Flames;Sparkles...

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"Welcome to St. Shan's, Miss Mazur." The headmaster of Alexa's new school says as he hands her the papers she would need for her first day in a human school. With a word of thanks she walks to the dark door that would lead her out of the dusty office. Her hands are trembling as she folds open her class schedule;

1st: math

2nd: biology

3rd: chemistry

    Lunch

4th: English

5th: history

6th: PE

7th: physics

'Well, it could be worse.' She whispers to the little charm on her wrist. The young couple that adopted her didn't really like that she wore it, to them it looked evil and they were worried she might be part of some cult or gang. But after she came to breakfast this morning dressed in a sundress and a pair of sandals with the most adorable insects on them, they doubted that she could be anything but a little strange, but what teenager wasn't? When they asked her about the "bracelet" she had told them a lie, saying that it was the only thing she had left of her mother and father, but in truth in had been hers ever since that horrible day when her life was torn apart and her true human family, the people she was supposed to protect, was killed. Now she was assigned to a new family. She didn't like them, they seemed too nice and they scared her with their interest in her life. Her previous family never asked much questions and the trusted her to be a good girl, all though they were very protective, they did allow her to be free. This new family wanted her to tell them what she was going to eat for lunch. She told them that she was a vegetarian and they seemed worried she might be "lost", as was the word that came to their minds, and also pictures of dripping holy water on her head. She hastily told them that it was a life style choice and that it kept her skin in a healthy condition. They seemed happy after that and she was driven to school by their driver, Cam. He seemed a lot nicer than her new parents (uhg! She hated the word!). Now she walked down the halls trying to find her class, but she seemed to find herself getting more lost by every turn she made. She wanted to start crying but the charm on her wrist warmed a little, not enough to hurt her but enough to comfort her in a way. 'Thanks' she mutters to the little friend stuck to her wrist. 'What would I do with out you?' silent laughter through her head makes her smile. This little creature had a unique way of communication. They had been together for three years now and every time the darkness wanted to claim her it would pull her out again. Jack said that it was her guardian in a way. It made her feel a little better knowing she had someone to protect her when she was protecting others.

