Eydis had learned a harsh truth after her recent “family reunion”: her bank account wasn’t going to fill itself anytime soon. The solution was unglamorous and distressing.

  Get a job.

  Queen of Shadows, stocking shelves in an apothecary? Absolutely not. In her mental protest, she straightened her back, accidentally scratching her wrist with that hand-me-down green blazer, and caught a stray bit of pollen. She sneezed, of course.

  Because why not add allergies to the list of things that wanted to kill her frail body?

  Back home in Mythshollow, flowers existed more as mythical concepts. The land had no patience for delicate things, except for lavender, which grew everywhere. Here, flowers were in abundance, and she soon learned they were her worst enemies.

  Indoor work was her only safe choice.

  Letting out a deep breath, Eydis headed for the library. Desperation, thy name is me.

  Ms. May greeted her at the counter. The librarian was pleasant in the way some older women could be, but slightly prying. She took Eydis’s résumé, penned by Birgit, with a smile.

  That was the only reason it didn’t include phrases like “supreme dominion over creeping shadows” under previous experience.

  Relax, she would not actually write that…. probably.

  "Looks good, dear,” Miss May said, stored the résumé in her drawer, and stood up. “We’re shorthanded, so you can start today.”

  She followed Miss May past the towering mahogany shelves. The nolstagic scent of old paper and coffee warmed the three-story space. It was rather relaxing, just like old times, except for the coffee.

  Dewey Decimal codes, explained by Miss May, were taped on the book spines. She only had to memorise which number belonged to which section and where they were. She glanced up at the signs as she passed: History, Fantasy, Arcane?

  Interesting.

  Natalia hadn’t told her much about how her Gift worked, but Eydis assumed it was some innate ability rather than spell-casting, given the one-Gift-per-person rule. But what kind of books could be kept there?

  They continued past the central reading area, where some students read those ancient, leather-bound books that looked like arcane texts, while others concentrated at their glowing holographic desks. Sunlight illuminated the long oak desk where they sat.

  When they returned to the counter, Ms. May gestured to a glowing terminal. “Scan, update, shelve. Make sure you do it every three hours, please.”

  Books, peace, ambience, paycheck, and the assurance that nothing would blindside her before she finished her morning coffee. Not terrible, especially after those cursed waffle images—a memory that still made her gag—sticking to paper is all the more wise.

  Eydis quickly fell into her new job’s routine, growing more confident at it, to Miss May’s surprise.

  “You’re quick!” she gushed. “I’ll leave you to it, then.”

  Eydis held back her retort. She very much wanted to keep her job. Save the dominion flexing for shower thoughts.

  On the bright side of that, she used her breaks to study the ancient arcane text. The Arcane Section was sealed behind thick glass and required an access card, only for Gifted students, though librarians could enter.

  The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  At first glance, the glyphs seemed nonsensical, but she could see their the underlying geometry and logic.

  “Ahem.” A boy leaned on the counter, his dark hair falling into ocean-blue eyes. Handsome in an unassuming way, as if he hadn’t realised it yet.

  He offered a lopsided smile and showed her his student ID. “Hey, Eydis, I’d like to check these out.”

  Eydis scanned the card, noting his name, Adam Sapphire. “Do we know each other?”

  “No.” He put down a small pile of books on the counter. “But you’ve become a legend around here.”

  Eydis began checking the books. “Because ‘amnesiac girl’ is exactly the reputation I was hoping for.”

  “There’s more to you than that.”

  “Do enlighten me, Adam.” She glanced up.

  “I’ve seen you…” he said, lowering his voice. “I know who you really are, Eydis.”

  "What do you mean by—”

  Her question was interrupted by a tall, pale boy who stepped in beside Adam. He had long green hair and sharp eyes the shade of jewelled emeralds that probably cost too much.

  He didn’t bother with an introduction, nor did he pretend to care she was there. "Adam, let’s go."

  “Almost. One sec, Elias. Later, Eydis?” Adam said as he followed Elias toward the exit.

  Once they left, Eydis turned to Adam’s borrowed history on the screen, frowning: Python books? A reptilian language? Nevermind.

