Chapter Three

3
Eris

I was really hoping I wouldn't find anything at that school. Seriously. Everything was so clean I was afraid to touch anything. How could a descendant of King Adarius Cohen (say "co-an") be there? A teenager of an Underworld Bloodline in a place cleaner than a hospital. Please. That's like saying Winnie the Pooh loves pants.

But the real reason I was reluctant? It's rather simple, actually. And, of course, downright embarrassing. It was the first time my aunt, Katrina (we call her Kat), ever sent me to look for the "Left Hand of Hades" of the Underworld. I was afraid. What if something went wrong and I completely mess up and entire world dies because of me? Melodramatic? You should meet one of my best mates, Jennie.

I'm the Guardian. My duty is to protect The Book. Ooh, scary. Yeah, well, I didn't have a choice. My mum was the former guardian. It's my turn. No pressure. Right.

My aunt and I always talked about how thrilling it would be for me. Huh. Kat (sounds like I'm referring to a friend, doesn't it) probably wanted to motivate me in my training. It worked, darling aunt. I was shaking in my boots and tried not to show it.

Everything was so blue. Don't get me wrong, blue's my favourite colour. But in excess, it's just annoying.
Anyway, as I mentioned before, I was sent there to track a certain "Hades's Left Hand". Of course, I had a cover. I was sent there by the BriarRose Academy headmistress to discuss a partnership with Lauren Greene Junior High on green movement in our schools. Typical.

"This way, Miss," a teacher in his early twenties opened the door to the waiting room outside the principal's office for me.

For a teacher, he looked real cute. I smiled up at him as I passed, to be polite. He blinked. His cheeks turned scarlet. Gee. Why does every male creature do that? Don't they ever get smiled at? Sighing, I waited in front of the secretary's desk. I noted the window big enough for me to jump through if need be, the light chairs strong enough to kill a mortal, the magazine thick enough to bash a grown up's skull . . .

The door closed quietly and I heard the teacher's unsteady footsteps disappearing down the hall.

A girl was already there, sulking in a chair. Her rich blue eyes would have been stunning but her brows were furrowed in irritation. Messily-cut short black hair framed her face surprisingly well, covering her right eye. It was highlighted with bloodred streaks. She looked a bit tan and had a fair amount of cuts and bruises. I'd say she was slightly shorter than me, and younger. She looked thirteen. Either she's tall or I'm short. No way I was two years older and only that much taller. Her school jacket was tied around her waist and I could see her skirt folded, even when her shirt was untucked.

By then, she was looking at me too. Everything about her screamed troubled childhood. I tilted my head slightly, wondering.

She had marks on her skin. Most of which were hidden under her clothes, but they were there. Light blue, almost transparent . . . It was as if I'd been electrocuted. She's the descendant! At the exact same time, the girl's face began to drain of blood.

Oh my gosh! She's starting! Hear voices, heck. Any person would go bonkers. Pray she won't get her powers now! It would be way easier to handle her when she's not throwing fireballs at me!

I could feel The Book in my sling bag getting warmer. It does that when an enemy is around. That girl was the only one around! She lifted her hand to her temple. The voices must have been starting. If she wasn't able to take that, her head would have exploded, literally.

Panic was rising up my throat. If I didn't do something, that girl would cause trouble, not die, but cause some serious trouble. I calmed myself down (you have no idea how hard it is to do that with the thought of a human time bomb) and began channeling my mind.

Her head was a mess, that was my first thought. But then I slammed into a solid mental wall (I don't know if that makes sense, but you get the point...do you?). Ever tried that? I suggest not.

I broke down that wall the voice made and began to handicap it. Handicapping is mentally disabling someone or something (along with its five senses), just FYI. The voice was a demon. A very trusted demon of the Underworld, apparently. Its mission? To get the descendant of the Underworld Royal Bloodline to kill the Guardian. Very comforting.

Anyway, I handicapped it, feeling its senses become nothing, its thoughts emptying. I grabbed a hold of that and tied several knots, which would take centuries to untie. (Experts can make it last milleniums.) Think of the thoughts and senses as a really long piece of glowing thread. A normal person with normal thoughts and five senses has a straight thread, no knots. Now, when you tie knots in it, you get something like an autistic person who has Alzheimer's. Except with no thoughts whatsoever.

The girl relaxed a little but her face was still very pale. I pulled myself out of her head just in time to see the door opening to Principal Farrer and a teacher who made dorks look cool.

"That delinquent girl was so rude to me, Principal Farrer! She threatened to kill me and torture me! And just look at her attire! I suggest public canning, followed by suspension! If she puts even a single hair out of ..." his annoying voice kept squeaking.

What a snob. I bet his poor mother still has to live with him and doesn't have the heart to kick him out. And the way he talks about the troubled child! The nerve! I'd like to see him say that when I make the gravity disappear from under his feet.

