The next morning, the girls got up, got dressed, went to classes, and completed their school day by meeting the boys in the infirmary to visit Grey. When they got to Grey’s room, she was sitting up in bed, but still looked weak and tired.

“Hey, you’re awake!” Finn said, excited, but quietly.

Grey just nodded and leaned back into her pillow. Emily looked over at the clock and remembered that she had a meeting with the vice principal soon.

“I have to go, I have something to do. I’ll see you all later.”

She walked off and made her way to Mr. Grayson’s office. When she got there, she told his secretary that she had a meeting with him and she led her into his office, leaving the two alone.

“Please sit, Ms. Rhodes.”

Emily took a seat in one of the chairs opposite his desk.

“I’ve asked you here to speak with you about the events of yesterday.”

Emily was a bit nervous, but it didn’t show on the outside.

“I told you yesterday that when I wanted to speak with you that you weren’t in trouble and you’re not. I wish for you to first tell me what happened yesterday.”

“Alright, Sir, we got up, went to classes, then we went back to our dorm and Grey wasn’t with us. We usually all meet up after our last class and walk back to our dorm together, but we figured she was either meeting with her teacher or stayed behind in the greenhouse to do something. We waited for her, but she still never showed up, so we went to go see Reed, Finn’s friend, and Jake, my-” she wasn’t sure what he was to her, but she continued, “my friend, and we asked them if they wanted to come along so we could try and find her. They agreed and we split up into groups in hopes of finding her faster. Jake and I came upon this boy in the forest and we could sense two earth type signatures. We knew one had to be Grey and we found out that the other one was the boy. We began talking and he said something about me and the others, excluding Reed and Jake, being part of something he called a ‘perfect set.’

Mr. Grayson’s eyes went a little wide at the mention of the ‘perfect set.’ Emily continued on with her account.

“He said he wanted the powers they possess. I was confused, not knowing what he meant, so I asked him where Grey was and what a ‘perfect set’ was. He insulted me and told me Grey was ‘hanging out’ with him. We had no idea at the time that that meant she was underground. I got a headache and I must have passed out because then I had the strangest experience. I was in my house and I met a ram in my room. He told me I had to name him and then he told me to hold out my hands. A scythe appeared in my hands and he told me that I had to give a name to the scythe as well. I named the ram Malachi, or Mal for short, and the scythe Flare Bolt. I woke up and the boy was flinging rocks and dirt around. The others showed up and we began to defend ourselves, as at that point, the others were just dodging. Finn then ran off to go get you and then you know the rest, since that’s when you showed up. You said the boy’s name was Dunstan Simms and then all of a sudden the earth broke and Grey appeared on the back of a giant elephant.”

“Ah, yes. That ram and Ms. Iris’s elephant are what are known as Guardians. They will serve to protect you until the end of your lives, at which point, they will protect your children and the cycle will continue. Your Guardian resides within your pendant and we have yet to determine where Ms. Iris’s resides. Your Guardians also will help you summon your weapons in battle. Yours is the Flare Bolt scythe and Ms. Iris’s is the Quaking Metal gloves and boots. We still do not have any word about Ms. Luna’s or Ms. Aurora’s Guardians or weapons. These are advantages of being part of the ‘perfect set.’ There’s more you should know about the ‘perfect set,’ but I believe that’s a conversation for all four of you girls. Your true abilities are beginning to show themselves now. There’s a reason your Guardians are coming to you now, but you, Ms. Iris, Ms. Luna, and Ms. Aurora will learn the reason in another meeting after Ms. Iris is out of the infirmary. Please feel free to also invite Mr. Morales and Mr. Skylark to our meeting, since they appear to be members of your little group.”

“I’ll do that, Sir.”

“Good, thank you, this meeting is over, you are free to go.”

Emily nodded and left his office and went back to the infirmary. The others were still in the infirmary and Grey was awake. It looked as though she had fallen asleep and gotten some rest while she was in her meeting.

