I am lost. A dense fog surrounds the forest around me, the humidity heavy on my skin. The air is thick as I take in quick breaths. The scene is still appearing. A large clearing stands in front of me, the large trees damp from the previous rain. My eyes catch a group of six people. Three are women and three are men. All of them are sculpted with muscles and larger than a normal human. They are all stuck motionless as most my prophetic dreams usually start. The scene slows into motion, blurring slightly.

“We just received word that the Elites are attacking tonight from one of our spies,” a burly man from the group says stepping forward. His brows furrow, his dark brown eyes shifting nervously from face to face. He stands tense waiting for their response, his muscles flexing.

“Tonight?” one of the other men asks, running a hand through his curly black hair. He has leaner muscle but looks to be the same height. He runs a hand down his face. “We need to get the women and children out of here then”.

“We can’t take them to the usual bunkers. They most likely already know about them. We have to take them under the mountains,” the burly man informs the rest of the small group.

“Women and men of eighteen years are going to stay behind, right?” I hear a woman ask. The two men are standing, eyes glazed over a sign of mind linking.

“We need some of the older people to stay and protect the young and elderly just in case,” Someone else says.

“What about the Dark Fang Pack, maybe they could help us?” Another person pips in. Her voice

“First we need to inform the Alpha King.” I can’t see them anymore. My vision is spinning. My stomach knots, responding to the sudden movement.

 I find myself in a field. The strong smell of iron floods my nose. The wildflowers are crushed to the ground, the grass stained from blood. I am standing on the outside of a large battle. Shifted wolves and shifters in their human forms are stopped with bared canines and sharp clawed hands mid fight. The group of Elitists across from them have hands on guns, knives, and there are several in the trees armed with bows with silver arrows. Abruptly the scene starts.  Claws slice through the air and both sides propel forward, clashing against each other. Their screams poison my ears. I can barely keep my eyes open. I notice that the almost all the shifters are now in their wolf forms. I want to help. I try to enter one of the Elitist’s mind.

 A knife hits me, causing me no pain. The Elitists seems to take notice of me. They charge at me. I desperately try to overtake their minds or stop them, but nothing works. I try to prepare for them, but my body won’t move. I’m immobile. Dread rushes through my body. I try to scream, but nothing leaves my mouth. I am not going to die like this, I am the Princess of Fae, for goodness’s sake. Their knives pierce my skin. I am no longer invisible in this scene, I am there. Wake up, I beg my body, but no matter how hard I try I can’t pull out of the scene. Heat starts to envelope me, eating away at my body. I am done for. I resign to my fate and close my eyes, clenching my teeth in pain.

My eyes fly open. I am still intact. No wounds. No matter how many times I have nightmares, it still feels real, and I always let the fear overcome me. My eyes take in the room around me. I need to get in control. I need to be perfectly in control. Especially if my parents expect me to stay hidden. I let out a shaky breath.

 My recent nightmares of the future are troubling. The recent nightmare flashed through my brain.  The bed sheets are tangled around me, stuck to my sweating skin. I pull them off and step out of my bed, sitting on the floor, the cool hardwood causing small bumps to gather on my legs. I let a deep breathe out, before I stand up on my unstable feet.

 I stumble over to my desk and begin to write what I had seen. I continue scribbling, recounting every detail from my nightmare, storing it in my memory. I place the paper in a lockbox in my drawer, keeping the notes safe from anyone. My prophetic dreams can only predict outcomes, but they seemed to be filled with more bloodshed than usual.

I push the ghastly scenes away, thinking about the new day. I had arrived late last night from the airport, where I had come from London. Last week had been a disaster, especially after I had found out.

***

My parents' office was large. It overlooked the courtyard and garden my mother adored. The room itself was the oldest part of the house that had never been remodeled. Large mahogany shelves stood up against the wall filled with books. A large wooden desk stood at the center of the room, where my parents were seated.

“Mother, Father,” I greeted properly bowing. They nodded and I took a seat.

“Kallista I am sure you are aware of the attacks of the Elitists are getting closer. From what we were informed is that they are planning an attack on specifically you,” My father said holding my mother’s hand, whose eyes were glistening with unshed tears.

“Yes, but they can’t do much harm, right?” I asked looking between them trying to figure out what the meaning of this meeting was. I had seen the groups of Elites; they weren’t that large.

“They are growing in followers and their attacks are becoming more relentless. Our spies discovered that they plan to attack you. Because they believe that if they can get you, they won’t have such a struggle with attacks,” Father said his green eyes hard, and emotionless. He had a plan, and he knew I wouldn’t like it.

“We have decided to send you to New Hampshire,” Mother spoke. Her clear voice filling the room. “It is a private school for important creatures. There you will be a scholarship student. We already have your bodyguards selected for you. Asher Sparks, and Charles Bracken as they will make an excellent cover,” She informed me. I nodded taking it in. My parents were shipping me off they believed that the Elitists could hurt me. My parents could never and never would how much I concealed my magic.

“You cannot tell anyone. Your siblings aren’t even being told,” My father instructed. I nodded as they continued to give instructions.

***

I stand up from the large white desk and head towards the closet to change into the uniform the school had assigned. The boarding school is for talented magical creatures and most people come from a status that expected the best. About a hundred years ago the school had been built for the royal families. It was required that the royalty attended to show peace between the creatures, but after the vampires had started hunting Fae seventy years ago, the Fae royalty don’t attend. Until now, I laugh to myself.

 I pull the cotton white button up shirt off the hanger and button it on. Reaching for the gold, black and red plaid skirt I notice the symbol of the academy stitched into the pocket of the dress shirt. In the symbol was a dove representing peace. I grab the red blazer and throw it on, and then tie on a pair of shoes.

