Taste Of Fire

Chapter Two

  The plane ride is too short for my liking, and all too soon Rydel is shaking me awake gently. Yawning I lift my head from his shoulder and stretch. He smiles at me softly and I grin. "Ready for the next round?" I ask as we stand, joining the people exiting the plane. He chuckles lightly. "Yeah. It was time we move on anyway. Are you ready?" I shrug, flicking my eyes to the sky. Rydel grabs my hand, giving it a comforting squeeze, and I give him another smile.
  We push our way through the people around us so we can grab our bags. We only came with one suitcase each, the rest will be mailed to us. Mr. Lys couldn't fly with us, instead he's coming tomorrow. So, someone from the school will be picking us up. Once we find our bags Rydel grabs my hand again and we start looking for a sign with our names. We're almost out the door when a cold chill runs down my spine and I stop cold. Rydel stops and gives me a confused look.
  Saying nothing I tug him forward, so we can see out the window and stop again, scanning all of the faces. Rydel steps closer to my side. "Is it a Hunter?" He whispers. I shake my head, then my eyes lock in on a group of faces. "That bastard really did it." I mutter, grinning. Rydel follows where I'm looking and his eyes widen before he grins and starts dragging me outside. We're seen before we reach them, and a cheer goes up. "Ry Ry!"
  We both groan at the nick name before dropping our suitcases and each others hands so we can hug our friends. "Its been too long! What are yall doing here?" I ask Liza. "We're going to the same school. Lys got in contact with our parents and told them y'all have been having problems, so it was decided it wouldn't kill us to spend a little time together." We pull apart and I hug Devi next who just pulled away from Rydel. Devi tugs my hair. "You two are getting so tall. And when did you start growing out your hair?"
  I wrinkle my nose, punching his arm and stepping back. "Two years ago. One of our foster parents told me I was getting to old to be cutting my hair like a boy." I shrug and hug Sin. He hugs me tightly, and I return the strength. "I've missed you Princess." He breaths into my ear, and a hand pulls me away from him and back into a solid chest, arms firmly circling my middle. Tilting my head back I lay it on Tanks shoulder, smiling wide. "When did you get so tall? What are you, six foot?" His blue eyes sparkle at me as he grins proudly. "Six two." Turning in his arms I reach up and wind my arms around his neck, lifting onto my toes some to hug him. "I guess we've all changed in five years." Rydel says from my left. He has Liza in his arms, her back against his chest, and I wink at him.
  "Right? Likes, who told them to change?" We all laugh, and a throat clears from the front of the car. My smile falls as I take the man in. So caught up in seeing my childhood friends again, I didn't notice the stranger in their midst. He's tall, about Tanks height, with a light olive complexion. Dark green eyes that are feline shaped, a straight nose, dark plum lips, and a square jaw. Wide shoulders, and evident coiling muscles under his black muscle t-shirt and black jeans, black combat boots finishing his look. Tank lets me go and I shift to Rydels side, where he grabs my hand. I lace our fingers, my eyes not leaving this strangers. "I see y'all found some company to keep you entertained." My voice is monotone as I adress my friends, all emotion gone.
  He gives me a slow smirk, and my body straightens, shoulders going back as my feet slip into a slightly wider stance as I shift slightly infront of Rydel and lift my chin. He slowly looks me up and down, before doing the same to Rydel, and I resist moving in front of him. No one says a word for a few breaths, and the man's eyes finally rest on Rydels and I's clasped hands, before meeting my eyes again. "Hey Princess." Sin says lightly. I see Liza hug Rydels arm from the corner of my eye and she leans in to whisper something in his ear. I feel his body relax, and he leans tword my ear. "He's another hybrid. An upperclassmen at the school. He's driving us." I know what he's trying to say. That he's not a threat. But he doesn't feel what I feel.
As twins, Rydel and I perfectly compliment each other. Where I have dark amber eyes, he has light bronze eyes. Where I have sharp features, he has smooth looks. Where I have coal black hair, he has golden blonde hair he keeps just above his ears. Where I have a slim build, he is evenly tones. We both are five foot eleven, but where my arms and legs are long, he's more torso. Separate people say we're daunting. But when we're together, we soften yet accent each other perfectly. The same can be said for our abilities.
  As hybrids, we have abilities from all of our bloods. However, the nature of our abilities is opposite. Rydel, despite his build, specializes in mental combat. From telekinesis to mind reading to mind control to mind games, he excelles mentally. Me, on the other hand, am more physically inclined. My senses are sharper, more animalistic. And with that includes my sixth sense. I can sense if things will go good or bad.
  And right now, I know this man is trouble. I flare my nose, trying to pick up his scent, but smell nothing. So he's trained in camouflage? My eyes narrow slightly, there are ways around that. I reach inside myself to my energy reserves, slightly drawing from one and casting it out tword the man. I watch as it makes contact with him, becoming seen to only my eyes, a sort of blood red mist slowly coating him. He shifts, and his smirk sharpens as he rolls his weight on his feet slightly, leaning forward. "If you want to know what I am, you could have just asked." A chill runs down my spine. No one ever feels my energy when I cast it. I've spent years making it unnoticeable. I go to step forward but Rydel tightens his grip on my hand and Tank immediately steps in front of me.
