《Mage Chronicles: The Beginning.》 1. THE BEGINNING. ¡°I¡¯ve got to say your ink is pretty unique.¡± The sound comes from behind me referencing the ink I got done at the small of my back as part of our performance costume. Schooling my face, I brace for the interaction. ¡°Thanks, buy me a drink and I might show you the tramp stamp that goes with it,¡± I say, turning to the person who dares interrupt my solitude. It may be in a bar, but it was still sacred. ¡°Oh, my God! You are one beautiful man,¡± I blurt my mouth loosened by the number of drinks I had downed. A snort comes from behind the gorgeous specimen in front of me, and I switch my focus, albeit reluctantly. The guy was fine. ¡°Woooah! What is in the water where you come from? Girl, you are smoking,¡± I tell the sexy goddess behind the broody hottie, ¡°You kind of look like that chick from that movie, The Old Guard, her name was Andy, i think.¡± They stare at me all silent and intimidating, but I was well on my way to tipsy so it didn¡¯t work. Not giving them a chance to respond I go on. ¡°So, what¡¯s up? I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re not picking me up, not with sex on legs here,¡± I say, turning to BH. ¡°Ooooooooh! Is it a threesome?¡± I continue before they could react, ¡°If so, no thank you,¡± I declare and turn back to my drink. That was enough deterrent, no one wanted to speak to a bambling drunk. ¡°Uhhhhhhmm,¡± starts Broody Hottie. Why? I inwardly whine, why won¡¯t they leave me alone? ¡°We are not really here for that,¡± Andy says. OK, Mahi you tried, your evil therapist better note that I tell myself pulling my resting bitch face on and turning to the annoying gnats, sexy ones, yes, but still gnats. ¡°Talk.¡± ¡°We have an offer for you,¡± starts BH. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Pass,¡± I cut him off. ¡°You are not telling it right,¡± the hottie with them legs huffs in frustration, scooting to the front. At this point, I¡¯m signalling Ryder, #myfavoritebartender for a refill. ¡°Do you believe in mythical creatures¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Mahi and Maybe¡­why?¡± ¡°Well, long story short we are mage recruiters; basically there are two groups; light and shadow mages.¡± ¡°Which are you?¡± ¡°Shadow.¡± ¡°Cool,¡± I say gesturing for Ryder to pick up his pace. ¡°And for the past two months, you¡¯ve been pinging on our radar like crazy, but every time we get close to finding you, you disappear.¡± ¡°For example, we followed you in here, but about ten minutes since you got into this bar, your signature disappeared.¡± ¡°Look,¡± I say grabbing my glass, ¡°That is good and all, but you want me to believe I¡¯m a mage as in a Fae, Elf, or Shifter? That shit? Yeah no, I¡¯m not that drunk.¡± ¡°Look here, midget¡­¡± ¡°Oh look, he found his tongue,¡± I start going on the defensive, to kill the conversation that was getting weirder by the minute, ¡°I was wondering if you were just here for the intimidation, it¡¯s not working by the way.¡± ¡°You are in danger, if we found you, you bet your ass others are going to and we can¡¯t promise they will be nice,¡± he threatens. ¡°Well, that is nice and all, but you see those ¡®others¡¯, they beat you here and their pitch was way better. I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t see them, some mages you are. So once again, no thank you.¡± ¡°So why didn¡¯t you go with them?¡± BH asks. ¡°I need Ryder¡¯s stuff to survive, I don¡¯t do well under authority and they were light mages.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Andy asks. ¡°I found out that most of the time the people who claim to and play nice are the meanest mother truckers on the planet and more often than not also have a God complex, besides they were too pretty and bright.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with pretty?¡± BH asks. ¡°Nothing I like pretty but with a side of broody and rugged,¡± I answer, smirking at him. ¡°I like her,¡± Andy declares. She really looked like Andy from The Old Guard. ¡°What¡¯s your name? I can¡¯t keep calling you Andy in my head.¡± ¡°I liked that movie,¡± she says, smirking. BH scoffs, making me turn to him in surprise., ¡°Am I missing something here?¡± ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Morrigan, but you can call me Mor.¡± ¡°Hold up, was the movie by any chance about you?¡± ¡°Yes, though they missed quite a few details.¡± ¡°But wait, isn¡¯t Morrigan Irish or something like that, Andromache gave a more Grecian or Roman vibe.¡± ¡°Staying in one place for long among humans is quite a task for immortals, so I tend to move around often. Different cultures give different names. I¡¯ve forgotten some of them.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your original name?¡± ¡°The Morrigan.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re the crow lady.¡± ¡°For someone who¡¯s sceptical about immortals and magic, you seem to know a lot.¡± ¡°I like fantasy and paranormal books, fae ones, especially RH romance.¡± ¡°Well, you could be her new best friend,¡± BH comments. ¡°OK,¡± I say, finishing up my drink, ¡°This has been fun but I¡¯ve got to jet.¡± And with that, I haul ass with one last wave to Ryder, who blows me a kiss. 2. MAGIC OR NO MAGIC. ¡°You can¡¯t stop me I¡¯m Beyonc¨¦!¡± I sing, getting into my house only to let out a screech to rival a harpy¡¯s. ¡°Jesus Mama! You scared the shit out of me, quite literally I might add.¡± ¡°Gross Mahi,¡± Mama replies, folding her arms in a posture that I¡¯ve grown to know means I¡¯m getting an epic lecture. ¡°What is it?¡± I ask with a sigh which earns me a pointed glare. ¡°You went to Ryder¡¯s again after work, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°And you left my sweet grandbaby alone, I had to drag myself all the way here to stay with him.¡± ¡°Sheesh Mama we live in the same estate, quit being dramatic, and Blue wasn¡¯t alone, I¡¯ve just met Cherry peeling out of here like demons were on her ass, what did you say to her?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Yeah right. Cherry was my babysitter and for some reason, Mama loathed her from day one. ¡°Mama!¡± my baby boy calls flapping his tiny blue-black wings towards me. ¡°Oh, look at you, you get better every day.¡± I gloat like any mother would. ¡°Nana¡¯s been teaching me.¡± ¡°Mama, I hope you broke nothing else with those damn wings of yours.¡± Yeah, I know what you are probably thinking.
*************** See, I¡¯m adopted¡­ kind of. My Mama is like a succubus, yes, the sex demon, but she¡¯s not a demon, she¡¯ll probably smite my ass for the description but it¡¯s the best I can come up with buzzed, sue me. Also, she¡¯s the best person in the world. To the people she likes that is, my dad is a dragon alpha who moonlights as an executive in an entertainment company, which he also owns. Before they came along, life was pretty hard; sleeping in parks, meals at the mercy of restaurant and caf¨¦ owners or their workers and some were pretty mean. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. As a girl, I was used to having my food snatched from me. But one time they weren¡¯t just satisfied with the food. All I remember before I blacked out was gleaming eyes crowding me in and a distinct smell of sea and forests. When I woke up, the next day, I felt fine, tired but fine. It wasn¡¯t until a month later that I realized that a lot more had happened than I had previously thought. Fast forward eight months later, Knox ¡®Blue¡¯ Dracon was born. That was the single most terrifying moment of my existence, but the moment I laid eyes on the snivelling blue-haired boy I fell in love, everyone did. Papa had some tests run once it was clear Blue was no normal baby, I mean the thing came out with blue hair. One distinct thing that came back was that he had nautical DNA somewhere, which would explain the colouring. They talked me into therapy for the trauma but the funny thing is, my issues didn¡¯t stem from that incident since I couldn¡¯t remember anything. Long story short, I knew what those mages were talking about, the only issue was¡­I wasn¡¯t the magical one, Blue was. Maybe Blue had left some traces in me. ¡°I don¡¯t like that girl;¡± Mama¡¯s voice jolts me back to the present. I know that. ¡°What did she do now? Do you know how hard it is to find a good babysitter these days?¡± ¡°I found Knox hiding because she wanted to take a picture of him, and she called him a freak.¡± She will die. ¡°But you glamoured him.¡± ¡°Yes, but the little hellion snatched something off the shelf with his tail, so she noticed.¡± ¡°Am I a freak mama?¡± Blue asks with a sad face, which just breaks my heart. Boy do you even know what a freak is? ¡°No baby, you are perfect and beautiful and loved.¡± ¡°And handsome?¡± ¡°Very handsome.¡± ¡°Like Jin?¡± ¡°Yeah, baby!¡± I yell clapping my hands, ¡°You are worldwide handsome.¡± ¡°Oh fates,¡± my mama mutters, letting herself out. ¡°Nana, my blessings and kisses.¡± ¡°Come here, boy,¡± he waddles over and she picks him up, planting kisses all over his face as she draws the family insignia around him with magic as a blessing. The image lights up my world, two of my favourite people smiling and laughing, despite all we¡¯d been through. She hands him over with one last peck and leaves. I turn to my boy, ¡°OK baby, what¡¯s for supper?¡± ¡°Fish!¡± ¡°Again? I swear, sometimes you prove our speculations about you being part nautical. I¡¯m tired of eating your brethren,¡± I mutter, hiking him up, he was getting heavy. Blue, at almost three years old, despite being a tiny thing, had the intellect and understanding of a six or seven-year-old human child in all the other ways so he could eat pretty much everything and hold terrifyingly intelligent conversations. They were entertaining sometimes, and I didn¡¯t have a lot of dietary restrictions due to his age; Thank the fates for small blessings. ¡°How about I make some pasta, beef, and veggies for the growing boy?¡± ¡°Nana says you have to eat veggies, too.¡± I scrunch my face ¡°But I¡¯m grown.¡± ¡°She said to tell you not really,¡± he answers with a serious face. ¡°OK fine, let me grab a shower quick, hmm?¡± I ask already lowering him onto the sofa. He nods and I¡¯m off before he changes his mind and decides to join me. The boy loved getting wet. 3. ZOOMIES. I walked back downstairs to find my baby having the zoomies¡­ winged edition. ¡°Blue, if you wreck Mama¡¯s house, no fish for a month,¡± I threaten before realizing what had him so excited. ¡°Baby, come give me some love,¡± I say, quickly scooping him up when he gets to me and turning to the two intruders leaning on my kitchen counter with confused expressions on their faces as they stare at the koala wrapped around me tightly. ¡°Looks like we have to order in, Blue, what would you like to eat?¡± I ask as I continue glaring at Mor and BH. ¡°Pizza?¡± ¡°What kind?¡± ¡°Meaty, and a veggie smoothie so that Nana doesn¡¯t scold us.¡± So that¡¯s a BBQ chicken and beef pizza. Ah! My baby was simply divine. I make the order quickly as they continue to stare at Blue, who gets shy and moves for a piggyback ride. ¡°OK, Knox, spill it. Why didn¡¯t you alert me when they came in? I told you remember, stranger danger.¡± I ask my little boy eyes fixed on the two intruders. ¡°They smell nice, and he smells like Pops.¡± This is what Blue calls my dad, Raphael Dracon. ¡°Really?¡± I ask, evaluating BH with fresh eyes. Maybe he was a dragon shifter too. I move from the kitchen to the couch and settle in, still snuggling Blue, then turn to the intruders. ¡°OK, before I lose my shit, would someone explain why you are here?¡± ¡°We followed you since you didn¡¯t seem to grasp the enormity of the situation you are in,¡± Mor supplies. ¡°What I would like to know is how the hell you have a magical baby since you pleaded ignorant of anything concerning magic earlier,¡± BH adds. OK, that was a valid question but his delivery needed some work, I didn¡¯t like his attitude, and they definitely weren¡¯t entitled to any answers. ¡°First of that is none of your business and two, you are the ones who haven¡¯t grasped the enormity of what exactly you¡¯ve done.¡± Before I finish the sentence, light flares in the middle of the room revealing the most beautiful woman I¡¯d seen to date, also known as Nona Ellie. ¡°Great Nona, you charred my carpet again.¡± ¡°Nona Ellie!¡± Blue yells clapping his hands. Nona Ellie snatches him up after relaxing her fighting stance. Guess we were good. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were here, Nona.¡± ¡°I was supposed to meet up with your mother for dinner when we felt the foreign signatures in here.¡± The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Nona Ellie was Blue¡¯s godmother, mine as well and Mama¡¯s best friend. She was also Mama¡¯s sister in all but blood. They met when they were still young girls, whatever age that is supposed to be for immortals. Nona Ellie was fae, which prompts me to look at Mor. They must know each other. Meanwhile, BH looks like he swallowed something nasty. ¡°My lady,¡± he says reverently with a deep bow, face flushed. Man, flustered, was a good look on him. Wait, what! ¡°Your lady?¡± I ask out loud. ¡°Killian,¡± Nona acknowledges with a nod, ¡°Morrigan, I didn¡¯t know you were back. Great to see you.¡± Killian huh? ¡°Girl, you are full of surprises.¡± This comes from Morrigan, who looks thoroughly entertain, as i struggle to unglue my eyes from a still bowing Killian; the name was too sexy for the brood. ¡°Go let your mother in, babe.¡± Nona Ellie says to me. I head to the door mind reeling, opening it to reveal Mama leaden with take-out. ¡°Did you snatch all the food the poor guy was carrying?¡± I ask not even surprised. ¡°No, I also paid for it.¡± ¡°Mama, those were people¡¯s orders.¡± You bully! ¡°They will wait.¡± ¡°Is your father here yet?¡± She asks, laying everything on the counter, not in the least surprised by the people she found there. ¡°Mor, Killian, child, please have a seat and forgive her manners. She¡¯s a bit prickly.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t say,¡± Mor mutters. ¡°OK, how in fates did you lot find my daughter?¡± Nona asks. ¡°We tracked her to the bar, then followed her here.¡± Mor answers since BH seemed to have been struck dumb. ¡°What is going on?¡± I ask. They all exchange glances. ¡°Mama, is there something I should know?¡± I turn to ask her when I get no answers to my prior question. ¡°Go on, Selene, it¡¯s about time she knew,¡± Nona says. My anxiety is off the charts and I gesture for Blue to come to me. He was my anchor, after all. ¡°Let¡¯s wait for Raphael, he¡¯s almost here,¡± Mama answer wringing her hands. Was she nervous? That would be a first. The mood suddenly changes and Blue feels it and scrambles from my lap, rushing off to God knows where. I guess you can¡¯t really be content sitting on laps that just couldn¡¯t stop shaking. ¡°Do you guys hear that?¡± Mor¡¯s voice pulls me from my musings. ¡°No, what?¡± Then I hear it, ¡°Ah jeez,¡± I say, running towards the basement, which I had converted into a dance studio. ¡°Blue, baby, now is not the time,¡± I say heading for the music system which was blasting Wave by ATEEZ, to turn it off. ¡°But you are sad, Mama, and when you¡¯re sad you dance.¡± ¡°I know baby, but I can¡¯t today.¡± He pouts, totally taking advantage of his cuteness. ¡°Don¡¯t make that face, boy, we really can¡¯t sweetheart.¡± Blue rushes off to change the song on the tab usually attached, and I burst out laughing. ¡°You know my weakness, baby, but no.¡± He ignores me and starts jamming to the first beats of Mic Drop by BTS, nailing J-Hope¡¯s footwork to a T. I taught him well. He alternates between tagging on my leg and flying/hopping around me until I finally give in. ¡°OK, OK, go start it again.¡± Once the song starts again, I take a deep breath and let go. Maybe I needed this. Yeah, after the day I¡¯d had, I totally needed this. Did you see my bag? Did you see my bag? ¡°No cursing, baby,¡± I jump in laughing when his face scrunches up. Whatchu think about that, Bet it got my haters¡­ ¡°Blue!