Chapter one:

I stared over at the boy sitting all alone under a tree. I felt so bad for him. He looked completely alone. He had no friends here at school because he was "different" as people called him. I was also different, and I still had friends. I knew I was different. How many 13-year-old girls do you know who can light a fire with the touch of her fingers? Not many I bet.

"Sam,"

"What?" I spun around to see my 3 friends looking at me with concern.

"I think something's wrong with you Sam," My friend Dana said.

"Nothing's wrong with me," I said swatting at her short, red curls.

"Then why were you staring at Nico?" My friend Julia asked, eyebrows drawing together in confusion.

"I feel bad for him." I said.

"Why?" Tammy commented. "He's so different."

"You're different too Tammy." I said defending Nico. "I mean you being a piano prodigy and all."

"It's not the same." She insisted.

"But, different is different and-"

"Lay off her Sammy." Julia was always the peacekeeper. Why was she on Tammy's side?

"Fine," I said putting down my lunch. "I'm just going to see what's up with him." I stood up to start walking, but Dana grabbed my wrist with her little hand.

"Are you an Idiot?" She hissed at me. Of course she was the first to point out that I was, sometimes stupid. She did that a lot.

"No, I want to talk to him."

"Why?" Julia said playing with her long brown hair.

"How many times do I have to say I feel sorry for him?"

"But, if you're caught talking to him, people will think you're crazy!" Tammy said looking at me through big eyes.

"It doesn't matter to me." I said tearing my wrist away from Dana.

"Ok, you're loss." Dana mumbled.

I stepped around the picnic table and walked toward where Nico was sitting. Suddenly I felt something prickle at my skin. Oh, no. This was not good. Monsters. Ever since I had started going to school, monsters would try and attack me. I didn't know why, but what I did know was that I could beat them. With a touch of my hand, I could set things on fire. This dude was going down.

I swung around to see a giant. No joke. I had never seen one before so I had no idea how to beat it. I cursed myself.

"Here big boy, over here!" I hissed to the monster.

"Yummy half-blood!" he roared.

Many monsters had called me Half-blood over the years and I had no idea what they meant. And honestly, I didn't want to know. I turned and sprinted to the other side of the school and he followed shaking the ground as he did so.

"Sam! What are you doing?" Julia yelled as almost banged into the corner of the building. I ignored her easily.

Once the monster and I were safely behind the school, I stopped and faced him.

"Time to party." I said. I stretched my hands out in front of me and fire flowed from my fingertips. He dodged my attack easily and leaped straight for me. I tried to roll out of his way, but he was, well, a giant so he intercepted me with his huge hand. I flew up and hit the top of the school. I was dazed, but upon instinct I grabbed the gutter with one hand before I fell 20 feet to my death. My hands were slippery from the water, so I knew I didn't have much time. My head was pounding and my world was spinning out of control.

"YAAAA" I heard someone yell from behind and heard the final roar from the giant. Someone saw him? How?

Suddenly my hand slipped from the gutter and I fell. Just before I hit the ground, two strong arms grabbed me from the air. I looked up to see who my saver was. It was Nico. Before I could say anything, I passed out.