Mom's fake crying was almost getting on my nerves. "It feels like I just got here and now I have to leave again."

"You'll be back tomorrow," I complained while she continued to try and squeeze the life out of me.

I wasn't actually fighting her, I was letting her have her fun despite not hugging back.

We were back in Dragon Tower and the other parents had already said their own temporary goodbyes. So I was the only one at risk of having my bones snapped.

Mom blubbered some more, it was entirely fake. "I'm going to miss you so much!"

"You're going to be like five miles away."

She stopped the fake crying for a moment, leaning back just enough to look me in the eyes. "But I'm still not used to you being so far away." There wasn't a single tear on her face, but she was giving me her best imitation of a small pleading animal.

"Go. I'll be here in the morning. Assuming you're not late."

"I can be on time when I want to," she lied.

"My sixteen years of living with you tells me otherwise."

"My baby is so mean to me," she complained while letting go of me finally.

"Maybe if you stopped tormenting me, I wouldn't be."

She gasped, hand over her heart like I had blasphemed against all the gods at the same time. The amusement in her eyes gave her away though.

Mom and her games.

"If you are insistent on getting here on time it's best you all head out now before it gets too dark," Vivian commented. My hero.

Mom pouted for a moment. "Oh fine, since you all insist. So desperate to get rid of me. My family doesn't love me."

I rolled my eyes, Vivian just smiled. "We'll see you tomorrow, Lucinda.

"Just remember to stay out of trouble until I get back," she teased with a wink and stepped back.

I shooed her away, "I make no promises."

She laughed. "That's my girl. Goodbye Serafina!" She waved enthusiastically but with no signs of leaving.

She didn't even blink when Larae Owlcourt grabbed the back of her shirt to drag her away. Harmor Fel'Graces also didn't really have a reaction.

And then they were all gone. It was just us Dragons and Vivian.

I let out a long and tired breath. She was gone and I was exhausted.

"So…." Jarec trailed off. "That was Aunt Lucinda."

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I sighed and looked him in the eyes, "Yep."

"You must really take after your father," he continued.

I burst out in laughter. He'd barely had a taste. "You should see her with Dad."

"Is she worse or better?"

"Both." With my parents, it was always both. "I'm going to bed. It's been a long day and have spent the entire thing running around."

"You should both get to bed early, since we'll need to go over what's expected of you during tomorrow's activities since all five of you are signed up for things. I'll see you then." And with that Vivian left out the round door.

"I'm going to get out of this uniform," I announced. I pulled my gloves off, first the right then the left one.

"Heavy is the head that wears the crown." Fethris was grinning from atop the railing.

I narrowed my eyes at him in a glare. This is why they were the best and worst at the same time. "Next year, you're doing this."

He laughed, because he doesn't think I'm capable of follow-through. The joke will be on him next time.

"I look forward to seeing if they pass it to me," he said with a shrug. Like he didn't think it was all possible. "But you're welcome to try and convince the others."

"We can vote for it towards the end of the year," Jarec said with complete delight.

They were already plotting against me. Again. Fine, vengeance was clearly required here. Somehow.

Then the lock clicked on the door. Loudly. There was a rumble around us. It was coming from everywhere. The whole room felt like it was shaking. I stumbled and leaned on the nearest couch for support. Jarec grabbed onto the wall. Fethris has to grip the railing.

Was it an Earthquake?

"Serafina, do you hear that?" Jarec asked once it stopped.

"I don't hear anything. But that doesn't exactly mean a whole lot."

Him and Fethris exchanged a look I couldn't decipher. Oh no.

I opened my mouth to ask what they were hearing but it was interrupted by a terrible scratching sound. A low growl followed. A burst of blue light like a flame.

It looked somehow taller than when I last saw it. Spindly limbs and tattered black cloth. It was rising from the ground, its claws were covered in blood.

Blood?

Not its. It couldn't be. Dead things don't bleed.

That's when I realized where it was.

The spot where we saw Red bleeding out. When she had told me to find the Echo Chamber.

I gasped.

It turned to face me and roared before lunging at me faster than I had seen anything move.

I just had time to put my arms in front of me to try and block.

I flinched and waited.

It was gone, leaving no trace that it was ever there except for the pounding my heart and a scratch on the side of my arm.

I slid down to the floor.

"Serafina!" Jarec called as he got to me first. I could hear the hurried steps of Fethris coming down the stairs.

"I'm fine. I'm fine. You both saw that, right?" I didn't get up and stared down at my left arm. The scratch was light red with small specks of visible blood.

"Yes, what was that?" Fethris demanded.

"A wraith. The one I saw in the attic. Gods it tried to grab me." I was still processing.

"Should we tell someone?" Fethris asked.

"No!" Raising my voice was rare and it startled both of them. "If we tell Vivian she'll either pull us out of here or tell our parents. Mom might pull me out of the school entirely. We can't tell anyone."

"Russel and Celica?" Jarec asked. He had a point.

"Okay. But no adults or anyone who will tell."

Fethris looked worried.

"Look. I'm fine. This'll probably be gone by morning. And we all will be too busy tomorrow. No one do anything drastic until we all get a chance to talk this over after. Okay?"

"Okay," Jarec agreed.

"Fine. But promise to keep us all updated? And if that looks worse in the morning you're going to the healers."

"You know, being dependable like this is why I wanted you to be Representative," I told him with a smile.

He rolled his eyes.

I was lucky it didn't scratch up my uniform. That would have been way harder to explain.

I stood up and ran a hand over the scratch.

Sleep didn't come as easy as I would have liked. I tossed and turned in the dark room. Not even the moon and ocean of stars in the sky giving enough light.

I was in over my head, but that had been true from the moment I chose to take the entrance exam.

I couldn't leave now, there were too many unanswered questions. And I couldn't go back, I'd probably never see any of the friends I had made here again.

I wouldn't even have Ethan anymore. I would be alone with no friends.

I couldn't go back to that.

I wouldn't.

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