KOTLC Theories And More!!!

LINHS POV

I haven't even read it yet.
Wattpad had trouble loading pictures so I had to scan it all in.

So sorry, I got this in asap. Enjoy. Love you guys. My thoughts will be in the next chapter.

TRUST ISSUES Linh

IS IT ME, OR IS YOUR HAIR EXTRA SILVERY TODAY? Marella asked as she thrust her arms out and snapped her fingers to ignite long threads of searing red and blue flames, which she quickly wove into a floating purple fireball as big as her head.

She nodded smugly at her creation-until it turned white-hot and started to spin. And no matter what command Marella shouted, she colldn't the flames from untangling and lashing out toward her friends.

Maruca shielded herself behind a force field.

Stina dived behind a cluster of rocks. But Linh didn't blink as the fire whipped closer. She just flicked her hand in a small arc, making a wave curl off the shore and drown the inferno in puffs of shimmering mist.

"My mother gave me a set of hair combs yesterday," she told Marella, trailing her fingers through the strands framing her face, which were now silver from root to end. "She claimed she saw them and thought of me. But I know she was hoping I'd use them to pull  NEXT PAGE

my hair back and look 'normal' from the front. So, I melted down the combs and added some additional metal highlights." Maruca whistled as her dome of glowing energy blinked away.

"Wow. My mom gave me side-eye for days after I added this." She pointed to the single blue dreadlock twisted among her other brown ones. "Did your parents freak out when they saw?"

"Oh, I'm sure they're seething right now. But they pretended not to notice. They're good at avoiding confrontation." Linh glanced over her shoulder at Choralmere's elaborate mansion, where her mother had surely locked herself in her studio and was now furiously painting another portrait of her children with plain black hair.

"Well, that's one thing you and your parents have in common," Stina called as she stood, dusting sand off her tunic. "Oh please, spare me the confused eyebrow scrunch. I'm an Empath, remem ber? I've been picking up on all of that bitter fury you keep trying to bury behind half smiles and dodged questions. Plus, you're hiding out at your parents' house-which we all know you hate-instead of going back to Solreef and smacking some sense into your brother."

"She has a point," Marella admitted. "Come on, Linh-we spent weeks plotting ways to get Tam away from the Neverseen. And now that he's back, you're pretending he doesn't exist."

"You won't even answer his hails," Maruca added.

"Can we also talk about the doom and gloom following you

around?" Stina asked, pointing at something above Linh's head. Linh felt her cheeks burn when she spotted the dark gray clouds casting her in shadow.

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She hadn't sensed the storm's presence, or realized she'd been

the one gathering it.

Did that mean her control was slipping? Or that her power had grown once again?

Maruca moved to Linh's side and hooked an arm around her elbow. "It's okay to not be okay. But I think you need to start talking about it." "Not 'it-her," Marella corrected, smoothing a few of the tiny braids scattered throughout her blond hair as she moved to Linh's other side. "And don't act like you don't know we're talking about your brother's new black-cloaked BFF."

The air shifted.

Cold moisture pressed against Linh's shoulders, covering her pale skin with goose bumps as the clouds pleaded for a downpour. "If you need to make it rain, I can shield us," Maruca offered. stretching out her fingers and making sparks of white energy dance across her dark skin.