I walk straight to the bathroom after class.

I'm not about to do drugs or anything, so calm your horses. I just need a minute to myself.

Unfortunately, I'm tailed by Erin. Worst guy to hang with, I swear. Always on about achieving freedom from our government.

"Hey, Magno, where ya headed?"

I turn. "None of your business."

He frowns. "Jeez, I was just trying to see if you wanted to come to the party at Aurora's tonight."

I narrow my eyes. Aurora? But she was a person-hater. Why would she host a party?

"Fine, I'll come. But only because I wanna know what Aurora's up to," I say.

Erin grins. "Great, see you there."

The rest of the school day goes by quickly, but it's boring.

When I get home, I go to my room and slam the door. Lock it. I don't need Mom knowing I'm partying. I shower, then do some makeup, apply some eyeliner. I get a little crazy with the eyeliner and make a bunch of pretty swirly symbols. I put on some ripped jeans, a baggy shirt, and a flannel on.

I take one last look in the mirror, then flop on my bed and text Aurora.

[Hey, when's the party?]

She replies with, [Eight.]

I put my phone down and exhale. Then shake my hair out. It's still damp, even after blow-drying it.

What could be up with Aurora and Erin?

I think for a moment.

Then one name pops into my head. Jude Kirnan.

The guy that I can't face.

Last summer, I kind of, maybe, kissed him?

And he didn't take kindly to that.

To be fair, it was only on the cheek, but he slapped me.

I bury my face in my hands and groan. Please don't let that be what Aurora and Erin are doing.

My door opens and Mom is standing there, a letter in her hand.

She has her arms crossed. I sit up.

"What?"

Immediately, I can tell she's pissed.

"This letter is from a friend of yours, right?"

She tosses it at me. It smacks my shoulder.

I pick it up and freeze. Jude, that bastard.

Slowly, carefully, I read it. Shit.

"Mom, please, I can explain!"

"You'd better, young man."

I take a breath and comb my fingers through my hair. "So, Jude isn't my boyfriend. We've never dated. And I don't do drugs."

Mom narrows her eyes. "I find that hard to believe. Especially with that shirt and your freakish friends."

I wince. "They're not freakish. And I don't do drugs!"

"You'd better not be. . .you know," she says. "I will remove you from school and send you to a private one."

I look down. "I'm not."

We've talked about this before. If I don't like girls, she'll send me to a stupid school with nuns who think they can exorcise me. But I don't like girls. I just don't tell her that.

She leaves and I scream into my pillow.

How I hate this house.

It's seven-thirty, so I grab my bag and hoist myself out to window. Worst and best choice my parents ever made was letting me have a window.

I find my bike in the shed and bike to Aurora's. I find I'm a little early.

"Hey, Aurora," I say, setting my bag on the floor. "Need some help?"

Aurora looks up. "Yeah, I could use it."

We set up the party together and talk about Aurora's new friend who I suspect to be more.

Her name is Hera. Apparently, she's the same age as Aurora, and lives only two states over.

Guests trickle in slow at first, then steadily. Finally, the last of them are through the door.

The craziest of the partying has started, so I find a quieter corner.

I quickly find this to be a bad decision.

"Hey, there."

I look up and discover a brunet guy who smells strongly of alcohol.

"Hi," I say, and wave.

"You look awfully lonely over here. Care for some company?"

Usually, in parties, company either entails making out or something more intimate.

I shake my head. "Nah, I'm good."

His hand finds my hip. "You sure?"

I flinch away. "Yep. . ."

"'Cause I think you need a little loving," he says in my ear.

Suddenly, the guy is yanked off of me by the collar.

"I'm pretty sure he said he was good."

Jude fucking Kirnan.

He pushes the guy away.

The guy looks at him. Then me.

"Oh, I see. He's your little whore."

Jude turns to him. "No. He's not even my friend."

Somehow, the words sting.

The guy does leave me alone, though.

Jude sits next to me. "You alright?"

I scoot up against the wall and away from him. "Um, yeah. Thanks to you."

"I don't need your praise."

The way he says it is so cold. This guy pisses me off.

"Well, fine, don't take it then," I say, anger rising.

Jude looks to me, surprise etched into his features. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you're okay. But I really didn't do much."

I roll my eyes. Of course, the golden boy would say that.

"What do you even want?" I ask, propping my chin on the heel of my palm.

Jude tilts his head. "To talk to you. I wanted to say I'm sorry for slapping you last summer."

"That was forever ago," I say. I'm eager to get off the subject.

"Well, you see, I didn't dislike it. It's just you surprised me."

I stare at him. Strawberry-blond hair in a shaggy cut. His undercut is darker, like brown. It's a little messy. Brown eyes focused intently on me. He's cute and it makes me mad. "Yeah, well, you surprised me with that slap."

