Chapter 1
Has there ever been that one person in your life, you know, the one that changed it completely? I’m not reffering to that special love interest, I’m talking about that one that turns your whole life upside down. The one person to disrupt your peace and take you along for a whole new ride, one that could very well cost you your life.
This is my story.


I woke up just in time to hear heavy knuckles pounding furiously against my apartment door. My sleep depriven body slowly sat up on my bedtop.
“You awake kiddo? Hurry up! You’re going to be late!” A familiar, deep voice called to me from the hallway outside of my door. Sighing quietly I lied back down in my bed as the urgent pounding on the door continued.
“Get up Liot! You have to go to school today! Remember what the director said? One more absence and you’re going to be expelled!” I saw my doorknob turn half an inch, followed by louder, angrier pounding. I chuckled evilly to myself.
“You locked the door! I let you live here for free and you lock me out!? I oughtta kick you out onto the streets right now!” Chills ran up my spine. No, not that again. I would never allow myself be confined to live the harsh life on the streets again.
“Keep that up and you’re going to break my door down!” I answered. The knocking immediately ceased and Masi calmed down.
“Come on kid,” he started, “don’t mess with me like that!”
Whatever, I thought to myself as I mustered up the strength to slowly climb out of bed.
I slipped on a pair of blue jeans and whatever wrinkled T-Shirt happened to be in my shirt drawer. I walked out of my small, nearly empty room and into the bathroom. I grabbed a comb and brushed my hair so it looked a little less like something was living in it.
“You’re not asleep again are you!? Open this door right now!” I combed a few more strands of my medium length light brown hair and tossed the comb back onto the cheap bathroom counter. I walked back through my room and unlocked the bolt on the door, which opened before I could even blink.
A large man, at least a foot taller than me with a curly, bushy brown beared in contrast to his bald head was baraccading my doorway and stared down at me with a strict gleam in his blue eyes. His arms were crossed and I saw a delicious looking bright red appel in his left hand.
“Liot, I don’t mean to sound like the bad guy sometimes, but come on! I shouldn’t have to be responsible for every little thing—“
“Sorry Masi, I’d love to stay and chat but I gotta get to school! See ya!” His massive body towered over me menacingly, blocking the doorway thus making it impossible for me to escape. He looked down at me disapprovingly.
“Look Liot,” His intimidating posture and look lessened, “I don’t want to kick you out and I’m not going to. It’s just that you have to look after yourself sometimes. Life becomes a lot different when you have a homeless 15 year old kid depending on you for every little thing.”
Suddenly I didn’t feel so smug. Homeless. Is that really what I was? Just a homeless 15 year old boy who never knew his parents? Did I really depend on Masi that much?
“If something was to happen to me, what would you do? Just think about it. As for right now, you better head off to school.” He glanced around my apartment for a few seconds, then focused his gaze back onto me. “You might not have much, but you sure can make a mess.”
“Don’t worry,” I replied, “I’ll clean it up after school, promise!” I slid out the side of the door now that Masi had been generous enough to actually let me leave. Just before I exited my apartment I grabbed the untouched appel sitting pointlessly atop his left palm.
He must have been lost in thought because by the time he noticed that his bright red appel was missing I had already made it downstairs and out the front door.


The first hour of the school day dragged on slowly. In our large class of fourty students I happened to be the only lonely, friendless one. I was the one kid that sat in the corner and hardly participated whatsoever. Kzach Newlens, our first hour/history instructor jabbered on about some ancient mythological war that was supposedly a key part of how the world runs today. I focused on the clock as several people whispered and gossiped around me.
Why am I the only mature one here? I questioned myself.
Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, tick tock. I focused my attention completely on the clock, making time seem to dread on even slower. My stomach felt empty, making me wish that I had waken up in time to have a full breakfast.
After first hour was nearly halfway over, while Instructor Newlens (who was really the only one paying attention to what he was saying) was talking about Orcs or something like that, the door that led from the hall to the classroom burst open. This might seem insignificant in most cases, but at Abbie Academy classes were interrupted only in emergences. If you were late to school then you were out of luck, the doors were locked after 8:00 and only opened in case of an emergency.
To everyone’s surprise a student walked in. How he got in, no one knew, but they were curious. Everyone (including me) were trying to get a good look at the person who was about to emerge from the hallway.
