My name is Tess Morgan.

I’ve always been different, ever since I was born.

My mom is a witch from the Gemini coven and my dad is an ordinary, non-magical human. At least that’s what we all thought.

I have a rare power that labels me an outcast among witches. It’s why we left Portland, Oregon after my birth.

I don’t have any magic of my own but I have the ability to siphon magic out of anything or anyone that has it.

We moved to Florida when I was 6 months old and when I was 10, we moved again. My dad got a job in Denver, Colorado and we had to relocate.

Mom taught me magic and gave me an amulet spelled with magic that I could siphon in times of need. It only had enough for small spells but that was all I needed.

When I started high school, I kept to myself for the most part. I did manage to make a few good friends despite my loner tendencies.

I even had a serious boyfriend in my sophomore and junior year.

Aaron and I started dating over the summer and a few months into the school year, we decided to break up.

We managed to stay good friends after our break up. He was my best friend before he was my boyfriend.

Lori approached me at school today. She seems awfully excited about something. That’s never a good thing.

Aaron and I broke up a week ago and I’m surprised how fast things got back to normal. It feels like before we started dating.

I freeze up. Does he know I’m a witch? How could he have found out? I’ve never done magic around him that he could have seen. Did he somehow find our gremiores? He would have told me if he knew. He doesn’t keep anything to himself. But what if-

Oh. He wasn’t talking about my magic. Phew.

The bell rings and we head to our respective classes.

After class, I go to get my stuff from my locker but the door is stuck so I siphon my amulet and mumble a spell to open it.

As soon as I get my stuff from my locker, I leave.

My mom and I just roll our eyes.

Friday night rolls around and Lori picks me up for the party.

At the party, Lori hands me a cup of beer and grabs another for herself.

By midnight, Lori is on her 6th drink while mine is still untouched.

Around 1am, our mutual friend Logan helps me get a wasted Lori into the passenger seat of her car.

On the drive home, a wolf appears in the middle of the road.

I swerve to avoid hitting it but end up crashing into a tree.

Lori, who was too drunk to put on her seatbelt, goes through the windshield and lies on the ground motionless.

My body aches and I’m covered in cuts and scrapes from the broken glass. I get out of the car and crawl over to Lori. My body gradually stops hurting and all but one of my wounds heal. There’s a piece of glass stuck in my hand. Witches don’t heal this quickly. At least not without a spell.

Suddenly I collapse on the ground with intense cramps in my lower abdomen and warm blood pours down my leg. When the pain subsides, I shake Lori in an attempt to rouse her.

I grab her wrist and that’s when my heart sinks.

She has no pulse.

I break down crying as soon as the initial shock wears off.

I look over towards the tree line and see the glowing eyes of the wolf.

I grasp my amulet and siphon.

A ring of fire ignites creating a barrier between us and the wolf.

I keep siphoning my amulet after the wolf leaves and try every spell I can think of to save Lori.

Unfortunately, resurrection spells require a lot more magic than I can siphon from my pendant.

I retrieve my phone from the wrecked car and call an ambulance.

When the EMTs show up, they try to resuscitate Lori but are unsuccessful.

When we get to the hospital, Lori is pronounced DOA.

The nurse that checks me over notices that the glass in my hand can’t be removed properly without causing serious damage to my nerves. He ends up breaking off as much of the shard as he can and suturing the wound closed with a small piece of glass inside.

The nurse also informs me that the crash caused me to miscarry.

Reeling from the news of Lori’s death, I thought I had misheard him. But the nurse apologizes for my loss and confirms that he did in fact say miscarriage.

Apparently I had been a few weeks pregnant and didn’t know.

I take a week off school to “heal“ from the crash and grieve.

Aaron has tried to visit multiple times but I haven’t felt like seeing anyone.

One night as I’m taking out the trash, I hear a cat cry and follow the sound into the woods. A cat’s collar has gotten caught on a bush. As soon as the cat is free, he runs off in what I assume is the direction of his home.

Suddenly I’m on the ground and crying out in pain. My bones break one after another. I have no idea what’s happening to me. The pain is unimaginable and seems never ending. I’m not sure how long it lasts. Could be an hour, could be all night. Just when I’m convinced that the pain is never going to end, everything goes black.