Part Two : Earth - The Academy Years

A Chapter by Allyssianne

PART 2 : EARTH �" THE ACADEMY YEARS

Eight years later

I hit the wooden floor of the children's home with a resounding thud. My cheek stung from the hit Stone had delivered. I glared up at him through the curtain of black hair that fell over my face. My face burned under my fingers as I touched the reddening skin. Eight years, I had put up with this. Eight whole years to the day since Arellan died. Eight years since my world was turned upside down by the dimension transfer. I ran my fingers over the pendant in the shape of an angel that I had never taken off since the day the police had found me.

Stone stood over me, fists clenched, daring me to get up. Normally, I would have stayed down and accepted the bullying, but not today. Today I fought. I scrambled to my feet, launching a punch of my own. I hit his nose, blood spurting onto my hand. His eyes narrowed. The fight was on. His cronies backed off as we circled each other. Demoness against Human. They didn't know that, but I did. That's all that mattered. I would not back down from this fight. Memories of sparring with Armen surged through my mind. The moves, the grace, the fluidity as each punch and kick flowed into another. The other children gathered in a wide circle, egging us on. More specifically, egging Stone on. They knew that whoever won, if they didn't support Stone, their lives were going to be miserable for a long time. My nails scraped his cheek, leaving three bloody scratches. His foot collided with my stomach, winding me. I launched myself at him with a renewed anger, screaming in Synari. The housemothers broke through the circle of children, grabbing at Stone and I, dragging us off each other. I still screamed, fighting against their hold. They hauled me away, throwing me through a door. The time-out closet. Didn't I know it well. There were two such closets in the home, for children who got a little out of hand and needed to cool down. I had managed to go a whole year without having to be shut in one, and with good reason. No one wanted to be stuck in there. The room was about two metres squared. The door only opened from the outside. The floor and walls were hard. I leant my back against the wall, letting myself slide down until I was sitting on the floor. Wiping my bloody nose on my sleeve, I hugged my knees to my chest and I rested my head against my arms, toying with a lock of black hair. I kinda missed having purple hair. It defined who I was, but I daren't take the necklace off in case my magic went haywire or someone walked in.

Time passes strangely in the closet. If I didn't know better, I would have thought it to be another dimension. When a housemother finally let me out, I was sure I must have spent a day in there. It had only been two hours. She led me up to the top floor of the home, to the director's office. I caught sight of myself in a mirror as we walked up the stairs. What a sight. Although I was supposedly thirteen, I had the appearance of a girl in her late teens, a university student. A very early developer. Thankfully, my growth was slowing down now. My hair was a mess of locks escaping from its plait, the sleeve of my shirt ripped. Half of my face was red from Stone's slaps, my nose having streaked blood down my jaw. I clenched my teeth as my eyes caught sight of the pale, prominent, half circle scar around my right eye. It sickened me as I remembered my father and all he had done.

I sat opposite the director. He watched me over his clasped hands. He wasn't saying anything yet. I knew this tactic. If he waited long enough, the child would blurt out apologies and guilt. I knew the game so well. I refused to back down, catching his eye and keeping it. He gave in with a deep sigh, pulling off his reading glasses.

"What are we going to do with you, Alexiai?" He asked in grave concern. I narrowed my eyes at his continued usage of a name I never wanted to hear again unless it was from Arellan's lips. "You put every family interested in you off by your glaring and your attitude. I have had numerous reports from the school about you fighting. You even tried to attack the psychologist! This is not normal, Alexiai. We've put up with a lot of behavioural difficulties from you since you came to this home: your attacking everyone who didn't call you 'Shadow'; your insults to the police force when they came to tell you that your horse was missing; your tantrums every time someone tries to talk to you about your mother, your disappearances every month; even your flippant attitude about your life. Now your fight with Stone. What is wrong with you?" His last sentence came with such force that I flinched. I was trying to come up with a decent answer when someone knocked on the door. Another housemother poked her head round.

"Dr Smith? There's someone here to see Alexiai."

"If they're looking for adoption..."

"No, sir, they asked for her specifically. He says he's a teacher at the Academy and he wants to talk to her."

I felt my mouth flop open. Every parent dreamed of the Academy. It was the most prestigious and select school in Europe. They monitored every single child in the schooling system and only accepted the best. Why would they want to talk to me though? There was no way my school results or the comments from my teachers would warrant their attention.

I warily pushed open the door into the meeting room set aside for prospective parents to talk to their prospective adoptee in private. A young man sat at the table, the picture of a representative from a snobby school. Brown hair carefully combed, glasses perched on his nose, suit pressed until the deliberate creases down the side of the leg had been ironed into submission. I was glad I had taken a couple of minutes to change my shirt and wash my face. My hair, on the other hand, had refused to be tamed. I knocked on the door a little timidly before walking in. Uh oh. I recognised the thick yellowish file he was going through. My file. Everything that had happened since my admission to the home.

"Good afternoon, Shadow, as I believe you prefer to be called."

"Yes, sir," I replied quietly.

"Sit down." I took a seat opposite him, trying not to look at the papers he had taken out of my file. They didn't look good. In fact, my psyche reports read like a nightmare. The man set the file aside, looking at me over the tops of his glasses. "My name is Alexander Heath, professor of magical manipulation and recruiter for the Academy."

"Pardon?" I asked, unable to believe my ears. A professor of magical manipulation?

Professor Heath chuckled to himself. "You heard me right, Shadow. We know what you are. That's why I have come to offer you a place at the Academy. We select our students very carefully, not for academic results, but because they are not quite human. We teach them to blend in with normal society while also giving them the academic tuition they need to go out into the human world and get a decent job." My hand automatically went to my pendant, making sure it was still there.

"The illusions work on humans. I have a gift called True Sight. I can see who you really are. That's why I'm a recruiter. Think about it, Shadow. Would you rather stay here and be shuttled around the children's home system until you turn 18, or would you rather have a formal education at the Academy, with other people like you?"

I didn't have to think about my answer. It was staring me in the face.

It didn't take me long to pack. Professor Heath was going to take me straight to the Academy right away. I hadn't gathered much in the way of possessions other than what I had to start with. My spell book, Armen's letter, the toy wolf Arellan had made for me and my clothes. It all fitted in one bag. I got into the car, looking out of the window to take in the home one last time. I felt no regret at leaving it, and Stone, far behind.

