Chapter 26

It’s been two months since that day in the Hall of Greats.

Of course, by now, there’s no evidence that a battle took place. It’s been restored and all the broken statues and relics have been repaired or replaced.

The wands have been returned to the nine first families and the balance of magic has been restored. Once more, the witch population is safe from threat.

“RJ, are you ready?” Aimee calls from outside my room.

“Almost!” I call back, still sitting at the desk reading my diary, the only record that any of this ever happened. It reads like some fantastical fantasy about a girl who saved the magical world from a danger they didn’t know and would never know existed.

When the dust that was formerly my Aunt Elizabeth stopped swirling and settled into a pile on the floor, I turned and almost bolted for the door because I wanted a few more minutes with the power. I was going to give it back. At some point.

I certainly wouldn’t have left before I returned the magic to the scepter and the wands to the families. At least, I don’t think I would have, but I never got the chance to find out. Thankfully, Zane stepped in front of me, smiled, and kissed me.

I savored it. Held on to him like my life depended on it. I’d made promises to the first families. His family. And in five minutes, maybe ten depending on how long I could draw out the post-kiss embrace, he wouldn’t even know that he liked me anymore. The deal was that no one could ever know what I am, so their memories had to be wiped clean of any memory of a syphoner whatsoever. It was either that, or they were going to lock me up. In witch circles, majority rules. And even though Mom and Dad voted against it, I didn’t have a choice, so I agreed. And losing Zane was a result, I was sure. Because whether he knew or not what I was, his parents were always going to know.

When he lifted his head, he looked down at me and smiled. It was probably the best few seconds of my life, and simultaneously the worst because I was never going to get to do this again. “I have my magic back now. Thank you.” With the thumb of his hand that was tucked in my hair, he stroked my cheekbone. It was a simple touch, one I also savored, etched the feel of in my memory because no matter what, they couldn’t erase my memory. I’ll always know what I’ve given up.

Despite my sadness, I nodded and kissed him again because I wasn’t finished with the magic yet, but I earned this kiss and since it was likely the last one I was ever going to get, I savored it and etched every detail into my memory.

I hated that things with Zane were going to end, but I couldn’t go around for the rest of my life having people knowing I was a syphoner. Hiding, afraid to be around me because I could take power from them.

Zane, a master spell creator, helped me write the spell to call on the magic I was about to use to make him forget that he liked me, make him forget everything he knew.

I didn’t do all of this because there was some great reward or because I was a hero. I did it because I couldn’t stand for anyone to know I was a syphoner and this was the only way I could make sure they didn’t remember.

Pulling away from Zane was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. Well, up to that moment. Before he let go, he leaned his forehead against mine. “I like kissing you. No spell is going to change it. And I know you think I’m not going to like you anymore once you say that spell, but I liked you before this started. You’ll see. This is real.”

I wanted that to be true. I wanted the spell to be cast and him still smile at me because it was what he wanted. I was what he wanted.

But the choice was out of my hands. I had to do this now or chances were I wasn’t going to. I can look back and say that now because of how everything turned out. I did the right thing, the thing I promised to do, but I didn’t want to.

I closed my eyes, focused the magic, held the scepter, and said the Latin phrases I’d memorized that would make them all wonder what the hell they were doing in the Hall of Greats and how everything got damaged.

I ended the spell with fiet, or it will be done in Latin and then I watched the memories of everything that had happened float away from them.

“ Revertere ad ubi eras ,” I whispered, and the magic drained from me. I could feel it as it left, like a drain had been opened and it seeped out of my bones and blood into the air, then it went back into the jewels that made the point of the scepter.

There was a chance one of them might have seen the magic flow back into the scepter, but I’d given my word I wouldn’t leave the Institute until it was done, so there was no choice but to do it there. Dad’s protection spell on me wouldn’t have worked outside of the Institute, and if I brought that much magic outside of the Institute, the darkness would have found me. I would’ve turned into her. Now I had a chance to stop the cycle of darkness and learn to be a syphoner. That was the promise my dad made to me anyway. He’d said it wouldn’t make up for what I had to give up—and wasn’t that just the fucking truth—but knowledge itself was power. So there was that.