“Is everything alright?” Jake asked her quietly, so as not to disturb Grey, who was now talking happily with Finn and Aurora.

“Yes, Mr. Grayson just wanted to see me in his office concerning what happened yesterday. I told him everything prior to him showing up and he requested another meeting with all of us some time after Grey got out of here.”

“Well then, there’s the good news. Nurse Rayne was in here checking up while you were gone and she said that Grey looks good to go, so she should be released within the next couple hours. I was thinking we could get dinner or something, if you wanted to. I don’t know how long they’re going to be and if they’ll want to stay with her after she’s released.”

“I’m sure they will, and I suppose dinner would be fine.”

“Great, I’ll come by your dorm around 6:45 and we’ll head to Sendry from there.”

She nodded and awaited the news on Grey. Soon, Nurse Rayne came in and looked over Grey one more time. After looking her over, she released her and told her to just continue resting. She thanked the nurse and her, Finn, and Aurora walked back to their dorm, leaving Reed, Jake, and Emily standing in the now empty infirmary room.

“Well, I think I’m going to head back to my room too,” Reed told Emily and Jake before he left, leaving them alone in the room.

“So, what now?” Jake asked Emily.

“I don’t know, maybe I’ll take a walk before dinner. Yes, that sounds like a good idea, I’m going to take a walk around campus, maybe go to the library. Would you like to come with?”

“I’ll come with you to take a walk, but by the time we finish walking, it’ll probably be time to come back and get ready for dinner.”

“Then let’s go.”

They walked out of the infirmary with a wave and a smile to the few nurse’s staff members and walked outside. They made their way into the forest and sat down near the fire pit.

“It’s nice here. I never thought it’d be so nice out here in this little area, but it is. I like it here.” Emily told Jake, who was sitting on the log next to her.

“Yeah, it’s nice and peaceful out here with the lake, almost romantic.”

Emily’s breath hitched at the mention of romance. Despite her best efforts to hide the feelings raging inside her heart behind walls she built up around the beating organ, those walls were now threatening to crumble. She couldn’t let them crumble, she had to find a way to keep her walls up. She was determined not to give into the feelings she knew were residing in her heart. She wasn’t a romantic person, she wasn’t touchy-feely, she didn’t usually entertain warm and fuzzy feelings, but this was different. It felt different somehow, like if she didn’t get the feelings out, then the walls would burst apart under the strain. She was scared to get her feelings out and what it would mean if they got out.

“Are you alright?” Jake asked her worriedly.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Her pendant glowed and she looked down at it. Suddenly, Malachi appeared in front of the two.

“Malachi, is something wrong?” Emily asked him, immediately going on the defensive.

He didn’t answer her. Instead, he nudged her toward Jake none too gently and she fought to keep her balance. Jake wrapped an arm around her shoulders and another around her waist to steady her and keep her from falling. She thanked him, trying to hide the small blush on her cheeks, and turned to glare at Malachi, but he had already disappeared back into her pendant. She began muttering about stupid rams and minding one’s own business when she was interrupted by the sound of Jake’s voice.

“Is everything alright?” He asked with a hint of humor in his voice.

“Everything’s fine, I’m just a little miffed at Mal because of what he did. That ram should mind his own business and not get involved in my affairs,” she began rambling, but didn’t really care as she continued on, “We had this discussion in my head about me being scared by romance and everything because he thinks we like each other. He gave me this quote by Eleanor Roosevelt that I had heard in school about having the courage to do the thing that you’re the most afraid to do. He said that he can see into my heart and he can apparently see that we like each other as more than friends. I told him we’re just friends and that’s it.” She breathed heavily, having not really taken a breath since she began her rambling.

Jake looked a bit downcast at the revelation that she told Mal they were just friends, but he really liked her and he wanted her to know. He just didn’t want this time to be like the time in the gym where they had their argument, plus, he felt a little pleased with himself to see the small blush on her cheeks that she was trying to hide when he placed his arms around her. He realized she was still in his arms and all he had to do was pull her a little closer and just confess it all to her.