  "Why don't we head to school? You know, out of the open."  He says the last part under his breath and looks around pointedly. I flinch slightly and relax, casting my eyes down. Right. You can never be to careful. We can never be to careful. Expecially in a group like this. Sin drops his arm on my shoulders, pulling me away from Rydel and into his side. "Sorry." I mutter. Devi claps. "We don't expect anything less from our Princess. But, for now, why don't you ride with Tank, Sin, and I, and we send Liza with Rydel and Cor?" Sin nuzzles my head. "That sounds great. You can sit on my lap." Rydel frowns. "I don't see why-" he cuts off as Liza leans in to whisper in his ear. He glances at the man, Cor, then looks back to me. When she pulls away, she gives me a smile, and I nod to her. Pulling away from Sin I lean in and kiss Rydels cheek. "Li will protect you just fine if something happens." He rolls his eyes and I grin before stepping back. Devi lifts my suitcase and Rydel grabs his own. "See you at school Princess. Can't wait to finish what we started." I narrow my eyes at Cor and give a low snarl, curling my upper lip. Tank grabs my hand and drags me to the black Hummer behind the car we were all next to. Cor gets in the car and I watch as Rydel puts his suitcase in the trunk before meeting Lizas eyes. After a moment she nods, and I give her a small smile. She guides Rydel into the back seat and gets in after him.
  Alowing Tank to push me into the Hummer Sin does indeed pull me onto his lap as the others climb in, Davi getting behind the wheel and Tank getting in the back with us. "So, some things to know." Devi starts as we pull off. "Cerabis Academy is a reform school for supernaturals. No humans are aloud on campus. And we are not the only hybrids. I've done some research, and there are four kids who are the children of Counsil members."
  I frown. The supernatural Council. Consisting of the oldest and strongest of each supernatural race. To keep a low profile, we need to avoid those four. "There are a few other high power hybrids, such as the the youngest son of the DeNail family, Luther, and some of the Silas Clans kids are enrolled. I think we should expect them to know we're coming. After all, the Ember Clan coming back together would be hard news to suppress."
  Sin nuzzles the back of my head, and I feel him inhale deeply. I smile to myself. The boy has always had a slight obsession with my scent. It feels like eons ago that he used to follow me arround the village as helped my mother with her chores. And after would sit and watch as Rydel and I would play with Tank, Liza, and some other kids would play in the trees. And Devi, who would always climb the trees and tell us, everyday, that one day he would be a village warrior and he didn't need to play, but would still end up playing in the end.
  It's been five years since I saw them last. The clan came together when another of ours was killed by Hunters. Her name was Vivian, she was a siren/witch/vampire hybrid, and left widowed in the burning of our village. We think she attacked a Hunter compound by herself. We hurried her next to her husband in our village cemetery. We all spent a week there, cleaning up our ruined home and tending to the graves, and spending time together. Before we all went our separate ways again, back into hiding. We of course keep in contact through letters, but we are hesitant to gather in large groups.
  So that the fact our new Clan elders brought us together because Rydel and I have been having problems, both makes me happy and worried. Our parents were once head of the Ember Clan Council. And thus the main target in the burning of our village. We found their hearts ripped from their chests and throats slit. One of the few buildings unburned. I'm happy they want to help us, but worried we will be targeted again. We were the first hybrid clan to make a stable settlement, and thus deemed dangerous. But my parents and the other elders had only wanted peace. To teach the next generations what home was.
  My hands clench into fists as I think about it, and I look at my friends. At Devi, with his dirty blonde hair, hazel eyes, and thin build. Who grew up well, but I know there are burn marks he will never out grow, from trying to save his baby sister as his father pulled his unconsous mother from their crumbling house. At Tank, who used to be the smalles of us but now is the biggest, with his buldging muscles, tall frame, sharp jaw and blue eyes that rarly ever lose their haunted look. Because he watched as his father ran back into their burning house to try to save their family black book, but never came back out. He was impaled by a falling beam, the spell book found under him and unburnt.
  At Sin, with his narrow face and silver eyes that he has to cover with contacts, and lean build that I know sprouts the most beautiful grey wings that he must use in secret, because he can't hide his pointed ears so his family tells everyone they're Elves. I think of Liza, with her long, curly black hair and carmel skin, always having a smile, even though she has to help her father raise her four younger siblings. And I think of everyone else in my broken clan. My family, who are hunted simply because of the blood in our veins. The reason Rydel and I train every night. The reason I am still alive. Because we will avenge those who wronged us, and will protect those we love.
  Leaning back into Sin I force my body to relax. Maybe going to this school will be good. After all, I'm going to need allies in this war I'm planning. And a school for trouble makers is just the place to start.