"Saints, who left the light on, Rena!" Genya shouted.

I bolted upright from shock only for my head to meet the top of the desk, she snorted, "That's what happens when you sleep under desks,"

"Morning to you too," I grunted, rubbing my head.

She was looking at me in shock with the smallest glint of fear in her eyes, "What?" I asked her.

"You need to learn control, your gift got out of control while you were sleeping again," She answered, "What an earth were you dreaming about?"

"Nothing, what makes you think I had a dream," I responded all too quickly, Genya raised an eyebrow at me. In truth I had been dreaming, I'd been having the same dream over and over again every night since it had happened, it occupied her every thought, her every decision.

"Well if you're done lying to me would you ever care to get up, honest to saints I have better things to be doing than dotting you" I just stared at her, "Come on," she scolded. I liked Genya, she treated me normally, unlike everyone else who almost seemed afraid of me, no not of me but my 'father' but a small part of my head still wondered if it really was me that they were afraid of, saints I was afraid of myself.

Once I was dressed I came out from behind the screen and said, "Don't you have anything better to be doing than babysitting me?" I asked her, "Not that I don't enjoy your company, it's just that, don't you have friends you would rather hang out with, like that David fella? I mean I'm more than capable of waking myself up."

I noted that she blushed slightly at the mention of David, she stood up and said, "You know I was about to talk to you about that. See that," she pointed to a small box-like thing with numbers on it and sticks that turned around, "It's a clock," she mentioned when I looked at her in confusion, "I set it so it will wake you up every morning."

I gaped at her, "How? Does it talk?"

She stared back at me in confusion, "No it- have you never had an alarm clock before?" I shook my head, I'd heard of them, but never seen or owned one, "Well when it reaches a certain time, a little bell inside it will go off which in theory, unless you are a very deep sleeper, will wake you up," she explained to me.

"Anyways, stop gawking and go to breakfast, in case you've forgotten the general is taking more time to train you after your lessons with the others today" she reminded me, I had forgotten, one of the maids had told me that yesterday after they had measured me for my kefta.

I washed my face and then entered the domed hall where everyone was starting to get settled for breakfast, Zina and Luka gestured for me to join them in the spare seat beside them, "See you in class," I heard someone say as they punched my arm lightly and quickly walk away, it was Kloldan, I just rolled my eyes at him as I went over to Zina and Luka.

"He soooooo likes you," Zina giggled as I sat between the two of them.

"Ugh- as if" I responded, seriously, a Grisha liking me? No thanks.

"It's pretty obvious actually," Luka chimed in.

"You can't be serious, I've known you for what? A day or two?" I looked at them.

Luka shrugged, "Who knows, mabey he just has a feeling," he mocked.

"Well, Luka do you have a 'feeling' about any girl, mabey Zina?" I imitated.

They both looked at each other, then just started laughing, "No offense Zina, you're great and all but-" he started laughing again, "I'm more into guys."

"Really?!" I raised an eyebrow.

"Ya, is that a problem?" He asked

"No, not at all," I started laughing as well, "Saints I look so stupid right now."

The four of them talked all the way to the school like building, explaining the topic that they were studying, "It's basically, how to properly channel our gift and the history of it etcetera, if you know what I mean," Zina tried to explain to me, "We've only started it so you should be able to catch up, I could come to your room later and try help you if you want?" she offered.

I was a bit taken aback by her offer, "You'd really do that, sure, I mean yes that would be amazing," I responded, "Damn it, wait, the general wants me to train with him later."

"You mean your father?" Koldan asked, if looks could kill he would be on the floor bleeding out beond the help of a healer.

"That's fine, mabey after dinner then, I may or may not also need help with my Shu" Zina laughed.

"You know I learn Shu aswell," Luka put in.

"Luka last time I asked you for help with my Shu I ended up saying things that helped me join Koldan in the stables" she exhaled.

"What did you say?" I laughed, Koldan happily renacted the events of that day for me, I gasped, "Zina!!"

"It wasn't my fault!" she exlaimed, "Luka told me that's what I had to say," she put her face in her hands, "I still need to get you back for that."

As we were all laughing a bell rang from inside the school and we went in. There were large desks all around the room that had books, ink wells and basically everything that you would need at them, in a room off to the side I heard noices of animals like rabbits and mice, I didn't want to think about what they would be used for.

Koldan and Luka went and sat at a desk together while Zina gestured for me to sit next to her at one beside them. The class consisted of some more normal things like mathematics but mainly alot of Grisha theory, I would've been completely lost if it wasn't for Zina, when she saw me struggling she would help me with the occasional Ravkan translation or pass me some of her notes to copy down.

_________________

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"How was your class?" The darkling asked me as I was trying to summon a small ball of light. We were in the same clearing as before.

"Confusing," I responded, giving up on summoning the light.

"How so?" He asked, leaning against a tree.

"You try join a class where everyone is speaking a language you half know," I snapped, "Sorry, I'm just homesick,"

"So that's what's holding you back," he said to himself, I gave him a confused look. "If you are to control your gift you must let go, of both the past and everything you thought you knew,"

"You say that as if it's simple," I scoffed.

"Try it," he said walking behind me, "Just let go, think about your new friends, channel you emotions into your power, let it fill you up and then call on it, one, at, a, time," he whispered in my ear.

I did what he said, talking a deep breath I closed my eyes, I focused on the jokes that I had made with Luka, how Zina had helped me in class, and the little squabbles between Koldan and I.

I pushed my hands together focusing all my joy from these past few days with them into it, when I pulled them apart a blazing ball of light appeared between my hands, I yelped in fear.

"It's okay, it's your power, it won't hurt you," he reassured walking infront of me. It was beautiful the way the light danced around inside of it.

"Now a small challenge," the darkling said softly, he summoned a small ball of shadows in his hand and let it dance around on his fingertips for a moment. "Dont break it, control it, let it float around inside the light."

He put his hand inside the ball of light, and the shadows stayed, but then he took out his hand leaving the shadows inside. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"You have the power of shadows, do as I said." I looked at him for a moment and then placed my attention back to the ball of light and shadows, parallels, opposites, beautifully indifferent.

I focused and the shadows started to come back, a small ball inside the light, I made it dance around, increasing and decreasing in size, I looked up and saw the darkling smiling, a subtle smile, but a smile all the same.

I let both the light and shadows fade, leaving me feeling refreshed and full of energy, "Congratulations," the darkling said, "You're and your power are now one."

Hey everyone, thank you so much for reading this far, this is personally one of my favourite chapters so far as I worked really hard on it, I just love how comfortable Luka felt to come out to Rena and how her relationship with the three of them is growing!! And also we now have control over our power.... for now ;)

There are some days when little scenes come into my head and I write them down to use later in the book and I think I'll be able to use one of them in the next one, anyways I've helled you up for long enough now, enjoy the rest of the book!!

ALSO, 1k reads?? Uh- THANK YOU, this story has grown bigger than I ever thought, you guys are the best!!

To celebrate, enjoy a double chapter post!!

-Sarah (PoshStarfish775)