Note: I've decided to make Lindsay and Gabby a bit different than in real life for fear of it becoming too personal. It also let's me make the story that much more interesting.

A shadow fell over the Ravenswood glade, and everyone gathered to welcome yet another mage to camp. This was the second year Ravenswood's Magic Mastering Camp had been open, and Avalon's three mages were overrun with students returning and making their first appearance. With so many students, the instructors had to call on their very first apprentices to help them. They never expected to see such a shadow appear.

As the shadow's creator drew nearer, some students became uncomfortable with the negative energy drawing nearer. Kara shielded her eyes from the sun as she looked up at the figure and smiled. The black griffon was new to her, but she would recognize the rider's face anywhere. She sent a student to the manor to retrieve Adriane, Zach, and Emily. Attempting to calm troubled kids as she went, Kara made her way through the crowd.

Finally, the creature landed, careful not to knock anyone over with its powerful wings. It was smaller than the few griffons that Kara had seen but massive nonetheless. Off its back slid a jet black mistwolf with golden eyes and, after it, a teenage girl. The girl looked around searchingly through the crowd, black ringed brown eyes narrowed, before settling her gaze on Kara and smirking.

Kara at last made it to the front of the crowd, eyes on the girl, and said, "Well, it really has been a long time, hasn't it?"

The girl's smirk grew. She tucked a strand of light brown hair behind her ear and said, "Wow, you are old."

Kara laughed and hugged the girl. "Welcome back, Lindsay."

Lindsay beamed but was obviously uncomfortable in Kara's embrace. "Is Gabby here yet?"

"No, you're first to get here," Kara replied and gestured to the crowd, "You can see we need your help."

Some kids had gone back to greeting their friends from last year and welcoming newcomers, but some were still watching wide eyed at the exchange taking place. Lindsay shifted uncomfortably under their gazes, "I guess, but you should know I don't do well with people."

Kara didn't get a chance to answer as three figures broke through the crowd and rushed over to them. "Zach! Emily! Adriane!" Lindsay greeted them with enthusiasm.

Zach stopped in his tracks, gazing up at the magnificent griffon in front of him. The beast eyed him with slight interest but soon grew bored and settled next to Lindsay once again. The mistwolf at Lindsay's feet popped its head up with curiosity when the three approached.

Adriane and Emily acknowledged the beast but were more interested in its rider. "Look how big you are!" Emily gushed.

I'm feeling slightly ignored. The mistwolf grumbled beside Lindsay.

Adriane smiled and knelt down to its level. "Well, take a look at you!" She ruffled his fur and patted his head, "You aren't a pup anymore; are you, Thunder?"

No, ma'am. Thunder proclaimed proudly. Where is Dreamer?

"Dreamer is in the portal field taking care of the student's bondeds and waiting for Marlin and Lorren to come," Emily informed him.

Thunder gave Lindsay an inquiring look, and she said, "Why would I stop you?"

He gave her a wolfish grin and raced off towards the field.

Zach finally ripped his eyes away from the griffon to greet Lindsay. He grabbed her head and turned it from side to side. He smiled. "No fuzzy ears?"

Lindsay gave them all an uncertain look. "They still pop up unwanted at times, but I otherwise have them under control."

"Good," Zach said, "Now, would you care to introduce us to your rather quiet friend?"

"Yeah," Kara agreed, "That's one quiet griffon, especially compared to Scream."

Lindsay smiled. "This is Silence. I met him while traveling around Aldenmor. He was orphaned in the mountains."

"His name suits him," Adriane remarked, stroking the griffon's beak.

"I've never heard him make a noise." Lindsay shrugged.

Zach put his arm around Adriane and pulled her against him. "Well, that means you can teach a flying class," he said.

Lindsay didn't even process the words he said because she was so dumbstruck by his action. "Wait! Are you two together?"

Her four seniors stared at her for a moment and then busted out laughing. "Lindsay, we're married," Adriane giggled and held her hand out to show off her ring.

"Oh jeez," Lindsay muttered, "How long have I been gone?"

