Their Light

Special Chapter - Caspian Meeting Isaac

Caspian - age 14

I hated going to school. Grandfather didn't know, but I dreaded it every single day. It didn't matter what I wore. It didn't matter what I said or did. I was forever marked by the blood running through my veins. Only half of it was accepted here.

"Hey, Half-breed!" a familiar voice shouted behind me. Even though the hallway was full, I knew he was talking to me. I was the only person here who had a normal parent. No matter what they said, I would never regret my mother's blood.

I continued walking, hoping they would give up. It hadn't worked before, but today was a new day. I prayed for a miracle. The day was almost over. I really didn't want to deal with them today. Not today. It was too important.

The academy was sprawled across a beautiful campus. There was a general school for children whose powers hadn't appeared yet. I currently went there. There were also buildings designated for Probus and Kustos education. Mostly older teenagers attended those. I still didn't know yet whether I would even develop powers. Part of me hoped I never would.

"Hey!" The shout was closer. "Abomination, I was talking to you."

I had only taken a few more steps, clutching my books to my chest, when something slammed into my back. I tripped and tumbled forward, my books scattering across the floor. Scrambling around, I rolled over to face my attackers. I was not surprised by what I saw. It was the usual gang led by Khan Byrd.

He was a couple years younger than me, but his father was on the Praeses. Grandfather told me that they were the ruling body of this world. He used his father's power as his own. I didn't what he ate or how he exercised, but he was just as big as I was. I hated that he was younger than me and still gave me such trouble.

After living on the streets, my growth had been temporarily stunted, or at least that's what the doctor told Grandfather. I would eventually have a growth spurt, but I really hoped it came sooner rather than later. I needed all the help I could get.

"Abomination, I called your name," Khan taunted, glaring down at me. "It's not nice to ignore people."

"I have to get to class," I muttered. He tsked and moved forward. In a sudden motion, he landed a solid kick to my right side. I gasped, collapsing onto my side, trying to protect the hurt area. Lightning pain shot up my side.

"I didn't hear that," Khan stated. His posse laughed. "It sure didn't sound like an apology, though. I thought we had been over this, Half-breed. Abominations like you should show respect."

He punctuated his sentence with another kick. I coughed, gasping in pain. I knew there had been others in the hall, but no one messed with Khan. His family had too much influence. Even the instructors rarely stepped in.

On a better day, I would have played the part. I would have rolled over and done what he wanted. I had done it before, and I could have done it again. He would have been appeased and eventually went on his way. Today wasn't a good day, though.

"That's because it wasn't," I coughed out, smirking. "Respect is earned, not given, and you will never earn mine."

"You little shit," he snapped, launching two more kicks. They both made contact, but I used the momentum to roll away from him. I staggered to my feet and glared at the group of teenagers set on making my life a living hell.

"Leave me alone," I bit out each word, letting my anger drip off of each one. The others paused, but Khan didn't. He laughed.

"Wow, what's got your panties in a bunch, Half-breed? That tainted blood making you lose your mind?" he asked, laughing at his own question.

His words only served to ignite the anger inside of me. Before I could do anything, though, he was there. A punch to my face had me seeing stars. They never hit me in visible places. This was terrifyingly new. Another one. Another one. I stumbled into the wall, sliding down to the floor again. The laughing echoed around me like a tornado I couldn't escape. It felt like they were everywhere.

"Leave him alone!" I heard a voice shout. It was unfamiliar. I braced for the next hit, but it never came. Wincing, I cracked my eyes open. They widened as I realized what was going on.

Electricity crackled through the air of the hallway, making the hairs on my arms stand at attention. Bolts of lightning floated through the air as if in slow motion. Khan and the others backed away from an approaching figure. The lightning followed them.

The figure stopped in front of me. I recognized the traditional cloak of the Kustos. Once the lightning wasn't following them anymore, Khan and his gang turned and ran. I would have laughed at the sight if I wasn't in such severe pain.

"Are you okay?" the figure asked, crouching down in front of me. I realized he was just a kid, probably around my age. The lightning dissipated, and the air returned to normal.

"Fine," I bit out, grimacing as I shifted.

"Come on, my sister can help you out," he said, pulling one of my arms over his shoulder and helping me stand.

"Thank you," I managed to get out as we walked.

"Oh, no problem," he replied. I noticed a faint blush decorating his cheeks. "Are those guys always like that?"

"Pretty much."

"That sucks," he said. I couldn't have agreed with him more. "I'm Isaac by the way, Isaac Mitchell."

"Caspian Fell," I told him, waiting for the inevitable reaction. My name was unfortunately well known due to the unique story and Grandfather's standing in society.

"Oh so that's why they were being idiots," he surmised, sending a smile my way.

"So you don't care?" I asked in shock.

"That your mom was a normal human? Nope, couldn't care less, honestly." I couldn't believe it, but he seemed genuine. The mention of my mother had my spirits dropping even lower.

"Hey, what's wrong? Are you still with me?" Isaac asked, concern prominent in his voice. I winced as he jostled me.

"Yeah, I'm here. I'm fine." He gave me a pointed look. I sighed. "It's just not a good day."

"You don't know that," he stated. "Your day could turn around still. You just have to have a good attitude about it. See the good side and not focus on the bad and all that."

"This is the day my mother died." Saying the words felt like vinegar on my tongue. I hated saying it out loud. Isaac paused, and his head dropped.

"I'm so sorry," he finally said.

I dipped my head in acknowledgement. I was focused on him, so I noticed his face change. He stopped and stared ahead of us.

"I think your day might be getting worse or better. I don't know."

I turned and followed his gaze. My eyes widened as they met very familiar ones. Grandfather stood in the lobby staring us down. His hawk eyes took in every detail. He approached slowly, stopping in front of us. The echoing of his footsteps were the only sound.

"Who did this?" he asked, each word emphasized. I debated on answering him. He saw through me in a second. "Who did this, Caspian? Don't make me ask again."

"Khan Byrd and his gang," I answered in a small voice. He nodded as if he expected it.

"Don't worry, I will handle this," he stated, turning toward the office. He met Isaac's gaze. "Take him to the infirmary immediately."

"Yes, Probus." Isaac bowed slightly as he responded.

I didn't know what Grandfather was going to do, but I couldn't deny that it felt good to have someone go up to bat for me. I had someone on my team now. It was quite a change from before.

Isaac stayed with me in the infirmary. He told me about his sister who had just developed her powers and deemed a Probus. He was easy to talk to and made me laugh multiple times. I think he was doing it on purpose to distract me, but it worked.

I didn't know how, but I found him getting past all of my defenses. For the first time since coming to the place, I found someone I liked beside Grandfather. It felt like a good omen, even on such a bad day.