Chapter 99 99- Never Assume You’re Not The Target
LEXI
Seeing my parents is exactly what I needed. Here in my familiar kitchen, with all the smells and sounds and feelings of home, everything that felt overwhelming a few hours ago seems… Smaller somehow. The faint hum of the refrigerator, the clink of mugs as Mum pours the hot chocolate, the quiet creak of the house settling around us, it’s all so normal that it almost feels impossible that my life changed so drastically. The kitchen looks exactly the same as it always has. The same slightly crooked fruit bowl on the counter, the same magnets scattered across the fridge door, the same faint smell of coffee lingering in the air even though it’s the middle of the night. Even the light above the table has that warm yellow glow I remember from late-night homework sessions when I was younger. For a moment it almost feels like nothing has changed at all. Mum moves around the kitchen calmly, completely unfazed by the fact that her daughter apparently turned into a mythical creature. She stirs the hot chocolate like this is the most ordinary conversation in the world. Dad sits beside me at the table, still half in his robe, listening carefully and asking the occasional question in that steady, thoughtful way of his. Every time he asks something, it’s practical. Clear. Grounding. Like if we just look at the facts closely enough, the situation will somehow become manageable. And Blake is here too. He’s sitting close enough that our shoulders brush whenever either of us moves, his arm resting casually along the back of my chair. It’s subtle, but the contact is constant. Every time I shift in my seat, I feel the warmth of him beside me, solid and steady. Grounding. Every time I start to feel a flicker of anxiety creep back in, when I remember the word hunted or imagine strangers looking for me, that warmth pulls me back again. Blake is here. My parents are here. The house is quiet and familiar. Everything is okay. With my mum’s calm attitude, my dad’s steady presence, and Blake quietly watching over everything… I feel safe. Totally safe. All the things that were scaring me earlier, hunters, strangers, being trapped at the Academy, they barely feel real sitting here in this kitchen. It’s like they belong to some other version of my life that happened far away. I tell them everything. Everything that’s happened over the last few days. Even the things I already told them on the phone earlier, I end up explaining again. It’s easier saying it out loud here than it was over the phone. They ask questions and I answer them. Sometimes I stumble over details or skip something important without meaning to, and Blake quietly fills in the gaps from beside me. He corrects timelines, adds small details I forgot, or clarifies things when my explanation turns into rambling. At one point Blake reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone.
“I thought you might want to see this.” He says. He turns the screen toward us. It’s a picture of… Me. As a unicorn. I blink in surprise.
“Where did you get that?” I ask quietly. Blake shrugs slightly.
“SCRI.” He answers shortly. Right. Of course. Someone must have taken a picture during potions class. I take the phone from him and look at the image more closely. The unicorn in the picture stands in the middle of the classroom, bright and almost glowing against the chaos around it. The mane is pale gold, soft and flowing, exactly the colour of my hair. The horn catches the light like polished glass. The eyes… The eyes are mine. I recognise them immediately. But it still feels… Wrong. Like I’m looking at a photograph of someone else. I know that in theory that’s me. But it doesn’t feel like me the way looking in a mirror does. When I look in a mirror, I see a version of myself that matches the way my body feels. The way my muscles move, the way my balance works. This doesn’t. It doesn’t match how I move or breathe or exist in my own skin. It looks too… Foreign. Like something from a storybook instead of something that is part of me, IS me.
“I suppose I’ll get used to it eventually…” I murmur, handing the phone back.
“Maybe if I actually spend time as a unicorn. Walk around like that and get used to it.” I add. Blake’s expression tightens slightly.
“That might not be wise right now.” He says carefully. Right. Because apparently that’s a super dangerous thing for me to do. I sigh softly.
“So I guess that’s something I’ll only be able to do in private. Or with people I trust.” I agree as I shrug weakly.
“Which is just… Really sad.” I say with a frown. Mum reaches over and squeezes my hand gently.
“You’ll figure it out.” She says reassuringly. Her voice is so calm and certain that for a moment I almost believe it completely.
The conversation slowly shifts to something more practical. The warmth of the kitchen and the comfort of being home had helped settle my nerves, but the problem itself hasn’t gone anywhere. It’s still there, hovering in the background of everything we’re saying.
“What should I do about your safety?” I ask them finally.
“If people are looking for me, they might try to get to me through you.” I point out. The words feel heavy leaving my mouth. Until now I’ve mostly been worrying about myself. About hunters. About being watched. About what my life is going to look like from now on. But sitting here in this kitchen, looking at my parents, the thought hits me hard. They’re vulnerable. Dad exchanges a look with Mum.
“We’re not completely sure yet.” He admits.
“The principal sent through a few suggestions earlier today. People who specialise in magical wards.” She informs me.
“Wards?” I ask.
“Protective enchantments. Like at the Academy but not as… Sentient.” Blake explains.
“They can place them over the house and property. It won’t make us completely untouchable, but it would make things significantly safer.” He adds.
“That sounds good.” I say quickly. It does sound good. Anything that makes them safer is good. Dad nods slowly, though he doesn’t look entirely convinced.
“It does, but we still have to go to work. Leave the house. Live our lives. Wards don’t exactly help with that.” He agrees. Right. The thought sinks heavily into my chest. A house can be protected. A building can be protected. But people still have to live their lives outside of it. They can’t live in a cage. The room falls quiet for a moment. My brain starts racing again, spiralling through possibilities I can’t solve. What if someone follows them? What if someone tries to grab them somewhere else? What if-
“There may be another option.” Blake’s voice cuts through my thoughts. We all look at him. He’s leaning slightly forward now, his expression thoughtful but completely calm, like he’s been considering this problem for a while.
“A magical weapon… Something simple. A charm, an enchanted item, perhaps even a defensive spell device. Something that could stun an attacker long enough for you to escape.” He says evenly. Mum and Dad exchange another look, this one more serious.
“That might not be a bad idea.” Dad says slowly. I blink at Blake. Not because the idea is strange. Because it suddenly occurs to me that he didn’t come up with that just now. He’s been thinking about this. About my parents, their safety. About ways to protect them. The realisation makes something warm and complicated stir in my chest. Blake had already been considering this before I even brought it up. Before I even asked.
“Wait… Why don’t I have something like that?” I ask, the thought suddenly occurring to me. Blake turns his head and looks at me like the question is mildly ridiculous.
“Because, you have me.” He says flatly. He actually sounds faintly offended. Like the very idea that I might need another form of protection is insulting. I stare at him for a moment before laughing softly and leaning against his shoulder. Yeah. That sounds like Blake.