don’t know exactly,” I admitted. “But Elijah said they’re dangerous. They don’t care about balance or ethics. They just want power, and they’re willing to do whatever it takes to get it.”

Lila’s expression darkened, and she shook her head in disbelief. “This is all so messed up. You’re caught between two sides, and neither of them seems to care about what’s best for you.”

“Welcome to my life,” I said bitterly.

Lila let out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through her hair. “I hate this. I hate that you’re being put in this position. You didn’t ask for any of this, and now you’re being forced to deal with it.”

“I don’t have a choice,” I said quietly. “I have to deal with it. If I don’t, the Circle will come for me, or the faction will. Either way, I’m not safe.”

Lila shook her head again, her face set in determination. “I won’t let them take you, Emilia. I don’t care if they’re the most powerful magic users in the world. I’ll fight them if I have to.”

Her words made me smile, even though I knew she was serious. Lila had always been fiercely protective of me, even when we were kids. She was the kind of person who would go to war for the people she loved, no matter the odds.

“I appreciate that,” I said, my voice soft. “But this isn’t something you can fight with brute force. The Circle is too powerful.”

“Then what do we do?” Lila asked, her voice filled with frustration. “We can’t just sit around and wait for them to come for you.”

“I don’t know yet,” I admitted. “But Elijah and Asher are working on it. They’re trying to keep me hidden, at least for now.”

Lila frowned, clearly not satisfied with that answer. “Hidden? That doesn’t sound like much of a plan.”

“It’s all we have for now,” I said, feeling the weight of our limited options. “But Lila, I need you to promise

me something.”

Lila looked at me, her eyes filled with concern. “What is it?”

“If things get bad—really bad—I need you to stay out of it,” I said firmly. “I don’t want you getting hurt because of me.”

Lila opened her mouth to protest, but I cut her off. “I mean it, Lila. If the Circle or the faction comes after me, I don’t want you putting yourself in danger. Promise me.”

She hesitated, clearly torn between her protective instincts and the reality of the situation. Finally, she sighed and nodded. “Fine. But only because I know you’d do the same for me.”

“I would,” I said, feeling a lump form in my throat. The thought of Lila getting hurt because of me was unbearable.

For the rest of the afternoon, we sat together in the quiet room, talking about everything and nothing. It felt good to finally share the burden of my secret with her, even if it didn’t change the reality of the situation. Lila had always been my anchor, the person who kept me grounded when everything else felt like it was spinning out of control.

But even with her by my side, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something dark was looming on the horizon—something that would test not only my powers but the strength of our bond as well.

And when that moment came, I wasn’t sure if either of us would be ready for it.