The drive to the Academy was long and uneventful. Professor Heath wasn't the most talkative of companions, but it didn't bother me. I was still trying to get over the shock that the Academy was actually a school for mythical creatures. As we neared the Academy, I perked up, wondering what the school would look like.

The gates were black iron and imposing, the walls high and thick, but the grounds inside were a boarding school director's wet dream. Ancient trees lined the long driveway, giving way to extensive grassland. On one side, the grass had been separated into paddocks where horses and ponies grazed. The other side was dotted with students in uniform. All the boys in their smart black trousers and blazers, the girls in perfect skirts and ties. I sank a little lower in my seat. Nerves were starting to kick in. What if the others rejected me? The driveway opened out into a circle with a huge pine tree in the centre. A sprawling mansion occupied my vision as we pulled up. The main building itself was impressive, even without being flanked by two wings that were longer, but shorter than the house. I grabbed my bag, slipping out of the car and looking around nervously. The other kids were staring. They looked normal, until you looked a little closer. A hint of scale, strangely coloured eyes, and a woman with wings walking towards me. I bit my lip. Walking behind the woman was a sight I was delighted to see. Head bobbing as she walked, wings visible and tucked into her sides, Merlas paused long enough to whinny loudly.

"Merlas!" I yelled, running forwards to throw my arms around her neck. I had grown since I last saw her, now reaching halfway up her shoulder. Standing at one metre eighty, I wasn't likely to grow anymore. She still bested me for height though. I didn't mind. It meant I'd never outgrow her. The winged woman coughed politely. I felt my face turn red, turning to look at her.

"I'm sorry," I said apologetically, "I haven't seen her for years."

"It doesn't matter, Shadow. My name is Meredith Feather. I'm the headmistress of the school. Now, the tradition here is that you are assigned a student similar to your own age to explain the rules. We found that it gives the new students a better insight into how we work. Follow me, let's go and save your guide from class."

I followed Miss Feather into the main building, into a place that looked as if it had been furnished from a couple of centuries before. I was surprised that they managed to keep so many antiques here and in impeccable condition with scores of teenaged mythical creatures learning to control themselves. Miss Feather swept up the central staircase up to the third floor, along corridors I was sure rivalled those in Aspheri. I would never learn my way around here. She knocked on a door, pushing it open. A classroom, with a nervous looking boy standing at the front, obviously about to give a presentation on something.

"Mr Carton's charge has arrived." The boy at the front of the class looked relieved, racing to pack up his notes and shoot out of the classroom. I took a good look at him. Floppy brown hair fell into dark eyes as he grinned at me.

"Thanks for the great timing. You saved me from giving a presentation on the relations between unicorn herds." He said. I found myself speechless, unable to formulate a reply. I opted to smile and nod. "I'll take you to your room so you can dump your stuff. I'm Jamie, by the way."

Jamie escorted me to the dining room that evening, making sure I knew how everything worked. I never believed that Earthen food could taste so good! After the frozen, precooked stuff I was used to back at the home, my taste buds felt like they were in heaven. I tugged absentmindedly at my pendant, feeling the need to take it off, but with six years of pent up magic lingering under its protection, I daren't. Jamie seemed to notice.

"Do you need to let it out?" He asked. I looked at him quizzically. "I get fidgety when I need to cut loose on my magic. What kind are you? Demon or angel?" I blinked. He sighed. "The profs always pair newbies with someone who has similar powers or species. I'm half demon and half angel, so it makes sense that you're at least one of those."

"Demon," I murmured, looking down at my plate. Jamie touched my hand.

"It's ok, you're not alone here."

I smiled at him.

The next morning, I looked in the mirror in the tiny bathroom attached to my room in the girl's wing of the school. For the first time in six years, I was looking into my own purple eyes. They seemed a little weird and alien on me now. A white streak had appeared in my violet hair. I had once more donned a cloak, like I used to in Synairn. I touched the brooch holding the garment around my neck. An intricate spiral holding in place a purple gem, upon which was etched the likeness of a dove. It had been Arellan's. She had used it to hold up her own cloak. Now it was mine. Swallowing hard, I tore my eyes from the strange reflection in the silver glass and grabbed my books, heading for Miss Feather's office. I was supposed to report to her secretary to get my timetable.

I was a little put off by the secretary to be honest. She was a sort of humanoid dragon and more than a little scary. I cast an eye over the timetable. At the top, my class and species had been written, but it was the species that caught my eye. Demon/Angel. I took out the note that had been attached to the timetable.

Angel is the closest thing we have to your 'Synari'. Enjoy!

I was the same as Jamie! That thought made my heart swell up in joy. A passing girl raised an eyebrow at me. I quickly quietened down my emotions. I had to remember that I wasn't the only empathy here anymore. And an even more sobering thought: I couldn't let anyone get close to me. Not with Karthragan still hunting for me. I could sense him, searching, seeking, hunting me. Putting someone else in the line of fire between him and me was not going to happen. Not ever.

I was in the third year out of seven at the Academy, which encompassed both junior and senior school. Classes started at nine o'clock and finished at five to give us plenty of time to relax and eat before the night students came out to play. According to the rules, day students are allowed to mix with the night, but for our own safety, it was better for us not to. Student knowledge was that some of the vampires in the night class weren't really in control of their blood lust. I didn't care. I spent most evenings in the library, researching every single thing I could for my school work. I wanted to pass so badly. I also wanted to avoid Jamie.

I managed to keep this up for a month before Jamie started to follow me. Jamie, and an orange haired girl about the same age. She was the reason I knew Jamie was following me. She just couldn't keep her mouth shut. I soon learned that her name was Holly. A hurricane on a sugar-high in human form.

She came to me once, in the canteen, sitting next to me as if we were friends. I edged away as she attacked her food like a starved bear. She started to speak, a never-ending stream of questions while shovelling rice into her mouth. I gaped at her, trying to keep up as she asked me about every single personal detail under the sun, from name to favourite colour to species to family. Strangely enough, despite rocky beginnings and personalities that were so far apart they were polar opposites, she became one of my best friends. A friend I will continue to hold dearly in my heart.

