Later that day, Hope found herself in the alchemy lab for potions class—another disaster waiting to happen. Professor Valen, a vampire who wore velvet like a fashion statement, assigned random pairs.
Hope was paired with Raphael.
The werewolf. The guy who nearly bumped her over on day one.
"Lucky me," he muttered, arms crossed.
"I can do this myself."
"Too bad it's a group grade."
They bickered through the entire assignment. Raphael added too much wolfsbane. Hope countered with lavender to neutralize the effect. He stirred too hard. She froze his hands temporarilyBy the end, their cauldron exploded—covering the ceiling in pink slime.
Professor Valen sighed. "And that, class, is how not to make a clarity draft."
Raphael shot her a glare. "You're going to get us both kicked out."
"Good," Hope replied. "Then I won't have to see your face again."
Jessa, passing by the door, clapped slowly. "Flirting already? Cute."
They both groaned.
Hope sat by herself in the library after dinner, pretending to read. Her mind was elsewhere. The room buzzed softly—magic filtered the air, the shelves rearranged themselves when bored.
She heard the chair next to her pull out.
London.
He didn't speak. Just sat down and opened a worn-out book: Creatures That Shouldn't Exist. Irony?
"You're not like the others," Hope said finally.
London didn't look up. "I get that a lot."
"You really don't have powers?"
He shrugged. "Not yet. Maybe never."
"You don't seem bothered."
"I was. Then I realized—I don't need powers to survive here. I just need to be underestimated."Hope watched him for a moment.
"You're either the smartest person here… or the most dangerous."
This time, he smiled. Just a little. "Why not both?"
A strange warmth crept into Hope's chest—familiar, but forgotten. Something about him made her feel... seen.
Outside, unnoticed by both, a raven perched on the windowsill.
Its eyes were glowing red.