Elena POV
I didn’t expect things to go so badly. Days passed in a blur of frustration and failed attempts. Thalia and I spent countless hours with Grandma’s notebook, trying every matrix and spell combination we could find in the notebook. We stayed close to the cottage, not wanting to risk running into Ryder or Drake again. Even though they never showed up to interrupt us, our efforts still weren’t successful. Thalia’s voice was full of hope and determination as she chanted the ancient words. I’d sit in the center of the circle, feeling the tingle of magic just beneath my skin, so close yet so out of reach.
“Maybe I’m just not meant to be anything,” I confessed one evening, feeling the weight of failure pressing down on me.
Thalia looked up from the notebook, her expression fierce. “Do
