"Who's 'them?'" M.J asked and Winter gestured her hand, encompassing the entirety of their surroundings. "During practice, we need to appear weak. Same goes for the actual games." Leo squinted at her, "And you need us to do this because it coincides with your plan." Winter nodded. Leo reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of gum, "Well, we don't really have a choice do we?" Winter scoffed, "Of course you do. I'm not a tyrant." Leo peeled away the wrapping, "Yes, my mistake, your highness." M.J. chuckled, "I'll keep up my end of our deal." Leo looked at him then back at Winter, "I'm in too." She clapped her hands together, "Okay so we're all on the same page." They nodded. Winter quirked her head before asking, "Have either of you been able to gather any intel?" Leo chewed on the piece of gum he'd just unraveled, "I'm still looking into that book you got. I haven't found anything yet." Winter rose her chin and looked at M.J., prompting him for an update. He rose his eyebrows, "I'm working on a map of the layout of the campus. Including hidden passages and secret doorways." When Winter's eyes lit up M.J. added, "Everything except for the headmaster's wing." Winter twisted her ring before looking up. She examined them for a moment, "Keep gathering every piece of information that you can, discretely." She took a second to stare into their eyes, "Remember, we're on the same team. Our goal is the same. We have to work together or else this won't work." They nodded resolutely. She could see they understood this was an all or nothing decision and they had just chosen to give it their all.
Winter watched them both leave and allowed her magic to feel around for M.J. before standing. When she let her magic wander, it picked up something and started pulling at her. She followed her magic blindly, one foot after the other. Winter noticed she was headed in the direction of the secret room and quickly swept the parameter with her eyes. The entrance opened quietly as she went inside. She went downstairs and glanced backwards as the door closed behind her. Her magic was pulling relentlessly. She made it to the room and her attention was immediately drawn to the table, where she saw her paper and pen neatly placed. The ones that had disappeared last time, "Why did they bring it back?" Winter made her way to the table, picking up the paper. She noticed a tiny scribble in the corner that said, "This plan is mediocre at best." She set the paper back down and made it look untouched. Winter remembered the note Nelly Terran had left her and took it out of her pocket. It looked like an anagram. She sat and began rearranging the letters, finally making out the words, "They're watching." Winter immediately set the paper aflame. She knew they were watching already, but if Nelly felt the need to warn her, she would have to be more cautious. Winter heard rustling, her eyes wandered around the room. The book, Stories Untold, appeared on the couch. Winter snapped and the book was in her hand. She flipped through the pages and it brought her to the history of The Attack on Fairy Bay. This time when she read it, the book gave her information on the forbidden powers, teleportation being the rarest. Winter thought back to how Lucas flinched when the power was mentioned and deduced that teleportation must be his ability.
She lost track of time studying the forbidden powers. When she got up again, she realized it was already past curfew. Winter trudged up the stairs and the door closed behind her. Most of the library lights were off so she allowed a white light to form in her hand. She made her way to the dorms, using the light to avoid tripping over any of the high quality decorations littering the halls. When she got to her dorm room, the light was already on so she let the one in her hand go out. She narrowed her eyes as she entered, noticing flowers on the dresser. Purple lilacs and hydrangeas positioned neatly, right where she could see them. She raised them up. There was no note left behind. She shifted her hand and a vase manifested on the counter which she put the flowers in. Winter practiced using her ability to pull water droplets out of the air to try and fill the vase. When it was full, she stripped off her shoes and sank into the bed. The comfort it provided enveloped her completely until she welcomed sleep.
The next morning Winter stretched in her pajamas. She couldn't remember putting them on, but when she glanced at the clock she realized she didn't have time to wonder. She snapped and her uniform was on. She brushed her teeth before rushing out the door. She made it to the classroom but there was no one inside. Winter ran to the gym where Mandy and Layla were standing at an awkward distance from Brenna Abbott. They looked relieved when she stood between them and Brenna. "Is this where we practice?" She scanned the gym, "Where are M.J. and Leo?" Mandy tugged at her braid, "You practice in the courtyard." Layla added, "They're waiting for you there." Winter tied up her hair and mumbled, "Good luck." On her way out to the courtyard she saw Jax glowering at Sam. Sam watched him with a look of pure disinterest. Jax began saying something in a harsh tone, Lucas putting a steadying hand on his back. Sam began walking away, out of the gym. Jax and Lucas followed. All she heard was, "We're a team whether we like it or not." Winter saw Leo who immediately turned his head, "Look who's late to the party." M.J. came into view, "Finally decided to show up." Winter scoffed, "I'm not that late." She tossed her hair, "Do you remember what we're doing today?" Michael narrowed dull grey eyes, "Come on Winter, don't underestimate us." Leo nodded in agreement, "Yeah we know how to follow orders." Winter rolled her neck, cracking her knuckles, "Prove it."