“Your dad said it would snow. I guess the meteorologist was right,” I said as we trudged through two feet of white.
April, Javier, and Rhonda left deep tracks behind them. Me? Nothing. Ghost perks. The sky was bright, the sun already nibbling at the ice, and the sound of shovels clanked up and down the street.
“They’re right almost all the time,” April murmured. Her voice carried that small tremor—the one that meant she was thinking about Daniel and what waited at his house.
“Aww, look at the bookworms flirting about weather stuff!” Rhonda elbowed me. It actually hurt. Apparently, ghost mode came with full pain receptors.
“What’s a meteorologist, anyway?” Javier asked. Rhonda turned on him like he’d just broken the rules of trivia night.
“Why do you care?”
“It’s someone who studies the weather,” I said, rubbing my side. The two sisters looked like snow twins in their pink coats—April’s gloves purple, Rhonda’s black. Javier waddled behind us in layers of blue and yellow, bundled like a sentient throw pillow. His mom didn’t play with winter.
“I don’t know. Just curious,” he muttered.
Rhonda scooped a handful of snow and threw it. Javier ducked. The snowball passed clean through me.
“Guys, focus,” April said. “Daniel’s house is right there.”
The nameplate by the door read Masters. Convenient, I thought.
“You sure you want to come?” I asked.
“We’re already here.” Rhonda planted her hands on her hips—just before Javier nailed her in the face with another snowball.
“Besides,” he said, grinning, “we’ve seen this magic world. Maybe we’re mages too.”
“I think you’re here because of Rhonda,” I shot back.
“And you’re here because of April.”
Rhonda tackled him into the snow. They rolled, laughing, ridiculous. “At least we’re not hiding it!” she yelled.
April ignored them and stepped onto the porch. She didn’t knock. Just stared at the door, breathing slow.
“You okay?” I asked. Her thoughts fluttered through my head—nervous, uncertain.
“The plan’ll work,” I said. “Oya acts as your Piece, proves you’re not just a rookie. Then Daniel’s mom has to take you seriously.”
“I wouldn’t help my friend hook up with a girl I liked,” Javier said, dusting snow off. Rhonda joined him, quiet now, watching April like she was ready to swing at whoever hurt her.
Patrick’s words echoed in my head. April and I were mages. Maybe Javier and Rhonda too. But Patrick—and Daniel—had both said the same thing: Find Anna Masters. She can keep you alive.
“I’m dating Jessica, remember?” I said. Javier rolled his eyes. Yeah, I’d told him once that I thought April was cute. But Jessica was real. This… this was different.
The door opened by itself.
A tall girl filled the doorway, pale against the snow, shoulder-length blonde hair, jeans, a Carolina-blue vest over white. Lauren. My homeroom partner since forever.
Beside her was Nicole—dark-skinned, razor-eyed, wearing black jeans that sagged and a blue crop top far too thin for the weather. Raven hair, silver piercings, cherry-gum confidence.
Between them stood a woman in her forties, mocha-cream skin and calm, intelligent eyes. A streak of silver ran through her black hair like lightning across night. Beige turtleneck, jeans, quiet power.
She smiled. “You look like you could be Daniel’s brother—or cousin.”
So, she could see me.
Then her gaze softened toward April. “So, you finally came. Better late than never. Come in, all of you. Nicole, Lauren—prepare cocoa for our guests.”
Nicole popped her gum and slouched off. Lauren gave a polite, brittle smile and followed. Seeing them together was like watching fire and ice share a hallway.
Inside was warm, spotless—the kind of place where your shoes already feel like a crime. Rhonda and Javier took the brown sofa by the window. Sunlight reflected off the snow outside, filling the room in gold.
Anna Masters—because that’s who she was—settled into a recliner opposite them. April took the loveseat. I hovered beside her.
“So,” Anna said, folding her hands. “As you may know, I’m Anna, Grandmaster of New Jersey. I imagine Daniel hasn’t told you much.”
Her eyes lingered on April. “Interesting. You read as a one-badge, but your energy… it’s stronger than that.”
No one spoke. Nicole and Lauren returned with mugs of cocoa. Nicole handed one to April, gave me a look, and mouthed, Just don’t like us dark-skin girls, huh? She popped another bubble and turned away.
Rhonda’s jaw tightened. “Call my sister a rookie again, and I’ll show you this D.”
“Rhonda!” Javier groaned. “We can’t take you anywhere.”
April straightened. “Excuse my sister. I’m… different.”
She looked at me. I nodded.
“Oya.”
The air pulsed. Oya appeared—buffalo headdress, robes of burgundy and storm-red reshaped into a crop top and flowing skirt that moved like smoke.
Anna rose, pacing slowly around her. She studied every line, every shimmer of aura, before returning to her chair.
“Hm.” She steepled her fingers. “Two days ago, you had no field at all. Daniel told me about your grimoire, and I told him not to get you involved. Grimoires can awaken power, yes—but without a Piece, that power eats its host alive. Most rookies burn out or die before ever earning a badge.”
She paused, gaze flicking between us. “Yet here you sit, both still breathing.”
Her eyes narrowed, mana light glinting in them. “You and Lonnie are fascinating. You read as Two-Badge mages… yet you shouldn’t exist at all.”