Holly introduced me to Natalie, who she affectionately referred to as her 'smarter' half. Both sorceresses who used wands to channel their energy, they were blissfully unaware of exactly what I was. I, for my part, was perfectly happy to let them continue on in their delusion that I was completely human, like them, just a sorceress on a different level. Only Jamie knew, and he hung out regularly with us, getting up to the same shenanigans, but he kept it as a secret. I was glad he did. It saved several awkward questions, but ultimately, it would lead to their downfall two years later, but for now, they were my best friends.

Holly was a prankster. Thankfully, Natalie warned me about this early on, so I was always on the lookout for her tricks. Doesn't mean I didn't get caught out, but hey, she could have done a lot worse to me than adding Tabasco to my food. To her credit through, it was hard to keep a straight face around her. We stuck together like glue, the three of us. Even though she was deathly terrified of horses, she came to watch Natalie in our weekly pegasus class. Natalie stood next to Merlas and I on a pretty brown pegasus she had fallen for as we waited for the teacher to arrive. Holly leant on the fence, waving at us. Nat and I grinned, waving back. The teacher arrived, and the class groaned. We have two teachers for pegasus flying: Mrs Fletch, who is nice enough, although she can be a little absent-minded, and Mrs Steel, who is pretty much a drill sergeant and is unable to believe that her 'baby', a really nasty piece of work for a pegasus called Snowdrop, could do any wrong. Merlas had already told me about a run in she had with the white pegasus. Thankfully they had both escaped unscathed.

Mrs Steel strode out of the barn with Snowdrop prancing on the end of his reins, which she thrust at Holly. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from giggling at the sight of Holly holding the pegasus' reins. She looked absolutely terrified and pissed off at the same time. But that expression evolved slowly into one I had grown to know and fear. She was plotting something. I glanced at Nat. She looked slightly scared as well. She must have seen the subtle glint in Holly's eye as the prankster started fiddling with Snowdrop's saddle. I schooled my face back into an appropriate expression when Mrs Steel reappeared, looking down at my hands in an attempt not to burst out laughing. Mrs Steel cast a disapproving eye over the whole class. I was waiting for a scathing remark from her, and she didn't disappoint me.

"I expected the lot of you to be turned out better than that. Sarah, your horse is filthy; Ira, you could at least have made an attempt to tame your hair; Natalie, I despair whenever I see you sitting on that poor creature; Shadow, I don't care if you own your steed, but there is no need for that cloak, it's ridiculous." I gritted my teeth, winding my fingers into Merlas' mane. Mrs Steel sniffed, grabbing her reins back from Holly without as much as a thank you. She started to swing herself up into the saddle. The saddle slipped, sending her into the mud. The entire class and Holly fell about laughing. I gripped Merlas' mane hard as I tried not to fall off her back.

I passed many a happy year at the Academy. Going to classes a lot stranger and more exciting than regular classes, avoiding doors that weren't really there, (courtesy of Holly), trying not to get too involved in the many food fights that broke out in the school canteen. I managed to get to my seventh year without too much of an incident. Of course, things started to go wrong in my seventh year. Very wrong indeed. And it started with Arias.

I was walking with Holly and Natalie, heading back to the dorms after a long day. I had had Magical Manipulation and combat practise that day. I can tell you, having those two subjects in one day is not a fun thing. I was sore all over and exhausted to boot. I paused. Every nerve ending in my body burned for a split second before I found myself face down on a marble floor. Oh, my head. It felt as if Merlas had seen fit to dance the fandango on it. I pushed myself to my knees.

"Welcome back, Shadow." Oh goddess, I knew that voice. I looked up to see Arias sitting on her throne.

"Why did you bring me back? And did you have to poof me out right in front of my friends? It's hard enough to keep a low profile!"

"Shadow!" Arias snapped. "You will not answer back. You will not ask reasoning. You will not take that indignant tone with me. I do not care where you have been for the last number of years!"

I bit my tongue to keep from making another comment. Instead, I got to my feet and bowed low. "Why have you seen fit to rip me from a life I was actually starting to enjoy?" Ok, so I couldn't stop myself from making a remark. I must have been hanging around Holly too much. Arias narrowed her eyes at me, but didn't tell me off.

"Synairn is at war again. We need you on our front lines."

"Oh no!" I clenched my fists, battling down my magic. "I battled for you once. I'm not going to war!"

"You will do as you are told!" I swear the white pillars shook with the force of her voice. I flinched. "You will report to the armoury immediately."

I had no choice really but to obey. I turned tail, striding out of her receiving room, my cloak billowing out behind me.

Synari scattered as I walked through the halls, heading down into the underground floors of the Senate Towers where all the weapons and armour were stored. I felt the genuine streaks of fear as they remembered who I was. Shadow Roth, daughter of the late Senator Arellan and Karthragan the Demon. No longer was I the frightened girl who hid in her room for fear of being the target of people's hatred. Then I felt a familiar presence. I smiled slightly. One of the many Synari stepped out from the horde and held out his arms.

"Armen!" I called, hugging him tightly.

"My, my, Shadow, how you have grown tall. I take it our beneficent ruler has brought you back for the battle?"

I pulled away from him. "Yes, she did."

Armen accompanied me to the armoury, where Rai still stood. He greeted Armen as an old friend before he cast an eye over me, nodding in approval.

"At least this time, the armour I give you will actually fit!" He said with a smile. I tried to smile back, but I think all I managed was a pained grimace. He said nothing more, digging into his piles of metal plate. I found myself, much to my dismay, outfitted in much the same manner as before. The leather shirt, although this time with a matching pair of trousers, with the plates covering shoulders, arms, torso, back and legs. He handed me a long scabbard attached to a belt, which I wrapped around my waist. I drew the blade, a heavy, unwieldy thing made for two handed swordplay. With another grimace, I sheathed it again. I clipped my cloak over my shoulder once again as Rai handed me a helm. I ran my hands over it, feeling the slightly dented metal of the helmet, which looked a little like the roman helmets I had seen in my human history book. I jammed it on my head before nodding once in thanks to Rai and heading out of the armoury.

I had never been out on the streets of Synairn on my own before. It was a curious feeling, as if I was a child doing something forbidden. I followed the rest of the armoured Synari out towards the plain, the same plain I had fought on before. I had to fight down the fear that threatened to overwhelm me.