His eyes are intense, like he's trying to figure out what I am.

"Please just kiss me," he says.

My gaze snaps so quickly to him, my head spins a little. "What?!"

His face is slightly flushed. "I want you to kiss me again."

I put my head in my hands. "Stop joking. It's not funny."

"I'm not joking. I've been meaning to ask you since, like, ten months ago."

I can't help looking up, letting my hands dangle. "No way. You're not. . .What about Madison?"

"I'm bi, Magno," Jude says, a small smile on his lips. "And she likes Erin."

I flush. "What the fuck. . ."

Jude brushes my hair out of my face, and I hate how much I like it.

"So, you really want me to kiss you?"

Jude nods. "Yeah."

I lean forward. Then yank back. "I'm too sober for this."

I get up and find a beer. I drink it, then another. Fifteen minutes later, I'm plastered.

Jude comes up next to me and I kiss him.

Wish granted, I think dimly.

I break away and inhale, but before I can kiss him again, someone hooks their arms under my shoulders and drags me away. I hear Jude yelling. The party is so chaotic, though, I highly doubt anyone hears him.

Something sticks into my neck and I slip into unconsciousness.

I wake to a masked figure standing over me. I jump hard and discover I'm bound to a chair. Wrists and ankles.

Also, I have a pounding headache.

It's very dark in here.

The figure steps back. "Good morning."

Instantly, I can tell they're using a voice-changer.

"Good morning," I reply. "Could you tell me where I am?"

"Underground."

I nod. Doesn't answer shit, but hey, gotta live the kidnapper life, right? "Why did you kidnap me?"

"I can't tell you that," the figure says. They sit on a chair in front of me.

"But I'm just your average high school student, why do you need me specifically?" I ask. I'm genuinely confused.

The figure tilts their head (creepy) and studies me. I think. I can't see their face. "You are far from average."

I consider this. If you count abusive households as something 'far from average', then sure. But otherwise, I'm as normal as normal gets.

I look up at the person. "Ooh, do I have, like, Obi-Wan Kenobi powers? The force? Maybe I can perform spells."

The figure pinches the bridge of their nose (I think) and sighs. "No. You have neither of those. I can't tell you much more."

Even through the voice-changer, I can hear exasperation. I grin.

"Got any ibuprofen? I got drunk at that party, and now my head hurts."

The figure gets up and digs through some hidden pocket. They come up with ibuprofen. "Here."

They stick three pills in my mouth and I swallow. It's weird, because I'm not used to dry-swallowing pills.

"So, do I have some special ability?" I ask. "Or is this just 'kidnap random ass highschoolers' day?"

"You do have an ability that you are clearly and frustratingly unaware of," the figure says.

"Okay, so I'm a wizard?"

"No." The figure turns away, hands on their hips. It's a very 'not in my twelve-thousand years of kidnapping' pose. Good.

I look up at the ceiling. It's made of dirt and moss. Personally, I think it's pretty. "Are the people who were at the party okay?"

The figure nods, turning back to me. "They weren't hurt. Our objective was you."

Wow, this guy sucks at their job.

"You said 'our'. Does that mean there are multiple people working with you?" I ask.

The figure seems to instinctively nod (again). Then holds up their hands. "No, it's just me."

I smile evilly. "Gotcha."

The person sags. "You. I hate you."

"Sounds about average for me," I say, looking around.

Mainly, the structure consists of dirt and moss. Dark green ferns pop up between cracks. The floor is stone, made in a circle. Faint light filters in from in front of me. Probably a door. Pink and purple flowers crop up in clusters. Yellow flowers here and there. Plenty of mushrooms. Mostly fly agarics, but also morels, honey fungus, amethyst deceivers, autumn chanterelles, and glistening inkcaps. There's also a circle of fairy ring champignons. Great, I'm in a fairy site.

Oh, and I forgot to mention the giant tree behind me that's supporting the ceiling. I think it's an ash.

"You can't use your ability here," the figure says. "You're in a fairy circle."

"Yeah, I guessed that. The fairy ring champignons are a dead giveaway. And circles are magic cancellers," I say. "I've done my research."

The figure stares (I think) at me. "You indeed have done your research."

I tilt my head back and forth. "Ah, well, you know, I try."

They sit back in their chair.

"Can I see your face?" I ask. "I think you're either really ugly or drop-dead gorgeous. No in between."

The figure contemplates for a moment. "Fine."

Then they take their mask off.

I was right. Drop-dead gorgeous, even though I like guys. Black hair hangs around her face in a not-so-ugly bob. Her skin is pale, like the moon. Her eyes are like charcoal and seem to hold the same heat. I think she hates me. Her face is slim and somewhat angular. Brows arched not too high, long eyelashes, mouth set in a grim line. Pretty lips. Definitely an oval face shape. I can see that her muscles are sculpted. She could absolutely kick my butt. There's also something familiar about her. Something that brings Jude to mind.

