"Man, you've been plugging away at those like a maniac. What gives?"

Blinking, Theo looked up from his sketchbook. He and Sam had gone to spend lunch break at their usual haunt in the courtyard, and it'd been a while since she had spoken. She seemed busy checking her phone. Meanwhile, Theo took the opportunity to get some work done on his diagrams.

Several weeks had passed since he'd resolved to bring back Victor. Now he spent every spare minute practicing his spells, even doodling them in the margins of his class notes. Meg had given him a couple of grimoires to study. While he couldn't bring them to school, he could still draw the diagrams in his sketchbook and check them against the correct ones he'd already drawn.

And he had to do a lot of checking. These latest ones, a suite of defense spells, were so similar to each other that sometimes only a single symbol in the outer ring distinguished one from another.

It wasn't as if he had a strict time limit, but the pace of his progress frustrated him anyway. He felt like he had an entire lifetime's worth of wizardry to cram into his head if he hoped to evenly match Victor, let alone surpass him. Any time not spent practicing felt like a waste. What was the point of watching a teacher drone about differential equations or the Byzantine Empire when he had a brother to save?

"You're kind of putting me to shame here," Sam chirped, swinging her legs. "Slow down, buddy! I haven't even totally figured out how the battle system's gonna work."

Theo felt terrible for thinking this way, but...Sam's game was just as much of a distraction. Luckily she'd taken his wizardry practice as evidence of his commitment, but he knew that wouldn't last.

Guilt squirmed in his chest. Already, he sensed his excuses for skipping off to Meg's place were running thin; he could only spend so long "working on a new song" before Sam started demanding to hear it. To appease her, he'd promised to hang out with her tomorrow afternoon, but he already knew he'd spend the entire time thinking about the spells he could be memorizing instead.

It wasn't fair to Sam at all. If only he could just tell her the truth – but no way. Just thinking about all the close calls he'd already had, he knew he couldn't drag his best friend into it.

"Come on...." Sam was staring at her phone screen again, eyes almost crossing.

"What's going on?" Theo asked. "Are you waiting for something?"

"I entered a giveaway for tickets to Michel Rose's gala. The more likes my post gets, the higher my chances!"

"Michel Rose?"

"Didn't I already tell you about him?" Sam poked him in the forehead. "He's this super popular Instagram model, gotten really big lately. Here you go."

Sam held out her phone, showing him an Instagram feed full of dark, moody photos. A young man posed in each one, slender and inhumanly pale, his elegant features no doubt enhanced by plenty of makeup and Photoshop. In some pictures he was styled like a Greek god, golden curls flowing across bare shoulders; in others, he dressed like a dapper Victorian gentleman; still others he was in full vampire mode with swirling silver hair and fake blood dripping from fangs. Nearly every one featured copious amounts of scarlet roses – decorating the foreground, draped artfully over his body, clutched by the stem between his teeth.

"You like this kind of thing?" Theo said with a disbelieving grin. "Doesn't seem like your style at all."

"He's pretty, okay?" Sam puffed out her cheeks. "I was kinda thinking of basing the villain off of him."

"Uh, you know I'm not that good at drawing people? I thought all the characters were gonna be, like, Mashuparo things."

"Mashuparo's copyrighted! And the villain doesn't need to be this fancy, just the general idea. Ooh, another like!"

With Sam busy checking her Instagram notifications, Theo returned to his diagrams with more relief than he'd like to admit. After all, today Meg was going to take him out looking for an actual opponent, and he was eager to show her just how much he'd learned.

~*~

"You sure you don't wanna change your mind?" Sam asked. "Mom's gonna be making taco bowls."

She shouldn't have felt so disappointed when Theo shook his head. It'd been a long shot in the first place.

"Sorry, Sam. I'll definitely come tomorrow, okay? See you!" Waving, Theo trotted off.

Sam sighed and heaved her shoulders, watching until his screaming pink hair vanished from her sight.

