Chapter one (prologue)
The scent of lavender filled the air around her delicate neck as she mixed in the purple plant. She stirred all the ingredients in to her crystal bowl when she heard a shoe scuff the wood flooring. She quickly slid her bowl under her bed and pinched the flame.
"Vivian?" her mother whispered.
"Yes mom?"
"Can you please go do the dishes?" she requested.
"Sure mom. "
"Thank you baby."
"No problem." Vivian uttered.
Vivian got up from the floor and walked into the kitchen. That is a lot of dishes. Vivian sighed. She turned the water on and let it soak the dishes while she poured in pomegranate soap. She scrubbed the left over egg off the pans and placed the dishes into the dishwasher. As she was leaving she heard her cow colored cat yowling for her.
"Oreo? Come here honey." She whispered.
The cat came scurrying around the corner and bumping into her.
"You are such a spaz!" She laughed.
She picked him up and walked back into her room and laid back into her bed where she passed out. Vivian woke up the next morning to the smell of bacon flaring in her nostrils. She pushed her arms out of her covers to hear her cat yelling at her.
"Well, now we are both up." She laughed.
She threw the covers off her and kneeled down to see how her protection spell had settled. The wax had gone over the lavender making it a homemade candle. Now she would have to wait till after school to do another one. She sighed and picked up the bowl and brought it to her
bathroom to scrub the wax off. Finally after scrubbing for ten minutes the bowl looked as good as new. The crystal was infused with what her grandmother called Frost magick. Which she didn't understand, but Vivian had only been a Wiccan for one year and half, if that. There were spirals and all kind of rainbows filled into it that only wiccans could see. She remembered the first time she had asked her grandmother about them. Her grandma had begun to cry and murmur to the heavens. Apparently being a Wiccan was not at all what people thought, but then again there family wasn't the "normal" Wiccan. Her grandmother had called it the Frost Witches. Which once again Vivian had no idea what that meant, but she was sure she would have to know soon.
She left the bathroom and went into the bigger then most kitchens her mother was so proud of.
"Mmmm. Smells good mom."
"Thanks Viv. Should be done in about ten minutes."
"k. I'm going to take a shower. No peeping eyes." Vivian laughed
"Shyeah. Bye Vivian."
Her mother smiled.
Courtney was still sleeping in her bed past out with the cover wrapped around tight on her body. Vivian glided over to her closet and picked out her clothes for the day and walked into the bathroom.
She slid off her shorts, pulled her jacket off, and tugged at her shirt till she was free from all clothes and stepped into the shower. The water felt good massaging all the knots out of her back. Stresses of high school never seemed to matter as cotton candy body wash clung to her moist skin. She reached for her coconut shampoo and lathered it into her silky hair. Five minutes went by and she washed it out. She rubbed her conditioner in to her hair for about half minute and left it in for three and washed it out. There was a soft knock on the door making Vivian turn the shower off.
"Yes? I'm almost done." She said.
"Vivian"
"Yes?"
"Vivian" It whispered.
Vivian grabbed her razor and stepped out of the shower. Her foot slipped on the floor and her heart raced as she was free falling. Her head smacked the toilet and she blacked out.
Voices faded in and out of Vivian's head. Some saying brain damage? Someone asking is she was in a coma. A male asking if she would walk again. She opened her eyes and saw a clear snake hissing at her and diving into her stomach to kill her. She tried to kill it, hit it or something. She couldn't feel her arms. She tried to scream for help, but she couldn't hear her self. Things were around her. People, but not people. Their faces were deformed. Eyes where there mouths should be, teeth were noses should be, noses in there foreheads. Vivian's heart was pounding, so hard she swore it wasn't even in her body. And then her heart began to hurt. She tried to clutch it, and couldn't move. Oh no they were coming at her. No please god. No don't let them kill me. Two of them had knives in there hand promising to slice her neck and let her bleed to death and drink her blood. Her heart was giving her excruciating pain. One of the knifed human, but not human stuck the knife in her arm and her vision blurred and finally seized.
The wind was in her face licking her happily. Secretly galloped around the last row of apricot trees and Vivian slowed her to a walk.
"Great job. You are doing amazing." Vivian cheered to her horse.
The smell of rain still clung to the ground as Vivian hopped off her Arabian and un-tacked her. She patted her back letting secretly know it was alright to frolic on her own. She dropped the saddle and pad on accident, but Alex was there to grab it.
"Well, hey stranger." She laughed.
"Hello beautiful. How are you?" he wondered.
"Oh you know. Same old same old. Trying to save the world. Nothing new."
"Uhh… I love you so much."
"I love you too Alex." She smiled.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing baby. Here help me take the tack to our tree please."
She picked up the bridle while Alex grabbed the saddle and pad. She sat down and leaned on the tree trunk while Alex stood standing above her.
