Free The Prophecy of Shadows by Michelle Madow

way, with me either missing my target or hitting an accurate but slow serve that was easy for Danielle or Kara to return with force. Coach Peterson watched from the sidelines, frowning. I couldn’t blame her. I was disappointed with my playing, too.
    Since imagining blue energy had helped slightly, I reminded myself about what all of the colors represented. Red didn’t only increase attraction and desire—it increased confidence as well. So I called the red energy into my body, feeling refreshed a second later. Then I thought about yellow and how it increases focus. A surge of yellow entered my palms, sharpening my attentiveness on the game. Lastly, I thought about blue again, trying to calm down and not let the frustration at my poor playing mess me up even more.
    The three colors flowed through my body, and I tightened my grip on my racket, sending the colors through it as well. Energy hummed through me, crackling with power. I bounced the ball a few times on the court, and my senses felt sharper. Faster.
    I was ready.
    Suddenly I was playing better than ever. I was in control of every shot—each one full of strength and precision. It didn’t take long for Jessica and me to take the lead.
    Eventually, Coach blew her whistle to signify the end of practice. She was waiting for me at the exit of the courts, and I walked over to her, my heart pounding with anticipation.
    “I’m going to chalk that first game up to nerves,” she said before I had a chance to speak. “I haven’t decided on your starting position yet, but I’ll watch you on Thursday and see how it goes. If you play the same way you did for the majority of the day, it’s safe to say that you can expect a top spot.”
    “Thank you,” I said, able to breathe for the first time since walking over. “I can’t wait to be a part of the team.”
    “Don’t thank me.” She finally smiled. “You earned it.”
    For the most part, I agreed with her. But I’d really messed up during that first game. And I couldn’t stop thinking about what Kate had told me about Danielle—that she used her abilities to negatively affect others. Specifically, on girls who talked to Blake.
    Had Danielle used her powers to mess me up?
    And if she had, was there anything I could do to protect myself from her?

CHAPTER TWELVE
     
    “You should watch where you put your racket during tennis practice,” Blake said to me the next day in ceramics. We were working on our coil pots from yesterday, and we had a table to ourselves. I wondered if Blake was putting out some sort of energy that encouraged everyone to sit as far away from him as possible.
    Well—everyone but me, of course.
    “What do you mean?” I asked.
    “Just that some people—specifically certain ones in our homeroom—might take advantage of the fact that you left your racket alone on the court.”
    I jerked back, my eyes widening at what he’d implied. “You mean that Danielle messed with my racket?”
    “I’m not saying any names,” he said. “I’m just telling you to be more careful.”
    I wanted to know more, but it was a touchy subject, given that she was his girlfriend. “Thanks,” I said instead. “Next time, I won’t let my racket out of my sight.”
    “You do that,” he said. “But … don’t you want to learn how to get back at her?”
    I held his gaze, wondering if he meant it. He should be on Danielle’s side—not mine. Was this some sort of trick? I didn’t think so, but even if it wasn’t, the last thing I needed was to start a fight with Danielle. I might be getting the hang of harnessing energy, but Danielle was more powerful than me. I needed to be careful.
    “I don’t want to ‘get back’ at her,” I said carefully. “But if there’s a way to defend myself against whatever she’s doing, I would like to learn how to do that.”
    He leaned forward so his face was only inches away from mine, and goosebumps traveled over my arms. “There is,” he said, lowering his