Silver Smoke (#1 of Seven Halos Series) by Monica O'Brien

listing of all the angels and historical figures in the entire Hallow world. It was the historical textbook they used at Mehlizabeth, the Hallow school, where Hallows age fifteen and above could learn about transmutation and motivity in a formal setting. For a moment, Thessa considered purchasing a copy for Brie, but this thought was broken by her own echoing laughter. She imagined the textbook sitting unopened on Brie's dresser, and decided it wasn't worth the effort.
    Besides, if she purchased anything, she would have to provide identification, and when people realized she had returned, even for a few days... she didn't want to consider the consequences.
    Thessa kept walking, until she came across a building of glass and metal, fondly called the l'Apotecari, though it had grown much larger than a plausible apothecary over the years. It was more like a research facility and hospital combined. Thessa shuddered, remembering the time she spent in the fertility unit, many years ago.
    Finally, Thessa made her way to the meeting point she was given—a building with large letters spelling "Ajuntament" over the doors.
    At the front desk, an unfamiliar young woman smiled at her. "Good morning!" Thessa placed the woman's slight drawl to somewhere in the southwest of the United States. "How can I help you today?"
    Thessa eyed the woman's nameplate suspiciously. Natassia . Thessa had been right. She didn't know this woman, but the woman was clearly American—perhaps stationed in Spain by the New Order? The Hallows had city centres all over the world, though, so it was unusual to see an American in Europe.
    "Thessa Torres. I have an appointment with—"
    "Yes, President Vega is waiting for you." Natassia smiled and held out an inch-thick metal cylinder with a squat letter-Z engraved in black. "Have you used one of these before?" she asked. "Bend the ends into a Z-shape and push down on the symbol. You'll be transported to your meeting."
    Thessa looked at the contraption. She had never seen anything like it before—it had to be new technology used only by the cities, but Thessa was fairly well-versed in Hallow technology... or at least she had thought so.
    "Where will this take me?" she asked, careful not to touch the device.
    "I don't know," Natassia said cheerfully. "I can assure you that President Vega chose a secure location for your meeting. He doesn't come to the centre anymore. He says it's a security risk."
    Thessa frowned; she didn't like the idea of transporting to a place she didn't know. What if it was a trap? She had no choice though; she grabbed the cylinder from Natassia and took a few steps back from the desk. She configured the metal into a Z-shape and pressed her thumb to the symbol.

CHAPTER FOUR
    Mere seconds later, Thessa was standing in front of a massive cathedral she recognized—La Basílica de la Sagrada Família. She had no reason to be surprised—work on the cathedral was commissioned by the first president of the New Order, who planned to use the building as a safe place above ground for Hallows to be themselves and use their powers out in the open.
    The building had touches of Roman Catholic tradition, with whimsical pillars at the entrance and statues of saints and martyrs donning the doorways. There were four visible spiraling towers above, with several more still in construction. The entire building was overwrought with strange angles, but there was still a healthy-sized group of tourists at the doors, waiting to get in.
    Thessa looked around to guess where she should go next, but it turned out to be unnecessary; when she turned around, Mateo Vega was there to greet her.
    "Thessa Torres," he said, towering over her. "We finally meet."
    She must have looked surprised, because he answered her unspoken question. "The device I left you transports us both to the location of my choosing when you activate it."
    Thessa raised her eyebrows. With his blonde, wavy hair and bright blue eyes, he was handsomer in