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I knew it couldn’t last. Five days without a Purge had been blissful, but that run of luck had come to an end. I tried to clench Genie’s hands, but it was as though I’d fallen asleep on my arms and now numbness spread from shoulder to fingertips. A new symptom, perhaps? I wouldn’t put anything past this curse. I was just a vessel for unleashing beasts into the world… a means to an end.

“My… chest. I can’t… breathe.” I hunched over, my surroundings swimming in a kaleidoscope of color. The straight walls and curved ceiling melted into one, and the seat beneath me felt spongy and strange, like it could twist away at any moment. Panic scampered into the spotlight, sending dark sparks of adrenaline through my veins. Even though I’d known my Purges were inevitable, I hadn’t wanted this one to come. Not here, not on my first real day.

“You can, Persie.” Genie ducked underneath my bent shoulders, so I had no choice but to look into her slate gray eyes.

“Are… they… watching?” I couldn’t stand the idea of having a crowd observe me in my lowest moments. We weren’t children anymore, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t use anything they considered ammunition against me. I didn’t want to be an outcast forever, especially not here, where I’d hoped I’d belong.

Genie shook her head at an awkward angle. “No, it’s just me. Don’t worry, you have nothing to be ashamed of.”

So why do I feel like it’s my dirty little open secret? This was part of me now, and I knew there’d come a time when I had to own it, but I doubted I’d make peace with it anytime soon. With an ability so chaotic and haphazard, how could I? It flat-out refused to let me enjoy one good thing in my life. First my birthday, and now my orientation day.

“I… hate it,” I rasped, as tears sprang to my blurry eyes. “I… hate… it!” I held onto Genie with every ounce of strength I could muster, focusing on the faint lines that crisscrossed her fingers and the chipped varnish on her nails. Anything to keep me anchored in this storm.

“I know you do. I’m sorry I can’t take it away from you or find someone else who can.” Genie’s breath hitched and I saw tears shining in her eyes, too. “But you’re tough as heck, Persie. You can shove this sucker down and show it who’s boss. This is your power, and that means you run the show.”

My tears splashed onto the polished concrete floor.

“I can’t… even breathe,” I muttered, trying to follow Genie’s rhythm. Five seconds in, hold for five, then five seconds out.

She peered up at me. “Can I use some Chaos on you?”

“It can’t… make it worse.” Famous last words, but I was desperate.

A shivering white tendril, hair-thin and barely perceptible, slithered out of her without the need for any hand commands. The glowing thread slipped between my lips and traveled down into my chest. The Air expanded my lungs, and a loud gasp erupted from my throat as I took a genuine breath. After calming down, I realized I’d caused this attack myself. I’d been holding my breath the entire time, panicking like a drowning person, intent on reserving whatever oxygen I had left—a survival tactic that could’ve gone seriously awry if I’d held on a few more minutes.

“That’s it, you gulp down that tasty, tasty air.” Genie smiled widely as my body remembered what it was supposed to be doing. I unlocked the vise that had clamped around my ribcage and drew in breath after breath, letting the adrenaline and anxiety drain from me. The melting world returned to solidity, and my swimming vision cleared.

I laughed like a loon. “It wasn’t a Purge!”

“No?” Genie didn’t sound convinced, but I knew the difference. If this had been an oncoming Purge, the lingering need to expel would still be inside me—a perennial nausea in the pit of my stomach, like those tarry slugs that I’d coughed out in my dream.

“I think I was just overwhelmed. A panic attack, or something,” I replied, my manic laughter subsiding.

“You’ve been through a lot.” Genie rose to her feet and sat next to me on the bench. “It’s only natural that your body wants to go into protective mode. After all this, it probably thinks you’re under constant attack.”

“I couldn’t have put it better,” I agreed. “I’ve been waiting and waiting for my next Purge, and I’ve been waiting for Leviathan to make a move, and I keep thinking someone’s going to comment on me being dangerous. I guess all the stress was bound to take its toll at some point.”

I had Genie, but I didn’t have the rest of my support system within easy reach. I’d come to a brand-new place to follow my own path, with the shadow of my “gift” looming over me. And the transition had been anything but smooth. The joy of finding out I would be studying here had been marred by the news that I was no longer welcome in my own home and couldn’t even go back to fetch my things. Sure, I had big hopes for the future, fueled by a furnace of determination, but I couldn’t quash the idea that all of this would somehow blow up in my face. This morning’s dream hadn’t helped matters, amplifying my worst fears. Since arriving at the Institute, I’d tried to seem okay on the outside so I didn’t stand out as the perpetually nervous weirdo who might blast out a monster at any moment. But, on the inside, mayhem reigned supreme. To say that I was a mess would’ve been putting it lightly. I wanted to find my way through this new world without stirring up any trouble, but Leviathan’s gift had made trouble my middle name.

