When my father said that the school was in Alaska, I expected it to be freezing ass cold with lots of snow. But that is not what I saw. Exiting the portal, we emerged onto a large field with lush green grass and wildflowers. 

"Can you believe this is our new school?" 

The sudden voice startled me; when I spun around, I found a boy my age I had never seen before. He was about six foot two and was built like an Olympic swimmer, with short, stylish black hair, rich amber-colored eyes, and gold hoops in each ear.

"Well, aren't you such a cute little ladybug?" He said, looking me up and down.

"And you are?" I asked.

"Grayson, Grayson Okhmhaka, but you can call me Gray,'' he said with a flirty wink.

"Okhmhaka? Are you related to Elder Okhmhaka?" I asked.

"That I am, ladybug. Elder Okhmhaka is my grandfather."

There was a low, rumbling growl as Clay stepped up behind me with his arms crossed. "Back off, pretty boy," he said through clenched teeth, puffing out his chest in a show of dominance.

Gray's face grew white as he looked up at Clay. Taking a step back, he raised his hands with a snarky smile, "Sorry pal, no need to mark your territory." With a bow and another wink, he turned and walked away, disappearing into the throng of students.

"What the hell was that?" I asked, crossing my arms in annoyance.

"Sorry, Little Bird, I didn't care for how he was looking at you," Clay said, running a hand through his hair, which had grown a little and now reached his ears.

I took a step forward and wrapped my arms around his waist. His tense body relaxed with a sigh as he held me tight. Who needed bear hugs when wolf hugs were the best!

"Ugh, you guys are so... holy great spirits; who is that?" Asher gasped, eyes growing wide in shock at someone behind me.

Turning around, I saw a beautiful girl about our age with long honey-colored hair, shocking baby-blue eyes, and an hourglass figure that was making all the boys drool as she walked through the mass of students. Her blonde hair stood out among the sea of blacks, brunettes, and browns.

The girl looked over at us, eyebrows scrunched in confusion until she locked eyes with my brother. She froze midstep, eyes growing wide with shock.

I looked up at Clay with a smile, nudging him playfully with my elbow. "Do you think.." I asked Clay telepathically.

He returned the smile with a nod, "Looks like Asher may have found his true mate."

"Attention, students!"

We all turned towards the feminine voice to find a tall, middle-aged woman who was probably around six foot, built like an Amazon warrior with long brunette hair, dark tanned skin, and brown eyes. She wore a white bell-sleeve blouse with a dark green bow tucked into a dark green pencil skirt that accentuated her long muscular legs, finished off with pearl-white pumps.

"My name is Laquetta Tocho; I am the Assistant Headmistress. I need you all to follow me into the school, where you will be given a speech by Headmaster Okhmhaka."

After being segregated into four single file lines based on grade, we followed Miss Tocho through a maze of lavish gardens with fountains, animal statues, and animal-shaped topiaries scattered around.

We continued up the steps through a large set of wooden doors that led into a large foyer with a grandmaster staircase. Miss Tocho led us through an arched doorway to the left, then down a hallway that led to a large dining hall.

Hanging from the rafters were purple flags with a white four-pointed star that had a colored circle in each point representing the five elements, with spirit in the center. Clay once taught me that the morning star is a Native American symbol. They link the symbolism of this star to their elders, past spirits, and ancestors and also represent guidance and hope that we could definitely use right now…

We took our seats at our assigned tables: green for Freshmen, blue for Sophomores, red for Juniors, and purple for Seniors.

There was a long white table at the front of the room where I noticed a large, stocky man whose presence commanded the entire room. He had to be at least six-foot-eight, with long silver hair twisted into a braid, a long silver beard, dark tanned skin, a square-shaped jaw, high cheekbones, dark brown eyes that looked black, and three nasty-looking scars marred his face.

The room fell silent as the big man rose to his feet. "Attention all students, my name is Wicasa Okhmhaka, Headmaster of this school. The first thing I want to make clear is that name tags must always be worn outside of your dorm rooms. Students were allowed to enter the forest surrounding the building but must obey the marked boundaries without fail. On weekdays, everyone was expected to be back in their rooms by eight and asleep by ten. Fighting outside of combat training would not be tolerated. Those who failed to adhere to the regulations would face punishment."

