Prologue – Getting There

Summary - Evil. Romance. Lunatics. Romance. People who like to read a lot. LysanderOC TancredOC. Story of two teenage girls as they meet their dream guys and battle a near unstoppable evil. Revised edition.

Ash Styles, The Study, 14 Eucalypts Place

A black haired girl of about 16 sat opposite her father in his office. She was nervous; the time they spent together was never particularly pleasant.

Today he had summoned her to his office with some very important news about her 'powers'.

Her powers. The strange will inside of her that allowed her to control fire.

The girl's head was spinning with countless possibilities; her usually hyper attitude had been reduced to a shy submissiveness and her usual smirk had been replaced with a solemn frown.

"Now Ash, dear, I have been looking into sending you away for some time now, and you know that," he paused, waiting for the girl to acknowledge this, but was greeted with silence, "I have recently discovered the existence of a school that has a program for people of your particular… faction."

"Where is this place?" Ash's head snapped up in panic, immediately losing all signs of the reservation she had previously shown. This was serious.

"Not to worry. My esteemed friend and colleague is the owner of this school."

Ash frowned, because she indeed knew that her father was the type of man that reassured himself with words like 'esteemed' and 'prestigious' and also 'successful'. She knew her father was nervous, or at least that he didn't particularly like this esteemed friend and colleague.

"I assure you there is nothing to worry about! This is a very successful school! I've researched it, and found it to be one of the most prestigious institutions in Whales!" her father said with conviction, though it was clear in his eyes that he was mainly trying to convince himself. Both knew it didn't much matter what Ash thought about it all, and she wasn't stupid enough to try and express herself.

"Whales?" She repeated blankly, "Did you sign me up for the first freak school you thought would accept me, regardless of where it was? Did you even take Geography? Whales is… is… 18000 kilometres away! Or something!"

"You'll find that Cardiff is exactly 17193 kilometres from Sydney."

"That's hardly the point!" hysteria was creeping into Ash's voice now.

"But dear," her father adopted a condescending tone, "just a moment ago you stated that geography is very much the point."

"But I… but you!"

"You're going," her father's voice was firm, "because it is good for you and because I said so."

Ash flinched at the words. But muttered assent under her breath. She'd prefer not to go, and she'd make sure he knew it.

"Now get packing, I have a meeting!" He scoffed jokingly. She glared, and then stormed out.

"Oh, and honey?"

"What?"

"Your peculiar friend, that Myst Archer girl, well, I told her parents about the whole thing, and it turns out that she was offered a spot there too. Isn't that wonderfully bizarre?"

She'd be staying by herself with Myst, in a place called Filbert Street. Apparently the people at this creepy school were 'happy to assist' the two girls in any way possible, and they were to go to them in the event of a problem.

Ash knew Myst rather well, they were childhood friends. Myst was a psychic, a very good one at that. She could look into people's minds and plant thoughts there. But Ash was puzzled as to why her family would make her go to Bloors, which was the name of this Academy. An odd name for an odd place, Ash thought. But she was glad that she would know someone…

Mystic Archer, 10000 feet above sea level

"Ash… Ash," no response, "Ash! ASH!" Myst screamed in my friend's ear, waving both hands in front of her face. Clearly Ash was going through a heavy metal phase with her iPod.

"Huh? Sorry Myst, I spaced… I hate planes, they are so boring. I can't even get sugar high because we're in public…." Ash trailed off, no doubt cursing society's wrongs.

"You know the plane will crash and it'll be your fault for disobeying the no technology rule," Myst said sternly, "and you'll have no one to thank but yourself. Except you won't be able to… because you will be dead."

"You're paranoid," Ash snorted, "and death would be a kick compared to this showstopper."

Myst frowned and sighed, 'this isn't going to be pleasant… If she is bored then I am bored and thus I become the amazing safety woman… lecturing people about flight safety and whatnot just to pass the time…'

That about summed it up for Myst. Her usually loud mouthed friend was cursing society and she had nothing to do… or watch… or think about. Myst slowly felt her mind turning into goo at such high and boring altitudes. Ash wasn't doing much better, any longer and she would hyperventilate.

