“If you don’t appreciate the danger in magic, you have no right meddling with it.” Morgan tosses damp curls from his eyes.

“Oh bite me, O’Connor, you’re not the only powerful conjurer in this school,” Ekaterina all but snarls in response.

Electricity flickers along her fingers in white-blue sparks, sending a static charge rippling through the air. My insides contract with memories of pain, the scar on my arm burning. Morgan takes a protective step forward.

“Don’t, Katya,” Sini says. “Do you want to get expelled—or worse, end up in another of Taika’s articles?”

Over the last year, I’ve written quite a bit about Ekaterina. She’s an easy target what with constantly, if accidentally, damaging school property. It felt good seeing somebody else’s shortcomings out there for everyone to laugh at, but I have to admit, it wasn’t the kindest thing I could’ve done.

“Do you want to find out what happened to Natalie or not?” I ask and Ekaterina’s sparks fizzle.

“Of course, we do,” Sini says. “You really think this ghost, this liekkiö, will tell us what happened to Natalie?”

“Maybe.” I shrug. “If we can catch it.”

“Does it have to be a summoning?” She hooks a finger through the blue bracelet on her wrist.

“If you’re too scared, we can do it by ourselves.”

Beside me, Morgan clears his throat, and I will him not to disagree.

“You sure about that?” Aysha asks.

No, not at all.

“We could use some help.” Morgan glances at me a little sheepishly, but I don’t argue. Not when the practice containment left him unconscious.

The summoning and containment of the liekkiö would be even more difficult for Morgan to do alone. Like it or not, we need magical assistance.

“You could’ve just asked,” Aysha says.

“You would’ve said no out of spite.” I fold my arms and suppress a shiver. It’s getting colder out here.

“Whatever, when do we do this?” she asks.

I turn to Morgan. He’s gone even paler, his freckles standing out like brown paint spatter across his nose and cheeks.

“Soon as we get a containment jar,” he says. “Shouldn’t be too hard. Aoife can probably sneak one out of class for us next week. Or…”

“Next week? That’s too far away!” I say. “We have to get it sooner.” A week? Is he joking?

“Guess we could steal one.” A smile creeps across his face.

“Some of us could actually get expelled,” Ekaterina adds.

“What about Friday night?” I remember the posters Mr. Fotsios and Emmi were pinning to the noticeboards.

“Kekri building?” Sini says. “It could work.”

“You already know I’m in,” Morgan says.

I glance around the rest of the group and gradually, they all nod.

“Friday then.” Ekaterina jams her fists into her pockets.

“Just don’t forget, we’re doing this for Natalie,” Aysha adds.