            I concentrate on my face then focus on down to every detail in body, I imagine a different person. I peel away me, placing an illusion over the top. The tingling in the air is strong for a second but I quickly reel it in. I push it back into my mind and battle the new headache. I take a breath and calm myself. The pain lessens and I walk towards my door.

Breakfast is starting any minute, so I open my dorm door and lock it behind me, making my way to the cafeteria. I walk down the hallway with a strong stride taking in the beautiful architecture and decor Large, framed paintings hang along the walls, displaying beautiful scenes of different creatures. Mer people in the water, Elves dashing through the forest, and pictures of mischievous Fae. Each of the scenes were different colors but are still somehow matching the entire hallway, which is also lined with a grey carpet that covers the white marble. Doors line the hallways for students’ dorms, their names displayed on the doors.  I follow a curve in the hallway and walk down a staircase and turn the corner, meeting a large double door that was propped open.

 I notice the intricate carvings that tell the story of the first creatures. The detail is astounding. Large shifters of all different types of animals mid shift is displayed as well as Elves armed with bows and arrows in flowing dresses. Several Shades bodies are fading away as they slowly fade into air, their shadows still present behind them. At the top I notice there is a large scene of a vampire attacking a Fae, the premise to the whole first war, most likely of Medea and Aamon. Aamon the first vampire who hunted a Fae, and Medea the first Fae ever killed by a vampire, or that is how the story is told. I pull my eyes away from the stunning door and walk into the cafeteria. My eyes sweep the large room. It isn’t just a room--it’s a series of multiple stories.

The first floor has large buffet tables arranged for students, filled with all types of food. Lunch tables are situated, and students are sitting, eating, and chatting. First floor can be seen by the open second and third which has balconies. The open ceiling at the top of the third floor is a dome that is made of glass, letting natural light in. I pull myself from examining the beauty of the room and make my way to the line of students getting food. My nose is suddenly overwhelmed by the smells of warm waffles, delish eggs, perfectly cooked meat. My eyes scan the food. There are so many options. I want to devour it all. I grabbed a plate and utensils considering which food to get. I succumb to the mouthwatering steak and eggs that catch my eyes. I place my plate onto a tray. Remembering my parents’ instructions, I make my way up the stairs to the second floor where my parents had informed me, I will meet my bodyguards. I walk around different tables until I find the two familiar faces. I feel their familiar auras. I head over to them. The strong scent of the forest and the ocean hit my nose. An Elf and a Mer.

“Shouldn’t you two be doing homework?” I ask. They both turned to me, startled. Charles’ bright blue eyes study me. Recognition flashes across them. My parents had been sure to let them know what my disguise would be before they left

“Kaylen, it’s nice of you to join us,” Asher says his French accent very prominent. He runs his fingers through his slightly curly chestnut hair, his olive eyes meeting mine. A large smirk spreads across his sculpted face. Charles laughs and Asher moves his backpack aside, giving me room to sit.

“Je vous remercie, Asher,” I reply sarcastically, rolling my eyes as I take a sit next to him.

“Excited?” Asher asks with a lopsided grin. Charles leans towards me listening for my answer, and I catch a whiff of the ocean. Both boys are best friends with my twin brother, Adair. Our families are friends, so we are basically family. They are still sacrificing a lot by traveling all the way to New Hampshire to be my bodyguards.

“Sure,” I joke sarcastically. Asher is probably trying to lighten the fact that I was enraged when my parents had forced me to leave my home in England.

“English first, right?” Charles asks, a question flitting across his face before he takes a bite of his food.

“Yes,” Asher responds before I could say anything. Asher is far more organized than Charles, and as a future businessman he knows schedules far to well.

“How are you doing?” Charles inquires as he picks at his food, looking at me.

“Good,” I lie before taking a bite into my steak. Sympathy flashes across his eyes.

“That’s good,” Asher says, frowning. He falls silent and seems in deep thought.

“Have you seen the articles about Kallista Baxter?” Charles asks as a group of students walk by. Asher holds in a laugh and pulls a great worried face.

“No what happened?” he asks. His eyes wide. These boys are too good at acting.

“The Royal Family reported that she is missing,” Charles says.

“Missing?” he asks. The group is now interested. They pull out their phones as they walk by to check if it true. They continue passed our table.

“Yeah, but again that’s just what The Guardian says,” The bell interrupts anything else

They both stand up and I remember how tall they were. I am tall at five eleven, but both the boys towered over me with their tall, athletic builds. Asher stood at six foot six and is taller than Charles who is six foot four. Charles heads off to his class, while Asher leads me to ours. My parents had decided that having both boys in all my classes would cause some suspicion. So, they switched off what class they were in with me.

“A group of girls are heading our way,” I tell Asher as we head toward the hallway. I recognize the girl in front as Kimberly Collins, the daughter of Simon Collins, a multi-millionaire and owner of multiple businesses.

“Asher,” she says in a syrupy voice. She is pretty but drowning in products and dripping in jewelry. Fake. “Do you and Charles want to join us for lunch?” she asks.

“Sure, as long as my friend here can come,” he replies. Her smile seems to freeze, and she nods and struts away. “That girl is so insecure,” he mutters under his breath. We continue to class. When we arrive, a tall lady dressed in a knee length dress is waiting outside welcoming in students.

“Are you new?” she asks her voice bright.

“Yes, I’m Kaylen Bowers,” I answer, shaking her hand. She looks like a nice teacher, with a large smile on her face and a sweet aura.

“Oh yes. I remember hearing that I had a new student. Here, let me find you a seat,” she says, leading me into the classroom.