Page 51 of A Touch of Darkness

The knockon the door is sharp, followed by Nicole’s voice. “Sylvie? Are you in there?”

I glance at the clock—it’s almost nine at night. My stomach sinks. I’ve been sitting here since I woke up, lost in a haze of books, of spells, or ancient rituals, barely noticing the hours slipping by.

Another knock, more insistent. “We’re coming in.”

The door opens, and Nicole and Rebecca step inside. Nicole looks annoyed, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, while Rebecca lingers behind, holding a mug of tea in one hand and her phone in the other.

“What’s going on?” Nicole demands, her eyes scanning the mess of books and notes scattered across my bed. “You haven’t answered your phone all day. We were about to send out a damn search party.”

“I’m fine,” I mumble, though the hoarseness in my voice betrays me.

“This doesn’t look like fine,” Nicole snaps, gesturing toward the chaotic state of my room. “When was the last time you ate? Or moved?”

Rebecca sets the mug on my desk, the scent of lavender floating in the air, and sits beside me on the bed, her expression softer but no less worried. “Sylvie, we’re here to help. You don’t have to do this all alone.”

I sigh, rubbing my temples. “I know. But this… it feels like something I need to figure out for myself.”

Nicole raises an eyebrow and drags my desk chair closer to the bed, sitting down with a skeptical look. “Why? What are you trying to prove?”

“It’s not about proving anything,” I say, my voice firmer now. “I’ve spent my whole life relying on other people—my parents, Lara, even you guys. But this… this is my fight. I need to stand on my own.”

Rebecca’s brow furrows as she tilts her head. “You can still stand on your own and let us help. We’ve been through this, Sylvie. You don’t have to push us away.”

I meet her gaze, the sincerity in her eyes making my chest ache. “I’m not pushing you away,” I say softly. “But I have to figure this out. I don’t know why, but it feels… personal. Like it’s something only I can do.”

Nicole sighs, her arms dropping to her sides. “Okay, fine. But if you’re going to do this, you need to use every tool you’ve got. Including your magic.”

I blink at her. “My magic? I have no idea how.”

“Yes, your magic,” she says, leaning forward. “You have it, Sylvie. You just need to tap into it. You’ve seen it working. The visions. Lara’s voice in your head.”

Rebecca nods, her expression lighting up with encouragement. “We can help you. We’ve been where you are.”

“You have?” I ask, glancing between them.

Nicole smirks. “Of course. Magic doesn’t just show up fully formed, you know. We both came into ours when we turned eighteen. It took work to get to where we are now, and we have a long way to go, but still...”

Rebecca smiles, her voice taking on a nostalgic tone. “I remember the first time I tried a spell. I was so nervous, I set my mom’s favorite vase on fire.”

Nicole snorts. “Yeah, and I nearly froze my entire dorm room trying to summon ice.” She snorts. “It’s a learning process.”

Despite myself, I laugh softly. “I don’t even knowwhereto start.”

“We’ll help you,” Rebecca says, placing a hand on my arm. “You’ve got so much potential, Sylvie. If you learn to control it, you could use it to help Lara.”

Nicole nods. “You’ve already got the instincts, and that’s half the battle. You just need practice. And that’s where we come in.”

“I may have used some magic earlier,” I admit. “Although I don’t even know how it happened…” I recount the morning, the book, the sentence, the mirror…all of it. Nicole and Rebecca listen in pure wonderment as I tell them about the day. How I kept going back to the one sentence, the virgin blood…

“I didn’t know you were a virgin,” Nicole states rather surprised, and Rebecca playfully slaps her in the arm.

“That’s what you have to say after all of that?” she asks with a laugh. “That’s incredible Sylvie. You are extremely powerful, and you haven’t even started yet.” She stares at me, clearly impressed. But she’s right, I have no idea what I’m doing or how I did it.

“Back to the virgin thing,” Nicole says, and we all giggle. “So what it means is that in order for their plan to work—to rid the world of vampires—you have to be a virgin.” She wags her brows and sits back on the bed. “Seems like an easy fix to me, go get laid.”

Rebecca rolls her eyes, and I stare at her, mouth agape.

“So easy,” I say sarcastically.

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