Pretty stark contrast from my darker skin, freckles, and thin, not muscular body.

"You're. . .very beautiful," I say. "Bet the guys and girls go crazy."

She doesn't make much acknowledgement to what I said, other than a slight shrug. That mannerism is so familiar.

"Madison," I say. Blurt, really.

She turns sharply.

"You're Madison, aren't you?" I ask. Everything points to it. The muscles, the way she was acting, the voice-changer, the mask and suit. All of it makes sense if this is Madison.

She pauses, then shakes her head. "I don't know a Madison."

"But you know an Erin, don't you?"

Madison freezes, then realizes she's screwed. "Yes, I know Erin."

"Great. Now we have a mutual buddy," I say. "Look, I'm just curious as to what I'm here for. The place is beautiful, by the way."

Madison does the little shrug again. "It's nice."

She puts her mask back on.

"What's that for?" I ask, tilting my head.

"I have to go find the. . .boss."

The voice-changer makes her sound so weird.

She leaves and I check out my binds. Sturdy rope. Yep, I'm fucked either way.

At least my headache's not as bad. And my friends are okay.

I sit here like this for a while before Madison and some other guy come along.

The new guy is. . .interesting. He's got a somewhat sturdy build and he's tall. Like really tall. Not alien kind of tall, but taller than your average person. In the dim light, it's hard to make it out, but I think he's got green eyes. And maybe black hair? Perhaps brown? He's tan. He's dressed more casually than I expected a kidnapper to be. He wears light brown pants, a white collared undershirt with a nice. . .blue, I think, shirt over it. It's long-sleeved, and I don't know how he stands all that considering it's summer.

What he does next absolutely astounds me.

He walks forward, crouches, and asks, "Are you okay? You're not hurt, right? I told Ray to be nice. . ."

I blink. Several times. "I'm fine."

Ray is also a familiar nickname, and suddenly I know who's crouching in front of me.

Bryce Hamilton. Fellow highschooler who, surprisingly, hangs around Ray a lot, even though Ray's very much not like him.

"Good." He stands and signals Madison. She cuts my binds away.

I just sit there, baffled. How did Bryce organize this?

"Magno? Are you sure you're alright?"

I look up. "Oh, I'm great, thanks."

Bryce helps me up and I stretch my arms over my head. More than a few areas in my spine pop. I sigh and let my arms hang by my sides.

"So, what's the agenda for today?" I ask.

Bryce appears surprised. ". . .Well, um, we need to activate your ability."

I nod. "Yeah, I heard about that. No one wants to tell me what it actually is, though."

Bryce chews one of his nails. Classic Bryce. "It's. . .uh, your ability is very mentally centered. I can't tell you the details, because I don't know them. But I can tell you, in the wrong hands, it's dangerous."

"Okay, great, thank you so much," I say. "We'd better get to work if we wanna figure this thing out."

It turns out fate hates me, or something, because right at that moment, I hear alarms blare faintly.

Madison and Byce share a look. Then turn to me.

"Magno," Bryce says.

"We have to get you out of here," Madison finishes.

I frown. "I thought that was the plan?"

Madison picks me up princess-style. "Let's go."

"Um. . .okay."

"I'll hold them off," Bryce says to Madison. "Get him as far away as possible. Take him to Base Three."

Madison nods and Bryce takes off in a different direction. I'm too busy trying to figure out what mess I've gotten into to pay attention to anything around me.

What the fuck is 'Base Three'? Why did they panic at the alarms? Who is here and why is it such a big deal?

Well, I swiftly learn that.

Someone grabs Madison's shoulders and we're yanked back.

I fall on rocks and scrape my palms. No biggie.

Madison is carefully restrained by someone I recognize instantly.

"Jude?!" I blurt. I'm shaken from the fall, but this is somehow worse.

He looks over at me and there's no denying it. That's Jude.

"Hey, Magno."

I stand and walk up to him. Put my hands on my hips. "Let her go."

"She's a threat," he replies.

I raise a brow. "She didn't hurt me, and I'm fairly certain we were running to safety."

"Magno, don't be a fool."

"Let her go," I say. "Last time I ask."

"She's a---"

"I said let her go!"

Something snaps in my chest. Some kind of rope, and something unravels behind it.

Jude's expression goes blank and he straightens, then moves a few steps away.

I pull Madison's binds off. "You alright?" I help her up.

She dusts herself off. "I'm okay."

"Go," I say. "I'll take care of Jude."

She hesitates. Then nods. "Fine."

I try to grasp at that unraveled thing in my chest. It's slippery, like silk. Finally, I manage to grab it.

"Go back to your crew," I say.

Jude doesn't question, just starts walking.

I go after Madison.

Mind control. That's my power.