The next day, I woke up at 6:30 and saw a message from Mrs. Lovelace. She told me that she had something to do today and that she wouldn't be able to come for my lesson. Basically, I would have a normal lunch period. Telling her that I understood, I started to get ready for school. After I was dressed, I decided to have some fun with my short hair.
My hair was naturally black, red, and blonde, but everyone at school thinks I've been dying it this way. Using hair gel, I ran my fingers through my hair to create a messy look, then I used hair spray to set it in place. Once I was satisfied with my look, I made my way back to the living room. As I was getting my shoe on, Alex came to see if I needed the pain medicine. I chose not to take it since the pain was beginning to ease off a bit.
Putting on my backpack, I followed Alex to her car as my brothers followed. When we got to school, Josh parked next to Alex's car so they could help me get out. As Alex left, we made our way inside and I was overwhelmed by the whispering. Everyone was talking about how I could sing and how my brothers and I had a band. Josh, Adam, and the twins couldn't hear everything that was being said, but they knew something was going on.
The first three classes went by quietly, due to being in class, but now it was time for lunch. I was eating with my brothers today, and after we got our trays, we went outside. Adam had gotten mine for me since I couldn't. Sitting down at the picnic table, I pulled out a piece of paper and wrote down the song from last night, while my brothers talked about genres. At the top of the paper I wrote LIFE, and since we mostly played rock and alternative, those were what we decided to stick with. I showed that paper to my brothers and they all liked it, saying they could figure out music to go with it.
When that was done, they managed to talk me into singing a few songs. The first song was called Savior II by Black Veil Brides. After that, I sang another one of their songs called Better Angels. I was so lost in singing that I didn't notice the crowd until they started clapping at the end. They started chanting 'another', so Josh grabbed my phone to pick another one.
"Just focus on the music, man. It'll help with getting you used to crowds." Josh pressed play and I instantly knew it was Black Veil Brides' song called Blackbird. While I was singing, my brothers joined in for the choruses. Despite the fact that they played different instruments, they could still sing as well. After the song, the crowd sat down at the tables around us, as Josh had me keep singing. I sang Crown of Thorns, Last Rites, and Goodbye Agony, all by Black Veil Brides, before lunch was over.
At the sound of the bell, everyone didn't bother whispering when they talked about us. A lot of the popular students kept saying that my 'school social status' wouldn't change because of this. They said 'Once a freak, always a freak' before walking away from me. I didn't listen to them. Even though a majority of the school was changing their opinions, not everyone would change.
English was spent acting out more of The Crucible, and Mr. High helped with pronunciation for some of the words. Everyone was having fun and the class was soon over, and it was now time for PE. It had started raining during English, so Coach Hill gave us a free period today. I spent it working on my tiger lily for Art. My phone vibrated, letting me know that I had received a text message.
Mom: Just so you know, we'll be going to visit your aunt and uncle for the weekend. We'll be leaving after you guys get home, but we'll have all the bags for you and your brothers ready. Please let them know.
Me: Okay, but why the short notice?
Mom: They have a surprise for you guys, and it's been a while since our last visit, so I thought it would be nice to go again.
Me. Yeah, I'll let them know. Oh, mom. Do you think you could pack the pain meds? This rain is making the pain flare-up, and it's supposed to rain all weekend.
Mom: Of course, honey.
Me: Thanks.
After I locked my phone again, I told Josh, Adam, and the twins about mom's message. They were as excited as I was. King Bartholomew and Queen Maria were our uncle and aunt, and our last visit was almost a year ago. Their twins, Princess Alice and Prince Cedric, had a gala for their 12th birthday, and we had been invited.
Cedric was calm and respectful, and Alice was okay, but she had a bad habit of sneaking up on me. Alice and Cedric were born with an extremely rare trait: they had no scent. People can train to hide their scents, but it was rare, and even rarer to be born without one. I was hoping that Alice wouldn't try to do anything during the visit. Nigel, Nixis, and Umbra wouldn't be coming with us this time. Instead, they would continue exploring The Uncharted. Since I won't be able to do it for a while, they would continue without me.
PE went by quickly and when the bell rang, my brothers waited with me under the overhang at the front of the school. I can't get the cast too wet, so Adam said that he'd help put the crutches into the car while I got in. After I got into Alex's car, we went home to get the cars loaded. It was raining harder at this point, so I stayed in the car. Our bags were divided between dad's trunk and Alex's, since they would just get soaked in Josh's truck bed. Once everything was loaded, we left to go to the castle.
