A flicker of hot anger ignites in me again, burning through my fear.

"The siren tried to freakin' eat me," I say through gritted teeth. I raise my chin. "Look at my neck! That's from her fangs. And if there was anyone else around to witness it, they sure as hell didn't lift a finger to try to help me."

"Ah, Ma'am," Chloe pipes up. "Ethan and I filed a full report detailing what happened. This was Lyric's first time accessing magick. The siren was hunting her... If she hadn't responded, she'd be dead. It was self-defense."

"I read your report." The chancellor sounds annoyed. "But the situation has changed since you submitted it. According to this warrant, Cerberus has a witness claiming it was murder, and she saw it happen."

"Who is this witness?" I blurt out.

Chloe darts a warning glance at me. "This incident is now under Guardian jurisdiction, so... Ethan and I will continue to look into it. If there's a witness, we will investigate that. But I assure you, this case is cut and dry. Lyric used magick in self-defense."

"It sounds like it's Lyric's word against this witness's." The chancellor brushes an invisible speck of dust from her dress. "Cerberus is already handling the investigation, so perhaps we should let them complete it. I'm not sure Atlantis Academy is the right place for Miss Hart at this time."

This is bad. So bad!

Who is this supposed witness? My chest has gotten so tight, I can hardly breathe. I look to Chloe for help.

She's as flustered as I am. "What are you...? With all due respect, ma'am, this is the best place for Lyric right now. She's a Legacy. We need to train her. I don't under—"

"Did you visit the Archives as I asked?"

"Yes, ma'am." Chloe licks her lips. "The Archivists triple-verified Lyric's DNA—she's Atlantean, even though they haven't been able to trace her lineage yet."

"But did you read the historical summary about Undocumented Legacies?"

Chloe's nose twitches. "I did."

"Then you understand what likely awaits Miss Hart if she remains here." The chancellor looks at me with a flat expression. "Every single Undocumented Legacy in the past five hundred years has failed the Entrance Trials. Undocumenteds are more human than Atlantean... and without fail, they prove to be far too weak to master magick."

A hot flash hits me, and I feel like I've been punched in the stomach. Did Chloe know this before today?

Her cheeks are bright pink as she pulls her tablet from her bag. "I just completed my forensic analysis on the magick Lyric used. Let me show you..."

She hands the chancellor the tablet and begins rattling off numbers, explaining whatever's on the screen.

I can hardly hear her. How is there a witness saying I murdered Amanda? How? No one was there!

The Aether's going off like a tea kettle now, rattling through me, and I have to resist the urge to plug my ears.

"She accessed all four Elements, as you can see." Chloe's voice mingles with the off-pitch, terrible ringing. "And she did so with no training. I believe she will have more than enough talent to pass the Trials and thrive here."

The chancellor hands the tablet back to Chloe with a look I can't decipher. "You might want to run your analysis again. These numbers can't be correct."

Chloe holds her gaze for what seems like forever, then puts her tablet back in her purse.

"Ma'am," she says softly. "You approved our mission to recruit her and bring her here."

"Yes. But, as I said, the situation has completely changed," the chancellor says without affect. "I now have enough information to make the right decision."

The tea kettle whistle screams dissonantly with the roar of my pulse.

The chancellor thinks I'm guilty. She also thinks I'm weak and I'll never pass the Entrance Trials. She's handing me over to Dubois.

My only hope of surviving all this is if I stay at the Academy... if my case stays with Chloe and Ethan, who are apparently the only people who believe I'm innocent.

I won't go with Dubois.

I won't!

"Do you understand what must be done?" the chancellor asks Chloe.

"I do." Chloe's voice is so quiet, I can hardly hear her over the Aether.

"Well, I don't!" Panic, anger, and ADHD make it impossible for me to control myself. "I'm not a murderer! And... and I signed a blood pact. That's a legal contract, isn't it? Between me and the school, unless I fail out. Maybe other Undocumenteds have failed, but I haven't! And until I do, I'm a student. Cerberus laws don't apply to me. Right? Right?"

No one answers fast enough.

"Please! Give me a chance. Just... just tell Agent Dubois to piss off!"

Chloe is bright red, and the chancellor's... expressionless.

"As chancellor, I can release you from the blood pact," she says coolly. "An ongoing murder investigation is an acceptable, legal reason to do so."

"But..." I desperately look at Chloe, but she won't meet my eyes. "Isn't it my... my birthright or something? I'm supposed to at least get a chance to prove myself. Right? That's what Chloe said. I have the right to participate in the Trials."

Chloe nods slightly beside me, but she's still looking down at the floor.

Coward.

She said I'd be protected. She said Cerberus couldn't touch me as long as I signed. She's a liar. They're all liars!

"It is your birthright, yes." The chancellor breaks into a warm, friendly smile. But it's fake, 'cause the energy coming off of her now is the exact opposite. Harsh, cold, stabby. "I would never violate a constitutional law like birthright. I assure you, you will get your chance to participate in the Entrance Trials."

I suck in a breath, shocked. "Thank-"

"Next year, once Cerberus Enforcement has cleared you of all charges. As you say, you acted in self-defense. I'm sure they will investigate and come to the same conclusion."

"No." I jump to my feet, my hands in tight fists, the sound of the Aether buzzing through my skull. This is all turning into a giant conspiracy. Cerberus even has a fake witness. "Please, you can't let them take me away."