'Gosh, I'm so bored. I'd read the safety instruction pamphlet had I not memorized it seven hours ago. I don't even have to look at the page now… This is pathetic; I will not arrive in Whales in such a fashion! When I step off the plane I want to be… colourful. Not bland, and not at all aeroplanish… I will not smell like flight peanuts when I take my first step in a new country!' thought the aforementioned Ash.

It was then that Ash had a plan.

A devious plan.

A potentially dangerous and reckless plan.

Ash knew that she would be passing over her destination in approximately five minutes, only to keep on going… seeing as there were no direct flights to Cardiff. This means that the girls would have to drive back. And what a waste...

Why not shave some time off her travels?

Ash lifted herself from the heaven of first class seats (a heaven that was diminished by the fact that Ash wanted nothing more than to fling the stupid chair out of the plane window) and proceeded down the aisle to the cockpit.

"What are you doing?" Myst asked, alarmed.

"You will find out soon," Ash smirked, 'Now sink into a state of paranoia', she added mentally.

Ash walked into the cockpit and found the co-pilot. She figured he was the one to ask.

"Hello sir, I'm Ash Styles, I was wandering if me and my friend could parachute down to our destination?" Ash knew it was crazy, but if she had to drink one more mini-pint of plane orange juice… well… it would be bad.

"I'm sorry? You're going to what?" the co-pilot asked distractedly, "oh, sure. If you know how to skydive. You have to be qualified for that sort of thing, you know."

"Oh, I was practically born in a parachute," Ash gushed, lying through her teeth, "could I use these packs right here?"

"Sure…" the co pilot said absentmindedly.

That was good enough; she exited and made my way to Myst who, as of now, was sitting in her chair with her arms around her knees rocking back and forward.

It was time to blow this Popsicle stand.

Ash gripped Myst by the wrist and pulled her to the airlock. Myst raised her eyebrows and then took a quick peek at her mind.

But Ash was ready for that. She had learned long ago to shield certain thoughts from the devious Myst. Ash was a person who liked her privacy.

"I hope you watched the season finale of Dr. Who! Now put this nice coat on and jump out of the plane for us!" Ash grinned madly, shoving Myst forward ever so slightly.

Myst's face was three times paler than it usually was, and had a slight greenish tinge to it. She gave me a 'What-the-hell-no-way-man!-I-like-Dr.-Who-because-he's-cool-don't-bag-him' look.

"Ash, did your brain disintegrate or something?" Myst asked faintly, "because there is no way I will be jumping from this plane. Hell or high water could not prompt me to do so, and I'm shocked that you'd bother to ask."

Ash pondered for a moment, looking pensive, until she had the words, "Listen Myst… it would mean the world to me if you just put the suit on…" she said, giving Myst a puppy-dog expression.

"Well… I guess…"

You'd think after a whole childhood of traumatic experiences at Ash's hands that Myst would read a bit more into the fact that she would be standing behind her while she was suspended about 10000 feet in the air. Poor, poor gullible Myst...

Ash almost fell sorry for her.

Almost.

Myst stood in front of the open airlock with her parachute on. "Ashley, I've done what you-"

Myst was then cut off by a hard shove in the back and roaring winds. Ash jumped after her a millisecond later, laughing deliriously.

It was then the two unfortunate girls discovered that their parachutes didn't work.

Well… crap.

The girls screamed at the ground got closer, believing themselves to be dead.

They hit the ground with a splat, spraying mud everywhere. It seemed that they had landed in a very deep, very muddy, trench.

"Owwww…" Ash moaned, nursing her bruises.

"I WILL KILL YOU!" Myst screeched at the top of her lungs whilst digging her nails into the damp, muddy ground of which they had landed.

"That would be uncalled for… I got us here didn't I?" Ash said, giving her winning smile, the smile that clearly said 'were not dead so I'm calling this a victory', "Now, onwards to number 10 Filbert street! Step lightly, for I don't want to encounter many people our age while we are covered in mud!" she continued cheerfully.

And so the girls made their way to number 10 Filbert Street.

Me: Thank you to Rose-Butterfly, my co author.

Ash: Review or I will make this story very boring and weird!