A hand on her shoulder made her jump and instinct took over. She grabbed the hand and twisted it behind the body of her attacker. 'Hey, I just wanna say "hi". Please don't hurt me, I'm sorry. Please let me go.' The boy said. Alex realized her mistake and let go immediately. 'Sorry I didn't mean to scare you. You looked lost and I wondered if I could help you.' He rubbed his wrist and looked her up and down. She knew he must have had about ten different fantasies playing round in his head as his eyes looked her up and down. 'Sorry I'm new and I find it hard to trust any one. My name is Alex.' She held out her hand to him and he shook it carefully. She smiled inwardly. He feared that she would hurt him. Ha! If he only knew. 'So can I help you?' he asked and his eyes darted to her schedule. 'Yes, please. I need to get to my math class.' 'Let me see that.' He said as he took her schedule from her hands. He gave it back to her and motioned for her to follow. 'Mister Keller, why are you roaming the halls like some phantom on a killing spree?' a teacher with a bowtie asked from behind them and the boy turned around with a wide smile on his face. 'Well sir, you teach us everyday in class that we should show random acts of kindness, and that is what I'm doing right this moment. Well, was doing until you so rudely interrupted?' The boy replied, pushing his hand through his dark brown hair. The teacher seemed baffled by the reply he got but then he recovered and took a deep breath before saying; 'well, that was the last time you were in my class, Keller. My last lesson was to obey rules; maybe if you were in class I would not enjoy it so much to get you in trouble.'  The boy's smile widened and he took Alex's hand and pulled her to his side. 'This is Alex and I'm showing her the way around school. Would you like to yell at her for not being in class? No off course not. I was told by the headmaster to show her around and make sure she did not get lost. But if you want to disobey his rule I will get to my next class immediately.' His smile turned to a sweet evil one that said he just won the argument.  He turned around and pulled Alex with him down a random hallway and came to a stop so abruptly that she had to skid to a stop and grab a locker for support. 'Now if he gives you any trouble at all, even if he just gives you an A- , you come to me. Meet you hear at lunch, okay?'  'No, who do you think you are? Giving me orders like that, and talking to him as if he was some sort of disgraced slave?' she asked him truly upset with the way he had handled the human man… oh now she gets it. 'Who are you?' she whispered now. He was clearly not human, that's why he treated the teacher the way he did. 'I'm no one.' he said sadly, a haunted look in his eyes. 'Hear they call me Bruce. Now follow, we have to get you to class and please meet me here at lunch, I don't want you to get lost again. Get someone to show you to your next few classes.' He sounded tired and she felt sorry for yelling at him like that. Although she was still mad at him for being so rude. 'You're not like them are you?' she said and pulled him to a stop and pulled the collar of his shirt down to expose the side of his neck. There she saw the tattoo of the letter M in a gold color. She gasped, royal if she did not find herself in the hall of a human school she would have bowed down and asked forgiveness for her behavior, but her shock was overridden with the memory of HIS behavior, and she lifted her chin. The royals of the realm were taught from birth to respect humans and treat them as equals. He didn't seem to have patience for that law or any law for that matter. 'You are a royal?' she asked with an ice cold voice. He gave her a rueful smile and said; 'I won't tell if you don't.  No really, I mean it you can't tell anyone you met a royal. Do you understand?' she nodded and looked him up and down. He looked confident like most royals looked, but he had more than that, she couldn't put her finger right on it but he seemed to be more than just a royal who was ordering her to keep her mouth shut. She nodded again and he started leading her to her class once again. She felt a little better knowing she wasn't alone now; she had a sort of friend. He came to a stop in front of a door at the end of a very long hall and gave a commanding knock. She huffed, damn royals, she thought. He gave a shrug and smiled at her before opening the door. 'Mrs. Nelson, this is your new student. I was told to accompany her today, so could you just write me a note for Mr. Downing?' he said in a tone that was very polite and Alex realized that he may have seemed rude but that was how he was taught. The woman smiled at him and ripped a piece of paper from her note book writing down a quick note. Bruce thanked her and winked at Alex and left the room leaving a few of the girls sighing after him. Oh dear, I'm not going answer their questions about kissing, eew!  She almost laughed at the looks she got from some of the girls. They seemed ready to rip her head of. 'All right Alex, you can take a seat over here, this is your text book and here is the hand in dates along with your test dates. And as soon as you're settled in I'll continue with today's lesson.' There were some groans from kids who clearly hoped they would be saved from a period of torture. The lesson was easy to follow, and she had no trouble at all finding out which kids to follow to get to her other classes. After all she could read minds and at that she had no problem with invading some of these kids privacy. She didn't really invade their minds but she shifted around in their head for the information she needed and then she left there minds to recover from the confused feeling her strong mind always left behind. She was grateful for her strong mind, they found out about her strength when she was still in school, she was a freshman. It was a month after she started with her training, a little royal cow tried to order her and her friend away from their lunch table, Eddie, Rez and Mandie was gathering their food ready to find another table, but Alex stood her ground and just said "no" in a detached voice and continued to eat her apple. Everyone could hear the ring of a royal order in the girl's voice but nothing could faze Alex. After that all the royal were polite to the crowd that were known to be around Alex and her friends, it was like an unsaid rule, "hang with Alex and get in good with the rich kids" no one knew but Alex's legal guardian, Jack, had more power and more money than anyone else in the myth world.

