Jax repeated tersely, "I asked you why you grabbed that one." Lucas came behind Jax and studied Winter for a moment. Lucas pulled Jax away, noticing that he was getting increasingly agitated. Winter looked down at the sword she had chosen and mulled over its significance. Mandy and Layla rushed to Winter's side. "You know how to swordfight?" Winter shrugged, "It would seem so." Mandy playfully nudged her, "I was worried about you, but you won." Layla squinted at her, "When did you learn?" Winter let her long black hair fall on her shoulders, "Weirdly enough my mom made me take fencing lessons since I was four. I guess it's not so different from sword fighting." Layla rested her hands on her hips, "Your mom really did know more than she let on." Mandy nodded her agreement. "Why was Jax so mad about the sword?" Mandy motioned her head for them to move away from the crowd. They walked a few feet away and made sure no one else was within ear shot before Mandy began, "For some reason, Jax and Sam got into a fight because of that sword." Winter's eyes widened, "What?" Layla nodded. "Was that the reason why they stopped being friends?" Mandy relaxed her pose, "No one knows for sure, but only Sam uses that sword now." Winter looked at her bracelet. "Next match is Sam Tudor against Jax Ryan," Cornell bellowed. There were no murmurs from the crowd. Everyone got deadly silent as Jax stalked toward the sword stand to make his choice. He chose a ratty sword with a wooden hilt. Winter could tell that, although the hilt wasn't extravagant, the blade's quality was high. She smiled to herself, "After all looks can be deceiving." Winter chuckled silently at the thought of being called 'Princess.' She was reminded of the mind reader from class 8 and walked away from her friends to look for him. She didn't have to go very far before the mind reader found her. The boy with golden eyes and golden hair dallied over to her, delightedness lining his every move, "You wanted to speak with me?"
Winter walked away from him, nearing the school. He knew what she wanted, so he followed her. When they entered the school and were away from wandering eyes she grabbed his arm and rushed him over to the most remote location she knew of. "You brought me to the library? What a boring place," the golden eyed boy yawned. "What's your-" "My name is Leo Tristen Henry the third." She scoffed, "The third? What are you, royalty?" He smiled, "Aren't we all?" She thought for a moment, "Touché." "To answer your question, yes I can read your mind. No, there's no one else like me. The ability is very rare." Winter folded her arms, "You know, it's going to get really old if you don't let me talk." Leo ran his fingers through his hair, "A common sentiment really." Winter led him to a secluded set of bookshelves in the far corner of the library, "Your power must be very useful." Leo shrugged, "I use it more for fun than anything else." Winter leaned against a shelf, "Fun?" Leo said with a laugh in his voice, "Yeah like, knowing all their darkest secrets and then casually mentioning it to them in passing. Then I sit back and watch them squirm trying to figure out who else knows." Winter watched him. "I think I'm going to have the most fun with you though. There's just so much going on up there. What are you trying to be, the next Nancy Drew?" She ignored him and looked around the library. "Yeah I can help you," Leo smirked. Winter shifted, "What's in it for you?" Leo merely shrugged again, "This is my way of combatting boredom. Though, everything comes at a price." Winter tried to keep her mind as blank as possible to keep him from reading it, her magic thrummed in response. He turned to her abruptly, "What are you doing? Stop that." She smiled. His bewilderment grew, "How can you do that? No one can keep my powers in check with the exception of Shields and that's only on occasion." His eyes narrowed as he studied her, "But you're not a shield. What are you?" She kept her face still. He looked down and laughed, "Looks like this just got a lot more interesting." Winter winked at him, "I'll call when I need you." He mock bowed to her, "At your service, Princess."
Finally alone, Winter realized she needed to find a completely private place to organize her thoughts. She wandered the library and her magic began tugging at her again. This time she followed it without any interruptions and she ended up in front of a dusty bookshelf. Winter placed her hand up to it and the shelf moved, revealing a spiral staircase that went in both directions. Her magic told her to go down the stairs and when she did, she happened upon a room filled with stringed fairy lights and mason jars. Winter closed her eyes and the peace she felt in the room overwhelmed her. She sat down on the soft couch and sprawled out. For the first time in months, Winter was able to let tranquility wash over her. Winter sat up quickly. Was this place part of the tunnels? Did anyone else know about it? She sighed and investigated the area. There wasn't much in the room but beautiful, soft hued decorations. Winter looked at the table and grazed her fingers over a piece of parchment, the only thing lying on it. She snapped and a pen appeared in her hands. In her alone time, she had been practicing using her magic and was starting to gain more control over it. Winter sat down and began writing a list of the things she had to do and people that she was suppose to look into. When she finished, she left it on the table and walked out of the room. When she ascended the staircase, the bookshelf closed behind her and she smiled. Winter walked out in the hall and went towards the nurse's office. Evidently, Nelly Terran intercepted her path, "Where are you going Miss Knight?" Winter sighed, "I was just going to try to see if the nurse was in." Nelly shook her head, "We don't have time for that. I'm supposed to show you to your dorm. Follow me please."