-Jasper-
The coin feels heavier today.
It spins across my knuckles like it always does, but every turn feels deliberate, weighted, like it knows what's building inside me.
The argument in the music room still echoes in my head, every word sharp, every accusation sticking like splinters under my skin.
You're trying to control her.
You're blind.
She's trying.
I drag a hand over my face, sitting on the below wall outside the training fields, watching the clouds move across the sky, slow and heavy, like a storm waiting to break.
Asher's wrong. Or maybe he's right. Maybe we're all wrong.
Alexia finds me later, Zeus at her side, the dog's ears perking up when he sees me. She's got dirt on her hands and a smudge on her cheek, eyes bright and tired, like she's been practicing again.
She pauses when she sees me, her smile faltering for just a moment before she forces it back into place.
"Hey," she says softly, stepping closer, letting Zeus sniff at my boots before plopping down in the grass.
"Hey." I flip the coin, catching it, watching it glint before slipping it into my pocket.
She fidgets with the edge of her sleeve, eyes searching mine. "Are we…okay?
I swallow, the question sticking in my throat. "Yeah. Why wouldn't we be?"
Her brow furrows, and she lets out a soft breath. "You've been…distant."
I look away, toward the training dummies swaying gently in the breeze, the grass rustling under Zeus's paws.
"I've just had a lot on my mind," I lie.
Her hand brushes against mine, hesitant, warm, and the bond between us hums, soft and alive, pulling me toward her even as I try to stay still.
"I'm trying," she whispers, like she's trying to convince herself as much as me. "I'm trying so hard to control it."
I close my eyes, letting the warmth of her skin seep into mine for just a breath.
"I know," I whisper back.
And gods, I want to believe it.
Later, I find Finn in the courtyard, tension rolling off them like heat, his jaw tight, eyes distant.
"She doesn't deserve this," he says without looking at me.
"I know."
He turns, blue eyes sharp. "Then stop acting like Asher's right."
He scoffs, shaking his head. "You're a shit liar, Jas."
I don't answer. I just let the coin spin in my pocket, digging into my palm like a reminder.
It happens in the training yard, again.
Alexia's practicing, vines rising and curling around her like protective arms as she moves through the motions Sroen taught her. Her face is calm, focused, the chaos in her eyes quiet for once.
Then a loud crack - a dropped shield from across the field - snaps through the air, sharp as a whip.
She flinches.
The vines lash, tearing through the dirt, snapping toward the sound, toward the student who dropped the shield, fast and uncontrolled.
"Alexia!" I shout, moving before I can think.
She's shaking, eyes wide, breath ragged, hands raised as if to pull the vines back, but they're not listening.
I grab her wrist, pulling her back, letting the bond flare between us, letting our steadiness bleed into her panic.
"Breathe," I whisper, stepping in front of her, blocking her view of the vines tearing at the dirt. "Lex, breathe."
Her eyes flick to mine, wild and wet, and I see it - the chaos, the fear, the desperate need to be in control.
"I can't -" she gasps.
"Yes, you can," I say firmly, pressing her hand to my chest, over my heartbeat. "Right here. With me."
The vines slow, quivering, before sinking back into the soil, leaving torn grass and a hush in their wake.
She sobs once, burying her face in my chest, her fingers clutching at my shirt, shaking.
I wrap my arms around her, holding her as the others in the field stare, whispering. Zeus presses against her legs, whining softly.
"It's okay," I murmur, pressing my chin to the top of her head. "You're okay."
But as I hold her, feeling her tears soak into my shirt, I catch Asher's eyes across the field.
His expression is cold, resolute.
And in that moment, I know this has gone too far to stop.