"What? You're making me nervous." She laughed.
"You are just so beautiful."
"Stop your making me blush. Now come sit down with me'
She pulled his shirt and he fell on top of her. She pushed him off playfully and they watched secretly trot back in forth looking for apricots to snack on.
"You know she's doing great for just falling on the track two months ago. I can't believe her gallop is so steady." Alex noted.
"Yes it is quite remarkable." Vivian agreed.
Vivian laid her head on Alex's shoulder as he rubbed her back. She was so relax she fell asleep.
Vivian woke up in a hospital bed unable to move. She woke alarm. This was just like her dream. The door open and Vivian's breath caught in her mouth. As a doctor with charcoal black hair walked through she let her breath go.
"Hello Vivian. I am Dr. Redna. I have some bad news for you. When you fell out of the shower you hit your head and caused your brain to shift and collide with the inside of your skull, and causing paralysis. We do not know the extent of your paralysis yet, but we are going to run some tests and let you know as soon as we have answers for you. I am truly sorry Ms. Concept."
The doctor walked to the door looked back at Vivian and shook his head. Her mother and father who would never be in the same room together walked in red nose and puffy eyed. The picture would of made Vivian laugh if it wasn't for the circumstance. Her mother walked over to her and grabbed her like it was the last time she could hold her daughter. Vivian's mother began to cry as she didn't feel her daughter's warmth around her. She let go of Vivian and walked back to her father. Her dad came forward and gave her a hug as well. Vivian felt both of their pain. It felt like someone carved into her heart and made her parents watch the torment. Her dad let a single tear come down his face. Vivian had never seen her dad cry before. Her life was over and everyone in that small room knew it. Know more brushing her hair, riding secretly, kissing Alex, or even hugging her mother. Vivian couldn't handle it anymore. She began crying. Her heart was broken, she knew after hundreds of surgeries and x-rays, and people coming in out of her room nothing would change. She would be paralyzed for life.
Three weeks later the news everyone was hoping for came. The doctor said the spinal cord had healed just enough for them to begin surgery, and the chance of her surviving was eighty- nine percent. Vivian thought she was already practically dead what does that little number mean to her anyway? They prepped Vivian for surgery and let her say goodbye to her mom and dad.
"Wait! Has Alex come at all?" Vivian asked.
"No honey. He hasn't." her mom answered.
"Didn't think so. Well bye mom bye dad! I love you."
"Bye baby."
Vivian's dad didn't say one thing to her as she was rolled into the operation room.
Chapter two (prologue…)
"Sicicili come here right now young physic!" Mrs. Basker yelled.
Sicicili came through the door with an attitude and sat down where she was sitting.
"What is up with your grades?" she yelled.
"You don't need to yell and it's not my fault I don't understand vampire anatomy or physic 204…"
"You are physic! How can you not understand this? Your step father pays fifty thousand dollars, so you can go to this fancy school and you screw up in the Inside World as well? I just don't know what to do with you any more Sicicili. You are getting out of control. I didn't want to have to do this, but I think we have to send you to The Den."
"What are you serious? It's not my fault! Mrs. Basker come on. The Den? I'll die there!" Sicicili pleaded.
"No we have given you more then enough chances. You are leaving in two months. Since school shall be out then and as soon and I mean as soon! You will be shipped out on the next trip to the Inside world. Now go and clean your room please."
Sicicili couldn't believe her foster parents would do this to her. The Den? Were they joking, or maybe trying to scare me into behaving. They wouldn't joke about The Den though. She thought. She had to pound on the door to get it to open since the door hinges were broken. She looked at her room and tried to see what to clean first. She worked on her clothes, then made her bed, collected all her Fire crystals and laid them back into there cases. And sat down on her bed and slept.
Chapter 3 (prologue)
Lastraa grabbed his books and teleported into his class room. Usually he wouldn't have been so sluggish, but today Havana needed help getting out of her medicine cabinet. He laughed thinking back to her face. She was pissed off like a horse being spurred the life out of her. Her usually creamy white complexion was red and her green eyes where black as night. Uhh that girl kills me. He thought.
"Class please settle down. The bells have wrung and it's time to being our class."
"Mr. Lastraa?"
"Yes Britta?"
"I read section five and six and still could not find the answer to number seven." She said frustrated.
"That is because that is a trick question. The question is Why is it when you block off the Vampires air waves the do not die? The answer is because Vampires do not breathe." O Lastraa smiled.
"Thank you head master."
"No problem Britta. Any other questions?"
"Yes. Mr. Lastraa I have one."
Lastraa turned around to see the high priestess standing in the door way.
"Yes Ms. Nelina?"
"Why aren't you at the board meeting?"
"Because I feel teaching my students is more important then talking about how to spend our money. With all due respect."