¡± ¡°Mama, you are ruining it,¡± he grumbles. At this point, we are just jumping around yelling, oblivious to everything, until the music is suddenly cut off. ¡°Hey! Rude!¡± We both shout simultaneously then bump fists. ¡°Sometimes I wonder which of you is the parent.¡± This comes from Mama making me turn only to realize we had an audience. ¡°How long have you guys been standing there?¡± I ask, not embarrassed in the least. ¡°Long enough to confirm you are whipped for that boy,¡± answers Nona. ¡°Just so you know I am an amazing mum, right baby?¡± I turn to Blue, who is still pouting. I pointedly avoid Mor and BH addressing the menacing man leaning at the door. ¡°Papa, hi?¡± ¡°Hey baby girl, don¡¯t let these people rain on you. It makes me happy to see you two like this.¡± Blue suddenly disappears from my side and reappears on Papa¡¯s shoulders. Well then, that was new. We all stare at him in shock. ¡°I won¡¯t even bother trying to figure out what he is now,¡± Papa says, turning to head back to the living area. Honestly, Papa, I gave up after the wings sprung on his back, I muse trudging along. 4. REVELATIONS. We all settle down, Blue snatching up his food before relocating to my lap. I envied how calm he was. I was too jittery to eat. ¡°OK now, can anyone tell me what¡¯s going on, please?¡± I ask impatiently. ¡°What do you remember before we found you outside the company building?¡± Papa asks. It¡¯s funny to think how fast my body slows and shuts down. I¡¯m taken back to the time before I found The Dracons and I can¡¯t take it. ¡°Deep breaths honey,¡± Mama says, patting me while Nona takes Blue from my lap. ¡°You are okay, breathe.¡± Mama coaxes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for bringing this up, but we have to, and Mel told me you were doing better,¡± Papa says looking tortured. ¡°I¡¯m cold, it¡¯s always dark, I¡¯m always running and hungry. What has it got to do with anything?¡± I answer his question in a husky voice, trying to calm down. ¡°We tried tracing your roots but everything comes back nil, in other words, there¡¯s no proof of your existence before you came to us.¡± Papa continues. ¡°I can understand that, I was a nobody.¡± ¡°But there should have been a trace, at least where you came from or your parents.¡± ¡°What led you to Draco Entertainment Mahina?¡± this comes from Nona. ¡°For as long as I can remember, I loved the arts. Music, dancing and everything else creative. I used to watch street dancers and listen to music played in the parks and just feel safe and at peace.¡± ¡°One time some dancers i had been watching for sometime, were really excited about auditioning at a certain company and curiosity got the best of me. I was also rooting for a guy I had a crush on in the group so i followed them and they led me there.¡± ¡°I wandered around the building then climbed the oak at the back and from there I realized I could see the dance studio. It became my hangout spot until the day you spotted me.¡± ¡°You gave me a heart attack that day, baby girl. How in fates did you get up there?¡± Papa asks, shaking his head. ¡°I learned how to climb things in order to hide, but getting there towing a beach ball inside me was no easy feat.¡± ¡°After we took you in, it wasn¡¯t long before Blue was born and after seeing him, we did more research on you.¡± I wondered why Papa was speaking vaguely until I realized that Mor and BH were still present and quite taken with the story. ¡°So, we did some research with your DNA samples but the results were¡­unique, so we asked for help from Faery, and Eliane came,¡± Papa concludes gesturing to Nona Ellie, who takes up the mantle. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°When I came here, I was quite curious as t why they had asked for help and so earnestly too, but once I met you I understood it.¡± ¡°It took a while for you to let me in and trust me but it took me even longer to find out what you were because you were clearly not normal or human. I went back to Faery for more research.¡± I remember the time Nona Ellie disappeared, and I was quite hurt that she left without a word. ¡°When I came back you had shut me out again, but I worked hard to regain your trust and those TV Dramas you love so much helped as well. I¡¯m now proudly obsessed too. It became a bonding factor for us and for that I was happy.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t until after your twentieth birthday that I noticed what you were peeking through your skin. I was visiting the company and I came to find you. You were dancing alone in the studio. I decided to not interrupt and just watch. When you did a twirl then a jump, I was appropriately impressed, but then you hovered in the air for about fifteen seconds before landing quite gracefully. That¡¯s when our speculations appeared more grounded. ¡°The second time, I found you singing to Blue and I felt the weight of it in the air. Another time you were out back gardening and the plants you touched shoot rapidly after you left.¡± ¡°Then just a moment ago I asked you to go let your mother in and you did, but I didn¡¯t say it verbally. I spoke mentally and you heard though I had to push through your barriers.¡± I stare at her dumbfounded, ¡°Are you for real? Maybe it¡¯s left-over Blue magic. There¡¯s no way I am magical and look like this or be dumb enough not to realize it,¡± I continue. ¡°Most magical species appear normal until they come of age, which is usually during their twenty-first birthday,¡± Nona Ellie answers. ¡°You mean I have another stage of growth? I just barely made it through adolescence! I cannot believe this.¡± ¡°We concluded you must be magical, maybe hybrid or tribrid, which is rare, but you were definitely not human,¡± She continues ignoring my dramatic outburst. ¡°Why can¡¯t I speak to you guys telepathically,¡± I ask, turning to my parents. ¡°We also realized that might all be you. Eliane had to push really hard through your barriers and she¡¯s powerful; because you wouldn¡¯t let her or us in.¡± Papa explains. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Making a tel-bond is the last and binding stage of relationships, familial, romantic, or just plain old friendship,¡± Mor explains. ¡°You may have accepted us and let us take care of you,¡± Mama starts. ¡°But some part of you doesn¡¯t trust us and hasn¡¯t let us in completely, which is why the bond hasn¡¯t clicked,¡± she finishes. ¡°We even blackmailed you into addressing us the way you do,¡± Papa adds with a laugh. I close my eyes and search inside my head but nothing jumps out at me. Taking a deep breath I relax trying to look for the so-called barriers when I feel a tag that¡¯s a bit faint. Following it, I suddenly feel happy and excited and a tad bit sleepy, the smell of jasmine overwhelms me, it smells like¡­, ¡°Blue?¡± I ask out loud. Blue, who has been silent till now, squeals and claps his hands. ¡°I can feel him,¡± I say, turning to Papa, ¡°I ca¡­,¡± I tug again and he tugs back. Come here baby, I send telepathically, and he does, colour me shocked. ¡°You must have bonded with him from the moment he was born till now, which is normally what happens, but you didn¡¯t know it.¡± I close my eyes again to try and look for the rest. This time they¡¯re a lot easier to find now that i know what to look for. I tug at the tethers and hear gasps from around me. Opening my eyes, I find Mama teary-eyed with Papa and Nona Ellie looking at me proudly. ¡°Wow, I really I¡¯m magical. Now I can really be your daughter,¡± I say with a slight tremor. My mama¡¯s face crumples and she rushes in for a hug. ¡°Oh no dear, you were already ours the moment you cursed out Raphe for almost scaring the baby out of you, Your words, not mine.¡± That brings laughter all around. ¡°Yeah, yeah, laugh it up folks, you do not know how scary it was.¡± Papa had appeared right in front of my face in all his winged glory and I almost fell off the gigantic oak trying to get away from him. Blue yawns jolting me back to the present and I look down at him, realizing how late it was. ¡°I have to tuck him in, it¡¯s really late, I also don¡¯t think I can take any more today, so please excuse me,¡± I say, heading upstairs, my head buzzing. 5. COLD CURSES. I lay Blue down on his bed, but he refuses to let go. ¡°You wanna sleep with Mama today?¡± He clutches tighter and I¡¯m quite grateful, I didn¡¯t want to sleep alone either. ¡°OK baby, whose turn is it today?¡± I ask, pointing at the plushies scattered around his bed. ¡°RJ for me and Tata for Mama,¡± he answers sleepily. ¡°OK.¡± I grab them and move over to my bed. Laying him down, I curl up next to him clutching my plushie and then I¡¯m out like a light.
******* ¡°Whatever she is, she must be something important. That¡¯s why they all want her.¡± ¡°Who else wants her?¡± asks Mama. ¡°The light mages cornered her today before we got to her,¡± Mor continues. ¡°Why was she at the bar today,¡± my Papa muses, ¡°She only goes there after a session with Melinda or after a routine goes awry.¡± I had been heading to the kitchen for a glass of water, but I had stopped once I heard voices. ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter, she is not safe here. You guys could protect her from the Supe community here before because her power was buried, and she appeared human,¡± Nona says. ¡°Yeah, but that is going to change. She¡¯s going to blow up, I can feel it,¡± this comes from BH. ¡°Killian has a talent, he can detect magic or magical residues that¡¯s why he works in recruiting,¡± explains Nona Ellie. How does she know them so well, do they work together is she also a recruiter? Maybe their boss? At this point, I just walk in because I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯d sense me either way. ¡°Good morning child?¡± ¡°Morning Nona, what time is it? And why are you guys still here.¡± This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°It¡¯s a little past three o¡¯clock. We stayed here to chat and since it was already late it seemed pointless to move to the main house.¡± ¡°Where did you get that mark?¡± Mor asks staring at my thighs which were peeking through the oversized tee I had woken up sometime in the night to change into. I move behind the couch, suddenly self-conscious. ¡°What mark, my birthmark?¡± ¡°That one, come here child, how have I never seen it before?¡± says Nona Ellie waving me towards where she¡¯s perched. ¡°Because she dresses like it¡¯s winter all the time,¡± grumbles Mama. ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m always cold,¡± I counter, fighting a shiver as I move closer. Nona Ellie and Mor examine the mark I had always thought was a birthmark. It sort of looked like a moon; a crescent with three feathers around it, which were pretty, but then a jagged line crossed through them. ¡°Come here, Killian,¡± Nona calls. He moves over and examines me, cursing after a while. ¡°This might really be a birthmark signifying your lineage, but there is a repellent spell in it, supposed to make your body uncomfortable when you are near supes.¡± Uh, what the what now? ¡°You said you were always cold while living in the streets, and that¡¯s the one thing you couldn¡¯t stand before, so the magic used that as the punishment when you got close to supes.¡± ¡°That is why you are always cold,¡± Nona concludes. ¡°Oh dear !¡±, Mama says, moving to hug me only to halt, looking guilty, ¡°We¡¯ve been hurting you for so long.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not all.¡± ¡°Please, no, I haven¡¯t even eaten yet, I didn¡¯t even have supper, Have mercy Killer.¡± He glares at me at the name. ¡°Say it, Killian,¡± my Papa demands. ¡°Whoever put that mark on you never wanted you to be near supes, but it was also used to camouflage something.¡± ¡°I detect a binding spell underneath it too. That¡¯s what must be keeping your abilities at bay.¡± ¡°Well, can you get rid of it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s ancient magic, really ancient magic,¡± Killian answers looking at Nona who looked pale, which was a feat since her skin was milky white. ¡°We can¡¯t break it here, we need to do it in Faery for it to at least work,¡± she hurriedly concludes. ¡°That¡¯s not all.¡± the Grinch adds. ¡°Fates, boy, are you my damn grim reaper?¡± I grouch. ¡°They designed the binding in a way that killed you slowly and, if tempered with, you die with it,¡± he continues ignoring me. ¡°What do you mean, slowly?¡± Papa asks menacingly. ¡°It has been tampering with her physically, mentally, and emotionally till it kills her or she gives up and does it herself,¡± Killian says finally looking at me. ¡°But something has been helping you, you should have been dead before you hit eighteen. There¡¯s a blue aura added to yours that has been nurturing yours, now that I think of it, that aura is your son¡¯s.¡± The man goes on like he¡¯s not reading out my sentence while I stare at him incredulously. Mama is now in Papa¡¯s arms breaking down. Meanwhile, I¡¯m just wondering what I did to go through all this. Must have pissed off quite a number of people in my past lives. Ignoring everyone, I head to the kitchen in a daze and start making breakfast. I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s just muscle memory, because my mind was nowhere close to the kitchen. I feel someone move behind me and I¡¯m certain it¡¯s Mor. I was getting good at this Supe thing. ¡°You need help? I make some pretty mean pancakes.¡± ¡°Uhm, sure.¡± Moving over, I grab an apple and start munching. Once I¡¯m done, I turn for the stairs but I don¡¯t make it a couple of steps before darkness envelopes me. All I think before it¡¯s completely dark is that at least it¡¯s quiet. 6. I CHOOSE DEATH. ¡°Mama, please wake up,¡± a tentative voice pulls me from oblivion. ¡°Mama,¡± the voice sounds again. It¡¯s sad. A hiccup sounds and I realize the person had been crying. What has them so sad? I muse, trying to open my eyes. ¡°Why is she not waking up?¡± Mama asks sounding harried. I¡¯m trying! ¡°Her system deems what is happening around her harmful and subconsciously tries to prevent further damage.¡± That sounded like Killian. Wait my system? ¡°Mama, wake up,¡± ¡­Blue? What was happening and why did I feel so warm and toasty? ¡°Blue?¡± I start, calling out, but my tongue doesn¡¯t cooperate. I try projecting comfort via our tel-bond so that he could stop crying. I¡¯m wondering if it¡¯s working when I feel a tug in my head. Sensing him on the other end, I tug back, making him go silent and in the next minute I¡¯m enveloped by a tiny bundle of warmth. ¡°Mama!¡± ¡°She¡¯s up? Baby girl open your eyes!¡± Papa barks at me, typical of him to issue the command. I use all my mustered energy to pry open my eyelids and look around the room; my room. Everyone was surrounding me. ¡°Why are you all here? How did I end up here? I was in the kitchen¡­¡± ¡°You shut down baby, like completely no heartbeat or brain waves,¡± Mama says, fighting tears. ¡°I thought we had killed you,¡± this comes from Nona. ¡°Nah, I¡¯m a tough cookie,¡± I answer trying to sit up despite the protests from Blue. ¡°That you are,¡± mumbles Killian, the Broody Hottie as he moves to help me up. Once I¡¯m comfortable, I regard all the sombre faces around me. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Alright, hit me with it, what is wrong with me now?¡± ¡°You have to leave so that they can get that awful thing off you,¡± says Mama searching my face. ¡°But it wouldn¡¯t that kill me?¡± I ask confused. ¡°Not if we don¡¯t touch the bind, we¡¯ll get rid of the repellent spell first, then try to find out how to break the bind. We have approximately one month till your 21st so we have to work fast,¡± Nona explains moving to clasp my hands. ¡°We have to try.¡± Papa pleads, not his usual approach. ¡°Where are we going?¡± I ask. ¡°To Faery,¡± answers Nona Ellie. ¡°Where you guys wanted to take me, I presume?