BLACKTHORN HEIR

Chapter Five: The First Sign

Chapter Five: The First c***k

A day after My Birthday

The day after my birthday began like any other school day.

Students were already moving through the corridors when I arrived at the main building, some carrying books against their chests, others rushing because they had somehow managed to be late despite living inside the school.

Someone nearly walked into a suit of armor.

The suit of armor did not move.

The student still apologized.

I laughed under my breath.

“Don't laugh.”

Emily appeared beside me, holding two books and a cup of something that smelled suspiciously like hot chocolate.

“I wasn't laughing at you.”

“You were absolutely laughing at me.”

“I was laughing at the armor.”

She glanced at it.

“It has been standing there for three hundred years. I think it can handle it.”

I smiled.

Yesterday had been my birthday, and somehow Emily had managed to turn it into an entire event without making it feel like one.

There had been cake.

Too much cake.

Ember had insisted that the chocolate one was better than the vanilla one, while Caspian had quietly taken a piece of both.

Sylvan had laughed at him.

Hecate had stolen one of the strawberries from Ember's plate.

Nocturne had simply watched all of us with that strange little smile she sometimes wore.

It had been normal. At least, I thought it had been.

And yet, as I walked beside Emily that morning, I couldn't shake a strange feeling.

Nothing was wrong, nothing looked different.

I just had this odd certainty that something was going to happen today.

Something I would remember.

“You're quiet,” Emily said.

“Am I?”

“Yes.”

“I was just thinking.”

“That is usually dangerous.”

I nudged her shoulder.

She laughed.

“I just have a feeling today is going to be interesting.”

Emily looked at me for half a second longer than necessary.

Then she smiled. “Interesting is one word for Blackthorn.”

I frowned. “What does that mean?”

“Nothing.”

“You said it like it meant something.”

“It probably doesn't.”

“Emily.”

She laughed and walked faster. “Come on. We're going to be late.”

I followed her, still watching her. Something about that tiny pause had bothered me. Not enough to scare me, just enough to make me curious.

By lunchtime, I had almost forgotten about it.

Almost.

We were sitting around one of the long tables in the dining hall. Ember was complaining about an assignment, Hecate was pretending not to listen, and Sylvan was arguing with Caspian about something that had happened during class.

“I am telling you,” Sylvan said, “Mr. Hayes did that on purpose.”

Caspian calmly continued eating. “He gave you detention because you were talking.”

“I was answering a question.”

“You answered a question that wasn't asked.”

“That is still participation.”

Ember laughed. “That is definitely not how school works.”

“It should be.”

Nocturne sat across from me, unusually quiet.I noticed she wasn't eating.

She was staring at the clock above the dining hall doors.

I followed her gaze. “What?”

She blinked. “Nothing.”

“You've been staring at that clock for five minutes.”

“I have?”

“Yes.”

She looked back at it.

Then she quietly said, “It hasn't happened yet.”

I frowned. “What hasn't happened?”

Her eyes moved toward the doors. “The bell.”

I glanced at the clock, the second hand moved. One second, two, three.

Then the bell rang.

Nocturne flinched. Not because of the sound, because she had expected it.

I stared at her. “How did you know?”

She looked at me.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then she smiled faintly. “Lucky guess.”

“That wasn't a guess.”

“It could have been.”

“No.”

I leaned closer. “You knew.”

Nocturne's expression changed. Not dramatically, just enough.

Her smile disappeared. Emily suddenly became very interested in her food.

That was when I knew something was being hidden from me.

I looked between them. “You both know something.”

Emily sighed. “Ixora...”

“What?”

“It's not something you need to worry about.”

“That is exactly what people say when there is something I should worry about.”

Hecate glanced at Nocturne. Nocturne gave the smallest shake of her head.

I caught it. “What was that?”

“What was what?” Hecate asked.

“You just looked at her.”

“We are allowed to look at each other.”

“Not like that.”

Ember covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.

Caspian leaned back in his chair. “This is becoming entertaining.”

“You're not helping,” Emily told him.

“I wasn't trying to.”

I turned toward Nocturne. “Please.”

She looked at me for a long moment.

Then she placed her fork down. “I see things.”

I blinked. “What kind of things?”

“Things that haven't happened yet.”

The dining hall suddenly seemed louder.

I stared at her. “You mean you're psychic?”

Nocturne gave a tiny shrug. “That's one word for it.”

“Since when?”

“Since I was young.”

“And you can predict the future?”

“No.”

The answer came quickly. “I don't predict the future.”

She paused. “I see possibilities.”

I frowned. “What's the difference?”

“A prediction sounds certain.”

Her fingers moved slowly over the edge of her glass.

“What I see isn't certain. Sometimes I see something that happens. Sometimes I see something that never happens. Sometimes I only see pieces.”

