course. Like everything else, it all has to be hush-hush. If they’ve had their minds altered, what do they remember about fighting?”
“Minds altered?” Melissa asked, biting her lip. “Is she talking about us?”
Xavier dragged his hands down his face as he exhaled. “It’s nothing.”
The girl scoffed. “You see, Havok doesn’t want you to remember your life with the Elders, so he erased it all.”
“Anais!” Xavier clenched his hands into fists, and his nostrils flared. The tension in the room thickened.
An innocent look flashed across Anais’s face. “Was I not supposed to say anything? Oops.”
“Well, they probably brainwashed us into believing what they wanted,” Melissa said. “I’m okay with forgetting.”
“Havok doesn’t want to take any chances,” Xavier said, defeated. “The Elders are very good at manipulating. He took the memories you didn’t need.”
Anais coughed a laugh. Ava felt the same way, but wondered why Anais cared so much about the lies. Did she want Ava’s coven to find out the truth and fight back? She didn’t understand Anais’s angle.
“Besides, we all need to practice for the Selection.”
“This should be fun,” Anais said. “I bet we can easily take them. Again.” Ava wasn’t sure she heard the last part, but the smug look on Anais’s face could validate it.
If only they knew just how powerful Ava and her coven were. Ava smiled on the inside.
“Now,” Xavier said. “We are not fighting to the death, Donovan.”
Ava knew that voice sounded familiar. Donovan was the guy who punched her last night.
“Melissa, let’s see what you can do. Donovan, you’ll be her opponent.”
Melissa moved to the center and faced Donovan. She was taller than him, and looked at him like he was insignificant. He flicked his hand slightly and several tiny blue darts of light hit her stomach. Melissa cried out and doubled over for a second, but then her body slowly turned into rocks. Every single part of her was made out of rocks.
Donovan rolled his eyes. He punched her shoulder, and bits of rock flew off, but then reformed. They went at this for a few seconds until Melissa drew her arm back and flung it into his face. He stumbled back, his nose bleeding. He cursed, holding his nose. Donovan formed the darts again and hurled them at her.
“Never let them see you be weak,” Jeremy said under his breath. “Never let them win, or they will push you around. They will relentlessly bully you and are known to use their powers against new initiates, even though it’s illegal. They also envy all of us because of who we are. They feel threatened by us and feel that Havok doesn’t need us because they can fight for him. They think he doesn’t want them anymore. Let them at least get one hit on you, but nothing more.”
While Jeremy spoke, Ava watched Melissa fight with Donovan. She overpowered him easily each time. He was upset and stared at Melissa as though he was planning revenge. Ava wondered what his ability was. He was strong enough to break through her rock body, but still weak against her. She remembered the blow he landed on her the night before. It still hurt when she woke up, and she had to heal it immediately. It felt as if he had broken her jaw.
Ava was a little apprehensive fighting unknown opponents as a dead body lay nearby. Couldn’t they at least move the poor guy? Weren’t they all in this together? Was there no bonding? Was it all just a competition to them? Why would Havok want that? There were already too many egos floating around.
The brunette girl crossed to the center of the room. “I think my victim will be the delicious man with the reddish blond hair.”
“Thomas,” Xavier said.
Thomas gave a cocky smirk, but quickly hid it. His muscles bulged through his tight black shirt, just the way he always liked. His wavy, strawberry blond hair reached past his collar. He moved his neck from side to side, popping it. Ava had hated it when he