Magic Gambit (Hidden World Academy Book 3)

by Sadie Moss

  But this time, no one will mistake it for harmless insanity. He’ll be going away for the rest of his life.

  We step outside into the cool night air, and people cheer and holler as we walk down the front steps of the station. I really don’t want to have to deal with the press or anything right now, even though I know it’s an inevitability. There’s no way this is staying silent. Literally everyone in the Hidden World experienced the near destruction of their dimension today, and there’ll be a lot of questions from the public.

  And with Roxie’s family already being prominent members of the social class here? Her parents will want to spin this into something big, I just know it.

  But for now, at least, I can go back to Radcliffe and collapse into bed.

  Except when we get back to campus, Roxie and I head for the same dorm room. Right. Because… it’s actually her dorm room that I’ve been staying in.

  We stare at one another awkwardly for a moment as the realization kicks in.

  “You should have it,” I tell her. “It’s yours.”

  This world is hers. This life is hers. I was just borrowing it for a time. Even if I don’t have to swap back and forth with her… this isn’t my place. Is it?

  She nods. “Thanks,” she says, giving me a small, tired smile.

  The guys and I head to Kasian’s room instead. Thank God I can stay with one of them—that I have a place to go instead of having to awkwardly share with Roxie. It’s weird, the two of us being in the same space. I don’t know exactly what I’m supposed to do with this, and I don’t think Roxie does either.

  Kasian opens his door and ushers us all into his small, neat room. He sinks down onto his bed, and Theo leans against the desk while Cross and I linger near the door.

  “So, cupcake.” Cross turns to me with a lopsided smile. “How’re you feeling?”

  I open my mouth to say exhausted, but instead what comes out is, “A lot.”

  Theo snorts. “I get that.”

  “Come here,” Kasian says, holding out his hand, and I walk over and take it, letting him tug me down to sit—only I fall onto his lap, which makes Cross snort with laughter.

  A few minutes ago, all I wanted to do was sleep, but now I’m feeling the warmth of my men and my heart is thudding in my chest like a chant, as if for the first time I’m realizing, we’re alive, we’re alive, we’re alive.

  I reach up and palm the back of Kasian’s neck, lifting my head to press my lips to his, and Cross and Theo step closer, reaching out to touch me.

  There will be time for sleep. But first, I’m going to kiss each of my boyfriends several dozen times. I’m going to kiss them and touch them and hold them close until the truth finally sinks in.

  We made it. We did it.

  We won.

  Chapter 33

  The next day, Roxie and I meet up to walk the grounds of Radcliffe.

  “A nice walk,” supposedly, but really, it’s just to give ourselves something to do while we talk.

  This campus really is beautiful, despite the damage some of the buildings sustained before we stopped the world from tearing itself apart. Nothing collapsed, thank God, but there are chunks of stone missing from the facades of a few class buildings.

  Winter is fading now, and spring is starting to appear. Snow is melting, and while it does mean there’s a lot of mud around, I can also see green plants, little buds, poking out of the ground and starting to appear on the bare branches of trees. I can remember what Radcliffe looked like when I first got here, in the grip of autumn with burning leaves, like nature’s silent fireworks. I want to see it in full bloom, and in the summer.

  I want to see it all.

  Roxie is silent for a long while as we meander the pathways across campus. We both are. I don’t think either of us really know what to say to each other. We’ve spent all this time living in each other’s lives, but we’ve never really gotten to sit down and speak to each other, to learn who the other one is the way that other people do: by interacting with each other.

  At last, she says, “How’s my family doing?”

  “They’re okay. Your sister figured it out, I think. I mean, neither of us ever exactly said anything, not explicitly, but she could tell, and I knew she could tell. I don’t think your parents or brother figured it out.”

  “I’m surprised even she did,” Roxie admits. “I’m… I’m sorry, again, about how I treated your family at first. I kind of blew them off, treated them like I would my family. I just didn’t care, because my family never cared. I was only thinking about myself and what I needed, what I thought was best for myself.”

