Torn Ivy (Thornfield Supernatural Academy #2)

9. Ivy

9

IVY

“Focus on the energy, but don’t try to contain it,” Cathy instructs as I attempt to manifest my chaos magick in a controlled way.

We’re in the back garden, which seems safer than practising indoors. The morning sun is warm on my skin, but there’s a distinct chill in the air that makes me grateful for the oversized jumper I’m wearing.

“I am focusing,” I mutter, trying to direct the wild energy coursing through my veins. The pink aura around me pulses erratically, responding to my frustration.

“No, you’re trying to control it,” Cathy sighs. “Remember what we discussed. You need to guide it, not force it.”

That’s all very well, but she’s not the one with enough unstable power to accidentally reshape reality. Last night’s accidental summoning of Tate was just the beginning - this morning, I’ve already turned my coffee into a swirling vortex of liquid stars and made all the plants in the garden start singing.

“Maybe we should try something simpler,” Ramsey suggests from his safe position by the back door. “Like levitation?”

Taking a deep breath, I try to calm my racing thoughts. The chaos magick responds to my emotions, I’ve learned that much. When I’m angry, it manifests as those toxic vines. When I’m scared, it creates defensive barriers. When I think of my guys, they appear. Well, they did yesterday. Today is a different ballgame. But trying to make it do specific things when I’m not feeling strong emotions is like trying to herd wet, angry cats. Very explosive, reality-bending, wet, angry cats.

“Okay,” I say, closing my eyes. “Let’s try this again.”

I focus on the feeling of the magick flowing through me, trying not to direct it so much as suggest what I want. Just a simple manifestation of light, that’s all. Nothing complicated.

The power surges, and I hear Cathy gasp. Opening my eyes, I see why - instead of a simple ball of light, I’ve created a miniature aurora borealis that’s dancing across the garden. Pink and green lights swirl through the air, beautiful but definitely not what I was aiming for.

“Well,” Josh says brightly, “at least it’s pretty.”

I wave my hand, trying to dispel the lights, but instead, they intensify, spreading up into the sky. “Um, that’s not good.”

“Ivy,” Cathy says carefully, “perhaps we should take a break.”

“No, I can fix this.” I concentrate harder, trying to pull the power back, but it’s like trying to grab smoke with my bare hands. The more I try to control it, the more it slips away from me.

The aurora starts spinning faster, the colours deepening to a rich purple. The air crackles with energy, making my hair stand on end. This is bad. This is very bad.

“Ivy,” Ramsey warns, taking a step forward. “Your eyes are glowing.”

Before I can respond, the power swells again, stronger this time. A wave of magick explodes outward, and suddenly, the garden is full of people. Tate, Torin, and Bram appear first, looking confused and slightly dishevelled. Then Vex materialises, mid-conversation with someone I don’t recognise. More figures pop into existence - students from Thornfield, random people from town, even a few creatures I’m pretty sure aren’t from this realm.

“Fuck,” I whisper as the magick continues to spiral out of control. The aurora above us has become a swirling vortex of energy, pulling at reality itself. Objects start appearing and disappearing randomly. Trees turn into fountains, the grass becomes crystal, the garden fence transforms into a wall of living shadows.

“What the hell?” Torin demands, ducking as a flock of what appear to be phoenix-like birds burst into existence above his head.

“Ivy!” Tate shouts, trying to reach me through the chaos. “You need to stop!”

“I can’t!” The power is too strong, too wild. It feeds on my panic, growing stronger with each passing second. The vortex above us grows larger, threatening to tear open the sky.

Bram attempts to use his Dark Fae magick to contain the chaos, but it simply absorbs his power, adding it to the maelstrom. More people keep appearing. Professor Swann materialises briefly before vanishing again, replaced by a group of confused-looking merpeople flopping around on the crystalline grass.

“Focus, Ivy!” Cathy shouts over the growing wind. “Don’t fight it. Work with it!”

Easy for her to say when reality isn’t unravelling around us. I can feel the power building to a critical point, like a dam about to burst. If I don’t do something soon...

A warm hand grabs mine, and I look up to see Tate beside me. Despite the chaos, he managed to reach me. His touch grounds me, the fated bond between us humming with energy, lighting up the marking on my back in a white-hot flare that makes me gasp and crashes me back to earth.

“Let me help.”

I nod, grateful for his presence. He laces our fingers together, and his magick flows into me through our connection, not trying to control my chaos but working with it, supporting it. The other guys seem to understand what’s happening. Torin and Bram move closer, adding their power to the mix.

My magick responds to their energy, and the wild surges begin to stabilise. Slowly, carefully, I guide the power back, not fighting it but encouraging it to settle. The vortex above us shrinks, the random manifestations slowing.

“That’s it,” Tate murmurs. “You’ve got this.”

With one final push, I pull the magick back into myself. The vortex collapses, the aurora fades, and reality snaps back into place. The summoned creatures vanish, returning to wherever they came from. The garden returns to normal, though the grass remains slightly sparkly.

I slump against Tate, exhausted. “Fuck.”

“Actually,” Cathy says, surveying the aftermath, “that was quite impressive.”

I stare at her in disbelief. “Impressive? I nearly tore a hole in reality!”

“Yes, but you also managed to fix it. With help,” she adds, nodding to the guys, “but still. You’re learning.”

“Learning to what? Accidentally summon half of Thornfield and turn the garden into a light show?”

“Learning to work with your power rather than against it,” she explains. “When you stopped trying to control it and accepted help instead, the magick responded positively.”

I look around at the others. Ramsey and Josh are checking the garden for any lingering effects, while Torin, Bram and Tate haven’t let go of my hands yet.

“That was terrifying,” I admit quietly.

“But educational,” Tate says, squeezing my hand. “We learned that your power responds well to our energy. That could be useful.”

“We also learned that I can accidentally summon people across vast distances and potentially reshape reality when I lose control. That’s less useful and more terrifying.”

“It’s all part of learning,” Cathy insists. “Though perhaps we should take a break before trying anything else.”

I nod weakly, still leaning on Tate for support. The magick has settled somewhat, but I can feel it buzzing under my skin, ready for action.

“Next time,” Ramsey says, picking up what appears to be a crystallised flower, “maybe we should practise somewhere more remote.”

“Agreed,” Cathy says with a nod.

I close my eyes, feeling the lingering energy in the air. This power is more dangerous than I realised, but also more connected to the guys than I expected. Maybe that’s the key - not trying to handle it alone but working together.

“Come on,” Tate says softly. “Let’s get you inside before you accidentally summon a Dragon or something.”

“Don’t even joke about that,” I mutter, but allow him to lead me towards the house.

As we reach the door, I glance back at the garden. Despite returning mostly to normal, there’s still a faint pink glow in the air, like an echo of what happened. A reminder that my power, while beautiful, is also potentially catastrophic.

I need to learn to control it better and fast. Because next time, we might not be so lucky.