Genie bumped her arm gently against mine. “Silver lining. No Purge beast.”

“Right.” I tilted my head back against the wall and tried to stick with the positives.

“I just… don’t want to end up in a glass box,” I said, more to myself than Genie.

“You’re not going to.” She turned to me, and I met her earnest gaze. “I realize everything is a bit topsy-turvy at the moment, but you’ve got so many people on your side, Persie. People who won’t let that happen to you: me, Victoria, your parents, Tobe. And maybe I sound like a broken record, but you’ve already taken the first step toward controlling your ability. You made that happen, and if that doesn’t show grit, then I’m a circus clown.”

I smiled at her. “Your cheeks do look a little red, but that might just be the lingering effects of Nathan’s presence.”

She squeezed her eyes shut and clasped her hand to her heart dramatically, making me chuckle. “Oof, you wound me, Persie. I’ve told you, this Atlantean has her romance blinders firmly in place.” One eye peeked open. “But I’m glad you’re cracking jokes. The funnies are the first sign of recovery.”

I really did feel calmer. The tension I’d been holding in my muscles had released, and I’d gone back to not noticing how air came in and out of my chest.

“Thank you for being here, Genie.” I weaved my arm through hers.

She waved a hand through the air. “Ach, where else would I be? Taking elocution lessons in Atlantis, gearing up to take a husband?” Her expression turned more serious. “We’ve been a pair since you were born. A team. And I know you’d have gotten yourself out of that”—she twirled her hand through the air, indicating the panic attack—“even if I hadn’t been here. I saw you during your exam, Pers. You didn’t let anything stop you… Well, until I stopped you.” Sadness flickered across her face, mingling with a smidge of guilt.

“You helped me,” I corrected. I knew she still had some mixed emotions about that day, and how she might’ve messed up my admission into this Institute. But I didn’t blame her at all for stepping in. She’d seen me go all Purgey and had done what any good friend would.

She gave me a grateful smile.

“So, do you think we should catch up with the group?” I said.

With a concerned eyebrow arched, she asked, “Are you sure you feel better?”

“Steady as a rock.” I held out a hand to show the shakes had gone.

“Then let’s go and see what we’re missing.” With my arm still looped through hers, Genie led the way up the hall. I had to lean against her a little bit as we walked, but she didn’t make a point of it, just tightened her muscles so she could bear as much of my weight as I needed. We were our own two-person unit, and we left no woman behind.

Fortunately, the labyrinth of the Institute had decided to be kind. At the end of the long hallway, there was only one route: to the left. We followed it until we spotted the rest of the group in the distance, standing in front of a wall of stained-glass panels that appeared to be in the middle of construction. Half-formed friezes of monster battles, in fiery shades of scarlet, gold, and burnished orange, were arranged around a partially-built archway that gaped darkly.

We were halfway up the corridor when Genie yanked me back. “There they are again!”

“What?” I squinted up at her.

“Those… glowy things.” Her forehead furrowed. “Do you feel sick again? Any chills?”

“No, I feel fine.” I followed her line of sight and froze in wonder. Gaseous spheres of light, about the size of baseballs, bounced around in the rafters overhead, trailing wisps of duck-egg blue, jade green, and lavender. The colors intensified in the center of each dancing light, like a candle flame, though the centers didn’t necessarily match the trails they dispersed; one of the blue lights had a vibrant violet core, while one of the green ones had a center of sunshine yellow.

They mesmerized me as I watched them whirl and somersault above. “What are they?”

“I don’t know, but I saw one before you got sick back there. I thought they might’ve had something to do with it, but since you haven’t gone all pale again, I guess I was wrong.” Genie tilted her head, her mouth set in a curious line.

A few seconds later, they melted into the ceiling, only the mystery remaining.

“Maybe they were dust motes,” I suggested. “Really big ones.”

It wasn’t much of a theory. I’d never seen any sort of mote act the way those glowing orbs had, but light had a way of fooling the eye. And the Institute’s stained glass, inserted into almost every roof, certainly could’ve explained the pretty colors.