¡± I ask turning to Mor and Killian. ¡°Yes. We only want to help you,¡± Mor adds on after seeing my face. ¡°I can¡¯t believe this,¡± I mutter slumping. ¡°We will have you excused from work,¡± Mama says. ¡°Don¡¯t bother Mama, they kicked me out today, something about my fellow dancers not feeling comfortable working with a mentally unstable person ¡ª human more like, that is why I was at the bar,¡± I answer bitterly. ¡°Why would they do that, everything they are doing for that album for Breath is your work, hell most of the routines on it are yours?¡± Mama says all fired up. ¡°How did they know all that?¡± Raphael asks. ¡°From the horse¡¯s mouth, Papa, they had my health records, I told you Melinda was a bitch¡ª sorry Mama¡ª and that I refuse to work with her, but you guys didn¡¯t take me seriously.¡± ¡°We just thought it was because you were so against therapy,¡± Papa says looking apologetic. ¡°Her niece Angeline was up for the leading spot against me, and you can guess the rest.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Ian,¡± he insists. Ian was our lead choreographer at the company as well as the dance director, he was also a supreme pain in my rear. ¡°No need, that will just make things worse. They still don¡¯t know that you are my parents and I prefer it that way, besides, I¡¯m leaving, aren¡¯t I?¡± ¡°If we leave in the evening, we will be at the academy before everyone wakes up.¡± BH pipes up, eager to escape this place I¡¯d bet. ¡°Wait a minute, hold up, Academy? You are taking me to high school? Hell no, I choose death.¡± ¡°No drama queen, Thorne Academy is a college, once mage kids come of age, they attend Thorne, before that, there are other institutions, though most prefer home-schooling,¡± Nona says rolling her eyes, I taught her that. ¡°It is also a very prestigious school,¡± Killian adds still looking chagrined at my outburst. ¡°Great, I¡¯m going to be surrounded by a bunch of stuck-up rich kids, right?¡± ¡°You are a rich kid,¡± Killian mumbles but i ignore him. ¡°Most probably,¡± answers Mor also ignoring him. I liked her even more now¡­¡°Wait, what about Blue? I am not leaving my baby¡± Mama opens her mouth, most likely to object. ¡°No Mama, that¡¯s my condition. I¡¯m not leaving Knox behind, and if we have to put on uniforms you aren¡¯t putting me in a damn skirt.¡± I add as an afterthought. ¡°You¡¯d better tell them that,¡± I say, turning to BH ¡­Yes, he was back to the name. ¡°Oh look at you back to normal,¡± says Nona Ellie. ¡°We¡¯ll see what we can do, as for Blue, we had a feeling you¡¯d say that even if we wanted to separate you we couldn¡¯t do it without hurting either of you since we don¡¯t know the impact it would have on you without his aura keeping you alive,¡± Papa says sounding a bit sad. ¡°We will leave you to it then, just bring personal stuff, clothes and toiletries will be provided,¡± Nona Ellie says. ¡°How do you know so much about this place and its people Nona?¡± ¡°Guess we will find out,¡± she adds with a kiss on my forehead and a wink as she glides out. Mor gives a tiny wave and follows while BH just scowls at me and prowls out. 7. SAD GOODBYES. Hours later, I¡¯m done packing but I still can¡¯t wrap my head around everything. ¡°Are you excited?¡± Mama asks when she catches me spacing out again. ¡°More like nervous, but also excited, I mean, I¡¯m going to college!¡± ¡°Did you get everything?¡± ¡°They said no clothes, so I just packed my Kindle, a tab for my music, my portable sound system, all my shoes, and underwear.¡± ¡°Oh, and the plushies for me and Blue, plus a couple of his favourite books.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s everything?¡± Mama asks again. ¡°Yeah, if I need anything I can ask for it, we can communicate, right? Oh my God, please tell me they have the internet and cell phone coverage.¡± ¡°Relax Mahi, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be pleasantly surprised, it¡¯s not all medieval,¡± Mama says with a laugh. ¡°Have you ever been there?¡± ¡°Yeah, we all went there, that¡¯s where I met Raphael.¡± ¡°And Nona Ellie?¡± ¡°No, we met earlier than that.¡± ¡°How was it? Were you discriminated, you told me most people aren¡¯t kind to your kind.¡± ¡°Well, it was pretty cool and fun too, like a normal school, but that was years ago so I¡¯m sure a lot more has changed. No one messed with me though not only is my magic volatile, I also had an angry alpha dragon shifter at my beck and call,¡± she adds with a laugh. ¡°No angry dragons for me, and i can¡¯t throw a punch to save my life, i answer dejectedly.¡± Mama just laughs at my comment moving to hug me, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure everything will be fine, and maybe you¡¯ll get your own dragon,¡±she says with a sly look. Stolen novel; please report. ¡°One thing though, don¡¯t be outright hostile, it would be nice to make some friends, but don¡¯t trust too easily either.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a given, you don¡¯t need to tell me that.¡± ¡°Yeah I know, but some of those people are on another level of mean, they thrive on the suffering of others, taught to trick and manipulate everything for their benefit,¡± she explains trying to smooth back my hair, though her efforts were completely futile. ¡°Wow Mama! I can¡¯t wait to get there! It sounds like a magical place,¡± I counter earning a pinch for my sarcasm. ¡°Are they racist too?¡± I ask looking up at her from her hold. Though I say it in jest, that fact really worries me. My dark brown skin had been a major setback for me before, my uniquely coloured hair didn¡¯t help matters either. I was always labelled a freak. Maybe it was because I couldn¡¯t tame my hair no matter what and I either looked like i had role played a lightning rod or like I had wrestled a shoal of piranhas. ¡°Some of them will be though I suspect any discrimination you would receive will be because of your humanity, and I mean that in every sense of the word,¡± Mama answers letting me go and heading to the door. She opens it to reveal Mor, I hadn¡¯t even heard the doorbell ring. Some perks I could really use. ¡°So, are we ready to go?¡± Mor asks heading in. ¡°Yeah, well as ready as I can be anyway,¡± I reply, picking up Blue who was lounging on the couch with Papa. He had been hyper all day, finally cooling down when he took him. ¡°Where is Eliane?¡± Mama asks. ¡°She went ahead to get everything ready, and Killian is waiting for us outside.¡± ¡°Is this all?¡± Mor asks indicating my luggage set, a gift from my parents from my previous birthday. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it, you said not to carry much,¡± I answer fighting to keep a firm hold on Blue who was now going up and down my body like I was some jungle gym equipment. She picks them up and carries them outside while I say goodbye to my parents. After they hug Blue too, we head outside and I bundle him into the car seat, which is quite a task because of his wings. ¡°Retract your wings, child,¡± Mama instructs, moving to help. He obeys, though half-heartedly, and we finally get him comfortable and secure. ¡°I know you¡¯ll make us proud baby, and we¡¯ll visit so often you¡¯ll be tired of us,¡± Mama says fighting tears while cradling my face. Papa is next to her nodding looking equally teary, which was a sight since the man was the very definition of intimidating. I nod a final goodbye and turn to the car before I lose it too. With one last look at the place that had been my first and only home, we are off. ¡°How come we are taking a car, I thought you would open a portal or something,¡± I ask once we hit the highway. ¡°We would have, but we don¡¯t want to alert the other guys looking for you, any sort of magic would be detected.¡± Mor answers. ¡°So, where are we going?¡± ¡°To the airport.¡± Mor answers. ¡°We are flying?¡± I ask excitedly. ¡°No, we will create the portal once we are there, that will throw them off for a while,¡± she explains. I guess BH had exhausted his words for the day. 8. MOTHER O FAERY. Sometime later, Killian makes a turn and the movement jolts me from my nap. ¡°How far was this airport?¡± I ask groggily. ¡°Wow! You must have been really exhausted!¡± Mor exclaims leaning over her seat.We are already in Faery. You didn¡¯t even stir while I moved you,¡± she adds before settling back into her seat. ¡°Sleeping is my superpower and I have perfected it,¡± I reply looking outside only to realize that it was almost dawn. Wide awake now, I take in my surroundings, not that there was much at first, just trees¡ª lots of trees¡ª gigantic ones. ¡°Hold up, you guys even have paved roads? And street lights?¡± ¡°And a lot more than that,¡± Killian says speaking for the first time since we left home. There is pride in his voice. I also notice he¡¯s also a lot less tense. Mor is humming happily in her seat. Their energy is infectious and I bounce around in my seat finally excited about the whole move, maybe it wouldn¡¯t be so bad. We crest a hill and I¡¯m stunned by the view before me. ¡°Wow.¡± ¡°Beautiful, isn¡¯t it?¡± the new and improved BH asks. ¡°No, you guys are beautiful, this¡­this is breathtaking, it¡¯s like the Meet the Robinsons universe had a baby with the Wakanda universe plus a lot more trees.¡± Even Blue is up and taking notice, the twinkling lights from the slowly waking up city only add to the appeal, making it even more ethereal. ¡°We were stuck in the medieval times for a time but with new leadership, we progressed, surpassing human technology and development while still maintaining our culture and nature,¡± Killian explains. That¡¯s more words than I¡¯ve ever heard from him, he must really like the place. Not that i could blame him, busy as I was gawking at the sprawling city. I could see how well modern and medieval blended and it was a sight to behold. ¡°Woah! Please tell me that¡¯s the school,¡± I say pointing at an enormous castle on top of a hill. The rising sun cast its rays on the turquoise stone, making it glimmer with an amber glow. ¡°No,¡± Mor says with a laugh. no doubt at my enthusiasm, ¡°That¡¯s the royal residence, the school is behind the hill, you¡¯ll see.¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. I stared at the castle some more, then we turned and I noticed that the hill it was on was floating. ¡°What in the voodoo shit is that?¡± ¡°Believe it or not, that¡¯s just nature, science.¡± Killian answers. ¡°That¡¯s so cool.¡± ¡°Oh, my word you should see your face,¡± Mor says with a laugh. I know I have a goofy expression but I don¡¯t care, this place rocked, though we all know what they say about beautiful things. We went around the hill, and my jaw dropped, literally. ¡°That is one monster tree if we can call it that.¡± I exclaim finally finding words to put across my astonishment. ¡°That is the Mother of Faery, she is the source of everything in here, she is the heart of this place.¡± Mor supplies. The tree stretched to the clouds, and her trunk could possibly be a few hundred feet wide, in short, she was huge. ¡°If she falls or is struck by lightning, you guys are fucked.¡± ¡°Fucked,¡± repeats Blue with a giggle, ¡°Bad word mama, you said a bad word.¡± I wince. Ignore that and it will be like it never happened Mahi. ¡°Good thing that will never happen.¡± interrupts Killian and it takes me a moment to catch up. I was so distracted by mother tree, I didn¡¯t even notice the structures in all colours of the rainbow and possibly more scattered around the tree. ¡°Why so many colours?¡± I ask from where I am, leaning on Mor¡¯s seat staring out of the wind shield. ¡°Each colour signifies a certain house or dorm then the grey buildings are the lecture halls and the administration buildings,¡± she answers. As we neared the school, Killian slows down and we finally stop in front of a glimmering barrier that had not been visible before. ¡°OK, so we have to go through the ward individually so that the school can assess you, fair warning, evil and anyone who means harm is burnt to a crisp,¡± Mor says after we step out of the car. Blue flies towards Mor and wraps himself around her neck. ¡°Nice show of trust boy, now I don¡¯t really want to go through,¡± I grumble. ¡°But you have to.¡± Mr. Sunshine sasses. ¡°Yeah, Yeah, I know¡­Shut it!¡± I grumble. Killian goes first and his black soul doesn¡¯t get fried so it must be safe enough, at least that¡¯s what I think as I follow up after him. I step through the glimmering ward a tad reluctantly but nothing would have prepared me for what happens next. One minute I was on the ground feeling victorious and the next I am hurtling through the air landing on my ass at the front steps of the administration building. ¡°What in the actual fuck! Was that supposed to happen? Like an initiation¡ª¡± I¡¯m cut off as a force pulls me from the ground and leaves me hanging in the air¡­upside down. ¡°Oh, very funny, thank the fates I despise skirts and dresses or I would be flashing the whole of Faery by now!¡± ¡°Will you calm down, you¡¯re making it worse,¡± Mor says once she catches her breath, even Killian is clutching his stomach, I didn¡¯t even know the fucker could laugh. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me to calm down, I am hanging upside down several feet from the ground!¡± The enormity of my situation hits me the moment I say it out loud. ¡°Oh! My God, I¡¯m hanging several feet in the air, Oh! please tree mother I don¡¯t wanna die like this.¡± At this point, Mor and Killian are on the ground in pieces, at least Blue looked as panicked as I felt. ¡°What is happening to me? Get me down from here you assholes!¡± I¡¯m hurtled a few more feet upwards. ¡°OK got it, no cursing out your people, never again please let me down.¡± I¡¯m lowered a few feet, ¡°Fuck yeah it¡¯s working. Thanks for nothing, idiots.¡± I realise my mistake as soon as the words leave my mouth. I let out a screech as I¡¯m yanked through the air again. 9. GLASS ROOMS. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry girl, I didn¡¯t know that would happen,¡± Mor says as we head inside with a still snickering Killian, who is now holding Blue following. I didn¡¯t know whether to be grateful I got to see the expression on his face or angry that it was at my expense. I¡¯d been mum since the dean of the school attracted by the racket outside came to help me down¡­ a stellar first impression. At least the rest of the school wasn¡¯t up yet. ¡°Yeah right, glad you had something to laugh about,¡± I finally answer Mor. I turn my attention to the school¡¯s dean, who doesn¡¯t look a day over twenty-five. Granted that they all looked like that, the number of times dudes have hit on mama when we¡¯re out was outrageous, I had gotten tired of explaining that she wasn¡¯t my sister or my hotter best friend. Tall, and ripped in a subtle way with a gorgeous face to boot, the dean was the epitome of the fae. Majestic with a powerful aura around him the man was intimidating despite what I¡¯m guessing were his efforts to appear less so, if his teasing smile was anything to go by. ¡°Mahina Dracon, I¡¯ve been looking forward to meeting you, you¡¯ve caused quite a fuss young lady.¡± Even his voice was puissant, who was this guy? ¡°Glad to be of service,¡± I reply flatly, shaking off my errant thoughts. ¡°Ellie was right,¡± he says with a smirk. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Before I could ask him what he meant, he cuts me off. ¡°So, let¡¯s cut right to the chase I have places to be. As it is the weekend, you have ample time to settle and prepare for classes that begin on Monday.¡± He hands over a weird-looking tablet, looking at me expectantly. ¡°What, is this supposed to be?¡± ¡°That is going to help you with your studies, you register for the course you are interested in, and then you get the class schedules. Morrigan will take you to get your uniform as well as your student and credit card, then we can talk more.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not putting on a skirt.