"Demoness!" Someone called. I turned in the direction of the sound. A troop of Synari mounted on pegusi watched me critically and, standing next to the captain of what I guessed was a unit stood Merlas, decked out in plate armour, a proper Synari pegusi saddle and guidance loop. I rushed to her side, hugging her tightly. The unit felt faintly amused. I pulled myself up into the saddle, strapping myself in.

"Listen up, demoness, here are the rules: obey my command to the letter, and you'll do fine."

I nodded once. The captain passed me a bow and quiver of arrows, saying that the "pointy metal stick" was only going to be of use to me if Merlas went down. I didn't like the sound of that. The unit moved out, heading for the plains where the battle would be held. For the moment, the Synari were alone, arranged in ranks. The pegusi unit stood on a small hillock, waiting for the signal from a commander standing with the foot soldiers. I have to admit, I couldn't see the Synari as foot soldiers. I couldn't even see them as soldiers. Never before in the history of Synairn had there been so many battles in such a short space of time. It made me wonder what Arias was up to, because this was not normal. I swallowed hard. Merlas shifted nervously beneath me. The captain glanced at me, feeling indecisive, sympathy battling with fear.

"Hey, demoness, just try to keep calm. There is no need to work yourself up." He paused for a moment, as if trying to find his words. "Try to see it this way: Would you rather be battling a horde of bloodthirsty monsters, or facing an angry Arias?"

"Monsters every time," I said before I realised that I hadn't actually thought about it. The pegusi mounted soldiers within earshot chuckled quietly. I bit my lip, looking at the captain. He was watching me with a critical eye that made my heart hit rock bottom. I had gone too far. It had been a test. I �" One corner of the captain's mouth twisted upwards in a smile.

"You are not the creature we thought you to be, are you?"

I didn't know how to answer that one, so I didn't. He probably meant it as a rhetorical question. Instead, I looked down at Merlas' mane, hoping that the shape of my helm prevented too much of a blush showing.

"To coin a phrase I believe you use in your current dimension of residence, 'you're all right', Shadow," spoke one of the soldiers, giving me a light, friendly shove. There was an emotion there, echoed by all the other soldiers. I couldn't figure out what it was. It felt alien yet comforting, a familiar stranger. I realised I had sensed this before, from Holly and Natalie. Acceptance. They accepted me for who I was. For the first time in Synairn, I felt relaxed. At peace. We chatted idly for a few moments, most of which I spent committing their names to memory. Why had Arias locked me away all those years ago when all it took was for the people to see that I was still like them? She had said that the streets would not be safe for me, yet here I was, sitting on the back of a pegasus, making light of the coming battle with a group of soldiers.

From the plains of the upcoming battle, a great rip in the air spilled light onto the silver grass about to be stained with blood. Creatures began to spill from out of the gap, onto our plains. I chewed the inside of my cheek, trying to keep the anger from boiling over. Next to me, Captain Kildren swore in a steady stream under his breath. He glanced at me.

"Shadow?" He asked, nervousness not quite hidden in his tone. "We, uh, could probably use a distraction when we charge on them. Normally, any one of us could do it, but, uh, being a demoness, you could perhaps, uh, be a little..."

"Scarier?" Suggested one of the soldiers.

"Yes, scarier," the captain, watched my reaction carefully, looking a little afraid himself. I bit my lip nervously. I could appear to be in the throes of a demonic possession, but such an exercise was highly volatile, requiring me to only let a little of the demonic influence escape through the barriers in my mind. Everyone watched me nervously. The beginning clashes of the battle sounded below us. Merlas twisted her head around to nose at my boot. I let a half smile twist one corner of my mouth.

"Yes. Yes I can, and yes, I will."

Our unit took to the skies. I let Merlas fly as she saw fit while I tried to tap into the demon. It surged forwards. I clenched my fists, panting, trying to slow the advance. It was scary. As if I was truly in my body for the first time ever. My vision tinted red, doubling in focus. My teeth lengthened slightly. My claws grew. The soldiers watched me with fear in their hearts. I was more aware of the magic coursing through my blood. It would be so easy to obliterate the lot of them. I gritted my teeth. No. I wouldn't. I'd kill every single person in my unit before I even touched the enemy.

"Shadow?" The captain yelled over the winds, trying to make himself heard. I could still hear the wariness in his tone.

"It's ok. I'm still in control," I called back.

"Take point and scare the living daylights out of them!" I grinned, drawing my sword. Merlas brayed to the open skies as we began our dive towards the heart of the enemy's ranks. Black magic streamed from the two-handed sword. My hair and cloak billowed out behind me. My eyes glowed. Everyone looked up. Fear shot through the crowd. Then we clashed with them.

The battle passed in a whirl of blood and metal and the sickening resistance of bone and flesh beneath my sword. The blade was unwieldy, heavy and long. I had been pulled off Merlas long ago. My wrists ached. My shoulders shook. Exhaustion sapped at the strength in my mind. The demon was starting to claw free. And they just kept on coming. I stabbed another enemy through the throat, but my sword became lodged. I panicked, trying to free it. A sword pierced my back. I crumpled to the ground with a silent scream.

"Oh bloody hell, Shadow, can't you do anything right?" Came an irritated voice from above. All I saw was a flash of purple hair before my nerve endings started to burn.

I found myself face down on a fairly soft surface for once. My head hurt like hell. I could barely breathe through the pain of the sword still stuck in my back. Whoever it was that sent me away was going to get a good punch right in the face if I ever found them.

"Ohmygod, Shad! What happened?"

"And can you get off me please? Seriously, Roth, you're heavier than I thought!"

"Holl? Nat?" I asked groggily. That would explain the soft landing, if I happened to land on Holly. I groaned as I rolled off Holly. I managed to get to my knees, bent double over the blade. Natalie looked horrified. Holly, as usual, started her rapid fire twenty questions routine.

"What happened? Why are you wearing armour? Why are you covered in blood? Why..."

"Holly! Shut up, we have to get her to the medical wing!" Natalie insisted.

The medical wing of the Academy is somewhere no one ever wants to get sent to. A converted church, complete with alter that the head medic used as a desk. The head medic, Mr Greene, looked human, but he wasn't a medic for nothing. He was what was known as a Converter. He takes pain and converts it into heat. Other than that, he scared the crap out of everyone in the entire school. I guess that was also kind of a preventative measure. If you didn't want to face the medic, you didn't want to get hurt, so you were more careful. It pretty much meant that I was not happy about going there. Unfortunately, I was in no position to stop a determined Nat.

