I had to admit, the weekend was the first in many cycles since I had truly felt relaxed. The sun was shinning brightly outside as the spring leaves rustled in the gently breeze.

When the guys had rescued me, the flowers were just beginning to bloom and now they were on full display. The many opened petals varying in colours, bright blues, dark reds, pure white, so many different types thriving in the gentle breeze. My fondness for nature was only growing, just as those flowers bloomed, so had I. It was a different feeling, being calm and not in a constant state of anxiety.

Karen had forced me to partake in a full body scan to confirm I was in good health. I thought it was unnecessary but the second in command knight wouldn’t take no for an answer. Matthew postponed my Realm history lesson till the following week, stressing the importance of balance. He also wanted me to have some quality time with the boys and my new familiar.

I decided to label the mismatched yorkie foxshier hybrid, Forkie. After intense thought, I named her Nightmare; Nighty for short. For some odd reason, she gave off a desolated aura, reminding me of the Goddess of Destruction.

The night we got back, I did more research on the god, learning in detail of how she caused chaos and utter devastation on Realm One, punishing King Aspen for defying their laws. Tales foretold how kind and merciful the goddess was, shifters once claiming how her personality didn’t match her title. Though, that was proven wrong the day Realm One was turned into a wasteland.

I read how the gods and goddesses liked to monitor their designated realms in different ways. Some stayed up amongst the stars, watching. Others took form of animals or disguised themselves amongst the human and shifter race. You would never know if the person next to you could be a Starlight god. No wonder when I was young Elaine always stated; Treat people how you would like to be treated.

A section in the history book dedicated to the Starlight gods mentioned the gods coming down in the form of familiars, assisting shifters and magicians during wars and conflicts. Many of the examples referred to Realm Six. Marcus had explained Realm Six was known as Earthala.

It was the realm that held majority of the human race, a small population of shifters cohabitated with them either in secret or undercover with the government’s help.

I discovered some facts about the realm; a few related to our weekdays/weekend titles being derived from Earthala. We referred to year as a cycle, months referred to as rotations. The seasons; Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. Solar represented Spring and Summer, while Lunar referred to Fall and Winter. The two halves separated the cycle into half; six rotations dedicated to Solace, the remaining to Lunar.

Marcus seemed very knowledgeable about the realm, though he admitted he was born on Realm Seven.

I tried to inquire more; curious as to what his childhood would have been like, but his demeanour changed. I could see his body go rigid, his sapphire eyes making every effort to not meet my stare. I pushed the subject aside, claiming that I was tired and would ask another time. I knew how it felt when you simply didn’t want to discuss the past. It was moments like these, that made me wonder what his pass foretold.

He came off as a happy, humorous shifter but there were times I saw another side to him; a side of him struggling to control whatever was bothering his troubled mind.

I still recalled the anger in his eyes as he quivered in place during Eric’s attempt to embarrass me in front of the class. I was curious but wouldn’t push to find out. When he was ready to reveal his dark secrets, I would be there to listen.

It was now Saturday afternoon. I was relaxing on the sofa, lying in the soft black cushions, my legs taking the second seat, a huge weaponry book in my lap.

Nighty was cuddled on my legs, her tails circled around her as she watched me quietly. She had never left my side since our meeting.

Matthew had explained I would need to apply a special mark, similar to our loyalty mark, on her. The mark would allow me to summon her when I required her assistance, literally out of thin air if she wasn’t close by. It did sound pretty cool, though I would figure out a way to make sure Nighty was okay with such tactics. She wasn’t simply a tool to me. If she was willing to protect me, I would at least respect her independence and freedom. I knew if I was a familiar who never committed long term to any other shifter, I wouldn’t change now.

“Mewreee.” Nighty roared softly, standing up to shake her white fur. Did I mention how amazing her fur was! Not only was it soft, reminding me of my light brown teddy bear I had as a child, but her grey markings glowed!

Leonardo, had accidently scared her that morning when he walked into the house, slamming the door as if he owned the place. Nighty had jumped from the sudden noise, her grey marking blaring to bright red. I didn’t know what to do at first; stare at her in awe or glare at Leo for slamming the door.

He was now sitting at the kitchen island, in his own steel stool. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the fact he had been forced by the boys to bring his own stool.

Daniel had explained that he sat in Ryder’s stool one time and he went ape shit on him, returning an hour later with a flimsy foldable stool for him to sit on. Don’t play around with a man’s stool.

