Chapter 1 Too Years Too Late

KAYLA

Chasing down a bus was not how I planned to start my morning when I decided to go on a little adventure. And it certainly wasn't being laughed at by preschoolers on their way to school.

"Consisto," I muttered, pointing a finger at the bus just before it could turn around the bend. I felt my magic leave my fingertips and the bus came to a halt almost immediately. I let out a breath of relief.

"Sorry for coming late, I had no idea I was supposed to be on this bus," I explained to the driver as the doors slipped open for me to enter.

"It was probably the universe's way of telling you to get on some other bus. This one just suddenly broke down,” the driver said, trying to start up the engine. He gave up after a few tries and glanced back at the rest of the passengers. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to make a quick stop here and ask everyone to come down."

Murmurs and complaints echoed through the bus but I ignored them, finding my way to the only free seat available by the window. Once I was settled in, I touched the seat in front of me with my index finger and the engine revved back to life.

"What the—I didn't even start the engine," the driver exclaimed, clearly taken aback.

I flashed him a casual smile. "I guess it's my lucky day."

The rest of the drive went without event as I tried my best to calm my nerves and not look like someone who was taking the bus for the first time. I was used to walks and car rides but never public transport, especially not in a big city where I wasn't even sure exactly where I was going.

All I knew was, come rain come sunshine, I was going to find my childhood best friend and finally confess the feelings I'd tried to keep bottled up for two tormenting years. I didn't want to think about how Zayn would react, given that he'd started avoiding me in tenth grade and then one day just packed up and left for his scholarship at CalU. I had an idea why he might have been avoiding me. Our last conversation at the end-of-year formal still replayed in my head:

"I know this might not be a good time to bring this up, but Kayla, we're not kids anymore and I'm entering tenth grade. I asked you to be my date tonight because we used to be best friends—"

"Used to—" I'd cut in before I could help myself.

He sighed. "Yes, used to. Ever since I got my powers—" he paused, glancing around to make sure no one was within earshot. "I've become a danger to you. I know you can do a bit of magic but you're not strong enough, and I'm still learning to control mine. I don't want to slip up and hurt you like… like last time," he finished, swallowing hard, his brows drawn together.

Something had pricked in my chest. The feeling of that moment still clung to me like a second skin.

"Ma'am, this is our final stop," the driver's voice cut through my thoughts.

"Oh—sorry. Thanks."

I paid my fare and stepped out quickly. The chatter of students and corporate workers caught me off guard. Unlike Shadow Ridge—the small town I was from—the city felt like something straight out of my childhood dreams. I could see why Zayn hadn't wasted any time taking that scholarship. Who'd want to stay stuck in a town where the most exciting things to look at were trees and caves you'd already seen a hundred times, when there was a much bigger world waiting out here? I took in a breath of fresh air and almost regretted it as something sweet but laced with exhaust filtered into my nostrils. At least Shadow Ridge had that going for it.

My hands tightened around the strap of my bag as I made my way through the university gates.

CalU's campus was bigger than I'd imagined from the pictures online. The buildings were a mix of modern glass and older brick structures spread across a sprawling green lawn, and the sheer number of students moving between them made my head swim.

"Okay, so let's see," I muttered to myself, pulling out the campus map I'd screenshot from the university's website. "Faculty of Life Sciences shouldn't be that hard to find."

It took me almost an hour. It was a wonder how students here found their bearings when half the buildings looked nearly identical.

"Excuse me," I said, stepping into the path of a blonde girl who seemed to be the only one walking alone. She pulled her headphones back and glanced at me.

"Yeah?"

"If I wanted to find out information about a student—like where they currently are—who would I need to talk to?"

She smiled, pulling her headphones all the way down to her neck. "Depends on the department, but you could check with the dean's office. Or you could just ask me. I can look online if you want."

"That'd be great, actually." I stuck a hand into my bag, pretending to search for something while quietly conjuring a photo of Zayn from memory. Praying I hadn't botched the spell, I pulled out the freshly formed picture. "I'm looking for him—Zayn Ponteris."

She gave me an incredulous look before laughing. "Ponteris? That's quite the surname."

My response was a tight-lipped smile. This was exactly why I needed to find Zayn. Living in a world full of humans with barely any of our kind left, I needed someone who understood me, someone I could be myself around without making them afraid or consider me weird.

I watched her type on her phone, then shake her head.

"No student by that name here—at least not in this faculty."

"That can't be right. He took his SATs early, scored near perfect, and CalU offered him a full scholarship to start a year ahead. He left before senior year even began."

She scrolled again and shook her head. "Nothing. You might have the wrong campus or mixed up the details. Maybe call someone who knows him to double check."

Before I could argue she waved and brushed past me.

I stared at Zayn's photo. This can't be happening. I'd waited two years for this. Dreamed about it since tenth grade. Waited to graduate so I could come here, be close to him again, and now he didn't even go here?

I found a quiet corner behind one of the buildings, checked that no one was watching, pictured Shadow Ridge, pictured his house—the one place outside of my own home that was burned into my memory—and flicked my finger toward myself.

"Traicio."

My surroundings dissolved. For a moment nothing but darkness swallowed me whole. I didn't panic like I used to. I kept the image clear in my mind and the next second I was standing in front of a white wooden fence guarding a warm-looking bungalow.

I walked through the gate and knocked. "Mrs. Ponteris?"

The door swung open before my knuckles could connect a second time.

"Kayla.” She said my name like she'd been practicing it. Like she'd known I was coming and had spent the whole morning deciding how to say it.

"He never enrolled," I said, throwing all sense of courtesy to the wind. "I went to CalU and he was never there. So where is he? Did he transfer somewhere?"

"Oh, Kayla, my favorite Faye—"

"George, she's looking for Zayn," Mrs. Ponteris interrupted her husband as he appeared behind her.

He froze, a cup of coffee raised halfway to his lips, his eyes cutting to his wife.

That look lasted maybe two seconds. But it felt much longer.

"Why don't you come inside," he offered quietly. He suddenly looked tired, older than someone in his forties. My chest tightened.

"With all due respect, I'd rather someone just told me where Zayn is. There's something important I really need to say to him."

"Oh, darling." Mrs. Ponteris reached out and touched my arm, her brows drawn together, eyes glistening like she was holding something back. I felt my pulse quicken.

"There was an accident," she started quietly. "On the drive to school. We—we didn't know how to tell you. We didn't know how to tell anyone."

The wind chime above the porch swayed. I heard it like it was coming from very far away.

"He's gone, sweetheart."

"Gone?" The word barely made it out of my mouth. "What do you mean gone?"

She exchanged one last look with her husband as a tear slipped down her cheek. It was then I knew.

“He's—he’s dead, Kayla. He's been dead for two years now.”