Stone Gray

Rating: T, for minor cussing and rudeness

Notes: Thank you to all the favorite stories, story alerts, and author alerts! It means a lot to me!
S.I.B.U.N.A.1398, angela1997, booklover51089, Blewwolf, patromefan, HoaLotsAtla, and patrome4ever I'm really glad that you guys like this-thank you for reading this! Thank you for all the prank ideas! You guys are too awesome!

Disclaimer: Everything in here is fake. I don't own HoA, and I only own my OCs… *sighs*

Oh- how to say Astraea's name: as-t-ria or you can look it up.

Characters are going to be OOC, and this is an AU story. Any foreign language will be bold. Thoughts will be italics. Sorry for any mistakes! Feel free to point out any mistakes! Enjoy…

No one followed you? No tall women in white? No short men in black? You're either aware of the danger that awaits you and you've taken precautions to be safe or you're blind and thought this was a normal story. Ah mortals, curiosity will be the death of you.

Warning: Don't read this story during the night. Unless it's a full moon, then it's safe. But for your safety (though, I should be worrying about mine) please don't read (an author telling someone not to read…who would have thought that this day would come?) this story at night (you should be asleep at night, unless you like staying up late and straining your eyes).

If you haven't noticed, this story can kill you. But it isn't a scary story, or gory (actually there is one part…), or frightening (but that's under the definition of scary…you get the point.) This story should be read during the day; just for your eye's health and your mind's sanity. I strongly recommended it! Of course, it's only a recommendation…

Fine… I'll start telling the story. Over a hundred years later…

You should get a pillow. Just saying…

Anyway…
The two bodies were found, blah, blah, stuff you'll find out later in the story, more hopeless sappy stuff, and you get the point.

Yeah, I love history-I just don't like explaining it to you mortals.

And if you thought this story was non-magic, you really need to re-read the first chapter…

Oh, I remember how was going to start this! Ahem…

Nina Martin's hazel eyes absorbed the view of Britain's countryside. She squealed, "I still can't believe we're here!" She looked over to her friend, who was writing in her journal. Nina sighed and rolled her eyes. "Astraea, get your head out of your journal and look around!"

Astraea sighed, snapped her journal shut, and placed it in her black satchel. "We're close to London, why are the schools so far away from the city?" She mused.

Nina shrugged, "Maybe they didn't want so many tourists walking around the school campus."

Astraea nodded, "Very true. But isn't it strange that our school across from another school?"

Nina frowned, "What?"

Astraea nodded, "It's the opposite of our school, so it's all boys." She continued, "But both schools were built around the same time. Our school started construction in the spring of 1789, while the boy school started in the winter of the same year… Why didn't they just add more houses and combine the schools or something?" Astraea frowned.

Nina sighed, "What's the school's names?"

Astraea waved her hand dismissively, "I can't even pronounce our own school's name and you want me to screw up another school's name?" Astraea scoffed.

Nina smiled, "Of course not…but I wonder if we're allowed to go on their campus."

"Maybe with permission…" Astraea noticed that their driver (her name was Sharon) was eavesdropping. She switched to Hindi, her second language. "No matter what country we're in, the female taxi driver eavesdrops!"

Nina rolled her eyes, "Well, wouldn't you? Two American teenagers going to a foreign school in a foreign country-"

Astraea laughed, "Foreign for you maybe, but I'm familiar with this country."

Nina sighed, "As I was saying, wouldn't you eavesdrop on two people with awesome accents?"

"No, Australian people have awesome accents, then British people." Astraea said. "I have a small Panjabi accent."

Nina frowned, "Why haven't you taught me Panjabi?"

"Why haven't you taught me German?"

"Touché."

Nina and Astraea's cab carried them into a small forest, with small breaks through the trees showing meadows and small streams, and finally the forest disappeared to show farmland. Nina was the first one to see Moira's flags and school towers.

Nina giggled, "Do you feel like we just got sent back in time?"

Astraea nodded and grinned, "All we need are dragons and dashingly good-looking princes."

Nina smiled, "Our school is going to be across a guy school…there must be at least one good looking guy in there."

Astraea raised an eyebrow and smiled at Nina, "Looking for a boyfriend already?"

"Of course, so I could steal your dragon away from you and fly to the moon."

Astraea gasped, "You cruel person! Leaving me with a boy and taking my dragon!" She broke into fake sobs.

Nina laughed, and Astraea broke her act to laugh with her. Nina looked outside of Astraea's window and saw the other castle.

Both girls swayed as the cab went over a rocky bridge. Astraea looked back at the narrow, swift moving water. "We should come back to the bridge to take pictures sometime."

"Two castles across from each other…now that I think about it…it is strange." Nina murmured.

"What?" Astraea asked.

"Nothing…" Nina said.

"The castle looks pretty cool…doesn't it?" Astraea asked, but she already lost Nina to the sight of the school.

"Mm-hm."

The school on Astraea's side of the cab (right side, if you must know) had a thick forest that concealed the bottom part of the castle and only the second story (Nina and Astraea assumed that the castle only had two stories-minus the basement) and the roof could be seen. Based off the roof, the castle was spread out. There were only two visible towers that stood above the school. The roofs were a boring black, while the stone that kept its residents inside were stone gray. Nina shivered; Astraea glanced at her before returning her gaze to the castle. The ends of the castle roofs were rectangle while some areas curved. The tower's flags were black with a red horse on it.

"That must be the boy's school." said Astraea.

