So, that's the guy, I thought.
The second thing I noticed was the other girl. Lady Samantha Young was gorgeous—all blonde curls and a tight red dress covered in jewels. She kept cutting her eyes over to Drew Porter with this look of pure ownership. It was obvious she wanted him. It was also obvious she wasn't going to get him.
The Instructor stepped forward. He was a skinny guy in flowing gray robes. "Please, step up and take the white quartz in front of you," he told the three of us. "The color it turns will reveal your element. If it stays clear, you don't have one."
The room went dead silent. Drew went first. He picked up the stone, and after a second, it blazed with a brilliant, polished silver light.
"The Duke has been blessed with the element of Metal," the Instructor announced, sounding impressed.
Then it was my turn. Please let me have fire, I thought. Fire meant action and momentum. I wrapped my fingers around the cool stone. A warmth spread through my palm, and when I looked down, the quartz had turned a soft, vibrant green.
"Lady Ava has been blessed with the element of Wood," the Instructor said.
Wood. I'll attack people with leaves, I guess. Like a Pokémon. It felt a little ridiculous, but at the same time, it felt like a key had just turned in a lock. It felt right.
Then Samantha stepped up. She lifted the last piece of quartz and waited. And waited. The stone stayed completely clear.
Her smile just... dropped. "There must be a mistake," she whispered.
"I'm sorry, Lady Samantha," the Instructor said kindly. "The heavens didn't give you an element."
The silence in the room felt heavy. Samantha's father, the Marquis, stepped forward, his face turning a nasty shade of red. "I demand a new stone. This is a joke."
"The stones don't lie, my Lord," the Instructor replied calmly. He looked at Drew. "Lord Porter, would you mind holding Lady Young's quartz?"
Drew didn't say a word. He took the stone, and it immediately flared silver. He handed it back without any comment. Samantha looked like she was about to have a total meltdown. "No—that's wrong, it's a trick—"
The Instructor looked at me. I hesitated for a second, then stepped forward. Drew passed the quartz to me, and as I reached for it, our eyes met—just for a split second. The stone turned green the moment it hit my hand. Samantha snatched it back, but in her grip, it went dead again.
"The Rite is over," the Instructor said. He looked at Drew and me. "Now you have to decide: will you stay here at the Conclave to train, or go back to your homes?"
I looked over at my parents. My father's eyes were like ice. He was practically vibrating with the expectation that I'd come home so he could use me as a political pawn.
I thought about the real Ava, the girl who had spent seventeen years trying to disappear. I thought about the priest's warning: train the element.
I turned back to the Instructor and stepped up to stand beside him. My father's face twisted into a silent, furious promise that we'd be "discussing" this later. I met his eyes and gave him a small smile. It was real, and it was 100% on purpose.
I'm not that girl anymore.