No point in sulking, she told herself as she headed the opposite direction. Theo had his own life. She should be happy that he'd gotten so into making this new song.

Still, he'd been working on it for a long time, and truth be told she was starting to miss him a little bit. Ever since they'd become friends, she had almost never spent this much time away from him.

Oh, well. She didn't want to come across as too clingy, even if Theo was her only real life friend.

That song had better be amazing if he's taking so long on it. Although based on her past attempts to give his favorite songs a listen, she doubted she'd personally appreciate it very much. All that screaming hurt her ears.

That wasn't all. These past few weeks Theo had whipped out more new spell designs than he had in the last year combined, working with a fervor that fast approached mania.

Which only confused her more. Where'd this sudden obsession come from? And if he was that into coming up with designs, why did he always blow off planning sessions?

He seemed distracted all the time, too. Yeah, Theo had always been a space case, but these days she might have to shout his name two or three times before she got his attention.

Maybe something was going on at home? Sam didn't know too much about Theo's family situation, but it didn't sound like the happiest, what with his mom dead and his dad a workaholic. Still, how was she supposed to go about bringing it up? If he didn't want to talk about it, she should respect his privacy.

But you're my best friend, Sam thought with rising frustration. Of course I'm worried about you.

She turned the corner onto a quieter side street, about halfway to her home. The wind had picked up and the clouds gathered gray and heavy. Drawing her blazer tight, Sam picked up her pace.

When somebody stepped out at the end of the street, she blinked. Usually this place was deserted. She made to hurry on by with a quick wave hello, but as she headed closer she noticed that the person hadn't moved. They were standing in place, as if waiting for her.

In the shadows, Sam couldn't see the person very clearly, but their slender silhouette seemed oddly familiar.

Wait...now she was close enough to make out details. Wisps of silvery pink hair drifting to his shoulders. Skin so pale it seemed to glow in the dark. Thin lips curved into the hint of smile.

Sam stopped mid-step, sure she was hallucinating. "No way. M-Michel Rose?"

"Ah, I see my reputation precedes me." The person stepped out from the shadows, coat swishing with each elegant step. Sam's heart tap-danced all the way to her throat. Now there was no mistaking it. That was the same face plastered all over her Instagram feed.

I've gotta be dreaming.

"Good afternoon, young lady. You are a vision to behold." Michel Rose swept into a bow, one leg outstretched. His voice sealed the deal – the same soft, silky tones that narrated every livestream, like he was sharing a secret meant for your ears alone.

Closer and closer he came, his high heels clicking on the sidewalk. The wind blew his rose perfume toward her, leaving her lightheaded.

Finally he came to a stop, looming several inches above her – probably thanks to those heels. He stood so close she could count every one of the lashes framing his eyes, covered in brilliant gold contacts.

Those lush lashes descended in a languid blink. "However, if I dare say so, something appears to be troubling you. If I could bring a smile to that lovely face, if I could lighten the burden you bear for even one moment...I would gladly give it all to you."

"Wh...what?" Sam cried, loud enough to startle a flock of pigeons. But she only had eyes on Michel Rose, who extended a hand toward her. The slender fingers curved, beckoning her closer....

"I can sense it, young lady. You carry a special power within you, a destiny beyond that of mere mortals. If you allow it, I shall set this power free and spirit you away from all of your troubles."

Michel Rose's golden eyes seemed to shine brighter with every word he spoke. And what words they were, words Sam had always longed to hear somewhere deep in her soul….

As if in a dream, she watched her hand rise. When their fingertips brushed, a spark leaped in her veins, clearing out everything in its wake – all thought, all feeling, all remaining doubts and suspicions.

"Excellent." Michel Rose sighed. "Now come to me, and be enthralled."

His grip tightened and he pulled her close. Alarm bells rang in some dim corner of her mind, but Michel Rose's sweet voice drowned them out. As he wrapped his arm around her waist, she thought she saw slender horns twisting from the sides of his head, the tips of his ears sharpen into points....

And then, nothing.