Prologue

"Are you sure there's no other option, sir?" Six-year-old Riley Matthews peeped through the crack in her bedroom door. In the living room downstairs, her parents were having a meeting with a very strange man in a black suit and dark shades. They had told her to go to her room, and Riley was rather confused.

"I'm afraid not, ma'am." The man's voice was low, raspy. Riley frowned as she heard her mother burst into sobs. Why was her mother crying? Did she do something wrong?

"We can't let go of her, sir," came her father's strained voice. "We just can't. She's our little girl."

Riley strained her ears to listen, but it was hard when they were so far. She tapped her foot nervously. She wanted to know what was going on.

Taking a deep breath, she slowly eased the door open. As she slipped out of her room, she tiptoed along the hallway and to the stairs. She knelt down at the top, before peeking down to see what was happening.

She could see her parents sitting across from the strange man. Riley found it rather odd that he still had his sunglasses on indoors. She frowned again in concern as she saw that her mother was crying. Her father was rubbing circles on her back, but Riley could see that he was upset too. For her unborn sibling's sake, Riley hoped that her mother was okay. She was excited about being a big sister and she didn't want the baby to die.

"It's for the best, I'm afraid," the strange man said, his mouth in a hard straight line. "She will be much more comfortable in the academy, where there will be others like her. She will also be able to learn how to control her abilities on top of a regular education."

"But we'll only be able to see her once a year?" her mother stammered tearfully. Riley's frown deepened. Who were they talking about?

"Yes," the man said with a nod. "during the academy's Christmas Week celebrations. You will be invited to the academy."

"So she will never be able to come home?" her father asked incredulously. The man pursed his lips and shook his head. "No. I'm sorry, but until she is eighteen she must remain in the academy. It is for her safety and the protection of the academy."

Her mother shook with her sobs. Riley really wanted to scramble down the stairs and throw her arms around her. She hated it when people cried. She didn't like it when people were in pain, and she liked that she was able to put people out of it.

"I sincerely apologise. It must be done. These are orders from the government," the man said. Riley didn't know why he was saying sorry, or what a government was, but she didn't like the way he talked.

Her parents were silent, her mother trying to contain herself. Finally her father nodded. "Alright then. If it is for her sake then… we will do it." The man nodded curtly, before sliding a piece of paper over to them.

"These are the conditions that apply. You must agree to them."

"We don't really have a choice, do we?" her mother said bitterly. The man pulled his lips back into a straight line. "I'm afraid not, ma'am."

There was more silence as her parents scanned over the document, firing questions at the man. Riley's mind was bursting with questions. A curious mind like hers couldn't take the suspense like this.

But she soon found that she wouldn't have to wait much longer.

"Riley!" Her father's call nearly made her jump out of her skin. Riley waited a few seconds before she descended down the stairs, staring at them curiously. She walked up to her parents.

"Mommy, why are you crying?" Her mother quickly wiped her tears away, before turning to Riley. "Honey, we need to tell you something," she said, her voice wavering. Riley blinked at her before looking at her dad.

He got up before crouching down in front her. "Honey, you need to go somewhere okay? It's important."

"Where are we going, Daddy?" Riley asked, brimming with excitement. So it wasn't a bad thing after all. They were going on a trip.

Her dad forced a smile. "Not we, honey. Just you. You… you're going to make lots of new friends and have lots of fun, okay?"

Riley frowned. "How long am I gonna be there? Is it a day trip?"

Corey hoped that his young daughter, filled with hope and innocence, couldn't see the tears that filled his eyes. "You're gonna be there for a long time, honey. But we'll come see you. It… it's for the best."

And from that moment on, Riley Matthews was swept away to the world of JASPA. And things were never the same for her again.

Hello! It's malenburke back here again :) If you didn't already realise, I am a huge fan of Girl Meets World, perhaps more so than Descendants (but I also really love that movie). To all my readers who loved Her Ben, I'm sorry to say I may not be writing any more Descendants fanfiction unless I want to. Girl Meets World has always had a bigger place in my heart!

To start off, let me just say that I only write fanfiction and publish here when I want to. I'll try to make it regular, but this is only one of the many things I enjoy doing. It is also not of top priority to me, though I wish it could be. Please understand that while you wait for an update :) I really want to share this story with you, but it has to be at my own pace.

Now, down to the story. This is obviously an AU, where Riley and the gang are students in a school for kids with special abilities, that is to say, super powers. I enjoy stories about these kinds of things and seeing that there aren't a lot of Girl Meets World stories in this category, I decided to write one. Some things to take note before I get down to the actual story:

1. Lucas and Zay are the same age as the rest of the squad, not one year older. This is for plot convenience.

2. The Matthews family will not be featured much in this story, as the story remains inside the academy. Sad, I know.

3. This is a Rucas centric story, but it also includes Joshaya and Smarkle.

I think that's it. I sincerely apologise if the characters seem OOC to you! I'm new to fanfiction writing so it may take some time for me to nail their personalities. Other than that, I hope you like the story :) Chapter 1 should be coming out soon!

-malenburke