"FATHER!" I screamed, bolting upright. Looking around, I saw the dark maroon painted walls along with the matching rug an oval shaped mirror hanging on the wall next to my desk along. I looked down and saw my familiar red and gold comforter, finally realizing that I was in my room. Sighing, I ran a shaky hand through my hand.

It was just that dream again, I thought as I slowly got out of bed. The rug was soft under my bare feet as I stood up and walked into the bathroom. Even though I was the only one there, I still shut the bathroom door before turning the shower on. Stripping off the t-shirt and shorts I always slept in, I threw them into the basket and stepped into the shower. Steam filled the closed off room and the water was hot but it didn't faze me in the slightest. Lifting my face up to the shower head, I closed my eyes, letting myself relax for a couple minutes.

After I washed and rinsed my hair, I turned the water off and stepped out, wrapping a towel around myself before I went back into my room and over to the closet. Finding what I was looking for, I let the towel drop to the floor and got dressed in a pair of ripped, black jeans and a dark red t-shirt. I quickly brushed my hair out and tied it into a messy high pony tail, the longer portion of my bangs hanging over my left eye and covering the mark that rested over it. Shaking my head, I sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled on my knee high, black boots. Zipping them up, I tucked a couple of throwing daggers into the sides before throwing on my leather jacket. Walking over to the door, I grabbed my messenger bag and left, the door closing behind me.

It was clear everyone else was just starting to get up since the halls were mostly empty except for a few students who just standing around talking amongst themselves. They looked up and just glared as I started to walk by. I glared back and ignored them until I heard footsteps running up behind me. Knowing who it was by his scent, I turned around in time just as he was about to land a punch. Grabbing his wrist, I kicked his feet out from under him and flipped him over, slamming him into the ground.

"Damn it, Artemis. Did you have to put all your strength into that?" He groaned, sitting up.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Don't be such a drama queen, Shane," I said, helping him to his feet. "Besides, I barely put any effort into that. It's not my fault your guard wasn't up."

He just glared and pouted like a child, making me chuckle. Shane Peters, my best friend as well as my partner and "cousin". He looked exactly like his father since they shared the same dark brown hair and green eyes. It's a little more complicated than that but I'll explain that later. His father, Axel, is the headmaster of the academy as well as one of the top dragon slayers in history. "We have to see Vince to get our assignment today." He said, rubbing his back.

"Shit!" I said, smacking myself on the forehead. "I almost forgot about that."

Vincent Robins, one of the instructors here at the academy, is our mentor and Axel's best friend. He was the one who gave me and Shane our weekly assignments. Silently cursing myself, I followed Shane to the main building. The campus was set up so the main building where our classes and training courses were held with the boys dorms located to the east wing of the building and the girls dorms in the west wing. By the time we reached Vincent's classroom, our classmates had already arrived and were shooting the two of us dagger like glares. We stood in front of his desk as he shuffled through the paperwork.

Vincent was tall and broad, his dirty blonde hair looking like it wasn't brushed as always. He was tanned skin with brown eyes. He grinned when he saw us and handed me the paper with our targets information on it. "Head north of the academy through the woods. Once it catches your scent, that's when it'll show up. Word is that it's been hanging around here for awhile."

Both of us nodded and ran out of the classroom, rushing to the main entrance and passing through the courtyard. I couldn't explain it, but something felt different about this assignment. Almost as if something was calling me there.