Chapter 1

Her classmates stare. Usually, Julia is good at ignoring them but right now it is hard to do so. It's been a long time since she visited any party at all and she is not sure if she remembers how to do it. What is worse, she never did it like this, all alone, a partisan in enemy rear. In all her social calls Julia always had someone to lean on. Best friends, comrades, acquaintances, people who are supposed to be happy to see you. The ones that keep you company or entertain you. This time, Julia doesn't even know what she is doing. There are no friendly faces here to rely on. What do you do at the party when you are all by yourself?

She still remembers how to navigate the house. The hall is almost empty with the exception of a couple making out near the wardrobe, ignoring her. That's not so bad. The main crowd must be in the living room and upstairs. She is late, so everyone is settled already. Julia thought a lot about the timing of her arrival and decided that lateness suited her best. Coming too early she risked bumping into Mandy and it was impossible to stay alone with her, Julia was not sure she was able to come out of this interaction with dignity. Being around her in public is different, less risk of explosion. At the same time, lateness means putting on a show and that could end badly too. Well, too late for second thoughts, Julia made a decision and she has to do it.

She enters the living room and stands on the threshold for a while. Instantly her eyes are drawn to the sofa where the hostess, Mandy Lewinski, is chirping with her friends. Julia hesitates for a second, weighs her options, and decides to stay anyway. Consequences be damned.

"Julia?" Mandy's voice is loud. The directness is surprising. It's the first time Mandy openly acknowledged her former friend's existence in the last six months. There is a shock in her eyes and a hint of disbelief. A long pause, silence. Not because there is nothing to say, everyone else is just waiting for a hunt to start.

"Mandy," Julia says, evenly.

Mandy is shaking her head, before finding the words. Then, she stands up and comes closer.

"I'm surprised to see you here, I don't remember you being invited,"

Julia smiles coldly, assessing the situation. She knows she is not welcome, but there are no legal grounds for her to be kicked out, otherwise, she wouldn't be able to walk through the door. Driving out spell is forbidden and nobody wants to face the consequences for using magic at the party. They can't harm her in any real way except they will do anything in their power to make her leave voluntarily. She can handle that.

"Didn't the flyer state everyone is welcome?" Julia says, her voice is a bit high-pitched.

"I did not think you would come."

I did not think you would dare, Julia reads between the lines.

"Is there a problem?"

"No, not at all. I'd ask you to stay away from the drinks though. Safety measure, I'm sure you understand."

Somehow Julia manages to keep a straight face. It has nothing to do with safety. A guarding spell would not let anyone bring a potion. It's just a jab at her, but the rest of the crowd supports it happily, smelling the blood. They cover their cups with their hands and make little steps from Julia, leaving her standing alone near the door. Someone manages to make a cough with an incredibly articulate "-Matt" behind her back.

"I'd ask you to stick to the living room as well," Mandy continues, loudly. "We don't want any surprises, do we?"

"It's usually the quiet ones that surprise you," Julia says. There is a flash of anger in Mandy's eyes and her pretty face suddenly looks distorted with a grimace. Probably, the remains of the conscience remind her of themselves, Julia decides. This second will cost her a lot.

"Sit with us if you want," Mandy says, her smile poisoning, and Julia does not really have a choice. She is practically banned from the other parts of the house. Perhaps, coming here was not such a good idea after all.

"Welcome Julia, guys." Mandy's friends, Lily and Sam, stare at her and smile and she sees the mock, the hidden insult. What was she thinking? Why did Julia decide she could handle them? She's outnumbered.

They move a little to offer a place on the couch, and, there is no mistake, everyone including Mandy is covering their cups. This is ridiculous and senseless but they probably just think it will hurt her. It will not. Julia ordered herself not to care.

"How have you been? We didn't catch up for ages."

"I'm good."

"Good?"

"Yes."

"What have you been up to lately?" Mandy asks.

"Nothing much. School. Dance team."

"Really? I heard you are not in the dance team anymore?"

"There is more than one team in town," Julia says.

"Which one?"

"The Harpers."

"Oh, joining the enemy, is it?" Lily says, her lips twitching. "How noble."

"Do they win anything?" Sam asks.

"Actually we made it to the finale. It's next month."

"Who could have thought," Sam mumbles. "And here we are, kicked out of the quarter-finals."