"A bit longer than six years," Emily informed her, "We're in college now."

"I'm almost fifteen now so that's," Lindsay counted on her fingers. "Wow, you're right."

"By the way," Kara asked, "Why didn't you and Gabby come together?"

Lindsay gave her a stunned look and then something occurred to her. "I don't live in New Jersey anymore."

"You don't?" Adriane exclaimed, "That's why Gabby said she'd call you instead of sending us to you!"

"Yeah," Lindsay said, "I live near Chicago now."

Zach gestured to Silence, who was now fast asleep. "That would explain why he's wiped out."

"We flew here," Lindsay explained, "I told my mom I'm at a camp based on the books, which is true enough, and she thinks a van picked me up at the airport. I asked a friend to drop me off."

"Excellent," Emily praised her, "We taught you well."

Lindsay smirked. "Well, in case you're wondering, Gabby is probably going to have her mom drop her off at the front gate."

"Let's go welcome her, then," Kara said excitedly, "I hope she grew more than you did. You're still short."

"Thanks," Lindsay groaned, and then woke Silence. "Hey, go find Thunder and you can sleep in that clearing."

Silence nodded and took off. The six senior mages made their way through the crowd of students once again and raced down the path towards the front gate.

"Mom, this is it," Gabby said, pointing to the big iron gates that read Ravenswood Forest Preserve, "Pull up here."

"Alright, calm down," her mother sighed, and stopped the car, "Have fun. I'll miss you."

Gabby jumped out of the car and grabbed her stuff. "I'll miss you too, Mom. See you, Daniella. Bye Bye, Lexi," she said her goodbyes to her family.

Smiling at the familiar faces waiting just inside, Gabby ran through the entrance with enthusiasm. Her friends were older but still easily recognizable. Lindsay still had that dark glint about her that she didn't try hard to hide but was smiling nonetheless. She wasn't surprised to see Adriane and Zach holding hands and welcoming her with open arms. Emily was beaming at her former student and practically oozing excitement. Kara looked like she can hardly contain herself enough to stand still.

"Hey, freak," Lindsay greeted her, "How are you holding up in that crazy town?"

Gabby smiled at her sarcastic name. "Fine, there have been some other new kids. We kind of stick together. How is Illinois? Are those rich kids nice to you?"

Lindsay laughed. "I hold up alright. I just had to get used to the kids who get a brand new Corvette on their sixteenth birthday and expect nothing less."

"Hey!" Emily burst, "Say hello to your former masters, miss!"

Gabby laughed and hugged Emily. "Of course, how could I ignore you guys?"

"Are Caramel and Mystic on their way?" Adriane asks.

For a moment, Gabby stared at her in confusion. "Mystic? Why would Mystic come?"

All of them gaped at her in shock. "Because she's your bonded?" Kara suggests sarcastically.

Something occurred to Gabby and she exclaimed, "Oh! Mystic is my paladin now! She won't be coming because she's busy teaching at the Unicorn Academy. I hadn't even realized that you guys don't know Amity."

"Who is Amity?" Zach asked.

"You'll meet her. " Gabby smirked. "They should be here soon. I told them to go straight to the portal field."

"We were going to head there next anyway," Emily said, "Marlin and Lorren were going to help us settle the students and they'll be coming through there soon."

Zach sighed and led the way, "Plus, I need to check on how Alex is holding up."

Adriane elbowed him. "Give the kid some credit. He tries hard."

"He's full of himself," Zach argued.

"Who is this?" Lindsay asked.

Zach laughed harshly. "Alex is a student that came last year. He thinks he's a big shot because his griffon Scream is fast."

"Huh," Lindsay scoffed, "Sounds like a jerk. I bet Silence and I could beat him."

Emily giggled, "Zach is hard on him. He really is a good kid and an excellent healer."

Gabby jumped up in excitement. "He's a healer? Cool! Are there a lot of other healers?"

Emily shrugged. "This year we have a lot more kids. Who knows? Last year we had a few healers, a few warriors, a few blazing stars, and quite a few that didn't fit into any category."

