Author's Note: Okay I want to take this time to send out a gigantic apology to all my faithful readers. I am soooooooo SORRY! Especially to xoxo Lucifer's Daughter. No this story is not a "deader." I simply wanted to focus on another story while I tried to figure out this chapter. Not that it's a good excuse but, hey, it's the truth. So I promised myself that I would finish this chapter before 2012 came around and I hope that you all will forgive me for my absence.

Happy Holidays and enjoy!

Welcome To The Real World

Chapter 10

"Are you sure you're ready for this?"

"Yes, Hawk."

"I mean, this is a big step for you."

"I'll be fine."

"I'm just saying."

"So am I."

"Says the inexperience one."

"Hawk," Solene spun on her heel so that she was face to face with him. Hawk wasn't surprised by the action. In the last couple of weeks, Hawk has learned more about Solene, including her mannerisms. He knew what she liked to eat, her sleeping habits, even her emotions just by the tone of her voice. He found out more about than he thought he would. More than I wanted to, he thought to himself. Solene glared at him in annoyance. "I will be just fine. It's just a couple of days. I'm staying on campus for most of it."

"You don't understand." He said. "A human mindset might be a little different from yours. You have to be cautious. They might ignore some of the crazy stuff they notice but they are paranoid. And when they get paranoid, they become dangerous, do you understand?"

"Yes, dad, I completely understand." She told him sarcastically. Hawk held back a smirk. Dad, huh? He mocked mentally. He loved getting her agitated. He kept his face calm thought. They weren't at home and too many faces were around him. He stepped closer to her until his hands could just barely touch hers. She moved them away from him, still annoyed.

"I'm only warning you." Hawk said. "The real world is a lot different from the one you use to know."

"Well there's only ever one world and I've been surviving it for 18 years. I think I can handle college for two days." She said, crossing her arms. Hawk shrugged nonchalantly.

"Okay," He said. He unfolded her one of her arms and brushed his hand over her own briefly, his shadows flickering out to touch her for the last time for two days. A kiss of the hands…she stiffened as she heard the soft voice in her head. "Call me if there's an emergency." She nodded and turned her back to Hawk as he disappeared into the city.

She stepped onto the NYU campus and looked at the papers in her hands as her mind slightly spun. She looked back to make sure Hawk was gone but knowing Hawk, she knew it would be useless. If anybody was good at hide-and-seek, it was Hawk. If he wanted to watch her and didn't want to be caught, he wouldn't be. Still, she doubted that he was there. He doesn't hover like that even when she wanted him to…

Solene sighed as she rubbed the back of her hand. A kiss of the hands, she repeated in her head. She started to wonder if Hawk knew his shadows were starting to talk to her. It was happening more often than not now. Because Solene knew his secret and she had been living with him for a while, Hawk didn't restrict his shadows like he use to. They always approached her and she was glad they did. There was something about them than enticed her.

And kept me sated, she reminded herself. Solene cringed. She almost forgot about her…appetite. It was the one factor that she didn't think about. How would she react when she was hungry and surrounded by thousand of students? She wasn't called a monster at home for nothing.

Solene shook her head out the thoughts as she began walking again, not even realizing she stopped. This was the last thing she really needed to think about at the moment. Right now, she needed to head to the auditorium for freshman orientation.

Solene tapped her pen impatiently on her notebook as she sat in the one of the higher rows in a general freshman class. She wanted to say it was a physics class. She started listening to once again.

"This principle relates to Newton's third law in its reference to work. Work as we know is the change in kinetic energy…" Yep, that's physics all right. Solene jotted down a few notes but other than that, she knew everything the teacher was talking about. If nothing else, palace tutors were thorough.

She began to remember her favorite and scariest tutor she had. She was at the prime age of eight and she began to notice how cold all her other tutors were towards her. They never touched her, which was strange in the affectionate summer court. They always kept their distance from her, reprimanding he severely every time she reached out to them. Her parents could only be around so often but after constant questions from Solene about why her tutors were so mean; they became desperate for a solution. Unfortunately for them, the only one who was willing to teach her was the kind of fey they feared the most.

"Make sure you're on your best behavior." Aislinn told her daughter gently, fussing a bit with the child's dress. Solene looked at her mother quietly. It was weird for her to see her mother so nervous. Solene has had plenty of new tutors. They were more of a blur of faces than anything else. Why expect something new? She nodded anyways to calm her mother. Aislinn smoothed back her hair, keeping her hand there for a moment.