Soon the bell rang and announced lunch for the day. She made her way to the place where she was supposed to meet Bruce. He was waiting for her, playing something that looked more like a gem than a plaything. He was leaning casually against the wall and gave no indignation that he saw her coming. 'Good I thought you didn't trust me enough to come.' He said, looking relieved to see her but there was something else I his dark eyes that she could not make out entirely. She followed him out to the parking lot. 'No wait, we're not going anywhere. Here no one will hear us talk, that's all.' He said when she turned to walk away. 'What can you read minds now?' she asked him. 'No but you looked ready to walk away as soon as I opened a car door. And I like that,' he added hastily, 'it tells me that no one sent you here to come and kill me, or take me back for that matter…' he went on babbling like that and she just gave him time to get whatever out of his system. 'Why aren't you saying anything?' he asked skeptically. 'No I am trying to give you a chance to calm down.' She smiled and leaned against one of the trees. 'Oh, well thanks. I know you'd probably want to know what that was about.' He sighed as if to say "I wish you would say no" Alex shook her head and walked slowly to where he was standing and looked him straight in the eye, only now being so close to him se realized that he was tall, taller than most of the guys she knew. 'You don't have to, I won't die not knowing.' She smiled and he nodded looking relieved. 'Now let's go on that tour I promised.' If Alex thought that the stares she got earlier the day was bad the ones she was getting now made her thankful that looks does in fact not kill. It made her laugh that girls could be so possessive of a person they have PE with or chemistry, but never talked to. A quick look through their present thoughts made it clear that though Bruce kept to himself he was the one boy every girl wanted but none could have. She didn't know what skeleton Bruce was hiding but she thought that in time he would trust her enough and then he would tell her what had given him such a wild look in his eyes every time the subject just got near anything personal. She didn't care that he avoided any means of personal questions; she did a fair share of her own avoiding. By the time school ended she walked to the parking lot where Cam was already waiting for her. After some small talk and a few comments on the girls' short skirts, he took of to her new home. She didn't want to call it that yet but she convinced herself that the sooner she accepted it the better. When the car came to a stop before the house she now called home, she thanked Cam and stepped through the front door. Her new mother (ugh!!) was waiting for her and she lowered her backpack to the floor, gently. 'Alex honey, come sit here.' She sighed inwardly and took a seat next to Natalya. 'How was your day? Did you make new friends, if you're scared they won't like you we could organize a party and invite all the kids your age…' before Natalya could continue her nervous rambling, Alex interjected, 'no, please. I don't like social stuff. And I have a friend.' Sort of she added silently. 'Really, what is her name?' Natalya looked like she was going to shoot through the roof with excitement. 'Uhm, well actually HIS name is Bruce.' Alex answered uncertainly, she hasn't established if boys was allowed in this family. 'Oh, well I hope you don't think he is coming over for a sleep over.' Natalya said a little sharply but the smile in her eyes betraying her jibe.

After her chat with her new mother Alex went to her room. Hmf, no oasis in this dessert. Just an endless, colorless space trying to suck out my, oh so appealing personality. I really wish I could use the staff… no. I'm not gonna think of that right now. Tomorrow I'll think about ignoring the rules.

She fell on her bed, and buried her face in the pillows; her tears flowed until she fell into a restless sleep.

His throat burned, and he blew slowly over the wood that was set in the fire place, flames enfolded the wood and heat started to fill the room. His home was cold even in the spring, he blamed the stone walls. 'Pardon me, sir. Would you like me to join you?' John asked.  'Yes, you know John, it would not kill you to call me by my name.' he smiled with his back to his trusted friend and keeper. 'Yes sir, IT may not but someone will.' John replied and took a seat in front of the flames. 'Pardon my boldness, sir, but something seems to be on your mind?' the words came out as a question, but also as an offer of comfort. 'Yes, John. I seem to want to be at the education center more than I ever thought possible.' John smiled, 'could a little flower petal have something to do with it?' he asked carefully. 'I think so John, I think so.' He turned around and faced his friend. John's heart jumped with joy, for the first time, since they moved here, his master was smiling. A real smile, one that touched his eyes, and made the now dark blue jewels sparkle with excitement.