¡± ¡°Girl what do you have against skirts, don¡¯t worry sire, I¡¯ll get her settled in,¡± Mor answers me whilst directing the latter statement at the dean with a reverence that cemented my suspicions about the stature of the man. ¡°Thank you, Morrigan, Killian, a word,¡± the dean answers regal as ever. Mor and I head out as Killian remains behind with Blue who is still in his arms. For the life of me I couldn¡¯t figure out why I was so comfortable with that despite never letting anyone hold my baby before, but I refused to dwell on it. Mor leads us down the hall to a glass room gesturing for me to get in. ¡°In there? You nuts? What if something else happens in there, either we both get in or no one goes in,¡± I announce leaning against the opposite wall. ¡°It won¡¯t work if we both go in Dru needs to scan you, naked I might add to get you correct measurements and all the things you require,¡± Mor explains in efforts to get me to go in. ¡°Who is Dru? Wait naked!¡± ¡°Dru is the magic that runs in this place, like the entire school, kind of like Alexa, Siri, or¡­¡± ¡°I got it.¡± ¡°Yeah, but on crack, don¡¯t piss her off, she is having a bad day.¡± And now I was curious, fuck my stupid brain. Taking a deep breath, I walk in. ¡°Mahina,¡± a disjointed voice calls out. ¡°Last time I checked.¡± ¡°Welcome to Thorne Academy, please get rid of those things you call clothes and step under the blue light for scanning.¡± Holding back a retort I do as told curious to see how this goes, I even spread my arms without being asked. So far everything had been going great, not. What more could happen? 10. DRU. ¡°Ok, got your uniforms ready. Don¡¯t worry, I scanned everything about you so I know what you want and don¡¯t want.¡± ¡°Wait, your cycle is coming up, weird.¡± ¡°Than a talking room? You don¡¯t say,¡± I sass. ¡°I like you.¡± ¡°You do that to everyone you like? I don¡¯t want to know what you do to people you despise,¡± I ask finally voicing my suspicions. ¡°What? Oh! The warm welcome, that wasn¡¯t me.¡± ¡°Sureeee, can you really give me everything, like food, junk to be precise, I need those for the coming days, oh! And drinks too.¡± ¡°Sorry little phoenix food and alcohol you¡¯ll get later, but I left you something nice in your room since I like you, OK, done!¡± A bright light flashes in the room and I feel something drop at my feet. When I can see again, I look at my feet to see a stunning leather backpack. I grab it to check what¡¯s inside only to realise I was no longer in my sweats. ¡°What the hell?¡± I ask glancing up. ¡°You like? I¡¯m so happy you¡¯ve got curves to pull off that kind outfit, you are officially my new doll.¡± Yeah, that wasn¡¯t terrifying at all. ¡°No one said anything about me wearing a bodysuit, though this does feel nice.¡± ¡°You have to put that on, it will help regulate your body temperature with you allergic to mages and all, there are more in your room with the rest of your uniform.¡± The black and grey bodysuit kind of like a superhero¡¯s getup. It covered me from neck to ankles and while it looked good, especially with the sneakers Dru had put on me, I was still self-conscious since it fit like a damn glove. ¡°Can I at least get a hoodie or a trench to go with this? I¡¯m not really comfortable with every aspect of my body outlined like that,¡± I say and even I feel the tinge of vulnerability I had tried to mask. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. It was hard to find appropriate clothes especially with my body type; if I wore fitting clothes, I was being provocative and got gawked at and cat called. But if I wore looser clothes, I looked frumpy and ugly. While I didn¡¯t want people¡¯s opinions to dictate my lifestyle, I preferred not being leered at so cover ups were necessary. ¡°You are no fun, ¡°she replies but a second later I have an oversized white hoodie on. ¡°Thank you,¡± I whisper with relief. ¡°Anytime Mahina,¡± Dru whispers back, with something akin to understanding and I almost tear up, but I fight the urge. ¡°This everything?¡± I ask indicating the bag. ¡°Yes, your student and other necessary cards, are all there you are all set.¡± ¡°Thank you, Dru, it was really nice to meet you.¡± ¡°See you around new girl, you¡¯ve got awesome taste by the way, and a banging bod.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just not right Dru,¡± I say fighting a chuckle. ¡°Who cares, I wasn¡¯t lying.¡± I walk out still smiling to find Mor who is now joined by both the dean and Killian, she gives my outfit an appraisal but says nothing, neither does the dean. Killian looks like he¡¯s about to say something, no doubt scathing so I jump in directing my question to the dean. ¡°Excuse me sir, but what is your name? I can¡¯t keep calling you the dean.¡± ¡°Ah, forgive my manners Mahina, my name is Khalil Rathe. You can call me Khalil, though I like tall mother trucker better.¡± At that, I stare at him my jaw unhinged. ¡°You can read minds? Oh my God.¡± ¡°It was irresistible, I must say your head is a wonderful place to be. My face must show my horror because he hurries to assure me, ¡°Don¡¯t worry there¡¯s training here that can help you learn how to blo¡­¡± ¡°Well, you are full of surprises little one.¡± I just smirk at him not letting it show how hard it was to hold the barrier I¡¯d just erected around my head. How did I even do that? ¡°Due to your circumstances, you won¡¯t be getting a roommate and you¡¯ll be in the black house,¡± Khalil continues. At this both Mor and Killian gape at him. ¡°What is it? What is the black house?¡± I ask excitedly. ¡°It¡¯s the VIP dorm, mostly houses the student leaders, exclusive to just those in senior classes. It also houses the professors and instructors, you hit the jackpot,¡± Mor concludes turning to scan me again, before she does the same with the Khalil. ¡°Well, Ellie threatened to hide lightning from me, so¡­¡± he answers her inaudible question. ¡°Where is she, by the way, I thought she was waiting for us to get here?¡± I ask while lunging for Blue who had moved from Killian and was doing stunts in the air threatening to give me heart attacks in the process. To everyone who complains about raising children, try raising one with wings and no sense of self-preservation, I¡¯ll wait. ¡°She will meet you later on, for now, settle in, look around the place, you need anything talk to Dru.¡± Khalil answers as he helps me steady Blue. With a boop on Blue¡¯s nose, Khalil walks off, more like glides but, semantics. 11. THE BLACK HOUSE. ¡°Well, let¡¯s go see this black place,¡± I say turning to Mor excitedly. ¡°I¡¯ve got to go, but Morrigan will take care of you,¡± Killian says walking out. ¡°Where did he send you?¡± Mor asks his back. ¡°To find him, Sire thinks he might be back,¡± Killian says stopping at the door. ¡°For real?¡± Mor exclaims. ¡°Yeah,¡± he answers sounding resigned, then he turns to me, ¡°Catch you later pipsqueak.¡± I stare after Killian, wondering who the hell they were talking about, and when he got a personality change. ¡°Did he get body snatched or something?¡± ¡°Who Killian? He¡¯s excited to be back, he hates going to the human realm,¡± Mor answers with a chuckle. I get the feeling there¡¯s more to it but before I can ask, she strides out of the building, hauling Blue with her and I have to jog to catch up since my four-foot-eleven ass couldn¡¯t keep up with her. ¡°Slow down, would you?¡± I huff, bending over with my hands on my knees. I felt like I had run a marathon. ¡°If I didn¡¯t feel your subdued magic, I would seriously doubt the fact that you are one of us, you need to get fit,¡± Mor says staring down at me from her privileged height. ¡°I am fit, I just have to run too much to keep up with your mile-long legs,¡± I answer a little offended. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°I am a dancer you know, a fantastic one,¡± I add. ¡°I meant no offence Mahina and I¡¯ve seen you dance. If you are up to it there¡¯s a dance program offered here too.¡± ¡°Really?¡± I ask genuinely astounded. ¡°I really don¡¯t have to learn about fighting and war,¡± I ask the question that¡¯s been nagging at the back of my mind. ¡°Oh, you have to, but we offer additional courses like any normal college would, we have the best art programs around too,¡± she answers. ¡°Awesome!¡± I was beginning to look forward to the classes now. We walk along a lot more slowly, thank fates, as Mor points out various buildings though I¡¯m stuck on the Colosseum. Despite its name, it really just looks like the other buildings only that it houses the art department and is by far the largest building around, excluding the administration building of course. We get to the dorms with me still oohing and aahing at the impressive architecture and Mor scans a card to let us through. ¡°Do I get one of those?¡± I ask. ¡°You already do, your student card also acts as your key and several other things so don¡¯t lose it,¡± Mor answers pointing at the backpack I got from Dru. The Black House was everything I was expecting it to be and more, the exterior was from some black stone that looked like quartz hence the name I¡¯d assume. The interior in total contrast with the outside. Full of whites and neutrals, it gave off a warm atmosphere while still pulling off the sophisticated look. ¡°This is the lobby; the hall is to your right and the lounge is to the left. There is the elevator, and next to it are the stairs if you are a fan.¡± So not a fan, but then again, I didn¡¯t like enclosed spaces either, there was no winning in this damn place. ¡°What¡¯s the difference between the hall and the lounge?¡± I ask after we check out the elevator and the stairs. ¡°Well, the hall is like an upscale bar and theatre combined. Anything applies there, from parties to ¡­well everything, the lounge, on the other hand, is a chill spot like when you want to be alone but still surrounded by other people. The internet is also off the charts in there.¡± ¡°Well, this is a pretty progressive school, are the dorms all co-ed?¡± ¡°Yeah, but only the Black House gets both the hall and the lounge, the rest get a weird combination of the two in one space¡± Mor answers with a cringe. I lived for privileged opportunities, though I doubt my social anxiety-ridden self would venture anywhere close to these two places, despite the tempting aesthetic, and of course the liquor. 12. HAUNTED HAVEN. We head to the elevator and Mor clicks on the uppermost floor, which surprises me. ¡°I¡¯m staying on the top floor?¡± ¡°Yeah, colour me surprised. There are two separate suites, and the other one has been unoccupied since they built the building.¡± ¡°Why am I living there, then? Is it haunted?¡± I joke. ¡°Maybe, the students only live from the fifth floor and below, the other three floors are non-student residents,¡± Mor answers seriously making me pause. The elevator doors finally open and Mor hands me Blue, motioning to the door on the right. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re not coming?¡± All I get is a slight head shake. ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯ll be staying, word of advice though, don¡¯t be snoopy, your neighbour, if he¡¯s really back, isn¡¯t exactly nice, though you are no ray of sunshine either. Maybe you¡¯ll get along just fine,¡± with that she presses the button to close the elevator doors. I head over to the door mulling over Mor¡¯s words, who was I shacking up with? I fish my card out of my bag which takes a little effort before I give up and put Blue down. I open the door and Blue rushes in without a preamble. The room is dark though it smelt clean, Blue is on the other side of the room pulling back the curtains and I head over to help only to have my breath taken away by the sight they were hiding. The huge tree was a lot closer than it looked from outside and I could now sport tiny houses on its many branches, there even seemed to be roads on the thing. The place was bustling with activity and colours. The sun rays hit the tree from the side creating an eerie glow that made the sight even more stunning. Turning, I survey the room more clearly. It was more spacious than I¡¯d imagine a dorm room to be; on one wall were what I assumed to be built-in closets with a huge wall-to-ceiling mirror on the side. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. On the other side was a door that led to the bathroom, thank fates I didn¡¯t have to share, that was a huge pet peeve for me. The bed itself was a king, with grey and white covers. Instead of the usual nightstands, one side was pushed against the wall while the other had a desk that extended from the bed ending as a tall shelf I think was supposed to house books. There was also a two-seater couch in the middle of the room facing the bed and an area rug around the bed and couch area. I glance at it thinking it would¡¯ve to go because there was no why I was subjecting the gorgeous white rug to the tornado that was my son. All in all, I really liked the room. The colour scheme was blue, grey and white just like my house back home and I realize this was what Dru meant when she said she¡¯d know what I wanted. ¡°Wait a minute, shouldn¡¯t there be a crib for Blue?¡± I ask out loud. ¡°The mirror also acts as a door.¡± Dru¡¯s voice comes out of nowhere, making me jump. We head to the mirror and sure enough, there¡¯s a small button on the side, I press it and the door swivels anti-clockwise revealing a bright room. Blue squeals rushing to the bed that was a lot bigger than a crib though it still had the rails. The plushies we had packed were arranged on the carpeted floor, with a lot more toys than we had come with. Leaving Blue to his devices, I head back to the main room which smelled like lavender, a fragrance I also preferred making me feel at ease immediately. My clothes are neatly arranged next to my school uniforms which I must admit are pretty cute; there was a mixture of red, white, black and plaid from pants to blazers and ties. I haul another drawer open discovering underwear and more of the clingy suits folded on the side. Next, I check out my shoes; next to my sneakers are ankle-length heeled and wedged boots, which are pretty badass, so I probably won¡¯t be complaining about having to wear heeled shoes. The source of my happiness though is the music system off to the side. I hadn¡¯t carried a lot of speakers but I guess Dru knew that because there were a couple more speakers and now every corner of the room had one. I immediately head over and hook my phone to the system clicking start on my favourite playlist. First strings of Selena Gomez¡¯s Back to You fills the room and I collapse on the bed finally at ease only to jump back up immediately when something hard pokes my back. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± I exclaim rubbing the small of my back. I feel around for the lump I felt and yank it out my jaw falling open as I see what just dug painfully into my back. The door then slams open and I turn to see, still clutching my assaulter and meet beautiful blue eyes that were twinkling with mirth. 13. SENSUAL ILLNESSES. ¡°I can come back later, I see you were busy,¡± blue eyes says from the door. ¡°Huh?¡± He points to the purple rabbit on my left hand and I¡¯m sure if it was possible my face would be fire engine red by now. ¡°It¡¯s not what it looks like.¡± I get an eyebrow raise, as he walks further in shutting the door behind him. ¡°No, really, it isn¡¯t mine.¡± ¡°Uh-huh!¡± ¡°Seriously, I found it here.¡± Yeah that doesn¡¯t sound sus at all Mahi. ¡°Relax, no judgement there, you do what you¡¯ve got to do.¡± He is now sprawled on my bed still watching me laughter dancing in those beautiful eyes. He¡¯s stretched through the entire length of the thing and I get a chance to really check him out. While he¡¯s not as tall as Khalil or Killian he still has at least an entire foot on me, as do most people to be honest. With black hair to his waist, he looks like he¡¯d star in a Xianxia drama, especially with how his long glorious hair is tied back, the man is simply a sight to behold. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°You done?¡± he asks, amused. ¡°Huh?¡± I reply dazed, earning a giggle from Blue who just came in. ¡°Hello, pretty boy, what are you doing here?¡± Blue eyes asks sitting up with interest. ¡°Me?¡± asks Blue climbing into bed next to the pretty stranger, see what I said about self-preservation? ¡°Yes, you, you¡¯re the prettiest baby I¡¯ve ever laid my eyes on.¡± ¡°You are pretty too, Mama will like you.¡± Now I sounded like a shallow bitch. ¡°Really?¡± he asks scanning me with those cyan eyes. ¡°Mama likes pretty people, like from the TV.¡± ¡°Does she now? Wait, what!¡­ Mama?¡± ¡°I practically raised him alone, so that¡¯s what he calls me.¡± That was the story we decided on, Blue was my younger brother and we were orphans so I raised him since apparently having a child outside mating was considered taboo, which is funny considering how often fae are depicted as extremely sexual beings. ¡°Right,¡± pretty eyes says. ¡°Well, I¡¯m Axel Rathe, your soon-to-be bosom friend and your official escort as per the dean¡¯s orders.¡± ¡°Rathe¡­ are you, by any chance, connected to the dean?¡± ¡°Yeah, he got horny about twenty-three years ago and voil¨¤, a beautiful man right here.¡± ¡°What¡¯s horny?¡± Blue asks. I turn to Axel with a glare, ¡°Get yourself out of that one, will you?¡± ¡°Well, little man, it¡¯s kind of an illness, one that makes people do¡­¡± He starts all serious. ¡°Should have known better than to let you speak.¡± ¡°Is there a cure?¡± Blue continues his curiosity triggered as if I hadn¡¯t interrupted. ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s a cure, your Mama is holding it.¡± At that, I remember I¡¯m still holding on to the stupid toy and I let it drop like it burned. Faint amusement lingering in the air let me know who left it in my room, stupid magical school and its stupid sense of humour. 14. POLES AND LAPS. After that, Blue basically ignores us and goes back to his toys. Axel and I talk for a while, which is a first for me. I never open up to people that fast. I express this out loud and Axel claims it¡¯s all his fault, he was just that charming. I also learn that the Ax swings both ways, something about not caring what set they come in as long as they¡¯re coming. Though he has set his eyes on a warrior with a stick up his ass who is somehow resistant to the ¡®Rathe charm¡¯ and despite everything I have tried, he refuses to tell me who it is, not that I¡¯d know anyway. ¡°Oh, shit, I forgot I have practice today,¡± he says, springing up from where he was lounging, jolting me in the process. We had both drifted to comfortable positions, and it surprised me to realise that we were almost cuddling. ¡°Practice? You don¡¯t look like an athlete, scratch that, you don¡¯t talk like an athlete.¡± ¡°What? You expect every athlete to have more muscle than brain?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been known to happen,¡± I answer with a shrug. ¡°I play basketball, though that wasn¡¯t what I meant, I¡¯m late for dance practice.¡± ¡°You are a dancer?¡± I ask my interest piqued; it must have been in my tone because Ax turns to me with a raised brow. ¡°Why, you like dancers or something?¡± ¡°I should, as I am one,¡± I answer with a smirk, enjoying the flash of surprise in his gorgeous eyes before he buries it. ¡°Well then, come join me and meet the guys. Will you be taking dance classes?¡± ¡°Actually no, dance is like an escape for me and studying it will just make me resent it, and I can¡¯t join you, I¡¯m wiped and I still have to go through the courses and pick a major.¡± ¡°Please, you won¡¯t have to do anything, just watch, then after we eat, I¡¯ll come help you choose your courses,¡± he turns those puppy eyes on me and I must admit what a lethal weapon they were. ¡°What are you studying if you don¡¯t mind me asking?¡± ¡°Medicine, in your terms.¡± ¡°Wow, you keep surprising me.¡± ¡°I know, and it¡¯s the most entertaining thing ever. Anyone ever told you that your face is very expressive?¡± He asks with a smug look. ¡°Not everyone, most people think I¡¯m cold, I have the resting bitch face apparently.¡± Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m special then, I get the Dracon premium treatment; your package includes facial expressions and sarcasm when you least expect it,¡± the boy drones on with a wide smile. I thought that all the males here were hot broody bastards and I¡¯m glad he¡¯s proved me wrong, Killian must just be pissed at life in general. ¡°Well, that¡¯s no excuse. This is unofficial, just a group of people who let off steam by dancing and occasionally performing.¡± ¡°Blue baby, want to come?¡± I ask, praying he refuses. But my boy has other ideas and is already taking up Ax on his offer to carry him. ¡°If you do that, he¡¯ll never stop asking for free rides, this baby is lazier than I am.¡± ****** ¡°Where are we headed?¡± I ask as Ax turns in the direction that leads away from the colosseum, ¡°I thought the colosseum has the studio.¡± ¡°It does, but it¡¯s the official dance hang out, lots of people there, not much fun, we have our own chill spot.¡± We head around the back of the dorms and I¡¯m surprised to see the castle-like building; it was extremely well hidden. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°I know right? It was the former residence of a highly important person in the academy possibly Faery too. But he moved or died and it¡¯s been lying empty and desolate until I asked dad if we could use it. Imagine my surprise when I find an awesome studio with all the sound systems intact, I think the dude was an artist or seriously into music and dance.¡± We walk inside and I guess I expected it to look medieval, but it has a surprisingly modern look, my surprise must be clear because Ax just snorts. ¡°We have an architect and an interior designer in the group, after getting permission to use it we had a major renovation, a very tiring one since Dru couldn¡¯t help.¡± ¡°Well, your guys did a great job, this place looks exceptional, I¡¯m surprised few people know it.¡± ¡°Oh, they know it¡¯s here, they are just not allowed to come here, it¡¯s our spot, you should be honoured we let you in,¡± he says amused. I snort, following him inside a room toward the end of the hall. ¡°He¡¯s right you know; most people would kill to be in your place.¡± I try to contain my jump since I did not know there was someone else in here, make that someone¡­s. ¡°Rathe¡­Did you forget to mention something?¡± I ask, turning to him with a stern look, even Blue seemed uneasy, the first time that has happened since we arrived in this place. ¡°If I had, you wouldn¡¯t have come.¡± Axel reasons mock stepping away from me and my wrath. ¡°Relax new girl, we don¡¯t bite, well I could, but only if you ask nicely.¡± I turn to the speaker a sneer automatically appearing on my face, making a show of looking him up and down, ¡°No thanks, who knows what I¡¯d catch? Besides, you are not my type.¡± The smirk on his face dissolves as he stares at me stunned, his expression mirrored by everyone else. What? Did he expect me to take him up on his offer? Ridiculous! ¡°Am I missing something here?¡± I ask when the stunned stares get a little too much. ¡°Never mind,¡± Axel says looking like his fighting a laugh. ¡°Guys, this is Mahina, Mahina the guys,¡± He finishes pushing me a little to the front. I survey the group and I¡¯m surprised to spot several females not that it makes me feel better, girls are vicious. Their expressions range from surprise to interest. Of course, there¡¯re few miffed and disgusted ones. ¡°Do you dance?¡± one guy with dark skin and platinum dreadlocks asks while he stretches on the floor. I¡¯m caught up staring at his hair which looked so similar to mine bar the texture, so it takes me a while to answer him. Before I could finally answer him though, a husky voice jumps in, ¡°Please Roan, look at her. If she can dance, it must be on poles and laps.¡± 15. MAGIC WORDS. Well, that went faster than I expected. When we came in I had seen her sharp look especially since Ax was yet to drop the hand he had wrapped around me during introductions. I had hoped she wasn¡¯t the stereotypical mean girl but I guess I was wrong. With the way most of the other girls were clustered around her she must have been the head bitch. ¡°Yeah, who the hell dresses like that?¡± One of her minions jumps in. A queen always has minions. ¡°Shut up Ashley, you are wearing a fishnet,¡± One of the guys clustered around Roan jumps in. ¡°Yeah, but my body agrees with it, no meat hanging,¡± dopey Ashley declares. Fates! Mean bitches do be everywhere, like flies! Ax moves as if to confront them, when they all titter but I stop him. ¡°Yes, Roan, I dance, I especially like doing it on poles and laps and girl all this meat has got your boy hooked, look at him,¡± I say pointing to the tall guy she had her hands wrapped around. ¡°Who the fuck¡­¡± she starts up clearly upset. ¡°Ay, ay, language honey, baby in the room,¡± I pointedly interrupt knowing it would only annoy her further. ¡°Can we please start, you can throw down later,¡± comes from another guy standing next to a stretching Roan. Deciding to let the altercation be, I head to the corner of the room with Blue right behind me. We flop on the sofa that was surprisingly cushy, if we were staying we might as well get comfortable. The practice kicks off and I must admit they are pretty good. I¡¯m pleasantly surprised to see that not everyone was dancing, I guess some just wanted to hang out. I wasn¡¯t ready to see the mean gaggle dance and be good at it. After a while, Blue begins nodding off so I pick him up and settle him on my lap to lull him to sleep. I must have joined him because I wake up with a start when someone shakes me. ¡°Drac, wake up. We have to go eat.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± I blink my eyes disoriented. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Axel? Where are¡­ Oh my, we fell asleep, didn¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Yeah, and you both sleep like the dead, I had to check if he was still breathing!¡± He says pointing at Blue who is clinging to me still fast asleep. I look around the room, realizing there are only like five people left. ¡°Where did everyone else go?¡± ¡°We finished practice and kicked them out, only the inner circle is here.¡± I looked around and sure enough only around five people excluding Blue and me. Sitting up, I stretch as I survey them, careful not to jolt Blue, ¡°You mentioned food.¡± Laughing, Ax carefully picks up Blue, but he shouldn¡¯t have bothered, the boy probably heard the magic word in his sleep. ¡°Food?¡± ¡°Yeah baby, you hungry?¡± I ask while rubbing at the wet spot he left on my chest, which obviously made it worse. ¡°Uh-huh,¡± he answers trying to get Axel to put him down. ¡°Well let¡¯s get to it, I hope they got meat,¡± I say rubbing my palms in anticipation for ignoring my shirt crisis, it wouldn¡¯t the first time I walked around with some part of my attire wet, at least this was a hoodie and white. I proceed to walk to the door only to realise my baby and I are the only ones doing so. Turning I find every pair of eyes watching me like I had grown another head, except for Ax who was looking at the rest with a smirk on his face. He turns back to us and moves towards the door. Satisfied, I give in to Blue who had been tagging my arm the whole time, letting him drag me outside. ¡°What was that about?¡± I ask once we¡¯re outside. ¡°What, the guys? I think they are star-struck, for once.¡± ¡°Weird¡­ So how and where does the magic happen?¡± He goes to answer, but I cut him off. ¡°You know what I meant you lewd man, that wasn¡¯t an opening to exercise your perverted mind.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything.¡± ¡°Yeah right, now point me in the right direction before Blue turns hangry.¡± ¡°Right this way ma¡¯am.¡± We head back toward the dorms, then across to the ¡°learning side¡± as Ax calls it. We follow him into a huge white building right in the middle that was more glass than concrete, but you still couldn¡¯t see inside. And here I was thinking that nothing about the realm would surprise me anymore, how wrong I was. The inside was built like a typical school cafeteria the only difference being the side where servers would be looked like a supermarket and instead of benches; they had booths. Shelves upon shelves of food and drinks with a check-out desk that didn¡¯t have anyone occupied the opposite side, and I almost sob at the sight. ¡°Are we supposed to eat this? Not that I¡¯m complaining but I really need a hearty cooked meal, not processed junk.¡± ¡°Relax woman, you look like you are about to cry.¡± Heading over to an unoccupied booth, Ax helps Blue settle in facing the window then follows him in, leaving me to sit on the other side, which I do narrowly avoiding shattering my knee because my eyes are glued to the windows. ¡°How come I can see outside, but I couldn¡¯t see a thing before we got in?¡± ¡°Magic,¡± Ax mutters distracted and I turn back to him to see why, ¡°Now for the food,¡± he continues, picking up another weird-looking tab, ¡°You pick what you want then wait for it to be delivered.¡± Snatching up the tab, I go through it not bothering to hide my awe, ¡°Anything from here, and I will get it?¡± Blue joins in my enthusiasm as we go through the menu, with me explaining some parts, of course. When the food arrives, I don¡¯t even realise the trolley is basically moving by itself, the arresting aromas and the impressive spread have me diving in with gusto, and Blue isn¡¯t deterred either. . 16. FRUSTRATING FEMALES. I lean back in my chair with a satisfied sigh, glancing at Blue who looks as content as I feel. ¡°Wow!¡± I glance at Ax at his exclamation and notice he hadn¡¯t even touched his food. ¡°Why are you not eating? Not hungry?¡± ¡°It would offend me that you probably forgot my existence in the past ten minutes, but that was the most fascinating thing I have ever seen in my not-so-long life.¡± ¡°What?¡± I ask looking around. ¡°Did you even breathe? Where did all that food go? You are tiny.¡± I scoff at that, even a blind man wouldn¡¯t call me tiny. ¡°My hips and thighs. I was really hungry because I was too nervous to eat before we came here,¡± I pause remembering his shock, ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me the people here eat like herbivores.¡± ¡°You are clearly a dancer, your mouth and hands were in perfect sync, and you didn¡¯t even spill a thing, impressive.¡± He goes back to his meal and I settle more into the seat surveying the building and that¡¯s when I notice a few details I had missed before. ¡°Woah.¡± ¡°Yeah, that is possibly the most beautiful thing in this school,¡± Axel answers not looking up clearly guessing what had me enthralled. The cafeteria ceiling was glass and what appeared to be a library was right above us. A library and an aquarium because I¡¯m pretty sure I saw the fish I had previously assumed was just really realistic art move in the walls. Feeling the hairs at the back of my neck stand, I turn with a sigh expecting to see the bitch crowd only to realize that the cafeteria that was almost empty when we came in was almost full and more than half that population is staring at our booth. ¡°Ax¡­Did I do something? What¡¯s with the audience?¡± ¡°Took you long enough to notice, don¡¯t worry though we¡¯ve all basically grown up together, everybody knows everybody, suffice to say this school hasn¡¯t had a new kid since we joined in, that¡¯s all, their fascination will wear off.¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Huh!¡± I muse turning back around. Blue was dosing off again, so we left with Ax carrying him this time and I think every female we encountered felt the impact of a beautiful man cradling an equally beautiful child, don¡¯t come at me, I¡¯m a proud mama. I walk in first to hold the door open for Ax and Blue and he places him on my bed with surprising ease. ¡°Do you have younger siblings?