I sat forward, reaching out to pet Nighty. She purred in delight, her grey markings glowed a light pink. I would have to write down what each colour meant.

So far, pink was associated with happiness or love, Red related to anger. I didn’t know any other powers she possessed but I couldn’t help but be excited to have her in my life. Having a little companion just for me, her personality and skills a mystery, waiting for me to solve, made me really happy.

“You ready to go try this weapon shifting spell, Nightmare? I’m going to need it for our 1v1 exam in a few weeks. You think you’re up for it?” I soothed as I continued to stroke her exquisite fur.

“You named your familiar after a Starlight god? Talk about creativity.”

I groaned, rolling my eyes as I glanced up to Leonardo who was currently writing something in a notebook.

Two things I could confidently state about Mr. Ugly: A. He was a whinny little brat who complained about literally everything and B. He one-hundred percent had a vendetta against me.

I bet my breathing pisses him off, seeing as he complains about the air being too stuffy all the time. I don’t understand why he comes over when he can’t deal with the power difference.

“He probably doesn’t want to admit how pathetically weak he is.” Rose suggested.

“Why does he even come here? It’s like a constant reminder of how much he’s lacking. The room is stuffy with all of our powerful auras. Of course, him being a red rank would feel uncomfortable to say the least.” Hope complained. You know there was a problem when my innocent angel started complaining.

“Can I set him on fire this time?” Lily asked, sinisterly.

“We can get one of the boys to find an ash tray to dump his ashes in. No one would even notice.” Lexi encouraged.

“Better yet, flush his remains down the toilet. Maybe they’ll land in the ocean far away from here.” Rose advised, her voice filled with evil intent.

“I’m not one to promote such drastic measures…but we could just send his soul over to the god, Lucifer. Eternity in hell wouldn’t be too bad.” Hope insisted.

I let out a sigh, shaking my head at their conversation. Note to self; don’t get on my spirit’s bad side.

 I lifted my book from my lap, grabbing the Dragons Rule bookmark I borrowed from Marcus to save my spot.

I closed it, Nighty jumping down to the floor, allowing me to swing my legs and stand up. I took a moment to stretch, lifting my arms up causing my shirt to rise slightly.

I noticed Leo glance my way, his eyes settling on my flat stomach. I would rate myself average in the fitness department, though I was proud of my light six pack, which ninety-nine percent of the time disappeared the moment I stuffed my face. I couldn’t help but smile. Didn’t matter if his ass hated me. I was a hot package, one that was off-limits.

“Do you always have something negative to say on purpose? The Starlight Goddess Nightmare is in the top three most powerful gods. I think it’s an honour to have a familiar named after her. Plus, when I checked in the registry, no one else named theirs after her, so I think it’s pretty original in my book.” I remarked.

I pulled the hair tie off my wrist, the green shiny band I stole from Eli who visited this morning.

She was on the verge of tears asking if I was well enough to be sitting. If it wasn’t for Marcus plying her off of me after her five-minute hug assault, I think I would have been her permanent cuddle buddy.

I felt so much love for my new best friend. She showed so much compassion and care towards me, such kindness I still wasn’t used to receiving. She wanted to stay behind to make sure I didn’t work my brain cells too hard but Ryder kidnapped her, stating he needed her for some knight duties.

“You’re a hindrance.” Leo exclaimed, looking up to glare at me.

I raised an eyebrow at him, as I finished tying my hair up in a ponytail.

Nighty started hissing, her hair slowly fluffing up, making her look double her size as the grey markings glowed red. I knelt down to sooth her, picking her up in my arms as I caressed her head.

“Don’t listen to him. He just angry I have more friends than him.” I cooed.

“Ryder and the others were my friends, FIRST!” He argued. I stood up.

“Aww, is Mr. Freckles afraid I’ll steal his friends away? You don’t need to concern yourself. I’m good at sharing.” I replied, walking towards the door.

“You’re only temporary. They’re just going to get tired of you and dump you off on the side of the road, where you belong.” He snarled.

I laughed softly as I shook my head, allowing Hope’s power to soothe me, my eyes tingling as I turned my head to look back at him. His eyes grew wide, probably stunned by my now golden eyes.

