Chapter 1

Allie's Pov

What in the world did I get on my face?! I thought to myself as I scrubbed my eyelids and lips for the seventh time. It looked like I had makeup all over myself, but I washed all of my makeup off last night before I went to bed. Waking up and looking in the mirror to see what looked like mascara and eyeliner surrounding my eyes and my lips. It was a light purple color. Quite the surprise, but it didn't necessarily look bad. It was actually the best I have seen in some time, and whatever it was isn't being affected by soap and water in the least.

"Allie, you are going to be late for the bus!" I heard my dad call for me from downstairs.

I looked at the time and felt my heart stop. I had five minutes to get to the bus and I wasn't even dressed!

I guess the good thing about whatever is on my face is just great because I didn't need to put on makeup. I got dressed quickly and ran down stairs.

"Wow, Allie. You look amazing this morning. You remind me so much of your mother when I first met her. Your make up is almost exactly the same as hers that day." My dad started to get that gaze in his eyes that he gets when he thinks of my mom.

Honestly, I would rather him not mention her at all. She was the one who abandoned us all those years ago. He really needs to move on. Well, I guess it didn't help that Ray's dad came back out of the blue just as he was starting to get closer to Ray's Mom. But still. He can't be stuck on one woman forever… can he?

I shook my head and grabbed two pieces of toast, threw some bacon and eggs in between the slices, grabbed a water bottle from the fridge, and left. I needed to eat on the go if I wasn't going to be late.

Ray's Pov

"No, no, no, no, NO!" I yelled as the bus disappeared around the corner. This was the third time this week I have missed the bus, and Dad will be furious if he has to drive me again. He was almost late for work last time, and I am not willing to go through that mess again and risk getting grounded. Especially because of how important today is to me. All I could do now is try my luck with the regular bus and hope I get to school before the third bell.

I ran as fast as I could to make sure I got to the bus stop in time. There was no one else at the stop today, so I was alone. I sat down on the bench and waited, but then a voice called out to me.

"Hey! Grab that paper!" I looked over to see a girl with an eye patch running after a large paper. I jumped up and grabbed it just as it was about to blow past me. I flipped it over to see a half done drawing of what looked like a sphynx. It was really well done even if it wasn't nearly finished.

The girl ran up to me and I handed her the drawing. "Here."

"Nice grab. My teacher would have killed me if I lost this thing." She was holding a large folder and carefully put the paper inside it. Now that she was closer, I was able to take a better look at her clothing. She was obviously from some kind of prep school. She wore a golden yellow shirt, a black skirt with black leggings, a black jacket, and a black tie.

I guess I looked at her ensemble for too long, because she said "I am from San Campion Prep, and before you ask, yes I have to wear this every day. Based on the fact that you don't have a uniform, I am guessing you go to a public school, right?"

"Yeah, San Campion High." I responded, slightly embarrassed for looking so long, but I couldn't bring myself to look at her face.

"You know my eye is up here, right?" She said. My face got hot.

"Sorry." I looked up and focused hard on her one blue eye. I didn't want to stare at her eyepatch.

"So, what's your name? My name is Raven, but my friends call me Ray." She stretched out her arm, offering a handshake.

"My name is Raiden, my friends also call me Ray." I shook her hand. Raven was just a little shorter than me and had either long blonde hair with black lowlights or black hair with blonde highlights that was tied back in a loose braid. She also had a slight accent that sounded Australian, but was too light for me to be sure.

As hard as I tried, I couldn't help but stare at her eye patch for a moment. It was unlike any eyepatch I have ever seen, and my dad has gotten several. It was very large, covering her eyebrow and part of her cheek, and several silver circles and a golden gear decorated the brown fabric.

"Do you like my eye patch? My dad made it for me since I didn't really like the ones that are normally sold around here." She sat down on the bench and motioned for me to sit next to her.

"Yeah, it's really cool. My dad has several eye patches as well, but nothing like that." I plopped down next to her, relieved I hadn't offended her for staring.

