he next two weeks were a series of great digressions and progressions.

On the less savory side of my school routine was SJ. This was the longest we’d ever gone being mad at each other. With every day that passed, I felt her drifting further from me. Aside from when we were in our room or secretly borrowing restricted books from the library, she and I never shared words or space anymore. She was always with Lili and Jade. And when we were together, I felt her regard me with an aura of condemnation.

It really put me off. If I wanted to feel this cold and looked down upon I would go back to Midveil and walk the halls of my own castle. My school had always been more like a home than my kingdom, but SJ was making Lady Agnue’s feel like anything but. I suddenly felt very alone and my resentment over the matter grew every day.

Another part of my routine that provided ongoing vexation was my TA sessions with Madame Alexanders. I hated having to consume whatever potion she and I brewed for the day. They didn’t always taste that gross, but knowing that you were drinking mixtures made with bat spit and almond milk made them hard to swallow, regardless of flavor.

Past the icky additions to my diet, I felt bad about lying to Madame Alexanders on a regular basis. I liked and respected her as a teacher, and as a person she was pretty cool too. But I needed to mislead her. The potions we were brewing clearly did not have the same effect on me as they did on her and everyone else.

Ever since the incident with the Poppy, and the sweet dreams potion failing to impact me, I’d been fudging the truth about how our brews affected me. Whenever Madame Alexanders and I tested a potion, the next day I simply made up the outcome on my end to encourage my teacher to move forward with the experiment for the rest of the class.

Did I feel bad about this? Sure. But did that matter? Evidently not, because the Poppy Potions we made in class had the same effects on the students as they did on Madame Alexanders during our trial runs. Since my professor never caught on to my deception, I didn’t see any reason why I should tell her. Why raise a red flag?

I had checked out a couple books on Poppies from the library to investigate the situation and found nothing to explain it. Besides that, being immune to Poppies was strange and I didn’t want to call any more attention to myself. SJ’s spiteful words about me being a spotlight-stealing “chosen one” had gotten under my skin.

I was grateful that at least I didn’t have to lie to my professor every day. After a few TA sessions I discovered that the potions worked on me about a third of the time. I was so excited not to have to fake the results on those occasions that I probably overemphasized how strong an effect they had on me when my professor and I discussed them the next day. It cemented my understanding that it wasn’t the potions, but the Poppies that weren’t affecting me. Combined with different ingredients, I could still feel something.

While the SJ and TA session aspects of my life felt unstable, even deteriorative at times, other parts of my norm were flourishing. Our Wonderland map progress was constant. I was working on Toyland right now and moving along nicely. My magic training with Liza was going well. I was getting much better at the whole “bring things to life temporarily” thing. And most of all, I was improving with Twenty-Three Skidd.

Since getting lectured by Javier and Gordon, my fire had been ignited to a new degree. I trained passionately every chance I got—in the practice fields whenever I had free time, with Girtha several nights a week in the barn, and during the extra hour I had at Lord Channing’s every other day after practice. I felt myself getting stronger by the day, and it started to show.

During Seven Suns practice I was knocked to the net less and less. I scored more points. I even began knocking other players off their Pegasi. I paid no mind to the aloof Daniel or condescending Dillain and his friends anymore. I was all focus. And on that Thursday before our first Twenty-Three Skidd match, that focus finally bore fruit.

Only minutes remained in practice. Our team was split in two for a scrimmage. I was feeling confident. I was riding Sadie today. Last week I’d spoken to Redwood about always making sure she was present at practice. I was fine on all Pegasi, but I trusted her the most with my riskier maneuvers. And as my ferocity grew, so did they.

I’d already scored four points and had the ball yet again. Bailie and Dillain zoomed after me. They came at me from both sides, but I was ready. I lunged by body back to evade Dillain’s swinging lacrosse sword. Then I activated the grip function on my weapon to smack Bailie. With a kick and a reign pull I yanked my Pegasus to the right abruptly and rammed Bailie’s steed then hinged and kicked him straight in the ribcage. He was off balance, and I brought my weapon down upon him with no mercy to sweep him off his saddle.

As he went tumbling through the clouds, I locked my lacrosse sword in its holster just as Dillain darted in. Speedily my feet left the stirrups and I climbed on top my saddle so that I was standing upon it. I had faith that Sadie would remain steady. Dillain swung his weapon and I leapt up to avoid it once then leapt to dodge it again. I met his cocky eyes and then I jumped. I tackled him clean off his ride.

Moments later Sadie was coming after me. The only problem was that Dillain and I were still entangled. He knew what I wanted to do, but wasn’t going to allow me to remount Sadie. He had me tight by the arms so we’d fall together. I struggled, but when he would not let go I used my helmet to head-butt him. It was enough of jolt to get him to release one of my arms. From there, I swiftly punched him in the face and I was free.