  Hours passed, and indeed, it was: scan, shelve, repeat.

  She sighed and lifted another book onto the cart. Dungeons & Dragons? Historical accounts of legendary beasts?

  Eydis pushed her overloaded cart toward the history section, frowning at every book that leaned out of line. When she turned into the aisle, a tall stranger stood in her way.

  His face was almost suspiciously symmetrical and his wavy silver hair picked out the afternoon light. His eyes, the same pale silver, watched her with clear amusement.

  Eydis reached for her sunglasses, which, naturally, were never there.

  Deciding ignore the sparkly unicorn, she turned her attention to the Dungeons and Dragons book. The Dewey label definitely didn’t belong in this section.

  “Miss,” the unicorn said cautiously, eyes flicking to her book’s cover, “this is the, uh, actual history section.”

  “Is it?” she said. “Fascinating.”

  He chuckled and peered at her name badge. “Unless you secretly run Dungeons & Dragons, this goes under Fantasy.”

  “Or,” she replied, sliding the book back into her cart, “I’m just that committed to proper classification.”

  “Dedication is appreciated, Miss Eydis.”

  “Just Eydis will do.” She turned to leave. Asking him to call her Your Majesty was, sadly, probably pushing her luck.

  Behind her, he called, “Dragons don’t hang out with Julius Caesar, you know. You’ll find them with unicorns a few shelves down.”

  “I can agree with that.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder without slowing.

  He caught up with her in one long stride, which annoyed her. “Theo, by the way,” he said, offering a hand. “The Student Council Vice President.”

  Theo. As in, Athena’s Theo? Fantastic. This just graduated from annoying to a major headache.

  “Well, Theo, thanks for the information.” She took his hand briefly. “If you’ll excuse me.”

  She walked away, leaving him looking entirely too pleased with himself.

  Darkness fell before she noticed. Her back ached as she stood. This body was nothing but a liability. She grabbed her bag and the book, heading for the exit.

  At the double doors, a cold, searching sensation suddenly crawled up her neck. A familiar shadow.

  The library was empty; she killed the lights and shoved out into the night air. The weight followed her.

  Something is coming, Eydis thought, gripping the book tighter.

  Good thing she never minded a surprise.

  Not far from the main hall where the library was located, Dean Saito was about to leave his office in the west wing when he heard a crisp knock.

  “Senator Blackwood, how may I help you?” Dean Saito asks as he opened the door.

  “I’m sorry for the late, unscheduled visit, Dean. Busy time ahead, you understand, given the reelection and my niece’s future,” Noah Blackwood said, standing proud in the finely tailored suit. Tiffany stood behind him, beaming.

  Dean Saito stepped aside. “If this is about Tiffany… to be frank, our policy was clear in the formal letter: expelled students don’t return.”

  “Please, call me Noah. And we both know policies aren’t without exceptions.”

  “The severity of her actions—”

  “She’s not returning as an Elite.” Noah settled on a chair with an easy smile, hidden behind his neatly-trimmed silver beard. “She’s coming back as a Gifted student.”

  “Gifted? No one awakens at eighteen.”

  “Not until now.” Noah nodded toward Tiffany. “Go ahead, Tiffany. Show him.”

  A smug smile played on Tiffany's lips as she raised a hand. A violet mist coiled sinuously around her fingers before shooting toward Saito’s porcelain cup, shattering it instantly into dust particles.

  Saito flinched. “That power… it feels alive.”

  Noah Blackwood leaned forward. “Indeed. Now, a proposition, Dean Saito. Either you let Tiffany’s power run wild, unchecked… or you accept a generous donation for a new music building, with a powerful returned student as a bonus.”

  Saito’s shoulders tensed. His Genmaicha tea dripped onto the wooden floor like a clock ticking.

  Eydis… I’m sorry.

  He rose and extended his hand towards the Senator. "Thank you for your...generosity, Senator Blackwood. Tiffany, you may return to the Academy...next week."

  Tiffany bit her lip to suppress a grin.

  Eydis, how would you feel about this little twist?