"Holly, if you've hexed your eyebrow off again, I'm not fixing them for you."

All three of us jumped when the head medic spoke from behind us. He swept an eye over what must have looked like a fairly pathetic trio. He raised one eyebrow before seizing my arm, guiding me with ease towards one of the alcoves hidden by a curtain, dismissing Holly and Natalie.

"Well, Miss Roth, if you would be so kind as to remove the armour plates, we can set about getting the sword out of you."

My fingers fumbled with the buckles, trying to pull off the rusted plates while Mr Greene left for a moment. Once they were finally in a messy heap on the floor, Mr Greene started to look at the damage done. I snarled at him as he touched the sword. He grunted in apology. I shot him a glare.

"I don't ask how you managed to get yourself skewered like a demon kebab, you try not to kill me when I try to unskewer you. Deal?" I nodded. "Ok, brace yourself. I'm going to have to pull this out of you. It's going to hurt for a bit before I start converting. Just try to keep still." For the first time, I noticed that he had brought in a bar of metal and a bucket of water. I glanced down at them and then back up at the medic.

"You didn't think I was going to put the heat into you, did you?"

I smiled tightly and braced myself.

Swathed in bandages, I made my way to the canteen. Thankfully, Mr Greene had taken away most of the pain. It was a fascinating process he used, taking the pain from a person and sending it down from his hand to the metal bar and into the water. I shook myself from those thoughts as I picked up a tray, looking at the food. Unfortunately, due to the diverse number of species, everyone's diet was watched really carefully. If you didn't have a good reason for skipping a meal, you landed yourself in the medic's office. As I previously explained, this was not something anyone ever wanted to do. The food on today's 'human and human like' menu didn't really inspire me, but having just come from the medical wing, I wasn't about to turn tail and walk myself back there. I wasn't that stupid. So I took a serving of shepherd's pie and dithered over a dessert. I really wanted an apple, but I can't really eat them. The only other options were a rather pathetic looking banana or a piece of chocolate cake. To be honest, chocolate cake was more Holly's thing. I took it. Holly was likely to be here somewhere and would gladly take it off my hands. I carried my tray over to where Natalie and Holly were finishing off their dinner.

"Hey guys," I said, sitting down and poking my food, handing the chocolate cake to Holly.

"Heya kid, you all done with the pain vampire?" Holl, being her usual exuberant self, had found it funny in her first year to nickname Mr Greene as the 'pain vampire', since no one really knows what species he is and he sucks out your pain. It makes sense in my mind, but no one has, thankfully, ever used the name in front of him.

"Got more bandages than an Egyptian mummy, but yeah, I'm ok. He patched me up pretty well considering."

"Shadow..." Uh oh, I knew that tone in Natalie's voice. I opened my mouth to interrupt her, but she asked her first question, and now she was not going to stop asking until she understood everything. This is a girl who spends her weekends in the library for fun. "Where did you go? I mean, you poofed out on us in mid-conversation. I didn't even know you COULD poof!"

"I don't know if I can poof. My dad can. I'm not sure about my mum. But no, big lady in chief of my mum's people decided that she needed me for a bit."

"Er, 'needed you for a bit'. Right. Shad, you came back looking like someone was about to put you on a barbecue!"

I gritted my teeth, jabbing my fork at the suddenly rather holey potato. "Nat, Arias doesn't give two hoots about whether I live or die. I'm just a particularly useful tool to her. If I die, it's another annoyance out of her hair."

"But why?"

"Because I'm stronger than the rest of them. Scarier, because of that power. It's the reason I wasn't allowed to stay with Arellan." I kept my voice low, only audible to Nat and Holl, but that didn't stop the irritation in my in my voice from leaking out. I knew they wouldn't betray my trust by telling other people this kind of thing.

"Arellan?"

"She's.. was my mother." Natalie nodded silently, and didn't ask any more questions. That, unfortunately, didn't mean that Holly was placated.

"Hey, Roth!"

I could have thought that the reflexes I still had from the battle were in my favour. My opinion changed afterwards though. After all, if I had taken the faceful of potato, I wouldn't have ended up standing in the shower, trying to get various pieces of dried, raw meat out of my hair. Mainly because, when Holly threw that potato, I ducked. It hit the alpha of the Academy's teenaged werewolf pack. And it was two days before full moon. Let's just say that it riled them up. And the thing about the werewolves was that, although they can't change forms at will for most of the month, for five days before and after the full moon, their forms were unpredictable and they could change at will. Or not, if their emotions get in the way. And the alpha was seriously pissed off.

"Oops?" Holly said. The alpha growled deep in his throat. This was not going to end well. The pack stood up. They rolled their muscles, loosening up. They were preparing to shift. I gripped the back of my chair tightly. Natalie and Holly had their hands around their wands. Neither side moved for the length of a heartbeat. A lump of raw meat collided with Holly's forehead.

"Oh, game on!" Holly was revelling in the soon-to-be chaos. I couldn't help but crack a smile. The alpha had no idea what he was letting himself in for. Before long, potato and meat were being slung liberally across the tables. Some hit the pixies, who are a really nasty species when it comes to revenge. Their strange drink that they had for each and every meal entered the fray. I dove under a table, already liberally covered in various foodstuffs. This was only the beginning. Holly, the werewolves and the pixies. I really didn't want to be around when the rest of the Academy joined in: the sorcerers, the sorceresses, the succubi, the incubi, the elves, the angels, the demons, the banshees and the harpies. There was going to be certain chaos. As usual, Holly was in the thick of it. Nat crawled under the table to join me.

"Wotcher, Shad. Mind if I hang out here for a while? At least until it stops being bedlam out there."

"Be my guest. I'm not budging."

"Cool, thanks. And Shad?"

"Yeah?"

"I think the werewolves managed to get you. You've got meat in your hair."

Needless to say, I had to spend a long time in the shower before I managed to feel clean again.

Thankfully, Miss Feather didn't punish us since we hadn't actually destroyed anything. It was an uncommon occurrence, being let off with a simple warning. Then again, I suppose when you get that many teenage mythical creatures with supernatural powers together, the best you can hope for is that no one gets hurt. And we managed to work out a little of the tension between the species in the school. I wish I could say all of my tension was gone though.