I kicked his lower back for good measure—bounding off it like a boost—just as Sadie came into range. I remounted her and zipped between Ambrose and a kid named Ricky straight to the goal and scored. There was no cheering like there had been at tryouts, but I felt a surge of satisfaction swell through me nonetheless. I descended to the field; practice was over and all the boys were coming down.

“Good job, everyone,” Gordon said once he’d taken off his helmet. “You’re all dismissed. Except you, Bailie.” Gordon and Javier exchanged a look. “Javi and I need to have a word with you. Crisa, you stay too. We’ll need to talk to you after.”

I said okay and went to put away my armor and weaponry in the dugout with the rest of the guys. Dillain wouldn’t look me in the eye, which I took as a compliment. It required all of my restraint not to rub my triumph in his face.

After his stuff had been stowed, Daniel gave me a slight nod before departing. I waited on a bench until Javier, Gordon, and Bailie emerged a couple minutes later from the captains’ communal office, which could be accessed through a door underneath a portion of bleachers. Javier and Gordon signaled me to come inside and join them while Bailie stomped away. He was all rage and he unapologetically rammed me as he passed.

I entered the captains’ office for the first time. It wasn’t anything spectacular. There were trophies and other accolades on the walls, equipment in the corner, and a desk at the back with two chairs behind and two in front. There was also another door cracked open a smidge. Beyond it I could see a sort of locker room set up crossed with a lounge.

“Do you know what this is about?” Gordon asked as he leaned against the desk.

“Not really,” I admitted. “I know I got a little aggressive in practice today, but I thought that’s what you wanted.”

“It is,” Javier said. “And now in return you get something that you wanted.” He went around the desk and pulled a key from a drawer. Then he gestured for me to follow him and Gordon into the room beyond.

“This is the locker room that the captains use,” he explained. “We get ready in here while the other two locker rooms are assigned to the competing teams on the day of a match. Now that some of the teams have girls, we’ve had to adjust. The captains voted, and we’ve decided that whenever teams with girls are playing, the captains will give up their locker room and lounge for Lady Agnue’s use while we get ready with the rest of our teams.”

We’d stopped at a row of lockers. It took me a minute to absorb what was happening. The locker in front of us had my name on it: “C. Knight.”

Javier handed me the key in his hand and gestured to the locker. I carefully unlocked it and discovered armor inside, my armor.

During practice we all used the communal armor and lacrosse swords stored in the dugouts. But during matches every person had special armor—decked in colors that represented the appropriate team with the player’s name and a number engraved on the back of the plating. Within that wonderful locker I saw a set made just for me, along with a matching helmet and a new lacrosse sword. “Knight” gleamed on the back of the armor above the number “17.”

“You’re starting in the match on Sunday,” Gordon said. “You’ve earned it. Daniel and Bailie will be the alternates, in that order.”

I had to stop myself from hugging them both. Instead I just grinned ear-to-ear and thanked them the normal way.

I felt like I was floating while I wandered around the Lord Channing’s training campus and as I flew Lucky back to school.

Once I’d returned to my room, I had a speedy shower and changed. Dinners at Lady Agnue’s were always formal, but when I put on my dress for the evening I realized that the outfit was incomplete. It called for a jacket. A specific jacket.

After the locker presentation, Gordon and Javier had given me my official Seven Suns team jacket. It was a casual white zip-up with navy accents on the cuffs, arms, and collar, and our team insignia emblazoned on the right chest area. They told me that they’d given Daniel one earlier in the day too. All team members got jackets, even if they weren’t first-string players. But as I put my arms through the sleeves and gazed at the way it looked over my glittery scarlet dress, I felt like Gordon was completely right. I had truly earned this.

Not caring that it was informal, I elected to wear it to dinner tonight. It definitely got me some stares, more than usual I should say. Many girls came over and asked me about it, then gushed with awe when I told them I was starting in the game this weekend. I normally was not keen on my classmates’ attention, but today I didn’t mind. I was proud of what I’d done and how I’d improved in the last two weeks.

Blue approved of my outfit choice wholeheartedly, and asserted she would wear her jacket all day to classes tomorrow. Apparently her team captains (Jason and a boy named Hector) had decided that she would start in the match on Sunday too. My team would be playing hers—the Seven Suns vs. the Crusaders. I’d never been so excited to be competing against a friend before.

SJ sat at a different table to have her meal, as she had been doing quite often lately. There was a moment when I thought she might join us. When she entered and spotted Jade and Lili, she realized they were already sharing a table with Girtha, Marie Sinclaire, and Divya Patel. SJ’s expression wavered when she looked at Girtha. I guess she hadn’t decided if Girtha’s presence was less desirable than my own. Blue had been making progress on that front, what with having Twenty-Three Skidd in common, but I don’t think SJ and Girtha had ever shared a non-antagonistic conversation. I saw SJ’s eyes ever so slightly fall upon our table where I sat with Blue and several other classmates giving us attention and showering us with questions.

