Magic's How-To

Something about the Academy had always given Clay Zorn chills. Maybe it was the way that others always gave him dirty looks, or always commented on the connection between him, his brother, and Beatris, his brother's gaurdian angel. He'd always focused on ignoring them, and had even used magic to drown out the sound of their voices. Now he sat in a room with his brother's gaurdian angel, listening to her melodic voice that didn't match her name.

There were a few reasons why Beatris amused him so. She had this odd faith that he and his brother had souls, but wether or not she believed if she could save his as well as his brother's, was beyond Clay. The way she managed to bug Hendrik also amused Clay; his own inability to annoy his own brother had hit him like a fly by a swatter. Brothers should have the ability to bug each other, right? At least by his own standards.

Something about the Gaurdian, though, drew Clay to her like nothing save his mother's warming arms when he had been younger. Now he had nothing of his mother, only the memory and the knowledge and supposed companionship of his father. Even as Clay talked to Beatris, he thought of his father, the man who had given him life. His scowl began to form.

With his mothers death came his fathers invitation to join him with the others of his race, to which both brothers had refused. They wanted nothing to do with their father, who had a notorious temper and obvious contempt for anyone out of his own race, even their own mother. Clay had never spoken to Hendrik about it, but there was something evil about the way their father held himself. Something wrong about his racism.

Clay eyed the light skinned girl in front of him, taking in her similar-to-others gaurdian appearance, and felt his scowl slip away. Like he'd thought before, she drew him to her like a moth to flame. As much as he shouldn't feel such ways, he did, and he couldn't help the thoughts forming in his head as he watched her speak to him. When her face froze and her words cut off mid sentence, he immediately stepped over to her, grabbing her hand and kneeling in front of her, and searched her eyes for the problem. She looked at him in shock, and he knew she had, for the slightest of moments, mistaken him for his brother. That hurt Clay deeply, but that also alerted him. His brother was in trouble.

He jumped up and ran to his brothers door, only to find him not there. Panicked, he threw the window open with a loud crash and immediately jumped out, running, sometimes sliding across the roof, Beatris right behind him. He saw a form huddled on the ground and jumped off the roof, landing beside his brother and taking the impact through the balls of his heels. He flexed carefully, crawled over to his brother, and began to check over him.

"Move," Beatris breathed, and automatically Clay moved away from his brother, knowing she would be able to help him better. He felt his own palms heat up as he stood slowly and looked around for whoever had done this to his brother.

"He's not dead," a cool voice whispered in the breeze. Clay looked up to the top most roof of the Academy. A dark figure stood there, and Clay immediately knew it was a disciple of his father. He tensed and the heat flared in his hands, melting the snow around him. "Let this be your warning, Clay Zorn. Your father isn't happy with you. He's gotten through the Academy. What will you do now?" The dark figure floated away within a wisp of wind and Clay's anger got the best of him. Angrily, he sent a blast of lightning up to the roof where the figure had been only moments before. The Academy caught fire, and Beatris sighed as Hendrik opened his eyes slowly.

"Let's go," she whispered, picking Hendrik up and helping him to walk.

"Where?" Clay asked, taking Hendrik's other side.

"Well, seeing as you'll be expelled for catching the Academy on fire... And you're obviously not safe here... We'll have to find a new safe haven."

"And where would that be?" Clay asked, eyeing his brother as he tried to step forward and nearly fell. He tightened his grip around his brother and began leading the way off the Academy grounds. Beatris was silent, causing Clay to frown.

He'd always expected his father of being evil, of hating their decisions. But he never expected him to try and ruin their lives. There was something so wrong with this.