Chapter 2After Cutting Ties, I Became the Royal Academy’s Only Dark

When the carriage landed, even the dust it kicked up seemed charged with excitement.

I stood in the shadow of the porch and watched them come in, their arms full of shopping bags.

Liana was in the middle of them all, beaming.

Her bright smile left me in a daze.

I used to smile like that.

When I was little, my parents doted on me, and Marcus treated me like something precious.

A neighborhood boy once teased me for being Marcus's little shadow. Marcus got so angry that he used a spell to flip the boy upside down before dropping him on his head.

Back then, they really did care about me.

Then Liana was born.

Her magic was weak, but she was pretty and sweet, and she always knew what to say.

After that, everyone only had eyes for Liana.

They even delayed my magical education for her sake.

"Oh, Ella."

Liana's voice pulled me back to the present. "Could you give me a present?"

Her gaze settled on the obsidian necklace around my neck. "Can I have that necklace? Please, I really need it."

My hand instinctively closed around it.

It was the only thing Grandma had left me.

She had sealed a protective charm inside the obsidian that protected whoever wore it.

It was more than a tenth birthday gift. It was the last piece of Grandma I had left.

"No."

I didn't hesitate.

Liana's smile stiffened. She stared at me for a moment, then looked away.

Early the next morning, she began bugging me to teach her how to brew a potion.

I had no intention of helping, but Caden happened to stop by and immediately took her side.

"Come on, Ella, just teach her. It's not like you're busy."

I looked at him as a dull ache spread through my chest.

I'd earned a perfect score on the written potions exam, but I couldn't stand the smell of potions. Even one whiff made me sick.

When Caden and I first met, he used to tease me about it. He said I could only brew potions on paper.

Even so, he always chose me as his partner in potions class.

I gave the directions; he did the actual brewing. We worked perfectly together.

But now, he seemed to have forgotten all that.

All he saw was sweet, pretty little Liana.

When he first met Liana a year ago, he froze and stared at her.

Afterward, he laughed and said to me, "Your sister really is adorable. No wonder you're always complaining that your family plays favorites. If it were me, I'd play favorites too."

At the time, I thought it was just a joke.

Now I knew he'd meant it.

"Let's go. Don't just stand there."

Caden urged me toward the cauldron.

I took a deep breath and started explaining each step to Liana.

She carelessly tossed in the ingredients, barely listening. Her eyes kept drifting back to my necklace.

I had just told her to add dried nettle when she dumped in a whole bottle of beetle eyes instead.

The cauldron exploded with a loud bang, spraying boiling green liquid everywhere.

"Ah!" Liana screamed and fell to the floor.

Caden shoved me aside and rushed to help Liana up. His face filled with worry. "Are you hurt?"

"It hurts." Liana held up her hand, showing a small red burn on the back of it. Tears welled in her eyes. "If I had Ella's obsidian necklace, the shield charm would have protected me."

Caden's gaze shifted to my necklace.

"No." I stepped back and gripped it tightly. "Grandma left this to me."

Caden frowned. "Liana needs it more than you do. She was Liana's grandmother too."

The green potion bubbled on the floor, and the sharp smell grew stronger.

I backed away, feeling sick.

Caden slowly drew his wand and pointed it at me. "Petrify!"

The spell hit me before I could react. My entire body froze.

I couldn't move. Only my eyes darted around in panic.

I watched Caden walk toward me.

"Why are you being so selfish?" He leaned closer. "If you won't give it to her, at least let her borrow it."

He reached out, pulled the obsidian necklace from my neck, and put it on Liana.

Liana stroked the necklace and smiled sweetly. "Thank you, Caden!"

Caden ruffled her hair. "It really does suit you best. You look adorable."

Then he put an arm around Liana, who looked very pleased with herself, and led her away.

They left me there, frozen and alone.

The door closed, trapping the awful smell of the potion inside with me.

My stomach churned, but the petrification spell kept me frozen. I couldn't even bend over to throw up.

I couldn't move a single part of my body.

Only my tears could fall.