Adam dressed slowly that morning, lost in empty thoughts. There was a shadow stretched inside him, a hollowness that had formed as if from thin air. He knew that this was the effects of the elixir, just as Cassie had informed him. What he didn't expect was to still miss her. Adam knew that he had no feelings of love towards Cassie any longer; the elixir had well and truly completed its purpose. However he still missed the idea of her. He couldn't quite form the words to tell her this; as he knew that Cassie felt no love for him, either. She had drunk the elixir too. He couldn't talk to Diana; things were too complicated between the two. He was alone in this; he realised, and attempted to convince himself that the feelings of nostalgia would pass with time. They had saved a member of their circle, and it had been a necessity.

Cassie stood in the grand bedroom of her grandmother's home, bathed in the warm sunlight glowing through the large window. She brushed the last, solitary tear from the corner of her damp eyes, promising herself that it would be the very last tear she would cry that day for Adam Conant. She didn't want him to realise that the elixir hadn't worked on her, and this resolve formed her determination to appear as nonchalant as possible. She smoothed out the creases in her creamy blouse, letting it lie almost floatingly over her faded denim jeans, and made her way over to the boathouse to meet the circle.

When Cassie arrived, she found herself facing the rest of the circle. They were waiting for her in silence, it seemed. She marched over, eyebrows furrowed in sheer determination. Adam was watching her expectantly, she noticed, but his eyes were empty of emotion. He was a ghost to her now. She took a deep breath, and forced herself to think about her current task.

"Finally, the Queen bee." Faye drawled, rolling herself into a mocking bow.

Diana rolled her eyes, clicking her tongue. "What did you need to talk to us about, Cassie?"

Cassie looked round at them all, her circle; her friends. Even selfish and naïve Faye was included. She would do everything in her power to protect them all. And hadn't she? By proving her loyalty to the circle by sacrificing her and Adam's love, their destiny? She had saved Jake, and as she thought about this, she cast him an uncertain glance. He looked himself, although slightly cheerier. He was gazing at her intensely, and she felt her face redden. Faye glanced from Cassie to Jake, her expression showing open jealousy.

"We need to plan." Cassie began, "I think my father is up to something. After what he did last week to help save Jake…" She paused, glancing at him once again. He inclined his head towards her, urging her to carry on. "I know I should trust him, but I don't. He comes back now of all times? There has to be a reason, something he's hiding." She finished, staring at the group defiantly.

Adam watched the exchange between Cassie and Jake with confusion. Not at what he was seeing, but the way he felt about it. He knew that Jake was in love with Cassie, and he'd finally admitted to himself what he'd been refusing to see when he loved her; she had feelings for him, too. And yet Adam didn't feel jealous, he merely felt solemn and helpless. He glanced upwards at Cassie, to look for some sense of reassurance from her. He didn't know what he was looking for particularly, but he needed to know that she felt the same way he did. He needed to know he wasn't the only one feeling lost and alone. He barely heard Faye's lashing comment.

"Daddy issues, not boyfriend issues today?" Faye smirked, glancing back and forth between Adam and Jake. Diana bowed her head and diverted her eyes to look at her fingernails.

Cassie felt her chest heave, Faye had no idea. She couldn't empathise. She heard Jake clear his throat loudly.

"Give it a rest Faye, today isn't about your jealousy." Jake glared at her. Faye looked shocked for a moment, before recomposing herself smoothly, ready to launch into a new sarcastic attack.

"How about we talk about our current problem?" Diana cut in, shushing everybody with her tone of authority. "Cassie, do you have any idea what he would be up to?"

"All I know is that he came back for the medallion, and when he found out that I'd destroyed it, Adam saw him searching for something in the abandoned house." She paused thoughtfully. "He doesn't have magic; maybe he's looking for a way to have it again? The medallion would certainly give him that, although I'm not sure why he waited until now to come back for it."

