"Remember Meredith, stay quiet, don't attract attention and always focus on your task," dad said as he clutched the steering wheel tightly. "And... If you find yourself at a dead end," he sighed, "give up, my child."

I ignored him and looked at the view outside. The sun ruled over a cloudless sky. The birds chirped merrily and the beetles clicked away as if the entire world was a happy place, which was probably true for them. I hated the fact that this place was beautiful. Adelmiro Circle was hell in the guise of high school, or that's what I had heard all my life. No one had prepared me for this. The tall edifice spread over a campus of about a thousand acres was magnificent. It had towers tall enough to kiss the sky, a glistening lake and a lush green spread of trees around the main building. It made me miserable.

"Meredith, I don't want this for you. I don't care what the elders of the dragon-kind say. I would rather you stay home and-"

"-and what, Dad?" I clenched my teeth, "marry, rear kids and waste away until I die? And how many more years until that happens? Two? Three? First mom and now me. You don't even want to try, do you?" I looked away as I struggled to reign in my emotions. "You know well enough that giving up means my death. You must really-" the words got stuck in my throat and I swallowed before opening the car door. I had to get away from him. I slammed the door shut, pulled out my bag from the rear seat and left without glancing back.

The iron wrought gates were wide open and students were rushing in. Some walked in the middle of the path and made a huge ruckus while others slinked in slowly, trying their best to not get noticed. It depended on how high up in the ladder of the Circle one was. Since I was here as a human now, I belonged to the lowest echelon.

I quickly shuffled to the left side and copied the posture of the guy in front of me. Mother would be so ashamed of me for walking this way. But it was necessary for, my posture was the only thing that could potentially give me away. My features were fortunately very ordinary: brown hair, brown eyes, a round unimpressive face that wouldn't stand out and a height that was considered average, five inches to five. I was born to go unnoticed, how impressive!

I entered the large roofless quadrangle where the orientation was about to take place and found myself a quiet corner to observe the surroundings. A petite red-haired boy of less than five feet caught my attention. He was carrying a mountain of books, tall enough to cover his face. I wondered how he could even walk with that much weight. He seemed frail enough to get blown away by the wind. I decided to help him and took a step forward when my eyes landed on a group of extremely attractive people. They were playing around, laughing without paying any heed to the boy who was moving in their direction. The books covered the boy's sight and he continued to trudge forward.

'Oh no! This isn't good.'

It was obvious to me that he was going to crash into them. I shot forward trying to prevent it, but I was a second too late. The boy walked into them, the books toppled over, he slipped and in desperation held the shirt of a tall boy in front of him, and down they both went. The place was a mess. The red hair and frail body of the smaller boy was a clear indication that he was an odih - rather cowardly creatures who worshipped the Great Rabbit. In this school, their rank was just above the humans. If that wasn't enough bad fortune for him, the one he ran into seemed to be powerful and a high echelon. From the looks of it, a warlock.

I knew that whatever would follow wouldn't be pretty. I had heard all about the magic-kind from the elders. They were arrogant jerks who used their powers to bully the weak. They were also the prime cause of all our misfortunes and thus, our mortal enemies.

While the rest of the crowd gathered to witness what was about to go down, I decided to walk away. I had never been someone who could witness injustice and keep quiet about it, a quality my mother imbued in me. I had no authority here and putting myself in the spotlight was the last thing I needed. However, I was at the very front of the crowd and no one would budge. Giving up, I sighed and continued watching the spectacle.

"I...uh.. I'm v...v... very so...so... sorry, Yuvien. I didn't mean t-" the smaller boy sputtered out as he got up trembling.

The boy he addressed, Yuvien shot up and laughed without amusement. He ran his fingers through his ash brown hair and fixed his now wrinkled shirt. He easily towered over the boy and my heart clenched in anxiety. I hoped he would let it go but I knew I couldn't expect that of a warlock.

