The voices got quieter and quieter until we could no longer hear them, but we sat there in silence for a few minutes longer.

Once I was sure they were gone, I gripped the branch above me, preparing to climb down.

“Cedar, what are you doing?” Alea asked. “I’m leaving, I can’t stay at this place anymore, I’m _scared,_ Alea.”

She gave me a sympathetic look as I jumped to a lower branch.

“Cedar, you can’t-“ “let her go, Alea, she’s not gonna listen to us,” Kai said coldly.

I held back tears as I looked up at them. “I thought I had finally found people who made me feel like I belonged.

Turns out, you’re all just scared, hiding from your fears.”

I jumped lower and lower until I was on the ground, ignoring their calls.

I would find my way.

I wandered through the beautiful forest. I heard a stream trickling nearby and decided to follow the sound.

Why had they been hiding? It wasn’t bad out here at all.

Once I reached the stream, I knelt to look at the koi swimming around in it.

The tips of my hair touched the surface of the water, and I dipped my hand in. The koi cautiously swam over and began swimming in circles around my hand.

I closed my eyes, finally feeling in sync with everything around me.

I felt something. It was small. It was quiet. But it was there. A noise snapped me back into reality.

“Well, well, well, look who it is. Decided to ditch your freak friends?”

I turned and saw the kid from my first day. Adacus. He was with Timothee Tramónd, and another kid I saw while he was sword fighting when I was looking at the dorms.

Adadus pulled a bow from behind his back, and the sword-fighting kid handed him an arrow.

“Come on, let’s have a little fun with her.” He stepped toward me, and I tried to back up, stopping myself from falling in the water just in time.

I raised my hands in defense, and a small vine shot in Adcaus’s face.

He looked baffled for a moment, then he laughed.

“I’m so scared,” he said, mocking me. His friends laughed. He drew his arrow, aiming for my arm.

I squeezed my eyes shut, preparing myself for the pain. Adacus suddenly shrieked, and I heard a thud.

Leo stood in front of me, his neck burning bright red and orange. He turned to me. “You okay?”

I nodded, still shocked at what I had done. Adacus rose, touching his cheek where Leo had burned him.

“You’re gonna regret that, Fartwinkle.” His neck glowed gold, and Leo grabbed my hand and ran.