Celeste couldn't breathe.
The weight of Nathaniel's words pressed down on her, each syllable settling like stone in her chest. They won't let her go. The people who summoned her—the people who created her—weren't just watching. They weren't just searching.
They were coming.
Amelia was the first to react. "Then we leave." Her voice was sharp, decisive. "We pack a bag, get in the car, and disappear before they find us."
Nathaniel's expression didn't shift. "You think running will stop them?"
"Yes," Amelia shot back. "Or at the very least, buy us time."
Celeste could hear the desperation laced beneath her words. She wanted to believe it would be that easy. That she and Amelia could just slip away into the night, outrun the shadows creeping toward them. But even as the thought crossed her mind, a deep, gnawing instinct told her the truth—this wasn't a problem they could escape.
Nathaniel took a step closer, his presence imposing but not unkind. "They don't want to hurt you," he said, directing the words at Celeste. "But they do want to own you."
Celeste's stomach turned.
"Like hell they do," Amelia snapped, stepping between them as if she could physically shield Celeste from the weight of reality. "She's not some experiment. She's not—" Amelia's voice cracked, just slightly, before she caught herself. "She's mine."
Nathaniel's gaze flickered, something unreadable passing through it. "Then fight for her."
"I am," Amelia snapped.
Nathaniel shook his head. "Not like this."
The words made Amelia freeze. Celeste saw the slight shift in her posture, the way her breath hitched, the way she gritted her teeth. It was rare—so rare—for Amelia to be at a loss. But now, she was standing at the edge of something bigger than either of them, and for the first time, she didn't know where to step.
Celeste exhaled, forcing herself to speak. "What do they want?"
Nathaniel hesitated. "Answers."
"That's vague."
"Because I don't know everything yet," he admitted. "But I do know this—they spent years researching, waiting, for proof that magic could do more than just bend reality. That it could create it." His voice was quiet but firm. "You are their success story, Celeste. And they don't want to lose you."
A chill ran down her spine. "If I was summoned, can't they just… do it again?". Nathaniel's expression darkened. "Not like this. You're different. Stable." Celeste didn't know whether to feel relieved or horrified.
Amelia ran a hand through her hair, pacing. "So, what? They just want to keep her under a microscope?"
"If you're lucky."
The words hit like a gut punch. Celeste swallowed hard. "And if I'm not?". Nathaniel's silence was answer enough.
For a long moment, no one spoke. The distant hum of the city outside was the only sound between them. Celeste could feel the weight of Amelia's stare, the tension in her rigid stance.
Then, finally— "We fight," Amelia said, voice unwavering. Nathaniel sighed. "That's not an answer."
"It's the only one I have."
Celeste looked between them. Nathaniel was right—this wasn't something they could simply throw punches at. It wasn't something they could run from either. This was bigger. Deeper. If she was the only one of her kind, if she was truly a creation of magic, then there was no easy solution.
There was only the truth. And the people willing to take it from her.
She let out a slow breath, steeling herself. "Where do we start?"
Nathaniel studied her carefully before nodding once. "I'll make some calls. But if we do this—" he met Amelia's sharp glare, unflinching "—you listen to me. No reckless moves. No impulsive decisions. We do this smartly."
Amelia crossed her arms, but didn't argue.
Nathaniel turned toward the door, pausing only briefly. "Pack a bag," he said. "We won't be staying here much longer."
And then he was gone.
Celeste let out a slow, shaky breath. Amelia turned to her, eyes burning with something fierce, something desperate. "Are you scared?"
Celeste lifted her wrist, staring at the crack that had begun to branch further up her arm. She met Amelia's gaze, her own voice steady, quiet.
"Yes."
Amelia exhaled sharply, stepping forward. "Then let's make them scared, too."
Celeste didn't have all the answers. She didn't know what came next, or what the people who had summoned her were truly capable of. But she did know one thing—
She wasn't going down without a fight.