Chapter One: Dreams and Dragons

Melanie Rodriguez sat up in her bed and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She tried to remember the dream that she had been having without success. It was one she had been having for ages and she still couldn't remember it. The only fragment of the dream that lingered was a sense of overwhelming peace and love. Melanie lay in bed for a few more minutes, savoring the feeling.

Then, when she was no longer able to put off facing the day, Melanie climbed out of bed. Her lavender pajamas were slightly wrinkled from a night of tossing and turning. "If only I could remember what that stupid dream was!" she thought angrily to herself. Glancing at her bed-side alarm clock, Melanie realized that she had only twenty minutes to get to school.

"Damn," she said "I would pick the first day of high school to be late!" She started pulling random articles of clothing from her dresser. After throwing many things on the floor, Melanie finally found what she was looking for. She pulled on a slightly worn pair of jeans and a dark purple t-shirt. The shirt was plain; Melanie couldn't stand to have anything written on her clothing. After slipping the clothing over her thin, slightly willowy, frame she grabbed a brush from her dresser and raked it through her dark hair which fell just past her shoulders.

Melanie wasn't at all bad looking. She was small boned and not at all bad looking for a fourteen year old girl. She had permanently tanned skin, courtesy of her father, Kit's, Mexican heritage. Her dark hair was from both her mother, Nita, and her father. In addition, she had a full mouth and dark, intense, chocolate brown eyes. Her dark brows were slightly straight with only the slightest possible curve to them.

After that, Melanie dashed out of the room, her unbound hair flying out behind her. She ate a quick breakfast of cereal, grabbed her backpack, and flew out the door with a quick "bye!" to her mother. After running all the way to her bus stop, Melanie arrived there panting just as the bus pulled up.

When Melanie got on the bus she was pleased to see that her best friend since third grade, Lauren Davis, was saving her a seat. Lauren was a thin, blond girl with bright blue eyes that naturally smiled, a thin face, and pale skin.

"Way to make the first day exciting, Mel," Lauren said as Melanie seated herself beside her.

Mel rolled her eyes. "So where do we get our schedules?" she asked.

Lauren sat up straightened, forgetting about Melanie being late immediately. "Well we go to the auditorium first," she said. "And then they pair us with an older student, you know, to show us around and be our buddy and all that. They have schedules similar to us so the show us where all our classes are." Lauren made a face. "That building is huge!"

Melanie nodded. "Yeah," she said. Her friend was great at remembering things, no matter how obscure the fact. "Do we get to eat lunch with each other though?" she asked. She already knew the answer, but Lauren would probably know more than she did.

"Yes, so long as our mentors agree and it's near where they're eating." Lauren said. "What did you bring for lunch, by the way?"

Melanie hit her forehead with her fist. "I forgot it," she said.

Lauren made a sympathetic face. "You can share some of mine," she said.

Melanie nodded, even though she knew she wouldn't share the lunch. She could just leech off her best friend like that.

At last, the bus pulled up in front of the school. "How long do we have the buddies for?" asked Melanie.

"You're expected to stay with them for a week," Lauren said. "But they're expected to stay your 'special buddy' all year." She made a face. "Sure makes you hope you get someone good," she said.

Melanie nodded. She felt her gut clench with nervousness. It would be really bad luck if her mentor hated her. She wondered who it would be.

Lauren began to fidget; they had stepped off the bus and were entering the building. Following the signs and the growing crowds of other new freshmen, Melanie and Lauren made their way into the auditorium. There was a section in the middle reserved for the freshmen. The smaller sections on the left and right were filled with who Melanie presumed were the mentors. Lauren and Melanie went to sit somewhere in the section. When everyone was seated, the principle made his was laborious was onto the stage. He was a fat, balding man whose mouth automatically frowned.

Melanie zoned out almost as soon as he started his speech. Lauren had told her all about the mentor/buddy program on the bus and the rest of it was about rules. Every school she had ever been to had had the same rules. And what really mattered were the rules the teachers told you in class anyways. Her mind slid to the dream she had had the night before. It had been so peaceful…

Melanie was just on the verge of recalling something of it when Lauren nudged her. "They're starting to pair people up," she whispered.