After that, he sat back down, and then Miss Tocho stepped forward. "Now, we will hand out folders with your badges, schedules, and other necessary things. There are four separate lines for each grade. When I say so, one person from each table will step forward and state their name to the person handing out the folders. Once you get your folder, return to your seat. When everyone is done, we will serve lunch."

She gave us the signal a few minutes later, and then one person from each table stepped forward to receive their folder.

"Hey, you okay?" Clay whispered, nudging me with his shoulder.

"Yeah, just...nervous, I guess," I replied.

"It's okay, Little Bird. We'll get through this together," he said, giving me a reassuring smile.

I smiled back, feeling grateful to have Clay by my side. After a fifteen-minute wait, it was my turn.

It felt like all eyes in the room were on me as I stood up from the table. The whispers throughout the room made me want to tuck my tail and run out the closest door, but I held on as I made my way over to the blue fold-up table where a tall, willowy woman sat.

I couldn't help but notice her light-tanned skin, chestnut-colored hair, and emerald-green eyes. The scent of flowers and an unfamiliar aroma emanated from her, but there was something strangely comforting about it. Her gaze was kind and warm when I approached her.

"Name, please," She said with a smile.

"Evelyn Denton," I stated.

She reached into a box marked with a D, scanned through the tabs until she found Denton, and pulled out my folder before handing it to me.

"Thank you," I said with a nod, then returned to my seat.

…"That's her right? The one from the video…"

…"I think so…"

…"If it wasn't for her.."

…" It's all her fault.."

My knees threatened to give out as I made my way toward Clay.

"Don't listen to these assholes," said Clay through our bond.

"Clay, It's hard to ignore them when I agree. It is my fault." 

Clay groaned, running his hands over his face with a deep sigh as I took a seat next to him. Asher squeezed my shoulder before he stood up to grab his folder.

As I opened up my folder, a blue lanyard fell out. I picked it up to see it had a plastic name tag with my name, grade, and Guardian species. After slipping it over my head, I looked at the first paper that told me I was on the second floor in the blue hall, dorm room number five. I had four other roommates: Waverly Hensley, Larkyn Nelowie, Phoebe Kipp, and Willow Sandoval. I was glad I wasn't forced to share a room with Shelby. I honestly had no clue where she was; she had disappeared as soon as we stepped through the portal along with Mercedes and Harmony.

Once everyone in attendance had their respective folders, the Assistant Headmistress stepped forward, "Now that you all have your folders, we will have lunch. If you go through these doors," she explained, pointing to two large doorways, "These doors lead to the many buffets we have. They are each separated by 'Herbivore,' 'Omnivore,' and 'Carnivore.)

When she gave us the signal, I followed Asher and Clay through the doors to see that the way the food was set up reminded me of how Golden Corral was set up… Huh… Nice…

I grabbed a plate and walked towards the 'Carnivore' section, scanning over the different options. My stomach growled, reminding me how long it had been since I last ate. After a few minutes of indecision, I grabbed a slice of pizza, then made my way back to the table, returning to my seat next to Asher.

"So, Sister, what do you think of the school so far?" Asher asked, taking a bite of his pizza.

"It's...overwhelming," I admitted, looking around at the sea of students. "But I'm excited to start training and learn more about Guardian history."

I looked around the room at all the other students; some were chatting with friends, others were nervously looking around, and a few were already dozing off. It was then that I noticed Asher staring at the girl from earlier, his gaze never leaving her as she chatted animatedly with a girl next to her.

"Hey," I nudged him with my elbow, "You should go talk to her."

Asher snapped out of his trance and shook his head. "No, I can't. What if she doesn't like me?"

I rolled my eyes with a sigh, "You'll never know if you don't try."

He laughed nervously as he stood, smoothing down his shirt. "Okay, fine. I will go talk to her."

I watched as he made his way over to the girl, a nervous smile on his face. As he approached, I could see her eyes light up, and she smiled back at him. They started talking, and I couldn't help but feel happy for Asher; finding the other half of your soul is the best feeling in the world.

I smiled at Clay, who wrapped an arm around my waist as I laid my head on his shoulder.