Callie stared at Merrill as he apologized, mixed emotions appearing on her face. Indignation, anger, bafflement, fear, hurt, betrayal...they all raged in Callie's heart. When he said he wished he could explain, she told him "[b]You can! Just tell me![/b]" But instead of listening to her, he instead reassured that she would figure out how to control her powers and find her destiny, and then he turned to leave. 

She was left alone in stupefied silence. She could see in his eyes that something was haunting him. But what? Did...Did he see something and he wasn't telling her what. She sighed and pinching the bridge of her nose, she decided to try and talk to him about it some more. Besides, it's night in the forest. She was pretty sure that it wasn't safe to go out alone. She started to walk, until...

She felt something wet and slimy climb up her leg. 

Letting out a scream, she whirled to see what was climbing up her leg. Instinctively, she called upon bolts of fire and aimed at the thing that could still be seen slithering on the ground, trying to kill whatever unknown horror with fire.