Slowly, the man approached them. People who were walking through the hall seemed to swerve around him, as he moved towards Jon and Karyn.
"Do you recognize him?" Jon asked.
"No. But there's something ... strange about him."
Jon was about to walk towards the man, to ask him what he wanted, but before he could, someone grabbed his arm and pulled him away.
He looked to his left and saw that Karyn was being pulled away too by the same person, who turned out to be the best friend of Jon's sister Zoe. Her name was Athena. There were rumors flying around that she was a witch. But no one knew for sure.
"Hey, let go!" Karyn yelled at the gothic girl.
"I'm trying to save you," Athena said. "Now, come on." She yanked on them even more, pulling them into an empty classroom. Then she shut the door behind them.
"What's your problem?" Karyn asked, getting angry.
"Hey, I might have just saved your life!" Athena yelled. "How about a little gratitude?"
"What are you talking about?"
"It's that guy, right?" Jon asked.
"Yes."
"What, you mean that creepy guy in the hall?" Karyn asked.
"Yes, that's him. I don't know what he wants, but he had his sights on you two. And that can't be good."
"Do you know who he is?" Jon asked.
"No. But I can sense his presence. That's how I knew you two were in danger."
"What do you mean?" Karyn asked.
"I know you've been using magic. I can sense it. Don't deny it, because I'll know you're lying."
"Okay. Yeah. We did use it. But we can't anymore," Jon said.
"I know that too. Whatever was the source of magic is gone. But you two have been imprinted."
"Imprinted?" Karyn asked.
"It's sort of a glow. Like an aura. If you don't use any more magic, it'll fade away in a week or so."
"And how did you know that guy is dangerous?"
"Because his glow is so bright that it's like looking at a light bulb. In fact, it's how exactly how bright your source of magic was."
"How do you know that? Have you been spying on us?" Jon asked.
"No. I mean, not exactly. I didn't notice until this morning. I was outside when your source disappeared. That's when I noticed ... him. The moment your source was gone, he appeared out of nowhere."
"Are you saying me getting rid of the stone is connected to this guy? How is that possible?"
"I don't know, but you're going to have to tell me about ..." Athena froze.
"What is ..." Karyn began.
"Shhhh," Athena whispered. "I think he's just outside."
