Here we go again I'm using my pen name though this character will mostly go by Rose. Enjoy.

"Rose wake up," my roommate stormed into the room with a bucket of ice water, she tore the blankets off revealing a pile of pillows that could easily be mistaken for a body, I came out of my private bathroom towel drying my auburn hair that was cut pixie style but extremely short. I looked at her and the bucket and my bed. "Why do you have so many pillows?"

I shrugged tossing my towel onto the desk chair. "Whats with the bucket?"

She returned my shrug. "Just in case you weren't awake."

I shook my head. "Kayla you need a new hobby. And what the hell are you wearing it's December."

Kayla looked down at her outfit, our college tee-shirt with our team name on it and booty shorts. "What, we're going to change anyway isn't this the competition for the Japanese long bow, for which you're gonna win anyway and bring home the trophy. I'm surprised you don't have an ego the size of Russia."

"What do you take me for?"

"Nothing, to be honest you're perfect, its a wonder you don't have a boyfriend."

I flinch at that, there was a reason for that, I'd have to introduce him to my mother and to be honest, I don't want to be with anyone this lifetime, not like I can have a kid anyway. So why bother especially when in this century is so focused on careers and wars rather than love and babymaking.

"I don't need a boyfriend, I need to finish my courses."

"So you still carry your card."

I rolled my eyes at this generation's language. "Yes I'm a virgin so what, I don't need sex to feel fulfilled. Anyway are you packed cause it's my turn to drive and I'm not turning back for every little thing."

"Oh I know, I even packed for Amy."

"Good," I grabbed my bag that I packed the night before as well as some granola to eat before the tournament. Kayla and I walked down the to where Amy, our other roommate, stood at the bottom of the stairs with her own bag. All three of us were in the archery club, Janet our other roommate was going to meet us later, she was in the fencing club with me and our competition wasn't until this weekend anyway. We all packed into my little Acura NSX, I smirked as I took a moment to stare at the new paint job I did myself, it was midnight blue for the most part but there were certain points like on my hood, there is white paint made to look like a shining star. It was a testament to my love for the night sky. I got into the car and drove off heading to our college, Collac University(yes I made it up I'm not gonna give a real college on here come on). I pulled into the parking lot by the archery lounge and we headed for the changing rooms.

"So I hear Jo was giving you the eye yesterday," Amy said to me.

"And of coarse she ignored him," Kayla said trying to figure out the ties to her archery pants. "Seriously girl you hurt the guy every time you turn him down would one date kill you?"

I ignored her remark as I finished tying on my muneate and went to help her with her obi and hakama. Then we all heard coaches laughter and flinched. I slid on my yugaki glove and with a finger to my lips slid over to the door to try and hear what's going on.

"You want me," I heard coaches voice say. "On the day of competition, take one of my girls out and put you in?"

I heard a girl answer in reply she had a slight Scottish accent but I wasn't really sure it was to muffled. "I can help you win, don't you want that?"

"I already know I'm gonna win," Coach stood and opened the door. "Greens get in here."

Coached closed the door without even seeing I was by the door. The girls laughed and I shook my head walking in.

"Yes Coach," I said long bow in hand, I needed an excuse not to come right in and him thinking I was eaves dropping this created the illusion I was going to practice.

"This young lady," Coach said gesturing to me. "Is the reason I'm going to win. I have never lost with her on the team, in fact every time her family is on the team we win. They are naturals, no matter what type of bow you put in their hands they can shoot it. A Green is immediately made team captain when they join the team."

"That sounds unfair," I got a good look at the girl as she spoke, her eyes were a light blue and she had creamy skin. Her face was slashed with a few freckles but that is't what caught my attention. She had a bright red mess of curls, I'm not kidding they were all over the place. And sticking out at odd ends. I does look like she tried to tame it, that is the majority of it was pulled back into a half ponytail. I looked at her and then shook my head slightly to defend my team and title.

"The team captains are chosen at the beginning of the semester, through a competition, the best shooter wins. No one has beaten me ever since I took up the bow."

What I didn't mention is that it has take me two thousand years, with a few six year breaks in between, to get this good. I looked at her with hard eyes, light blue meeting dark navy. She looked at me like I wasn't even a challenge, part of me wanted to shoot her right then. But I was in control centuries of endless meditation with my mother and her friend Tulli was showing their true colors.

Coach stood sensing the tension. "Green why don't you check on the archers that are shooting today for the Japanese long bow. Just remember to holler when you go into the boys locker room."

"I'll go now coach," I walked around his desk and opening the door shouting. "Girl in the lockers."