"So, why are you here? At this bus stop, I mean. Don't you have a school bus around here?" Raven asked.

"Yeah, it came and went about five minutes ago." I gave her a guilty smile. "But this bus has a stop near my school, so it's all good."

"Same. My brother even rides the same bus as me, but I still miss it every now and again." She scratched the back of her head and laughed.

"So, did you just move here? I haven't seen you around before." My parents bought this new house a couple months ago, but I was already well aquatinted with most of the teenagers around here.

"No, I have lived here most of my life. I was just away for a surgery and my dad wouldn't allow me to go outside what so ever until I was out of the recommended resting period." I shot her a concerned look, and she quickly put up her hands. "It was for my eye, okay? I'm all good."

I let out a little breath. I had only just met this girl, but I felt so at ease with her. It almost felt like I had known for ten years rather than just ten minutes.

We kept talking until the bus came, and then we found two empty seats in the back right next to her and continued talking until we got to my school.

"Aw man, and I was really starting to like you." Raven sighed as the bus pulled up to my stop. "I guess I'll see you around."

I checked the time on my phone and smiled. It was actually seven minutes before the first bell. "Yeah, like maybe tomorrow morning? Same time and place?" I asked.

She checked her watch and smiled as well. "I don't know, maybe I will see you then."

I jumped off the bus and walked to the school gates.

Gabe's Pov

"Hey, boys? You are gonna be late if you all don't hurry up." My mom called up to my older brothers. I was already dressed and eating breakfast, but I am not sure if those two are even out of bed. After several minutes passed and the two still hadn't come down, mom went upstairs and literally dragged them down.

Sometimes, it's good to be the responsible child. Then, you get to watch the other two trouble makers get told off and smile smugly if they look at you. Of course if I do that, I am asking for trouble later on, but on days like today, it is well worth it.

Jaha told me that some masters take personal apprentices to either help them out or groom them to be a duel master when they are gone. I thought about it for a while, and decided that I might try and become Master Nadia's personal apprentice. It was a tough choice between her and Isao. Both are the masters of civilizations that I am more inclined to, but Water just seems to be more appealing to me. Also, Isao is kind of intimidating. Nadia can be as well, especially when she is annoyed, but she is also more understanding and willing to see other possibilities.

Today marks the day that I am going to try and get noticed by her. I don't want to outright ask to be her personal apprentice, I want her to notice my abilities and talents when it comes to memorization and problem solving. I especially want her to trust me when it comes to helping keep Ray and Allie out of trouble. I still remember her reprimanding me for following those two across the veil when she especially told us not to go on such a dangerous mission. She was worried about us and disappointed that I wasn't able to stop or at the very least slow them down. Maybe she will be less harsh on us for across the veil excursions if she trusted me more.

I finished my breakfast and checked the time. It was about five minutes before the bus is supposed to be here. I gathered my things and opened the front door.

"Oh, Gabe, one second." Dad called to me. I stopped and turned around.

"Boys, your cousin Wade is coming to visit this week. He is going to be staying in our guest room, and I want ALL three of you to be on your best behaviors."

"All right!" My brothers cheered in unison. Wade is the absolute best. He is funny, strong, and just generally nice to be around. He also doesn't let my brothers get away with picking on me when he is around.

"I have a friend who was downright bullied by her younger sister, but she didn't want to do anything to make it worse. After seeing the pain she was in, I promised myself I would never let something like that slide. Ever." His words echoed in my ears. He told me this after he sent my brother to their room after they threatened me when I refused to do their homework. That was almost five years ago now, before he moved away to go work at a hospital in another state.

"Oh, and Gabe." I was just about to try and head out again, but Dad stopped me. "Tell your karate teachers that you won't be able to stay as long as normal. It has been years since we last saw him, I want you all to spend as much time as possible with him."

I felt my excitement sink in my chest. I was planning to stay later and study at the library to get noticed by Master Nadia… Well, there goes that plan. I guess I am just going to have to work with what time I have.