"You said you could control it," Zoe accused her friend the moment they were out of her sister's earshot.
"I am in control," Athena hissed back. "I can turn this on and off like a switch. But I wanted to get closer to Jocelynne, and I totally bonded with her in there."
"Oh, you totally bonded, alright," Zoe returned with a head tilt and a sarcastic wave of her hand. "Power is meaningless if you lose who you are. You told me that. Don't forget it."
"Zoe, I--"
"It's too late now, we did your spell," she cut her friend off. "What's done is done and we have to figure out what we do next. I just don't want to lose you."
Athena flicked a lock of hair away from her face, then closed her eyes for a moment and forced the smile that had been plastered on her face into a grimace. "You won't lose me. I promise."
Neither girl noticed Melissa, standing against the wall and hidden by a magical shroud of her own design, eavesdropping on their conversation.
