1. Him

She was going to kill them all.

She walked through the rubble of her destruction as she saw her army’s handy work. Fire filled the skies, the sun was hidden beneath smoking gray clouds, soot filled the air, and the cries of women, children, and dying soldiers reached her ears.

This was revenge. She felt electric waves of excitement going through her at the thought of victory; this was how revenge felt like. She saw the fear of the prisoners as she passed them and they looked at her with furious eyes of hate; this was how revenged looked like; crying women and children begging for their lives. She took no pity in that. They choose to follow their king, signing, and sealing their fate.

Those that fled to the castle for protection made a terrible mistake.

She stopped midway, her army stopping right behind her, and she stood there looking ahead at the Royals’ castle. Her white hair blew in the wind, her black dress sweeping dirt, and her cold black eyes wondering.

Gabriella Gahors was one of the most wicked, devious, hateful witches around. Weather it was her own home land, or it was the mortals own land. She never stopped at anything until she got what she wanted.

Looking at the line of scared, trembling villagers, Gabriella walked forward, her General following close behind. She kneeled down in front of a small boy whose mother took him in her arms protectively.

“Don’t be afraid.” She spoke Italian. Her voice was beautiful but at the same time dangerous, it cut through the boy’s skin like a knife as he trembled harder. Since he was mortal, beauty like Gabriella’s was never seen before, and it sent his young heart racing. “Your king has brought this upon you. But if you declare yourself to me, you may just be my next General one day.” She smiled, her full lips lighting up her beautiful face, and the boy’s breath was taken away.

She stood up ready to walk away when she heard, “I will never serve you!” He hissed under his breath. She stopped in her tracks but didn’t look at him or shocked.

“That’s a shame,” She said under her breath low enough for him to hear. She snapped her fingers, “General,” And at once her general took the boy and the mother cried out as she tried to keep him by her side, but the general was stronger than the mother and ripped the boy out of her hands. The boy looked fearful at her as she took her sapphire sword and looking at the boy in the eyes she saw it pleasantly go up as blood spilled to the ground. She smiled with sweet satisfaction.

.x.x.x.

I sprung up covered in sweat. My hair stuck against my forehead as I looked straight at my bedroom. I felt my heart beating against my chest heavily, my hand hurting, before I realized that I was clutching on to my bed sheets. It’s just a dream, I thought silently to myself. Just a dream. It took me a while to get myself focused back to my bedroom, back to this endless night, and I sat back breathing a sigh of relief. It wasn’t the first time I’ve had this dream and it sure as hell wasn’t going to be the last.

A tear escaped the corner of my eye, as I smacked it away thinking about the little boy in my dream. I turned to my side as I stared out my window, looking at the full moon, and thought silently to myself as the sun rose, and as day came closer; if it was just a dream, why was that boy’s blood still thick and warm in my hands?

.x.x.x.

I drank my tea, while trying to read the Times. But it was a difficult to read anything when I had my father and grandmother arguing like cats and dogs in the other room. Since I had woken up, at like one in the morning, I told my grandmother and father my dream, and all I seemed to have done is added gasoline to flames because they went at it with each other since early this morning. Flipping through the newspaper I rolled my eyes wondering why it was that they always had to argue in code! It seemed like they were arguing about one thing, but really there was always something else, hidden beneath their fights, I just can’t figure out what.

“After all I’ve done, after all the sacrifices I made for you, I asked for one favor, and one favor only: To raise your child right! And you couldn’t even do that!” My grandmother’s voice tore through the walls as I listened in.

“Mother! The way I raise my child is my business!” My father snapped back at her. Their lovely British voice flowing through the house, instead of it sounding like two old angry folks, they sounded like a choir in perfect harmony. But the perfect harmony had this deadly tone to it. “I wish for once you wouldn’t go against me!”

“And all I wish is for once you do as I say!”

“I’m a grown man! I do as I please.”

So I guess my whole family situation seems a bit confusing – or at least it did to my friends. But it’s quit simple. My father and grandmother are both British, and so am I, but I don’t speak with that accent. I actually have an American accent, but I was born on British soil (so I can cross out being President of the United States from my list of what I wanna do when I grow up). Simple, right? Of course it is. But it actually isn’t. There’s something wrong with me, with my family; there’s always been something wrong with us, but none of them will tell me what or why. How do I know something’s wrong with us? Because we’re perfect.

