Becoming Magical [2]

C H A P T E R - 3 9

"Did you hear the news?" Dex mumbled as Sophie licked open her locker, which tasted like lushberries.

"Which news?" She'd tuned out most of Dame Alina's heartbroken Ode to Alden speech during orientation—though she'd caught the part where Dame Alina announced that the Council had moved the Celestial Festival to outside the Sanctuary, and that there would be a special finale involving the prized alicorn. Like she needed more pressure.

"Fitz and Biana are back at school today."

The two bites she'd taken of her breakfast turned into a rock in her stomach. "Oh."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"It is. It's just also going to be weird, I guess, because I . . . don't "

She'd expected him to whoop and celebrate that he was finally free of the Vackers. Instead Dex sighed and said, "I'm sure they'll come around. I mean . . . I'm still not in the Wonderboy fan club. But—I bet he's a mess right now. The triplets said my family was pretty much chaos after you and I were taken."

Sophie bit her lip. "I'm so sorry they had to—"

"Stop apologizing. It wasn't your fault. None of this is."

She wished she could believe him, but if Wylie was right . . .

She'd know in a few hours. She had one boring session to get through first.

She reached for her history book, but as she pulled it off the shelf a small roll of paper dropped to her feet.

Her heart pounded in her ears as she bent to retrieve the scroll, skipping several beats when she saw the black seal.

The sign of the swan.

"Is that what I think it is?" Dex whispered as she unrolled it with shaky hands.

The message was only two words written in bold black ink.

Patience

Trust

But when she flipped it over, she found a tiny scrap of hot pink paper attached next to another message.

Stop searching for things you are not ready to understand

Wait for us to give your next command

She read the note again—and then again—getting angrier each time.

Were they warning her?

The scrap of pink paper had a tiny unicorn on it, and she recognized the design from her old journal. Which meant the Black Swan still had the pages they'd taken—and instead of giving them back, they'd sent her a warning telling her to back off and wait for them.

Who did they think she was?

Their little puppet.

She crumpled the note, wishing she could fling it across the room but too afraid there might be some crucial clue she was missing.

"Is it bad?" Dex asked quietly.

Oh, it was bad—but not the way he was thinking.

The Black Swan thought they could control her, and maybe that's what she'd let them do before.

Not anymore.

If they didn't want her getting that memory back, then she'd work even harder to make sure she did. She was done with their games and their riddles and their clues. She was going to figure out the truth about them on her own, and there was nothing they could do to stop her.