I don't know what my plan is, but my brain's a mess, and I gotta convince the chancellor to let me stay.

Or I have to escape.

I won't let Dubois take me.

The chancellor and Chloe are both standing now too, and Chloe looks a bit panicked.

But not as panicked as I am.

"Ma'am," Chloe says breathlessly. "You have to know that this warrant is just a politically motiv—"

"Stop." The chancellor holds up a hand. "Choose your next words, very carefully, Guardian O'Connor. Unless you wish to insinuate that the ArchGuardians who signed that warrant are after something other than justice."

Chloe presses her lips in a thin line and doesn't finish her sentence.

I'm shaking my head and quickly backing away from her and the chancellor. I keep going 'til I bang into the window-wall.

The Aether's literally screaming at me now, and as I reach the window, I press my hand to the glass to steady myself, looking around for an escape, any escape.

Such a screw-up. Useless. Stupid. Moron. Worthless.

My mother's words sing along with the Aether's dissonant melody.

Everything she ever said about me was right.

Why did I ever think my life could get better?

The chancellor waves her wand, and the double doors swing open.

Ferrero is there in an instant.

"Bring the agent back in," she says.

No, no, no!

Dubois strides through the doors, and they click shut again behind him.

He hesitates when he sees that Chloe and the chancellor are standing next to the coffee table and that I'm backed up against the window.

Adrenaline is racing through me, and the Aether's horrible song is making me sick. I have to get out of here!

But I don't know where the other doors in this room lead, and Dubois is now blocking the exit.

The chancellor walks over to him, her heels clicking across the wood floor. He drops into a kneeling position on the purple rug.

"Agent Dubois, you may take Miss Hart back to Cerberus Enforcement Headquarters."

"Thank you, Your Excellency." He's looking at the rug, but I can still see the victory written all over his face.

"But understand this," the chancellor says sternly. "If you ever step foot on my campus again, for any reason, you will report to me first. I will be calling your superiors to discuss the scene you made here today."

Dubois's smug look fades slightly. "Yes, Your Excellency. I understand."

"You may rise."

The chancellor hands Dubois the folded warrant.

He shoves it into his vest pocket, retrieves the cuffs, and heads toward me.

Fuck no.

He can't have me.

My pulse skyrockets, thrumming in time with the dissonant orb.

I clench my hands into fists, ready to fight to the death.

I'm finally going to get a chance to punch somebody.

When he's close enough, I let out a scream and start swinging.

He ducks, but somehow my right fist connects with his temple with a satisfying thud.

It sends a shockwave of pain through my wrist and my forearm, but it was so worth it.

Ten outta ten. Would punch again.

I hop away from him, wearing a crazed grin, and his face distorts with rage.

He launches every ounce of his solid frame at me, tackling me to the floor.

In one second flat, he's got my arms pinned painfully behind my back.

The cuffs snick into place.

"You'll pay for that, bitch," he says in a low, threatening voice into my ear. Then he hauls me back up to my feet.

All my satisfaction at having punched him drains away, leaving me shaky with fresh fear. The Aether's song's ringing and ringing, non-stop, and I grit my teeth as my head starts to ache from it.

Dubois gives me a good shove forward.

I tear away from him and collapse on the floor, writhing, as he tries to get ahold of me again.

"I didn't murder Amanda," I pant. "I didn't, I swear! This is all a big mistake." I'm pleading with anyone who might listen, but nobody is.

Chloe won't look at me. The chancellor is looking right through me, like I no longer exist.

"Please. Please."

Dubois flips me on my back, and I give him a swift kick in the balls.

"Oof!"

"It was self-defense!" I'm screaming now, and I can't stop. "There was no witness! They're lying! This is some kind of conspiracy! They all just wanna use me as a scapegoat!"

"Shut. Up!" the agent growls. He wraps his hand around the back of my head and grips my ponytail, pulling hard.

I go rigid, panting and staring up at his ugly face.

"You'll regret all of this," Dubois says quietly. "Walk."

He pulls my hair, hard, and I let out a yelp.

"Agent Dubois," the chancellor snaps. "Enough."

Dubois lets go of my hair, and I perk up, hope flooding me. Has she changed her mind?

"This is ridiculous. Control her. Or must I do your job for you?"

I try to roll away from Dubois, but he's got me by the arm, and he's forcing me to my feet.

"Chloe!"

She's standing next to the couch, her face pale, eyes glued to the chancellor.

"Chloe! You promised me! You said I'd be safe!"

"Dubois!" the chancellor barks. "Use a sigil if you must, but end this now."

"My wand... Your Excellency. May I...?"

"Yes, yes." The chancellor waves at him, annoyed. "I give you permission to draw your wand in my presence. A temporary obedience sigil should do the trick."

"Yes, Your Excellency."

Dubois loosens his grip on me, and I tear away from him and sprint for the doors.

No way I'll ever get out of here—but I have to at least try, before he puts a spell on me.

The chancellor steps out of my way as I near the doors, her nose wrinkling with displeasure.

She knows I can't get away.

She knows I have no chance.

A high-pitched tone rings through the air, competing with the sound of the Aether.

Dubois is making the sigil! I have to hurry!

The doors fly open in front of me, and the high-pitched magickal ringing dies out, as if Dubois has stopped the spell.

"You can't go in there!" Ferrero yells.

"Watch me!" Caelum Westgard marches in and runs right into me.