"Don't worry, mommy." Solene said reassuringly. "I'll be good."

"I know, sweetheart. Its just…" she trailed off, looking away from her daughter as she sensed the silence steps of the tutor behind her. "This tutor will be a little different from what you're use to." Solene looked at her mother confused. What could she mean? Could she be getting a human tutor? There's no way her mother would allow that.

"And, whatever you do, don't touch her. Okay?" Solene tensed a bit. Her mother rarely sounded so serious with her. It worried her. Maybe mommy did get a human, Solene thought. There was a knock at the door and Aislinn reluctantly pulled away from her daughter to answer the door. Solene's eyes widened in surprise.

It wasn't human. Nowhere close to it.

Instead, a unique female entered the room with silent as death steps. She floated across the room and Solene stared at the crescent moons that glowed in her eyes, off setting the grayness of her barely-there skin. She stopped halfway across the room from Solene but somehow she knew it wasn't out of fear. Her thoughts were reinforced when the faery smiled at her.

"This must be the young one I am to teach." She said. Her voice was heavy and grave but crisp, like night air. Solene couldn't help but stare at her, wondering at her.

The faerie was hard to focus on, mostly because she seemed to be more of a ghost than anything else. Yet, as she stepped further into the room, she changed. She solidified, becoming more of a corpse than a ghost with skin that stretched over bones too tight. She seemed alert and calm, almost to an arrogant point. Solene could feel the confidence and power from her in waves, complimenting the unsettling and terrifying beauty she already possessed. She was different.

"My name is Merikh." Announced the faery. "I am your new tutor."

Solene came back to the present as the professor dismissed the class. She started packing up her things when a girl stopped next to her. The girl was blonde and petite. She kind of reminded her of the bad girl with good intentions type. The girl smiled at her.

"You're Selena, right?" Solene nodded, still getting use to the fact that she had to change her name. While she loved her own, it stuck out just a little too much. And even the tiniest slip up at this point could be bad…"My name is Ariel. I'm supposed to show you around."

"Oh, okay," Solene said.

"If you would follow me." Ariel said with another friendly smile, leading Solene out the room. They walked out into the winter afternoon and Ariel showed her around. She pointed out the various building as well as talking about student programs. Solene absorbed it all; the reality of how big the campus was hitting her. Here, she felt small and she liked that.

"Students hang around every place in the city." Ariel said, turning to her, "And you must be bored by all the stuff I'm saying." Solene stayed quiet.

She wasn't bored by it. In fact, she was fascinated. It was the same city that Hawk showed her but it was so different without him next to her. There was a different energy among the crowd.

She never knew how much Hawk's presence affected the mortals around her. Usually the they were at least a few feet away from her but now the milled close enough to bump into a few times. Another feeling that was missing was the caution that humans felt she was with him. Now, often people looked at her, even did a double take.

"Well I haven't had a chance to really explore the city." Solene lied. Ariel's jaw dropped. Solene raised her eyebrow at the expression.

"You're not serious." She said. Solene looked at her bemused. She made it sound as if Solene committed a capital crime. "Well, then, you have to hang out with me tonight."

"What about the school?" Solene asked. "Don't visitors have a curfew?"

"Oh, please, they haven't enforced that rule since forever ago. Since you're eighteen, you can do whatever you want. You just can't sue the school if something happens." Solene couldn't tell if she was joking or not. She looked up at the sky, noticing how low the sun was in the sky. It would be dark soon…

"Come on," Ariel said, grabbing her hand. Solene let Ariel lead her further and further into the city. They soon were near Time Square, right outside a club called Devil's Lair. Solene looked at it curiously before looking back at the sky. It was pitch black. "This club is so cool. There's no steel in the entire club. Only stuff like wood and stone. It's very cool."

Solene felt as cold finger go down her spine as she listened to Ariel. The only club she knew like that was The Rath back in Huntsdale, a faerie club. Uh oh, Solene thought.

"Really?" She said. Ariel nodded eagerly.

"Not to mention the men that come here are gorgeous!" Ariel gushed, slightly swooning. "I've never seen some as beautiful as the ones I've seen here. They actually kind of look like they would be related to you." Solene froze for a moment. Ariel looked back at her before rolling her eyes. "Don't act you don't know you're gorgeous. I mean, come on, the dark hair, the narrow eyes, the smooth skin, the dark eyes…it's almost otherworldly."

