What you do want?" I finally croak out.

I blink, and he's gone.

Gone.

Unless...

Unless he was never there to begin with.

My pulse thrums in my ears as I whirl around, looking for any sign I'm not crazy.

Was he really there? Or am I hallucinating?

Am I losing my mind? My grip on reality was never that great to begin with, and all this "magick is real" crap has loosened it even more.

What if this has something to do with the Aether? The doctor did say it could have long-term side effects, although she wasn't very specific...

I swallow hard and turn back to the gaping hole in the Redwood tree, eager to get the hell out of here.

The disc is still blinking green, so I quickly step into the darkness beyond.

Too bad there's nothing on the other side.

My scream gets stuck in my throat as fall through the pitch black, flailing my arms and legs, trying to find something to grab on to.

A few lights flash past my watery eyes as I twist, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever's below me. There's a dimly lit rock floor down there. It should be rushing toward me, but everything's happening in slow motion.

This is gonna hurt.

I start windmilling my arms, spinning through the air, desperate to claw at anything to save me. My scream finally makes it past my lips right before I'm about to slam into the ground.

Instead, I'm deposited gently on the floor.

I'm on my hands and knees, panting with fear, my dress hiked up around my waist, and my left shoe is missing.

My silver flat and wristlet drop down softly a few feet away.

"Holy. Shit," I say breathlessly.

A little giggle erupts to my left. It's Vivian, standing a few feet away against the rock wall, her hand over her mouth.

"I'm sorry! I should've warned you." She suppresses her smile. "You've never used a gravity well, have you? And that was a long one. Three hundred feet, at least. One of the longest ones I've been in. If you'd have kept still, you, uh, wouldn't be missing stuff."

My cheeks are burning as I ungracefully stagger to my feet and pull my dress down. I lurch over to my shoe and slip it back on, then stoop to grab my purse.

"It's okay," she says soothingly. "You'll get the hang of it. You gotta step through, keep your feet apart, knees slightly bent, and you'll land perfectly."

I dab at the perspiration on my forehead and look back up the well. It looks like a never-ending dark tunnel with a few dots of light here and there.

I shake my head. "Jesus Christ."

"Nope. Just Magick." Vivian smiles and links her arm through mine. Then she drags me into the passageway outside the landing area.

I shake her loose and pretend to fix my hair. But my hair's exactly how I left it. There was no wind in that gravity well. It's my pride that needs fixing.

At least I only flashed Vivian and not that group of guys that arrived before us. Could've been worse.

The passageway she's taken me to is a long, wide tunnel that slopes gently downward to an exit. Yellow globe lights magickally hover near the ceiling, illuminating the glittering walls and floor. I peer more closely at the walls. They're filled with tiny clusters of small iridescent gemstones. Beautiful. I've never seen anything like it.

"Come on!" Vivian's a few yards ahead of me already, so I get moving.

As the murmur of voices reaches us from up ahead, I start getting nervous again, and I'm Walter Mittying flying back up that gravity well to take my chances with my imaginary elf.

"So, Vivian," I ask, breathlessly, "do you know what happens at this thing?"

"You can call me Viv." She slows a little to let me catch up. "All my friends do."

"Oh. Okay, cool." Friends. The word settles uncomfortably in my gut. I can't believe she still wants to be friends with me after everything I did today.

"First, we eat dinner in the Hole," she says. "Then they'll do the Unbinding Ceremony."

"And what's that like?"

"I wish I knew!" Vivian's eyes are bright. "It's a very mysterious ritual my parents wouldn't tell me anything about. The Unbinding Ceremony, the Training, the Trials... It's all this big secret... and once we go through it, we'll be sworn to secrecy, too. I've been waiting my whole life for this night!" She's quivering with anticipation as we finally reach the end of the passageway.

It's brighter on the other side but not by much. As my eyes adjust, I suck in a breath.

We're on a stone platform at the top of a wide stone staircase, looking out over the Gathering Hole.

The name really doesn't do this place justice.

Rock walls glitter all around us. We're in an enormous cavern that's so high and so wide, that the dozens of globe lights floating a hundred feet in the air can only light a fraction of the space.

