“We don’t want killers on our island,” Smiley — I had never bothered to learn his real name — growled at me and grabbed my arm. He had tanned skin, short black cropped hair and pierced pointed ears.

I shoved him backward and threw a burst of light at his head. It missed him on purpose and he yelped. “Leave. Me. Alone,” I snapped. “Next time I won’t miss.”

“Get her!” Smiley yelled. He and his cronies advanced towards me.

I raised my hand, power pulsed through the air. All of them froze in place. ...