“Emily, I—” She cut him off by placing a finger on his lips.

“Shh, do you sense that?”

“Sense what?” He spoke around her finger, which was dangerously close to slipping inside his mouth.

“I sense three power signatures, one air, one water, and one fire. I don’t think it’s Finn and Aurora, because they wouldn’t leave Grey alone after what happened to her. It has to be someone else.”

He nodded but knew that if he never got his feelings for her out, then he never would.

“Emily, I need to say something.”

“What is it?”

“I…look, I’ve been having these feelings for a girl for some time now, and I know that if I never get those feelings out in the open, then I never will. These feelings for this girl, I love this girl, Emily. We’ve only known each other for a short time, but I’ve fallen in love with her. She’s beautiful, she’s brave, she’s…she’s something else. I don’t know how to describe it, but I’m completely and totally in love with this girl, and I want her to know how I feel about her.

Emily tried not to look too saddened at his words, even though she was feeling scared. She tried to keep her mind focused on the three mystery power signatures.

“Then why don’t you tell her that. I’m sure she’d be pleased to hear it.” She said, with a hint of icy coldness to her voice.

He spoke softly as he began to lean in.

“Em, I just did. The girl that I was telling you about, she’s you. I know we’ve only known each other for a short time, Emily, but I’ve fallen in love with you and I can’t hide those feelings anymore. I know you’re afraid to love, I know you’re afraid of romance, but we can face it together. Together, we’re strong and we can face anything that comes our way. I just wanted to let you know how I felt about you. Emily, I know it scares you, but I’m going to kiss you now, if that’s alright with you. I don’t want to force you, so you can push me away at any time—” He was cut off by a warm, wet pair of lips on his own.

Emily had had enough of his rambling confession. When he called her out on her being afraid, she began crying. She hadn’t cried in so long that she forgot the feeling. She was so overwhelmed by her feelings and the fact that Mal was right about her feeling something other than friendship for this boy. There was something about Jake’s words that made her understand a little more about romance. She’d started crying because she’d been strong for so long that she forgot what crying felt like. Her wet, hot, salty tears dripped down her face, pooling at her lips, coating them with moisture as she leaned in meet him halfway. She didn’t know what possessed her to cut him off with a kiss, but once she allowed herself to experience romance and not be afraid, she had to admit it was a nice feeling. They stayed in their lovers’ embrace until they heard branches being broken and the sounds of footsteps coming closer. They pulled apart and awaited their visitors.

Soon, three people came walking into the clearing where Jake and Emily were. Two were females and both had blonde hair, one with blue highlights, and the third person was a tall male with brown, spiky hair and slightly darker skin. Emily recognized the people immediately. Kari was easy to remember, but the other two, she recalled, were the two she saw at the pool that day.

“Hello Emmy.” Kari said, smiling.

Kari’s smile wasn’t lost on Emily. She saw something behind that smile, something dark, something like Dunstan’s. There was malice behind that smile and she knew these people weren’t good news.

“Kari, could you please refrain from calling me Emmy? I despise that nickname.”

“I know! Why do you think I call you that?” She said, giggling.

Emily really didn’t like this girl. She untangled herself from Jake and stood up.

“What are you doing here and who’s your little posse?”

“Please forgive me for not introducing my friends to you. These two are Brooke Mizushima and Agni Singh.” Kari told her, pointing to the blonde, half-Japanese looking girl the other girls had seen at the pool, and the Indian boy they had seen with her.

“What are you three doing here?”

“I heard from Dunstan that there was someone who was meddling around in his affairs. That person wouldn’t happen to be you, Emmy, would it?”

Emily gritted her teeth at the sound of that most hated nickname flowing from her lips.

“I was looking for a friend. He happened to be there where the trail to her led. He attacked me and my friends, so we defended ourselves. He hurt my friend, I couldn’t let that go unpunished. He had a nice conversation, from what I hear, with the vice principal.”

