Awakened (Unbound, Book 3)

Chapter Thirteen

"I told you, there's no better place to train. Even the energy from the outside community rises to aid us."

"But..." I shook my head. "This... All I saw from the outside was towers. Grimas is one story. This shouldn't—it's not possible."

"Glamours are awesome, aren't they? I'm not great at them, but man... I wish I was."

Remembering the boy who had used a glamour to look like Calin made me cringe. After reading the book from Zachariah and getting almost all my memories back, I'd tried remembering what I felt by the pipes without success. The magic Duvessa had used in the café and library eluded me, too. Had I been too weak? The only magic I could remember sensing was the glamour placed on the boy, which meant I had to begin all over. Keep trying to sense everyone until something rang true for the glamour and the pranks.

But as Brad said, what better place?

"The layout is the same as the first floor, though the practice room replaces the cafeteria and the potions lab is where the office would be. The gym area is where our tests are taken, which indicate our skills."

Except for me.

Finally, a perk of not being graded.

"So, explain how this works."

"Well..." He glanced down. "Think of it as a two-tier wedding cake, just the top layer is invisible. Now you know it's there, you'll be able to see it from outside."

"Wedding cake?"

He nodded.

"Where's the bride and groom on top?"

"Oh, that's us."

I raised my eyebrows and he blushed, ducking his head. Brown eyes peeked out from behind thick eyelashes to meet my gaze, and I smiled. Calin had ruined the possibility of me becoming attracted to someone new—that couldn't happen when I could still feel our connection like he was a blip and I was a radar screen. But Brad was cute, every bit as intelligent as Maible.

He cleared his throat. "Well... Not us. Maybe, think of it as an open marriage."

Laughing, I shook my head and dug my schedule out of my pockets. The halls were already emptied, and the strength of magic being used felt like a kick to my gut, which radiated outward from the blow with tingling sensations. I passed the paper to Brad.

"So, where is Room 368?" I looked sideways. "Why does it start with three? Downstairs is one, so this should be two."

"Where would the pillars holding the top layer up go then?" He smiled and read my schedule, then handed it back and looked to the right. "Come on. At least you'll make a grand entrance now that we're both late."

"Sorry." I looked down to the floor and hurried to follow, my heart racing to catch up. Rounding the corner, Brad stopped and pointed at the third door down.

"Room 368," he said. "Ready for an enchanted debut?"

My stomach knotted, but I nodded. "Never better."

"Okay. Well, if you need any help, I'm in 304, which is WC-7." He began walking away backward. "We should do this again."

I nodded, swallowing. "Definitely. Uh, thanks for..." I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Is it cliché to say thanks for everything?"

He shrugged. "Don't know. See you soon."

Brad turned and walked away. As he rounded the corner, my fight or flight response kicked in. The moment he disappeared for good, I gave in and fled, racing to the nearest bathroom. If it hadn't been the same layout, I never would have made it.