Finding a way to get away from Vega to go on my secret mission with Nerissa is proving to be almost impossible. After the showcase, I said bye to my mom and brother and they promised to bring my Christmas gifts next time they come to visit me in a week or so. Then Vega and I regrouped with our friends and we all hung out for a bit.

Of course, Nerissa and I kept eyeing each other and the time. When it was time to go to bed Vega told me she'd get showered and changed and meet me at my room. I told her it was okay, that I wanted a night alone, but she took it personally, and now she thinks I'm mad at her for the whole outing me to my family thing.

Which was an understandable accident, and I'm not even mad.

Ugh.

'Just, lie to her or something, we are going to miss it.' Nerissa text me.

'I'm trying!'

She sends back a facepalm emoji.

If only getting rid of Vega were so simple, how can I turn her away after she said all that stuff to me the other night? She'd think I hated her. Which I don't! It would only make me feel bad.

I don't know what to do.

Maybe I should just tell her.

I sigh and eye the door as Vega cracks it open and peeks inside to see if I'm asleep by now.

When she sees me, she has a sad puppy dog face.

"I'm really going to have to get that key from you." I outstretch my arms to her.

"Never," she giggles before leaping into my arms.

"I'm never going to get personal space ever again am I," I say.

"Not so long as I'm around," she kisses me.

"You are ridiculous," I sigh.

"Why aren't you changed?" she asks.

"Emm, I err um, want to go for a walk."

She eyes me.

"Fine! You caught me, Nerissa and I are going to do some investigation."

"Emery! I told you just to drop it." She glares at me.

"She's convincing!" I defend myself.

She sighs.

"I am only doing it to prove she's gone off the deep end. It will only take us half an hour tops. Can you just wait for me?"

She pulls free from my arms and crosses her own.

"Vega," I pout.

"Only if you tell me what exactly you two are going to investigate. You should have told me, I could have gone with you."

"I don't want you to come, it's silly. Really. Nerissa just thinks Lorelei is suspicious. But I don't think she is, I mean I used to, but not so much anymore." I shrug.

"So what?"

"We are going to spy on her, but we are probably just going to find her and Cyrene doing the dirty and leave," I lie.

She frowns at me.

"Please, I have to. Nerissa is relentless. I'm just doing it so she'll stop. She even started investigating her own parents, she's that paranoid."

Vega sighs.

"I promise to be fast, I swear. I'll even text you updates. Just wait for me." I stand up and grab her hands in my own.

"You should have told me," Vega says in disappointment.

"I wanted to, Nerissa is the one who thinks we can't trust anyone."

She pulls away from me.

"I'm sorry," I pull her back into my arms.

"Just go then," she pulls away again.

"Vega, come on, don't be mad." I plead.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she grabs her stuff and leaves.

"Vega! Vega come on! Vega!"

she waves me off and leaves.

I sigh.

I'll definitely have to do some damage control later. Right now, I have a secret society to catch. Or so Nerissa says. Which if it's ruining my relationship there better be a secret society at the end of this, or I'm refusing to talk to Nerissa ever again. 

I quickly grab my jacket and run to Nerissa's room.

"Finally, I was about to leave you," she hisses.

"Sorry, I got held up. Come on."

"Let's just teleport," she grabs me by the shoulder, then we sink down into the shadows and appear in our pre-determined hiding spot.

When we came to do some scouting before, we found a perfect spot behind some thick curtains. The curtains drag the floor and are thick enough to easily conceal us. Plus it puts us right in the middle of the banquet.

We are a few minutes late, and music is already playing, the lights are low and dim. A soft purple hue fills the room.

"Okay, do your thing," Nerissa whispers.

I nod.

I focus my energy into my hands before casting a tiny seeing window spell. It allows me to see through objects and walls. I can see, but no one on the other side can.

We both look at the little hole and see people wearing all black wearing masks, dancing with each other. It's hard to tell what Casters they are if they are even casters at all. Nerissa was right about one thing though, something weird is going on.

"That's my mom and dad," Nerissa whispers and points.

"Are you sure?" I watch the dark-skinned couple in black masks dance with each other.

"I'd recognize his bald head anywhere," She says sure of herself.

"Is that Lorelei?" I whisper.

We watch a tall, very model-like figure with long dark hair and bright red lips dance with someone. A person I don't recognize. But the red-lipped black-masked figure definitely looks like Lorelei. But I can't be sure with all the masks on their faces.

They all dance fluidly and beautifully. I'll admit, I'm impressed. That's when I see it, on the dance floor. Glowing, like a Glyph or something. The same mark I saw on the people with the cloaks who awakened my power that day.