“I don’t know. They looked magical to me.” Genie stared at the spot where they’d been.

“Ireland is meant to be teeming with Chaos, right? Maybe it has something to do with that? Residual energy?”

Genie pursed her lips. “Could be. Or they’re a part of the Institute we haven’t learned about yet. Security hexes that patrol the whole place on a loop, that kind of thing.”

I nodded uncertainly. “I think I’ve heard of that before.” Her theory definitely worked better than mine, but those orbs had given me a peculiar feeling of… I didn’t know, it was hard to describe. A magnetic pull, similar to Leviathan’s hypnotic angler-fish appendage. Anyway, they’d disappeared, and it didn’t look like we’d be getting any answers.

We seized our moment and hurried the rest of the way to the group. They had their backs to us, listening to Charlotte as she swept a hand across the gaping archway. It gave us a chance to slot into the back of the cluster without anyone noticing we’d been gone, though it seemed Nathan had noticed Genie’s absence, judging by the relief that washed over his features when we returned. He really seemed taken with her, but I wasn’t sure how that worked in a place like this—was it okay for assistants to have the hots for a student? I guessed so, or he wouldn’t be so open about it.

“This is the future site of the new Monster Repository. Please be mindful that it’s still under construction and try not to touch anything.” Charlotte didn’t even turn around before pressing on through the archway.

Entering behind the rest of the class, I realized why it had looked so dark from outside. Several hunters stood at intervals around the space, working their magic to build this addition to the Institute’s interdimensional bubble. Sacks of raw building materials sat on the ground beside them, and above it all stretched a gargantuan black tarp that blanketed the space below in semi-darkness. In fact, the only light these workers had to see by were a few wall-mounted lamps and the glow of their own Chaos. With their palms up, they drew out the materials and crafted girders from metal and stone bricks, replicating the architecture of the rest of the Institute. They pulled up shards of glass, which formed more of those stained-glass masterpieces. The end products floated up and slotted into place in the grand puzzle of this new wing.

“I’ve never seen an interdimensional bubble being built before,” one of our classmates whispered, though it was too gloomy to see who’d spoken.

Charlotte glanced back. “It’s impressive. Our Magnetons, Masons, and Igneons work in shifts during the day to ensure it’ll be completed by the deadline.” She pointed into the darkness ahead. “Once the main parts are finished, they’ll start on additional rooms for research and testing, and quarters for visiting hunters.”

“Igneons?” I looked at Genie.

“It’s an ability that blends Earth and Fire, to turn things molten,” she explained. “I guess it’s good for glassmaking.”

Nathan and Charlotte led the group through the tarp-covered entry hall, only to stop again where the construction gave way to an enormous open section. Nathan formed a fireball and tossed it into the yawning beyond. It hovered like a flare in the center of the cavernous addition, though the dense darkness seemed to suck away the majority of the light, leaving behind only an anemic glow. Even so, I could see enough. It didn’t look like much had been done here yet. It only bore the metal and glass skeleton of a massive sphere, the bottom half falling away below the precipice where our guides stood. The bones of metal walkways were partially erected, but it was hard to see how far they stretched, considering this sphere provided almost no light to see by.

“Is this where the monsters are going to be put?” a classmate asked.

Charlotte stared out into the sphere. “Eventually, yes. The bubble poles you saw in the old Repository will go floor to ceiling, with circular platforms that run up and down each pole, accessed by these walkways.”

Suddenly, the glowing lights reappeared on my right and fluttered across the tarp overhead. I pulled on Genie’s arm and jabbed a finger upward. Her gaze flitted toward them, her face scrunching in confusion. Charlotte and Nathan appeared to notice them at the same moment, the latter’s eyes widening in surprise as the lights whooshed about the black sphere.

“What are they?” I piped up. “We saw them a few minutes ago, in the hallway.”

Nathan squinted at the pastel trails, watching the orbs twist around each other before they plummeted down into the lower hemisphere and their glow sputtered out into gaping nothingness.

“I have no idea,” he said, after a moment or two. “I’ve never seen them before.”

“So, they’re not security hexes?” Genie called out.

“Not that I know of.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “They could be remnants of a hunter’s magic, maybe. Sometimes, when a magical is powerful enough, they leave shards of their Chaos behind when they die.”