“He did. He had a nice conversation with him alright, he got expelled!”

Kari exploded in anger. She was raging on the inside and was looking for someone to take her rage out on.

“That’s not my fault. He shouldn’t have kidnaped my friend and attacked us and he wouldn’t have gotten expelled,” Emily calmly explained to her.

“It is your fault! He was just going about his business and kidnaped your little brat of a friend and then you told Vice Principal Grayson on him, getting him expelled! Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t unleash my power on you right now, Emmy, one good reason why! Brooke, I want you in on this too.” She smiled evilly as she motioned for her best friend to come over to her side.

Brooke looked Emily over with a sadistic smile on her face.

“I say we should have some fun with her before ripping her apart, don’t you think Kari?”

“That sounds fun. What should we do?”

“I have an idea, leave it to me.” Brooke smiled evilly before turning to the tall boy and spoke to him, “Agni, I want you to knock out the boy with her, then bring him with us. I want him to watch while we break his little girl,” she said as she tightly gripped Emily and dragged her to a standing position.

Jake looked on in horror as Emily was grabbed by Brooke and Agni was walking his way, albeit hesitantly.

“Emily!”

“Jake!”

“Hold on, I’ll get us out of this.”

She attempted to summon Mal to help her, but a hand was roughly placed over her mouth before she could get his name out. She had to fight back, but with one hand over her mouth and one hand gripping her body tightly, she didn’t really have any openings to attack. Then, she thought of one. It would make her captor angry, but it might give her the few precious seconds to break free and fight back. She swung out with her leg the best she could and viciously slammed her heel into Brooke’s legs. She howled in pain for a bit, but she let go of Emily. Emily took that precious time to move away and face her. She moved back by Jake, who wrapped his arms around her protectively. When Brooke got hurt, Agni abandoned his mission to knock Jake out and immediately went to Brooke’s side.

Jake spoke quietly into Emily’s ear, making her shiver a bit, “Emily, I want you to hold onto me tightly. Don’t let go and trust me.”

She nodded and wondered what he was going to do. Suddenly, as quick as the thought came to her, she was no longer on the ground. No, correction, they were no longer on the ground. They were flying! She held onto him tightly and never let go until they were back at the school entrance. They quickly opened the doors and made their way to Mr. Grayson’s office. His secretary was surprised to see Emily and Jake, but once they explained the situation, she led them right into Mr. Grayson’s office.

“Ms. Rhodes, Mr. Morales, what are you two doing here?”

“We were in the forest, relaxing after taking a walk, and three people, two girls and a boy, came and began attacking us. The two girls’ names were Kari and Brooke and the boy’s name was Agni.”

“You ran into Ms. Sands, Ms. Mizushima, and Mr. Singh, and they began attacking you?”

“Kari began talking to me and how Dunstan had kidnaped Grey and gotten expelled for it, so he must have told her about it, then she wanted Brooke to get in on something. I didn’t know what was going to happen, but then Brooke grabbed me around the waist and put her hand over my mouth and told Agni to knock out and grab Jake and they were going to make him watch while they broke me. They also talked about taking us somewhere else, but I don’t know where. I was able to disable Brooke temporarily by attacking her legs and getting her to let me go, then Jake told me to hold on and we flew here.”

“It seems that we need to have that meeting that I mentioned earlier sooner than I had intended. I will take care of Ms. Sands, Ms. Mizu, and Mr. Singh.”

“Agni was following Brooke’s orders, but when Brooke let me go, he abandoned his orders to restrain Jake and rushed to her side. He looked almost hesitant to attack anyone. I think he was only doing what Brooke told him because he loves her. Without her, I don’t think he’s a bad person. Could you please just keep an eye on him, instead of expelling him?”

He considered her statements and question for a few moments before making a decision.

“Alright, Ms. Rhodes, I’ll keep my eye on Mr. Singh, but if he attacks either you or someone else, I will be forced to take appropriate action.”