¡± ¡°Why would you ask that?¡± he asks his tone turning dark. ¡°Whoa there boy it¡¯s just cause you look like you¡¯ve had experience, don¡¯t get testy.¡± ¡°Right sorry,¡± he mutters his demeanour changing again. ¡°There¡¯s¡­¡± he breaks off struggling to find words to explain his reaction. ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it, I can tell there¡¯s story there, you¡¯ll tell me when you¡¯re ready.¡± At my words Axel¡¯s entire demeanour relaxes, ¡°So, what are our options?¡± He asks excitedly. ¡°Huh?¡± I mutter still whiplashed. ¡°The courses, what are we leaning towards?¡± ¡°I hate school, let¡¯s start with that.¡± ¡°Ok¡­ what do you like?¡± he asks, amused. ¡°I don¡¯t know really, I just know what I don¡¯t and that¡¯s a lot of math and science.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s start with art courses and go from there.¡± Two hours later, I¡¯m convinced Ax is going to yeet me out the window. ¡°Oh, my fates! I know females are the most frustrating beings ever, across all realms, ut you take the cake! What¡¯s so hard about this?¡± he asks clutching onto his hair. I was going to make him bald and that would be really sad. I just stare up at him, trying not to succumb to the giggles plaguing me at his frustrated face. ¡°Pick one! It¡¯s not that hard.¡± He takes a deep breath to collect himself, ¡°How about painting?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t paint to save my life and it¡¯s hard to get paint off clothes.¡± ¡°How about fashion design?¡± ¡°You wanna die!¡± I growl at him. ¡°Huh? No! Why?¡± he asks a genuinely confused expression on his face. Oh, he was being serious, me and my insecurities. ¡°Never mind, I think I would go with either photography or interior design, maybe tomorrow I¡¯ll wake up and decide to do something else.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have to submit this today?¡± he asks glancing back from where he¡¯d been pacing while throwing suggestions at me. ¡°No, Dru likes me, so she gave me till Sunday afternoon.¡± ¡°Well, put that shit away then and let¡¯s do something else, it is Saturday.¡± ¡°I wanted to go check out the rest of the school, but I don¡¯t want to leave Blue here alone, so whatever it is we have to do it here.¡± ¡°Ok, how about some TV? We¡¯ve got Netflix here and FTV too.¡± ¡°You got Netflix! Hold up¡­ what TV?¡± Ax just sighs and presses a button on the side of my bed and the wall directly in front of the bed shimmers and turns a glossy black, then lights up into a white screen. ¡°Whaa¡­¡± Something smacks me in the head and falls next to me. ¡°You are right, Dru likes you, she didn¡¯t give me the remote till we were two weeks into the semester.¡± ¡°You pick what we watch,¡± I say, muffling a yawn. 17. BABY UNICORNS. I jolt upright in bed the next morning, with no recollection of how I had ended up there, to find a tiny face hovering above me. I swat the thing like a fly, letting out a tiny scream as I sit up, reaching for Blue who must have snuck back into my bed during the night. My scream jolts Blue awake and he wakes up, head butting into another one, earning a few curses from the third one. ¡°What the f¡­¡± ¡°Baby!¡± I reprimand on autopilot. ¡°What is happening right now?¡± I ask again. ¡°It¡¯s like a train wreck in slow motion,¡± comes from Dru. ¡°Ok people, what is going on right now?¡± ¡°What is going on is that karma is real.¡± The third, are they pixies? Says. ¡°Yes, we are pixies, my name is Aodh¨¤n, the green one is Enid and the one you just gave a concussion though well-deserved is Arieen, it is a pleasure to meet and work with you and the little one.¡± ¡°Well, Aodh¨¤n I would say the same only problem is I don¡¯t know why you are here.¡± ¡°Lady Eliane has assigned us to you to help take care of the little boy and keep him safe while you go on about your business.¡± ¡°Oh wow, that¡¯s awfully kind of her.¡± Arieen is coming to, and I thought I had the mouth of a sailor before Blue came, but she outmatches me, the mouth on the little thing. ¡°She¡¯s supposed to take care of Blue?¡± I ask sceptically. ¡°She might not look like it but she¡¯s amazing with the little ones and very loyal too, we tried to wash out the rest but sadly it is genetic, you should meet her mother.¡± Aodh¨¤n explains fondly. I turn to fully face the pixie in question, sparkling blue with white hair and twinkling eyes. She¡¯s quite stunning once she stops snarling that is. ¡°Stop that Ari,¡± comes Enid who has a calming aura around her, and yes, she¡¯s also green all over, she looks like Tefiti from Moana, only a million times smaller, ¡°You did way worse to her yesterday.¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°I just wanted to see if I¡¯d like working with her.¡± Arieen defends still scowling at me. ¡°What is she talking about? Are you the one who did that to me at the gate?¡± Told you it wasn¡¯t me. ¡°Yeah, that was me, it seemed like a great idea at the time, and it was hilarious.¡± ¡°Not from my point of view it wasn¡¯t,¡± I answered, advancing on her. ¡°Relax Mahina, you got your own back, I can still hear the ringing in my head. We are even.¡± Blue, who has been following the conversation his head moving like a ping-pong ball finally speaks. ¡°Mama, they are trolls.¡± ¡°Now you look here child,¡± starts Aodh¨¤n affronted. ¡°Yes, they are,¡± I answer with a laugh. ¡°Hey!¡± they all exclaim deeply offended. ¡°Sorry it¡¯s because of your colours, he means the trolls from the animation¡± They stare at me blankly. ¡°The singing and dancing trolls?¡± Still nothing. ¡°Well Blue, I start turning to my baby boy, ¡°The first order of business, watching the two troll animations, we have to fix this injustice.¡± ¡°Before all that, may we remind you that you are supposed to finish choosing your courses today or Lady Eliane will come down and do them for you, her words not mine.¡± Enid supplies sagely. ¡°I¡¯m almost done anyway, I just have to choose between photography and interior design.¡± ¡°Go with interior design, you have an eye for it.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that, Ari?¡± ¡°Yes, Lady Eliane showed us your life before you came here to make us understand you better,¡± Enid adds. ¡°And the work you did in your place is amazing, it looked professionally done,¡± concludes Aodh¨¤n. ¡°Can¡¯t you do both mama?¡± Blue pipes up. ¡°No, I can, but I won¡¯t. That would be too much workload and that will cut my time with my little man short,¡± I answer, picking him up and nuzzling his neck, which causes his wings to pop out. ¡°Oops!¡± ¡°It is okay baby, just put them back in slowly as you practiced with nana.¡± ¡°Why?¡± asks Enid, ¡°He can have them out.¡± It takes me a moment to catch up. ¡°You are right¡­Oh my fates you are right, you don¡¯t have to hide them all the time anymore baby even your tail.¡± ¡°He has a tai¡­?¡± I hear a smack and Ari shuts up, thank you Aodh¨¤n. ¡°So, what else did Nona Ellie share about me?¡± ¡°Nona Ellie?¡± Aodh¨¤n asks with a weird look. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. She insisted I call her that, God knows why?¡± ¡°God?¡± ¡°She¡¯s from the human world.¡± ¡°Oh right, she looks human too, the height, the frizzy hair.¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m right here!¡± I exclaim, shutting Aodh¨¤n and Ari up, ¡°Also you¡¯re one to talk, you are the size of my pinkie,¡± that was an exaggeration, to be frank, they were about two feet tall. ¡°This is a normal height for pixies,¡± Enid sagely jumps in. ¡°You just might be the shortest elf I¡¯ve ever seen,¡± Ari says grinning wickedly. ¡°Who said I was an elf?¡± I retort. ¡°Or maybe you aren¡¯t one, your baby is clearly a unicorn,¡± She answers. ¡°A unicorn?¡± I ask, staring intently at Blue. ¡°A term used to refer to someone who has traits from multiple species, you did say he has a tail, then he has wings, then the colour of his hair implies Mer shifter, so¡­unicorn,¡± Enid explains. 18. LESSER EVILS. We spend the rest of Sunday morning and the better part of the afternoon in my room ¡­studying¡­ugh! The only silver lining was the realisation that we could get room service. Dru and Ax had clearly been holding out on me. Enid and Aodh¨¤n take care of Blue, giving him basic lessons for children his age, which was not much admittedly. They give Arieen the task of getting me up to speed with all things Faery and she almost gives me a heart attack when she demonstrates the fact that pixies could shift to regular sizes. We had started off at a truce since it had been a tad bit embarrassing to yell at someone who¡¯s head was at the same level of your waist, but after she grew, literally, we were bickering so much that she had to change places with Enid. I still manage to learn a handful of important facts, like the fact that Mage is used to classify everyone; the fae, the shifters, and the daemon. The fae includes; elves- the human-looking ones, pixies, and nymphs- which I learn is a fae version of a succubus and let¡¯s just say I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t know the exact details before as it would have made things a tad bit awkward at home. And finally, the Merfolk; mermaids, and mermen. These were the major classifications of the fae. The shifters ranged from dragons to bobcats and I¡¯m cautioned though tiny they were quite feisty and well-feared. The daemons; the last class of Mage includes what most humans refer to as vampires and Nephilim in the mix, well those who sought refuge in Faery that is. ¡°Ok, let¡¯s learn about the shadow and light mages,¡± Enid says after quizzing me on the categories of Mages. ¡°Please no more, I can¡¯t take it, my brain is about to blow,¡± I whine. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Then you must have a tiny one, you didn¡¯t learn that much,¡± snickers Arieen from where they are lounging with Blue, watching Trolls on my laptop. Ignoring her, I turn pleading eyes on Enid, and she finally takes pity on me, and closes the mage ¡°bible¡± she was holding, I¡¯m embarrassed to admit that I hadn¡¯t even make it ten pages in. ******* ¡°If I had any idea that this is what you meant when you suggested a break, I would have gladly let Enid carry on with her lesson,¡± I say turning to scowl at Axel. We are standing at the entrance of the colosseum with him trying, unsuccessfully might I add to get me to go in. He had barged into my room demanding my company mere seconds after Enid had closed her book, and it had been a very welcome intrusion, now? Not so much. Nona Ellie¡¯s entrance minutes later had solidified my decision to get the hell out confident in leaving Blue with someone he¡¯s used to. Nona even said they would go to her place and give me some privacy in case I brought anyone back¡­ as if. The entire school is inside the gigantic building for a party organized by the Arts Students Association, code for the dance teams decided to hold an unofficial competition and everyone else was there to laugh at the losers and binge on free liquor, at least that was Ax¡¯s description when I asked what exactly was the occasion. As much fun as a magical dance-off with equally magical booze around is promising to be, I was having second thoughts about heading in. The students I had met so far didn¡¯t really seem like the welcoming type, and what¡¯s more discouraging is that most of them were dancers or associated with them. ¡°You have to come in to support me.¡± ¡°Please boy, self-assurance is oozing off you and from what I¡¯ve seen so far you are a people magnet, my support is nothing much.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to stay the whole time, just come watch the dances, have a drink, make friends?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ve made enough for now, and no offence, but your crowd is kind of¡­¡± ¡°Mean, snobbish assholes?¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°Well, they are really nice when¡­¡± ¡°I get to know them? Yeah right,¡± I say, rolling my eyes. ¡°Just give it a chance, my group is performing first since we can¡¯t take part in the competition, we can leave right after.¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t you guys compete?¡± ¡°Rules of the creators, it would really look bad if a bunch of non-art students swept all the prizes now, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Good point, so this is just fun for you guys?¡± ¡°Yeah, and them trying to suck up to us told you we were the IT crowd.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that,¡± I mutter with a cringe. 19. FAKERS IN LEATHERS. Thirty minutes into the party, I forget all about wanting to leave. I had forgotten just how much music and dance got to me, the rush, the beats¡­ I was jonesing for a dance when Ax and his people finally made it to the stage and it was a hole eye opening performance, made it better by the fact that it was the inner circle on stage, not the entire crowd at the castle. ¡°Damn!¡± I exclaim after an intense move that would have most Kpop male idols blushing, and that¡¯s saying something. ¡°I know right, it¡¯s basically the only reason I come to these soirees.¡± ¡°Soirees?¡± I ask with a smile, turning to the speaker only to have to use all I had in me to school my face. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m halfway through this amazing series that has a really sexy English man, and I¡¯ve decided to try and be more sophisticated, I have been dying to use that word, so did I pull it off?¡± she asks turning her face to study me closely, before turning back to the stage. Sophisticated? I don¡¯t think that would work with whatever she was rocking but I tried to be diplomatic as I struggle to school my face, ¡°Uhm¡­¡± At some point, I just give up all pretence of not staring, hoping my face didn¡¯t showcase how horrified I was. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s really that bad huh?¡± she says finally ungluing her eyes from the stage. ¡°I¡­I¡­¡± ¡°Oh, my fates Aarya, I leave you alone for two minutes and you find a new person to harass.¡± I turn onto the newcomer grateful for the distraction and it must show on my face because he bursts out laughing, attracting eyes from the crowd scattered around the stage. ¡°You really must be new if she got you that good.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Aarya, here believes herself a creative genius and culturally progressive so she experiments on any creation that comes to her mind combining several cultures and her ¡¯great fashion sense¡¯, this monstrosity is her latest accomplishment,¡± he says indicating the mishmash of colours and pattern that was Aarya¡¯s dress with flourish. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Do we blame it for the horrendous makeup too or is that just her?¡± realizing what I just said I snap my mouth shut apology in my eyes but the guy just laughs nodding his head. Extending his hand as we turn back to the stage where Aarya has her eyes glued, ¡°I¡¯m Damon, by the way.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m¡­¡± ¡°Mahina Dracon, the new girl.¡± ¡°Well, yes.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry everyone knows who you are even before the slut parade spread those nasty things about you.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± my response is cut off by the loud cheers and hoots that erupt from around us, indicating that Ax and company had completed their dance. ¡°Honestly speaking, Aloadae is the primary reason people attend these parties.¡± Damon continues. ¡°Weird choice of name aside, why is that?¡± ¡°They are unreachable bastards, the real elite of the school, not these wannabes strutting around in leathers and ugly shoes,¡± Aarya answers coming to where we had moved to after the performance and perching herself on the stool next to me. ¡°They are also really good at what they do, and this is one of the only times we get to see them outside of classes,¡± Damon adds. ¡°What do you mean real elites?