“Pieces?”

“A face. A place. A sound. A feeling.”

I remembered the way she'd looked at the clock. “And sometimes you just know something is about to happen?”

“Sometimes.”

I stared at her.

My strange feeling from that morning returned. “Have you ever seen something about me?”

Nocturne's eyes met mine.

She hesitated.

That was enough of an answer. “What did you see?”

“Ixora...”

“What did you see?”

Nocturne lowered her voice. “You.”

“Doing what?”

“I don't know.”

Her brows pulled together. “It wasn't clear.”

“Where was I?”

“Somewhere dark.”

My stomach tightened. “And?”

“There was a symbol.”

“What symbol?”

“I couldn't see it properly.”

“Was it the Vale symbol?”

She looked surprised. “No.”

That answer came too quickly.

I narrowed my eyes. “You're lying.”

Nocturne looked almost offended. “I can sense lies. I wouldn't lie to you.”

“Then what was it?”

She looked down. “A mark I didn't recognize.”

Before I could ask another question, Emily touched my arm. “Maybe that's enough for today.”

I turned toward her. “Why?”

“Because Nocturne's visions aren't always pleasant.”

Nocturne gave her a grateful look.

I noticed. “You knew.”

Emily didn't answer.

“You knew she could do this.”

“Yes.”

“And you didn't tell me.”

“I wasn't sure you were ready.”

“Ready for what? Knowing my friends aren't normal?”

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

Silence.

Everyone at the table went still. I looked around.

Ember. Hecate. Sylvan. Caspian. Nocturne. Emily.

All of them were looking at me.

I swallowed. “I didn't mean it like that.”

“No,” Emily said softly. “You did.”

Then she smiled sadly. “And you're right.”

She reached for the book beside her. “I'm a witch.”

I stared at her.

“A... witch?”

“Yes.”

She opened the book. “I cast spells. I use magic. Nothing dramatic.”

I almost laughed. “Nothing dramatic?”

She gave me a look.

“Fine. Sometimes dramatic.”

I shook my head. “This is insane.”

“I know.”

“No, you don't understand. You're sitting here telling me you're a witch.”

“I am aware.”

“You're actually a witch.”

“Yes.”

“Like spells and magic?”

“Yes.”

“Can you fly?”

“No.”

“Turn people into frogs?”

“Only on Thursdays.”

I stared at her, she burst out laughing. I couldn't help it.I laughed too. It was ridiculous, completely ridiculous.

And somehow, that made it easier to believe. Then Emily reached for her cup. Her fingers didn't quite touch it.

The cup slid across the table toward her.

I froze.

She froze.

Everyone froze.

Emily slowly closed her eyes. “Okay.”

I pointed at the cup. “You did that.”

She opened one eye. “Yes.”

“You actually did that.”

“Yes.”

“With magic.”

“Yes.”

I stared at her.

Then I leaned back. “I need a minute.”

Ember laughed. “You get used to it.”

“I don't think I want to get used to it.”

“You will,” Hecate said quietly.

I looked at her.

There was something strange in her eyes. Not threatening.

Just knowing.

I looked around the table again. Nocturne could see possible futures.

Emily was a witch.

And somehow, judging by the way everyone was acting, that wasn't even the most surprising thing.

My eyes landed on Caspian.

He noticed. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“You're staring.”

“I was thinking.”

“Dangerous.”

I smiled despite myself.

“Emily said some people here aren't normal.”

Emily gave him a warning look.

Caspian smiled. “I said nothing.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Are you supernatural too?”

He didn't answer.

That was interesting.

Before he could say anything, a glass slipped from Ember's hand.

It hit the edge of the table and shattered on the floor.

Everyone looked down.

Ember immediately pulled her hand back.

A tiny cut had appeared across one finger. It wasn't serious.

Barely anything, but Caspian changed. It was so quick that I almost missed it.

His entire body went still. His eyes dropped to Ember's finger.

His jaw tightened, then he looked away.

“Sylvan,” he said quietly.

Sylvan noticed too. “Yeah.”

“Get her a tissue.”

“I can get it myself,” Ember said.

She reached down.

Caspian suddenly stood. “Don't.”

The word was sharper than usual.

Everyone looked at him.

His expression changed immediately. “There's glass.”

He crouched instead and picked up the larger pieces carefully.

But I wasn't watching the glass.

I was watching him.

His eyes kept returning to Ember's finger. Not only with concern, something else. Something I couldn't name.

Ember wrapped her finger in a napkin.

The tiny cut had already stopped bleeding.

Caspian noticed. So did I. Our eyes met.

For one second, something flashed in his. Something almost animal. Then it disappeared.

He sat back down.

I leaned toward Emily. “What was that?”

Emily didn't answer.

I whispered again. “Emily.”