Chapter 8: Cassandra

"We can't let you enter the forest," the girl said and crossed her arms, blocking the path with a second girl who appeared from behind a tree.

I tried to look past them, but all I saw was darkness. They'd cloaked the area again, but the cloak did nothing to stifle the cries of despair. I also noticed there was no music playing or a crowd of people talking.

"We're supposed to meet some people inside," I said and took a step forward. The two girls moved closer together, completely blocking the path. I glanced at Ruby.

"What the hell's going on?" Ruby asked. She put her hands on her hips, but I then noticed her right hand slipping toward her wand. I placed my hand on her arm. Halloween was a few days away, and it looked like someone was getting an early start on trick or treating.

"Seriously," I said. "I've got four guys in there waiting on me, and I'm already late."

"Well, hopefully they aren't among the dead," the girl on the right said.

I glanced at Ruby and then turned my attention on the two girls. "You're serious?"

"Like a heart attack," the girl on the left said. "Thirty-minutes ago students began collapsing, sick and throwing up. Some died from whatever poisoned them."

"Right," I said. "Let us in."

"They're not kidding," Ruby said. "Something's wrong in there. I can feel the negative energy."

"Are you going to move, or do we need to move you," I said to the two girls. They looked at each other and then parted. "Thank you." It helped having a destructive reputation.

We headed down the path toward the festival, and I regretted the tight jeans and heels. I still felt the guys' energy, but could sense at least two of them fading. We entered the clearing and immediately a female student stumbled toward us, vomiting at our feet. One of the instructors rushed toward us and grabbed the girl before she fell face first. He lowered her to the ground and called one of the medics over. All around us students were vomiting or lay passed out on the ground.

"Damn," Ruby said. She stopped next to a guy lying on his stomach. She rolled him over, and he was obviously dead. "Who would've done something like this?"

"Edius," I said. "Who else hates the academy like he does?"

Another student passed us, leaving the festival and heading down the path toward the school. He seemed fine, but he looked like he was in shock.

"Find Brett," I said to Ruby. "I'm going to search for the guys."

The festival covered several acres, and as I made my way around, I found the place littered with bodies. Most were still alive and those who were looked like zombies: grayish skin, eyes dark, and covered in puke. Moans of pain came from every direction.

"Cass," I looked up from the girl I was trying to help, a girl long gone.

"Kyler," I said and jumped into his arms, squeezing him. I put my hands against his cheeks. "Are you okay? What the fuck happened?"

"Yeah, I think so. Whatever was in the food didn't bother me." He looked around. "You seen the others?"

"Not yet. Come on, let's keep searching." We continued through the festival, plates and cups littering the ground. Chairs and tables were overturned. The stage where there should have been a band sat empty.

"There's Oliver," Kyler said, and we hurried over to one of the vendor stands. "Oliver?"

Oliver turned, his face distraught. "I couldn't find anyone." He looked around us. "Where's Dash and Braeden."

"We don't know," I said. "We're still looking. I've checked everyone near the entrance."

We moved deeper into the festival, checking on sick students, turning over lifeless bodies. Just when we thought we'd make it through a semester with no problems, devastation followed.

"There," Oliver said and ran forward, ignoring those needing help. "Dash!"

Kyler and I sprinted toward Dash and Braeden, both guys surrounded by medics who were trying to lift them onto stretchers. I immediately grabbed my wand and cast a spell, lifting Braeden and Dash onto the stretchers.

I stopped between the two guys. "What happened?"

Braeden opened his eyes and mumbled something I couldn't understand.

"He's bad off." Kyler called for the medics, "Get him to the academy's infirmary."

"Dash," I said, and Dash opened his eyes. "What happened? Who did this?"

"The punch." He pointed at the table where a large bowl of punch sat, surrounded by cups and food. "Someone spiked the punch."

"Get him out of here," Kyler said, and the medics raced through the festival, Dash's head bouncing around on the stretcher as they ran.

"How do we fix this?" I asked.

"Cass," Ruby said and joined us, Brett by her side. "Braeden and Dash looked like shit."

I clinched my fists, anger roiling from deep inside. We should have gone off and found Edius after the news about him destroying the guilds. "We need to fix this."

"It's a hex." Oliver shook his head. "I already tried to reverse the curse, but all I got was burned fingertips."

"Great," I said. "Let me try."

"Don't bother." Ruby looked around us. "Until we figure out what the hex is, there's no way for us to fix it."

"Kyler, can you put a dome of protection over the festival?" I asked. "We need to make sure whoever did this doesn't return for an encore."

Kyler nodded and moved away, withdrawing his wand from the sleeve in his pants. We'd learned using the wand instead of our hands gave our magic more precision. He created a large arc in the air above him and said, "Dominous Protectous."

When the dome appeared it first had a shine, but then as it took hold of the area it became invisible. Kyler was never sure how long his domes would hold, so the academy needed to get the sick to the infirmary as soon as possible.

"We need to check on Dash and Braeden." I felt their pulses weakening. I tried to ignore the thought the four guys could possibly be down to two. I wasn't prepared to lose them the way I lost my parents.