I chuckled as I heard guys shout out and tried to get covered. I walked with my head forward and towards my shooters. Checking their equipment and making sure they were ready. I walked back into the office, the redhead was still arguing with the coach, I shook my head incredulously, no one can get on the team that fast. Even I had my trials. I looked around at the girls who would be shooting, there was one missing, well more than one but I knew where three of them were, home sick with the flu, but the final girl who was covering, she was late.

"Has anyone seen Marcy," I asked, several girls shook their head. I was worried now, we had ten minutes before we started. I took my cellphone out to call her when the door to the locker room burst open. There stood Marcy clutching her harm, I ran to her and sat her down gently on the bench. "What happened Marcy?"

Marcy had been running, her house was in an area where there were, to put this lightly, freakish going ons. While on her run a black care came out of no where she leaped out of the way she landed on her arm wrong. I shook my head in frustration and had some of the girls who weren't shooting take her to the on campus clinic. I wanted to cry but I didn't I stood and walked into the office the girl still there liked I hoped.

"Can you shoot a Japanese long bow," I asked her cutting her off.

Both her and Coach looked at me like I had just lost my mind. And part of me had I guess, but these competitions were the only things that I feel like I'm doing something new, learning something new and I needed this like a drug, my only freedom.

"Yeah I can shoot," the girl answered me. "Why?"

"Coach Marcy has what is most likely a sprained arm and Lisa, Kelly and Maria are all out with the flu, we need one more girl who can shoot with the Japanese Long bow or we're gonna have to forfeit the championship, I can't do that Coach, I say we take her as a sub on a trial basis."

Coach looked at me thoughtfully before nodding. "It's your call Green."

I nodded and turned to the girl. "I'm Roseline Green team captain."

The girl stood up and took my outstretched hand for a hand shake. "Merida Dunbroch."

It's safe to say we won. Merida and I almost tied, what had me win was a slight wind change that she didn't notice and she missed the bulls eye. We were out celebrating at the local bar. I stuck with water and watched as my teammate and friends got drunk. I saw Merida sitting in a booth drinking water as well with her friends. There was a boy with white hair, blue eyes and skin as pale as snow, a girl with short brown hair with a blonde braid on the left side of her face, and finally a boy with auburn hair and ivy green eyes. I watched these four carefully from the other end of the bar where it was dark and they couldn't catch me watching.

When Merida took my hand earlier that day it was like a bolt of electricity shot up my arm, she was another magic user, a young one but a user none the less and I was willing to bet my very life that her friends were also magic users. The white one and the brunette definitely the auburn one, I couldn't tell yet. Another thing that bugged me, earlier this week I've been seeing them in my classes, all of them at least one each. Now this is nothing more than a theory since I devoted my entire time to my studies, I didn't even go home for Christmas this year, or last year for that matter. So I didn't pay attention nor did I really care. But with this knowledge of another magic user, not to mention at least three of them, well lest just say I was more than curious.

They didn't interact with everyone else and my friends knew me well enough that when I'm deep in thought I can't be bothered. I wouldn't have been able to hear them. I tried to shrug off the feelings I was having, so what if there were other magic users in the school we weren't that rare. But with what's been going on the past few weeks well I was worried.

I was about to tell myself it was nothing when the door to the bar opened and I froze. The woman had dark red hair that was down in braids down her head she was paler than the white haired boy wearing black skinny jeans, black boots with a three inch heel and a deep purple sweater with a cowl neck. But that wasn't what made me freeze. It was her eyes they were silver in color, I had seen those eyes before, they were they eyes of death. This woman may look different than that day six hundred years ago. Where this exact same woman slaughtered an army of thousands in one heartbeat her iridescent wings shining bright. The Angel of Death and Destruction. She headed for the quartet that I was examining and sat with them. I sat there trembling, it felt like an eternity before I could get up and leave but in reality it was only ten minutes.

I found Amy still sober since she was only drinking club soda with lemon and handed her my keys telling her I was going to walk to clear my head of family trouble. She nodded and let me go without another word.

I walked out of the bar without looking at Merida's table but I could feel their eyes on me. I walked out onto the street and let my senses lead me. To avoid magic sometimes you need to use magic. There were at least seven other users out here, I walked in the direction they weren't in, but it wasn't long until I realized I was being followed. I walked a few more blocks from the bar before I broke out running. I had to lose my tails I couldn't tell how many there were but my mother always told me that when you are targeted by another magic user it was never good. My boot kept hitting the pavement as I speed up, they were still a distance away but following I was getting ready to turn and fight when hand reached out from the darkness pulling me in and stifling my screams.