Solene chuckled nervously at the explanation as Ariel began to lead her to the front of the line. Solene looked around, trying to look casual as she spotted various fey around them. Solene turned away before any could get a good look at her. Normally, Solene wasn't nervous about seeing them-in a city as big as New York, there was bound to be at least a few-but it was the way they looked. There was something menacing and hungry about them, not unlike those of the Dark Court.

Solene calmed herself as she thought of her uncle's court. She remembered being trained by the Hounds, learning how to protect herself from them specifically. She could handle them, not to mention her gift protected her. Her mind thought back to the time when she would use the on a few of the Hound that had frighten her. It would be weeks before she could see them again and even when she did, it was never the same.

"Guest only," The bouncer said, snapping Solene out of her thoughts.

"My name's Ariel. I'm here to see Dante." Ariel told him dismissively. "Go ask him." The bouncer rolled his eyes before pointing towards Solene.

"And her?"

"She's my friend." Ariel defended. "He doesn't mind if I bring a guest. You know that." Solene looked at the interaction and got a bad vibe. After all, it isn't everyday you see such a casual encounter between and human and a faerie. The bouncer looked Solene up and down, scrutinizing every detail about her. Once deemed harmless, they were waved in. Solene tensed as soon as they stepped through the door.

Everywhere she turned, she saw fey. Not the harmless type that often hung around the city but ones she knew belonged to the Dark Court and a few strong solitaires that she could recognize. Mortals were also in the room but they all looked drained or crazed. Solene tried not to stare as she walked by. She followed Ariel through the crowd as she tried to figure out whether any could recognize her and who was a threat. She turned to Ariel, opening her mouth to warn her that it wasn't safe here but the words disappeared as she saw Ariel climb into the lap of the one fey separated from all others.

Casual arrogance rolled off of him so easily, his body screaming his power. No one stared at him too long, every tense around him except for the few waitresses that worked around him. They stared at him with a lust that almost scared Solene. Even more worrisome was the glare Ariel gave them. One waitress raised her hand but the powerful fey waved her off. The waitress gave Ariel one parting glare before walking away. Ariel smirked before wrapping her arms around the fey's neck. However, he didn't look at Ariel.

Instead, he continued to stare at Solene.

"Who's your friend?" he asked Ariel.

"This is Selena." She told him. "She's new to the city. Selena this is Dante."

"Hello," He said with an alluring smile. Solene tried to regulate her breathing as he continued to stare her down. The temptation to touch him grew as he did and her throat tightened as she began to feel different. It felt weird at first and painful. She couldn't understand until she saw a flicker of a shadow travel across his skin, reminding her of her own. The same ones that have been buzzing since she left Hawk this morning. Then realized…she was hungry.

Solene looked away, knowing that the shadows in her eyes must have been swirling in the same dangerous tango they always danced when they were hungry. She tried to reassure herself that her contacts would hide them but she knew better. Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed how Ariel tried in vain to gain his attention.

"Dante-" She placed a hand on his face. Dante caught her hand easily, looking at her for the first time since he saw Solene.

"You're cuter when you're quiet." He told her. He kissed her temple quickly. "Shut up." Solene stepped back as she saw Dante stand up, sitting Ariel down in the chair. An invisible faerie walked up behind him, another male that looked similar but with dreads but just as dangerous.

"Allocen," he called. "You night want to careful with this one. She looks like a Halfling." Dante-or Allocen- smirked.

"All the better," He told the fey. The fey stepped back and joined the crowd across the room. Solene noticed the shadows on his arm as well. Shadow bearers, she thought, this can't be good.

Dante stepped towards her once more. Solene began to back away once more but she was soon cornered. Dante licked his lips as he stalked towards her. She soon felt the wall against her back. She tried to remember her self-defense moves but thoughts clashed as the overwhelming temptation to touch Dante grew the closer he got. She was shocked at the want that ran through her body. It seemed too familiar to the way she felt with Hawk.

Hawk…her mind cleared instantly at the thought of him and his words from earlier. Call me if there's an emergency. Her hands flashed to her pockets where her phone was. She took it out and was about to press 3 when Dante slammed her against the wall, the phone dropping out her hand.

"No so fast," Dante whispered seductively as he pressed against her. Solene's fear grew as she pushed against her. He grabbed her wrist in a painful grip, trapping her. As he touched her, she saw his shadows rush towards her skin. No! She screamed in her mind but it was too late.

The shadows touched her skin and muscles lock as they overwhelmed her. They were nothing like the tamed shadows that Hawk owed. These were wild and rebellious as they began to cover her. She felt her pupils dilating and body was shaking. The shadows pushed against her skin and she gasped in pain as she felt something inside her start to pull towards them. It felt like someone was trying to rip her in half. She pulled her wrist out of his grip and touched his face. She felt the contacts dissolve as her shadows started to swirl once again.

