The whole witch community of our combined regions in the US will be here—I don’t even know how many people from all the various regions. It’s going to be packed with family and strangers and Enforcers.
I’ve never really understood the purpose of making us feel important like this, having a big ceremony where half the people don’t even make it past the Partner Final. The whole thing feels pointless. This is only part one of two.
“This is the shit,” Ric says.
I groan. “I just want it to be over.”
“Not me,” he says. “I want everyone to see me so they know who’s going to pass the final test, save all their asses someday, and get eternal praise.”
“Always the humble hero,” I say. I know he’s kidding about the macho stuff. Ric is as nervous about the next part as I am. The Pairing is the mark of something bigger, and the fact that we’ve made it this far shows that we are worth something. But if we don’t make it when we’re Paired, if we don’t pass the Partner Final, then in the end, we’re nothing. We’re forgotten.
It’s sort of like a championship game where a team works so hard for the prospect of winning, and gives it all to be there, to fight, to play. In the end, it’s win or lose. No one remembers the losers except the losers, because they get to be close to glory, to success that’s only dreamed of. They get to taste the possibility, to feel it within their grasp and potentially never get to keep it. It’s all a very heavy feeling.
“Boys to the left; girls to the right.” Mrs. Bentham yells.
She’s not even in the room, it’s just her voice. Magic really makes life so much easier.
“See you out there,” Ric says.
I nod and move to the right. Once today is over I will be one step closer to getting everything I want.
My phone vibrates. There’s a text from Connie saying Gran is nervous for me, and panicking about good seats so they are coming over early. I also get one from Carter. I’m wearing my lucky shoes for you.
I smile and respond. You have lucky shoes?
I cross the threshold to the girls’ side and Maple waves at me. “I’m glad you made it through,” she says with a smile. I return it.
“You too,” I say. “Nervous?”
Maple shrugs. “No more than usual.” Kessa calls for Maple and like that she’s gone again. My phone buzzes again. Yup. Wore them the day I met you, Lucky Penny.
I feel my cheeks redden as I think about the kiss and send Carter a nonchalant “whatever,” but it is far from “whatever. It’s way more than “whatever”—but it’s something that I can’t think about right now, so I slide the power off and slip the phone into my pocket.
Magic surfaces around me and starts pulling me toward a mirror. My dress and shoes get removed from my hands, and I land in some chair. I guess it’s time to get ready. Two hours to go.
The reflection looking back at me doesn’t look like me at all. Her hair is curled. Her eyelids shimmer with golds and browns, and rosy pink is on her cheeks. And she’s got on this dress that’s something I would never wear. But she is me, and that’s the most jarring part. I have never looked so damn good. I wish that Carter were here to see it. I really hope he comes like he said he would.
“Five minutes, girls.” Mrs. Bentham claps through the backstage. “Make sure you’re beautiful!”
The reflection rolls her eyes. Okay, so that move was totally me.
I look down through the other girls in my class. They all look amazing, so I’m not really sure what Mrs. Bentham is talking about. If they were any more beautiful the sun would probably melt because of their sparkle, shimmer, and shine.
Once the ceremony is over, we meet with our new partner. Everyone wants to look good. Even me.
“Penelope!” Kessa yells, motioning for me to come to their side of the room.
I smile and join them. This huge red clock counts down the minutes, and the nerves start. The other girls are checking each other’s makeup, hugging. And me? I’m trying not to vomit.
“Look how pretty it is,” Maple says, peering behind one of the curtains and into the main ballroom. “So different than last month.”
Mrs. Bentham would never use the same decor over again. Each ceremony is a new beginning for a new group, so she’s a firm believer in the room matching the new theme.
“Two minutes! Places, girls! Places!” Mrs. Bentham yells.
The whole room squeals in excitement and nerves. The music starts and there’s a murmur beyond the door of people taking their seats. On a wall monitor we can see what’s happening outside.
As the doors open, the noise fades and I feel them approach. Everyone does, and that’s all it takes for silence to descend as the whole council enters. I’ve never seen them all in one room before, not when I was sitting this close. From here, they almost look like ten regular people. Ten regular people in long white robes.
They may almost look regular, but they’re powerful. The magic seems to glow out of them; the power they wield is that freaking strong. We don’t see the Triad as much as the council, mostly because they are busy doing high and mighty things, but the council acts as liaison between the Triad and the witch community. They were tested and Paired, and worked their way up the ranks. They’re mostly like the rest of us witches, except they are all purebloods—centuries of magic on both sides of the lineage, passed down from generation to generation of witches—and they all used to be Enforcers. They move so gracefully through the room they look like they’re floating.
I guess they stopped being like the rest of us a long time ago.
When they’re all seated in the front of the room facing the audience, Mr. Bentham stands, his arms outstretched and welcoming.
“Greetings,” he says. His voice is squeakier than I expected. He’s small, mouselike, compared to his wife. I wonder if they Bonded by choice or because of the pressure of the Pairing. I really don’t want that. Nerves are doing jumping jacks in my stomach.
I stare at the screen while Mr. Bentham speaks. “Today is a momentous occasion in the lives of these young people. We have matched them up to perfection, a perfect Pair of boy and girl to fight this war together. For today, they will begin down a path to their future. Should they succeed in the next steps of their journey, they ensure a future that will prove their loyalty to the cause of protecting our great community and the Nons from which we were created,” he says.
Behind him, I see Mrs. Bentham’s lips moving as her husband gives his speech.
“Starting today, they will be tested to the innermost core of their magic, their strengths, weaknesses, and what exists inside them.” Chills spread up my arm on that line. Chills. “But no longer will they go it alone, for today they each enter as one and go forth as one-half. One-half of a duo that must trust, must work hard, must grow together, must fight for each other, and must both succeed in order to earn the role of Enforcer.”
His words resonate throughout my being. I’m still clinging to the hope that maybe I’ll be Paired with Ric. Maybe everything will work out better than I expected and I’ll at least know that the person who has my back knows how to cover it. Someone who won’t freak out when he learns how weird my magic is. Someone like Carter who doesn’t judge me and even goes out of his way to help me.
If I had to rely on someone to cover for me for the rest of my life, if the Restitution doesn’t work out, I’d want it to be Ric. After Carter, I feel like I have to tell him eventually anyway. He’s my best friend, and he would be so pissed if he found out I was keeping something like this a secret. Then he’d be pissed all over again when he found out I told Carter first. This would be two birds with one stone. I hope.