In a place ruled by singing birds

A catastrophe they will endure

When the full moon rises on the third

And they hear the siren's lure

The world will fall dark

Signaling the rise of nine

An angel shall leave his mark

Their destinies intertwined.

This is the rhyme my mother always told me on my birthday. I never really fully understood what it meant. I wasn't even sure if I ever would. But, something told me I was involved in it. Of course, when you're fifteen, you don't really pay attention much to your surroundings. But, I do. I have too. It is essential for my survival. You see, I am what is known as a Caster. Although in the mortal language, I could be called a warlock of sorts. But, if you wish, I guess I can start from the beginning.

My name is Roman. I have brown hair that falls down into my face. My eyes are a deep brown. My skin is a pale color, almost white. I'm kind of tall, around 5 foot 7. I was raised in a small town near the east coast. But, that all changed because I've been expelled from more schools than I can remember. But, it isn't always my fault. It all started when I had just started coming into my powers. I was about twelve at the time. Or was it thirteen…either way it was around the time I became a teenager.

One day I was a normal kid playing YU-GI-OH and Pokémon games with my friends. The next I was making windows explode just by thinking about it. That was how I had gotten kicked out of my first school. Something about having the devil inside me or some other ridiculous excuse along those lines. I just say they were extreme Jesus freaks who put the blame for something that couldn't be explained on the loner kid who seemed to keep away from everyone.

After that, I may have experienced a power surge after being bullied by a jock for being gay. Long story short, their gym burned down in a "freak accident" and mom decided it was time for me to move again.

So it went on for seven or so more schools. Basically I lost control of my powers and someone got hurt. Now, I'm almost sixteen and off to a new school. Again. This time it's in Ohio. Apparently it's a bully free school zone with lots of friendly people. Plus it's an all-boys school which makes it even better!

This time though, I will fight my hardest not too lose control. Even though it's only a few weeks until the sixteenth moon. When I will claim myself for the light or for the dark. I had always planned on going light but, ever since the expulsion from all those schools, I've wanted to take revenge on all the mortals who had hurt me. I just hope this new school would be different. I hope it will help me see the light.

"Did you guys hear about the new guy?" A hyper blonde boy asked his friends. One of his friends, a tall brunette, looked at his bubbly friend.

"Jeff, calm the hell down!" He exclaimed trying to be serious but just ended up laughing as the blonde stumbled over his feet.

"Shut up, Nick. You're the one who gave me that monster." Jeff retorted as he regained his balance. Though his body was still wanting to run everywhere, he calmly collected himself as best he could.

"Anyway," Another one of Jeff's friends started looking over at the courtyard. "What's this about a new boy?"

"Apparently we have a new transfer coming today. I've heard he was moved around a lot by his mom because of bullying." Nick sighed as he clutched his textbook to his chest. He could remember what it felt like to be bullied. But, that was why he had moved to Dalton Academy. The no bullying policy was everything he had wanted. The staff and students actually took it seriously.

"Yeesh. That sucks. But," Jeff started to say as he turned to look at his friends. "That's how most of us end up here. Just wanting an escape from it all."

"Do you think he'll be hot?" The other boy asked looking at his two friends with a smirk on his face. Nick and Jeff rolled their eyes.

"Sebastian. Please don't try to get in his pants on the first day. We don't even know if he's gay." Nick said turning to look at his friend.

"But he very well could be." Sebastian replied as he heard a car coming into the parking lot.

"I wonder if that's him…." Jeff asked as the three young boys stopped and looked out to the parking lot in curiosity.

Roman got out of his mom's little black BMW grabbing his suitcases and shutting the door behind him.

"You know if you ever need me, I'm just a phone call away." His mom said sweetly looking at her son.

"I know mom. I promise I will this time. I don't wanna hurt anyone else." Roman said quietly looking at the ground fighting back tears.

"I know sweetie. Just don't lose your temper and you'll be fine. I promise." His mom replied as she stepped out of the car to give her son one last hug. She'd never admit this to him or herself, but, she was secretly scared that it wasn't just his temper that affected his powers. She was terrified that some other forces were at play. Forces that she couldn't protect her son from.

"I love you mom." Roman said quietly as he hugged his mom tight.

