Page 17 of Haunted Hearts

“All right, stay in that position.” Gen crosses her arms. “Now, I want you to move the boulder.”

I close my eyes and focus, trying to picture the rock shifting, rolling, anything. But nothing happens.

I drop my arms.

“Listen, my magic is kind of tricky and I’ve only just started learning to summon it. A flower, sure, leaves, absolutely. But a big-ass rock is too much.”

“Hey, relax. Your mood has a huge impact on how your magic works. You have to trust yourself and believe you can do it.”

“I am relaxed. I’m calm—it’s just not working.” I sigh, trying not to sound defensive.

“Calli. Look at me.” Gen steps forward and grips my shoulder. “You need to learn to control this. Before you end up killing someone. You want to help your brother, don’t you?”

“Yes…” I nod, my jaw tight.

“Then don’t fuck around. You’re being hunted as a sacrifice—this isn’t just some training exercise. Now focus.”

“Okay… okay.”

I close my eyes again and draw the energy around me the same way I did in the forest with Cade.

I feel it. It surges through me like static caught in my lungs. I reach for the boulder, tethering to its weight, its age. It’s massive—but something in me connects. When I open my eyes, moss is creeping across its surface.

I keep pushing. My arms begin to tremble, no, not tremble. Vibrate. My skin flickers, as if I’m glitching. The air thickens. I turn to Gen for reassurance but— Her hair is lifting like it’s full of electricity.

A sharp crack splits the air. I flinch, my eyes snapping to the boulder. It fractures, and then…

It turns to dust.

I drop my arms, staring in silence at the pile where it used to be. I glance over at Gen. Her face is pale. She’s not impressed, she’s scared.

“I… I don’t think that’s what I meant to do,” I say, trying to laugh it off. There’s sweat on my lip. I wipe at it. Not sweat—blood. My hand is covered in it. I yank my coat sleeve up to catch the rest. “Sorry,” I mutter. “That happens sometimes.”

“Calli…” Gen says carefully.

“Yeah?”

She studies me for a moment. “What… are you?”

I blink, anxiety building in my gut. “What do you mean?”

Before she can answer, the back door creaks open.

“Yo! Ladies,” Jack calls, stepping out. “Ben just called.”

Gen doesn’t say a word as we head to the door in silence. But her words echo the whole way back.

What are you?

I tried to move the boulder, like she told me. That’s all. All I thought was move forward. I don’t know what happened, either. But why would she ask that?

Seeing me as I walk through the back door into the library, Cade’s already rising from the couch.

“Are you bleeding?” he asks, crossing the room.

I raise a hand to stop him. “I’m fine.”

Cade’s eyes snap to Gen. “What happened?”