DESCENDED

BAPTIZED

"Then we don't have to tell her. Just show me... I want to help."

"Are you sure about this?"

"I'm positive," I assure him.

"If at any point you change your mind, say the word, and we can stop." He tells me.

I nod. Thinking about all the ways I can be of help by stopping a Messenger. And if harnessing dark power will help me defeat them, then I need to be open to it.

For weeks I allow Sam to teach me how to conjure and harness dark power in secret. And it's as seductive as he said it would be. Because once you taste it, you develop an addiction to it. The power itself engulfs you, comforts you, and emboldens you.

With each day that passes, dark power consumes more of me. I go from not thinking about it, to thinking about it all the time, and then to craving it.

We start off small... causing flowers to wither and die. Then we move to crumbling buildings and altering the weather to cause rainstorms. Every week I'm learning something new. And it's more than what Amariah or the others ever taught me. I didn't even know I could do half the things Sam has shown me.

The more time I spend with Sam, the closer we become. And although I don't think about Sebastian nearly as much. He drifts into my thoughts from time to time. But more weeks go by without so much as a glimpse of him.

It's disheartening.

And emotionally, I feel myself starting to break down.

What if he's really gone and this has all just been a lie?

For the first time in weeks my heart aches. Because I'm starting to lose hope that I'll ever see him again. And even if I do, I'm worried he will have moved on.

Setting my eyes on the front of the room, I watch as Amariah along with a few other members on the school board stand there waiting for everyone to quiet down.

"Eh hem!" Darius clears his throat to get our attention. "May we please have everyone's attention?"

"It has come to our attention that for the past several weeks there has been a dark presence on campus. Until that presence is found and taken care of, the following curfew and safety measures have been put in place," Amariah announces.

She passes out a packet of papers, and in it were several safety rules to follow. And countless new restrictions.

As if we weren't imprisoned enough...

Then it hits me. And I wonder if the dark presence they sensed was Samuel and I using our dark power. They probably think Messengers are looking for a way to attack the school again.

We should probably lay low for a while...

And what better way to lay low than with a visit to my family. Because I'm incredibly homesick and I miss my family.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" I ask.

I need to see them.

"Of course, Angelique." Amariah smiles. "This isn't about my brother, is it?"

"No," I shake my head. "This is about my family. I was wondering if I could go see them."

"That's not really a good idea. Not only would you be putting yourself in danger, but you'd be putting your family in danger too."

Something told me she was going to say that...

"I've done everything you've asked of me. Everything. And I've been compliant. All I ask is that you give me a few hours."