Zayla

“Hun, you have five minutes to get down here and get some breakfast, or I’m coming up there”, my mom shouted up the stairs angrily. “I am coming, “

I called. The last year at school is not something I am looking forward to. I just wanted to fast-forward to the end of the year. Most girls would look forward to their senior year and the dances, homecoming, and prom, but not me; I just wanted to be done. The kids at school were rude. I mean, except for my two best friends in the world, Jenifer and Amanda, I met them in elementary; we have been so close ever since.

I rolled over and picked up my phone and shot off a group text to Jenifer and Amanda that I was running late and would meet them after 1st period. So, I jumped out of bed and headed to the closet to pick out my first-day outfit; I must admit that back-to-school shopping was the only thing I looked forward to picking out the first outfit for school. I felt it was the most important part.

I picked a baby blue blouse a jean skirt and some cute white laced wedges. They looked so good together. My dream was to develop my clothing line and be a fashion designer; it was my passion. I went to the bathroom, turned on the shower, quickly got in and out, wrapped a towel around me, and started doing my hair. I looked at my olive-brown skin and my dark black hair and put on lotion, perfume, and some makeup; I braided my hair, put my clothes on, one last look, and smiled. “I looked great,” I said to myself.

As I descended downstairs, I heard laughter and singing coming from the dining room. It was my two twin sisters. It made me smile because finally; they were getting along. They were different, like day and night. “Well, well, look who joined us,” said my dad annoyingly. Sorry, Dad, I just had a hard night and could not sleep; my mind instantly replayed the dream.

I had so many questions about it; I felt myself blushing, and I pushed the dream and my questions back to the back of my brain. “Ewe, Zayla’s got a boyfriend!” said my sister Jessica teasingly. “NO, I don’t I said, looking at my dad. Dad pushed his eyes down angrily”, You better not, “he said. Jamie, my other sister, looked at me, confused. “Are you sure?” She asked.

" I’m not allowed to date until I’m 18. I know that, so mind your business”, I said to my sister.

“Dad, Mom, I am leaving,” I said, stomping to the door; I hated when they teased me; I opened the door and slammed it after getting my stuff. My mom ran to the door, yelling at me to remember to eat breakfast at school and come straight home.

“We need to chat, she screamed. Great, what now?” I thought.

It was Monday, the first day of senior year. I was utterly dreading it; I was not one of the popular kids; in fact, everyone knew me as (the freak)

I was not like the prissy princesses or snobby rich bitches who were about money, clothes, and makeup. I hated shopping. I mean, I made everything.

I owned and to the popular kids that were lame and poor people because if you did not have a designer label bought in a store; you were a loser... I stood waiting outside my school, finally arriving late, praying I would stay invisible so I could make it throughout the year unscathed. Just maybe, someone was looking out for me, and my prayers would be answered. Someone was watching me. I felt it. I looked around and saw nothing. I just hurried inside, trying to shake off this weird feeling.

So, I ran to my homeroom, tried to open the door quietly, and then slipped in and into my seat. Still, the door slammed with so much force behind me; everyone, including the teacher, Mr. Davis, jumped. “Guess you finally joined us, Miss William,” Mr. Davis said sarcastically. “I’m sorry it won’t happen again,” I said as I hurried to my seat.

As I went to sit down, I heard snickering and whispering coming from two of the most popular girls in the school:

Mariah and Holli, were so beautiful, Super modal types, tall, slender, long bouncy curly blond hair, blue eyes.

These girls had all the boys going crazy over them and had the school staff wrapped around their fingers, so they got away with anything they wanted to ...

“Look, if it isn’t a thrifty store, Judy,” she said mockingly, maybe if you bought your clothes instead of trying to sew like you’re an old lady, you would be here on time,” she said.

As she was throwing something at me and laughing”. SHHH!!!!!’ Mr. Davis said and then turned back to the board. I went completely red with the anger I had sunk into my seat, trying to become so small. No use saying anything now, I fumed to myself, but I would eventually give them a piece of my mind.

Thirty-five boring minutes later, the bell rang. I grabbed my things and ran fast to my locker to meet Jenifer and Amanda; they were standing right there. I sighed with relief. “Girls, I am so happy to see you giving them both a quick hug. We were beautiful girls in our way, natural beauty,

Jenifer has tall, long, wavey brown hair and ivory skin; Amanda has brown hair and mocha skin. She was as tall as Jenifer. “What happened now?” Jenifer said warily. “Just the usual crap from Mariah and Holli, nothing new,” I said. Mariah and I were friends back in elementary until she found out that I did not come from money. She made it her life's mission to treat me like the scum I am, anyway... We chatted a little more, but I could not get over how mad I was; something seemed off.

I usually get angry, and that was it, just brush it off, but today, I wanted revenge. I couldn’t shake off this weird feeling” Well, screw those bitches”’ Jenifer chirped. Pulling me from my thoughts”. Let us plan a hang out this weekend spa day and all that to forget about all the stress of senior year; it was feeling like this was going to be a long year, and it was just beginning; little did I know.