"Well, it's not like we can all switch our loyalties at the sign of first failure," Lily spats, her stare judgmental as ever. It's the moments like this that Julia hates when she starts doubting herself. They all look so superior, so full of their righteousness she forgets it's all just a part of the hunt. Or it is both. Maybe Lily actually believes what she says, torturing Julia is just an added bonus.

"Yes," she says, looking straight at Mandy. "It's not for everyone, is it?" Mandy chooses to ignore the jab.

This is the part where she loses. She always loses. She cares and they do not. This is why they always win.

"How have you been?" Julia asks, not letting Mandy take control of the conversation.

"Oh, you know, usual stuff. I missed you at the duel club."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Too bad you left. It's not the same. I don't have any real competition anymore."

"It's just lost its charm to me," Julia says. As well as seeing Mandy's face every single day.

"Well, maybe you should have stayed anyway. They say it's the routine that keeps you on the right track."

"Care to elaborate on this thought?" Look her straight in the eye. This is the best tactic she came up with. Directness acts like a silver bullet for a werewolf. Demand it and watch them scowl. However, Mandy retreats.

"Oh, I didn't mean anything by that," Mandy says. "It's just a saying, that's all."

"Didn't seem like it."

"Sore subject, huh?" Lily snorts.

"Will you shut up, Lily?"

"Well, that's rude," Mandy says. "When did you become so sensitive? No one wanted to insult you," Mandy sighs.

"Are you sure?"

"Why are you such a drama queen?" Sam snaps. Surprisingly, Julia finds that she is not able to be angry with him. He isn't intentionally evil. Sam obviously doesn't see anything behind Lily's words, all this sophisticated torture is above his level. All he ever wants everyone not to cause a fuss. Where Julia goes, the fuss follows, therefore, in Sam's mind she is trouble. "No wonder no one wants to be friends with you."

"You say it like I am open to suggestions," Julia says, a bit louder than she should have and people around start turning to them.

"Ouch!" Someone mocks. Julia looks into the crowd and sees that it's Peter, the self-appointed class jester. "The queen thinks we're beneath her!"

"I don't appreciate this attitude," Mandy says. "It's like you don't even want to be here."

She doesn't. All Julia wants is to run away and never see this crowd again. She would do it if she could. But it's the best school in town and her mother would never accept that Julia wants to transfer. "I pay a ton of money for your education," she says. "And for what? For you to run away on a whim?" Julia tried to explain the situation to her but it was useless. Mother never took anyone's word on anything, she always needed to see the truth in her own eyes. Miraculously, when she came to school, no one even tried to say a bad word to Julia. Teachers added gasoline to the fire, stating that Julia was distant, isolated, and hostile, and couldn't take conflict. After this, mother became relentless. Julia should stay in school and learn how to communicate with people. Isn't that what school is about? How on earth will she make it in the real world if she is so weak? So, for the last six months, Julia has been practising to be strong. Sometimes she thinks she might have an overabundance of strength by now. And some days she feels like she is decaying slowly, falling into smaller and smaller pieces with each jab.

It's not as bad as in other schools, though. No one ever tried to cast a spell on her or something. Students of Cheller Academia are extremely obedient to formal laws. No one would ever catch anyone on anything. If you don't know how to clean up your mess, don't do it. It is a motto, and Academia does not have mercy for those who neglect this rule. Expulsion is not a hollow threat, it is something that keeps everyone on a short leash.

"Hey, queen!" Peter interjects again. "We were just talking about Beavers's new album. Did you hear it yet?"

"No."

"You gotta listen! I loved this one!" Peter comes to an old music box, quietly playing Shirley Dand's pop song about her undying love and spins the handle three times.

"Trash-trash-trash, oh my lady of trash,

Ash-ash-ash, all you leave is ash" Gendry Illes' husky voice howls in a living room.

The thing is, it is not like they say something that would ever qualify as bullying. They are too smart for that. They are just… poking. Testing her limits. And watching, that's the worst part, they want to see her upset, for some reason, it gives them joy. She must do what's in her powers to spoil their fun, so Julia holds her head high and produces the snobbiest smile ever.

"What? Not sophisticated enough?" Peter asks. Julia is about to answer but suddenly she is interrupted.

"Beavers? Seriously? The litter of the music world?" someone says so loud and with such obvious disgust that everyone stills and turns their head. And that's when everything starts.