¡± I ask curious. ¡°Well Ax is Faery royalty; his parents are the High Monarchs of Faery, Roan comes from a line of very powerful daemons and is basically their heir, Rainier or Rain is related to a legendary fae warrior and is also from a line of powerful, and I mean real powerful elves, Andrei just appeared out of nowhere and is crazy powerful and broody, he¡¯s basically the main character in a dark romance and lastly Axel is a Mer prince.¡± She was pointing them out as she described them, but I was still stuck on the royal Ax thing. ¡°Wait Ax is the dean¡¯s son. That means the dean is¡­¡± I break off horrified, I had spoken to him like¡­ ¡°He¡¯s the freaking Faery monarch like he¡¯s Lord over all the other royals, have you been living underground?¡± Aarya answers and the tone she uses has me feeling self-conscious until I remember I have no reason to. ¡°Now you look here honey, you seem nice and all but don¡¯t talk to me like that, I promised to be nice and not break anything or anyone don¡¯t make me a liar, I hate liars.¡± I finish my tirade with a mental slap, because what the fuck was that, but when I look at them, they are all smiles. ¡°We are going to get along so well.¡± Damon says with a smile. ¡°Was that a test?¡± I ask irritated. ¡°Yeah, and you passed it, so fix your face, we meant no harm. Damon bet you were chill, but after seeing and hearing about how close you were to Ax, I wasn¡¯t so trusting.¡± ¡°But he¡¯s the nicest person I¡¯ve met so far.¡± ¡°Who Axel? don¡¯t be daft,¡± says Aarya. The snide way she said that had some protective wave surge in me and I almost slapped her make-up off. ¡°What she means is that most people that high up are assholes, not that we blame them dealing with all the ass-kissers must be annoying and the females around them are even worse as I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve experienced,¡± Damon tries to explain in a placating tone. I nod at his words trying to calm myself down, I didn¡¯t even know why I was so riled. 20. NEW FRIENDS. After signalling to Ax that I was fine for the third time, Aarya finally cracks. ¡°Just get over there woman, he¡¯s clearly asking you to join him.¡± ¡°No, he isn¡¯t. He¡¯s asking if I¡¯m OK since my initial plan was to watch his performance and be on my way.¡± ¡°Not a fan of crowds?¡± Damon asks. ¡°You could say that,¡± I say, looking down at my outfit, I was literally allergic to them. Having to wear a bodysuit didn¡¯t leave a girl with many options for a party outfit, not that I would have won any of them. I had paired the suit with heeled combats and an oversize denim jacket, and Ax had given the stamp of approval. ¡°Ooh! he¡¯s coming over, and he¡¯s bringing the guys too,¡± Aarya exclaims jolting me back to the present. ¡°Drac, I thought you were eager to leave,¡± Ax says scooping me from my stool to sit then had me lean on him. ¡°I was, but this stuff is addictive,¡± I say, indicating my third glass of whatever this was, ¡°Besides I made friends.¡± ¡°Hi, nice to meet you,¡± he starts looking at Damon and Aarya, ¡°I¡¯m Axel,¡± he finishes, pointing at himself. Rolling her eyes, Aarya extends her hand to accept his then Damon does the same, ¡°We know who you are your highness.¡± Ax cringes turning to me, but I hold up a hand. ¡°Don¡¯t even bother dude, they told me already.¡± ¡°Well, don¡¯t hold it against me, I prefer meeting people incognito, you know to get the real ones, besides If I had told you, you¡¯d have never let me in your bed.¡± Damon spits out his drink towards Aarya who ducks but hits Roan in the process who then leans heavily on Rain since none of them was prepared, Rain knocks over his drink and Axel jumps out of the way, forcing me away from him and just in time too, he then knocks two girls who were sniffing close to our group on their asses. Meanwhile, Andrei is just chilling on the side lines unaffected by everything, while Aziz is rolling around guffawing. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. It all happens in a second and I want to rewind it, there was something fascinating about watching the disaster unfold. ¡°Care to elaborate on that?¡± Damon asks after he recovers from hacking up his lungs. ¡°What idiot here meant was on my bed, the literal part not whatever you idiots were thinking, exceptional reflexes by the way,¡± I say, turning to Aarya. ¡°She should have awesome reflexes if she¡¯s training to become a knight,¡± Roan mutters. ¡°Anytime now Rathe,¡± rumbles Rain. ¡°Oh right, I came over to tell you we have something to take care of with the guys but I¡¯ll be back, you seem fine anyway so hold on for half an hour then we can leave, cool?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see why you have to do this. We could have just left, she isn¡¯t a child,¡± this comes from Andrei, earning a glare from both Ax and me. ¡°It¡¯s cool, I¡¯ll hang around with Aarya and Damon for a while,¡± I say waving them off. I order a bottle of water this time since everyone knows it¡¯s dumb to get drunk in unfamiliar environments then turn back to find Damon and Aarya waiting with anticipation on their faces. ¡°What?¡± ¡°What do you mean what?¡± Damon asks frustrated. ¡°Spill woman, is there something between you and Ax? There¡¯s no way we are letting that bed statement go,¡± Aarya continues. ¡°Sorry to disappoint you folks but there isn¡¯t, I mean Ax is hot and all but at the moment I prefer my males fictional, besides he¡¯s sort of becoming like a brother to me, or a best friend,¡± I quickly add noting the naughty look flash in Aarya¡¯s eyes. I realise my mistake the moment the word is out of my mouth. Before they have time to nit-pick my choice of words, I gulp my water and turn back to the stage, doing a spectacular job of acting interested in what was happening there. Minutes into the performance, I realise the unhinged couple behind me was right, the rest of the dances seemed washed up compared to Aloadae¡¯s performance. Thankfully, they do drop the subject, venturing into stories that have me clutching my stomach, I thought I had seen all the crazy shit. ¡°I swear, sometimes I wonder why I¡¯m still with you.¡± Aarya huffs after another regaling tale of their escapades. ¡°It was fate baby, sweet old fate,¡± replies Damon, planting a kiss on her mouth, which leaves me stunned. ¡°Oh, my fates! You should see your face Mahina,¡± Aarya says snorting ¡°I guess we forgot to mention that we were mates, freshly mated too.¡± ¡°Wow, uh¡­ what do I say? Congratulations?¡± ¡°More like good riddance,¡± a sneering voice comes from behind us. 21. CATFIGHT. I keep my gaze on Aarya which is why I see the flash of an emotion I couldn¡¯t name in her eyes. Hurt maybe? Before she shuts it down, a sneer settling on her beautiful face. Damon, on the other hand, looks torn between rage and concern as his eyes shift from his mate to whatever was behind me. ¡°You¡¯d think after all this time you guys would come up with better insults. If you are going to start a fight, at least come with significant ammo.¡± Despite these words, I could tell Aarya had some issues stemming from whatever this was and that had me turning to the subject in question. ¡°Oh great,¡± I grumble, rolling my eyes. ¡°Oh, lookie here girls, the slut is out, and without her master too, this party is turning out to be better and better,¡± ¡°Oh, my Fates, are you freaking serious, this is the most clich¨¦ shit ever,¡± I exclaim at the head bully. ¡°What do you want Niamh?¡± Aarya asks taking a threatening step forward but Damon intercepts. ¡°Should have been named Vanessa or Stephanie,¡± I mumble under my breath. ¡°Relax mutt, we are here for the earthling,¡± Niamh continues smug at seeing that she was getting to Aarya. ¡°Oh my God, are they for real?¡± I ask no one in particular. ¡°Sadly, I can¡¯t believe we share DNA,¡± replies Aarya who¡¯s finally calm. ¡°That¡¯s because that slut you call a mother couldn¡¯t keep her pants on doesn¡¯t matter if it was with a taken male,¡± Niamh answers angrily, I could swear she almost stomped her foot. Silence reigns and I look around expecting to see the usual glee found in the crowds when someone is being put down but instead, everyone looked nervous. ¡°Funny how you get the guts to say all this when she¡¯s not around isn¡¯t it? Your balls shrivel up with the idea of saying it to her face,¡± Aarya answers buffing her nails. She¡¯s the picture of nonchalance and it makes Stephanie bristle. Judging from the surprised looks around, that¡¯s not her usual response, even Damon looks surprised and kind of relieved, I look on fascinated like the rest of the crowd. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Stephanie, looks around at the different response no doubt and I could see nerves begin to set in. I was so calling her that, Niamh was too beautiful a name, not that she didn¡¯t fit the name, bitch looked like a goddess. With her shots towards Aarya missing the mark, she turns her energy to me, her bitch squad in sync. ¡°I¡¯m doing you the courtesy of delivering a warning, since you are new and all.¡± She pauses for dramatic effect, ¡°Those boys,¡± she indicates in the general direction Ax and his group had left in, ¡°Are all taken, and we, don¡¯t share¡­ at all.¡± ¡°Oh really? I ask moving closer, ¡°First off, insulting, those are men, beautiful ones at that, second who are you to deliver an order on their behalf, huh?¡± I retort irritation rising in me. Damn it! Damn stupid social hierarchies and the equally stupid need in some vile beings to establish them on unconcerned souls like me. I was finally having fun; I know miracle right, then these idiots had to come to spit all over it with their pissing around the territory drama. ¡°Oh, please Nia,¡± Aarya starts sounding sympathetic¡­not. ¡°Are we still at this? you folks have been yapping since fates knew when about owning them and mating them in future but has any of them shown any interest in you?¡± She concludes with a questioning look at the entire deluded squad. ¡°Casual fucking doesn¡¯t count Ashley, don¡¯t be stupid,¡± Damon interrupts when Ashley moves as if to defend her case. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter anyway,¡± Stephanie continues undeterred, ¡°I¡¯ve got my eyes on a new prize, doesn¡¯t mean you can have the prince of Faery though.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even get why we came to warn you, it¡¯s not like they would look at you twice if not for you clinging onto Ax.¡± Well, there goes my happy buzz. ¡°Oh, you fucking bitch! What? Intimidation didn¡¯t work so we resort to petty measures like that, they won¡¯t work on me either, I¡¯ve dealt with people who would make you cry, so run along now, have a group discussion on better ways to attack me.¡± I snarl in her face. ¡°I¡¯m curious about something before you scurry back to wherever it is you reside. Who is this new catch, I doubt anyone could match the pri¡­ Oh no¡­ Please no,¡± Aarya breaks off with a snort, eyes widening, ¡°Nia, even you aren¡¯t that stupid.¡± ¡°Or that brave,¡± adds Damon, even the students scattered around snicker while some look at Nia like she¡¯d grown two heads. Now I was intrigued, ¡°Well don¡¯t have fun alone, tell a girl who this mystery catch is.¡± ¡°How did you know?¡± Stephanie asks, looking at Aarya, ¡°Are you stalking me?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t take a genius to figure it out, Ax cannot be ¡®defeated¡¯ as you put it, by a mere student, he¡¯s the top dog, whoever it is must either be in the faculty or a non-student. We all know who rules those sides and bearing in mind Killian turned you down so bad last year and the dean is well¡­ him,¡± her tone takes on an amusing tone, ¡°Only one person is left and you dear sister are stupid.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± Stephanie huffs leaving. If she had on a dress, it would have twirled around her, I don¡¯t know what to call what she had on, we should be grateful she hadn¡¯t danced yet because her tatas would be swinging in the wind. ¡°I can¡¯t believe she would think about going after him, they say even Mor is afraid of the man.¡± ¡°Seriously though, who is he?¡± I ask again. ¡°Someone we should stop talking about real quick before it gets too hot in here,¡± Damon says with a shudder. Well, the man just waved a red flag in front of this tipsy bull. 22. SHADOW ATTACKS. Mind still running about the mystery man, I follow Damon and Aarya as we stagger out of the colosseum where the party was still going strong. Ax never turned up again. Not that I had been expecting him to. They stop at a blue building that also looked like quartz, though in the dark it appeared black. Apparently, the blue building housed mated couples across all species, the ones who didn¡¯t mind living in groups since living outside the school compound was not allowed. ¡°Sidestep right left to my beat, high like the moon rock with me baby¡­ whoa shit!¡± I right myself before I fall on my face. ¡°That¡¯s what you get for trying to pull off a BTS choreography in this state,¡± I mumble to myself. Finally steady, I continue to my building which is now a few feet away, singing this time because even my drunken self knew anymore dancing would have me break my limbs when something moves from between the buildings. I stop and stare curiously not in the least bit spooked, a dark silhouette emerges from the shadows, and he twists his head to the side surveying me like I was prey which I so wasn¡¯t. ¡°Are you sure this is the one, she doesn¡¯t seem suitable, her mind is unguarded and she¡¯s practically projecting her thoughts out loud,¡± Shadow man asks clear derision in his voice. Before I could voice my opinion of him, a scuff sounds behind me and I turn realizing that while I was fascinated with Shadow man, he had a friend creep up behind me. ¡°What was in that drink, she doesn¡¯t look okay,¡± Second shadow asks sounding concerned. Now this one I liked, I conclude beaming at him, which earns me a chuckle. ¡°She is not supposed to be, idiot, as a matter of fact, she¡¯s supposed to be out cold by now.¡± I huff a laugh, pointing at the two almost equal-looking silhouettes. Where were their bodies? There was plenty of light where they were standing. ¡°You can¡¯t knock me out that easy.¡± ¡°You sure about that?¡± Shadow A murmurs moving closer. ¡°Very sure, see I can make a perfect hop¡­ step and¡­ jump.¡± ¡°Little one you just made three not very normal steps in all directions,¡± Favourite shadow says. ¡°Huh! Where did you go?¡± I ask looking around. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Behind you.¡± I turn to find the Shadows with the same gestures of frustration; hands on their hips. ¡°Maybe we should hit her, that would surely knock her out.¡± Shadow A for Asshat suggests. ¡°Hey! Mean! ¡ª*hic*¡ª Don¡¯t hit me! ¡ª*hic*¡ª That¡¯s going to ¡ª*hic*¡ª Hurt so bad when I ¡ª-*hic*¡ª Wake up.¡± Later I would question how the hell I wasn¡¯t panicking at that moment because the shadows were clearly there to kidnap me or even kill me. ¡°Be still!¡± I huff in frustration. ¡°You keep moving and blinking in and out! Oh God is your power running out? We could plug you in. I have plenty of outlets in my room.¡± ¡°I know I¡¯m going to regret asking, but how would you plug as in?¡± asks Shadow B. ¡°Simple, the outlet has holes and you have¡­ things that can go into those holes, though I don¡¯t think you would fit¡­I hope you don¡¯t fit because that would be just sad for you¡­ we would have to use your fingers. Yes! That is an awesome idea let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Sleepover with the shadows!¡± I yell raising my arms in the air which causes me to stumble. ¡°Oh, for fate¡¯s sake! Knock her out damn it, those heir boys will be back any minute, that distraction won¡¯t last long,¡± One of the shadows grumbles, I¡¯d bet it was the asshat who didn¡¯t like me. ¡°Your medicine isn¡¯t working. I still feel perfectly fi¡­¡± A sharp pain explodes in my head, and someone yells ¡°What the fuck dude!