—Adrian—

Ever since I can remember, I've always been somewhat of a skittish kid. I got scared really easily because I was so naive that I would believe anything that anyone told me. My mother knew this and used it to take advantage of me. She would tell me things like if I went outside without her permission, she would chop me into mincemeat and feed me to her lovelies—otherwise known as her army of vicious, bloodthirsty Shadow Creatures. After I got caught trying to sneak out, my mother tied me to the wall and left a huge scar on the side of my face, leaving me there to bleed out. I never disobeyed her after that.

Once I had been saved from Kage's spirit by Luc and Hazu, I was no more than a shell of whatever person I once was. I had locked myself away in my room, not talking to anyone for weeks. My only company was Hazu, who brought me food. I didn't eat it for a while, not trusting her, but eventually I gave into hunger and devoured everything she fed me.

It wasn't until about two months after that when Hazu and I actually began to talk. She was a very sweet girl and started to bring me flowers each and every time she visited me after I told her that I liked them. Thanks to her help and support, I had eventually worked up the courage to start going to classes.

I had immediately regretted it. Within the first period, people kept giving me dirty glares and a few boys even spit on me. It hurt a lot, but I still sat down in my seat and tried to listen to the teacher's lesson on calculus. It was next to impossible with people throwing pencils at the back of my head. The whispers around me gradually got louder and louder until they stopped trying to hide what they were saying. Their thoughts poured into my head as all I could do was sit back idly.

How dare they let such murderous trash into our school?

This must be some kind of cruel joke, letting the killer of Scale Children into a school made specifically for them.

I bet he's secretly planning to kill us all.

There's no way I'll accept a villain like him as one of us.

He should just kill himself.

That felt like someone had driven a knife through my chest. Me? Die? I felt my palms begin to sweat. My throat began to dry up. I had heard those words, those exact same words before. That's what she had told me.

He'd be better off dead.

I balled my fists. She had been right. She had been right all along.

He should pay for his sins.

It would be better for everyone.

If he won't do it, I'll gladly do it for him.

Everyone hated me. She was right. I was a failure. Hot tears began to well up, making my vision bleary. What was the point of being alive if everyone hated me for something I didn't even do? I rose out of my seat and bolted out of the classroom as fast as I possibly could, never looking back even once. I hid my face behind my sleeves. I was a disgrace. I was an abomination. They were all right. I was better off dead; not only for their sake, but for mine as well. I wanted it to stop. I wanted all the pain to go away.

Her face appeared in my mind. You're weak. She told me. I always knew you'd never amount to anything. You're no son of mine. You're nothing more than a mistake that I should have gotten rid of a long time ago.

I wanted her to stop. I wanted her to go away. I began to pull on my bangs and screamed, running as fast as I possibly could. I had no idea where I was going, but I don't think it would have mattered at that moment anyways. My brain was racing with so many thoughts that I had no actual plan on how I was going to go about my suicide anyways.

I was interrupted by smacking into something at full force. After falling over, I gazed up at what was literally the most beautiful woman i had ever seen in my life. Her hair was the color of polished copper, and her eyes were orbs of pure silver. She was tall and well built, but still had a lightly tanned, beautiful feminine figure. Her cheekbones were high and she had a beautiful, slim nose. She looked like royalty. She looked like a real princess.

She frowned at me and adjusted a rope over her shoulder, her free hand resting on her hip. "Hey, buddy, you should watch where you're going, you know."

Those eyes. They were full of disappointment. She was judging me. She was probably thinking that I should die, too. I looked at the rope over her shoulder. That's it. That's how I'd do it. I grabbed the rope off of her shoulder and ran away, accidentally causing her to fall over and yell at me in Russian.

I wondered how it would feel to finally die. Maybe God would be kind and give me a quick and painless death. Even if it wasn't, it would probably end up being what I deserved anyways. I ran to my dorm room, not bothering to close the door behind me. With furiously shaking hands, I tied the rope to the light fixture. Between the tears that were falling from my eyes, it was hard to see what I was doing as I tried to prepare the noose.

