The Opal Witch

Epilogue

Lux

"Ugh, I have Ms. Byron for Chemistry. Everyone knows that old bat has it out for me because I'm a cheerleader. Some prank they pulled on her when she was a kid."

"It doesn't have anything to do with you starting a fire in the lab freshman year during physical science?"

Lux took a deep swig of her drink as Travis and Sara Elizabeth started the third fight since lunch began. It was just like old times, except now there was a twinkle of affection in their eyes as they tossed insults at one another. Fighting was their love language.

And other things were different. Ruby sat beside Lux, her stubbed nose buried in a book on arcane magic. Her hair was bright pink- a benefit of mastering the glamour spell, and her clothes, while still black, were of a more flattering cut. She said she only changed her style to shut Sara Elizabeth up, but from time to time, Lux would catch her eyeing herself in the mirror, her fingers dancing across the lace edges of her tops and skirts. A quiet confidence had replaced the surliness she'd once worn like a shield.

They wedged Brooke between Travis and Sara Elizabeth, amusement etched across her face as the two grew louder. Every day the hard lines of grief faded. Lux knew they'd never be gone entirely, but getting answers had started the healing process. Corinne's appointment as a guardian of the Grail didn't hurt matters. Brooke spent most weekends on the Godelieve estate visiting her sister.

Audra didn't attend school with them. She'd completed her G.E.D. a year ago and preferred to spend all of her time training in the Craft. It made getting to know her difficult, but her knowledge had saved them on more than one occasion. Lux thought of the ritual they'd performed on Lughnasadh, just two weeks ago. Without Audra's knowledge, they would've failed. The young air witch's training far exceeded anyone in their group- even Memaw, who was self-taught.

"What's on your mind?" Declan slid onto the bench beside her as he pressed a kiss against her cheek. She had to resist pressing her fingers to the place his lips had been. Even after a month of kisses much more heated than that, she couldn't control her body's reaction to his touch. Gideon warned her it would become harder- not easier- as their bond intensified.

"Nothing of much consequence," she answered, forcing her eyes to remain on his face and not dart across the cafeteria. Declan wasn't fooled, and his eyes drifted to the person she wanted to go to so much she ached. It was almost worse than the pain she'd experienced without her stone.

Kitty sat alone. Her once lustrous blonde hair was limp and greasy. She'd gained weight and wore ill-fitting clothes to hide it. Not once did she turn her eyes from her tray, shoveling food in her mouth with methodical movements. Students who wandered by her whispered, their eyes wide with shock after witnessing the changes in the girl once voted "bubbliest personality."

"Stop blaming yourself," Declan demanded. He spoke with more venom than Lux was accustomed to hearing in his rumbling voice, but she knew it stemmed from his protective nature towards her as well as his own wounded feelings. Kitty had hurt them all.

"I don't," Lux said, only lying a little. She knew she couldn't be held responsible for what someone else did. Kitty didn't even have the excuse of being held in Daphne's thrall anymore. The Circle had voted to allow her to remain under supervision, but after assisting with the Rite to close the gateway, the earth witch acted out again. It had forced Lux to bind her powers. That was what broke them both.

"Liar," Travis said. She'd failed to notice they'd stopped arguing. Every girl was staring at her now. "You moped for days after the binding."

"It was the right thing to do, not the easy one," Lux responded, her gray eyes thundering. "I'm allowed to be upset. My best friend believes I'm a danger to the world, and I had to rid her of the thing that made her feel special. That's what I feel guilty about."