Jarec was staring at my mother with the most apprehensive look I had ever seen on his face. Like he wasn't sure how we had gotten here.

Mom was humming to herself as we walked through the school.

"I know you said you take after your dad, but…" Jarec whispered to me.

"She's always like this. You get used to it," I whispered back.

Our moms probably heard us, but it wasn't like he could use telepathy with me.

"Any thoughts on where she's taking us?" He asked a little bit louder. He kept glancing at his mother who was quiet as she walked next to Mom. A very thoughtful look on her face.

Were they having a telepathic conversation?

"I have no idea. There's something she wants me, or us now I guess, to see."

"It's not that I want you to see this, I just think it would be good for you. Hecate knows I haven't taught you as much magic as I should," Mom explained as we got to the doors that lead towards Monsters class. "It'll be easier to explain once you see it."

She opened the doors and took a very exaggerated deep breath before stretching out her limbs like she was some kind of flower taking in sunshine.

I rolled my eyes and she giggled when she saw it.

"Gods above, it's been way too long since I've seen these trees. Did I ever tell you that I named you after this forest?" Mom began rambling as she started gesturing around her wildly. "I think the Great Swarm of 1988 happened right over there." She was pointing to where Monsters class was usually held.

Ruby let out a sound somewhere between a sigh and a chuckle, "And Lucinda was banned from taking any Monster Husbandry classes again after that."

Mom's response was slightly manic laughter.

"And that, children was the sound of impending doom for several years of my life." It was Larae. Celica, her brothers, and Harmor were with her.

"Larae! I didn't see you there! Are those the twins? They're so big now! I haven't seen you since you were babies!" Mom's delighted grin made me nervous.

"What are you up to now?" Larae demanded.

I waved awkwardly at Celica who looked slightly nervous and concerned as her mother stomped over to mine.

I was suddenly aware of the very high possibility of seeing my mother strangled for real.

Mom dodged out of the way of Larae's wrath with a giggle. Like this was a game. At least someone was having fun.

"I'm not up to anything, just taking the next generation to see something important. You and yours can come too if you like. Might even be beneficial to her, seeing as she's going to be spending lots of time with Serafina."

The angry look on Larae's face made me worried that Celica was going to be banned from being my friend.

Then again, Celica seemed the type to ignore a demand like that.

And it wouldn't be the first time a friend's mother deeply disapproved of me.

Larae crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes in suspicion, then her face changed to shocked. "You're taking them to the tree."

Why did she sound a little horrified?

Mom waved her hand dismissively. "It'll be a good learning experience, and they are here to learn."

"Are you trying to scar your daughter for life?"

Mom's jovial tone vanished, "Don't worry, it's a little late for that."

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I scratched at my left wrist and tried not to look at either of them.

Celica was looking at me and her eyes darted to the motion. Then she gave Jarec a look that I was certain meant she was communicating with him telepathically.

I hated being out of the loop.

"Actually Mother," Celica said out loud. Larae stopped glaring at my mother and turned to her daughter. "I think I want to see what it is Mrs. Stewart wants to share."

What? Why?

"Mrs. Stewart? How formal. You can call me Lucinda. Formality is for people who Serafina doesn't speak fondly of."

"You're not running off with Lucinda without me, young lady. Harmor, you and the boys can handle yourselves for a bit, yes?"

"Don't forget we start meeting with the professors in an hour," Harmor responded.

"Of course darling, we'll be right back."

Celica, Jarec and I stayed back while our mothers led us through the woods.

Holly trees and forest life was blooming around us.

Mom was humming again. The tune sounded familiar. Her hands trailed on tree trunks and bits of foliage. Spots of yellow light floated around us like moths.

"If you're not trying to scare anyone, why bother with this Lucinda?" Larae asked.

"Not everything she does is a scheme," Ruby commented.

"Then answering the question shouldn't be so hard."

"It's…complicated," Mom said. "Serafina is behind enough on her magic studies, and she appreciates more…solid answers to complex questions."

"You mean the prodigy has difficulty teaching her own child magic?" Larae didn't sound convinced by Mom's answer.

Both Celica and Jarec seemed to have the same thought at the same time. At least, judging by the identical looks they exchanged and pointed looks away from me.