All the pressure’s gonna be on this poor guy, unless it’s an ermegency, but Abbie Academy is one of the safest places in the city.
Suddenly a guy around my height, probably a year older walked a few feet in the door and immediately halted, as though he wanted all of us to thoroughly examine him. He said nothing at all and stood those few feet from the door.
I looked him over for a few seconds. He had long, white messy hair that extended down to around his nose. I noticed some strands of black in it but it seemed so natural. The stranger’s face bore no expression. His clothes were just as bad as his hair. The kid wore a long white, short sleeved T-Shirt over a pair of extremely baggy black sweatpants.
Everyone was gawking at this weird kid who interrupted the class. Even Instructor Newlens had his head turned toward the intruder. His browed was furrowed and there was a look of questioning in his black eyes.
“May I help you?” Instructor Newlens asked, obviously thinking that this guy must have been lost and accidentally wandered into the school.
I knew what was on everyone’s mind. Who is this guy? Is he for real?
“Are you Instructor Newlens?” He asked, his voice surprisingly a little higher than mine, but sounded as though he was lost in his own thought, almost like he was examining every inch of his surroundings.
“Yes I am. May I ask what your business is in my classroom?” Newlens seemed to be getting annoyed with this kid, even though there really was no one reason for it. Everyone else in the class was intrigued by this guy. No one dressed like that; sweatpants made you look like a dork. A white T-Shirt signified that you were poor.
Oh boy…this kid is gonna have it worse than me if he dresses like that every day.
“I’m the new student.”
He didn’t even give a name. He’s probably embarrassed…wait that can’t be it. If he was embarrassed then he would probably be stuttering and turning red. The truth is, he probably doesn’t care. Does he have any idea what people are thinking about him right now?
Instructor Newlens frowned, “Do you have a name?”
“Seed.” Immediately several students whispered hushed conversations.
“Did he just say his name was Seed!? What kind of a name is that?”
“What’s up with his clothes? Does he live on the streets?”
“He doesn’t have a last name…?”
“Heh, this kids going to be less popular than that Lyot kid!”
The last one left me a little angry but I rejected the emotion and stayed focused on Seed who still hadn’t moved.
Instructor Newlens cocked his head and raised an eyebrow.
“Are you sure this is the right classroom? Are you even sure that this is the right school?” I could tell that our Instructor was less than thrilled about this strange kid that had disrupted his uninteresting history lesson. Seed just stared at him for a few moments and then proceeded to walk up the stairs that led to the student seats. He walked slowly and sat down in the seat to the right of me. The students one set of stairs below my row craned their necks to look at this weirdo.
Not only was everyone looking at Seed, but he seemed to be looking at everyone. Almost like he was searching for someone. I glanced over and our eyes met. My normal, hazel eyes met with his almost non-human eyes. They were a strange shade of grey; resembling clouds on a rainy day.
I averted my eyes, and focused on the Instructor. Unfortunately, he hadn’t recovered from the strange experience and was still scratching his head in wonder. From the corner of my eyes I noticed he was still staring at me, his eyes examining every little detail about me.
Does he think I look weird? What a hypocrite!
He turned his eyes onto Newlens, meeting his gaze as well. Realizing that this new kid would actually pay attention to what he said, the puzzled Instructor turned his attention back to his book and continued reading.
Most of the class was still quietly whispering about Seed, not that he seemed to actually care. I refocused my attention back on the clock. First hour still had twenty minutes remaining.
After a few minutes of focusing on the clock I felt a tap on my shoulder. No one ever paid attention to me, I wasn’t used to any physical or social interaction with any of my peers.
I slowly turned my head to the right and was face-to-face with those mysterious grey eyes and that incredible messy white hair.
“What is it?” I whispered.
“You should really pay attention in this class; otherwise you won’t have any of this brilliant knowledge at your disposal.” He replied, obviously not getting the message that we should be whispering. Everyone turned and looked at me, several giggles to be heard among my peers. The Instructor stopped reading and looked up at me.
“Mr. Skigh, would you mind telling me who the commanding general of the 4th squad of the Anarion army?”
“Um…Sorry sir, I wasn’t paying attention.” I answered sheepishly.
“Liot, you do know that you’re not passing this class right? I think you should stay after school and get caught up with the rest of the class.”
I sighed and stared angrily at Seed. I knew this guy was going to be bad news for me.