"I see it's our favourite odih, Little Fucker again!" Yuvien said, chuckling without amusement. "I distinctly remember warning you last term that if you ever got in my way again, I would kill you. Are you doing this on purpose? Do you want to die?!" His face lit up like a child with a candy, "If that's your wish, I will gladly oblige!"

The rose blonde beside him tried to hold him back, but he pushed her hand away, "Don't interfere, Hystia. Unless you want to take his place."

The girl, Hystia backed away quickly. Yuvien grabbed the odih by his shirt and lifted him up like he weighed nothing. Soon, the boy's legs were hanging in the air as he tried in vain to pry Yuvien's hand off of him. With a runny nose, a thick sheen of sweat trailing down his face and his red hair plastered to his forehead, he was whimpering like a scared puppy. I bit my lips, worry creeping into my heart. I didn't like this one bit.

The room was filling in with more students now. A group of four people climbed up to the podium. They looked much older and were dressed in long black robes instead of the uniforms we all wore. Realizing they were teachers, I waited for them to stop what was happening. But they muttered amongst themselves and acted as if they didn't notice anything strange.

Yuvien threw the boy against a nearby table and the boy screamed out in pain. A trickle of green blood ran down his cheek. But Yuvien wasn't done with him yet. He lifted his palm in the air and began a soft chant. The boy held his throat as if he couldn't breathe.

Eyes wide, I looked at teachers, desperate for someone to stop him. Why were they not doing anything?

The boy's face turned green, the nerve on his forehead popped and he was gasping for air. I couldn't wait anymore.

"Stop it! You're killing him!" I yelled as the boy began to flail around on the cold stone floor. The room became quiet and every head turned towards me. The teachers stared at me with interest. I couldn't believe this! All this while they pretended as if nothing was happening!

Yuvien let the boy go with a scoff. He then slowly looked me up and down.

"I sense no energy from you whatsoever. You're a human," he shook his head in disbelief. "A human is speaking to me. Guys, can you believe this?" he addressed his friends without turning to look at them.

I remained quiet, hoping that he would forget I said anything. But the damage was done. He focused all his attention on me now. He held his palm up and I knew that he was going to cast some horrible spell. Damn it! This was the complete opposite of how I wanted today to go.

"What happened? Nothing to say now?" he mocked.

'Shut up, Meredith. Don't talk back. He's a warlock and an asshole. But, don't make this worse than it already is!'

"No, I have a lot to say, you, douchebag! That was cruel and unwarranted. The boy didn't walk into you on purpose," the words came out of my mouth even before I knew what I was doing.

'Stupid, stupid girl!'

There was a collective gasp and everyone's eyes bore into me. The air was thick and suffocating while my heart danced to a steady beat.

"Did you just-"

"Yes, I did!" I sighed internally, there really was no stopping me now. "And it doesn't matter if I am a human or if he's an odih. No one deserves to be treated that way. You better apologize to him."

"Apologize? Are you fucking kidding me?" I could sense the simmering rage in Yuvien's voice as he slowly stalked towards me.

My legs began shaking uncontrollably and my throat went dry. But I stood my ground, not wanting anyone to know just how terrified and helpless I felt.

"Interesting," I heard.

The students cleared a path and there stood the most attractive person I had ever seen. He had a wheatish complexion, thick eyebrows and black hair cropped short. He wore the same uniform that everyone else did, white shirt, tie and dress pants, but somehow, he looked like a god while others seemed mere mortals. He was tall both literally as well as figuratively, for his energy was strong enough to make me want to bow my head in submission.

"De, I..." Yuvien trailed off.

Was that fear in his voice? He used the word, 'de' which usually referred to a senior person, either in age or in skills. Who was this guy?

The god-like boy sauntered forward, an easy smile on his face. He stopped just three steps in front me and stood with his hands in his pockets. My heart sped up due to our proximity. I gulped and let out a shaky breath.

"Very brave or very stupid," he said.

"Huh?" I asked, my eyebrows shooting up.

"Which one are you?" the smile remained but his eyes hardened.