"Like us?" Lindsay suggested glumly.

Adriane nodded, "Yeah, like you guys."

As the gang neared the portal field they heard a cry of frustration and then, "When I catch you, you're going to be a snack for the dragons!" This was followed by a series of giggled taunts.

Zach rushed ahead into the field and confronted a dirty blond teenage boy. "What's going on?"

The boy paced with aggravation and held his head. "They created an illusion of hundreds of snakes over by the Pegasus and unicorn tent. All the animals freaked out and won't calm down!"

"Who did?" Gabby whispered the question to Emily.

Emily sighed and shook her head. "I have a feeling he's referring to the twins Cinder and Erin. They're the known troublemakers of this camp. If a prank is pulled, more than likely it was them who pulled it."

"I think I can calm the animals," Gabby offered to Zach, who was trying to calm the teenager down.

The teenager scoffed, "Good luck with that! Even I couldn't do it."

Lindsay stalked up to him and got right up into his face. "You must be Alex. I have a word of advice for you: never doubt Gabby's abilities."

Alex stared at her in shock as she stalked away with Gabby to go calm the animals. "Who is she?" he asked the smirking Zach.

"That would be Lindsay, your new flight coach and possibly battle instructor," Zach chuckled.

"What?" Alex exclaimed, "She's younger than me! She must be like thirteen!"

Kara was now practically busting ribs. "She's your age, Alex," she choked out, "And much stronger than you!"

Alex groaned, "Either way, I say she's got issues."

"Why?" Adriane asked sarcastically, "Because she set you straight?"

"No!" Alex said defensively, "Because her emotions are like a storm ready to wreak havoc."

"She's had some rough times in the past," Emily explained, "Ravenswood must remind her of it."

"Why would you have someone like that teach us?" Alex objected.

Zach clapped him across the head. "Respect her. She and Gabby were our first apprentices."

Alex held the side of his head, and his eyes widened. "They are the ones who brought a D-fly back to life?"

"Yeah," Emily confirmed, "Now do you understand why Lindsay snapped at you?"

"I snapped at him because his arrogance pissed me off," Lindsay announced her presence from the top of the tree next to Emily.

Everyone's heads whipped around to where she was perched looking down on them. "I don't like to be talked about behind my back."

"We weren't talking negatively about you," Alex snapped, "You should be honored to be praised so highly by your masters."

"Sure, whatever you say," Lindsay sighed in disbelief, "That's not what I heard. Anyway, Gabby is going to stay down there to wait for Amity and Caramel. I'm going after the punks who pulled the prank."

"Don't bother," Alex snarled, "They're mine."

"Silence!" Lindsay called.

Alex's jaw dropped. "Don't silence me!" he snarled, "You don't have the right."

Everyone stared at him with amusement. "What?" he demanded.

"Wait for a moment and you'll see what's so funny." Lindsay smirked.

The black griffon trotted his way over from across the field. He stopped next to Lindsay's tree and lifted his head up. Lindsay smiled and slid from the beast's neck onto its back.

She rubbed his feathers and surveyed Alex's stunned expression. "This is Silence. You think your griffon Scream is really fast, right? We'd love to race you."

Alex shook his head to clear his expression and smirked. "We'd love to beat you."

"Can't wait to see the disappointment on your face," Lindsay countered and turned to Zach, "What do the twins look like?"

"They are blond and blue eyed," Zach informed her, "You'll probably see them riding dragons when you're up there."

Lindsay looked up into the sky and narrowed her eyes. "Are the dragons black and white?"

"Yeah, Dusk is black and Dawn is white," Adriane confirmed, "They're young and are responsible for keeping Ravenswood under a veil of illusion, so don't expect them to listen to you."

"Don't worry about me," Lindsay scoffed, "I don't take crap from little kids. I make the worst babysitter."

