Melisa woke to sunlight streaming through the dorm window and Raven's solemn face hovering inches from hers. She nearly screamed.
"Gods, Raven!" She clutched her chest. "We've talked about this. Normal people don't watch others sleep."
"I wasn't watching you sleep," Raven replied matter-of-factly. "I was waiting for you to wake up. There's a difference."
"Barely," Melisa grumbled, but she couldn't stay annoyed. Not today. "What time is it?"
"Eight-seventeen. Javir expects us at nine-thirty."
Melisa stretched, her tail uncurling from around her leg where it had wrapped itself during the night. Just a few more hours and they'd be free of the Memory Snare and all its complications. No more accidental glimpses into people's private moments, no more worrying about touching anyone, no more Shadow Mage hunts in royal palaces.
"Can you believe it's finally going to be over?" she asked, sitting up.