We walked to class after making plans for the weekend; the rest of the day became uneventful until after school; As I was walking home, I felt like someone was following me, but I turned around and nothing, so I continued walking and they out of nowhere the next thing

I knew I was on the ground, feeling my head smack on the pavement and then feeling a sharp, pulsing pain. I tried to roll over, trying to sit up, and tried to focus my vision; I felt a kick and a slap to my face...” You think you could just go around bad-mouthing me with your friends?” Someone said something to me.

I looked up and realized it was Mariah, “we said nothing about you,” I said, trying to catch my breath. My head was throbbing in pain and blood dripping down my face and neck. “Do you think I’m fucking stupid?” she shouted, “Well, you said it. I didn’t,” I said sarcastically. Suddenly, she went to hit me again.

I cringe, waiting for impact, and nothing... I grabbed her hand, and after the shock wore off, I pushed her back, sending her flying a couple of feet. I looked in amazement. What the hell just happened? How did I do that? It just came out of nowhere. I just took off running in the opposite direction.

I knew you were a freak, and you will pay for that,

I heard her yelling as I ran off towards the field behind some houses and into the woods. I needed to separate myself from her because I wanted to hurt her so badly that I could feel the rage building, and I wanted blood, HER blood. What was wrong with me...

I ran as fast, and as far as I could into the woods behind a couple of houses nearby, my eyes burning, my head hurt, and I felt like I was going to pass out. I slowed down as I came to a clearing; it was a riverbank; I walked over under a large tree sat down and cleaned up before I went home. I cannot go home like this, I thought; I do not understand why Mariah attacked me. We did not say or do anything to her. It was just like her inventing crazy stuff in her head to justify attacking me; I do not know why she hated me so severely. As I was cleaning the gash on the side of my head, I heard a faint voice say, “Zayla, darling, things are not what they seem. You must be careful to trust no one. You are in danger”. The whisper said faintly. What the heck was that!! I looked around and did not see anyone; I was losing it with this gash; it was making me crazy. I hit my head hard. I thought to myself.

After cleaning the gash as best I could, I sat back down and just watched the river losing myself in its calming current; I must have dozed off because then, the next thing I knew, I woke to a strange man standing over me.

Liam pov

I came out for a run, just got to town, and already did not want to be here. I was on a mission, and I had to start school at the local high school to be closer to the target ... it would be the first time I was around normal kids. Most kids have the same upbringing, but I didn't. I didn’t have friends or play sports; I was a warrior, a Dragon Slayer.

Yes, you heard that right. The medieval fire-breathing beast was real, but before I get ahead of myself, let me take you back to the beginning.....

The early 1400s

There were four kingdoms: water, air, fire, and Earth. They were all ruled over by a group of dragons that would shift into human forms, and some humans lived amongst them with no powers. Each element had powers of incredible strength and healing abilities. Only the Royal families could read minds and teleport stuff like that. The four kingdoms lived in harmony for many years until King Aries from the Fire Kingdom became king. He was an evil man. He preyed on the weak and thought that anyone below him needed to serve him or die. We wanted to be the only king. He thought he was the superior element. Aries wanted to have all the elements that no one in their history had ever done. A prophecy said that someone of great power would harness all the elements. King Aries thought he was that person.

He started a war amongst the Dragons, killing anyone that opposed him; he was powerful, the other kingdoms fell under his rule, and he then assassinated the other royal families... so that they could not go against him, while the wars lasted for many years amongst the human there was a group that consisted human and the dragon shifters as the council called them to help maintain order and take back the kingdoms. They killed many in their path to bring peace back to realms.

They felt like they did what was necessary to help; King Aries lost most of his followers and support over the years due to fear of losing their lives to the Dragon Slayers or the madness of the King; King Aries had no choice but to retreat, but he did still had some control over his kingdoms, he realized that he'd wasn’t the person of prophecy and that Aries waits and waits for that person so he can kill them and take their powers.

******

Eight decades later, there is not much of the history of dragons left, and as humans took over more and more ... What occurred with the dragons and the wars were lost: two books, old scrolls, and fairy tales; King Aries fell ill and died even though they didn’t know where his body lies,

Keeping the existence of the dragons a secret is what the Dragon Slayer council wanted; they were very uneasy about it. Furthermore, felt that they needed to keep it contained at all costs, and that meant keeping

All the dragons were in control or eradicated.

The humans forced the dragon shifters off the council, and they wanted nothing but pure-breed humans. An ancient sorcerer spelled the humans to keep them strong and made antique weapons to kill dragons. The only thing that could kill a dragon was pure gold .... they were afraid that someone like King Aries would rise to try again. There were reports that some dragons remained living but were in hiding. They dared not be seen or even shifted because we could sense their magic.

Bringing us back to the present is where I come in; I was born into the family of one of the Founding Council families. I was the chosen one.... the one that would kill the person of prophecy if they ever appeared.

I trained from the time I was three years old; a handful of children were picked and turned into warriors.

We trained alongside each other and were not allowed to play or run or anything like that; if we did, they would place us in a dungeon of an old abandoned castle from the Air Kingdom.