As I finished tying it, the rope was suddenly ripped off of the light fixture with almost inhuman speed. I looked over to see who had done it. It was the girl I had just met only moments before, the beautiful princess. I gave a pitiful sigh through sobs.

"Why are you here?" I choked.

"Firstly, because you stole the rope that I needed for the wrestling team's training exercise." Her voice was harsh and condescending, as if she was talking to a stupid five year old that wasn't going to listen to her anyways. "Secondly, because I won't condone suicide when it is so easily preventable."

I looked her in the eyes. "I have every reason to die. I'm worthless. I'm a waste of space. I can't do anything right. That's what mother said. She was right. I'm better off dead."

"Bullshit!" She yelled as she grit her teeth. "My dad told me I was never gonna amount to anything, but he was wrong. I've got the best grades in my classes and I'm at the top of Eternal's weekly rankings every time. What people tell you does not define who you are."

"You don't understand..." I whispered.

"Oh, I do." She snapped. "You're Adrian Skalanias, aren't you? You're the son of Kali. I know all about how you murdered thousands and thousands of innocent Scale Children all in the name of your mother."

"So you see why I need to die."

"I never said that." She defended. "I also know from Luc that the killings weren't your fault. You were possessed by a Shadow Creature. You had no control over your own body. I'll repeat it again, you have no reason to die."

There was a silence between the two of us for a few minutes. After a while, I had finally worked up the courage to say, "Why do you care so much?"

She rolled her eyes. "I don't necessarily care for you as much as I sympathize with you. If you want someone's view about you to change, then you can't listen to the lies that they tell you. No one can tell you who you're supposed to be except for yourself. Prove them wrong. Show them who you really are. You can't do that if you kill yourself."

I sighed and looked her in the eyes. "I have no reason to try. I don't want to stay alive, so why should I?"

She scoffed and gave me a look of disbelief. "Really? How can you say that? If someone believing in you enough to save you and give you a new life  isn't enough, then what will it take to give you motivation?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I've never quite found something that has been worth living for."

After another awkward pause of silence, the girl sighed and crossed her arms. "How about this? I'll take you out on a date for three hours if you can survive until Friday. You don't have to go to class, but for every hour you do, I will add fifteen minutes as a bonus to our date."

I looked at her in curiosity. Someone as gorgeous as her wanted me to stay alive, and even go out on a date with me? I couldn't believe it. This had to be some kind of cruel joke.

She placed both of her hands on her hips. "What is it now?"

I looked at my feet. "Why would someone as perfect as you want to hang out with a loser like me anyways?"

She rolled her eyes. "Because I don't want you dead, idiot. And I'm not perfect...at least not yet. Call me Talia."

I smiled and nodded. Talia. If it weren't for her, I never would have had that extra push and encouragement to stay alive...

Only just to put my life in danger again.

I tried to avoid as many people as I could in the crowded New York subway, swerving between them like a dog weaving between poles for an agility competition. If I did manage to bump into them, I'd apologize and run away as quick as I could. I began to lightly run my nails along the back of my hand to calm me down. If it wasn't bad enough that we were already heading towards certain death, there had to just be a crowd of large people to add insult to injury. I hated crowds. They made me anxious and nauseous.

"Calm down, Adrian!" Madia scolded. "It's not that bad! Soon we'll be away from people and you can do whatever it is you do."

"Oh yeah, cuz it's totally reassuring that we're heading to a place where people were murdered." I muttered under my breath.

"It's not like we're going to die." Luc said. "We're all highly skilled in our area of magic, and Scarlett's more powerful than any of us. We'll be fine."

I wanted to believe and trust in them, but my anxiety was busy taking over my logical thinking at the moment. I sighed and tried taking deep breaths. This wasn't my mother. These were my friends and real family, and not the kind that thought I was a worthless lowlife that deserved to die among trash. I couldn't listen to the voice of my fear and anxiety. I pushed it down and followed them.