My turn, Solene thought as she started to take his energy. She smirked for a moment as his shadows began to retreat to his skin but it fell as she saw them literally jump out of Dante's skin and attack her.

Dante was pushed back and Solene collapsed to the ground. She struggled to stay conscious as she felt like she was drowning in need. She only felt it once in her life when Niall wasn't paying attention as she touched his shadows. Images of passion, new moons, addiction, and fear rolled over her as they did then. Only this time, there was another aspect that pressed against her chest: sin. Thoughts of murder, lust, pride, theft, and war covered her like a blanket, making it hard to breathe.

Solene forced her eyes open and saw that her phone was only a few feet away. She crawled towards it and hit 3, gripping it with all her strength as it rang.

"Hello," Hawk answered.

"Hawk," she said shakily. "Help…"

"Where are you?" He asked, instantly alert.

"The Devil's Lair, near Times Square..." She told him before passing out.

A few minutes later, Hawk was walking up to the club's entrance with determination. His shoulders were rigid, as he got closer to the door. He barely noticed the humans and fey that scrabbled to get out of his way. The bouncer looked up as Hawk approached the door. The bouncer said something to him but Hawk just shrugged past him, his shadows clawing at the fey as they passed him. The bouncer jumped back as they did, stopping any motive of removing Hawk from the club.

Hawk walked through the parting crowd until he saw one faerie sitting back in a chair across from a shadow bubble. The faerie looked up when he sensed Hawk near him. He smiled at him.

"Hawk," he greeted. "How nice to see you."

"Allocen," Hawk spat as he approached the bubble.

"I wouldn't touch that." Allocen said. "I tried and all it did was poison my shadows. The girl is nothing if not crafty." Hawk ignored him as he touched the shadow bubble. It stung when he first touched it but his shadows soon swallowed it for him. Hawk kept his face composed as one of his shadows mixed with the bubble. It dissipated slowly as it began to recognize Hawk until it dissolved into the thin air, revealing Solene. Hawk tried not to look too relieved as he saw no visible injuries on her. He bent down to check her pulse. She was unconscious but okay.

"Ah, I see now." Allocen said, standing up. "She's yours." Hawk ignored Allocen as he picked up Solene in his arms. Allocen stepped closer to the couple. Shadow bars shot up from the floor. In an instant, Allocen could barely see the beauty that first captured his attention through the barrier. Hawk stepped through with a menacing entourage of shadows, each past souls and sins that he has taken.

"Don't test me Allocen." Hawk said, his voice a merge between shadows and the sounds of a graveyard. For a moment, he could've passed as one of Far Dorcha's kin. "She's not yours to keep."

"Mine brought her here." Allocen said, gesturing to the girl that was sound asleep behind him. Hawk looked over her once and noticed the NYU jacket slung over her shoulders like a blanket. Oh, great, Hawk thought, baring his teeth.

"You have no claim on her." He hissed. "She rejected you and accepted me. She's mine." Although Hawk knew that Solene would've had a fit if she heard him claim her but he couldn't help how nice it sounded to say so. He fought the small smile that threatened to grace his face at the words.

"Really," Allocen said. "Funny, I didn't sense any of your poison on her, Gancanagh." Hawk tried not to flinch at the word. How he despised the title…

"Not yet," Hawk said with ease. He slid back into the cage until he was stand right next to Solene. He scooped her up in his arms, so that he was cradling her. "Go back to yours, Allocen." Allocen rolled his eyes but Hawk appeared in front of him.

"Stay away from mine." Hawk commanded, every word heavy with an unspoken threat. Allocen just glared but Hawk could feel the fear that he refused to show. Hawk stepped back from him, taking Solene back from one of his shadows, before walking out.

Solene shivered as Hawk set her down on the cool sheets of her bed. Hawk frowned as she did, worried that she was sicker than he originally thought. He quickly made some tea with ingredients from Faerie mixed in to help with any internal injuries she may have.

"Solene," he called softly. "It's okay. You're safe at home." Solene opened her eyes slowly and sank deeper into the bed as she recognized the familiar surrounding of the New York loft. Hawk held the drink in front of her. "Drink this."

Solene sipped at the drink gingerly, still shaken by what just happened. Hawk climbed into the bed beside her and Solene curled into his side, savoring the warmth he emitted. Hawk stroked her face lightly while he felt her shivering against him.

