Ethan stood in his room in front of his large blue bed. He had been at home for two weeks since the semester had ended at Bridgestone and soon he would be returning. His first year had not been what he had expected. When Ethan had decided to attend Bridgestone it was to study hard, make friends, and find out what life was like outside of the world he lived in. He hadn't expected the roller coaster of trouble the school would bring him. At first, he didn't know how to react. When he met Dawn, he wanted to be her friend because he felt there was something special about her. She was level-headed, simple, and saw him for who he was unlike all the other girls he had ever met in his life. The only problem was the evil warlock that was trying to kill her. There were so many times Ethan had been scared for her life. The library, the curses, and of course the time she actually was killed in order to prevent Teras from completing the spell to unleash the deepest level of hell's demons on the earth.
He looked over to his glass nightstand. On it was a golden-framed photograph of his three friends. They had taken the picture just before leaving Bridgestone for vacation. He remembered the fuss Eugene was throwing about taking the photo and finding someone to take it for them. Shadoe had been reluctant to join but Dawn convinced her. Dawn always seemed to have a way of making Shadoe participate and communicate with others, even if it was only to argue. Ethan laughed as he recalled the countless arguments between Shadoe and Kai. While Ethan didn't like Kai, he seemed to have made Dawn think he was nicer than the rest of them believed. Of course, the true nature of Shadoe and Kai's rivalry was now to be placed on the matter of blood: Shadoe the half-Rimanis vs. Kai the half-Belanbar. The two races had been at ends for centuries though few people knew why.
He picked up the photo and stroked its frame as he examined Dawn's smiling face next to his. He set the picture down and looked at the small wrapped gift sitting next to it. It was Dawn's birthday today. Soon, he would be heading to her house for the party. The Woodlands had graciously opened their home to him for the rest of vacation before heading back to school. Ethan felt so nervous he almost dropped the little box as he picked it up. He wondered what her reaction would be to the gift. He couldn't deny his feelings for her but yet he wasn't ready for her to know. Ethan worried about what might happen to their relationship if she didn't feel the same way for him. He let out a deep breath and put the gift in his bag, zipped it up and shrunk it down so his luggage could fit in his pocket.
He walked out of his room and down the large, extravagantly decorated hallway of his home. Every few feet there was a pedestal with an expensive looking vase or piece of art. Lining the grand white walls were portraits of Ethan's family and ancestors. Ethan stopped to look at a portrait of one of his ancestors, Prince Elian, the prince who took back the throne after the Great Genocide. His focus on the painting was broken as he heard his mother's voice come from a nearby room. The door was open by a sliver and Ethan carefully tiptoed over to listen what conversation his parents were having.
"Are you certain it is safe to let our son go back? If Teras is after our blood we shouldn't let him out of our sight." Ethan's mother spoke. Ethan looked inside the room to see his parents conversing with Mr. Slithers, head of the Shadow Security department in the Flying Castle.
"Your majesty," Mr. Slithers bowed. "I assure you, the Crown Prince will be safe under the protection of our agents who already attend the school. He won't even know he needs protection."
"But if Teras knows who he is, surely that will be dangerous." Ethan's father argued but Mr. Slithers shook his head.