I’m not sure how yet, but Dad promises the training will not be too tedious or boring. I don’t know that I believe him, but I’m glad he’s home for good and we’re working on trust.

“RJ! Come on! They’re waiting!” Aimee calls from downstairs, bellowing is more accurate, but she hates when I point it out.

Nonetheless, I put the diary back into the drawer. No one knows I wrote the details down. Every detail I could remember. They made me promise I wouldn’t. They wanted all record of the syphoner known as Elizabeth Hadley destroyed.

I lock the drawer so no one will get a hold of the diary. Eventually, I’ll hide it in the wall where Aimee and I found the grimoire that may or may not have awoken Elizabeth’s craving for power or set her free. Dad hasn’t ever blamed me and Aimee for what happened, but when I asked, he didn’t deny it either.

I slide the key necklace back over my head and smooth my shirt, check my look in the mirror—it’s not going to get any better than this since I’m wearing Aimee’s clothes—and dash out.

By the time I get downstairs, Aimee is already on the front porch with Dylan and Piper. We’re all full-fledged witches now, having passed our tests today, and we’re off to celebrate with Piper and Circe, Rowen, Ariya, Finn, Margery, Aurora and a bunch of others who have accepted me into their group at the beach.

None of them know what I did, but Zane is their friend, and I’m his girlfriend, and apparently that’s enough. It’s sure as fuck enough for me. After I cast the spell and put the magic back into the wand, I left. It didn’t matter anymore if I was there or not. I couldn’t tell anyone anything because they weren’t allowed to know.

But the next day, at the Institute where I had to pretend like everything was normal, he smiled at me. Then he waited for me outside on the steps of building two and asked me to get a coffee with him. I’ve seen him and been seen with him every day since.

As we’re about to leave, Dad pokes his head out the front door and looks at Aimee and me. “Will you be home before dawn?”

We’re going to a bonfire at the beach and then a party at Finn’s house. Aimee shrugs and looks at Piper, who is being hugged from behind by Dylan who recently discovered that he is very into Piper and not so much into Aimee, since I wiped their memories of the one “fabulous” date they had. “Maybe.”

Dad nods. “All right. Stay alive. Don’t drink and drive.” He points at Zane, whose Jeep is in the driveway. “You bring my girls home safe.”

He has a new bumper sticker saying every time we go out. He swears they are good guidance for life. Don’t worry, be happy. Have a nice day. Only ugly people tailgate. He’s got a million of them.

Zane laughs and slides his arm around my shoulders as he walks me to the passenger side of his car. Before he opens my door, he stops and turns me toward him. “I like you, RJ.”

Warmth rushes through me. “I like you too.”

He leans down and brushes his mouth across mine, then drags it over to my jaw and up to my ear. “Of all the things I’m not supposed to remember, I’m glad I never forgot you.” He grins and winks. My mouth falls open and he presses his mouth to my ear again. “I helped make the spell, and you suck at Latin.”

He didn’t help. He created the whole damned spell that cleared all memory of the syphoner and every single thing syphoner related from the memories of everyone who helped me at the Institute—except Dad and apparently Zane—and I wish I could remember the words because I want to know how he did it, how he kept me from erasing his memory, too.

I really need to work harder on my Latin, although most spells these days are in English. He’d suggested Latin because “magic is better in Latin.” Or maybe because he knew he could slip something past me. Doesn’t matter. He likes me and that’s all I need to know now that the danger has passed and we’re back to having our futures spread out in front of us.

Putting my boot up on the dash, I glance at my reflection in the window and think back to all the chaos we’ve all been through and by some miracle, survived.

I went from feeling weak and half a witch when compared to Aimee and others at school, only to find power hidden within me. Unique to me. Just a bit more…unpredictable and reckless. Which is true to brand, if I do say so myself.

I mean, Aimee’s great, but I don’t have to be like her. I don’t have to be like anyone but me .

From the dirty window, my distorted reflection smiles back at me and my chest warms.

Unpredictable? Reckless? Headstrong? Rebellious?

Yeah, that’s RJ. That’s Robbie Joe. That’s me.

And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

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