Melanie started paying attention. They were doing it in alphabetical order. Soon Laurens name came up. Melanie watcher her friend walking towards the front of the room. Her friend was shaking slightly but Melanie was sure that no one noticed how nervous her friend was. Melanie would have to congratulate her later.

Melanie listened while the names of other students were called out. Some of them she knew from last year, others she didn't recognize. They came from other middle schools.

Then, Melanie's name was called. She put on a blank expression and walked towards the front of the room. Her black hair swished slightly from side to side as she walked. She was doing her best to look cool, calm, and collected. All in all, she thought she did a pretty good job.

Waiting for her at the front of the room was a tall boy with dark brown hair and black eyes. He was dressed casually and he, like her, had a blank expression. He held a folder that Melanie guessed contained her schedule, information about the school, and health papers.

Melanie nodded slightly to acknowledge him. He returned the gesture and motioned for her to follow him from the auditorium.

Once they were clear of the room, he showed Melanie into an empty classroom.

"Aren't I going to class?" she asked.

The boy raised his eyebrows. "Weren't you listening?" he asked.

Melanie rolled her eyes. "No," she said honestly. "They say the same things every year."

The boy smirked. "I'm supposed to talk to you about the school and how things work here to make sure you understand. Think you can listen?"

Melanie felt anger flare momentarily inside her. She repressed it coolly. She wouldn't gain anything by shouting, that was for sure. "I doubt it," she said. "I already know all the rules. They schools never change them."

Still smirking, the boy offered his hand. "I'm Drake," he said. "Sophomore."

"Melanie Rodriguez," Melanie said she took his hand, shook it, then let go.

"Oh?" asked Drake. "Did your parents go to school here?"

Melanie shrugged. "Yeah, I suppose so. They both grew up in the area."

Drake nodded. "My family's been here for a while too," he said and left it at that.

Melanie nodded.

"So." He said. "I'm supposed to talk to you about career pathways. What do you think you want to be? What are you interested in?"

Melanie considered the question. "I like art," she said finally. "Especially sculpture."

Drake nodded. He was writing it down on a pad of paper. "Go on," he said.

Melanie decided to be honest about this, just for the heck of it. Normally, it was against her nature to reveal too much about herself for fear of people using the information against her. But she couldn't see anything threatening about this situation. In fact, it would probably be beneficial; the councilors would be able to advise her better on which career path to take.

"I like music," she said. "Particularly the kind that means something."

Drake looked at her questioningly.

"I actually listen to the words in songs," she said. "Most people don't notice what the artists are actually saying but I do. I also like arguing diplomatically. I do it with my parents all the time."

Drake stifled a laugh. "I know everyone argues with their parents," he said "but I've never heard of anyone doing it diplomatically."

Melanie shrugged. "Most kids just get angry at their parents and shout and everyone leaves mad," she explained. "But doing it diplomatically I usually get my way."

Drake made a note. He started smirking again. "So you like manipulating your parents? How… immoral."

Melanie scowled. "It's not manipulating," she said. "Believe me, that wouldn't work on my parents. They're pretty used to it. They get manipulated a lot in their line of work." Melanie clamped her mouth shut. She had said too much. Her parents hadn't tried to hide the fact that they were wizards from her and her brother and sister. Her older brother was a wizard now too. Melanie herself wasn't a wizard yet and the fact had been bothering her. Didn't the Powers think she was worthy of the oath? But her mother said that there had been many late-starter wizards and that she shouldn't worry. But even though she wasn't a wizard yet herself, Melanie knew about how the Lone Power tried to manipulate wizards into working for It. She shuddered at the thought; she wanted to do good for the world and finding that she was making things worse instead would be horrible.

"Oh, what are your parents' jobs?" Drake asked.

"My mother is a librarian," Melanie said. She skipped the 'but that's just on the side, she's a wizard normally' part. "And my father's a newspaper journalist."

Drake nodded. "Oh, very bookish people. They must get manipulated a lot in those lines of work," he was mocking her, she knew, but she decided to just ignore it.