All the hairs on my arm stand up, and the lights flicker.

"Hide your energy!" Nerissa hisses at me.

Before I get a chance, everyone on the dance floor stops in their steps and turns towards us. Very cult and creepy-like. Nerissa and I flinch and my spell falters and disappears. We hold our breath and don't dare move. Even the music stopped.

We eye each other in panic.

I flinch when the curtain is swept away and we are revealed.

"Eh, heh, heh. Hi." I wave.

Nerissa facepalms.

With a better full picture, I can see the room is filled with about 50 or so people. All dressed similarly.

One of the girls in a black mask with silver etching walks over to me and outstretches her hand towards me.

I eye her.

I don't recognize her. She looks to be around my age. Coffee brown hair, striking green eyes. I cautiously take her hand and she smirks.

"What are you doing!?" Nerissa whispers.

But it's like I'm in a trance. I can feel all this energy swirling around me, almost like it's pulling me in. The music quickly starts back up and everyone grabs a new partner. A boy with bleach blond hair walks over to Nerissa and offers to dance with her. She also hesitantly accepts.

"Let your energy out, let it mingle with all the energy in the room," the girl says to me.

Her voice sounds... familiar.

But I do as she said, letting my energy out.

We dance.

As we move, I can feel my energy swirling, mixing with all the energy in the room. Even the energy of Shadow Caster's but it doesn't clash as I expect it to. It feels, oddly, good. Powerful.

I can't really think of a better way to describe it, but just, powerful.

Soon everyone is in sync once more, even me and Nerissa. Even though I have no clue how to dance or anything, somehow, I know exactly what to do. Like their energies guide mine and me to the right way.

"Who are you?" I ask the girl.

She giggles.

The music ups tempos and everyone switches partners. My new partner is about a foot taller than me, with dark brown eyes, brown hair with an orange hue, cleanly shaven. He also seems familiar.

While I'm dancing with him, I'm racking my brain trying to recall how I know him, but before I can put my finger on it, we switch again, and I end up with Nerissa.

"What is happening?" I ask her.

"I don't know!" she says alarmed.

"It's like I can't stop," I say.

Only then did I notice that the glyph on the floor had begun to rise and glow very brightly, growing to almost the size of the room.

Then everyone stops again, somehow Nerissa and I wound up in the center of the room.

An air caster blows the curtains off the windows and lets the moonlight in. The glyph glows brighter and brighter until I have to shield my eyes.

That's the last thing I remember, when I come to, I'm passed out on the banquet floor, next to Nerissa. We are alone and the hall looks closed and abandon. Not a sign in sight that a secret dance ever happened here.

"Nerissa!" I shake her awake.

She shoots up with a sharp gasp.

"What happened?" we ask at the same time.

I stand up and help Nerissa up.

She pulls out her phone to check the time.

After three in the morning, when we got here it was just after midnight.

We've been out of it for more than two hours!

I pull my phone out and see lots of text from Vega.

'are you okay?'

'You promised you'd update me.'

'Stop being immature.'

'Emery?'

'Where are you?'

'Did you find anything?'

'I just went back to your room, where are you? I'm worried. Call me.'

That was the last message she sent at 2:06 in the morning.

"Ugh, I feel... drained." Nerissa stumbles forward.

"Me too," I pout.

"What was that thing?" I ask.

"I don't know, but let's get out of here. We'll have to talk about this in the morning. I need to rest." Nerissa rubs her head.

I nod.

Nerissa wraps her arm around me and leans on me, I do the same to her. We walk out of the banquet hall together. I really do feel so drained, like I can pass out again at any moment. We walk slowly in the snow back to the dorm which is so far from here. Or at least it feels like it.

"Emery!" Vega runs up to me. "What the hell!? I was worried!" she shouts.

"It's not her fault," Nerissa says.

"What happened!?"

"We passed out, were attacked? I'm still not sure." I shake my head."

Nerissa grunts and has to stop and rest for a bit.

"We were drained of our energy, at least I'm pretty sure." She tries to catch her breath.

"What she said, I feel awful." I pout.

"I knew I should have come! I've been walking around campus for hours looking for you!"

"We'll explain everything tomorrow," Nerissa stands up again.

Vega sighs.

"Come on, I think I have one teleport in me," I say.

They gather around.

I teleport us to my room, but one teleport is exactly all I had left in me. I black out almost instantly, Vega has to catch me before I hit the ground. Her worried face is the last thing I see before I fall unconscious once more.