Pretty hard to teach magic to someone who has a curse preventing her from casting.

I rubbed at the curse mark.

"Serafina may not have my aptitude, but she's making great strides here. Of course, they settle for nothing less than the best here," she turned to me and winked.

"Serafina's the only person in Alchemy I can stand," Celica said.

Was that…her idea of a defense of me? Or maybe it was a way to change the topic?

"It's probably why Celica's been so patient with me. I doubt anyone else would put up with it."

Outside of Ethan, very few classmates had.

That made Larae stop and turn to look at me and her daughter with a look that confused me. "You know, she described you as a delight earlier."

Celica looked stunned for some reason. Did she expect I'd say bad things to her mother behind her back?

"What are you looking at me like that for? There are a lot of people, most of which from your former Tower, that would be way, way worse to have as an Alchemy partner. Most of that class hates me. And almost every Kraken I know despises me. The representative tried to have me removed by force. You are a ray of sunshine by comparison. Even with my most ridiculous bullshit."

Celica's face turned a little bit purple. "H-How can you say something like that with a straight face? You can't just say that! I have a reputation!"

She also had a Pixie girlfriend.

"Serafina says everything with a straight face, she barely emotes," Jarec pointed out.

My cousin was both rude and a traitor.

"Would you feel better if I said sometimes I'm still annoyed at you for the whole representative thing?"

"Yes, actually!"

"Larae," Mom gasped, "look! Our daughters are best friends!"

Larae didn't look happy about that.

Celica looked outright offended at the insinuation. I wasn't sure I would use the term, 'best friends' but she didn't have to look like she swallowed a salt cube.

"You probably shouldn't be antagonizing her," Ruby tapped Mom on the shoulder.

"But I've missed this! And the kids are cute together!"

"Then maybe you shouldn't have stayed away for so long," Larae accused.

"But," Mom whined and complained, this time a mix of genuine and fake distress, "but it's complicated!"

Yeah, probably trying to show off her unable to use magic daughter to magical society was less than ideal.

"And it worked out in the end," Mom defended, then she glanced at my hand, "mostly. We're working on it."

Larae grumbled to herself. "Lucinda. We're here."

Mom snapped out of her playful mood and put her hands in her jacket pockets. "I never told you the story of how me and the others got away from the old windbag."

I felt a slight chill in the air. I had barely thought about it. Growing up, I had always assumed Mom never talked about her family because of their dislike of Dad. But knowing what I knew now, it was clear that there was far more to it than that.

How would you tell your daughter that her grandfather would probably hurt her if they ever met? Maybe even try to kill her?

I found it very hard to be mad at Mom for staying quiet.

"Merripen was talking to one of his goons, I think he was annoyed it was more than just me that had been taken. I didn't know where we were. Ruby was unconscious and bleeding. I remember hearing someone say, 'get rid of the others'. All I knew was that I needed to get everyone out of there. I tried to focus on the school, on the trees and towers."

Mom was stiff as she spoke and then she knelt down by a tree.

"Serafina, come here."

I went over to where she was kneeling and sat down on the forest floor.

That's when I saw it.

There, burned into the bark of the tree, was a handprint. Deep blue in color and looking all the part of a scar in the wood.

"I wasn't much good at teleportation magic. But it's amazing what you can push yourself to when someone you love is bleeding out next to you. We wound up here, in the middle of the woods. I had used so much magic I was glowing, everything I touched became permanently stained. Including this tree."

I stared at the handprint while trying to figure out why Mom wanted me to see this. Then flashes of green danced across my eyelids. Green, blood like liquid had leaked out of my curse multiple times.

No.

When the curse leaked like that it was blood.

My blood.

Stained green from the intense amount of magic from the curse.

"It was my first brush with magical exhaustion. And my first awakening," Mom rustled my hair again.

"You then spent a week in a coma," Larae added after a few moments of silence. "And when you woke up you declared all of us friends for life."

"And it worked because we all knew that no one else would understand what we went through," Ruby said.

I remembered that day outside Dragon Tower. The first school paper, the rumors, the whispers.

I scratched at the curse.

I had a lot more to think about when it came to this curse.

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