School starts up again. Darren and Bella are both skipping straight into twelfth grade. (Bella looked into just starting college early, but while she does technically have the sort of resume that can lead to that kind of thing, she can't exactly write an essay about how she saved the life of another person and this caused her to have Moral Character, let alone about how she started a small business - so skipping one grade it is.)
They apply to colleges. They both get into University of Washington and get sufficient scholarships to accommodate both going there.
Summer ensues again.
One afternoon, Bella is over at Darren's, and has fallen asleep - in purring fullform - across his lap on the couch.
"Are - are you okay - I can probably heal you - which one of you is hurt worse, bleeding more - are there more people, did you get the monster -"
"Keeping the thing out, it doesn't like traveling over ice. Bella, I've been shot, but I've got scrolls, I can handle it. Savannah, you?"
"Okay - Darren, please heal yourself, I can't control this thing and if you're going to be shot right next to me I might well pass out and then Savannah's going to go on being shot -" Bella heaves herself to her feet with effort.
"Got it."
"I'm over here," says the still invisible Savannah. "I don't know where you are, I'll stay put, just - follow the sound of my voice."
"Mmhm." Bella kisses Darren on the top of his head, and starts edging over the ice border towards Savannah's voice. "Can one of you find my medallion after -?"
She's breathing heavily. She shifts to fullform, inspecting the injured wing and wincing.
"Okay, this is the first time I've tried to do this on purpose -"
She concentrates. It doesn't work immediately.
"I'll get the fuse box," says Darren, standing with a groan. "I can see in the dark now, it's easier for me to do it."
He stops, when he sees the ink monster at the door, and he hovers and - watches it.
Hmmm.
Darren goes and gets a flashlight from - one of the many dead guards, warily watching the ink monster. Is it going to come after him during the vulnerable time when he's on the ground?
Darren goes back up into the air in midform, and then he - shines the flashlight down at the ground in front of the ink monster. What does it do?
He starts looking around for some paper. He's got an idea for a spell to draft.
"The ink monster," he says, "only stays in the light. I'm going to make a spell that traps it in darkness, and see what happens."