Winter waited expectantly for Leo to go on when Mandy and Layla took their seats at the table. "Winter has some updates for us," Layla prompted. Winter maintained eye contact with Leo, telling him they would continue the conversation later, "The monster I saw at the festival wasn't just my imagination." She pulled the illustration from her pocket and slid it on the table so they could all see. Jax's eyebrow twitched and Leo leaned in. Winter tapped the paper, looking around at each of her friends, "Someone is creating monsters." Layla stared at it, "What for?" Jax mumbled, "It can't be anything good." Winter licked her lips, "I don't know but a seer came to me last night in the fortune teller tent." Lucas narrowed his eyes, "A seer?" Mandy tilted her head, "Well that's not unusual. They were the ones running the tent." Winter shook her head, "It was a monster who can see into the past and future. It is exponentially more powerful than the seers we know." Layla grabbed a strand of her hair, "What did it want with you?" Winter shrugged, "Nothing. It just told me a bunch of unimportant information." But it rarely intervened with the timeline. So its presence alone was significant. Leo rolled his neck, "Okay so that's another item on our list of things to do." Winter's fingers skimmed her bracelet, "Figure out who's making these monsters and why." They nodded in unison. "You guys can try and gather intel, but stay as under the radar as possible."
Jax grabbed the sketch to study it closer. Her friends began to murmur theories. Winter swept the surroundings with her eyes. Her attention caught on the puny shapeshifter from the mock war as he passed by their table and she stood, "I'll be right back." She trailed after him at a distance until he left the cafeteria. Winter tapped his shoulder, "Hi. Can I talk to you for a second?" The boy was small with amber eyes and wavy black hair. He seemed to shrink when she touched him. There was a look of confusion on his face when he turned around and met her eyes, but he nodded. Winter brought him into one of the deserted rooms, "You're a shapeshifter right?" He nodded again, "My name is Xavier. But I usually go by Xae. Do you need something from me?" Winter surveyed his body, "Can you turn into a fly?" Xae wrung his fingers uncomfortably, "I can shapeshift into any living thing I can imagine. Why?" Winter looked down at him slightly, "Because I'm going to need your help." He stuttered, "Me?" Winter tossed her hair over her shoulder, "Can you go to the gym and find out what Coach Russo is making us do eighth period?" It was meaningless information that Winter was going to use to test him. "Um sure. Why?" Winter twisted her ring, "My friend isn't feeling too well. I just want to see if it's something physically taxing so we can get her out of it." The boy jumped at the opportunity to help, "I'll go find out." With that, he left. Winter went back to the cafeteria to finish her soup and broccoli. The bell rang just as she sat back down and Winter groaned. Layla patted her back, "All work and no play made Jack a very dull boy." Mandy giggled into her hand. Winter inhaled the rest of her soup and walked with them back to class. "We're doing magic control next period." Xae was standing just outside of their classroom. Winter stopped and waited as everyone else entered. Xae whispered, "We're supposed to be doing an obstacle course during gym." Winter smiled, pleased that he proved himself to be competent, "How did you find out?" Xae stared at his feet, "You asked earlier if I could transform into a fly, so I did just that and overheard Coach Russo talking about it with Mr. Cornell." Winter frowned at him, "How did you know I was in this class?" Xae's eyes met hers, "Well Star's potential has had a few merged classes with class five. Also, your first encounter with Coach Russo was pretty bold. That, plus the fist fight you had with Layla and the swordfight with Brenna." He picked at his nails, "You draw a lot of attention to yourself Winter Knight. It would've been harder not to notice." He was keen. Excellent. "Would you mind helping me like this a few more times?" He shook his head vigorously, "Not at all. I'm happy to help." Winter searched his face and found nothing but sincerity. Could she trust him? She smiled, "Thank you." Winter put a hand on his shoulder before entering the classroom.
Cornell tapped his foot impatiently until Winter reached her seat, "How nice of you to join us Knight." He turned to the rest of the class, slamming his hand on the podium, "Okay maggots. You know the drill. This period is all about magic control. Shut up, close your eyes, and just focus on your magic." Everyone complied. Winter shut her eyes and delved into her magic, allowing it to completely wash over her. It welcomed her, trying to make up for lost time. She focused on the endless pool, on reaching the bottom. Her magic thrummed in response. Still, Winter didn't see signs of one. Instead, she tried to familiarize herself with her magic, become one with it. Winter took in a deep breath. If she could get a better understanding of her magic now, she could figure out what it was trying to tell her. Winter sat in her magic for what felt like hours. Purely trying to concentrate on the sensation. When the bell rang, Winter was shoved out of her magic. Almost immediately, her phone vibrated and when she pulled it out she saw a notification from Leo saying, "Come quick."
Winter got up from her seat and rushed to the cafeteria. When she swung open the doors she saw Leo grinning at her next to M.J. "Rushing me seems a little unnecessary." M.J. glimpsed at his watch, "She'll be here in one minute and thirty seconds." Leo's eyes widened, "Man you really have stalking her down to a science." Winter shoved him, "Shut up and hide. Both of you." M.J. made them invisible with his illusions. Winter went over to an empty table and sat down. Sam materialized in front of her. He ran a hand through her hair as the door opened. Winter leaned against him, grabbing his hand. With her back on his chest, she started drawing on his hand softly with her finger. Seconds later, the door slammed and the illusion disappeared, both M.J. and Leo came into view. Leo signaled "perfect" with his hands. The corner of M.J.'s lip rose as he went to grab something from the counter. "Brenna's snacks?" He shrugged, "She's unbearable when she's hungry." Leo laughed, "It's the Ice Queen. When is she ever bearable?"