They only let us out to train; they wanted us to eat and sleep the life of a warrior, a dragon slayer.

All I wanted was to be a regular kid; I didn’t ask to be born into this life; I never heard the words I love you or even a single hug from my parents. We had a caretaker, Ms. Lopez, who would give us food. She was so caring and sweet; she would bring us treats and give us toys in secret so we could at least have some serenity in that dark place,

But after a while, The Scout leaders who oversaw training us somehow found out what she was doing, and killed her; a horrible person who would beat us and starve us for fun replaced her.

Growing up, I worked harder and wanted to be the strongest to make Ms. Lopez proud. Besides, she always told us to be good people and not let this council turn us into monsters. She was the only family I had, and I would not let her kindness d.....

As I came of age, the council sent me to Twin Peaks because they got word that they sensed powerful magic, so they put me with people chosen by the council to live while I was there.

While I attended the local high school, old tutors taught us, so being in a public school would be a first for me. I will not lie. A brief part of me was excited to be going. The rules were that I could not have friends or a girlfriend, do things that a typical high school boy my age would do, only my mission to find the target and end them.

They promised they would release me to live out my days as I saw fit.

So, I would give 100 ten percent to my mission; nothing would lead me astray. When I arrived at a small two-bedroom house, it was blue with white siding and a small yard. I climbed out of the cab that dropped me out. In front of the house, I walked up the stairs; something was calling out to me, “Liam, she will need you to protect her; all you have learned will not be in vain.” The voice said. “What the hell!!!” I exclaimed. I was freaking losing too much time on the airplane and not enough sleep; I just shook off the weird feeling and turned to knock on the door. A few seconds later, a woman and a man opened the door. “Hello, Liam, my name is Cassie, and this is Ron. We will be your temporary guardians until further notice, "she said sweetly. Cassie was short and petite, with long brown hair that pulled up neatly into a bun, and Ron was tall and muscular and looked like he worked out, “Hi, “I said nervously, as I followed them into the house.

“Go sit down on the sofa. I know you probably have a lot of questions, and we will answer as best we can, “she said, quickly shutting the door behind her. I investigated a small room that was quite comfortable and had little, but it had two armchairs and a sofa; I went and sat down and set my bag next to me.

"Is that all you have?" asked Ron with a questionable look on his face. “ Yes, that is all that we could have, "I said sharply. "Ooo dear, no, that will not do," Cassie said. We will make sure you have all you need. She finished speaking as she looked at Ron; he nodded in agreement.

"We have a few rules; the first rule does not bring any trouble here. Second, we want you to enjoy the last year of senior year,

We also want you to make friends, he continued, We know you did not have a childhood, and you were raised to do the dirty work of others.

Still, we refuse to be a part of that. " Ron finished saying as he stood to take my hand. "Welcome to home," he said. Cassie looked at me like she wanted to cry.

"Um, but the council the rules," I said, stuttering. "Do not worry; we will take care of those old goats," Cassie said, giggling and rolling her eyes. "We want you to relax and realize that you are in a safe place. Oh, and last rule, do not tell anyone who you are, ", Ron said sternly. Give me a severe look. Okay, Son, head upstairs to the room on the right. That is your room.

I stood there for what felt like hours, shocked and feeling somewhat emotional. "Ummm hun, are you okay?" asked Cassie, a worried look on her face. "Oh yeah I'm okay," I said, grabbing my bag and heading upstairs. As I walked up the stairs and into what was now, my room it was pretty cozy had blue and dark gray paint on the walls, a twin bed, and my bathroom.

I sat on the bed and put my head in my hands. What do I do now?? I thought I would train right now if I was back at the castle, so I decided I go for a run.

I opened my bag, found some gym shorts and tank tops, put my bag in the closet, and went to the bathroom to get dressed. After that, I head downstairs to the kitchen.

Cassie was cooking, and Ron was at the table reading a newspaper." Hey, I'm going to go on a run if that's okay?" I said hesitantly. "okay enjoy. Just remember the rules and call us if you get lost coming back,” Cassie said. Call you,?!? I asked, confused. "Oh yeah, I forgot, silly me," she said giggling. "Here is I programmed a new cellphone with our numbers in it." I took the phone, stunned." WOW, thank you so much!" I said, "Don't be out too late, dinner is in 30 minutes."

I turned around and headed towards the front door and I descended the stairs. Realization hit me. I have no clue where I would go. It was my first time here, so I went right

, I started running, thinking about today's events, and what tomorrow would bring. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't realize how far I ran I was in a neighborhood behind some houses that looked like a forest so I decided I wanted to have a heavier trail to run on I like a challenge pushing myself to make myself better.

I ran for a few more miles. My legs were begging for me to take a break, so I rested near a lake; I had seen in a clearing as I approached the river I noticed a sleeping figure underneath a tree. I walked over quietly as I didn’t want to wake the person and it surprised me to see that it was a girl about my age.

What the heck!! Was she doing outside alone? I thought to myself.

Weird, doesn't she know it was dangerous to be out alone? As I approached her even closer, I noticed she had a massive gash on her head. I stopped. I was looking at her as she woke up.