“I understand, but somehow I think these incidents are only limited to me, Grey, and anyone who’s associated with us. I think it all goes back to this ‘perfect set’ thing you told us about.”

“Yes, they’re jealous. Jealousy is the main motive for all of this, I believe. I will reveal all at our meeting. I think it’s best that you go to dinner now and then gather everyone and meet back in my office afterward.”

“Yes, I understand, Mr. Grayson. I believe I have a dinner…date that I have to get ready for.”

Mr. Grayson smiled and led the two teens out of his office. They walked toward Darwin Hall to get ready for their dinner.

“You really didn’t know if you should call this a date?” Jake asked, laughing slightly.

“You asked me to dinner. Is it a date?”

“You could call it that. Emily, we also need to talk about what happened back there in the forest, but we can do that while we eat. Let’s go back to our rooms and get dressed, then we’ll head to Sendry and eat and talk.”

The two walked to their respective dorms and entered their rooms.

“Where were you?” Aurora asked her.

“In the forest after taking a walk. It’s a long story, but I have to go get ready to go do something.”

Emily walked into her room and began changing out of her uniform. She went over to her closet and pulled out a black turtleneck, a black skirt, a pair of black tights, and her boots and put on the ensemble. She let her hair down and put it back up into a messy ponytail to allow her hair to stay out of her face while she ate. She walked back out into the living room, sat on the couch, and waited.

“So, this long story of yours, do you have time to tell it?” Aurora asked her, curious.

Emily looked at the clock, which read 5:30 PM.

“I have an hour.”

“Well then, spill!” Finn was getting excited and Aurora was still curious.

“Jake and I took a walk into the woods, we sat and talked for a while, and then we came back. He’s going to pick me up in about an hour and we’re going to dinner.”

“You have a date?!” Finn all but screamed at her friend.

She considered the word for a moment and recalled the conversation she had with Jake about their dinner.

“Yes, we have a dinner date.”

“You can’t wear that on your date. Go change into your black and red dress you wore when we rescued Grey.”

“Why can’t I wear my turtleneck? And it’s crimson.”

“It’s a date, Em. Now go change!”

Emily huffed and stood from the couch, then went into her room and changed into her black and crimson wa-lolita dress, black thigh-high socks, and Mary Janes. She returned to the living area and sat back down on the couch.

“Where do you keep your makeup?” Finn asked.

“What?”

Emily was confused by her question.

“Where do you keep your makeup?” Finn repeated.

“On my dresser, why?”

“A little makeup never hurt anyone.” Finn got up and went into Emily’s room.

Emily didn’t think she needed any makeup, it wasn’t as if they were going to a fancy restaurant or anything. They were just going to the cafeteria for crying out loud! Finn came out of Emily’s room carrying the makeup kit she’d gotten from her sister. She started by applying some light pink eyeshadow and she finished with a pale pink lip gloss.

“There, done. You look wonderful now.” Then she looked at her hair.

“I’m also going to redo your hair, which I probably should’ve done before I did the makeup, but oh well.”

Finn disappeared back into Emily’s room and brought out all her hair stuff from her bathroom. She pulled out the ponytail and brushed the hair out. She pulled up half of the hair and tied it off, brushing it out gently.

“There, done. Now you just wait for your date.” She smiled and sat back into the couch.

Emily got up off the couch, carrying her hair stuff and her makeup kit and put them both back in her room, then headed to the kitchen to get something to drink while she waited. She wouldn’t have to wait very long, because a few sips into her glass of water, there was a knock on the door. Finn got up and answered it, letting the person on the other side come in. She led their visitor to the couch and went into the kitchen.

“Your date is here,” Finn said in a singsong voice.

Emily thought her singsong voice was a bit annoying but chose to ignore it.

“Where is he?”

“On the couch.”

Emily nodded and the two girls went back into the living room. Once Jake saw Emily, he stood up. He was wearing his uniform, sans the tie, and it looked like he had put gel in his already spiky hair.

