Fiction

Kael’s stone blazed blue in his hand, steady and unyielding. He grinned at me, even now. “Three… two… one—”

I unfolded the fragile page, Kael leaning close as the lantern light caught the writing. My mother’s hand—sharp, deliberate strokes—spread across the paper. I swallowed hard and began to read aloud:

Kael paced the length of the dorm, muttering to himself. “No, no, no, this is bad—this is worse than bad. Purple blood? Orange Luminor? This isn’t random, Ryder. This is connected.”

But Seraphina’s golden eyes never left me. 

I collapsed face-first onto my bunk, groaning into the thin pillow. “Well,” I mumbled, my voice muffled by the fabric, “that went great.”

Now Kael was in it too. 

The hall doors slammed open again, and Professor Lenira Thale strode in, her green eyes flashing sharper than any spell.

My Luminor throbbed in my pocket, restless, flickering colors no one should see. 

The laughter and murmurs swelled until the doors at the end of the hall creaked open.

Her red eyes flicked toward Seraphina. “She saw it. When your stone shifted.”

My pulse quickened. I wanted to deny it, but Juniper’s gaze was steady.

I grabbed my uniform jacket and stepped outside into the crisp morning air. The campus footpath was empty. Too empty.

A stone whistled through the air toward my head.

“Extravaganzis!” I snapped.

I woke up, my feet brushing against the carpet as I pushed out of bed. Beside my uniform, my Luminor glowed a steady green, brightening as I shook off sleep.

For a businesswoman, she is very kind. She is the winter giving her hand to autumn as they trade places. Autumn stands back and watches Winter do her work, covering Autumn's leaves and grass until everything is white, white, white.

The man stopped, bending over, weeping until his tears seemed to fill a gaping hole in his heart he had not noticed was there.

This is a retelling of a short story I wrote in 2023 for a blizzard challenge prompt! 
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