  “It’s okay. I know you did what you could,” I say, although my heart squeezes at the mention of my parents and brother. Fuck, I really miss them.

  “I didn’t do great at first. But I have been trying,” she tells me with a little smile. “Dean really helped with that, actually. That’s how we started to get closer. I could tell right away that he liked you. That, uh, was why I slept with him to start out with. I needed to… work off some stress. I wanted a distraction. And he’s handsome.”

  “He is,” I agree.

  Dean’s good looking, I could never deny that, he just wasn’t my type of good looking. Or my type of personality. We didn’t click, and now I’m glad we didn’t, because he seems much happier with Roxie, and Roxie seems happy with him. They’re good for each other.

  “I did want to tell him the truth.” She sighs. “But I didn’t know how. So I didn’t. And it just went on and on. I’m relieved that you told him, even if we did end up having a huge fight about it. After that, he was able to help me a lot better than before when he thought that I was you and just behaving strangely. He made me realize how selfish I was being.” Then she pauses. “Your family misses you though. I can feel it. They don’t know how, or why, but they know something’s different. They’re going to be glad to see you.”

  My chest fills with warmth. Even though I don’t miss my old world all that much, I miss the crap out of Mom, Dad, and Shane. “I’m glad.”

  We keep talking, filling each other in on all the details of our experiences over the past several months.

  Roxie’s exactly how I expected in some ways, with a biting sense of humor and this way of saying things that nobody else could possibly get away with saying. But she’s also a lot warmer and kinder than I expected. I suspect that’s thanks to the growth she did while she was pretending to be me.

  I learned how to be brave, and Roxie learned how to be kind. Neither of us is the same person we were when we started out.

  Our walk takes forever, and the time completely gets away from us, so that we’re startled when we hear Roxie’s mother cry out, “What on earth?”

  We turn in time to see Roxie’s entire family striding up the path toward us. I completely forgot that they were going to come down.

  After the whole mess with the police station, of course the authorities called Roxie’s family and filled them in on the fact that their daughter’s been up to these crazy shenanigans and her parallel world twin is also here with them. I have no idea how that conversation went over the phone, because I wasn’t there for it, but apparently it’s taking seeing both of us with their own eyes for Roxie’s family to truly process what’s going on.

  I mean, can you blame them?

  A year ago, if someone had told me that my mom and her twin from a hidden magical world were both down at the police station and were the reason the world was almost crumbling to pieces an hour ago, I’m not sure I would believe it until I saw it with my own eyes either.

  “Darling, what have you gotten yourself into?” Roxie’s mother walks up to us, and to my surprise, she doesn’t hesitate for a moment. Her gaze lands right on Roxie.

  I would’ve thought that she would hesitate, that she wouldn’t know which one of us it is. We’re wearing each other’s clothes, Roxie’s hair and makeup aren’t done for once, and we do look exactly like each other. But somehow, when she sees
us side by side, her mother just knows.

  I think that affects Roxie, because she tears up a little, and then to my shock—and definitely to her mother’s—she hugs the posh older woman.

  “Oh.” Roxie’s mother pats her on the head. “Roxie, dear, I suppose you have had a rough time of it, haven’t you?”

  Roxie just squeezes her more tightly, and after another moment of confusion, her mom wraps her arms around her daughter properly and hugs her back. I can’t even imagine when the last time they hugged was.

  The rest of Roxie’s family walks up, and as the two men go to greet Roxie, Luna pulls me aside.

  “Thank you,” she says earnestly, her blue eyes shining. “I’m glad that I was right about you.”

  “Thanks for not telling on me.”

  She shrugs one elegant shoulder. “If you wanted to ruin Roxie’s life, or us, I was pretty sure you’d had a thousand opportunities to do it already before I figured out you weren’t her. But aside from nabbing three hunks as boyfriends, I didn’t see anything you were really doing that was for your own gain. And then when that guy attacked you—well. I had a feeling something bigger was up.”

