The door clicked shut behind us as I made a beeline for the remote and turned on the TV. The local news stations were all reporting the same thing: the freakish storm hovering over the city.
"To be honest, we've never seen anything like this," a newscaster said. "The storm blew up out of nowhere and is nearly stationary over a large part of Meridian City."
The screen cut to the radar feed, a time-lapse showing the storm starting as a small blot and ballooning into a massive, unmoving purple cloud. It pulsed like it was alive.
I sat cross-legged on the floor and laid the book in front of me. Malcolm sat across from me, watching the screen with wide eyes.
"What are we going to do?" he asked.
"I don't know. I'm going to look through this book again, but we probably won't get answers until my parents get home." They had been studying magic since before I was born. If anyone could explain this thing, it was them.
I took a deep breath and opened the book to the page with the ink stain. Immediately, a gust of wind rattled the windows. A sharp cold slammed into me—through me—making my teeth chatter.
"Did you feel that?" I whispered.
"It's like the wind just passed through the glass." He got up and inspected the window. "Double-paned storm windows. That shouldn't be possible."
He moved to my closet and grabbed a sweatshirt without even asking, tossing it to me like someone who'd done it a dozen times before. I pulled it on, but the chill didn't fade.
It wasn't just cold. It was something else. Like ice had curled up inside my spine.
"I'm really starting to wish I'd left this book alone," I muttered. "If I could go back—undo Duncan's piglet spell, skip the library altogether, pretend this book didn't exist—maybe—"
"Maybe we'd still be clueless about something that could destroy us," Malcolm said. His smile was nervous, but real.
"You're probably wishing you'd stayed in class."
"And miss this kind of excitement?" he said, sitting back down. "I could be at home, hiding in my room while some customer comes to score from my dad, and my mom takes my jeep to blow what little we have at the casino."
I blinked, caught off guard by his sudden honesty.
"I was saving money," he added quietly. "Planning to get out. Start fresh. She found the stash and gambled it. It's like I'll never escape."
"Hey," I said gently. "Look at me."
His eyes met mine.
"I would never judge you for what your parents do. Never."
He exhaled a shaky breath. "Sorry. That just sort of… spilled out."
"Don't be sorry." I shook my head. "They should be sorry. You got into the best magic university in the world on a full scholarship. That's incredible. If they can't see how lucky they are to have you, it's not because you're lacking. It's because they're broken."
He looked at me like no one had ever said that to him before.
I was about to say more when he suddenly pointed. "Mira—look."
The ink stain on the page was rising—lifting off the paper like smoke, but thicker. It slithered upward in slow, sinister coils, and I slammed the book shut just as it reared back like a snake ready to strike.
"What is this thing?" I whispered, my voice trembling. "It looked like it wanted to launch itself at me."
He crouched beside me, concern tightening his features. "When will your parents be back? That thing needs to be sealed. Ward it—burn it—something."
"My bones are freezing," I whispered. "Are you cold?"
"A little, but you're shivering." He grabbed a blanket off my bed and wrapped it around me. "Better?"
I nodded, teeth still chattering. "Thanks." I pointed to a button recessed into the wall. "If you press that, it'll start the fireplace."
"I'd offer to light it with a fireball," I joked weakly, "but we'd end up with roasted rubber chicken for dinner."
He chuckled and moved to press the button. A burst of flame snapped to life, and the warmth began to fill the room—but not me. The chill clung to my insides.
I hugged the blanket tighter. "It's like something's inside me," I said. "Something… wrong."
Without a word, Malcolm sat behind me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. I leaned back into him, and his warmth slowly started to ease the shaking.
"It's going to be okay, Mira," he whispered.
Neither of us spoke for a moment. My heart was thudding so hard I was sure he could feel it. I didn't want to ruin the moment, but it was too perfect not to say something.
"This is nice," he said softly. "It just feels… right."
He was right. Despite everything, I felt safe in his arms. Like nothing could hurt me.
"I'm so sleepy," I said. "Would you think I was weird if I asked you to just… hold me? No expectations. Just that."
He smiled. "I know you're weird. That's kind of the point."
We climbed into my bed and pulled the covers up to our chins. My heart fluttered. I turned to face him, and he reached out, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.
"You're so pretty, Mira. I'm sorry for being mean to you. I was a jerk. I just… I liked you. And I thought you were mocking me. I felt so bad when I realized it really was an accident."
"I would never hurt someone on purpose," I whispered. "Especially not someone like you."
"I know that now."
He leaned in, and I thought—for one charged second—that he might kiss me. But the wind howled again. The lights flickered once. Twice.
Then everything went dark.
From down the hall, my brother's voice echoed, loud and furious. "I was just about to pass that damn level!"
I scrambled out of bed and locked the bedroom door before Micah could come stomping in. When I turned around, Malcolm was watching me with the softest smile.
I crawled back under the covers and curled against him. He kissed my forehead.
"I'm so glad you're here," I whispered.
"Me too."
And I meant it. For the first time since the storm started, the cold had faded. My thoughts quieted. My magic, usually buzzing under my skin like a hive of bees, was finally still.
"No matter what happens," he said, "this is worth it. I feel happy."
I smiled against his chest, my body finally relaxing.
We drifted off, warm and safe in each other's arms—blissfully unaware of the presence watching from the deepest shadow in the room.
Two faint red eyes opened, gleaming like embers in the dark.
.