“It’s not possible,” Smith said, shaking his head. “A shot of magic, firespell or otherwise, can’t transfer magic to someone else. That’s not the way it works.”

“You’re right,” Scout said, “but that’s not what happened.” She pulled a folded sheet of paper from the pocket of her skirt, then spread it flat on the table. “I’ve done some research. It turns out, there have been a handful of gifted folks whose magic wasn’t obvious until something happened, until some act triggered their power.”

“So it doesn’t just develop on its own,” Jill put in, “like you’d normally expect?”

Scout nodded. “Right. Lily didn’t get the magic at puberty, unlike the rest of us. It’s more like the magic is latent, in hiding, until something comes along and kicks it into gear. And once it’s kicked, it’s usually pretty big.”

“What do you mean ‘usually’?” Smith asked, brows furrowed together.

“Lily’s not the first,” Scout said. “There’s an entire line of Contingency Adepts. Twelve of them. Half of them have power magic—the ability to wield electricity.”

“Power,” I quietly repeated. “That’s why I can dim the lights?”

Scout nodded. “Exactly. And like I told you, that’s what firespell’s made of.”

“Well, that sounds okay,” I said. I wasn’t sure I was thrilled to be an Adept, but there was something comforting about knowing what had happened. I mean, the whole thing was only barely believable, but in the context in which I was currently working—and having shot magic from my fingertips—it was comforting.

But as I scanned the faces around me, which suddenly looked a little peaked, I guessed they weren’t as comforted. “Except everybody looks weird. Why does everybody look weird?”

“There aren’t any firespell Adepts,” Jason said, “at least not that we’re aware of. They have an uncanny willingness to stay with the herd.”

“To stay evil,” I clarified dryly, and he nodded.

“And there is the other catch,” Scout said.

“Wait,” I said, holding up a hand. “Let me guess. Using this newfound power will slowly make me more and more evil, until there’s nothing left of me but a cold, crusty shell of emptiness and despair. Lovely!”

“But we’ve all got to deal with that,” Paul said with a grin.

“I mean, there is a benefit,” Scout said. “You have a pretty kick-ass power, and you’re obvs the only Adept with firespell, so that’s awesome for us. You’re a solid addition to the team.”

I lifted my brows. “A solid weapon, you mean?”

“A solid shield,” Michael said, his voice quiet and serious. “And we can use you.”

“Whoa,” Smith said, slicking the hair down over his forehead. “Let’s not get too excited. So-called contingency magic or not, she’s still not one of us. She’s not an enclave member until we run things past the supervisors.”

I leaned in toward Scout. “Supervisors?”

“The folks with authority,” Scout said. “They keep to themselves, and we get their dictates through charming members of the Varsity squad. Lucky us.”

“And because of that,” Smith said, “there’s nothing more we can do tonight. I’m going to make a call to see if another enclave is willing to babysit our targets tonight. Head back home. We’ll be in touch.”

Not taking no for an answer, he went for the door, six Adepts and one not-quite Adept behind him, heading off to bed before another routine day of classes, and another routine night of battling evil across the city.

Scout yawned hugely, her eyes blinking sleepily when the spasm passed. “I’m about done,” she said, then slid an arm through mine after I’d returned her messenger bag and she’d situated it. “Let’s go home.”

“We should get back, too,” Jason said, then glanced warmly at me. “You take care, Parker.”

“I always do, Shepherd.”

He winked; then he and Michael set off down the tunnels. Jamie and Jill and Paul said their goodbyes, but Scout and I stood in front of the door for a moment. She looked over at me, then enveloped me in a gigantic hug.

“You came after me.”

“You’re my new best friend,” I said, hugging her back.

“Yeah, I know, but still. Weren’t you scared witless?”

“Completely. But you’re Scout. I told you I’d be there for you, and I was.”

Scout released me, then wiped tears from beneath her eyes. Catharsis, I guessed. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—you seriously rock, Parker.”

“Tell me again, Green,” I said as we switched on flashlights and headed through the tunnel.

“Seriously, you rock.”

“One more time.”

“Don’t press your luck.”

It was late when Scout and I returned to St. Sophia’s, but while she showered and headed to her room for some much-needed sleep (under Lesley’s watchful eye), I plucked my cell phone from her bag and headed out on one last journey I wasn’t entirely excited about taking.

Have you ever been in a car or on a walk, and all of a sudden you look up, and trees and blocks have passed you by? When you end up in a spot, but you don’t remember much of how you got there? I found myself, a few minutes later, staring at the tidy gold letters on Foley’s door. Light seeped beneath it despite the late hour.