Charlotte cut in, clearly unimpressed by the light show. “If that were the case, I’d have seen them before. I’ve been here all my life. They’re probably just aids for the workers, to help them see.”

“Then why did they just take a nosedive into this… sphere thing?” I pointed out. Hexes could sometimes have a mind of their own, but these orbs didn’t feel like manufactured puffs of light to help with construction.

Charlotte shrugged. “They could be additions to the décor—magical fairy lights. It wouldn’t be the first time some continental hunter decided to spruce the Institute up a bit. We once had a visiting hunter from Paris who decided to try something out for size and wound up turning the whole East Wing pink. And when I say pink, I mean pink. So bright, I don’t think my eyes ever fully recovered.” A hint of a smile turned up the corner of her lips. It was the first sign of personality I’d seen since I first heard her name. “Or it could be students messing about. A prank that’ll burn itself out.”

“Yes, perhaps a joke of some kind.” Nathan took off his glasses and cleaned the lenses with the edge of his polo shirt before putting them back on. “Let’s just hope they don’t let off an eggy stench or start exploding. We had to close the East Wing once, after a student decided to unleash a cloud of gas that made people talk in high-pitched squeaks for an hour. Seeing Ingram try to keep his class together during that debacle… I’ll never forget it.” He chuckled to himself, and Genie joined in. Man, did he seem pleased about that.

“It’s always the East Wing,” Charlotte muttered before weaving through the group to lead the way back. “Anyway, we need to get moving.”

Genie grinned at her. “Where to next?”

Next to her, Charlotte paused. “Wherever you like. Once I take you back to the entrance hall, the orientation is over.” Her ghost of a smile had gone. “But you should keep up this time. Don’t want to be getting lost.”

It was hard to tell if she was concerned or sarcastic. I just hoped she thought we’d been sidetracked back there, by looking at the glowing lights and not by something else—AKA, my mental state. I hadn’t Purged, after all, so it really didn’t need to be talked about. Just some first-day jitters, leading to an all-out panic attack. Nothing too serious… Well, not as serious as a hydra or something worse, like a bahamut or a dragon, loose in the corridors. Who knew what I was capable of Purging?

“No problem.” Genie sounded a touch hurt by the cool response. As the old adage went, never meet your heroes. I guessed Charlotte wasn’t quite what Genie had hoped for. For my part, I wasn’t overly impressed by her general attitude. She might’ve been a talented hunter, but she behaved so coldly to people. I thought it was odd, too, that she hadn’t seemed particularly warm toward her mom and aunt when they were on stage together.

Charlotte turned her attention to me. “I hope there wasn’t an issue?”

“Not at all,” I replied, a beat too quickly.

“Good. I don’t like cleaning up messes.” Charlotte strode on, her frostiness leaving me a little stunned. If she had any idea how painful and taxing multiple Purges could be—on top of not knowing when they’d strike—I’ll bet she would’ve shown more understanding.

Genie gave me a reassuring jiggle. “Ignore her.”

“I plan to,” I mumbled. The rosy sheen had well and truly worn off of Charlotte, judging by Genie’s clipped tone.

No one has any idea what this is like. Becoming a hunter would be the challenge of a lifetime, made all the more difficult by my unique, one-of-a-kind power. I had a lot to learn, and, honestly, I felt like those builders, speeding toward a deadline—if I didn’t figure out how to capture my Purges fast, then there would be messes that I couldn’t clean up. But I’d come to the Institute to prove to myself, and to everyone else, that I was capable. I wouldn’t let Charlotte knock down my confidence before I’d even started.

“I don’t care how many monsters she’s caught, I bet you’ve seen things she’s only heard of in books.” Genie lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Soon enough, you’ll have a grip on this catching thing, and you’ll probably end up with a list of captures longer than anyone in the history of the Institute. Rarer and cooler, too.”

“Maybe. Right now, I’d be happy to just catch one.” We walked along with the rest of the group, though we hung back to bring up the rear. “But thanks for the ego boost.”

As much as I liked to think I could’ve done this alone, I was grateful to have my stubborn friend there with me. After all, I’d almost blacked out from the mere threat of an oncoming Purge. Without her, I’d be on the ground somewhere, willing the overwhelming anxiety away. But, like I’d sworn to my mom, I wouldn’t get in the habit of relying on someone else. I needed to learn to control my emotions and my creations. They were the lynchpin to this whole Purge thing, and it was better to take the bullets out of the gun than to fire at a bulletproof vest.