Page 121 of Class Studies

I panicked. “Something’s wrong with Roisin.”

“Oh, frick no, why would I talk to you?” Mercedes hissed, recognizing my voice.

I clutched Ashe’s phone. “Please don’t hang up! Something’s wrong with Officer Keres too.”

“Something’s wrong with half the frickers at this institute,” Mercedes snapped. “They let out those arseholes who hurt Yasmine. I saw four students today walking around armed with spell rods.”

I closed my eyes, imagining the foot-long stick Officer Keres used to threaten me with. “We’re trying to figure out what’s going on.”

“We?” Mercedes started to laugh but swallowed it. “You’ve got all of them up in your little tower, don’t you? Your little power tower of sluttyness.”

I flushed. Not the best way to say it, but also not true. “Ah—”

“No!” Mercedes yelled. “You, Tanwyn, Beryl, Saffron, and Ashe were all missing in class today.” Mercedes gasped. “And all of Professor Garnet’s classes were canceled! Frick’n fork frick, how do I know you’re not the problem?”

I blinked. “My best friend sounds like a zombie, and I’m on the phone with you trying to figure out what is going on?”

Mercedes snorted. “Right, you're dumb as a pile of bricks. Hand the phone to Saff.”

I flinched away from her insults but did as she asked. As soon as Saff answered, screaming came out of the earpiece. He held it away from his ear. Calmer, Mercedes said something else, and Saffron passed the phone to Ashe.

With some trepidation, he put the phone to his ear. No screaming came out, and he immediately smoothed his list and ticked off names.

I turned back to Damon’s tome, taking calming breaths.

Saffron joined me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. “You’re not whatever Mercedes said to you. She’s still.…” he trailed off, his gaze moving to my tablet. “Your scale’s in the administrative offices?”

I pointed at the red dot. “I guess.”

Saffron let go of me and picked up my tablet. “Beryl, you messaged Nitis, right?”

Beryl joined us at the worktable. “He doesn’t know what’s going on.”

“Where is he?” Saffron asked.

Beryl looked at his phone. “He didn’t say, but I saw him on the security feeds leaving our back entrance to the portal.”

Saffron released my shoulders and focused on the tablet. “Nitis doesn’t have Aphy’s scale.”

The dot started moving.

“Shit, can you fucking follow her?” Ashe yelled into the phone.

Officer Keres bucked, struggling in his bindings, and Vac madly barked. I looked through my AMCM again, and the muddied rainbow appeared. Maybe I needed to clean the glass again. I pointed the device at Tanwyn, and my colors sparkled. Frowning, I poked at one of the dust spots that would never disappear on the glass surface.

I froze. My magic was still in him, but something—or someone—had made it dirty.

Before I could lose my nerve, I stood and walked over to Officer Keres. His sweaty forehead shook under my palm, but I leaned against him and closed my eyes. When I’d made Ram, I removed his magic and replaced it with my own. If I could do the same to the mud, I’d have control back. I pictured Officer Keres’ rainbow and imagined the brown stain peeling back from it.

“Kitten,” Ashe’s voice sounded distant.

With a final breath, I pushed. A wave of hot power washed down my arm and through my hand, ebbing itself into Officer Keres. I sang as my magic filled me with joy. Creation, like Ram, I could give Officer Keres a better life.

Someone slammed into me. Pain bloomed in my side as I flew, landing in a pile under Professor Garnet.

The professor grabbed my shoulders. “Aphy, control.”

He flipped us, so he wasn’t crushing me anymore, and my breaths came out in gasps. My joy turned into terror. I’d started making another zombie, and I’d loved it.

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