23
“You poor thing.” The woman gently patted my forehead and tsked.
I was sitting on a folding chair, letting her clean up a few minor scrapes and the blood that had trickled from my mouth and nose.
“You must be cold and hungry. When I’m done here, we’ll get you a change of clothes and something to eat. How does that sound?”
The woman looked harmless, the kind of person people trusted without thinking twice.
She was young with soft features, an easy symmetry that drew the eye without demanding attention.
Her blonde hair fell in loose waves around her face in effortless beauty.
She had a strange shade of icy-silver eyes that were clear, too clear, and were framed by long lashes that fluttered with every blink.
She was wearing pastel colors, a simple blouse and cardigan paired with dark jeans and practical shoes.
Everything about her invited trust and loyalty, yet I couldn’t shake the feeling there was something dangerous lingering underneath.
“There. All done.” She placed a bloody cotton ball on the table next to her. “Oh, I never introduced myself. I’m Mandy.”
I tried to say my name, but the dryness in my throat only allowed me to cough.
“Here, have some water.” She handed me a plastic cup, but I didn’t drink it.
“F-friends?” I rasped.
“They’re fine for now,” Mandy gathered the dirty supplies on the table.
“For now?” I studied this mysterious woman more closely. There was something vaguely familiar about her that I couldn’t seem to place.
“I said they’re fine. Now drink. You need to stay hydrated.” A sharp pain lanced through my head, and I sipped the water she gave me. I wanted to press her more about what had happened, but as she took my hand and led me into the hallway, I felt the urge to ask her about something else instead.
“Where am I?”
The walls were a pale, peeling gray, streaked with rust where water had leaked through the roof years ago.
The floor was cold concrete, pitted and stained, and the faint tang of salt and mold hung in the air.
Pipes ran along the ceiling, some wrapped in fraying insulation, their occasional drip echoing through the emptiness.
Everything about the place smelled of abandonment, of work left undone decades ago.
Several people passed by as we traveled down the long hallway that stretched before us, lit by flickering fluorescent bulbs that buzzed like cicadas.
Men, women, children, and the elderly. Some of them were wearing those black rift warden vests, others had lab coats, and yet most of them were dressed casually.
“A sanctuary,” she said like I had just entered heaven. Her gaze drifted past me, distant. “Everyone here has a past and a purpose. It’s a safe place for them to go when the world rejects them for the magic they have.”
“Uh huh. And what’s my purpose? How did I get here?
” We reached the end of the hallway, a set of double doors now standing before us.
She opened them, and the first thing that hit me was the smell of coffee and grilled food; a comforting, mundane smell that somewhat melted the tension in my shoulders.
“The people here are fighting for a cause, just like you. And they need your help. Will you help them?”
“Of course.” I didn’t even ponder her question or the fact she was only giving me half answers.
A soothing feeling stirred inside me, encouraging me to say yes, without even knowing what I was getting myself into.
Mandy held out her hand, and we sat down at an empty table in the middle of the crowded cafeteria.
I scanned the space around me. A man with salt-and-pepper hair stirred his soup while chatting with a woman who laughed like she had no care in the world.
Both of them were wearing rift warden vests.
Another pair shared a sandwich, elbows brushing comfortably.
Everything screamed safety, friendliness, routine.
And yet, my skin crawled. Every movement, every glance, felt too controlled. Too precise. What was I missing?
Mandy’s eyes met mine, calm and inviting. “See? Nothing to fear here. You’re safe … for now.”
There it was again. For now. My magic stirred inside me, as if responding to my unease … a warning, but I didn’t know why.
A young girl with braided pigtails approached with two bowls of soup. She couldn’t have been more than sixteen.
“Thanks, Annabelle.”
The freckled teen smiled at Mandy and slipped away.
“You said you needed something from me?” I met Mandy’s gaze as I slurped the steaming bowl of soup. It was surprisingly tasty, the broth light and the chicken tender. My empty stomach happily devoured it.
“Right. Well, you see, your magic is extremely unique,” Mandy said, leaning slightly closer, her voice soft but precise. “It’s powerful … but it’s also volatile. Dangerous when left unchecked. That’s why we brought you here.”