The subway tunnels were extensive. They were covered with graffiti in different languages and colors. It was pretty to look at, even if some of the artists had written some rather inappropriate words. As I walked a little bit farther, I noticed the name Adrian written in purple and dark blue spray paint. I couldn't help but smile a little bit. Someone had my name, too.

"This reminds me of the time my grandmother took me to the catacombs when I was seven years old." Luc noted.

"Your grandma took you to a series of underground tunnels with a bunch of dead bodies?" Madia asked incredulously. "I wish my grandma was like that. All I got was a dinosaur-age woman that smelled like moldy prunes and could knit a blanket in a week."

Scarlett laughed. "They both sound entertaining. I never knew my grandma; she died shortly after I was born."

"You would have liked her." Bailey chimed in. "She was a sweet old lady that loved to tell fairy tales. She even wrote picture books for children. The last one she ever made was one specifically for you. She died shortly after its completion."

"Well, that's tragic." Madia said.

"At least she died doing what she loved." Scarlett pointed out, sighing wistfully. "Someday I hope the same happens to me."

"Isn't that what we all hope?" Luc justified.

I desperately wanted to join in on the conversation, but I had now idea how to go about doing so. When was the right time to join? Maybe I could have joined right after Madia was talking about her grandmother. But I didn't even know who my grandmother was. But Scarlett didn't know who her grandmother was and she joined the conversation so flawlessly. I sighed under my breath. Why did human interaction have to be so complicated?

So, instead of saying anything, I did what I did best and stayed quiet. I listened in and observed them like I always did. Their conversation suddenly jumped to the topic of home life and then siblings, Luc having two and Madia having four half siblings from her mother. I began to wonder for a moment. What would it be like if I had a sibling, a brother or sister? They would have understood my pain. They would have helped me to feel so much less lonely growing up.

I looked to Scarlett. If I had a sister, I'd want them to be just like her; strong, courageous, and above all, compassionate. She was like a real fairytale Prince, even if she was a girl. She was strong and believed in her convictions. She fought with all of her might to protect others out of both duty and love. She was also someone that you could look up to whenever you needed help. If Scarlett had been there for me during those times, maybe I could have learned to have more confidence in myself. Maybe I could have built up the courage to run away from my mother to a place where she would never find me.

"Adrian?"

Scarlett's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I shook my head and focused my attention on her. "Yeah?"

"Are you okay?" There was genuine concern in her expression, worry showing in her deep crimson eyes. "You've been really quiet ever since we got here."

"Since when is it normal for Adrian not to stay quiet?" Madia snapped, placing her hands on her hips.

"Still," Scarlett began. "He seems more silent than usual. I don't want him to feel hurt or upset in anyway."

I felt myself smile a bit. Scarlett was definitely a strong Prince. Someday, I hoped I could be more like her. I hoped I could not only be as strong as she was, but just as generous and caring. I gave her a nod and felt my chest puff up just a little bit.

"Don't worry, Scarlett." I said. "I'm fine. After all, I've got you to help me through this and support me."

Scarlett gave a warm smile. "Aww, thanks, cuz. You're not too bad yourself, you know."

Madia spread her arms. "And what are we, chopped liver? We exist, too, you know."

Bailey silenced her with a single look. You could definitely tell just from looking at her that she was Scarlett's older sister. Both had the same almond shaped eyes and small figure with taller than average height. Even the resemblance was seen in their behaviors. Both were very passionate about the things that they loved and had a sense to help others in need. I smiled. I now had two good cousins that would help me.

My thoughts were suddenly interrupted as Luc stopped and pointed straight ahead. In the dim light of the subway tunnel, I could just barely make out the silhouette of human bones. As we got a little closer, I had no idea whether to throw up at what I was seeing or stare in wonder and awe.

The main centerpiece was a skull that had been spray painted neon pink with lime green eye sockets. Over it's head were phalanges and metacarpals placed like the horns of a deer and painted royal blue. Just below the jaw extended two orange femurs, ending in half a rib cage, designed to look like wings and painted lavender. Any other bones were placed around it in a decorative sort of matter, stained in any one of the five colors previously mentioned. Every bone had the same phrase in Vistra carved into it.

