CHAPTER 1

Aspen Faylinn Willow sank further and further into her chair, willing herself to just disappear.

She was sitting in a hard school chair, facing the head teacher's desk at Coates Academy. Only this school was nothing like it used to be. Occupying the head teacher's luxury leather spinning chair was Caine Soren. And on the other side of the room, staring Aspen down, were his 'posse'. Computer Jack. Diana Ladris. And, quite easily the scariest person there: Drake Merwin.

Aspen stared at the floor, not able to meet anyone in the room's gaze.

"So Drake, run her story by me one last time." Caine turned to Drake, and Aspen felt his glare on her. It felt as though he was burning a hole through her head.

"So the squirrel's hopping along, then all of a sudden it's morphed into her. In like a second." Everyone looked at Aspen again and Caine narrowed his eyes.

"Diana." He said, and the only other girl in the room, the most beautiful girl Aspen had ever seen, sauntered over to her, taking her hand in her own. Aspen flinched but Diana didn't do anything, just held it for a bit, and then walked back over to her place by the wall.

"Well?" Caine demanded.

"A 3 bar." Diana said simply, Aspen frowned – what were they talking about? Caine nodded slowly.

"What's your name?" He demanded and Aspen finally caught his eye.

"Aspen." She said. "Aspen Willow."

"Can you show us your power Aspen?" Caine said smoothly. She looked up at his face, at his handsome features and his equally smooth expression. She nodded and then disappeared. A cat now sat on the seat instead, licking its paws. Then it turned into a swallow, did a few loops of the room before morphing into a king cobra and hissing at Computer Jack who screamed like a girl, and then finally returned to Aspen again. She took a seat again on the chair. Caine had his eyebrows raised, he looked impressed.

"Impressive." He said, and then his eyes lit up. "Can you only do animals?" Aspen shrugged. "I haven't really tried anything else…"

"Well give it a go now. Try and morph into…Drake here." Aspen looked up at Drake looking him up and down as if trying to take in every little detail. She met his eyes and shrank away from their cruel gaze, and then, suddenly she was him. The Drakes looked at each other. There was no doubt about it; they were identical. Right down to the end of their matching whip hands. The original didn't look too impressed. He narrowed his eyes, as if in a warning. Caine laughed, clapping his hands as Aspen returned to her original form.

"Excellent!" He cried out gleefully. "You are going to come in very useful. He smirked, as Aspen bit her lip and looked up at him. "You look tired; you better get some sleep, Drake? Show her to a room. And…let her in on…the rules." He winked, and Drake nodded. He gestured for Aspen to follow him out of the room and she did.

Drake stared at the girl walking next to him. She was a lot shorter than him, her head coming up to his shoulder, and she was slim as well. She had tanned skin and a long curtain of dark brown hair down to her hips; it was slightly wavy, crimped. Her eyes were huge and caramel. She had a button nose and full lips, which she was biting now. She had been very quiet so far but instinct told Drake that she was quite a fighter underneath. He decided to get to know her a bit more.

Aspen jumped as she felt Drake's horrible monstrous tentacle wrap around her waist. It pulled her closer towards him and she had to put a hand on his firm chest to steady herself. She looked up at him and saw him smirk.

"So, want me to show you the ropes?" He asked. She paused, not sure what was the right answer. She nodded slowly.

"So basically, you do as you're told? Everyone's happy. You don't or try to run away or generally be a naughty girl?" He smirked and Aspen felt the tentacle close round her throat, squeezing the breath out of her. She tried to pull it off but it was too strong. He lifted her up with it and held her in front of him. He watched as she started to turn blue and loosened his grip slightly. Then he pulled her close enough for her to feel his breath on her face. "I suggest you go for the 1st option." He released his grip and she fell in a heap on the floor, gulping the air in. He kicked her lightly. "Come on!"