To say that the Academy is full of surprises was the understatement of the century. For example; you never knew who you were going to meet next. Case in point: I was hanging out in the library, looking for a book I needed for a mythical creatures assignment on vampires. The point of the exercise was to foster an interspecies friendliness, although it had been noted that only the strongest of the day students had been assigned a creature of the night. After all, the main body of the interview was to interview a member of the species you were supposed to be working on. I was looking for a book on vampire etiquette so as not to make an enormous faux-pas and end up on the menu. That might just put a bit of a crimp on my project. I pulled a book from the shelves, flicking through the index. Someone coughed politely behind me. I turned my head to glance over my shoulder. A boy about the same age as me stood there, looking very nervous. He looked somewhat familiar, but I couldn't place his slightly feminine, delicate features. He moved with grace and stood with poise. This was a boy that every girl in the school would be following, but for the moment, there was not a girl to be seen. He gripped the strap on his bag nervously.

"Are you Shadow Roth?" He asked in a lilting accent I tried hard to place. I closed the book in my hands, turning to face him fully.

"Yes, I am. Can I help you?"

"My name's Ilrune. I was told you came from Synairn..."

I watched him warily. How did he know about Synairn? "Yeah, I was born there."

A weight seemed to have been lifted from his shoulders. "You were the demoness under High Priestess Arias' care."

"That's right."

"Well, as I said, I'm Ilrune. I'm Careen, more specifically..."

"You're the Wingless." That raised the question of 'why the hell was he here?'. The Wingless was a Careen child born without wings. They were revered as a good omen and were the nobility of the race. Unfortunately, there was no way of telling if a child was going to be born wingless or not, not even if both the parents were wingless.

Ilrune looked at the floor, embarrassed. "Yeah, they thought I'd be better off here, away from all the fighting."

I placed the book back on its shelf, smiling reassuringly at Ilrune. He looked very much like a lost puppy. At least the Careen were well renowned for their ability to pick up languages in a few days of immersion. "Well, welcome to earth and welcome to the Academy, Ilrune. Don't worry too much, you'll get used to it. Come on, I'll show you around."

It was coming into the end of the year, summer was in full flight. I revelled in the heat. I can survive in cold, but the heat makes me feel alive! I made the most of it. After class, most of the students took advantage of being allowed out into a nearby town, leaving the grounds mostly deserted. Holly, Nat and I decided to spend some time down by the lake. The lake was kinda a place where we could relax and be ourselves without frustrating each other. Nat would sit under our favourite willow tree with her book, I would do my homework, and Holly used her magic to push people into the lake. I stretched out lazily under the tree. No more essay assignments to do, no tests coming up and Merlas had returned from Synairn, safe and sound. It felt good to have nothing to worry about. I closed my eyes briefly. A half smile twitched one corner of my mouth. Unclipping my cloak, I focused my mind. I hadn't morphed for a long time. I was afraid I'd forgotten how. Thankfully not. Like a reliable old car, I slipped into the motions with relative ease. In wolf form, no longer a cub, but a sleek, fully grown she-wolf, I winked at Natalie before bounding to the water, jumping in with an enormous splash.

After paddling around a little, I hauled myself out. The urge to shake all the water from my coat was overwhelming, but I needed to get back at Holly for attempting to splatter me in the canteen. I waited until I was right next to her and Natalie. Then I shook, and took a fiendish delight in the task before I morphed back into human form.

"You are a stinker, Shadow Roth!" Holly spluttered. I smiled back, wringing out my hair.

"Hey, what's up?" Jamie appeared from behind the tree, grinning down at us.

"Nothing much," we answered. Jamie was a part of our little band as well, but he occasionally took off. I tried not to let that get to me. I know I had already kinda defeated the whole 'don't-get-close-to-anyone' thing, but I wasn't ready to face what I felt for Jamie. He was another part demon in a universe I thought they no longer existed in. I was glad to know that he was there, but I couldn't afford to let myself get attached. It would only mean that either I would get hurt, or he would. Or if things went far enough, we'd bring children into the world, children cursed with being part demon. Not something I would ever inflict on a kid. Not after what I had gone through. He nodded to me.

"Miss Roth, if you will?" He asked formally. I frowned slightly, getting to my feet. I couldn't fathom his game. He smiled at me, his brilliant blue gaze locked on mine. He raised his hands, palms towards me, to chest height. Oh goddess. Oh goddess. Oh goddess. I knew what he was up to. And it was highly dishonourable for both parties to refuse. He was asking for a courting ritual. I stared at his hands.

"I...I...I don't know how..."

"You'll pick it up, trust me."

I bit my lip, but raised my hands and placed them palm to palm. He smiled slightly. My demon side raised its ugly head. For a moment, I tensed, ready to battle it down. But it wasn't trying to take over. It wanted to dance. Tentatively, I let go of my control. The demon stretched, her influence spreading through my limbs, curling herself in my fingers. I became more aware of our beating hearts. Beating in time, our rhythm. I took a deep breath, and began to dance.

The demon's courting ritual is a little difficult to describe. It really as to be seen. The closest thing I can find to describe it is a tango crossed with a fight and ballet. It's supposed to be the two demons moving in time with each other's heartbeat, the demoness proving herself able to hold her own against a demon, and the demon's determination to have the demoness. At least, that's how it is in the more 'civilised' of the demonic species and cultures, including both mine and Jamie's. Jamie and I moved faster and faster, as is custom. It becomes a spectacle, but for the dancers, they don't even notice. At least, they don't notice until they find themselves back in the beginning position. I was breathing heavily, staring at Jamie. He panted, grinning at me. He leant his head forwards, dipping lower to kiss me. I'll admit it freely. The dance, the kiss. I was head over heels in love.

We were laughing, heading for the dining hall after classes when I felt the telltale burning in the back of my mind. With a jarring shock, I realised I hadn't released the pent up magic recently, the build up that occurred roughly once a month and had to be released. I gasped, leaning against the wall, one hand on my chest, trying to breathe evenly, force it back a little, enough to excuse myself and run for the forest. Holly and Natalie looked back at me, their carefree expressions immediately turning to concern.