“In your dreams, hot head. Admit it; little miss temporary right here intimidates you. You don’t necessarily hate me. You hate my presence and how I attract the others. All you’re worried about is the boys taking me in, leaving you in the dust. Don’t fear, I’m not going to be your replacement. Though, it’s not my fault I’m more entertaining. Now, instead of wasting such precious time worrying about me, maybe you should attempt to get better grades. Your rank doesn’t favour you, so maybe the small amount of intelligence up in that empty head of yours can save you.” I revealed, thanking Hope for her given gift of reading people. It had been really handy since arriving here.

I turned my head back towards the door. I didn’t need to wait for his answer, knowing it would probably be another snarky remark. I opened the door, Nighty climbing on my shoulder, closing it behind me, gently. I took a deep breathe, enjoying the rich scent of fresh air.

Time to work up a sweat.

 

I opened my eyes, taking a moment to control my rapid breathing, unable to stop myself from panting as the sweat dripped down my face.

I widened my stance, spreading my legs wide as I raised my hands up. I allowed my arm to bend towards me as my left palm faced my chest. My right arm was straight out before me, my palm spread out. I took another deep breath as I closed my eyes in concentration. Let’s see how long I can keep her form for.

I called upon my magic, the power surging to life, excited to be used and abused by its host. I allowed it to flow out of my left hand, surrounding my chest before gliding around my body. I opened my eyes slightly to see the blue translucent energy slowly take shape, small sparkles of light surrounding my palm. I closed my eyes once more, readying myself to center all my energy into the spell I was about to cast.

“Oh sacred, Almighty. Spare me your strength. Provide me with thy weapon of choice, its blissful metal begs for thy touch. Surge to life, almighty Nightmare. Transform to devour thou darkness!” I commanded, the power forming in my left-hand surging in front of my right palm.

I gritted my teeth as exhaustion started to consume me, fighting off the urge to stop the spell. The mist like energy started to take shape, a long staff forming before me as the power continued to flow around it. I continued my concentrated command, the picture of my weapon of choice never leaving my intent.

I closed my eyes, feeling the power constrict, the once blue mist solidifying. I felt the power begin to return to me, queuing me in that its job was complete. I closed my palm to hold onto the floating weapon before me, opening my eyes to assess my work. I smiled as my shoulders sank in relief, my eyes roaming the beautiful weapon before me.

I analyzed the black metal scythe in my grasp, the staff was thick, a detailed pattern flowing around; multicoloured roses, scattered around the staff, vines surround their delicate petals as they wrapped around the scythe’s base. The blade was silver and wide, sharp enough to slice anything in two with very little force.

The most eye-catching piece of the weapon was the floating black chain that surrounded the long staff. It floated loosely around it, dangling down to my ankle, the end of the chain attached to a metal ball in the shape of a blossoming rose. I beamed at my masterpiece, finally accomplishing the spell to my liking.

“Excellent work, Nightmare.” I acknowledged, before allowing my eyes to close.

The exhaustion of practicing for four hours straight was finally getting to me. I had to take advantage of the empty training room, realizing that the weekdays would be filled with students who would love to watch me train than focus on their own sessions, probably trying to find some type of weakness or reasoning as to how I achieved pink rank. I didn’t need such attention; I had enough on my plate.

My mind was drifting away, exhausted from the continuous mental concentration required to summon my magic, let alone, morph a weapon out of my familiar. I allowed the power to release from the weapon, the feel of scythe in my hand fading away. Nightmare probably taking the opportunity to disappear for a few minutes, a discovered habit of hers after each summoning session.

I forgot I was still standing, my legs, losing their remaining strength as I slowly leaned backwards. My mind was one second slower, not registering the fact I was about to fall to my demise…yet again.

I felt a pair of hands grasp my arms, stopping me from my descent into oblivion, something warm and muscular pressed against my back. I opened my eyes slowly, raising my head up to see a pair of wide sapphire eyes. I grinned, happy to see Marcus, my favourite star knight of the day.

“Hello, sapphire eyes.” I slurred, purposely, giggling at his confused face.

“Hello, Miss faint-a-lot. Why am I not surprised? Did we not discuss this?” He replied, changing his position to face my left side, his arms going under my arms and legs, lifting me up in one quick swoop. I beamed at him, grateful to be off my feet. The benefits of being a princess.

He carried me over to the wooden bleachers in the corner of the room, placing me down gently. I sighed with relief, pulling my wet hair tie out of my hair, allowing the wet mess to fall. I seriously needed a shower.