“Oh don’t give me that bloody excuse.” My grandmother snapped as she followed my father who was storming into the kitchen, where I was sitting happily on the island, like a sane person. “All I ask is for you to do one thing for me, just one thing, after all the millions of things I’ve done for you when you were a child, I ask for one thing, and you can’t even do that for me?” There they go talking in their code again.

My dad sighed looking into his mother’s coal black eyes, “Please Mother, what you are asking of me is unacceptable.” He said before walking out.

My grandmother was at his heels. “Daniel, there is nothing unacceptable about this!” She yelled rushing after him. I finished my tea with a great sigh.

“I have a lot of things on my mind!” My father yelled reentering the kitchen. Did either them know I was here? “First of all my only daughter is going away to college soon, so I have to worry about that, then there’s two bloody deadline’s Franks given me, and I haven’t even finished the rough drafts, and then I have loads of paper work to correct and students knocking on my door demanding their grades and turning in late papers, plus…” As my father went on ranting about the things he had yet to do, my grandmother was by the door, leaning against it, looking irritated with my father’s tyrant speech. My father did a lot of work. He was basically an author of fictional historical books and some that are non-fiction, and then he is also a professor at NYU teaching Medieval and Renaissance Center, or MARC as they like to call it. So basically he’s teaching crickets.

Yep. This was basically my life. Well, sort of.

I stood up to wash my teacup as my father and his mother kept arguing. It could go on for hours. I turned away from them as the water ran down the faucet as I stared at the newspaper article. There were three men standing together in front of a building called ‘Royal Industries’ but the one picture that caught my mind was the boy to the right of the old man. I looked into his eyes and I swear, I think I’ve seen him before, but I don’t know where.

.x.x.x.

The news helicopter roared through the sky as the camera’s zoomed in on the Royal men who walked out of their thirty-story building. Reporters on the ground floor where hurrying up the stairway to ask questions, take pictures, and much more.

William Royal walked ahead of his two sons, Allen and Michael, has his perfect pale face complexion smiled down on the news cast and every single television in New York City. Keep the fools dazzled, William thought to himself. He knew that a public face was always important; it took every suspicion out of them.

“Mr. Royal,” His strong hearing was able to pinpoint the report out of the bunch, “why come to New York City now?” He smiled at the question. Why not? He thought to himself. He had been waiting far too long. He toned everyone out for a second as his hearing went off in search of who he was looking for; the Gahors, their rival coven. The Royals’ were once the greatest warlocks to live in this mortal world, but it was all taken away from them by the blasted Gahors, witches, none the less.

“Well,” William began in his perfect voice. He smiled mostly for the fact that the female reporters were shivering underneath their suits. A deathly beauty. That was what William enjoyed. He knew that fear was the key. “I felt that it was time to leave Seattle behind for a year or so and experience new things.” He lied through his perfectly white sharp teeth. He couldn’t give a rat’s ass about New York City, he didn’t even care about his own home, all he wanted was to get his hands around the Gahors girl, but sadly it would have to wait. Allen was going to have to bring her to him, and he knew that his son would do as he wanted. He always did.

Questions were asked, and William lied through each and every one of them. When the SUV rolled around, he sighed in relief, but not so much that anyone would notice. The three men hurried in as the news reporters tried to get in their last few questions that would go unanswered.

“Finally,” He breathed in the safety of his car. Allen and Michael were sitting on either side of him, like statues. “Damn mortals. Nothing is ever good enough for them.” Allen and Michael looked at each other with raised eyebrows. With a sigh, he turned his attention to Allen who was already looking out the window as the city passed by him. “Now that that’s all over with, you are going to have to head to school, and if you find her you know what to do.” Allen’s throat tightened up at the thought. He sat still trying not to show any sort of emotion that could give him away.

William looked straight ahead as if satisfied with himself. Every century was always the same as the last. The Royals and the Gahors would face off again only to end it all in defeat, and whenever that happened time would just repeat itself. It has been that way for thousands and thousands of years. Since the time of Queen Gabriella Gahors the war has been dragging on in silence. But now William was going to end it once and for all, and once he gets through with them, there won’t be a single Gahors left.

As they came to a slow stop at Turin, the high school Allen and Michael shall be attending. Both boys gathered their things as their father spoke about how to stay inconspicuous; meaning no sports or showing off in P.E. – much to Michael’s dismay.

“Oh, and Allen,” He stopped as his father put his hand on his son’s shoulder; Allen turned his head, “remember, even though I’m just as desperate as you are to capture her, we can’t let people get too suspicious. Once you determine which girl it is, remember the original plan; get close to her, make her love you, and once she trusts you, take her.” He nodded without a word as he got out. He shut the door, and watched as the SUV rolled away leaving him to stand next to his little brother.