"Shad, what's wrong?" Holly asked. Natalie rushed to my side, wand at the ready. I shook my head, swallowing hard. They couldn't follow me, it was too dangerous. Summoning up every scrap of energy and concentration I could muster, I turned tail and sprinted out into the grounds.

I reached an unnatural clearing deep inside the forest. The trees had been stripped of their leaves, their branches broken and splintered, the trunks and ground blackened by the force of my magic. Once a month, I came here. Once a month, every month. I collapsed in the centre of the clearing, trying to stay lucid enough to control the direction of the magical flow.

"Shadow, tell us what's happening!" Natalie's voice made it to my ears through the rushing sound of magic.

"Stay back!" I yelled out in warning. The fire in my muscles was starting to blaze. I couldn't keep it in much longer.

"Just tell us, you silly little person or I will bug you for eternity!" Holly shouted.

I didn't have time to say anything more. Magic poured out of my entire body, blasting the clearing with another wave of magic. I could avoid having to do this, but I didn't want to. By being at school, in such a social environment, I exposed myself, my power of empathy, to high levels of teenage emotions. I also allowed my own emotional levels to become uncontrollable as well. This, as always, led to dangerous build ups of magic. Magic that had to escape somehow.

I don't know how long it lasted. I never do. I tried to time it once, but my magic fried the stopwatch. All I can say is, at least I didn't scream this time. Instead, I realised a little too late that this time, I was going to be hit by what some humans termed as 'a double whammy'. Night had fallen, and the moon was nowhere to be seen. I felt the shivers run through my body. Glancing down at my hand confirmed my suspicions. No claws. I was human again for three days and three nights. Whoopee. I slowly got to my feet, staggering, grabbing onto a tree to steady myself. Of course, human meant a lot weaker. Even in demonic form, a power surge left me tired and out of action for a day or two. I felt a hand touch my shoulder.

"What was that?" Natalie asked quietly, locking gazes with me, trying to find an answer in my eyes.

"Yo, Shad, dude! What happened to you?!" Exclaimed Holly, barging in on Natalie's quiet concern in true Holly fashion. I shook my head at her. Natalie, thankfully more subtle than the other third of our trio, shushed the girl with a silencing charm. Taking a deep breath, I focused on putting one foot in front of the other in order to get back to my room. Natalie let me go on ahead for a few moments before following. I silently thanked her. I was going to get grilled for this later, but in the immediate aftermath, Natalie was willing to let it go. It would hurt so much to have to lose her when I eventually moved on from here.

I found Jamie waiting for me in my room when I opened the door. I sighed heavily at the sight of his confused expression. Yeah, I know, I looked human for the moment, but he didn't have to stare. I headed for the tiny en-suite attached to my room, intending to melt into a puddle at the bottom of the shower for a while.

"Go away, Jamie, I'm really not in the mood," I sighed irritably, knowing how scratchy my voice probably sounded. It certainly felt raw. Jamie let out a long humph of frustration.

"Well, I've got a letter here for you. Come and find me tomorrow to talk about it."

"You read my post?" I said, narrowing my eyes. "Isn't that some sort of big human no-no?"

"We're not human, Shad. Good night," Jamie said, winking as he left the room.

I sat with my back against the wall, scalding hot water cascading down on my head, trying to wash away the residual ache. With a deep sigh, I stood up, turning my face to the spray and washing the last remnants of shampoo from my hair before shutting off the water. Dressed in the baggy trousers and tank top that constituted my pyjamas, I wandered towards my beck, sleepily plaiting my hair. Grabbing the envelope Jamie had left, I curled up on my bed under my favourite purple blanket. I cursed the absent moon for my current inability to catch a scent off the envelope to determine who it might be from. I pulled out two pieces of paper, one a page that looked to have been ripped out of a fairly old book, the other, a scrap torn from the bottom of a notepad. The scrap read: You are in danger. He's coming. Watch your back. �"R

I sat back, trying to think about who 'R' could be, and why they would want to warn me about being in danger. I didn't recognise the spiky script from any of my classmates, nor Jamie, Holly or Natalie. I picked up the other piece of paper to see some sort of poem written there:

On the twelfth moon of the Aquarius Summon
The demon will be strong
The demon shall be summoned by the Messenger angel
Three beating hearts become many
The demon may be vanquished
Through the beating of a lovers heart
And He shall lose his power to their centres
On the sixteenth moon of the Aquarius summon
Two girls shall be born
One a Halfling wolf, one a Halfling raven
By the third moon of their birth
The magic shall rise
And so the prophecy shall begin.
On the night of her 360th moon
Wolf and demon shall lock in mortal fight
Only the victor shall prove to lead the darkness
Neither heart will continue to beat
~~If the One is present, one shall live~~
Through the mourning tears
After the passing of a single moon
The silver blood drinker shall cry to the skies
And the light of the world shall fail
The girl of green eyes will be lost to the void.

One line of the poem had been heavily scribbled out in blue biro. I didn't have to wrack my brains too hard to discover the culprit. I sighed heavily, rolling over on my side. I was tired, exhausted, but the poem had stirred something in my mind, reminded me of something from so long ago. I just couldn't remember what. Little did I know that this was the beginning of the fall. I slumped back against the pillow, too tired to think anymore. I closed my eyes, praying that my vulnerable period would pass faster than it sounded.

Jamie was waiting for me at breakfast the next morning. I silently glared at him, grabbing some food and sitting far away from him. Unfortunately, he followed me. I bit into my apple, a fruit I could only really enjoy during my non demonic time since my fangs usually got in the way.

"Is there some part of being a jerk that means you ignore perfectly clear body language?" I asked icily.

"Hey, hate the game, not the player," Jamie retorted. "I'm just trying to protect you, Shad."

"Funny way of doing it," I muttered. Holly ran over to us in her usual hurricane mode, sitting next to me and immediately tearing into a bowl of cereal that was so full of sugar it made my teeth ache in sympathy. Natalie followed in a somewhat more sedate style with a bowl of cornflakes. Jamie cast me a look that clearly stated that we would talk later. I glared back.

Three days and two nights later, I sat up a tree on the edge of the forest, waiting impatiently for night to fall again. I hated being trapped as a human, and this one had definitely outlasted its novelty period. At least I had evaded Natalie's questions. Holly had teased me for the first two days, but I think she was as confused as Natalie. I leant my head back against the tree trunk, watching the sky. Something crashed further in the trees.