Melanie smiled. "That's definitely true."

"So do you think you'll have a 'bookish' job when you grow up?"

Melanie considered. "I don't think so," she said finally. "I like books and reading and all that, but I don't think that that's the only thing in life."

"So what would you want to be?"

Melanie considered again. This time, it took her a little longer to answer. "I don't know," she said. "I've tried taking those career quizzes before and they always come up with the answer 'teacher' or 'artist' or something. But I don't think any of those would be enough if you know what I mean."

Drake considered for a moment. "Yes," he said. "I suppose I do know. You want to do something big and important, right?"

Melanie made a face and nodded. "I suppose so, yes," she said. She didn't like admitting that she craved glory but it was the truth. Her parents had always told her to tell the truth because otherwise entropy, the Lone Power's prime weapon, would strengthen and the destruction of the Universe would quicken. That was something Melanie definitely didn't want.

"Impressive," Drake said. "Any idea what that would be?"

"Why are you so interested?" Melanie thought. She supposed this was just a job for him but all the same… "No," Melanie said. "But whatever it is it will be unique."

Drake's face changed for a second but he rigidly snapped it back. "Well, I think that's it," he said. He checked his watch. "We've got ten minutes left. Is there anything you want to discuss? Any questions?"

"No," Melanie said. She had the sense that she'd let something important slip and it made her uncomfortable. "I'd like to see my schedule though."

Drake took out the schedule and handed it to her. Then he took out his own and studied it, apparently for the first time. Melanie looked down at her own schedule. She was taking an extra hour of classes than the six required.

Hour Class Teacher Room

1 ------------------Geometry 1-2 AC --------Smith ------------------ 111

2 --------------------Gym --------------------White ------------------ 421

3 -----------------Ancient Civ. ---------------Drago ------------------ 501

4 -------------------Latin -------------------McMillan ---------------- 141

------------------------------------LUNCH------------------------------------------

5------------------- Art---------------------- Crow ------------------- 291

6 ----------------English 9 -------------------Wright ------------------ 522

7---------------Biology AC----------------- Flowers ----------------- 193

After examining it, Melanie laughed.

Drake looked up from his schedule. "What?"

"Flowers teaches biology?" she asked.

Drake smiled thinly, realizing what she had been laughing at. "Let me see yours," he said. He pulled it towards him without waiting for a reply. "We have art together," he said.

Melanie started in surprise. She hadn't expected to have any classes with her mentor.

"They mix the grades around in the electives," Drake explained.

"Oh," said Melanie. She would have to actually read the information… next time. Then she wouldn't look like an idiot.

"Its time to go to class," Drake said, handing her schedule back to her. He led her out of the classroom and into a hallway thronging with other students. Melanie followed him through a twisting maze of halls. Then, after what seemed like ages, he stopped in front of room one eleven. "Here you are," he said when they had reached it. "My class is just across the hall." He gestured at a room opposite the one they were in front of. Then he departed without another word.

After her morning classes, Drake picked her up from Latin and asked "so where do you want to eat lunch?" he asked.

"I was hoping I could go and meet my friend Lauren," Melanie said.

"Do you have any idea where she would be?" asked Drake. He had an eyebrow raised as though he already knew the answer.

"No," Melanie realized. So much for that. "We didn't have our schedules this morning and we don't know enough about the building to set up a meeting place."

"Then how do you propose to find her?"

Melanie shrugged and kept her face blank in spite of her extremely annoyed interior. "I suppose I won't," she said coldly. "I don't really care where we eat."

Drake shrugged. "I usually eat out behind the back field," he said. "It's relatively nice there and it's usually not that crowded."

Melanie shrugged. "I suppose that that'd be okay," she said. But in one of the halls, Melanie ran into Lauren. Literally.

"Ohff," said Lauren.

"Sorry," said Melanie. She bent down to help her friend pick up the things she had dropped.

"Oh Hi Mel," Lauren said. She smiled warmly in spite of the situation. Lauren picked herself up off the floor and gestured to a girl that Melanie knew. "Look, I got your cousin for a mentor," she said brightly.