'Definitely stupid,' I thought, but chose not to answer.

"You see, we have a hierarchy here," his eyes were trained on me as Yuvien let out a loud scream. "And when you question it," Yuvien was lifted into the air even as he struggled against an invisible force, "You question the authority of the entire Council." He landed on the stone floor and I heard a distinct crack. For a second, the expression of the boy in front of me softened and his brows knit together. But he masked it quickly. Yuvien sobbed as he clutched his leg.

I looked up from Yuvien to the dangerous, dangerous boy standing in front of me and my heart began drumming against my chest. His gaze seemed to say, "You're next." Only the most powerful magic-kind can cast mute spells. I wondered just how high up in the hierarchy he was.

I gathered my courage, cleared my throat and said, "Spilling of blood inside Adelmiro Circle is forbidden. Yuvien disrespected that rule."

"Which was why Yuvien was punished without the spillage of his own blood. Do you know what else is forbidden? Challenging the authority of a higher echelon. So, if you know the rules enough to preach them to me, you should also know what to expect next, yes?"

My hand shivered as I softly grabbed the bracelet on my left wrist. My energy was sealed, but I had to double-check.

"That odih boy's actions were unintentional. Does being a higher echelon grant one the right to be cruel? Yuvien was going to kill that boy! And now you want to punish me for standing up for an innocent person?" I questioned as I looked him in the eye.

He chuckled, "I don't think you know how things work around here. Even the odih agrees that the fault rests with him," he turned to him and held his gaze, "don't you, boy?"

The odih immediately got onto his knees, bowed down, rubbed his palms together and said, "It was my fault, de. I am very sorry. I deserved the punishment. I won't repeat it again. I'm sorry, de!"

I couldn't believe what was happening. "Why are you apologizing? It wasn't your fau-"

"Shut up, girl!" the odih yelled at me. Tears streamed down his face but he looked mad, "You're just a human, don't act high and mighty. There are so many witnesses here. Who are you trying to fool? We don't need you playing a hero, so just shut up now!"

I stood rooted in my spot, unable to move, just looking at his menacing face. His eyes glowed red, much like a Rabbit and his fists were clenched.

The warlock in front of me chuckled. He lifted his hand out of his pocket and grabbed my chin to face him. I held his gaze, not blinking. Raw energy pulsated from his touch.

He smiled softly, "You heard him. Do you still want to defend him?"

My face burned and my eyes prickled but I held my emotions tightly wound inside me, "No, I don't waste my energy where it isn't required." I yanked my face out of his hold.

He tilted his head while staring at me as if he was looking at an interesting puzzle. Feeling uncomfortable in his gaze, I shifted my weight and looked away. I didn't need people's interest, especially that of a warlock. He then glanced at Yuvien. I saw concern in his eyes, which soon changed to anger.

'Oh, Lord!'

He turned to me, all traces of mercy gone, "Very well. Since, you disrespected higher echelons, challenged a warlock and incited a dispute by taking sides-"

"Incited a dispute? I merely-"

"You will not interrupt me, human," he said between his teeth.

"My name is Meredith Doe," I said, my voice clear and not betraying the bubbling rage I felt inside.

"Ms. Meredith Doe," he said mockingly, "shall collect the mark of every echelon head by the next blood moon. In the case of not completing her task, she shall be the rosa of the next Moon festival and oblige our dear wolves." The wolves in the room howled and hooted at the proposition.

Was he crazy? I didn't know the details but, I knew that the rosa of a Moon Festival was taken by a werewolf in front of all wolf-kind. It was supposed to be sacred for a female of the kind to take part in the ceremony. But the rest of us considered it vile and debasing.

He then looked at me, his lips twitching in amusement at my surprise and asked, "Do you agree?"

Shaking out of my stupor, I tried to protest, "N- no, I-"

"She agrees. Since that's done, I request all the newcomers in the room including dear Meredith to please get seated. The orientation shall begin shortly."