Below us, in the center of the cavern, are three long banquet tables set up in a U-shape. They're covered in shiny gold tablecloths and flower arrangements. All the girls are seated along the right side, and the boys are on the left. I thought there'd be more kids, but I bet there are fewer than a hundred. It's more... intimate than I expected after the thousands of kids I saw in the gym this morning. I didn't realize they'd be splitting us into smaller groups for the Ceremony.

Across from us, at the top of the U-shape, there's a dais with a long dining table and nine empty chairs on it.

And rising from the center of everything is an enormous statue of a woman. Or a fairy. Or a Goddess. I have no idea, but she's amazing.

She's made entirely of bronze, but there's this maybe-magickal, maybe-holographic-effect on her that makes her seem almost alive.

Her large fairy-like wings gently shimmer as they move, and her gown is flowing around her, dancing in an invisible breeze. She's hovering just above churning ocean waves. Flames leap in one outstretched palm, and in her other hand, she's raising a staff high in the air. The staff resembles a carved wooden tree branch with a clear crystal globe atop it. It kind of reminds me of the pole where I first met FAE.

Earth. Air. Water. Fire.

All the elements are represented. All except Aether.

But I know what she is. She's magick.

Why does this woman feel so familiar?

She's familiar... yet foreign somehow.

Frightening.

And yet...

Utterly thrilling.

Vivian and I exchange excited looks.

"I can't believe it," she says breathlessly.

Neither can I. We start down the staircase, gripping the wooden banister to our right, stepping carefully as we make our way down the smooth rock stairs.

Low, deep voices echo down the passageway from behind us, and I glance back. Another group of guys has arrived in the tunnel via the gravity well. Awesome. We're not gonna be last.

There are two people in dark blue uniforms—a young man and an older woman—waiting for us at the bottom of the stairs.

Vivian's already talking to the woman by the time I reach them. "Yes, I'm in A-8."

"Follow me." The woman gives me a quick look, then raises an arm, gesturing for us to follow her.

As she does, I notice the stylized three-headed dog embroidered on her uniform. A flash of anxiety races through me.

The hostess is Cerberus... of course. Why wouldn't she be? But she has nothing to do with Agent Dubois or my arrest. So why is the sight of that stupid dog making me anxious?

I refuse to think about any of that right now.

I trail behind Vivian and the woman as we round the "U," and we stop when we reach Vivian's seat.

As the hostess pulls out Vivian's chair, she glances at the girls on either side of Vivian, looking perplexed.

"I'm sorry," she says to me, "but what cabin are you in again?"

I lick my lips, and my anxiety's back as I notice the bronze placards on the table. They have everyone's name and cabin number on them. Which means...

I shut my eyes.

"Miss? Miss? Are you alright?"

I sigh and open my eyes again. "I'm in A-12."

Vivian lets out a squeak. "What?" She glances to the end of the table, and her brows go sky high. "But that's..."

Right at the front, at the top of the U-shape, with the best view of the dais. Esme's got the first seat, and she's staring at me like she's prepared to commit murder if I come any closer.

The hostess has gone seafoam gray, and she quickly steps in front of me, blocking my view of Esme. "You are... Miss Hart?"

I nod.

She clears her throat. "I apologize... Um. You will be seated elsewhere. Not with your, uh, roommate. Please follow me."

Hallelujah!

Vivian has a look on her face that's a mixture of confusion and awe, and I give her a wink and a smile before following the hostess back toward the stairs.

The guys who were in the passageway behind us have reached the top of the stairs. There are seven of them, looking like a walking Abercrombie & Fitch ad even from afar.

Especially the one in the center...

Oh. My heart leaps into my throat.

It's Caelum, leading the way.

Tan skin, tousled light brown hair, perfect face. He's dressed a lot like he was this morning, but this time in dark navy slacks, a white dress shirt, and a navy tie. Good God, he's hot.

"Ah!" I let out a yell as my foot gets caught on someone's chair leg.

Uh-oh. I'm goin' down.