“Are you ready to go?”

“Yes, I am, thank you.”

“You’re welcome, let’s get going.”

The two exited the room and made their way to Sendry Hall.

“You look beautiful, Emily.”

She pouted and blushed, not used to those types of compliments.

“Thank you. Finn insisted on the outfit, makeup, and hair. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have changed clothes, put any makeup on, and my hair would still be in its messy ponytail.”

He chuckled a bit.

“Hey, about what happened in the forest, before the interruption, it was nice and something I don’t regret.”

She thought about their kiss for a moment and how she had been the one to kiss him, not the other way around, like in romance movies or novels.

“I don’t regret it either, but that doesn’t mean that I’m still not scared. I am still scared, but I think I’ll be alright, because I’m with someone I feel safe with. I haven’t been with anyone I’ve felt safe with in my whole life. This is my first shot at this love thing with someone I care a lot about and now I’m more scared that I’m going to screw it up.”

“Hey, hey, we’ll get through this together. I have a feeling we can work through anything as long as we’re by each other’s side.”

“When did you get so cheesy?”

“When I met you.”

They continued on to Sendry Hall and was greeted by the dining staff as they walked into the cafe. They each grabbed a plate of their respective color and loaded it with food. They grabbed drinks and sat down at a table farther away from the other dining students. They ate in relative silence. Emily spoke up, having momentarily forgotten what they talked about back in Mr. Grayson’s office.

“After we finish here, we need to head back and get the others, then head to Mr. Grayson’s office for that meeting he wants us at.”

“I almost forgot about the meeting.”

“So did I.”

They sat and ate in relative silence once more and soon their meals were complete, which meant it was meeting time. Emily stopped by the drink bar to pick up a tea to go, seeing as it would keep her calm during the meeting. She and Jake walked back to Darwin Hall and stopped by Jake and Reed’s room first. Jake opened the door and invited Emily inside. Once they were inside the room, Jake began talking with Reed. He told them about the meeting with the vice principal and how he wanted all of them there, so they should go and get the girls and head to Mr. Grayson’s office. Reed agreed and left with Jake and Emily. They returned back to Room 321 and asked if Grey, Finn, and Aurora would come with them to Mr. Grayson’s office and that he wished to speak to them about some important matters. The other three girls were skeptical but were quickly assured that it was nothing bad. The six teens set out for the vice principal’s office and made it with time to spare before the meeting. Everyone took a seat around the round meeting table and the meeting began.

“Everyone is here because we need to discuss some of our students’ behaviors. It has come to my attention that some of you have been attacked and threatened by some of our older students. I have dealt with these students before and my reasoning for their behavior is that they are jealous.”

“What are we going to do?” Aurora asked.

“I’m going to expel Mr. Simms, Ms. Mizu, and Ms. Sands for their actions. No action will be taken against Mr. Singh for now, seeing as his actions weren’t on the level as the others, as Ms. Rhodes and Mr. Morales described to me earlier. All of you should be careful, as when things like this happen, some people take revenge. Mr. Morales, Mr. Skylark, you should protect your ladies, but be careful, Ms. Rhodes was already attacked once, we don’t need a repeat of her last attack.”

“Yes, Sir. I will do anything to protect her.” Jake told him.

“I’ll do the same for Finn,” Reed told him.

Emily blushed heavily at Jake’s words, so heavy that she resembled a ready, ripe tomato. Her lips were pulled into an angry pout and her eyebrows and eyes were narrowed in a deadly glare directed at Jake. Jake saw her look and just smiled sweetly back at her. She wanted to throw a fireball at him. She was angry at him for agreeing to protect her when she could just as easily protect herself and he damn well knew it! She was about ready to storm out of the meeting but held herself back and stayed in her seat. She didn’t even pull out her cellphone, though she was tempted to text her sister out of boredom. The meeting was later adjourned and everyone left the office to go back to their respective dorm rooms for the rest of the night.