A group of girls in uniform were walking up the street, and once they saw Allen and Michael the girls slowed down to check them out. Michael winked at the blond one, who was most likely the ring leader, and was checking out the others. Seeing his brother like this made Allen want to throw up. He grabbed Michael by the collar and dragged him into the school building.

“Watch it!” Michael snapped forcing Allen off of him. Michael straightened up his blazer as he glared at Allen. Everything has to be fucking Allen, He thought bitterly to himself following behind him, Allen is too important. We need Allen. Make sure nothing happens to Allen. Michael groaned inside his mind. Neither boy could deny that Allen was their father’s main focus, and everyone knew that Michael was only jealous.

Allen looked back at his brother with an expressionless face, “You caught me in a good mood, so you know what, I’m not gonna hurt you,” Allen said casually, “but keep your damn mouth shut!” He sneered turning around and heading to the main office. Michael cracked his knuckles, Patience. He thought, soon enough. Soon enough.

.x.x.x.

“I wonder why they call this Yogurt?” Kay said as we waited at a stop light. I looked at her as she looked at her breakfast with some new found interest. I groaned.

“Only you would wonder something like that.” I said looking away from her. I had been able to get out of my house before my father and grandmother decided to turn their little argument into a blood bath. When they saw the news report about the Royals they went into an even deeper argument about it, but I didn’t stick around to listen.

Kay glared at me. She’s been my best friend for my whole life, like the sister I never had, and she was probably the prettiest girl I have ever seen in my life – though I wouldn’t say that out loud because everyone would argue back that I was beautiful. “It’s an important topic.” She snapped at me as we began to walk, “Just like the age old question: Is tomato a fruit or vegetable?”

“Fruit,” I stated trying my best to restrain myself. Sometimes I would question Kay’s sanity, but I couldn’t really when I have no idea where she gets it from. Kay isn’t an orphan but at the same time she doesn’t have a mother or father. She has actually been raised by her aunt who happens to be the junior Senator of New York. That’s right; you guessed it, Senator Carrie Brown. No one really knows anything about her, except that she came to New York to start over and one moment she was living in Hell’s Kitchen being a waitress making five dollars an hour and the next she had become Senator. She really is a lovely woman, I mean; she’s a hell of a lot better than Nick’s mother.

Kay groaned, “You’re shameless!” She snapped. Nick Adams was my boyfriend and his mother was Marie-Claire Berlin-Adams (she attached her maiden name to her marriage name). She’s a home/fashion designer, and by far the most terrifying woman I have laid eyes on. Not that she was ugly or anything, with the kind of money she and her husband make there is no way that’s possible, but just her personality and her are what’s terrifying. Nothing is ever good enough for that woman.

“Yep.” I grinned school came into view. Turin High School was probably the only school in New York City that after all these years was still standing. After all these years with Kay, I should add. She’s blown up half the school, she’s locked everyone in once, and I believe she even set fire to it. She calls those ‘accidents’ when really she just hates the school just as much as the next person. And let me tell you when the bill came the Senator was not happy. I even think a vein was about to pop out of her forehead.

A large group of girls were huddled on the front lawn talking with each other frantically.

“Did you see his golden brown hair?” One of them gashed.

“One of them winked at me!” Another one squealed.

“I can’t believe they came all the way from Seattle!”

“They are like two Greek Gods.”

“Did you see their muscles?”

“Oh my god,” Kay broke through the crowed acting as frantic as they were. “What are we talking about?” She was being too sarcastic.

“You don’t know!” One of the girls who was talking about golden brown hair asked in shock.

Kay and I both looked at each other before turning around at the girls and shrugged. “We’re talking about Allen and Michael Royal!” One girl announced. My mind quickly raced to the newspaper article I was reading this morning.

“They are coming to our school.” Another girl announced excitingly.

“I wonder if they have a date to prom.” One girl put in excitingly.

Kay rolled her eyes, “Boys?” She said, “That’s the big deal?” The group looked at Kay like she lost her mind.

“If you go inside and look at them you wouldn’t be just calling them boys. They are hot!”

Kay sighed, “Well so is Natasha! But none of you are going head over heels for her.” The crowed slowly drifted away from us after that. I wrinkled my nose looking at Kay.

“You are such a people-person.” I mumbled as I walked passed her to go inside.

