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abandoned their own family stones in order to wear a moldavite , the true mark of a Vire.
    Ms. Roquette rambled on to the next topic, Phillip Turcott ; this actually made me stand up straighter and listen more intently .
    His name garnered blank and confused stares from the rest of the group , because it wasn’t associated with a title and no one had ever heard of him. He was obscure, an enigma, sifting through the strands of communities formed by those in our world. But he had one sole purpose …discovering the identities of two individuals. Both were considered , by The Sevens , to be extremely dangerous. The first individual he sought was dubbed The Nobilis, and presumably would be the person responsible for starting a war within the provinces.
    The announcement of the second person Phillip Turcott sought after actually made my heart skip a beat.
    Ms. Roquette was forced to whisper the name, given that her voice was , yet again , fading. Nonetheless, it sounded to me as if she was shouting.
    “The Relicuum,” she wheezed, pausing to recite an incantation and starting to speak again. “The Relicuum, for those unaware, is the person capable of acquiring residue, the supernatural gift of those who are in the process of dying.”
    As comprehension washed over me, I struggled not to show the alarm I felt going off inside me; though I’m not certain how successful I was. My nerves were tugging on my muscles , causing each one to feel like a rigid tightrope.
    My mind was racing with broken sentences and half-conceived ideas, but only one thought landed firmly enough to grasp…Jameson and my cousins had mentioned The Relicuum before , and t hey already determined who it was. They were confident they knew who was able to amass all the supernatural gifts known to our world and who was deemed a threat by The Sevens.
    If they were right, Phillip Turcott was out there looking for … me .
    As casually as my nerves would allow, I took a peek at Jameson’s reaction. He wasn’t staring at me, as I assumed he might. The Vires in the room – our greatest threat and the ones who would gladly hand me over if they knew my true identity – were his solitary focus. The flex of his muscles and the position of his body told me he was ready to take them on. Fortunately, they remained in place, quietly observing , as they had been the entire duration of class. Eventually, Jameson’s tension eased and his eyes stopped moving between them to center back on Ms. Roquette.
    No one asked any questions about Phillip Turcott and Ms. Roquette didn’t offer any picture , description, or likeness of him, leaving me to wonder how I would possibly see him coming before he identified me.
    It didn’t matter though . I was just as concerned about her next subject.
    Before announcing him, she paused , as if she were gathering her courage. It was the only moment she wasted throughout the entire lecture , during the times she was able to speak .   Still silent, she tilted her head higher and ardently began.
    “We are honored to have a legendary figure here tonight. I would be remiss if he went unacknowledged. Theleo Alesius, take a bow.”
    Every student’s head turned in his direction , and despite being under their scrutiny , he remained stoic : unflappable, tense, and focused. He didn’t move in the slightest.
    “Theleo joined the Vires when he was just two years old. He immediately excelled in all physical and intellectual exercises, rising above his classmates . He was so adept that an entirely new, separate rank was established to foster his level of capability.”
    She’s warning us, I thought.
    “ Theleo was so good that he was naturally chosen as the very first Praesidio, a guard to The Sevens. In fact, he developed his own force, some of whom you see with him tonight.”
    Most of the class, including me, glanced around at Theleo’s squad, all of whom maintained the same composure as their boss.
    “Having perfected the art of combative