I froze mid-sip, the warmth of the soup suddenly bitter in my mouth. Why did that sound familiar?
“Unchecked?” I asked, my voice low. “What the hell are you talking about? There’s nothing wrong with my magic. How do you even know about my magic, anyway?”
“You practically blew up Salem with your magic. It was hard to ignore.” She tilted her head, expression sympathetic.
“Don’t worry. It was covered up as a gas leak.
But think about what went wrong. I know your magic protects, yes, but it can also cause significant harm and the second you slip up, the world will turn against you.
You can feel it, right? That constant push and pull of your magic wanting to break free?
That’s why this sanctuary exists. To guide it.
To study it. To help you control it so no one else gets hurt. ”
I wanted to protest, to argue, but the words stuck in my throat. Every nerve in my body prickled. Something about her tone, the effortless calm in her eyes, made the idea of listening to her feel … inevitable. My magic thrummed in response, restless, aware.
“People like us,” she continued, sweeping a hand toward the cafeteria, where everyone was eating and chatting in that unnervingly perfect rhythm. “We’ve all … been chosen. Taught. Shaped. It’s not a punishment. It’s preparation. And now, you can be a part of our mission too.”
Why did it sound like I had stumbled into some kind of cult?
“I knew you’d come, Theo. I knew you’d help us.” Mandy reached out again. Not threatening. Not dramatic. Just a light, reassuring touch—two fingers brushing my wrist as she spoke. The instant her skin made contact, my magic spiked, but not in pain, in recognition.
“I knew you looked familiar.” I pulled my hand away, finally coming to my senses.
A memory resurfaced. There was a different hallway with flickering lights. A woman was shaking, her grocery bag spilled across the stairs as she cowered before the Boston Stangler. She looked up at me with pleading eyes and told me those same words. I knew you’d come.
“You tricked me. You acted like you were a victim being attacked by the Boston Stangler. But I never told you my name or anything about my magic, and you said those same words to me back then when I asked if you were okay. You’re Syndicate, aren’t you?
You’re all Syndicate. You lured me into your trap to set off that array. ”
She leaned back in her chair, her easy personality vanishing with an eye roll. “Well, I guess you’re more than just a pretty face. I knew you’d figure it out sooner or later, but I was hoping the ruse would at least last until tomorrow morning.”
Pain blossomed behind my eyes, a deep, pulsing throb that made my vision swim and my thoughts fracture. “What the fuck did you do to me?”
Mandy shrugged. “Fight it all you want, but mind control is mind control. I planted the spell on you that day you met me in the stairwell, and it’s been slowly growing stronger inside you since.
It’s easier if you aren’t aware of it, but even if you are, I can still force you to bend to my will, no matter what kind of weird magic you have.
I wasn’t lying, Theo. We do need you. And if you don’t comply, the Syndicate won’t hesitate to go after your friends and the entire city.
So why not just do the right thing and agree? ”
I rubbed my forehead. “Is that why you’re constantly pinning the city against me? To force me into helping you? If you haven’t noticed, it hasn’t been working.”
“Theo, you are destined for greatness. Why do you waste your talents on those who don’t appreciate them? You could be so much more than you are now if you joined us. Let us help guide you and show you what you’re capable of.”
I suddenly remembered something Caspian once told me. As we were about to head into that club to meet with Leon, he’d said that there were too many people out there who had lost hope. I needed to be their beacon, a leader to those who had no one else to follow.
Ren had warned me that the Syndicate would make my life a living hell, that they’d hit me where it hurt most and drag me to the very bottom until I had no other choice but to crawl to them and beg for their help.
Caspian wanted me to rise into the clouds.
The Syndicate wanted to bury me in a grave.
I was a threat to them, and I couldn’t be allowed to run free unless I was controlled.
They feared me, but not just because of my magical power, but because they knew if things progressed the way they were going, I’d have an army of demons, ghosts, and countless others pledging their support to me.
The Syndicate might have been a powerful organization, but they operated in the shadows.
They didn’t have that undeniable trust and loyalty of the public to make a difference.
Instead, they did it through manipulation, through controlling people like me.
I wouldn’t let things go that far. I jumped to my feet but froze in place.