A navy-blue towel appeared before me. I smiled, taking the towel and pressing it against my face, the smell of pine hit my nose. I took a moment to appreciate its divine smell, before wiping the sweat off my face and neck.

“I didn’t mean to disobey your orders Commander Hunt. I just got caught up in practicing.” I admitted, sitting up straight as my hand went up to my temple in a salute gesture.

He chuckled at my little display, walking over to my left, leaning down to grab a metallic blue water bottle. He opened the cap, raising it to his lips to gulp down the clear fluid that poured out.

I stared at it, my mind taking that moment to send a signal to my brain of how thirsty I was. I looked around the training room, wondering if there was a water fountain nearby, my eyes catching a glimpse of the silver metal contraception on the other side. I looked down to my legs, barely having enough energy in them to stand up. I frowned in defeat.

I felt a hand stroke my cheek, the soothing touch made me shiver as I lifted my head.

“If you want water Princess, you can simply ask.” Marcus said quietly, his softened expression made my heart race with excitement. Ugh, these hormones.

“Can I have some of your water please?” I asked kindly, relieved at being inches away from enjoying the cold clear liquid.

He nodded in response, giving me his water bottle. I gave a quick thanks before centring my attention on my target, not wasting any more time before gulping the bottle contents in one quick motion. Marcus simply stood there, a wide grin on his lips as he watched me consume the rest of his water. I removed the bottle from my lips, sighing in relief. Water; Mother Starlight’s gift to the realms…besides milk. Milk was number one.

“You have a serious addiction to milk, don’t you?” Marcus accused, his amused tone made me want to pout at him.

“Milk is life. Don’t hate its gloriousness.” I objected.

He merely smiled, taking a seat next to me. I took a moment to stare at his relaxed posture, his camouflage top matching his avocado green shorts. His hair was loose, the long, silky, carmel brown strands laid messily down his back. His hand reached out, his thumb trailing slowly across my lower lip causing me to gulp. My heart continued to pound against my chest, the lingering feel of his finger making my stomach flip.

“Don’t push yourself unless I’m around. This isn’t the facility where you were forced to work non-stop. You can take breaks when you start to feel exhausted. I don’t want to find you passed out on the floor. I get enough of that from Daniel. Understood?” He stressed, his hand trailing upward, moving a few strands of wet hair out of my face, placing them gently over my ear. I took a moment to breathe before nodding.

“Okay…as long as you don’t get tired of training with me. It’s not very entertaining.” I admitted, softly. His hand caressed my cheek as his face softened.

“Ryder’s hobby is reading; Elias’ hobby is exploring the forest. Daniel’s hobby is sleeping and mine is training. Besides, you’re more than enough entertainment for me.” He explained, whispering the last sentence, leaning forward.

I felt my face burn up as I felt something soft press against my forehead; soft moist lips. I’m going to die from tachycardia…

“Admit it, you’re falling for all of them, slowly. You should listen to your hyperactive heart. The heart doesn’t lie.” Rose mused, her voice sounding pleased with me having multiple interest. Damn you and my hormones.

I bit my lip as his lips left my skin, a tingling feeling rushed through me. We stared at one another, his expression filled with both happiness and admiration. I allowed my lips to curve into a soft smile, appreciating his company and support.

“C’mon Firefly, let’s go home and freshen up.” Marcus said gently.

He stood up, grabbing his empty water bottle before turning to face me with his hand extended. I placed mine in his, allowing him to help me up, I held onto his towel, pressing it against my chest. I’ve claimed you now. Mission Souvenir from Marcus. Complete. Two down – two to go. 

“Don’t worry, if you get too tired. I’ll carry you again.” He whispered, before walking forward, gently tugging me along. I squeezed his hand in response, as we headed towards the exit, my eyes noticing a small pair of red glowing balls of light in the top vent of the auditorium. I used the back of my hand to rub at my eyes, before peering back at the vent; the illuminated red eyes were gone. What the hell?

“What’s wrong?” Marcus, who came to a stop to look over his shoulder asked.

“Ah it’s nothing…my eyes must be playing with me.” I admitted, turning my head to smile lightly.

“Once we get some food, you can take a nap to rest up.” Marcus encouraged.

I nodded, taking one last glimpse at the vent. Marcus tugged me lightly, encouraging me to start walking again. I followed suit, allowing the image of red glowing eyes to fade away.

Just a figment of my imagination.