"I love you too my little Natural." His mom replied fighting back tears. "Remember to call me if you need me. I may not be a Natural but that doesn't mean I can't kick ass if I need too." Roman looked at his mom with his mouth agape. She winked at him and laughed, turning him around and gently pushing him toward the school. "Be safe Ro!" She called out before he got out of earshot. Sighing she turned around, got back in the car, and drove back to the house she had just bought for herself.

After his mom had left, Roman scanned the campus of the school. He looked over toward what appeared to be a dorm and noticed 3 boys watching him.

"Great…I just got here and I'm already being stalked." He thought to himself. He sighed and went on toward the main entrance so he could pick up his schedule and rooming assignment.

Nick and his friends watched him walk in with curiosity. "He seems nice."

"How the hell can you tell? We just watched him looking like creepers and I'm pretty sure he saw us. Now, he probably thinks we're freaks or something." Jeff replied clutching his History textbook to his chest.

"Maybe he sings…" Sebastian said lost in thought. "I mean we could always use new warblers."

"Maybe. We should get to know him better and then ask." Nick replied turning to go back to the dorms.

"We could always ask right now. He's coming this way." Jeff said noting that the strange brown haired boy was coming toward them.

"I'll do it!" Sebastian said loudly marching off to meet the newbie. Jeff and Nick shared a look then ran after their friend hoping Sebastian didn't scare the new kid off.

"Hi!" Sebastian greeted happily. Roman stopped in his tracks and just stared at the man in front of him.

"Hi…?" Roman replied cautiously not knowing what to expect.

"My name is Sebastian," Sebastian started to say as Nick and Jeff ran up beside him. "These lovely gents are Nick," Sebastian gestured to Nick who waved and smiled warmly. "And the hyper blonde one is Jeff." Sebastian motioned to Jeff who held out his hand for Roman to shake.

"Nice to meet you all," Roman said shaking Jeff's hand. "My name is Roman." Sebastian gave him a once over.

"Short little thing aren't you." Sebastian said ignoring the looks from Nick and Jeff.

"My entire family is short actually." Roman said looking directly into Sebastian's eyes.

"You're what 5 foot 6?" Sebastian guessed looking Roman up and down.

"5 foot 7 actually. But, you were close." Roman said smiling a little.

"What us to show you around?" Jeff asked hoping to save the newbie from Sebastian's gay clutches before something bad happened.

"Actually my roommate is Sebastian so I'll just follow you back to our room if you want." Roman said looking at Jeff then Sebastian. Nick and Jeff shared a look.

"This is so not good." Nick mouthed to his blonde friend who nodded in reply.

"So, my little Roman. You got a special girl back home?" Sebastian asked turning around and walking toward the dorm expecting everyone else to follow.

"I'm actually gay and I've been moved around too much to have had a steady relationship." Roman said blushing as he followed Sebastian.

"Roman. Just a head's up," Nick said quietly as he and Jeff walked on either side of the young boy. Roman turned to look at him with his soft brown eyes filled with curiosity. "Sebastian is the whore of the school. He's slept with almost every warbler here. Including my lovely boyfriend." He said motioning to Sebastian then to Jeff.

"You two are dating? That's cute." Roman said smiling at the both of them. "Thanks for the heads up but, I've been in a few situations like this before. I can handle him and anything he can dish out." Roman replied with a look that could kill. His eyes had gone from a soft brown to a piercing gold in just a matter of seconds.

"Whoa. Your eyes can change color?" Jeff asked looking at his new friend's eyes.

"Yea. They normally change to a gold color when I'm upset or angry." Roman said looking back at Jeff. "It actually scared some people before."

"I think it's cute. I've always wanted to have gold eyes." Jeff replied turning to walk normally again.

"If only you knew…" Roman thought to himself as he felt himself calming down again. But, somehow he felt he could trust these two men with a lot of his secrets. He just hoped they didn't react like others had before them.

"So did you do any extra-curricular activities before you moved here?" Nick asked switching sides so he could hold hands with Jeff.

"I used to be in a show choir back in North Carolina. Color guard too." Roman replied as they arrived at the door to the dorm building.

"What's a color guard?" Jeff asked looking at Roman with his curious brown eyes. Roman noted they were almost the same shade as his.

"You know what a marching band is right?" Roman replied stopping so he could talk to both his new friends.

"Yea, my little brother used to play football before I moved here so I got dragged to all the games." Jeff replied laying his head on Nick's shoulder who had put an arm around Jeff's waist.