  “I’m glad I could help,” I tell her, and I mean it.

  “Roxie.” Cross’s voice comes from behind me, and he sounds annoyed.

  “Cross,” Roxie replies.

  I turn and see that my guys have approached. They probably started to wonder why Roxie and I are still talking and wanted to make sure I’m okay. Cross and Roxie are staring stiffly at each other, like they know for the sake of politeness they can’t outright glare but they really, really want to.

  “Sorry to interrupt,” Kasian says to the Macintyre family, ever the diplomat, “but we were hoping that we could steal Gabbi away from you now. I’m sure that you all want to spend some time with Roxie, and we don’t want to intrude on that.”

  “Oh, of course.” Roxie’s father nods at the men, and I swear I can feel the wave of relief emanating from him. He did warm up to them eventually—well, to Theo and Kasian, anyway—but I think he’s glad to know that his daughter isn’t actually dating these three guys.

  Ha. Wait until he finds out about Dean.

  I have to work hard to hold in a smile at the thought. His daughter dating a guy from the Dull World? He’ll lose his fucking mind.

  I hope someone films his reaction.

  “Enjoy your afternoon,” Roxie’s mother says, waving vaguely in our direction. The family is clearly focused on their newly recovered member, and I don’t blame them. I nod at Luna and wave to Roxie, who waves back.

  There’s an odd idea at the back of my mind that we might end up being friends. Huh. How about that.

  The guys lead me away, still surrounding me like they’re worried we might get jumped at any moment. The threat seems to be over, but I think it’s a hard habit to break. They love me, and they’ve been protecting me from deadly threats for a while now.

  The four of us really want to be sure that we’re alone. After everything that’s happened, everyone wants to know what’s going on with Roxie and me, and I’m a bit of a celebrity around campus. The girl from the Dull World who ended up being able to do magic. Rumor and fact are swirling around and mixing together like paint and nobody can keep up with it. But I just want to finally take some time to sit down and be with my guys, without the stress of worrying about the end of the world.

  So Theo takes us up to the rooftop.

  “Holy shit, you’ve been holding out on us,” Cross says when we get up there and he sees the view. He plops down and drops an arm around Theo’s shoulders. “Why didn’t you take us up here ages ago, asshole?”

  “Maybe because you call me an asshole,” Theo replies mildly.

  I sit down on Theo’s other side, resting my head on his shoulder. From this angle, with his arm around the Englishman’s shoulders, Cross can play with my hair.

  Kasian sits down on my other side, squeezing my hand.

  Silence reigns for a bit. It’s beautiful up here. The sun is just starting to set, bathing the landscape in warm colors. The whole world feels like it’s warming up, and not just from the coming spring and the changing of the seasons—but from starting something new, from the prophecy being fulfilled.

  Everything has been taken care of as far as saving the world goes, which means that it’s time to think about something else—to think about our lives. My life. And the choice that I have to make.

  “You know that we don’t regret anything, right?” Cross says, speaking first. There’s a rasp to his voice, and he clears his throat. “I’d do it all over again. All of it. I wouldn’t change a moment.”

  “And we support you,” Kasian adds. “We’re not going to forget our time together. And you’ll always have us in your hearts, rooting for you, thinking of you. Loving you. However else the rest of your life goes.”

  They’re both speaking very quietly, their voices rough, and they’re both staring out over the school grounds instead of looking at me. I realize, with an odd twist of amusement and sadness, that they think I’m leaving them. That I’m going away.

  That idea sits in my chest for a moment. What it would be like to go back to the Dull World and enroll in classes again. To get a job and buy a house. To have a normal life there, always holding these three men in my heart.

  Always loving them.

  It’s like there’s a bubble in my chest, expanding and expanding, ready to burst, pressing up against the inside of my chest.

