42. Pandora

The harsh rays of the afternoon sun filtered through the high windows of Serpentine Stadium, casting long shadows that danced across the sand floor.

My hair draped over my shoulders, and I took comfort in it. Despite the warmth of the sun, there was a chill that had me instinctively wrapping my arms around myself. My fingers brushed against the fabric that covered the thigh wrap hiding my scars to make sure it was in place.

I’d officially been taken out of the closet after I’d told Hunter how afraid everyone was of me and how even Ashenfell had locked me in a closet to practice—too afraid to keep me around others.

It had enraged him to the point of him storming out of his office to track Ashenfell down.

They had a ‘talk’, which I had found out was Hunter locking him in the creepy doll closet for an entire night, and now, I was set up with five artificial soul dolls in the center of the chamber with everyone else. At first, I liked being away from others, but then, I just felt ostracized. I liked being with everyone else in this class instead of locked away by myself.

Each attempt at feeding ended with my failure, but today was different. Today, I held a newfound confidence thanks to my blossoming relationships with Hunter and with Reed.

Even Dex, Hemlock, and Skel’s glares on me weren’t enough to irritate me.

“Remember, control is key,” Ashenfell reminded us. His salt-and-pepper hair stood in stark contrast to the deep burgundy of the robe he wore.

Everyone else in the class was paired up except for me. I had the five creepy dolls staring at me with magically made souls inside of them, waiting to be sucked out.

My throat tightened as I stepped forward, aware of every pair of eyes in the room fixed upon me. They were supposed to be practicing, too, but apparently, the soul eater was a lot more interesting than feeding themselves.

It was a lot different than the fear they’d regarded me with lately, but it was still there. The cautiousness stayed around them like they were ready to run the moment my powers strayed toward them.

The fear of inadequacy clawed at the edges of my consciousness, but I pushed it down. Instead, I focused on the dolls until the artificial souls that glowed like bioluminescent lit up inside of them.

I channeled my magic thrumming through my veins and summoned forth the death smoke from deep in my soul. My vision pulsed, and I knew my eyes had transitioned from red to the inky black of my father”s.

The smoke rolled from my lips outward and enveloped the souls. My powers devoured the five souls at once. I called it back, sucking it back in with a breath, tasting the essence of created life and death intermingled.

My power surged through me, and for the first time since I’d fed, I did not feel the urge to puke it up. Maybe it was because they were artificial, but they were far easier to control than a real one.

Ashenfell”s voice broke through my concentration. “My Fates, you did it,” he murmured, his usual fearful demeanor replaced by an expression of astonishment. “Gravesend, you”ve eaten all of them without any adverse effects...”

The classroom erupted into murmurs of disbelief and awe.

I stood there in utter shock. I…did it? I called forth my magic all on my own?

Reed bounded over with pride in his soft violet eyes and gathered me in his arms. “You did it, dream girl!”

“I did it?” I squeaked. My heart soared as I inhaled his cotton candy scent. I was vibrating with the success of feeding. “I did it!” I wrapped my arms around Reed tightly, my excitement bubbling over.

I felt the weight of our classmates” stares, but I didn’t care. They could look at me all they wanted. They’d do it anyway.

As I pulled away from Reed, my cheeks flushed with triumph and happiness. I allowed myself to indulge in the feeling of accomplishment.

“So, what? The noble brat can extract some fake souls,” Hemlock scoffed, crossing his tatted arms and glaring at me.

“It’s not a huge deal,” Skel agreed, smoking his pipe as his eyes drifted to Reed’s hand on my lower back. “I mean, they aren’t real souls. Plus, you ate the whole soul. You didn’t extract a portion.”

“Still pretty fucking cool, trouble.” Dex winked. “You can eat my soul if you want.”

“Just because I haven’t perfected the power doesn’t mean I didn’t make progress.” I frowned, leaning against Reed’s chest. “This is definitely a step in learning to control it better.”

“She’s absolutely right.” Ashenfell stepped in before we could dissolve into a bigger argument. “And in this class, we celebrate all of the successes.”

The inability to call forth my magic or do anything with it had shackled me my entire life, but I broke through it. I did that. Nothing and no one could take this feeling away from me.