"It's okay." He told her gently, "You're safe now."

"I don't know what happened." Solene said unnerved. "I didn't know where she was taking me. I didn't think that anywhere she would take me would be that dangerous."

"What happened?" Hawk asked her calmly, despite how urgently he needed the answer.

"Ariel was giving me a tour and then she was talking about having fun. She took me to the club, telling me how it was built out wood and stone. When she took me in, I saw a whole bunch of dark court fey and I was about to tell her that we should leave when that guy, Dante or Allocen, I'm not sure, he stared at me. He told Ariel to be quiet and she listened, almost like he controlled her…" Solene trailed off, fear coating every word.

"What else?" Hawk urged.

"He trapped me against the wall," Solene told him, the terror of the memory evident in her voice. "He was getting closer to me. I couldn't understand why but I wanted him. I just knew that for some reason I wanted him to touch me but I was scare what would happen if he did." Hawk tried to ignore the pang in his chest as he listened. He's a Gancanagh. She's still half-mortal. It's only natural that she would be attracted to him like that. Hawk tried to reassure himself.

"Then I thought about you and thought about how you could save me. It snapped me right out the thoughts." She continued. Hawk instantly perked up as she said this. He almost smiled but composed himself so he could focus on the story. "Then he slammed me against the wall and started to cover me in his shadows. I was shaking and it felt like they were trying to pull me apart but I pulled my arm out his grip and touched him…I took his energy and they retreated back towards him. Then, somehow, they jumped at me from his skin, attacking me. I felt…I needed something. I couldn't understand it and everything became a blur. I kept drifting in and out of consciousness, everything I heard was confusing."

"What did you hear?" Hawk asked, once again alarmed as her words swirled in his mind. I took his energy…what did that mean?

"I heard him talking to you. You were warning him about something, saying that something was yours. Then I heard something about poison…. I'm scared, Hawk." Solene told him, tearing falling out her eyes. Hawk wiped them away.

"You're safe. Everything will be okay." He told her.

"But I don't understand-"

"Everything will be fine. Go to sleep." He urged her, softly stroking her face. Solene closed her eyes and savored the touch. She felt the same need that was drowning her earlier surface once again. She curled more into Hawk, finally feeling safe enough to sleep.

A few hours later, Solene was out on the balcony, trying to breathe as she felt her shadow's hunger rise once again. She could feel her mouth watering for some kind of nourishment. She looked over her shoulder to Hawk, who was sound asleep on her bed. She gripped the rail tighter as she felt something inside her stirred, biting her lip.

She tried to breath in the winter air to clear her mind. She looked up at the crescent moon that was surrounded by the black sky. Looking at it made her think of what she hear Hawk say earlier while fading out of consciousness. She's mine. Solene shivered as the words rolled around in her mind, remembering the feel of his shadows as they cradled her. She licked her lips as if to taste the claim he made. But sadly, all she taste was the cool night air. She turned back to Hawk, watching his chest rise and fall, his lovely shadows moving lazily across his skin.

Before she even realized it, Solene was standing right next to him. She hesitated as she raised her hand to it hover right above his skin. One of his shadows reached out and licked her hand. Solene's heart sped into overdrive as she felt her immense hunger start to curb. She placed her hands against his bare skin and drank in the feeling of Hawk's shadow as they moved around his skin in a dizzying pattern under her hands. Hawk's eyes shot open but before he could speak, Solene covered his lips with her hand.

"Shh…" she said. He looked at her bemused, not sure if he was dreaming or awake. Solene moved her hand and leaned down so her lips were just over his. She began to breathe in his breath, somehow knowing that she was taking his brief memory away as she did. To Solene's relief, Hawk's eyes fluttered closed.

Solene felt herself becoming sated when she spotted one of Hawk's shadows rush up her arm. She pulled her hands away but the shadow was too quick. It plunged into her skin and she stumbled back into one of the armchairs. She steadied herself before looking at her arm. The shadow danced on her skin for a moment before disappearing, her skin absorbing it.

She felt her shadows swirling inside her once again. They welcomed the new once with open, excited arms, making her skin buzz almost. Solene sank into the chair, trying to figure out what just happened, why she reacted so strongly. She looked at the balcony door and caught her reflection. She almost gasped at what she saw. Gone were her blue-brown eyes. Instead, her eyes were crescent moon silver.