"Hey, Shadster! Whatcha doin' all the way up there?" Holly's voice echoed up through the branches.

"Shad, we really need to talk, you've been avoiding me for three days!" Natalie's plaintive call wasn't far behind. I gritted my teeth, trying to listen, but all I could hear was Holly and Natalie below me.

"Shush," I hissed, glaring down at the pair.

"Hello you lot, what're you all up to now?" Jamie said, sauntering casually across the grounds towards us. I rolled my eyes. Just what I needed. Another nosy part demon. I didn't know if he had made the name connections, but I sure didn't want him to meet 'dearest Daddy'. Then again, he said that his father was the anthropomorphic personification of War. Maybe he knew what it was like to have the evil paternal figure.

"Trying to get a couple of answers off Shad, you know how hard that is when she doesn't want to talk."

"Maybe I can help you then," Jamie smirked.

"Don't you dare," I threatened.

"Really? Ok, why has she been all weird for the last few days?"

"Vulnerable period, her breed of part has them. Turns their physical over to their primary half."

"Earth speak, please, Jammesson?" Holly interrupted.

I could almost see the evil grin growing on Jamie's face. "She hasn't told you? She's a half demon."

There was silence for a moment before Holly broke it. "Whadda ya mean, she's a half demon? OHMYGOD! That means she's just like you! When's the wedding?! When are the children gonna come?!"

"Shut it, Holly," I growled, dropping down from the tree. A bolt of magic slammed into my back, sending me to the ground. I glanced behind me. What I saw made my blood run cold. The black hair, the ragged cut off trousers, the red eyes. Karthragan. How did he track me here? He wasn't supposed to be able to track me here! Frozen by panic, I couldn't move. All I could do was pray that I smelled different in human form. There was no way I'd be able to take him on in this state. I yelled at the others to run, scrambling to my feet, trying to get to the school. I had to get to a teacher, to warn everyone. A blast of magic caught me off balance, sending me crashing to the ground. Karthragan grabbed me by the hair, wrenching me backwards. I thought my spine would crack under the pressure. Somewhere to the side came the sound of a battle cry. The pressure on my spine vanished. Flipping over, I spotted a violet-haired girl with a huge sword dodging bolts of magic.

"Get the humans inside, Shadow!" She yelled. I remembered that voice. She had sent me back from Synairn!

"But who..." I started to ask before she repeated her orders. Deciding that this was one woman I shouldn't mess with, I grabbed Holly, running for the main building of the Academy. Natalie came running out of the front door, wand at the ready. The sun finally set. The shivers ran through my body as the warmth of magic coursed through my blood once more. Thrusting Holly to Natalie, I ran back out to where the fight between Karthragan and the strange girl had reached magical levels. The girl was limping slightly. Yelling a few choice words of my own, I joined the fray.

"Get out of here, Shadow!"

"I can help!" The momentary distraction allowed Karthragan to land a punch on me. I gasped, frozen to the spot. His hand had gone through me, lodged in my stomach without leaving a mark. A brief flash of surprise flitted across his face before a smirk twisted his cruel features. He pulled his hand away, letting me crumple to the ground. He raised his sword, intending to deal the final blow. The blade sliced through the air. It clanged as it hit something solid. Natalie stood not far off, wand raised, holding a shield in place above me. Gratitude flowed through my mind as I scrambled out of the way, summoning my magic, ready to fight. Holly and Natalie joined us, ready to kick some serious butt. Karthragan laughed. I didn't like the sound of that. He had something up his sleeve. I just didn't know what it was. Something slammed into my back, pinning me to the ground. I rolled, trying to throw whatever it was off. I froze. Jamie.

"What the hell are you doing?" I snarled, trying to shove him off. He smirked.

"What do you think I'm doing?"

I employed a technique I had only ever seen used once, and that was by Holly on a boyfriend she had caught with another girl. I kicked up backwards as hard as I could. Jamie yelped in a surprisingly satisfying high-pitched voice I shot out from underneath him, running to Holly and Natalie, starting to herd them towards the school.

"You've got to go!" I urged them.

"Nat, have you ever realised that Shadow says that and we obey, she always ends up beaten to a pulp?" Holly asked airily.

"Please, don't argue," I begged them, "you have no idea what he's capable of!"

"No, Shadow, we're staying. You might have lied to us all these years, but we're still your friends." Natalie replied firmly. She opened her mouth to say something else, but Karthragan launched his next strike. A wave of magic, not unlike one I unleashed during a power surge, knocked us all off our feet. For a moment, I couldn't breathe, the wind knocked out of my lungs. I coughed as I pushed myself up, wrapping an arm around my ribs.

"Shadow?" Came a quiet voice. A hand touched my shoulder. The strange girl was there. I finally got a good look at her. Her violet hair was cut in a severe bob although it was messy from fighting. Her eyes were equally purple. She looked so familiar. "Come on, Shadow," she said, helping me get up. "I've taken care of Dad. Let's get you seen to."

"Holly... Natalie..." I murmured, looking around for them. My eyes fell on two limp forms still lying in the grass. I froze. They weren't breathing.

I vaguely remember the girl dragging me off to the dorms, back to my room. I sat in the shower again, the way I had done three days ago. Silent tears streamed down my cheeks, mixed with the scalding water. The girl had to pull me out again an hour later. She sat me on the bed, wrapped in a blanket, staring blankly at the wall.

"Look, Shadow, you can't afford to do this to yourself. It's too dangerous. You know that."

"Who are you?" I murmured.

"I thought you would have recognised me, Shadow. I'm Raven, Raven Roth. Your twin." I tore my gaze away from the wall to look at her. Her hair, her eyes, her whole face. Everywhere in the scriptures, it had said that demons come in pairs. I had never actually realised the implications of that. Every demon had a twin. Raven was mine. I let out a harsh, bark-like laugh. I lose both my best friends, another friend betrays me and I find a long-lost sister. Ignoring her as best I could, I stood up and got dressed. I got dressed in clothes that would be my style for the next few years. All black, a longsleeved top, jeans with a belt that could hold potions vials, ankle boots, and my cloak. I glanced around the room. Everything in it reminded me of Holly and Natalie. The books Natalie wanted me to read. The whoopee cushion I had taken off Holly for overuse. Photos of the three of us laughing.