The Legend of the Eight: The Gifted

7: How Will We Ever Move On From This?

SEVEN: HOW WILL WE EVER MOVE ON FROM THIS?

JANUARY 4KATE DIAMOND

EARLY MONDAY MORNING, KATE WOKE in a pool of her own sweat, clutching her foot in agony. In the bed across from hers, her new roommate Nicole Bradley (Clarion thought it would be best for Nicole to room with someone who knew Mariella well) had a cold washcloth wrapped around her waist, suffering an equal amount of pain.

Sometime around midnight, the girls both woke to a painful burning in their skin—Kate on the top of her foot and Nicole on her hipbone—without any explanation. Someone down the hall cried out around the same time but Kate was in too much pain to move.

She passed out sometime after that and when her alarm went off the next morning, she was slow to wake up. After a bit, she took a breath and prepared herself to look at the injury. She slowly peeled her hand away, opening one eye at a time. And then suddenly, nausea overwhelmed her.

The top of her foot was swollen and red and there was a strange, mark embedded into it. The lines were scabbed over as though they'd been etched into her skin with a razor blade. She stared, trying to make out the shape, and then she frowned. It was a rope.

The rope was tied into a series of knots—she counted eight—and stretched nearly five inches long. She'd never seen anything like it before.

Kate and Nicole didn't talk about the marks—they were identical which Kate knew couldn't have been a coincidence. In fact, they didn't talk about much of anything that morning. It was the first Monday of the new semester which meant it was time for class. Kate thought about skipping and checking into the Infirmary but decided against it almost immediately. Something in her gut told her reporting the mark was a bad idea. Nicole agreed.

To make matters worse, Kate's boyfriend, Cam, sent her a message that he wouldn't be making it back from his vacation in time. He promised to return by next week. Logan Rogers, Cam's friend who lost his younger brother in November, would be returning with him then.

In an effort to combat her compounding frustrations, Kate channeled all of her energy into getting to know her new roommate. The girls became fast friends and Kate learned very quickly that Nicole had quite a few questions about the Academy, the Royal Family, and magic in general.

"So everyone eats all of their meals in here?" Nicole asked as they escaped the bitter January cold and entered the Main Hall. Packs of students swarmed and began peeling off layers of hats and scarves as they made their way into the Dining Hall. Kate loosened a few buttons on her quilted Burberry trench and nodded.

"The North Wing has its own kitchen but people hardly ever eat in there. The Dining Hall is where we eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. Some of the cooks used to work at the palace so the food is incredible."

They walked into the Dining Hall and joined the service line, grabbing trays and waiting their turns. A buffet of breakfast delicacies had been prepared for them—including waffles, French toast, fresh fruit and more. Kate opted for a toasted bagel with strawberry jam and Nicole grabbed a bowl of Greek yogurt with granola and berries. As they made their way to the end of the line, Kate heard a familiar (and ear-piercing) shriek.

"Kate!"

It was Georgia Mae, another senior, standing behind them in line. Georgia was the class gossip and was never seen without her phone or a copy of WoMWeekly. She was often the source of Academy gossip and more recently, had been breathing life into any rumor that put Wil as the mastermind behind the Incident.