  “I don’t want to leave you,” I blurt out suddenly. “Any of you. If you think that’s what I want—it’s not. I miss my family, but I don’t want to go home, I don’t want to go back to that other world. I want to stay here.”

  Theo speaks slowly, his voice tense, as if he’s hopeful but is trying not to let it show. “None of us want you to leave either. We thought that—you had to.”

  “When Roxie and I couldn’t exist in the same place then… yes.” I nodded. “But now… we can. So… I want to find a way. No, I’m going to find a way. I’m not leaving my family behind, but I love you just as much. You’re my family too now. And I’m not leaving any of you behind either.”

  Cross’s hand goes still in my hair, and I look up to see Theo staring at me, his eyes suspiciously bright and shining. I’ve never seen him cry before—in fact, I don’t think I’ve seen any of my guys cry before—but there’s a first time for everything.

  Before any tears can actually spill over though, Theo’s grabbing my face in his hands and kissing me, and then the other guys are too, and we’re rolling around on the roof trying to get closer and closer to each other, and it’s dangerous as fuck but I don’t care.

  My heart is swelling until I can’t contain it anymore.

  I don’t have to lose them.

  Chapter 34

  If only everything else was as easily solved.

  The next day, Roxie and I have to meet with the school administrators to discuss the fact that, well, I attended Radcliffe Academy for almost two semesters under false pretenses, while Roxie wasn’t attending school at all.

  There’s a lot of arguing that goes on, and I mostly stay quiet. This is Roxie’s show, not mine, after all. I’m just waiting to be politely told congratulations on managing to fool everyone for a few months and then told to pack my things and get the hell out.

  Not that I have any things to pack, but it’s the spirit of the sentiment that matters.

  It’s decided, eventually, after much frustration and debate, that Roxie’s grades for the time that I was here will be invalidated, since I’m not Roxie and she didn’t earn them. If Roxie wants to continue her work at this school, she will have to make up all the assignments she missed.

  I can see the competitive glint in her eye as Dean Langston speaks, and I know she’ll do just fine. She’s never backed down from a challenge in her life as far as I know. And hey, now my mediocre grades can be struck from her perfect record and she can go back to having the best grad
es in the school.

  And then everyone turns to me.

  Ack.

  “Ms. Telford.” The dean smiles at me. I remember when I first met him—when I was posing as Roxie—I got the feeling that he silently measured everyone who ever crossed his path. At the time, I was pretty sure he found me severely lacking. But right now, he’s smiling at me in a way that’s warm but confused, like he’s not quite sure what to make of me. “I have to say—well, officially, we can’t condone someone posing as another student and taking classes under false pretenses. But unofficially, I have to say that we are all rather impressed with your work.”

  Uh, say what now?

  “Your professors have shown us your grades, and the fact that you’ve been managing to maintain such a strong showing with no prior magical training is truly remarkable. Your grades are, of course, ordinarily not anything to remark on, but then when you consider that everyone else has been in training for ten or so years in school, and you’ve had nothing—it rather shows it all in a new light. You were also able to successfully fool us all into believing you were a different person.”

  His jaw tightens a bit at that, and I can’t tell if he’s annoyed at himself or me for the fact that he didn’t see through my disguise. Maybe both. But he definitely seems impressed too. I get the feeling there aren’t many people who’ve managed to surprise this man.

  Dean Langston continues to speak, interlacing his fingers and resting his elbows on the large desk between us.

  “Which is why,” he says, “given that your magic is proven to be natural and not the product of an outside charm or spell, we would like to offer you the chance to attend Radcliffe officially, as a new student. You’ll need to take some remedial courses beforehand, of course, the sort of things you’d learn before coming to an academy, in order to prepare yourself. But if you’d like to continue studying here—we’re willing to work with you.”

  It’s not lost on me that Radcliffe is an elite school, one of the best if not the best in the country. If they’re offering me this opportunity…