"We should visit the castle sometime." Nina said. Astraea nodded in agreement.

Astraea scanned the trees; some were taller than others, greens ranged from forest green to lily pad green. She felt someone watching them… Astraea squinted at a group of pine trees, was that yellow? Astraea blinked and saw that her eyes weren't playing tricks on her, but there was blond hair in trees. Someone was watching them. Astraea smiled, obviously the person was good at hiding, Nina would miss a tiny speak of gold in green, but they forgot about the sun. Astraea was about to point out the yellow in the trees to Nina, when the cab turned to their school. The engine was cut off and Sharon told Astraea how much the trip was.

Nina eagerly jumped out of the cab, and gasped.

She didn't expect a moat. Unlike the movies, this moat lacked dirty brown-green waters and alligators. The moat was a sparkling blue, with lily pads and cute ducks swimming in the water. Nina surveyed the wall surrounding the castle. The walls were a dull gray, standing through too many freezing and thawing periods, but it stood straight and pound since the day it was built. The wall was old-fashion; with two head towers were the guards could watch people enter the school. The gates were open and the bridge was lowered to let students into the main part of the school. Nina could see cars parked neatly onto the left side; while on the right, tables with students and parents were signing into the houses and meeting the teachers. Nina looked to her left and saw the proud marble sign, 'Moira Prep for Young Women.' Blue flowers formed a large 'M', with white flowers around it.

A muffled 'thud' and an "Ouch!" emitted from the cab. Nina turned and ducked her head into the cab. Astraea grinned sheepishly at her and rubbed her head with her finger-less black gloves.

Nina laughed, "Nice job, now come on and look at our home for the next four years."

"Well…it's your home for four years-not mine." Astraea commented.

Nina winced; she knew she forgot to tell Astraea something. "Yeah, let's get our bags."

Nina lifted her red suitcase and grabbed her duffle bag when she heard Astraea giggle. Nina heard the gravel crunch under Astraea's shoes as she walked slowly behind her. "What were you looking at?" Nina asked, turning her face to look at Astraea.

Astraea played with the straps on her duffle bag, "There's someone watching us, look for blond hair in the group of pine trees, near the driveway of the other school."

Nina turned and looked at the driveway. A gust of wind moved the green leaves of the trees and she saw gold hidden in the green leaves. Nina grinned at waved at the gold haired person and laughed.

Astraea laughed and retrieved her other bags from the trunk. "Come on, let's enter our prison."

Nina frowned and closed the trunk of the cab; both girls waved the driver good-bye and thanked her one last time. Nina knew what was bothering Astraea. "It's not a prison, and the wall makes me feel safe." Nina shouldered her duffle bag and rolled her suitcase up the walkway.

Astraea copied her actions. She snorted and glared at the wall that surrounded the castle, "Walls hear everything and help no one."

Nina kept her retorts back and knew that Astraea had her reasons for hating walls. Nina changed the subject, "How did you find the gold hair person?"

"The gold hair person is a guy, since that's the all guy school. Anyway, I was looking at the trees and there was a random color that wasn't green in there." Astraea turned her head to the miniature forest and turned to Nina, "Let's say 'Hi' to him one more time!" Both of them turned to wave at the guy in the trees. When they turned around and continued to walk up the path Astraea said, "I'm calling him Tree Guy."

Jerome Clarke was known for three things: his charm, mind, and sneakiness. So when someone looks around and finds him within two seconds of stepping out of a cab, he is intrigued.

Jerome watched the black cab roll onto Moira Prep for Young Women driveway. He watched the tall dirty blond look at her school's castle. Her faded jeans and blue T-shirt showed her figure. Jerome snorted; if that's Patricia's new roommates then this would be an easy year for them. He watched the girl's shoulder-length hair fly in the air as the girl ducked her head into the cab to talk with her companion. Jerome adjusted his mini-binoculars so he could see better, but all he saw was that could see that she had a nice tan. He couldn't get move out of the trees and get closer because he didn't want someone to notice him.

The second girl was shorter than the first girl and Jerome wouldn't have noticed her until he felt a pair of eyes on him. Jerome shivered. Pulling his eyes from the first (and seemly more attractive girl) he saw the second girl wave at him.

She waved at him.

Jerome almost fell out of the tree. He grabbed onto the branch above him for support. So much for staying hidden. Jerome thought as he kept his eyes on the girls.

The first girl walked to the back of the cab, and the second girl followed her towards the school. Jerome could only assume that the first girl asked why the second girl waved. The first girl turned in the direction where Jerome was concealed in the dark green leaves and waved at him.

Anger boiled in Jerome's stomach. He could hear light laughter from the second girl as she brought out their suitcases. Jerome focused on her. Her hair was a river of waves that ended slightly below her waist. Most of her hair was black, but the sunlight brought out dark chocolate brown highlights. Her skin reminded him of Mara's skin, only slightly dark than Mara's lovely chocolate skin. Jerome quickly discarded Mara from his mind and tried to memorize the second girl's appearance. He couldn't see her face, but when she waved at him he could see that she had glasses from the glint from the sunlight's rays. He could pick out another color in her hair: red. She had two red streaks in her hair.

The cab drove away and Jerome watched the two girls walked to the castle. Before they crossed the bridge that stood between them and the walkway to the castle's courtyard the girls spun around and waved at him again.

Jerome gritted his teeth. The second girl is a problem…If she can find me within a few seconds in trees…she could be Patricia's watcher. This year is going to be interesting.

Forget Patricia…Alfie is never going to let this go.