During the drive, we stopped once to get gas and snacks. Alex also gave me a pain pill before we set off again. The drive was a total of three hours and we soon arrived at the castle gates. After verifying our identities, we were allowed in. Pulling up to the front steps, there was a group of servants waiting to help get our bags and park the cars. Alex got out, handed me the crutches, and then walked with me up the five marble steps. She was just there in case I slipped, but luckily that didn't happen.
The butler, whose name is Harvey, greeted us at the door. "Princess Lillian! Duke Mark! And the entire family is here! Welcome! Please, come in." Harvey was originally hired by the late king and queen, but Maria and Bartholomew kept him since he was a kind and gentle soul. He was also one of the few original staff members that still called her by that title. The newer staff members were also trained to call her Princess, but she kept insisting that they didn't need to do it.
Walking through the carpeted hallways to the drawing room, I tried to keep my senses open for Alice. Not hearing her, I sighed with relief. I wasn't going to get jumped on today. The royal family were already there, but they had other guests. Two of them I didn't recognize, but the other two were Jacob and Amber.
"Ah! You've arrived! I'm glad to see you got here safely. This weather is horrible," Aunt Maria said when she saw us. Then she registered my crutches. "What happened, Andrew?!"
"I'm okay, auntie. There was an incident at school, but it's been taken care of." As I spoke, I noticed the intense stares from the two strangers. Trying to keep my voice calm, I asked my aunt and uncle who they were.
"They're Alpha Jeremy and Luna Monica of the Blackstone Pack. These are their children, Jacob and Amber. It's custom for Pack leaders to meet with us every 6 months to discuss issues or resources they need help with." Uncle Bartholomew explained.
"A Pack? So, they're werewolves." I thought to myself.
"King Bartholomew, you didn't tell us that another shifter would be joining us." Luna Monica said, causing my uncle to look uncomfortable.
"My name is Andrew and I would like to apologize, Luna, if this upsets you. My aunt and uncle had asked if we could visit, but we didn't know they'd have guests, either." I used my knowledge of werewolves to address Luna in a formal apology on my uncle's behalf.
"I'll accept your apology, young man. However, can you tell us what kind of shifter you are and where you learned about werewolves? You've obviously had knowledge since you know our formal etiquette." Alpha Jeremy spoke this time.
Nodding my head I answered him. "I'm a Dark Dragon, Alpha. My godfathers made sure I knew proper etiquette for being around different shifters, including werewolves. That way, if I ever met them, I would know how to behave and not offend them."
"You might be able to convince Jacob and Amber of that, but that's because they're young. My wife and I are older, we know better. Tell us the truth, because the power coming off of you is not normal for a typical Dragon shifter." My family got anxious as Alpha Jeremy spoke, but even with my heart pounding, I was able to keep my expression calm. Taking a breath, I responded.
"I meant no disrespect to you or your family, Alpha Jeremy. This is a secret that I've kept, since a lot of people either want to control me or kill me." At this point, I paused to take another breath. "The truth is, I'm a Dual Shifter. I have both a Dragon and an Ayakashi." Alpha Jeremy and his family were speechless. Looking at them, I continued. "This secret can not become common knowledge. So, please, do not tell anyone about it."
"But that's not everything, is it?" Luna Monica asked, tilting her head to the side with curiosity in her voice. She wasn't going to drop this until she got the answer she was looking for.
Sighing, I admitted. "No, Luna, that's not all. My Dragon is Magnis Rex the King of Dragons. And my Ayakashi is Nightmare, the King of Ayakashi. This is why I've kept this a secret for my entire life." I said, bowing my head. They were even more shocked at this, but they quickly recovered.
"We understand, Andrew. Your secret is safe with us." As the Alpha spoke, his family nodded their heads in agreement. My family released the breath of air that they had been holding. As the tension left the room, the door opened followed by a crash.
A woman with tanned skin, green hair, and green eyes had walked in carrying a tray of tea that she had dropped. Getting on my crutches, I went to check on her. She seemed to be in a trance, like she was frozen.
"Hello? Ma'am, are you okay?" I called out to her. When I didn't get a response, I reached out to touch her arm. As my fingers made contact with her skin, an electric shock coursed through my body, as a deep voice rang through the room.
"A King of two born as one. A fight for life is near at hand. Destined for great or destined to fail, find your footing to stand tall. Prove your power once and for all." The entire time the voice spoke, I was frozen as well. As the voice finished speaking, my entire body grew weak and I fell to the floor, passing out.