"Color guard are the people who use the flags, rifles, and sabres to provide a visual performance while the band performs. Winter guard is the same thing minus the marching band. It's a lot of fun." Roman explained recounting how he had done numerous tosses with the equipment giving it a little bit of a boost using his powers.

"That sounds like fun. We should have a team here at Dalton. We have a show choir too if you wanna audition. We're called the Warblers." Jeff replied pointing to a bird pin on his blazer jacket.

"That looks like a Mockingjay from the Hunger Games." Roman observed looking at it.

"It's supposed to be a type of Canary." Nick said laughing. Roman turned a bright pink and chuckled to himself.

"So when are auditions?" Roman asked trying to change the subject.

"We can do it next week if you want. Just choose a song to sing and we'll go from there." Nick informed him with a smile on his face.

"Does it have to be a cover or can I do an original?" Roman asked him in return.

"You write original stuff?" Jeff asked perking up a little.

"I do now and then." Roman replied blushing a bit.

"Well then I'd love to hear one. You'll perform it next Wednesday in front of Nick, Sebastian, and I. Then if you make it, you can perform it in front of the rest of the Warblers if you wish." Jeff replied with a smile on his face.

"Sounds like a game plan." Roman said returning the smile.

"Hey, are you gonna come to the room or not?" Sebastian yelled down the stairs. Roman chuckled and turned to go find his dorm room with his roommate.

"Hey Roman," Nick said. Roman turned to look at him from his place on the steps. "Welcome to Dalton." Roman smiled and nodded then hurried up the stairs to find his roommate.

"I think we should keep an eye on him. In case Sebastian tries something." Jeff said quietly watching Roman leave.

"Definitely." Nick replied pulling his boyfriend closer.

"Baby, not today. You wore me out yesterday." Jeff whined earning a smirk from his brunette lover.

"You know you loved it." Nick said grinning as Jeff blushed.

"Never said I didn't." Jeff managed to say before Nick had closed the distance between them and kissed Jeff softly.

"Come on babe…" Nick groaned hoping he could break Jeff down.

"Fine…" Jeff said with a sigh looking at his boyfriend with lust filled eyes. Nick smirked and the two raced upstairs to their dorm room, locking the door behind them.

"So…which bed is mine?" Roman asked Sebastian looking around his new dorm room. There were 2 beds. One on the left which had a desk and computer at the foot of it. It looked like it was barely enough room to fit. The other bed was closer to the bathroom.

"That one is," Sebastian said pointing at the bed closest to the bathroom. Roman nodded and threw his suitcases on it before he sat down and pulled out a notebook.

"What's that? Sebastian asked nodding toward his notebook.

"Just a notebook to keep some original songs I write and the lyrics of the songs I wanna cover." Roman said looking at Sebastian.

"You sing?" Sebastian asked raising one of his eyebrows.

"Yea I do. I was gonna audition for the Warblers." Roman replied with a bit of a blush on his cheeks.

"Sing me something then," Sebastian said with a smile forming on his face. "I am one of the people you will be auditioning for."

"Ok then…" Roman said scanning his notebook. "Actually, is it ok if I invite Nick and Jeff over so I can just sing for you guys? Like a preview for my audition?" Roman asked looking at Sebastian.

Sebastian scratched his head thinking about it. "I guess we could work something. You sing well I assume?" He asked with a quizzical look on his face.

"I guess. But, that's for you to decide." Roman said winking at Sebastian.

"What kind of music do you like?" Sebastian asked pulling out his phone to text Nick to meet them with Jeff in the library in a few minutes.

"I like anything except rap." Roman replied as he started scanning his notebook again. Suddenly, he found the perfect song.

"What're your favorite artists?" Sebastian said as he sent the text.

"Uhm…Kellie Pickler, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift to an extent," Roman started before Sebastian burst into laughter.

"Taylor Swift? Really?" Sebastian said in-between breaths from his laughing fit.

"She has some good songs," Roman said defending himself. He looked at Sebastian's phone as it vibrated. Sebastian looked at it and smiled.

"They'll meet us in the library in a few." Sebastian informed Roman whose eyes had widened.

"O-okay…" Roman stuttered suddenly scared to death.

"We can continue our conversation after. Off to the library we go kind sir." Sebastian said standing and walking over to the door. Roman got up and followed his roomie to the library as his fear started to subside and was replaced by a fierce feeling to give it all he got.