"Hi Karen," Melanie said. Karen was the second of six children that her Aunt Carmella and her Uncle Ronan had had. Karen was also a Wizard like her eighteen year old sister Gwen. Their thirteen year old brother, Jason, had also recently taken the oath. That was another thing that made Melanie uncomfortable; Jason, a kid younger than she was, was already a wizard. Their other children included four-year-old Sonal and one year old Merlin.

"Hey Mel," said Karen. "How's your first day coming?"

"Oh pretty good," said Melanie. "My Geometry teacher's a bore but you can't have everything you want. Oh and this is my mentor, Drake."

Drake coolly shook Karen's hand. "You're a sophomore?" Karen asked.

Drake nodded coolly.

"Junior," Karen said. "So you guys want to eat together?"

"We were just going to eat outside, right?" Melanie asked and Drake nodded. Melanie noticed how he was distancing himself from her friends. Well, too bad for him. She nearly smirked.

Drake nodded.

"Sounds great," Karen said. "Want to lead the way?" she asked Drake.

He nodded again and set off with the three of them following and discussing their schedules.

When they had arrived at the lunch place, the topic had changed.

"My mother is in Florida on Vacation with my Dad," Lauren said. "Some sort of no-kids work vacation. Sucks, huh?"

Karen made a sympathetic noise. "My Dad's gone on business too," she said. She glanced at Melanie who understood at once what she meant. It was the universal family term that meant a person was out doing the One's business.

"Urgent?" Melanie asked lightly.

Karen's brow furrowed. "I don't know," she said. "I wasn't authorized to know what exactly he was doing."

"It's probably urgent then," Melanie said. "My Mom and Dad would probably know what it is though." When they had turned thirty, Nita and Kit had been promoted to senior level when the old seniors, Tom and Carl, had been promoted even higher. It still irked her Uncle Ronan that they could find out just about everything he was up to without asking.

Karen smirked. "That'll make him so happy," she said. More seriously she added. "But they sill won't be authorized to tell me what he's doing."

Melanie patted her shoulder. "I'm sure he'll be fine," she said.

Karen smiled. "And if he isn't Mum will go running all over the universe with her hair curler."

Melanie laughed. Trust Karen to be funny even when things got bad.

Laura and Drake were both staring at them with confused expressions. "Um could you back up and explain all that again?" asked Lauren.

Karen and Melanie looked at each other then burst out laughing.

After lunch, Melanie said goodbye to her cousin and friend promising to call them both later. Then she and Drake went to art. Melanie didn't pay attention much; it was all ice-breakers that day. Nothing at all interesting. Apparently Drake thought so too; he spent the whole period doodling.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Melanie didn't learn much of anything. She liked her English teacher, Mr. Wright, because of his funny manner and her Biology teacher, because she seemed knowledgeable and well read. But at the end of the day, Melanie was more than ready to get home. She was worn out by the day's new experiences. Saying good bye to Drake (he only nodded in return) she set off for home. She had decided to skip the late bus and just walk. It would probably being longer, but at least she wouldn't have to deal with the frustration of going miles out of the way. Plus she needed some time to mull over the day's events.

She had been lucky, she thought. Although not all of her teachers were interesting, she knew that they at least knew their subjects. That was an improvement from last year, at least. No what was really bugging her was her mentor's cold manner. What was with him? Maybe he had brain damage and just didn't want to show it. Melanie nearly laughed out loud. But seriously… Melanie herself knew how to act cold and emotionless but on the inside she was always bright and vibrant. Drake acted as though he was cold both inside and out. "But then again," Melanie thought, "perhaps he's just pretending, like me." That seemed likely. Melanie let her thoughts slide away from her buddy and back to that dream she had had the night before. Melanie started humming a song. She supposed she had heard it in the dream. The tune was pretty, although she had never heard it before. Or had she? Melanie thought. Later that evening, she wouldn't remember the song or the thought at all.

a/n: So what do you think? I know that there aren't many original characters in there yet but I promise more next chapter… I just had to establish Melanie. Next chapter up soon so please read, review, and keep checking back! Thanks. Oh and this does have a plot planned… :)