"Of course, but this meeting is about Vivian Concept."
The class got extremely quiet at the mention of this transferring student. Lastraa bowed to his class and followed the high priestess to one of main conference rooms.
"Ah! Lastraa how nice of you to join us. Please take a seat." Priest Novae said.
"Yes. Sorry I was late. Something had come up."
"Continuing from where we were. Vivian Concept is a danger to our students! We can not let her roam around our hallways!" Priest Novae yelled.
"She doesn't even know who she is supposed to be. How can she be a danger? This young woman is only fifteen and you are afraid of her? Maybe you should not be in my court. It is ultimately my decision and I am grateful for all your opinions, but we have never denied admission into our school. Why start now? You said this two years ago with Lastraa and look where he is a head master at our school and the only student to ever become one there freshman year. Lastraa would you like to say anything?" Ms. Nelina asked.
All the most powerful Vampires and Shifters were at the meeting and they all shifter there gaze to Lastraa. He balanced his weigh on both feet and swallowed.
"Yes, actually I do. I believe you are all afraid of things you can not control. You sicken me just like the human race. Why she choose you as her Court I will never know, but I can't believe you would all miss the chance to train the greatest leader we might ever have in our history. So, let's think about this for a moment. Say we don't train her and she goes into The Sight. The Vampires and Shifters will be destroyed forever. If she chooses Frost over Shadow the Moon will lose and the Sun will take over the world as we know it. We need her on our side more then we need any of you and you are afraid of her. Well you should be. She could kill any of you in seconds. If she does not come here I will leave."
"Lastraa that is a decision we should make together." Ms. Nelina said.
"No. It is not. It is my decision and I will make it do not test me. Ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for your time, but I need to get back to teaching people who need me."
Lastraa bowed and left the Court speechless. Cultic was waiting outside the door for him smiling.
"Cute speech. Why weren't Havana and I invited?" He asked.
"Because you guys fight like lions in different prides." Lastraa answered honestly.
"We do fight a lot don't we, I still love the girl." Cultic smiled.
"Look you know I love talking to you, but right now I kind of need o be alone. Nothing personal okay?"
"Oh yes of course. I will see you in the dinning hall?" Cultic asked.
"Yes. I believe you will."
With that Cultic Shifted into an eagle and flew into the headmasters dorms. Lastraa kept walking till he finally arrived at his class.
"Sorry about that my students. Please tell me where we left off?"
Chapter four (prologue)
Sicicili was packed up for the plain ride and wasn't excited what so ever.
"Let's go let's go. Get in the car. Were going to miss the flight!" Mrs. Bakser shouted.
"Only if you would let that happen." Sicicili whispered.
Chapter five (prologue… four weeks earlier)
For the past month Vivian had been in physical therapy since her surgery was a 100% success. She had lost almost all of her muscle and she could hardly walk around her room in 2 weeks of therapy. The weeks went by as fast as lightning bolts until her grandmother showed up and everything changed.
"Vivian we are sending you to The Den. Do not argue. Do not curse. And do not give me an attitude. You need to go. They have contacted me and told me they will give you a 100% scholarship and they can teach you more about being a witch then I can. You know how I always called you a Frost Witch? Well honey you are going to be training in Shadow instead. I bought you a present on my way over here. I do not want you going any where without it. It's infused with Shadow magick and will slice anything."
Her grandmother handed the dagger over. The blade was black itself and the handle was blue. Beautifully carved Vampires and what looked like werewolves wrapped around the handle. Her grandmother smiled at her and softly brushed her fingers along the blade. When she lifted them trickles of blood ran down her finger tips. Vivian was amazed her grandmother didn't even flinch.
"This blade is so sharp that you wouldn't know you were sliced until blood was on the floor. Be careful with this Vivian. In the wrong hands it could cause chaos. "
"I will grandma. I do have one question."
"Yes?"
"When will I be leaving?"
"In one week. You will start school tomorrow again. Say your goodbyes and on Friday you will be ready to leave on the next flight to the Inside World."
Her last day at school went by as if it was only 5 hours and not days. On Friday she only told one friend she was leaving, Stacey. She was her closest human friend. The supernatural world didn't believe in "best friends" they found it as rude. That you like one friend more then any other, but with closest friends you are just closer to someone else. Maybe they just over thought everything. When the final bell wrung Stacey ran to catch up with Vivian and hugged her.
"I am so going to miss you Viv!" she cried.
"Ill miss you too stac, but I have to go to boarding school." Vivian lied.
"I almost lost you and now you are actually leaving me!"
"Hey stac did Alex say anything?"
"He hasn't spoken since your break up, but oh shit your moms here. Well I love you and you have to text me!"
"I will! Love you too!" Vivian yelled over her shoulder.
Vivian smiled at her mom and got ready for the three hour drive to the airport.