"Plato was a classic Greek philosopher." Merikh told Solene, writing on the chalkboard Aislinn provided her with for her study sessions. "He was also a mathematician. He was decibel of Socrates, both known for sharing their theories on subjects such as Epistemology and Metaphysics-"

"Why is everyone scared of you?" Solene interrupted. Merikh didn't pause her writing at the question.

"You know better than to interrupt my teaching. You know the rule: no outside of study questions in class."

"But you leave right after the lessons so I can't ask you." Solene argued.

"Then maybe I'm sending a subliminal message: don't ask me those questions." Merikh replied, not missing a beat. Solene huffed and crossed her arms. Merikh opened her mouth to continue when Solene asked another question.

"But Ms. Merikh-"

"Don't say Miss," Solene jumped at the sharpness of her tutor's voice. Merikh gave her a stern look as she explained. "That is a mortal term and is disrespectful to us-"

"But what are we?" Solene asked timidly. Merikh's gaze softened at the confusion on the young girl's face. Merikh knew that the young girl was painfully unaware of faeries outside of the Summer Court, almost as if they don't exist beyond the monarchs she claims as family. It was almost unsettling for her to see such a bright girl be held back by ignorance and her mother's fear. So Merikh made a decision as she put her hand out towards Solene.

"Take my hand, Solene." Merikh said. Solene's jaw dropped.

"But, mo-mommy said not to touch you." Solene stuttered.

"This is part of the lesson." Merikh told her calmly. "Touch my hand, Solene." Solene was hesitant at first when she first got out her seat but soon her curiosity outgrew her fear and she was across the room. She touched her tutor's hand.

Images of a graveyard and dark nights filled her mind. Solene shivered as she felt the cold wind and pulled her hand away. The pictures reminded her of a horrible holiday her father told her about, Halloween, scaring her.

"Secrets of the grave," Merikh told her. "They are dangerous things to keep. Even more dangerous try and take." Merikh looked up at her pupil.

"Whoa…" Solene gasped. "What are you?"

"I am a Wraith." Merikh answered. "I am part of Far Dorcha's kin or, more commonly known, a Death Fey." Solene looked at her in sudden fear.

"So you kill people…"She mumbled uneasily, avoiding the eyes of her tutor.

"Not necessarily," Merikh told her with a smirk. "We wander, free of court rules and conflicts with no one to tell us what to do. We are not chaotic or as fickle with our emotions and are stronger than most others. We kept our secrets better than anyone else. To try and take one is to ask for death. We are unique." Solene swallowed nervously at the explanation. Suddenly, it made sense on why all the faeries, including her mom avoided her. Merikh looked up and met her gaze.

"You are definitely a unique child." Merikh said. "It's not everyday you see a half-mortal as a holder of shadows." Solene looked up at her, shocked at her words. She stepped away from her tutor, wishing that she could hide.

"Talk to me, child." Merikh asked. Solene took a shaky breath before speaking.

"I…I don't…I don't understand." Solene stammered. "Why am I so different? My mommy said that I was one of them but I'm not. She doesn't say it but I know she's lying. They hate me because of these shadows in my eyes. I don't even know where they came from." Solene babbled.

"It comes from the mix of heritage." Merikh told her. "Summer from you mother, Light from your father, High court essence from your grandmother…a rare blend of essence that hasn't been seen."

"So what am I?" Solene asked her desperately. Merikh looked at her calmly before reaching out to her once again.

"Try to take my energy, Solene." Merikh instructed. Solene looked fearfully at her tutor. Merikh only gave her a patient look, no indication of fear on her face. Solene reached out, her hand shaking before touching her. She closed her eyes and let her shadows move closer to the surface of her skin, where they began to pull energy from Merikh. Solene felt a weight of power as she did, as heavy as dirt on a buried coffin. It felt wrong to her and her shadows fled deeper inside her, rejecting the essence they were stealing. Solene's eyes snapped open in surprise.

That never happened before.

"You can't steal my essence like you can with others. Death is hard to take, even harder to control." Merikh told her, retracting her hand. "You cannot harm me. Or at least, not yet."

"But I don't…" Solene trailed off as she looked into a mirror on the wall. She gasped as she watched the shadows in her eyes begin to cover the irises, making her eyes black. She looked haunted.

"You are different, child. Rare ad beautiful." Merikh said as Solene gazed into her reflection. Merikh couldn't but feel a faint worry for her pupil. She's lived long enough to know that more often then not, there are only two scenarios for beautiful thing: they're either locked away or stolen.

"The world will be hard for you." Merikh warned her. "The world is very rarely kind to the rare and beautiful…"