When SJ met my gaze, her eyes narrowed and she stayed true to her original course and slid beside Jade. It wasn’t until later that evening that I understood what had been going through her mind at the time.

I had just finished changing out of my dress when SJ returned to our room. I had been intending to meet Blue in the library. Midterms were coming up and since I spent a lot of my spare time reading books I wasn’t supposed to, I garnered I should spend some time catching up on those I was. I wished I’d left sooner.

SJ gave me a snide look. “Where are you going?”

“Library,” I replied.

“I assume you are taking your special jacket?” she said as she moved for the bathroom. “If you do not, how will you be the center of attention?”

My teeth clenched, but I didn’t offer a retort, despite the fact that I had several shrewd ones at the ready. I did, however, grab my team jacket off my bed and put it on just to spite her. That must’ve been what had irritated her when she saw me at dinner. SJ leaned against the bathroom door with a dramatic sigh and then moved inside, still talking to me.

“You cannot help it, can you?” she continued. “Despite the airs you put on about not wanting this ‘chosen one’ status, you like it.”

She emerged from the bathroom and went to fetch the hairbrush from her desk. “I understand. It must be exhausting though, pretending to be humble and aloof when you cannot go one day without showing off the fact that you are—”

“SJ,” I said suddenly—so abruptly and fiercely that she halted in her tracks. “Just stop, okay. If you don’t want to be my friend right now, fine. But could you not be my enemy? I’ve got plenty as it is. Keep this up and you might as well just move to Alderon and join their cause.”

SJ blinked, utterly startled. I did not stay in the room a minute longer. I grabbed my book bag and left for the library in a huff.

“Girl, you look like you’re steamin’,” Nick the Guardgoyle said as I approached the main doors.

“Rough night,” I replied.

“Heard you’re starting in the big game on Sunday, though,” Russell commented. “That’s gotta boost your spirits.”

It did until SJ came along.

“Yeah,” I said quickly. “Anyway, see you guys later. I have some studying to do.”

I entered the library and scanned the floor for Blue. It looked like she’d saved me a seat, but the table was packed with students. When she spotted me, I pointed to the back of the library. She got what I was saying and returned to her book. I made my way to the giant candelabra I had my eye on and clambered to the top. Once seated, I took a couple of texts out of my book bag, but before I cracked them open I released a huge sigh.

Why do people have to constantly disappoint you?

Lower left block. Uppercut. Right hook. Spin. Rear elbow. Back kick. Roundhouse.

Girtha hit a haystack wall with a thud. I’d been improving dramatically in our combat practices, and tonight I was a bit more charged than usual. My glee over Twenty-Three Skidd crossed with my anger about SJ made for a deadly cyclone of powerful emotions. If this kept up I might even have to cancel my training sessions with Liza tomorrow. I was supposed to stay away from magic when I couldn’t clear my head. Since everything with Daniel and SJ, there’d been good days and bad days. I was able to focus most of the time, but every once in a while when I was feeling particularly ragey, both Liza and I agreed to take a step back. It was vital that I never let my magical side and emotional side get together.

“You’ve gotten so much better,” Girtha commented. It was stating the obvious, but I still appreciated it.

She took a beat to wipe a bead of sweat from her forehead with a towel. “Hey, can I ask you something?” she said after a moment.

“Yeah, what is it?”

“What’s going on with you and SJ?”

I felt my blood pressure go up and had to stifle a wave of resentment that went with it. “Nothing,” I said. “Stuff between her and me has been weird recently. We got into a fight a few weeks back and the state of things has kind of been going downhill since then.”

“Well, that’s not right,” Girtha replied. “You guys are the closest. Why don’t you talk to her?”

“Pass,” I said sharply. “If she wants to talk she can come to me. For once I’m not at fault, and I’m not going to do her ego any favors by pretending that I am.” I kicked the nearest bale of hay. “She needs to get over her issues for herself.”

“That’s pretty cold,” Girtha said, crossing her arms.

“Well, she’s being pretty cold. You should hear some of the things she’s said to me.”

“Crisa . . .” Girtha started slowly. “I know it’s probably not my place to say so, but—”

“Then don’t,” I interrupted, my feelings welling up inside.

“Don’t what?”

“You’re right. It’s not your place to say so. So don’t say anything,” I snapped.

My frustration was justifiable, but when I saw the hurt look on Girtha’s face, I knew that lashing out at her wasn’t. Just because Girtha and I didn’t have the best history or closest bond didn’t give me an excuse to lose my temper. I wasn’t sure if I felt comfortable calling her “my friend” yet—a few weeks of good behavior and camaraderie didn’t erase years of animosity and torment—but that didn’t mean she hadn’t been trying her best to act like it. And I owed her the common courtesy of respecting that.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “Snapping at you was uncalled for.”

Girtha looked at me straight on. “No. It wasn’t. I shouldn’t be sticking my nose in your business. It’s like you said before, we’re not friends, right?”