"We may have to wait a minute. I think they were doing the dirty." Sebastian said sitting in an armchair. Roman looked around and saw a guitar and his face instantly lit up.

"I thought you guys were an acapella group?" Roman asked walking toward the guitar.

"We are. But sometimes we like to fool around with guitars and shit." Sebastian replied watching the brown haired boy curiously. "Do you play?" Roman turned and looked at him as he had started tuning the guitar.

"A little." Roman replied looking back down to the guitar and going through some chord progressions. Nick and Jeff had decided that was a good time to make an appearance.

"You play guitar," Jeff asked plopping down in a chair next to Sebastian. Roman nodded and looked at the 3 Warblers. "Sweet. I play bass sometimes." Jeff replied with a smile on his face.

Roman smiled back at him. "Are you ready for me to do this?" He asked looking at them patiently.

"We are. Go ahead and start whenever." Nick replied plopping down in Jeff's lap.

"Alright then…" Roman said as he started plucking at the guitar strings.

'Cause I'll be there in the back of your mind

From the day we met 'til you were making me cry
And it's just too bad you already had the best days
The best days of your life

The three Warblers were watching him intently. Jeff's mouth hung open a little bit, shocked by the power in the boy's voice. He could also sense a bit of raw emotion as if Roman was singing to someone who had once hurt him.
Ain't it a shame
A shame that every time you hear my name
Brought up in a casual conversation
You can't think straight?

And ain't it sad
You can't forget about what we had?
Take a look at her and do you like what you see
Or do you wish it was me?

I'll be there in the back of your mind
From the day we met to the very last night
And it's just too bad you already had the best days
The best days of your life

As the song progressed, Sebastian couldn't help but feel like Roman had been through hell and back with whoever had hurt him so much. He could hear the strained emotions as they mixed with the lyrics and flew out of Roman's mouth like he had done this millions of times before.

And does she know
Know about the times you used to hold me
Wrapped me in your arms and how you told me
I'd be the only one?

I heard about
Yeah, someone told me once when you were out
She went a little crazy, ran her mouth about me
Ain't jealousy funny?

Nick was watching the boy and had known from the beginning of the song that he was meant to be with the Warblers. With the power of his voice, they actually stood a chance at Sectionals.

'Cause I'll be there in the back of your mind
From the day we met to the very last night
And it's just too bad you already had the best days
The best days of your

Life with me was a fairytale love
I was head over heals 'til you threw away us
And it's just too bad you already had the best days
The best days of your life

I heard you're gonna get married, have a nice little family
Live out my dreams with someone new
But I've been told that a cheater is always a cheater
So I've got my pride and she's got you

'Cause I'll be there in the back of your mind
From the day we met 'til you were making me cry
And it's just too bad you already had the best days
The best days of your life

Of your life, oh, oh yeah
You're gonna think of me
You're gonna think of me in your life
Oh, oh yeah

It's a shame, it's a shame
it's a shame, it's a shame, it's a shame, it's a shame

They all applauded as Roman finished his song breathless. Sebastian even stood up and whistled a little bit making Roman blush.

"That was amazing!" Jeff gushed running up and giving the boy a huge hug. "With you on the team, we can finally stand up to the New Directions!"

"The…who now?" Roman asked confused looking at each one of them for an explanation.

"The New Directions. One of our rivals," Nick began as he recounted the entire story of how Blaine had left them and transferred to Mckinley to be with his boyfriend Kurt.

"Wow…so…you guys lost a captain and a huge amount of talent?" Roman asked looking awestruck and shocked.

"Pretty much. But, with your voice, we may stand a chance at beating them." Nick said as he pulled Jeff away before he knocked Roman down due to his hyper self.

"You think I can replace him…?" Roman asked suddenly unsure of himself and his voice.

"Not replace him. Just…substitute for him. No one can really replace Blaine." Sebastian said with a look in his eyes that showed something like love.

"Well…thanks. I guess…" Roman said looking sheepishly at the ground.

"You're welcome. Why don't you go and unpack your things. I'll be there in a bit." Sebastian said smiling warmly at Roman.

"Alright then…" Roman said as he walked toward the door.

"Hey Roman," Nick called out stopping him in his tracks.

"Yea…?" Roman asked turning to look at the brunette.

"Welcome to the Warblers." Nick said smiling brightly. Roman smiled back and nodded.

"Thank you." He said before turning and walking back to his room to begin unpacking so he could get ready for his first day of classes the next day.