And then there was Jinx. Nova thought about her more than she cared to admit. The obvious things—where she came from, what her life had been like, how she had learned so much about magic. But Nova also thought about less practical things that she had less explanation for. She thought about what Jinx’s hair felt like where it was cut short on the side of her head. Would it be soft like the long tresses on the other side, or rough and spiky? Nova had grown used to the feel of Jinx—the warmth of her magic in the air, the gentle nudge of energy that felt peaceful and bright. And she wondered how her magic felt to Jinx—did it make her stomach both toss and settle all at the same time?

“You are thinking too much,” Jinx said.

“How do you know that?”

“Am I wrong?”

Nova flopped over onto her side to face Jinx in the dark. “No.”

“What are you thinking about?”

“What am I not thinking about?”

“Need a distraction?” Jinx asked.

“Please.”

Nova heard the quiet fall of feet in the dark and then the end of her bed sunk as Jinx climbed on with her. Nova’s heart clenched hard, then set off at a speed that had her feeling dizzy.

“Up,” Jinx ordered.

Nova froze, suddenly nervous in a different way than she normally experienced. She was hyperaware of her body and the space around it, but for once it had nothing to do with her fire.

“Come on. Up,” Jinx insisted, grabbing Nova by the forearms and hauling her inelegantly upward. Nova flopped forward, and Jinx laughed. Nova laughed too, glad the other girl could not see the heat rising on her cheeks.

“Let’s practice. Hands out.”

“Umm…” Nova hesitated. “I am not sure.”

“Then tell me your most embarrassing secrets.”

Nova’s jaw dropped, and she sucked in air.

“Now magic does not seem so bad, eh?”

“Sleep does not seem so bad.”

“Too bad. You have me awake now. We might as well take advantage of the quiet hours.”

There tended to be less guards on the overnight, and while Nova knew the guards were out there, they rarely spoke or moved in the nighttime hours, which gave her at least the illusion of more safety.

“What would we practice exactly?” Nova asked.

“Well, you seem to be doing much better with your balance. I’m curious to know how that will impact your control over the actual manifestation of your magic. How often do you actually use it?”

“Only when I must. In the days before you arrived, I used to rip pieces from the hem of my skirt to burn when I began to feel too full and worried I might slip accidentally.”

“That must have been stressful.” Jinx’s voice was warm and soft in the dark.

Nova shrugged, even though she was not sure Jinx could see the motion.