Jace Thornwood’s vision was bright red as he raced up the stairs that Calira had gone up, wrathful and full of hatred. His stormy blue eyes held the wrath of a thunderstorm as he searched for Cal. However, he could not find her anywhere, and soon began to wander aimlessly around the castle, searching. Jace would kill that monster of a girl when he found her. He would peel her open and hang her up by her entrails. Fists still clenched, Jace gave up and began to walk back to Great Hall, but was stopped when a cold pale hand closed over his mouth and dragged him into the dark. 

· ┈┈┈┈ ꕥ ┈┈┈┈ ·

Zelie rushed into the Great Hall, flushed and panicked. She ran up to the Gryffindor table and grabbed Reece Parker by the arm, dragging him into a dark corner near the doors. He huffed, blowing his hair out of his face. “Ya know, you could’ve at least asked before dragging me over here.” 

Zelie didn’t smile. “Jace is gone.” 

Reece raised his brows. “What do you mean, he’s gone? People don’t just disappear, Zelie.” He eyed her up and down. “But if he is gone… you wanna come back to my room tonight?” 

Zelie reached up and smacked Reece on the cheek. Hard. He stumbled back, shocked. Zelie didn’t blink. “Get your head out of your ass. Does it look like I’m joking?” she snarled. 

Reece shook his head quickly. 

“Do you know where he is?”

Reece shook his head once again. “No, I haven’t seen him since yesterday.” 

Zelie nodded. “Fine,” she turned on her heel, rushing over to the Hufflepuff table. She tapped a few girls on the shoulder. “Excuse me, have any of you seen Calira Shacklevolt?” Everyone simply pointed to the Slytherin table, where cruel laughter could be heard from miles away. Zelie frowned, walking up to the table. Jinx Cross could be seen taunting a rather scrawny Slytherin while the surrounding snakes laughed and jeered. Zelie began to approach the Slytherin Queen but stopped dead. Alec Thornwood, a rather pleasant boy, was sitting on Jinx’s left, jeering with the other snakes. And sitting in his lap was the new Calira Shacklevolt. 

It looked as if someone had taken a bitch girl beauty kit and used everything up on Cali. Even her clothes were different, black denim over dark purple. There was no Hufflepuff crest in sight, but a Slytherin one could be seen pinned to the breast of her jacket. Her hair was done up into a messy bun, and her face was slathered in makeup. Purple eyeshadow, black lipstick, harsh blush, contouring, as if a professional makeup artist had been hired. Zelie simply stared at her sister, shocked. She did not know this girl sitting before her. 

Calira, however, had other plans. “Zel, darling! Come sit, why don’t you? Let’s catch up.” Cali hopped up and grabbed Zelie’s arm, dragging her over to the bench. She plopped down, forcing Zelie to do the same. “Zel, I don’t think you’ve met my boyfriend. This is Alec,” she gestured to Alexander, who didn’t offer any indication that he even saw her. Zelie played along, hoping to leave as soon as possible. 

“Actually, I have met Alec. He and Jace sat with us on the Hogwarts Express, I believe.” Zelie tried not to flinch as Cali’s face contorted with barely restrained rage, jealousy, and hatred. 

Cali shoved her face into Zelie’s, close enough that they were sharing breath. “Do not ever, mention that lying, backstabbing cheat in my presence. Got it?” 

Zelie simply withdrew, disgusted. She got up and walked back over to the Ravenclaw table, where she got out her notebook and scribbled down a few sentences. All of them included the words “monster”, “liar”, and “change”. Zelie then packed up her things and headed for the grounds, without a backward glance at her sister.

Zelie strolled around the lake, humming a light tune. She was trying to take her mind off of Jace, and the cool breeze through her hair was very calming. Zelie tilted her head back slightly, savoring the sweet caress. Her golden eyes, previously clouded with worry, were now clear and sharp as she looked across the lake. And spotted what could be the key to defeating the Mørke before it was too late. 

Kaden Brown was lounging in a tree, twirling his wand like a menacing baton. The Slytherin crest on his robes stood out as if it wasn’t meant to be there. Which it wasn’t. Zelie approached him rather cautiously, her slender hand within casual reach of her wand. “How did you get up there?” Zelie called up to the boy. Kaden snapped his gaze toward Zelie, alert and aware. However, he relaxed upon seeing her, a grin spreading across his rather handsome face. 

“I climbed it, of course!” Kaden slipped down the trunk of the tree with ease, swaggering over to where Zelie stood. “I’m Kaden Brown, pureblood Slytherin.” He extended his hand toward her. Zelie took it, still cautious. 

“I’m Zelie,” she responded, taking Kaden’s hand. “Pureblood?” 

Kaden smiled. “One-hundred percent. My family hasn’t interacted with a Muggle or any Muggle products in seventeen generations.” He smiled, letting go of Zelie’s hand and stepping away slightly. 

Zelie did her best not to frown. “That’s very impressive,” she replied. Kaden nodded, obviously pleased. Zelie decided to change the subject. “Have you heard about the disappearance?” Zelie hoped and prayed to whoever was listening that he would take the bait.

Kaden furrowed his brow, a bit too much to be convincing. “No, I haven’t. Who disappeared?” 

Zelie frowned in mock surprise. “You didn’t know? The school’s buzzing with the news. A first-year Gryffindor named Jace Thornwood disappeared last night. No one knows where he went, but the Headmaster is looking into it. Whoever did it is going to be in so much trouble.” She cocked her head to the side, abruptly changing the subject. “Why are your eyes golden, Kaden?”

The boy smiled. “I could ask you the same thing.”

Zelie returned the smirk, knowing her response would be of no use to him, despite the fact that she was lying. “Colored contacts. I don’t like my natural eye color.” Zelie knew that he would believe her, seeing as she appealed to vanity, which, in most minds, was a trait that all girls possessed plenty of. 

Damian simply nodded, playing his part well. “Same here. Colored contacts.”

Zelie nodded, playing along. “Really? That’s interesting. Colored contacts too, huh?” Kaden nodded cooly. Zelie frowned. “Unfortunately, colored contacts are a Muggle product. I thought your family hadn’t interacted with those for seventeen generations.” Her face turned stone-cold. “Which would mean that you’re lying to me.” Zelie leaned close to Kaden ear. “Where is he, Damian Xaris?” she whispered, sickly sweet. 

Damian smiled, responding without missing a beat. “Gone.”