"Death penalty."

The judge's words were on a loop in my thoughts while I lay awake, though, it wasn't unexpected.

For the last four years, and three months, of my life, I've been hopping from jail to jail. I'd always wondered when the day would come they'd choose to execute me. So, I'm not sure why I'm so shaken up now that it's happening.

However, it wasn't happening quite yet, they're giving me another shot to prove myself worthy enough to live. Which made me wish they'd done it already.

Willowstone Boys' Academy.

Even the name was irritating - Willowstone sounded like an antique shop that your adorable grandmother shopped at for nostalgia, not an institution for screwed up teenage boys whose fapping could be heard from a mile away.

Before, I had a cell all to myself, no one to bother me. Just myself. Now, I couldn't say the same. Now I was stuck with Raymond Castlowe, who was knocking on my door right now.

"Skye!" he called. "Skye I know you're in there,"

"Go away!" I groaned, slamming my face into my pillow.

Under his many blankets, came a mumbling from my roommate, Hunter Malion. "You guys should really go to bed,"

"Skye, would 'ya open up already?" Raymond's knocking turned to pounding.

I dug my head deeper into my pillow, an inaudible scream.

I pulled the sheets off me, stood up, and trudged to the door.

I was greeted by the rawboned blonde with dotted freckles on his face, and enthusiastic hands to his hips.

"What do you want, Raymond,"

"Nothing much." He grinned. "Anyways, can 'ya show me your branding, now?"

He's been bombarding me about my branding all week; since the first day I've been here. He was the first person to come and talk to me, he said he 'wanted one', and how 'awesome' it is.

Which 12-year-old me who nearly fainted would most definitely disagree with.

"Will you let me sleep, if I did?"

A delighted nod.

I pushed my shaggy hair, silver with white mixed into it, out of the way of the back of my neck. '4064', it read, engrained into my pasty skin.

"Happy?"

"Yeah, I guess. Wanna sneak out to the garden house?"

"No, God no, I need to -"

Raymond grabbed my wrist while making a devious cackle, and the next thing I knew, I was surrounded by viridescent leaves and brightly-colored petals, in the garden house.

"Raymond!" I loudly whispered, scanning the area with my eyes and ears. "You've gotta' stop using magic against people like that!"

"Says you! You're literally the most famous magic thief since, well, ever!" he laughed.

A loud sigh, a pinch between my eyebrows, and a roll of the eyes. I hated it when someone mentioned it; not from shame, but confusion. I tried to avoid conversations about the cause of my fame, because my god-like magic didn't come from nowhere, but I didn't steal anything like it was said I did. Not that I remembered, at least. The ambiguity was constantly niggling at me in the back of my mind.

"How do we get back to the dorms," I said, a loud sigh.

"Y'know, I'm not actually sure."