Cassie glanced around at the group; they looked as exasperated as she felt. None of them really knew John Blackwell. The best they could do was hope that their instincts and planning proved to be correct. Melissa's eyes suddenly brightened, as though something had only just occurred to her.

"You said he doesn't have magic, Cassie?" Melissa asked animatedly. Cassie nodded assent. "Well, what if he came back because he sensed the medallion being activated? You yourself said that you felt a clear connection to him when that happened." She finished enthusiastically. It was clearly their best bet. The remainder of the group nodded in sudden agreement, an air of excitement and possibility coursing through them.

"It makes sense." Faye muttered, watching Melissa curiously.

"It more than makes sense! Think about it, if Cassie's father doesn't have magic-" Cassie flinched. "If he doesn't have magic, then why would he return for the medallion before it was activated? He couldn't have done it himself, nor could he have got help. Everyone thought he was dead. His best bet was to wait and hope that the next generation of the circle would activate it." Adam finished proudly, exulting confident triumph.

Cassie observed him, her face threatening to break into tears once more. She couldn't stand this. Surely Adam must realise that Cassie was still every bit in love with him as she had been before she drank the elixir? Nothing had changed for her, unless you counted her true happiness being traded in for despair. In that moment, he caught her eye and they gazed at one another in remembrance. Was she imagining it, or did he look solemn, too?

Diana looked at them both for a moment, understanding their pain entirely. They weren't the only ones who had sacrificed their love for the good of somebody else in the circle. Diana had done so for Adam and Cassie's sake, and she didn't regret it. The way they looked at each other was beyond logical reasoning, beyond anything she'd ever known. It was stuff of the movies, and that was what she wanted for herself, not to merely live in the shadow of it.

"So we watch him. That's the best we can do for now. Cassie will obviously be in charge of this, being the one who has the most contact with him." Diana stated, rising from the table.

Cassie nodded in agreement. "I'll watch him." She vowed, sharing a smile with Diana.

"Okay, can we go now? Lee is expecting me." Faye smiled flirtatiously, also rising from the table.

Most of the group left simultaneously, until it was just Adam, Cassie and Jake who remained behind. Jake was watching Cassie intently. She turned to face him.

"I'm staying." She muttered. His face was blank of emotion, but he nodded in acknowledge and exited the boarding house. His large black boots made dirty footprints as he trudged along, and Cassie didn't think he'd done it accidentally somehow.

"I need to talk to you." Cassie and Adam both blurted out at the same time, and laughed nervously. Cassie waited for Adam to speak. When he didn't, she muttered; "Jinx, you go first."

Adam was drinking her in, she looked tremendously beautiful. She was draped in a cream blouse that finished just below the button of her washed out jeans, and Adam found himself admiring the way the outfit looked on her. He admired it, but that was all. He couldn't find his feelings anymore, and it frustrated him. He wanted to love this beautiful girl, so why couldn't he? Her eyes were glazed, as though she was attempting not to cry. She brushed her golden hair back from her face distractedly, and Adam realised she was waiting for him to speak.

"I miss you." He murmured. Cassie looked up to meet his eyes; there was a furious hope radiating from her. "I miss you, but I can't love you." He continued. The hope that had risen in her eyes died once more, and it confused Adam. She'd drunk the elixir, too.

"What is it?" He asked, walking over to her in two long strides. He stroked her hair reassuringly, and pulled her into his arms. There, Cassie felt she was home.

"Adam, the elixir didn't work on me. I didn't want to tell you but now I realise that I have to. I can't pretend that I don't love you anymore." She whispered, tears falling from her blue eyes. There goes the promise of not crying again today, she thought bitterly to herself, and sank deeper into the familiar comfort of Adam's embrace. He was quiet for what felt like a lifetime to Cassie, until finally she raised her head to look at his face. It was pained.

"We'll figure this out, Cassie. I don't know how, but I swear to you that we will." He vowed; his eyes ablaze with a fire that gave Cassie hope once more.