• I crept down the hall way, all was silent except for the sounds of my parents at each other’s throats again. I shook my head, brown/black locks falling over my emerald-ish colored eyes. Nothing mattered except for those voices as parts of the conversation drifted through the air, up to my waiting ears.
    “You honestly think… Asenia is not ready to… She’s barely eight… What could you possibly…” It was my mother’s voice, clear and heavily accented in Transylvanian litany. It also was not enough. I craved to hear more of the conversation. Next, had come a man’s voice, my father’s.
    “She will be ready, Aleena… She will be ready the day she turns…. I need her… She is the key to…” The voices trailed off as my mother thought about whatever it was she needed to think about. I tip-toed back to my room, where my perfect sisters lay in wait. I hated not knowing exactly what they expected of me. And why me of all people? I carefully closed my door and turned to face my sisters. Jillian, nick-named Summer, stared up with her huge blue eyes at the sound of the closing door. She stood and bounded over, enveloping me in a hug. She looked at me seriously as if to ask what our parents were arguing about now. I gave a small shrug, not wanting them both to know that they were in fact talking about me.
    Summer had blond hair and huge blue eyes. Her complexion was flawless and she always dressed in bright clothes which made me want to smack her and shake a sense of real fashion into her. My other sister, whom was a twin to our eldest sibling Daven, whose real name would just so happen to be Lilliana, nick-named Mystic, had brown hair straight as a rod and green eyes, like me. Mystic looked utterly bored without her twin, minus gender and eye color, by her side. Then, as if thinking about him conjured him, Daven strode into my room. His hair was brown and tousled and he had slate gray-blue eyes. Mystic looked up and smiled her literal other half was now by her side. Seeing them apart was seriously unusual. They even finished each other’s sentences.
    Now for me. My name is Asenia, nick-named Fallen for I remind my mother of a fallen angel with my beauty and dark brown hair that was so dark that it looked like midnight black, accompanied by emerald eyes. Even only at eight years of age, it’s quite obvious that I will become a lovely little heart breaker when I come of age. Then a black haired man entered the room. His deep voice was full of surprise and slight worry, maybe that they’d been too loud, as he spoke.
    “Off to bed, all of you. No excuses.” He then left the room, door swinging wide open. As my siblings filed out, off to their perspective beds, they gave me a gentle hug. I went to the bathroom, towel in hand and took a scalding hot shower.
    Waking up was really a surreal experience. Have you ever woken up and wondered just where your life had gone? Like half of it was suddenly missing? That was what I felt when I woke up that morning but about nine years later. Today was the day that I discovered my powers; only that morning was two years ago. And I was finally leaving today to discover what exactly I could really do. I was going to discover the full extent, strength, and ways I could actually use them. I was going to go to a castle off an island somewhere around Alecenthia or was it Alikental? It didn’t matter. All I knew was that I was going to finally learn to control the power within me.
    I was about to get everything I’ve ever wanted, but I didn’t know it yet.
    I showered quickly, brushing my long dark, dark brown/black hair. I dressed quickly then headed out my door and down the wooden stairs. I wore dark blue skinnies and a black tank top with high top converse on my feet. I went out to the kitchen only to see one of my sisters standing there, staring out the window with envy at the gorgeous morning. I watched her for a moment more then smiled and greeted her. She jumped slightly in surprise and turned to me.
    “Good morning, Fallen.” Her voice was silk. Summer’s blond hair was shining in the light from the window. I shrugged slightly by way of acknowledgement. I went and ate breakfast then went to pack my suitcases. At noon there was a car waiting for me and I hurried out to it, two suitcases in tow. I turned toward the home I grew up in and, figuratively, waved good-bye.




    It was drizzling when I woke up on the plane. We were beginning to land and I seriously didn’t want to have to be woken up by someone else, surprise triggered my flames. I grinned at the thought of setting that awful flight attendant’s hair on fire. Yes, that would have made the flight for nearly thirteen hours very… very bearable. I had slept as much as I could so not as to be as badly jetlagged. It also happened to be my birthday, and I was away from my family, joy.
    I quickly deplaned and went through the terminal and checked with security and then finally collected my bags. Now to wait until I could actually find someone who was going to pick me up and take me. I imagined we would get there by a helicopter or by a boat. I didn’t fancy either of them over the other. It turned out that I would be getting there by a helicopter. The ride was about an hour long and seemed to go by painfully slowly. I really wanted to learn whatever this person had to teach me but I wasn’t so sure if I exactly had the patience for it. At that I gave a soft smile. When we landed I was happy to be on solid ground once again.
    The castle looked like something out of the Dark Ages or out of the Renaissance. That did make me rather happy; I always loved reading about human history but my own race’s history that was out of the question. It had always exasperated my mother and father. As I walked over the bridge that was sitting just above a (honest to goodness) mote, I thought that I might actually faint from the surreal-ness of this new life ahead of me.
    Of course, then my attention was stolen away by all of the well-built males around this wonderful place. I grinned to myself as I waved flirtatiously at a few of them, and they nodded back. They smiled appreciatively at me and I continued my walk. Eventually one of them stopped me and asked if I needed help with my luggage. I smiled and thanked him. He took both suitcases and I examined him out of the corner of my eye. He had sandy brownish-blond hair, his eyes looked like they were a dark blue, almost sapphire.
    This man was undoubtedly the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen. He looked to be only about nineteen or twenty and he had high, defined cheekbones and a strong chin. His eyes were big and really dark. I decided to see what his name was. So I asked. He turned to me with his response.
    “Adrian, Adrian Bauer.” He stated and smiled, asking my name in return. I returned his smile and then responded.
    “Asenia Marzin.” I, in turn, asked him another question. “How old are you?” Seriously, my curiosity was killer. Graciously, he responded saying he was just over nineteen. Now, that made me smile. He asked my age and I told him that I was seventeen. He nodded then we walked the remainder of the way in relative silence. It wasn’t like an uncomfortable, overbearing silence but it was just a nice quiet that never grew awkward.
    He took me to a room that was simply decorated and assured me that for the remainder of my stay at the Alikentalian Castle that I could go to him for anything I required. I was beginning to wonder if that had a double meaning to the tone when what he said after sank in. It absolutely floored me.
    “I will be your instructor.” He had said. I looked up at him with an immediate shock. My emerald eyes were widening to the point where he looked slightly concerned about them popping out of my head.
    “You can’t be serious.” I stated, disbelief crossing over every part of my body.
    His laughter washed over me, rich and filled with genuine amusement. “Of course I’m serious, Asenia. Why else in the world would I tell you that if I wasn’t completely serious?” He asked, a smile playing over his full lips.
    I simply shrugged and then bid him good-bye after he told me that my first training was the very next morning after breakfast and after he extended an invitation for me to join him for dinner in two and a half hours in the secondary dining hall. I agreed. Weary, I returned to my bed and thought I’d take an hour’s nap.
    Two hours later and I was busy trying to find my way around the winding halls. That was, before Adrian found me and gave me a soft smile before gesturing toward the left hallway and leading me onward to dinner.
    “How are you settling in?” He inquired and I just shrugged before responding.
    “Well enough, though I think I already miss my own bed. I took a nap and it’s a bit too soft for my liking.” I grinned at him and he smiled back.