I Won't Tell You Who I Am

Chapter 3

Pain.

That was the first thing I felt when I opened my eyes. A sharp ache spread through the back of my head as my vision slowly adjusted to the surrounding darkness. I tried moving my arms.

Metal clinked.

Chains.

Great.

I lifted my head and immediately realized I was trapped inside some kind of underground chamber. The walls were made of black stone covered in strange symbols glowing faintly red.

Magic.

A few feet away from me, Cyfrin was unconscious on the floor.

“Cyfrin,” I called weakly. No response.

I pulled against the chains again, harder this time.

Nothing.

Whoever captured us knew exactly what they were doing.

Slow footsteps echoed through the room. Then a figure emerged from the shadows. A tall man dressed entirely in black. The same masked man from the auditorium.

“Missed me?” he said teasingly. My chest tightened.

Kendrick.

I forced myself to stay calm.

“How are you still alive?”

“You see. Your good friend here knew what you were up to.” He chuckled, revealing Audrey from behind him.

A small smile appeared on his face.

“She saved me before the fire fully consumed me.”

She betrayed me. After everything I’ve done for her.

“I’m Sorry.” “But family comes first.” Shocked. Kendrick is Audrey’s brother? How could this be? How is this possible? Why didn’t she tell me? How could she do this to me? Rage immediately filled my chest.

“What do you want from me?” He stepped closer.

“Revenge.”

Of course.

I laughed bitterly.

“You think you can beat me?”

He chuckled.

“No. I WILL beat you.”

Before I could respond, Cyfrin groaned awake. He immediately looked around in confusion.

“What the hell happened?” The man glanced toward him.

I turned toward Cyfrin quickly.

“I’m jealous, Orphic. You busted me for this guy?”

He crouched down to look at me closer in the face.

I went silent, I just stared at him with hatred visible in my eyes.

I tried my best to free myself from the chains, but it was too tight. Luckily, the next thing I saw gave me hope: Zara and Blake. But what were they doing here? And how did they know what happened?

Not shortly, Blake came from Kendrick’s behind and tackled him, while Zara let me and Cyfrin free.

I held my hand towards Kendrick, and a massive portal suddenly opened behind Kendrick. Dark blue light swallowed the entire room. Kendrick’s eyes widened.

“I’m done letting you hurt people.”

The portal’s energy wrapped around him like chains. Kendrick struggled desperately. I stepped closer. With one final surge of energy, the portal pulled him backward. Then everything disappeared. Silence filled the hall.

The portal closed.

And Kendrick was gone.

Nobody spoke for several seconds. Mostly because we were all exhausted. Blake finally broke the silence. “So…” He looked around nervously.

“Did we just send a guy into another dimension?”

“Yes,” Zara answered.

“That is officially the craziest thing we’ve ever done.” Cyfrin looked toward me carefully.

“You okay?” I stared at the place where the portal disappeared.

Honestly?

I didn’t know.

Because even though Kendrick was gone…

The Waldrom Family is still haunting me, so no.

This was only the beginning.

Then I realized.

“How did you two know where we are? And how did you know what happened?”

“Audrey called us,” answered Blake.

It can’t be. She betrayed us. Why did she suddenly help us?

We all looked at Audrey, confused. She knew what I was thinking.

“I didn’t have a choice,” she started. “He’s the only family I have left. I didn’t think he’d come back for you. I’m sorry.”

I just nodded in response. But I didn’t trust her. Not now.

We all went back to our dorm rooms to get some rest.

I can’t sleep. I have too many thoughts right now—Cyfrin and I, the performance, Audrey being Kendrick’s sister, and Kendrick being alive.

I woke up in the middle of the night, and my necklace started glowing. I looked at the mirror and stared at myself for a moment. I felt different. I didn’t feel like myself. I feel like someone else. Great. Another thing to worry about.

What happened in sorcery class was insane. I can’t even process things right now. So, here’s what happened: We were learning spells, the usual, I forgot the enchantress was in my pocket, and it absorbed all the energy in the room. It got out of control. It consumed me. I don’t know how because I wasn’t even wearing it.

Yet, I can copy everyone’s powers, and not only that, I can’t control myself at that time either. It felt like the necklace was controlling ME. Everyone’s attention was on me. I don’t like it when people pay attention to me.

People are becoming suspicious of me.

I can’t let them know who I am.

Not now, not ever.