(1) Just Magic (D. Salvatore)

The moonlight, usually a comfort, cast long, eerie shadows across Cassandra Gilbert's bedroom. She lay still, eyes wide open, the lingering tendrils of a nightmare still clinging to her, cold and sharp. It was always the same: the screech of tires, the crush of metal, the choking water, and the unbearable weight of guilt. Her parents, gone. And then, the red.

She lifted a trembling hand, watching as faint, crimson energy pulsed around her fingertips, a silent, terrifying testament to the 'thing' that had awoken within her since that night. She clenched her fist, forcing the glow to recede, a desperate act of suppression. What was happening to her? And why couldn't she stop it?

Later, dressed but feeling anything but ready, Cassandra moved through the quiet house. Jeremy's door was shut, a familiar sign of his own buried pain. Elena's, however, was ajar, and her twin sat on her bed, pulling on her shoes. Their eyes met, and Elena offered a soft, worried smile. Cassandra tried to return it, but the effort felt monumental. The weight of being the survivor, the one who was pulled from the wreckage, was a constant, crushing burden.

Downstairs, Aunt Jenna, their new, well-meaning guardian, intercepted her. "You going to be okay, Cas?" she asked, her voice laced with concern. Cassandra nodded, pulling on her jacket. "I'm okay," she insisted, a lie she'd perfected. She had to be. For them. For herself. Elena joined her then, offering a travel mug of coffee, a small gesture of comfort in a world that felt increasingly out of control. "Today's going to be okay, Cassie," Elena whispered. Cassandra could only shrug, clutching the warm mug like a shield.