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when I looked toward him, I could tell he was surrounded too.
    “Harper,” he shouted. “Are you alright?”
    “Yes,” I said. “But I’m boxed in.”
    The flames from the arrows were so bright they hurt my eyes. I could barely see past the purplish light. Sweat trickled down the back of my neck from the heat.
    “What do you want from us?” I shouted.
    No response. The dark forms moved closer, encircling me. I saw now why I hadn’t been able to make out any of their faces. They were all wearing masks. Black, faceless masks with nothing more than a long slit where their eyes should be. Each of them had long, shaggy hair caked in mud and matted to their heads. Definitely not your average person on the street. But who?
    I’d been worried about the Others ever since I saw the guy watching me through the window the other day. But this was different. I didn’t think these people had anything to do with the Others.
    The figures lowered their bows and just stood there, staring blankly toward me, as if waiting for someone to tell them what to do. I just needed a second to think. There had to be a way out of this mess. We’d faced worse, right? I had to think.
    As long as these arrows burned, we were trapped here. But how to put them out? Their fire wasn’t typical, but maybe water would douse them. I needed water. Lots of water.
    My ankle throbbed and pulsed within my boot, but I pushed the pain out of my mind. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine complete darkness. A butterfly’s wings moving gently back and forth against the nothingness. I planted my feet firmly on the ground, ignoring the pain as my body connected to an ancient power that ran up from the earth and into my veins.
    I turned my palms to the sky, lifting my chin toward the canopy of trees above. I opened my heart and let my emotions pour from my body. Every sad and angry thought I’d ever had bubbled to the surface. I thought of the day the Order would take Jackson from me forever, forcing me to bond with Aerden’s spirit. I thought of the way my mother died at the hands of an evil crow. And finally, the tears came.
    A cold drop of rain fell against my cheek, then slid down my neck and into the fabric of my sweater. I opened my eyes, waiting for the rain to extinguish my prison of flames. I watched in hungry anticipation, begging the flames to go out so I could make a run for it. But nothing happened. The rain fell in sheets, drenching the area around us, and the flames burned on.
    “It’s not working,” I said to Jackson, hoping he could hear me. Hoping he had a better idea.
    I shivered violently, my teeth chattered. I took a deep breath and willed the rain to stop. Just as suddenly as it had come, the downpour stopped.
    “A nice trick,” a woman’s voice said. “Cute, but pointless. If you were a more talented witch, you would know that magical fire can’t be put out with water.”
    I jerked my head toward the sound, squinting through the brilliant light to make her out. She wore a shiny blue mask, but instead of matted hair, she had long wavy brown hair that fell to her waist.
    “Who are you?” I said.
    “You don’t know me,” she said, stepping closer. “But I know you.”
    Great. That’s helpful.
    My whole body shook from the cold. My clothes hung limp on my body. Yet this woman looked untouched. Not a drop of water on her.
    “Get away from her,” Jackson said. His voice was a rough growl.
    The woman laughed. “What are you going to do about it, demon? You haven’t had powers for years, so don’t pretend to be all big and bad. You’ll only make yourself look foolish.”
    I raised an eyebrow. Whoever she was, she knew about Jackson and his history in this town. Too bad for her, she didn’t know he had his powers back. Right about now, I wished I understood what all those powers were exactly. Was he as helpless as I was? Or just biding his time until the right moment to strike?
    “As for you, dear little Harper, I’m afraid