"Klev nostresa xi amvo miya laiva, Onrakiva cakamdre." I whispered under my breath.

"What?" Madia asked.

"For the one that has royal blood, enter with two." I read the rest of the phrase and translated it as my eyes scanned over it. "Take those who see the world with eyes of wonder and excitement. Only the worthy will pass."

"See the world with eyes of wonder, huh?" Scarlett reiterated. She twirled a lock of hair around her finger, seeming to be deep in thought. I couldn't help myself from listening into her thoughts. I tried to stop it, but it was like a reflex. Once it was in motion, there was no taking it back.

Eyes of wonder...could they mean the eyes of a child? Who thinks the world is more wondrous than a child does? They see the wonder in things and experience the world's joy more than adults do.That might mean they'd be innocent...pure...vulnerable. That sounds a lot like Adrian. No, it's got to be Adrian! No one else is as kind-hearted and as pure as he is.

What? Me? I felt my face warm up in a blush. Scarlett really thought that about me?

"The first person I pick is Adrian."

I couldn't believe that she had chosen me. I felt honored and terrified at the same time. Before I could try to refuse, Scarlett spoke up again.

"The second person I choose is Bailey." She said. She then blew her bangs out of her face and clapped her hands together, showing she was about to get down to business. "Now then, how do we get past this thingy?"

I was too astonished to protest. I cleared my throat and walked over to the bones once again, trying to find any different text within them. "To enter, bring forth the dragon spirit that will act as your key."

"Huh?" Scarlett asked.

"The dragon half inside of you." Bailey explained. "Call it forth from within you and shout their name."

"Well, how am I supposed to know their name?" She asked again.

"It's the first phrase that pops into your head when you summon their spirit within you." Madia explained.

"You'll know what it is, trust me." Luc followed.

Scarlett stayed quiet for a bit, seeming unsure of herself for just a split second. As quickly as it had come, it was then gone, replaced by a look of determination. "Alright, then. Let's do this thing."

We walked a bit closer to the decoration of bones. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, straightening my posture to allow my airflow to improve. I folded my hands as if I was praying and mentally willed forth my dragon. He was long and lithe, resembling dragons in asian mythology. He floated in the air using just the power of his mind. His violet scales glimmered beautifully and his silver hair ran down his back and around his face in the style of a lion's mane. He bowed to me and roared majestically. I then began to call him forth in Vistra.

"Em takva mor lekurlta, Malekire so Sava Tri!" I yelled.

"I call forth my Dragon Half, Ashana of the East Valley!" Bailey followed.

"I call forth my Dragon Half, Holy Spirit Esperanza!"

I opened my eyes and saw ghostly silhouettes of my dragon alongside two others. They then phased into the bones and we watched as they moved around, forming a huge pair of claws and tearing open the earth to create a ten foot high tunnel into pure darkness. I felt myself shiver. That was without a doubt one of the creepiest things I had ever seen. Scarlett and Bailey looked at me.

"Shall we go?"

Okay, so I have a bit of a life alert. Me and my boyfriend kinda broke up. Well, yeah we did break up. So, um yeah. But I have a bit more of a life alert. I was on this app called Amino where I ended up meeting this super sweet guy who was into Pokemon and electronic music and we just clicked. We started Skype calling, and the other day he asked me to be his girlfriend. So, um yeah. I now have a British boyfriend and have to keep track of a six hour time difference when I wanna talk to him. His name is Jay (or just Mr. British as Dashing_Devilish_Mad and BANANAsriel like to call him) and he is actually a fan of this book and such. So yeah. Hehe he's super amazing, and I will take any questions about him in the comments and I will either put the answers in the author's note in the next chapter, or I will place them in the Burning Hope Q & A. Until then enjoy this awfully adorably depressing chapter.

Signing Off, Kiera Savage