"How come you didn't tell me?" Misha asked, as we left the Great Hall and headed into the Infirmary. "Well, I didn't want to attract attention to myself just yet," I replied. "You told everyone anyways during the Houses." she countered. "True," I said with a sigh. "And look at what happened." I gingerly touched my throat and winced at the pain. "I wonder what that spectre was," Misha mused. "I'll see if I can find a few books on dark creatures in the Library." "Thanks," I replied. "That will be really helpful." She gave me a wave, before turning away and leaving me in front of the Infirmary.

I tried to calm myself as I pushed open the wide doors. As soon as I entered the room, a woman wearing white hurried over. A symbol on her robe marked her as an Earth-El. "I've been expecting you." she said as she led me to an empty bed. As I pass the numerous other beds, I noticed that all the occupied ones have curtains around them. Something squelches behind a curtain as I passed it, and I tried not to envision what it was lose my lunch. As I sat down, the nurse places her hands around the sides of my neck and did a check of my neck. Then, she said "Sana". Instantly, I felt a warmth around my next, spreading down to my stomach. The nurse took her hands away and inspected it. "Your neck should feel better. You were lucky any more pressure and you would have had damage to your vocal cords." With a frown and a mutter of careless students, she wrote a follow-up appointment slip and escorted me out.

"Um...ok?" I thought as she roughly pushed me out the door. Behind me, I hear a girl crying and the soothing voice of a woman. I looked around both sides of the hallway. Misha brought me here, but I had absolutely no idea how to get to the dorms. I turned to the right, trying to remember the route we took to get here, but it soon becomes apparent that I was very, very lost. "Damn it." I said to myself, as I hit my head against my wall. "Damn- ouch!" A ladder dropped straight on my head. I took a step back and watch in surprise as a secret room in the ceiling is revealed. Despite my brain yelling at me to just step away and leave, I climbed the ladder up and into the room.

"Wow." The room seemed to be a portal full of doors. I looked around and spotted that each one has a name written on its doorknob. I saw one that said "Dorms" and prepared to open it when I realized that everything seemed too good to be true. I inspecedt the room again, frowning. In the corner, I spotted a small box that looked like a lost-and-found. Looked through the objects, I threw a flattened round ball and a metal food box to the side. Suddenly, I gasped. I had come across a photograph. A photograph of me. Strangely, I never remembered this picture being taken. In it, Mum is carrying me, and Dad has his arm thrown around her waist. But the most peculiar part of it is the baby me. In the photo, I have a moon-shaped birthmark around my ankle that seems to be intentionally on display. I lifted up my own pants. Just as I expected - there's no birthmark. I quickly stuffed the photo in my pocket as an uneasy feeling rises in my stomach. As I was about to turn the doorknob to the dorms, I finally let myself accept something that had been bugging me ever since Mum and Dad's death. Their death was no coincidence. Nor is my powers, the spectre or the photograph. I planned to find exactly what this was about.

Luckily for me, the doorknob transported me straight to dorms. I headed for the front desk quickly. The clock on the wall told me that I only had ten minutes left until dinner. The lady at the front desk handed me my key with a bored expression. I looked at the number G8. Girls dorms, room 8. Unable to figure out the weird elevator contraption, I took the stairs. It was a good workout, after all.

"SELENE!!!!!" a familiar voice screamed as I opened the door. "Hello, roomie," Misha said, waving her arms around. "People from the same house usually sleep in the same group of rooms, but since you're the only person in your House, I volunteered to join you." "Thanks," I replied with a smile. "Now." she said, putting on a mock-serious face. "Tell me everything that happened between you and Ethan Alder." "That asshole's name is Ethan!?" I said. "Yes!," she said, "Ethan Alder, the heir to the multi-billion dollar Alder Technology Corps. He's a year older than us and the first Sun-El in fifty years. And a smoking hot human being." "Can we please move past his looks," I said, frustrated. "He's a complete asshole, and that's putting it lightly!" "What happened between you two?" Misha asked, looking worriedly at my rage-filled expression. "He wasn't frozen like the rest of you when the spectre attacked me and didn't even bother to step forward and help. He's a goddamn Sun-El! If he had bothered to move his ass, I wouldn't have this!" I said furiously, pointing at the nearly healed bruises around my neck. "Okay then," Misha said, deftly changing the subject. "But you've at least chosen what to wear for your meeting with the headmistress, haven't you?" When she saw my surprised face, she said, "Selene!" "What?" I asked, putting on an innocent face. "Alright. I was just planning on wearing one of my nicer sweaters and jeans." "No, girl. No." Misha said, shaking her head. "Honestly, I don't know what you'd do without me, and we've only met this morning!" She started looking through her outfits. "Misha," I said suddenly, looking at my watch. "We've only got two minutes before dinner!" "Crap!" she said. "We'll get a punishment if we're late! Headmistress Goldenburg takes attendance very seriously."Then, her eyes sparkled, and she looked at me. Oh no...

"Come on, Selene. Your minor element is Space, isn't it?!" Misha said. "Just concentrate on the Mess Hall and you should be able to form a portal!" I placed my hands on the empty wall just like how my grandmother, Alice had done it. "Portalius Ouverta!" I said. An oval space on the wall began to wriggle and swirl. "I did it!" I said. "Good job, girl!" Misha said. "Hurry", she said. Before I could react, she grabbed my hand and pulled me into the portal. As we fell, I checked my watch.

Crap. We were still late by a minute.

Hope you enjoyed the longer episode! If you enjoy The Attuned, be sure to vote!