¡± as I fall and the last thing I remember, is thinking of how funny it would be getting into heaven yelling that. I can¡¯t believe that bastard really whacked me in the head, Mama Mia! Does he hit hard! ¡°Oh! I¡¯m going to fuck them up so bad when I get my hands on them,¡± I mutter, cursing in a manner that would make my mama wash out my mouth with her special dish soap. ¡°Wow, you were right. She has quite a mouth on her.¡± A voice says nearby, I can tell it¡¯s neither of the shadows. ¡°Don¡¯t speak like I¡¯m not even here, she has a name and you are damn right she¡¯s got a mouth on her,¡± I counter. I turn in the voice¡¯s direction to make sure my words have the required impact, but I can¡¯t see anything. ¡°Oh, my Fates! You hit me so hard my eyes fell out! Why the fuck can¡¯t I see, you bastards!¡± I was trying to act brave but inside my heart was breaking, why couldn¡¯t I see, I¡¯m going to miss all the beautiful things in life, I wouldn¡¯t get to see Blue! The last thoughts have my anger returning full force, ¡°You better give me back my eyes or I¡¯m going to let you have it.¡± ¡°OK, you were right this is entertaining.¡± ¡°I knew I picked right, she¡¯s quite a handful.¡± Those two were different voices which has me stilling, just how many people were there? ¡°We are going to have to work on her mental shield¡­¡± At that I slam them up so fast, berating myself for not thinking about it earlier, Nona Ellie would have had my ass. ¡°Well, well, well, guess our little thing has got secrets.¡± Little! I will show you a little thing, the force of my ire finally pries my lids apart and I blink rapidly, trying to adjust, ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°Yeah, Oh! Maybe I did hit her a little hard, she couldn¡¯t even tell her eyes weren¡¯t open.¡± Now that was a voice a recognize, I turn towards shadow A¡¯s voice. ¡°You!¡± I growl or attempted to, I¡¯m pretty sure it came off like I was trying to get phlegm out. ¡°Hi,¡± he answers with a smirk. ¡°Let me apologize on behalf of my idiot half,¡± I turn to shadow B¡¯s voice and my jaw hangs. ¡°You! You¡­ You are¡­Holy hotness¡­ there are two of you¡­ how¡­?¡± ¡°Actually, there¡¯s three of us.¡± That¡¯s when my eyes latch onto the guy standing next to SB and I¡¯m surprised I didn¡¯t see him sooner. ¡°You know what, I¡¯m too hungover for this shit,¡± I mumble, lying back in some sort of bed, ¡°I¡¯ll deal with that and everything else later.¡± Laying my head back, I close my eyes and promptly pass out; I know, it¡¯s a talent. 23. FIRING SQUAD. AX. ¡°What do you mean she¡¯s gone?¡± I wince as my dad¡¯s voice blasts in the office. ¡°We were¡­ distracted at the party, but I left her with Aarya and her mate. She was Okay with them. When we went back, she had already left with them.¡± ¡°I went up to her room to check on her but she wasn¡¯t there so I went looking for them,¡± I point to where Aarya and Damon are standing, the former almost hiding behind her mate, not that I could blame her, we were literally facing the firing squad. ¡°They thought she had gone up to her room too. That¡¯s when I realized something had happened, she wouldn¡¯t just up and disappear.¡± ¡°Well, maybe she is just somewhere secluded getting the night air, the girl likes her space,¡± says mom her face intense. ¡°She¡¯s not here,¡± bursts Killian as he and Mor sift back into the office, ¡°We looked everywhere, even Dru helped.¡± ¡°Well, where the fuck did she go? Her signature traces don¡¯t lead from the academy compound!¡± dad barks again. We look away from my dad, and I know I¡¯m not the only one feeling helpless here, the rest of the guys are leaning on the other side of the office solemn expressions on their faces. ¡°Well on a positive side, if she were taken it must have been a non-evil person otherwise the wards wouldn¡¯t let them in,¡± says Roan. ¡°We don¡¯t know that,¡± dad mumbles exchanging cryptic looks with mom and I¡¯m surprised to see her shudder then turn with a pointed look towards Killian and Mor who looks like she swallowed something nasty her counterpart looking a little too green. As the supreme monarch of faery, mom often comes off as invincible, what on Faery could scare her? The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± asks Aarya suddenly brave. ¡°We hope you never find out,¡± mom says, muttering something else under her breath. I turn to where my dad is pacing as Rain moves next to me whispering, ¡°I know we are all worried, but isn¡¯t the dean¡¯s reaction a bit extra?¡± I look at my dad noticing how agitated he really was, behind that was worry and pure unadulterated fear, I didn¡¯t even want to think Why? What? or Whom? the fear was for. He suddenly sifts out and we all turn to mom, and despite the put-together facade she has on, I could tell that she too was really worried. ¡°Mor and Killian, with me, the rest of you go back to your rooms, act normal or as normal as you can while well¡­inebriated and not a word of this to anyone, are we clear?¡± ¡°But¡­¡± I start protesting. ¡°Are we clear?¡± ¡°Yes, your highness,¡± we chorus. ¡°Go, we¡¯ll update you in the morning.¡± We all trudge out, minds swimming leaving Mor and Killian, I exchange a look with the guys and once Damon and Aarya disappear from view we stop. ¡°Something¡¯s up,¡± starts Axel. ¡°Yeah, no shit Sherlock,¡± Rain says. ¡°Are we all thinking the same thing?¡± I ask. ¡°Andrei?¡± Roan asks. We all turn to him and he turns incorporeal in the next minute, I look down and when I don¡¯t see my body I turn to the others seeing nothing. ¡°Let¡¯s go before we miss the good parts.¡± We all turn and head back to the office being careful not to jostle each other or anything, good thing about being invisible was the ability to walk through walls, Andrei gets mad when we call his little secret that, claiming it was more than just being invisible. They are standing right where we left them, only difference being that my dad was back looking a bit more collected. ¡°We have to find her, and fast too before those bastards do anything,¡± he says firmly. ¡°We aren¡¯t sure it¡¯s them,¡± says Killian. ¡°Not to downplay your concern but I think Killian and I would appreciate knowing why you two are so worked up, I¡¯m sure the kids noticed it too.¡± ¡°Damn right we did,¡± jumps in Roan but Rain shushes him. My dad goes silent rubbing a hand over his face, a tell he denies every time. ¡°I thought it a crazy coincidence with the hair and her highness being involved but her age shot that out the water but I see it now,¡± murmurs Killian almost to himself and I move closer, the heat beside me telling me the rest did too. This was getting interesting. ¡°No way,¡± murmurs Mor. ¡°Remember the time I was away for some time, the vacation?¡­ well, I have no recollection of that time except me cradling a child with platinum curls, the next thing I remember is waking up in my bed and Ellie acting like no time had passed by at all.¡± At this point, the looks on Killian¡¯s and Mor¡¯s faces are almost comical. ¡°Bro! No way¡± comes from beside me followed by grunts of agreement from the rest of the guys. 24. SCARY LEGENDS. ¡°So, she¡¯s¡­¡± Mor starts but trails off. ¡°Yes, Mahina is most likely my daughter,¡± dad says with a sigh. ¡°What!¡± I realize I¡¯ve yelled these words when they all whirl to where we should have been standing. ¡°Well, the jig¡¯s up, thanks a lot mate,¡± Andrei mutters, undoing the veil. ¡°I¡¯m not even surprised you guys snuck back in. It was weird how you all agreed to leave,¡± mom says, rubbing a hand over her face. ¡°Dad is it true? Is she, my sister?¡± ¡°All signs point to that fact. I didn¡¯t want to say anything before it was verified, but yes.¡± ¡°Oh, please. We both know she¡¯s yours, you felt it the moment she slammed those shields of hers on you, that kind of mental strength isn¡¯t exactly common,¡± mom says, sounding Okay with the revelation. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s kind of cool, means I get a little brother too,¡± I continue shelving the other concerns. ¡°Nephew, not little brother, Blue is hers, you might as well know everything,¡± dad drops another bomb. ¡°What do you mean? She¡¯s not mated, how is that even possible?¡± ¡°You forget that she¡¯s very much human right now. Despite a few select traits, it might have been possible,¡± Mor counters. ¡°Why would she say he was her brother though?¡± Rain asks what we were all thinking. ¡°We actually told her to do that, a single mother, especially an unmated one and from the human world would have sparked too much curiosity not to mention how we are,¡± says Mor her expression turning furious towards the end I turn back to my dad to find him staring straight at me intensely, ¡°Are you Okay with this Axel? I didn¡¯t purposefully keep it from you.¡± ¡°Nah it¡¯s cool. I¡¯m actually excited. Siblings! I knew we had a weird connection; Andrei even mentioned her signature was almost similar to mine.¡± Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°Right, well you should all get some rest since there¡¯s nothing you can do now,¡± mom says ushering us out. We all head back outside minds still reeling. ¡°Well dude, at least you know why you felt so connected to her,¡± Aziz says patting my back. ¡°I can¡¯t believe Blue is hers, wonder how that happened.¡± Nobody answers Rain as we all head into our dorm, due to our varying statuses we shared a suite in the black house¡­ something I had also failed to inform Mahina. The elevator stops on our floor but none of us walks out. I guess we all had the same plans. I lean back as the elevator climbs to the top floor. Once it stops, we all make a beeline for Mahina¡¯s room. Thank fates, she had added me to her access list. I go to open the door when I feel something or rather someone else¡¯s signature inside, bursting inside the room with the others on my heels I stop short my jaw dropping. ¡°What the hell man?¡± shouts Aziz, bumping into me. ¡°Oh boy.¡± ¡°Oh crap!¡± ¡°Shit!¡± Keon turns those glowing eyes my way from where he was standing holding onto Mahina¡¯s tablet and I swallow hard, fighting not to drop his stare. ¡°Well, look who¡¯s all grown up,¡± he purrs with a threatening smile. I feel my friends stiffen as the glowing beacons stop on each one, even Andrei, and that¡¯s saying something. At almost the same height as the dean with curly black hair flopping around his face, glowing amber eyes that allegedly turned red when he was mad, a magnificent face and sculpted body to boot; Keon was a scary motherfucker, who also happened to be drop-dead gorgeous. I was man enough to admit that. Decked out in all black though casual with his legendary sword hanging across his back, the famous Elven warrior rumoured to shift into a dragon scans all of us again, pausing on me for a second longer than I would have liked. ¡°We didn¡¯t know you were back,¡± starts Rain breaking the tense silence. ¡°Uh-huh,¡± he replies, turning to the bed and flopping onto it carelessly. I watch stunned as he lifts a pillow from Mahina¡¯s bed and takes a sniff his eyes turning almost red as he tilts his head back. ¡°Are you here to help find her?¡± I ask and I wish I hadn¡¯t as those eyes snap back to me. Did they have to glow? Dude was scary enough. Even his smile was scary, beautiful but lethal. ¡°What do you mean to find?¡± he growls and my bladder quivers. ¡°Uh, she¡¯s missing. We are trying to find her.¡± Roan answers shooting me a glare for remaining silent. ¡°Who is she?¡± Keon asks again. ¡°A new student who arrived yesterday from the earth realm,¡± answers Andrei tilting his head as he scans Keon intently, ¡°Why do you care?¡± he asks and I almost sob, Aziz doesn¡¯t even bother masking his whimper. Roan who had been silent the whole time smacks him on the head. Boy had a death wish speaking to Keon like that, even my dad was terrified of him despite them being practically brothers. ¡°So that¡¯s why,¡± Keon mutters under his breath, then he disappears in the next second taking the heavy blanket of powerful magic with him. ¡°What the hell just happened?¡± Rain asks his tone betraying how nervous he had been. ¡°I almost peed my pants, Aziz murmurs. Same bro, same. 25. NYX. MAHINA ¡°I can¡¯t believe they bought that,¡± I mutter, opening my eyes after the room went silent. ¡°Maybe I should go into drama and theatre.¡± ¡°That might be a tad bit difficult, given how you look.¡± Props to me for not screaming out loud because that would have surely alerted everyone else that I was awake. ¡°Who¡­ was that?¡± I ask, scanning the room. I would¡¯ve bet my entire BTS collection that they would have placed me in some kind of cell, but the room looked pretty normal. As normal as it would be with the giant bed I was on. ¡°Over here pretty face.¡± I turn to where the sound was coming from only to be assaulted by the bright light spilling from the window. ¡°Woah! That is bright! Is it day already? How long was I knocked out?¡± ¡°Three days,¡± comes the voice again. ¡°OK, I give up, where are you? Wait, what! Three days?¡± I feel a small weight settle on my feet and fighting the urge to yeet whatever it was as I slowly turn towards it. ¡°I¡¯m still buzzed, aren¡¯t I?¡± I ask no one in particular not believing what was in front of me. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°No, not really, I made you sleep longer, their potion only lasted until you made it here.¡± ¡°Oh! Wow! You can talk?¡± I ask scanning the emerald creature that was a cross between a dragon and a bird only severely downsized. ¡°You are not that smart, are you?¡± ¡°Who are you and what are you doing here?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I would like to know too, I was sunbathing at home before I got a strong urge to get to Lucidia, imagine my surprise when I see your backside hanging out for the whole world from some shoulder. I figured it was a kidnapping and followed to see what was happening, I¡¯m sure glad I did.¡± ¡°Sorry, but before I unpack all of that can¡¯t you like use your mouth? Hearing you with your mouth closed is throwing me off.¡± ¡°This better?¡± it asks the words no longer in my head. ¡°Scratch that, that is way weirder, speaking in my head it is.¡± The dragon-bird tilts its head studying me and I take the opportunity to do the same. With beautiful emerald and almost turquoise scales and feathered wings in the same hues, it was a breath-taking creature even with being queer. ¡°Do you have a name?¡± ¡°I am Nyx Evernight of Dragan, and you are Mahina Dracon of Earth and Faery.¡± Not even going to touch on how the hell he knew me, it seemed to be everyone¡¯s M.O since I¡¯d arrived in this stupid realm. ¡°Well, Nyx of Dragan any idea of how we can leave this place? You must be more than a pretty creature,¡± I say with a smirk. Nyx pulls what I assume is an offended face and if it was even possible, he appeared to be looking down at me, ¡°I will have you know, little girl, I was a familiar and best friend to the most powerful being in the realm.¡± ¡°Where is he now?¡± At this point, his face falls and I feel a little guilty but my curiosity wouldn¡¯t let me leave it alone. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I failed in my most important job and became an outcast even in my home.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry Nyx, that must have been hard, now about getting out of here.¡± ¡°Right, well I have an idea but you are not going to like it.¡± ¡°Get on with it.¡± ¡°We are going to wait until we see what they are up to. Fucking light mages.¡± ¡°Light mages? I think I know why I¡¯m here.¡± Nyx goes to answer when he turns his head sharply towards the door and then promptly disappears. ¡°Act natural,¡± he whispers from somewhere above me. ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°Stop looking at me, stupid, that is a sure way to alert them, they are coming.¡± Properly chastised I turn my head towards the door just as it swings open. ¡°Well, look who¡¯s awake.¡± ¡°Ryder? What the fuck man?¡±