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“I’m not getting anything.”

“This rarely happens.” He frowns. “Let’s try the next cabinet. It holds the rarer ones.”

Halen gives me a thumbs-up.

Mr. Brant pulls out a key and unlocks the next cabinet. The first thing I notice is a golden trident in the middle of the other weapons. It’s so bright it seems to glow. I can’t pull my attention away from it to look at the others.

“Anything this time?” The teacher sounds far away.

“Maybe.” I move closer. The trident glows brighter, seems to be buzzing. Or maybe that’s left over from my mom’s spell. “Can I touch it?”

“Please do.”

“Be careful!” Halen warns.

I’d ask her why, but I can’t stop staring at the beautiful glowing object. I just want to hold it in my hands. See what it feels like, what kind of power it yields.

I quickly touch it with one fingertip, half afraid it’ll zap me. A warmth spreads through my hand.

That’s interesting. I press all of my fingertips on it, and the warmth radiates up my arm. Definitely interesting.

It sounds like Mr. Brant and Halen are talking, but I can’t make out a word. I kind of don’t care. Not when the trident is sharing its enchantment with me.

I wrap my hand around the middle. Heat runs through my entire body. A strength urges me to pull it from the cabinet. I do. The hot waves make me break out into a sweat, not that it’s noticeable in the water. I gasp, taking in the power, and wrap my other hand around the pole.

Halen covers her mouth. Turns to Mr. Brant and says something. He nods, then he reaches for the trident.

A bolt of electricity creates a whirlwind. The weapons teacher flies back and crashes into the wall and falls to the ground. It’s a good thing the walls are padded.

Halen’s mouth moves, but I can’t hear anything.

I glance back to the weapon. It’s buzzing energy runs through me, feeling strongest in my palms and on my scalp.

Halen jumps up and down in the background. She points to the cabinet.

Mr. Brant gets up and dusts himself off, then he makes his way over and gestures toward the cabinet.

I don’t want to put it down, but I also don’t want to get in trouble. If I wanted, I could fight him. I don’t know how, but I can’t shake the feeling that I totally could. I resist the urge to keep holding it, and I place it in its spot. Some of its energy continues running through me.

Halen stares at me, her mouth gaping.

I pull some hair away from my face. “What?”

“Your hair!”

Confused, I rake my fingers through it and hold it out. My body goes cold when I see it.

It’s changed color. Gone is the strawberry blonde I’ve had my whole life. Now it’s a pinkish-purple. I lace my fingers through more of my hair. It’s all the pink color. Not only that, but it’s longer. Halfway down my back.

I turn to Mr. Brant. “Is that supposed to happen?”

He shakes his head. “I’ve never seen anything like that.”

Halen cups some of my hair in her palm. “It’s like the myth of Queen Sirena.”

Mr. Brant’s face pales. “I’d wager now it’s no myth.”

“Who’s Queen Sirena?” I wrack my mind trying to remember a story I might’ve heard as a child.

Halen moves away from me. “The most powerful and dangerous queen any of the oceans have ever seen.”

My pulse drums in my ears. They’re comparing me to her? Why is that?

Mr. Brant locks the cabinet and turns to Halen. “Keep her here. I’ll be right back.” He races out of the room.

I stare at my best friend. “What in Hades is going on?”

She backs up even more, her hands shaking. “I have no idea.”