She followed me by my heels with her cocky smile. “You know you love me.” She said in a sing-song voice. I rolled my eyes. I really did love her, but sometimes I wanted to kill her.

I stopped in front of the main office to give her back a remark but I stopped my mouth open as I watched the doors open and the Head Mistress stepping out follow by the Royal boys. They were beautiful, yes, but that wasn’t what caught my breath, unlike most girls. What took my breath away was the sight of the oldest boy, Allen I believe his name was, it was like I was looking at an old friend. He looked so familiar, I swear that I have seen him before, but I couldn’t tell where.

He looked at me just then and the world just froze. His eyes were blazing at me with anger, confusion, and so many different emotions. I looked at him trying to find where it was that I’ve seen him before. I knew it was somewhere in his eyes, but I couldn’t find anything. All I could see was a brick wall in front of him. Where have I seen him? My body just seemed to have frozen, my heart beating triple times the rate, and my temperature began to rise. Everything about him, his every cell, his every hair strained, everything was familiar, as if I’ve seen it a million times before; as if I’ve seen him a million times before.

My fingers twitched as if they wanted to touch him, but…

.x.x.x.

31 B.C. Egypt

Gabriella threw back the curtains as she marched into the room, staring straight ahead, with a wicked smile on her face. It had been less than a week since she arrived to Egypt, and so far she had the Pharaoh wrapped around her little fingers. Every man was the same, they always wanted the same thing, and they were so obvious. Mortal men.

She walked gracefully towards the alcove where there stood her beloved Gabriel Royal, her true love, and her worst enemy. It had not been long ago that they had turned against each other, it had all happened so fast that her mind was spinning, but she was willing to fix that.

“You manipulative bitch,” He sneered in their native language, Italian. He turned his head to stare at her, fury blazing his eyes, as he stared at the woman he once would have walked the end of the Earth for. “You have no business being here.”

“Neither do you.” There words were like music; soft and velvet. But her words had a screech to them, but only mortal ears had trouble bearing her words. They were like razor claws coming at someone. “If I remember correctly I made plans to come here decades ago.” She couldn’t stop herself from grinning at the remark. “I, unlike you, have business for being here.”

“And what is that?” Gabriel’s muscular voice was strong and held authority almost.

She walked forward, her silk black dress that fit into every curve of her body perfectly. Gabriella stood in front of Gabriel. “My business is my business.” She declared in a soft voice that was still piercing. She reached up, her thin fingers tracing her once-lover’s face. Her black long nails, sharp enough to rip through the human skin. “Are you sure you did not come because you knew I’d be here?” She cocked her head to the side with a grin.

Gabriel, with a stone face, pushed her hand away, “Don’t be foolish. After everything you have done I could never take you back.”

“After everything I’ve done? But love, you are just as guilty as I am.” She declared softly. She began to stroke his face again, his touch so soft, leaving her wanting more. “You are the warlock. You are the one who was meant to be killed.”

Gabriel could stand there all night looking into her deadly beautiful coal black eyes, but he removed her warm delicate hand again. His heart beat with agony as he pushed her away from him, but the image of her in bed with…him made Gabriel strong enough to push away the one woman he couldn’t live without. “And you are an evil witch; there is a reason why your kind is burned at the stake.” He declared as he turned around ready to walk away. He had to force himself to leave her, when all he wanted to do was hold her, “I’m giving you until dawn to leave. If you don’t, my army will attack your village, and your kingdom.”

“Is that a threat or a promise?” She demanded with a glare.

Gabriel refused to look back, “It is a promise.”

.x.x.x.

A promise…the words rang in my ears as I felt myself coming back to reality, where I was still looking into the eyes of Allen Royal. It felt like I had been frozen as a statue for so long, which was only a couple of seconds. Where did that come from? I blinked as I looked away. There were times when I experienced weird images in my mind, but this is the first time one ever felt so strong. It was like I was dreaming only I wasn’t. I looked up, and my heart sank realizing that Allen was gone. His brother and the Head Mistress stood there talking. I couldn’t help but notice the side glare that Michael had given me. It was full of hate.

“Natasha.” I turned around to find Kay standing next to me looking worried. “Are you okay?” She asked in a tone. I hadn’t realized that I was shivering, I didn’t know if it was from the cold, or from what had just happened.

“I-I-I don’t know.” I finally said. I held on to Kay’s hand as she walked me down the hallway since I was still feeling dizzy and confused. What was happening to me?