With that, Lindsay took off on Silence's backed toward the two dots circling in the sky. They looked like a Yin Yang symbol as they seemingly chased each other in a circle. Lindsay soon learned why. The riders had their eyes closed, and their jewels were floating in front of them. The jewels were pulsing halves of a Yin Yang. The girl's was the black Yang half, and the boy had the white Yin half. Both kids were so deep in concentration that neither noticed when Silence began to circle them in sync with the boy and the black dragon. The dragons tried to get the kids' attention but were ignored.

Nice work down there, but I recommend you pick a better target to tick off Alex. Lindsay thought at them.

Both twins' eyes flicked open in astonishment, and the boy almost fell off his dragon. "Who are you?" The boy sputtered.

Lindsay smiled and tried to appear friendly. "I'm Lindsay. I'll be teaching here this summer. What are your names?"

"I'm Erin," The girl introduced herself, "And that's my brother Cinder."

Cinder gestured to the dragons. "This is Dusk, and that white one is Dawn."

"Nice to meet you," Lindsay greeted them, "As I was saying, you did a nice job down there on that prank, but if you really want to piss Alex off, you should have spooked the griffons."

Erin eyed her. "Why would you say that if you are bonded with a griffon yourself?"

Lindsay smirked. "Because Silence doesn't spook. And that would tick off Alex even more."

"That's awesome!" Cinder exclaimed, "You're a genius!"

Erin still wasn't so sure of the new instructor. "How did you do that earlier? I thought you could only communicate through jewels if you know the person and have worked together with their jewel; only animals can do that."

Lindsay shifted uncomfortably. "It's one of my abilities. I don't like to use it much, but I needed your attention."

"Why don't you like to use it?" Cinder asked.

"It's a long story, kid," Lindsay said, "Anyway, I came up here to meet the masterminds of this plot, but the others think I came up to lecture you. So tell me, how good are you at acting?"

Cinder and Erin exchanged glances. "We're excellent," Erin confirmed, "Are you going to get us out of trouble?"

"I was going to kill you when I first saw the tent of animals," Lindsay admitted, "But once I realized why you did it, to tick Alex off, I admired your work. So, yeah, I'm going to get you off the hook. All you have to do is act really ashamed of what you did."

"And what are you going to do?" Cinder demanded, "Sit there and let them lecture us to death?"

"No," Lindsay laughed, "I'm going to act really mad, so they think I already did their work for them. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they felt bad for you."

Erin burst out, "We're in! But I have to warn you, Alex can tell if you're guilty or not."

Lindsay smiled. "Follow my lead."

The three of them made their landing and hopped off to face Zach, Alex, and Adriane waiting where they left them. Alex's eyes could light them all on fire. Zach looked annoyed, but Adriane just looked bored and slightly anxious.

Lindsay took the twins by the shirts and dragged them up to Zach. "Apologize," she demanded.

"Sorry, Zach," They practically cried.

Zach looked at Lindsay, stunned. "What did you do? Rip them to pieces?"

Lindsay shrugged. "Something like that."

Zach turned his attention back to the twins. "You guys look like you've already had your punishment. Go help Adriane with the new students and remember your lesson."

The twins sniffled and nodded, but as they followed Adriane towards the glade, Cinder turned to wink at Lindsay. Lindsay winked back and tried not to smirk.

"Wait!" Alex objected, "Why didn't I get an apology?"

Lindsay shrugged. "They weren't sorry for you."

Alex growled, "You are on my last nerve!"

Zach stepped between him and Lindsay. "Don't go picking fights that you're bound to lose."

"I could just set him straight now, Zach," Lindsay offered, "His arrogance really irritates me."

"No," Zach growled, "Lindsay, go help set up for the power testing tonight. Alex, stay here and watch over things. Got it? No fighting."

"Fine," Alex scoffed, "I'm not supposed to hurt girls anyway."

"No problem, Zach." Lindsay shrugged. "My patience would snap, and he would get hurt. What kind of instructor would that make me?"

Zach had to hold Alex back as Lindsay raced away towards the manor.

Truth is... I really hate reviews. LOLJK I live on them! Do it.

Correction: Thank you to ShadowWolf for pointing out the mix up between the twins' Yin and Yang stones. They have been switched. Erin has the Yang and Cinder has the Yin.