Shoot! Got to make them forget why the girl is here! She'll probably tell them about me. Gee. I thought I could have a little fun messing with that doorknob.

Like all the Guardians in the world, I have the power to alter people's memories. And I did just that with Principal Farrer and geekface. Let's just say they were looking pretty confused. I would give just about anything just to replay the unglam looks on their faces.

The girl was still slumped in her chair, looking like she might pass out. Shame, if she weren't my natural born enemy, I might actually like her.

Now's my chance.

I jumped through the window and sprinted until I couldn't see the blue and white school anymore. Time to report to Kat.

Chapter Two

2 Sky

My parents were either really annoying or really awesome; I couldn't decide. For some reason they decided to put me in the same class routine as Robin. Nice one, mom and dad. Kudos for you.

We headed for Geography. Luckily we were allowed to sit wherever we wanted to, so we picked a pair of seats right at the back of the class. All the other students were there, but they didn't notice or stare at me too much so I relaxed a little bit.

Unluckily for me, I'd just made enemies with every other girl in the school.

"Why the heck didn't you tell me you were in a band?! Now every other girl in this hellhole they call a school is gonna kill me, just for talking to you!" I hissed, gripping his shoulders and shaking him back and forth.

He laughed evilly. "I didn't tell you because I thought you wouldn't care. After all, you're Sky. You don't care whether your friends are in bands, or if they feel upset about you leaving them without telling, or if they end up having to fight their relatives for family money all the time."

I mentally slapped myself. "Why me," I moaned.

By then, a substitute teacher with tanned skin and wispy black hair had arrived. He was a strange man, wearing a bright purple t-shirt, thick black glasses and a pair of black trousers with a black belt. His voice was nasally and unbearably high-pitched. The fingernails on his left hand were painted red.

"Shut up, everyone," he said, the same way a teacher in a kindergarten would say "okay, class, settle down". I   had to stifle a laugh as he spoke. He glared at me for a moment, then took out a magazine and started reading.

"So how's it been? Met anyone you like? Which school did you go to?" I fired the questions at Robin, poking him. He grabbed my hand and pulled my arm up, jabbing me in my side. I nearly died. It was really, really painful but also kind of ticklish at the same time, so I was crying but giggling like I had too much sugar.

"I said, shut up!" Nasal-voice -I decided to call the teacher that- snapped, flinging a piece of chalk at me.

"You shut up!" I looked around, wondering who had spoken. Everyone was staring at me weirdly. A few of them were laughing. With a jolt I realized it was me. Robin was trying madly, and failing, to cover his hysterical laughter. I could feel my face heat up and I clenched my fists. Shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up, I kept mouthing at him.

Nasal-voice snorted, a really disgusting thing to see. His nostrils flared. I swear, I could've fit a coconut inside one of them. "Listen, kid, you either sit down and shut up, or you're going to the principal's office."

"I don't take orders from you, you sissy. 'Sides, those clothes are way out of fashion, and what's with that red nail polish? You're ancient!" Before I knew the words were flowing out of my mouth like a river. I wanted to stop but of course, I couldn't. I had to admit it was a relief to finally let it all out, though. I'd been feeling high-strung the entire morning.

"That's it!" He actually stamped his foot. He actually stamped his foot! Can you believe that any teacher would actually act like that?! "I'm taking you to the principal's office!"
Geez, how annoying can these people get? I sat outside the office, waiting for the teacher to come out. His shrill voice was muffled by the thick wooden door. As I waited, a girl arrived. She didn't look like she was from this school.

She had wavy brown hair with purple streaks that brushed her elbows gently. Her eyelashes were so long you could make a fan out of it. I couldn't see her eyes though. She wore a green and white plaid skirt and her white blouse was spotless. Her emerald blazer showed the BriarRose Academy logo. A cream coloured trench coat hung on her arm and a Converse sling bag on the other. But it wasn't the rich aura she was giving off that perplexed me, it was the light blue marks on her skin. They were almost invisible. I had marks like those... Hers was different, they were more soft and curled more elegantly.

Kill, I heard a voice in my head say. Kill the Guardian.

"Guardian?" I muttered. I squeezed my eyes shut as a wave of nausea came over me. Suddenly my hands started feeling clammy and cold. I felt feverish and a headache was coming on. What in the world...? 

Chapter One

1 Sky

I stood outside the school gate, gazing at the building without interest. It walls were painted white and blue and the school motto had been printed in large capital letters: Integrity For Success. It'd been pretty obvious why my adopted parents, Rayne and Celia Ash, had decided to send me there.

I doubted that it would have much effect. The last three schools I had been in had only made me feel and act worse. Teachers were unreasonable and biased. Friends and enemies were hardly different from one another. Everyone was a dangerous stranger who could destroy you with just words. It had happened to me before.

Well, it's a new school. A new life. I'm not about to let that happen again, I thought.

