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The walk back to their hostel was a silent, heavy trudge. Violet, Lila, Ivy, and Daisy were dirty and exhausted, weighed down by the events of the night.

When they arrived at their house, they weren’t alone. Clusters of students still lingered in the common area, their idle conversations dying the second they spotted the four girls.

Violet felt their stares fall on them like vultures drawn to fresh carrion. However, none of them dared to speak. Good for them. Violet was not in the mood to tolerate anyone’s bullshit.

Her blood was still hot, and if anyone so much as breathed wrongly, she wouldn’t mind breaking one or two noses to show an example.

The students must have sensed the murderous energy radiating off her because, like instinct-driven prey, they instinctively stepped aside, parting like the Red Sea to allow her and her roommates passage.

But the second they disappeared behind their door, the whispers ignited like wildfire. However, Violet didn’t move away from the door immediately. Instead, she stood there, waiting....one... two... three. Then, without warning, she yanked it open.

A group of students who had been leaning in to eavesdrop, tumbled gracelessly into the room, their limbs flailing as they hit the floor in a heap of tangled arms and legs.

The moment they looked up, their faces drained of color. Violet stood over them, her eyes dark and merciless, her posture screaming one thing—run.

"W-we... it’s not what it looks like—" one of them stammered, their voice cracking.

Violet didn’t say a word. She just stared, the cold, ominous look on her face more terrifying than any threat she could have spoken.

"Fuck! Let’s leave!" another one yelped, yanking at the others as they scrambled to their feet and bolted out of the room as if their lives depended on it.

Violet remained at the threshold a second longer, her gaze flicking to the students still loitering outside. It was just one glance and they scattered like frightened mice. Satisfied, she slammed the door shut with a resounding bang.

"You shouldn’t have bothered," Lila’s voice broke through the tense atmosphere.

Violet turned to see Lila stepping forward, her hands moving in weird motions as if she were weaving something invisible through the air.

Ivy frowned. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Constructing a whisper shield," Lila replied nonchalantly, fingers still moving through the air. "This way, nobody will be able to hear what we discuss in here."

The temperature in the room shifted instantly and a chill crawled up their spines as an almost imperceptible pulse of energy saturated the air.

Daisy shuddered. "That’s unsettling. Although I wish I could see whatever it is you’re doing. It’d be cool to study it."

"I can see it."

Violet’s soft declaration had the effect of a gunshot in a silent room. Three heads snapped toward her in unison, their eyes widening in shock.

Lila’s fingers stilled midair. "You can?" she asked, her voice carrying more astonishment than surprise. However, Violet didn’t notice it because she was mesmerized with her new discovery.

"What does it look like?" Lila pressed, her tone eager now and her eyes gleaming with fascination.

"It’s like..." Violet reached out, watching as wisps curled around her fingertips before dissolving into the air. "Cotton," she murmured. "Soft, weightless... and it’s everywhere."

Their entire room was cocooned in delicate, pastel-colored threads, floating like mist, filling every crevice where sound could escape.

"You’re right," Lila lips curled into a knowing smile. "We call them muting cottons where I’m from. They block out spaces, ensuring no sound leaves these walls."

"It’s beautiful..." Violet whispered, entranced by the beautiful sight.

"Alright!" Ivy’s exasperated voice interrupted the moment. "Enough of whatever this is."

She stood with her hands on her hips, her sharp gaze bouncing between Violet and Lila as if she were watching two lunatics. All Ivy and Daisy saw was Violet reaching out and touching nothing but mere air. And to them, that was far more unsettling than the idea of soundproofing magic.

Daisy crossed her arms, her expression skeptical but curious. "Okay, what the hell is going on? Someone better start talking. Now." She turned to Lila with pointed determination. "Starting with you."

"I saw what you did in the forest, Lila," Daisy continued, narrowing her eyes. "You’re not human. What are you?"

Lila’s expression turned serious. "I’ll tell you, but first, you have to swear you won’t expose my identity to anyone outside this room."

Ivy scoffed. "And you expect us to swear like kids? What’s stopping any of us from running our mouths the second we step outside?"

"The promise will be binding," Lila said simply. "Even if you wanted to tell someone, you wouldn’t be able to."

Violet, Ivy, and Daisy exchanged uneasy glances. But then, they had no choice.

Daisy was the first to cave. "Screw it, I need to know," she muttered, stepping forward eagerly. "So how do we do this?"

Lila extended her hand. "We say the oath, then we slap each other’s hands to bind it."

Daisy squinted at her, unimpressed. "That sounds stupid."

"Try it and see."

Shrugging, Daisy took Lila’s hand, and the ritual began.

"Do you, Daisy Fairchild, swear to keep my identity a secret before the heavens, the earth, and the elements?" Lila intoned.

"Agreed," Daisy said.

They slapped hands.

The moment their palms connected, a shockwave of energy pulsed through Daisy, causing her to jerk back with a startled yelp.

"FUCK!" she exclaimed, shaking her tingling hand. "That is some serious voodoo shit!"

"I’m next!" Ivy declared, practically shoving Daisy aside. She wanted to see and feel it for herself.

The process repeated, and when the binding magic passed through her, Ivy gasped.

"Holy—" She turned to Daisy, holding up her arm to reveal the goosebumps crawling across her skin. "Okay, now I believe it."

Then it was Violet’s turn. She placed her hand in Lila’s, expecting the same electric pulse, but it never came. Instead, the magic wrapped around her like warm sunlight, sinking into her skin as if embracing someone familiar.

Violet sucked in a breath while Lila studied her reaction but said nothing.

Once the oath was completed, Daisy’s eyes were alight with curiosity. "Okay, Lila, spill. What are you?"

Lila’s face lit up. "I think it’s better if I show you," she said with excitement. "Just... don’t freak out."

The three girls nodded, holding their breaths in anticipation.

At first, nothing happened.

Then Lila’s features began to change. Her skin became impossibly smooth, almost luminous, her blue eyes morphing into a striking shade of violet. But the most astonishing transformation came when her rounded ears elongated into elegant, pointed tips.

Violet, Ivy, and Daisy’s jaws all dropped to the ground.

Lila Meadows... was Fae.