r

ng, old metal and forgotten power. Like someone had

supposed to b

eep students out of the interesting places. The condemned alchemy lab

if I was honest, the fact that this place hadn't been sanitized for

s I pulled the heavy door shut behin

ti

ldn't be

iffe

r the far bench, low, flat, and unr

rately, in response as I th

was dark and long enough to pass for a uniform, but not one I recognized. And his face, stone-cut angles,

e I wasn't in the mood to be interrogated

move. "I a

the way his stare scraped across my skin.

houldn't be here," he said again, sl

at him in defian

s diff

it was, it

aiting, as I had the sudden sense that if I made the wro

to report me, or are we just going to gl

like I p

e far wall without another word. Not tow

w a broken flask at his back. Not because

exactly how much space he too

, not looking at me. "They abandoned it when on

y," I said.

d once.

e, but that was

r the last few days. The journal I'd been using was still there, tuc

muttered, opening the book, "Or i

alk," he s

tion," I replied swiftly, but re

thing, amusement, maybe, but it vanish

the urge to draw these twisting lines of sigils I didn't remember learning, shapes that felt familiar

, and he stepped closer to l

those?"

definite reason. "No, I

e could see more. "Do you have a name," I said, "or

e for a beat t

y other details, like that wa

't, tho

," I

and we didn't speak again for a long while. Eventuall

he'd done it a thousand times. The air around him shimmered faintly when he murm

much was obvious even to a newb

en a chime echoed faintly through the

didn't even rush or struggle to finish

. He didn't bother to suggest that as he bounded away, probably to get

just enough to meet my eyes. "You should stay out of place

threat?" I a

rrected, leaving n

he wa

lie was already asleep, or pretending to be, caus

t the thought wouldn't leave m

h

upposed to meet him like that. Like maybe something had sh

assed the student board on

ssip flyers, hand-drawn portraits that

little hearts sketched in the ma

Mar

ritten in glitte

Cold, Cursed, and Com

rough the process of processing the n

hought to my