The school uniform, like the school, was blue and white. The dark-blue, knee-length skirts were pleated and the blouse was plain white and had to be tucked in. The boys wore long dark blue pants and plain white shirts. Everyone had to wear a matching blue jacket with the school emblem. You could wear any shoes you wanted and makeup was allowed. Girls were allowed to keep their hair untied.

Being who I am, I couldn't help it. I folded my skirt to shorten it. My blouse was untucked. The jacket was tied around my waist. I just thought that it was easier to move around that way, and anyway, the weather was too hot for anyone to wear those things. Why would anyone want to wear such thick and long clothes?

It was nine forty when I arrived at school. The students were already in class, studying. I was late by almost two hours. I wondered what they were going to think if I turned up in the middle of the lesson. I decided it would be easier to skip the lesson so it would go uninterrupted and just go for the next one, which was Geography. I hadn't meant anything bad about it, honest.

The smell of food wafted out of the home econs room. I wondered what they were cooking. I was certain I'd smelled it before, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was. I walked around the school, familiarising myself with where everything was and putting all my things in the locker. I was surprised by how clean and neat everything was. I could almost see my reflection on the polished floor. Ew.

I had just settled down at the deserted basketball court when a short, round man with thinning hair and sweat stains underneath his armpits approached me. I almost laughed out loud when I saw him, quite literally bouncing towards me. I mean, he was like a piece of wobbling jelly on a pair of stubby, little pencils. His face was red as a tomato and sweat was dripping off his thick Hitler-styled moustache. His little piggy eyes and overall appearance reminded me alot of Uncle Vernon from Harry Potter, and not in a nice way.

"What are you still doing here? Lessons have already started. go to your class immediately," he barked, wiping the sweat with a grubby handkerchief. I was unsurprised that he felt he could order me around like that. If he wasn't a teacher, he definitely wouldn't have dared.

"You think you can order me around just because you're a teacher. Don't you know that if you weren't one you'd probably be dead by now? You should at least be more polite." I glared at him, standing up and walking away. He only could only stare back at me, his mouth agape in outrage and shock, as I left.

I didn't know why, but for a moment, I could've sworn had felt a strange surge of energy in the air, like an electric shock. My hands were trembling slightly, though I was pretty sure it wasn't from fear.

Damn it, I cursed silently. My first day and I've already made a new enemy, and it just has to be a teacher, doesn't it?

The bell rang. Quickly, I walked back into the school, keeping my head down. I realised that I'd forgotten to wash off the red highlights in my hair. It would be pointless to deny anything now. I would be easily identifiable in this school full of law-abiding nerds -I mean, students. But it was okay. After all, it was only my first day. And anyways, it wasn't as if anything else was going to happen. I'd make sure that I wouldn't go out of line again.

Students were everywhere. The corridors were filled with the sound of people talking and proceeding to their next class. My skin prickled uncomfortably, goosebumps forming on my arms. I didn't like being in cramped spaces with lots of people. Especially since all of them had their attention focused on me. It was like being stabbed by tons of needles.

I could tell what they were thinking, just looking at them. Sniggering, pointing fingers. Some of them were pretending not to notice me, but I could see through it almost as clearly as glass. A group of girls wearing hot pink tank tops and miniskirts walked past, their expressions full of scorn and spite. I almost choked on the overwhelming smell of perfume.

Disposable life-sized Barbies, I thought. I ignored them, quickly walking over to my locker and getting my stuff for Geography.

"You're new around here," a voice said. It sounded like it was trying not to laugh.

I whipped around. My eyes widened with surprise. "Robin?!"

He towered over me. I only reached up to his jaw. That was the first thing I noticed. The second thing I noticed was a mess of long, light brown, almost blonde hair, trailing down to his neck. His fringe was so thick it covered his eyes. He had a huge, toothy grin on his face, his canines prominent.

Yep, definitely Robin.

For a moment, I stood there, frozen like a statue. The next moment I was in his arms, the air squeezed right out of my lungs.

"It's been a while," he said, quietly. I wanted to laugh but my throat kind of closed up and I was being hugged to death anyway, so I didn't.

When we finally stopped hugging, I found myself in the centre of attention... again. Everyone was staring. My face burned and tried to ignore it. Robin, however, seemed not to notice anyone around. He was grinning like an idiot, which isn't too hard for him to do. He flipped his hair out of his eyes, in a Bieber-ish way so that he could get a better look at me. His eyes were a strong, clear iceberg blue. I was almost surprised by how startlingly alike he looked from the last time we'd met.

A few words about Robin. He was a childhood friend of mine. My best guy friend. He'd left for a short period of time, something about his granddad being ill. In that time, my family got an emergency call and we had to go overseas for a business trip. By the time Robin came back, I was gone. Robin and I hadn't been in touch, so it I had assumed it'd be kind of awkward, but I was way wrong.