We came to a clearing outside the city where a farmhouse stood on a semi-treed in area. Claudius hopped off my back before I even landed and headed directly for the door to the house. I understood his urgency, seeing as he didn't have his sun ring on. Riley wasn't high up enough to obtain a sun ring, but I had seen Claudius wearing one the other day at Cassie's house.

The little farmhouse reminded me of a kind of cottage you would want next to a lake. It had a wooden finish on the outside with a metal door. There was a large window on the right that I could see from where I stood with white curtains on the inside showing through.

"Nice place," I said and Cornelius shrugged, looking at Avery for her approval. She looked at it for a few seconds, making up her mind about the place within seconds. It was something she did when she came to knew places; she would look at the exterior and decide whether or not she would give the place a chance. Avery leaned on Cornelius as she took in the house. He reached his arm over her and lightly grabbed her hand. She squeezed his hand and tilted her head, making her decision on the house.

"It's cute." She said, smiling up at him. He smiled back down at her, happy that she liked the place. I watched them for a few seconds, feeling warm inside. I loved Avery like a sister, and I was happy if she was happy.

Cassie looked at her hands awkwardly, electricity shooting from them in a wave that connected to the ground. Avery tuned out from her and Cornelius' little moment and looked to her. She shifted against Cornelius, hooking her arms around his neck.

"This is also the safest and most secure place for me to train you. Fewer power lines for you to bring down and more electrons in the grounds surface out here for you to work with. Soon, I'll teach you how to find them in the air, but here is a good starting point, especially because the ground is so rich out here, unlike the cities dull grass and boring pavement." Avery said, continuing her rambling.

She went on talking about nature and the essence of life, and how she learned to control her powers. Cornelius ran a finger through her hair and she smiled at him, pausing her rambling for a brief moment. That's when I left them alone, walking off to go stretch out and relax and give them some time.

I ended up walking to an old barn, about two clicks away from the farmhouse. It was a good destination for me to rest at, seeing as there were less people out here to bother me than the city life. That was something I always loved about the dorm; it was outside the city and next to a small forest that I could find peace in if needed.

I pushed aside the old wooden sliding door and went inside. It was a little dark, but there was light coming in from an opening in the roof above. I spotted a ladder and climbed up to the second level on the inside, hanging my head over to see if anything was in here with me. Besides a really old green tractor and a few mice, nothing else was in here. I assumed the barn had been abandoned.

I laid back on a hay bail, laying against the wall near one of the old windows that no longer had any glass. I watched the end of the sunrise, the beautiful array of colours slowly fading into the morning blue. It was quite beautiful when the barn suddenly shook, raising my ever-growing suspicions of never truly being alone. Even when I was out on a farm, presumably away from others, I was never alone.

"Hello?" I questioned out into the newly lit barn. The morning sunbeams shone in and around the barn through the windows and the cracks in the roof.

A shadow hopped up onto the level where I sat and I watched them creep closer to me.

"Shy, are we?" I questioned and the person's head turned from side to side.

I didn't know what to think.

A human man came closer to me, giving me weird looks. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a red coloured plaid shirt, with his hair pulled back into a little bun. Atop his head sat a straw hat, never having looked warned. He was also very pale for someone that I presumed was a farmer. He was maybe in his late 30s or early 40s but I did not care nor need the information.

"What are you doing in my families barn?" He questioned and I shrugged.

"Sitting, watching the sunrise? Am I intruding?" I questioned sheepishly, not really caring what the answer was.

"Yes, in fact, you are." He said in a stern voice, and I rolled my eyes. I got up and hopped off the level, landing on the ground in a crouch. I looked back up at him and he didn't really seem fazed by the fact I had just done that.

"See you around," I said, leaving the barn. He watched as I left through the opening with the sliding door and didn't seem curious as to where I had come from in the first place. I waited a few seconds, wondering if he would come out to follow me with questions. He did not so I continued on.

As I walked in the new sunlight I felt a sort of power come over me.

"Hey, who are you?" Someone questioned above me and I looked up, then moved back as they stood right in front of me now. A young man blocked my path, staring at me. He must have been related to Cornelius, but I wasn't quite sure.

"I'm Luis." He said and I nodded, looking into his eyes. He never really gave a chance to answer but none the less he kept staring back at me. His eyes slitted for a moment then went back to normal. I smiled and he tilted his head to the side.

"Cornelius never said he had a brother.." I said, and he gave me a sideways look.

"How did you know?" He questioned and I shrugged.

"You guys have the same eyes," I said, pointing to mine as they shifted from blue human eyes to silver slitted dragon eyes. He smiled and I turned around, shifting into my crystal dragon form, heading into the sky. Young dragons loved to compare each other and watch other dragons fly.

He watched from the ground until I disappeared, heading back to the farmhouse to see if Ethan was still up.

He was sitting outside on the front steps, watching the clouds in the sky roll on by. Something about him was slightly off, and I wanted to know why.

I landed a few feet in front of him, shifting back.

"What's wrong?" I questioned, looking at the grim look on his face.

"I haven't met my mate, and Cornelius magically happened to meet Avery, just like that. It's not fair." He said, putting his face in his hands, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Hell is it fair. Nothing is ever fair in life. It never will be. And everything is set to chance in this lifetime. You'll never know when something will happen to you, good or bad, but you always have to be ready for anything life throws at you." I said as I kneeled in front of him as he watched my eyes curiously.

"How come you know so much about life?" He questioned and I shrugged.

"Call it what you will. A gift, a curse, insight." I said and he laughed, standing up.

"Want to go for a run?" He questioned, but before I could answer, he was off in his wolf form.

I shifted into a wolf and caught up to him, running through the open plains. We continued, watching as Luis flew above us.

I howled, shoving Ethan to the side as we ran. Fire rained down in front of us and we skidded to a stop. Luis was firing at us, not understanding that we were guests on his land, invited here by his brother.

I shifted and he roared, flying down towards us, talons ready to grab ahold of me. He knew what I was and was treating me like the others were going to before; catch and sell me as a prize.

Not today, youngling.

I shrunk into a snake and slipped into a hole I had earlier dodged while running. He landed on top of the hole, Ethan barking and shouting for someone to help. Suddenly, Cornelius arrived from the sky, dropping down next to what was unfolding before Ethan.

"What's going on here?" Cornelius boomed, and Luis continued to dig at the hole where I sneakily hid seconds ago. Little did he know that I was now behind him, ready for what was next.

"A shapeshifter was on our land! You know how rich we could be if we can catch it?" He said, shifting from his dragon form.

Wrong move.

I shifted into a large Dragon, bursting out of the second small hole in the ground, dirt flying in every direction as if a bomb had gone off. I grabbed Luis under me, growling in his face.

"Do it." He said, and I stood over him, almost crushing his windpipe under my talons.

"Do it, coward!" He sheathed out and I roared, raising my other talons, ready to rip into his stupid flesh.

"No." Cornelius boomed, touching my scaly arm. I shifted back and got off Luis as he only stared between Cornelius and I.

"Don't waste your time with my brother. He's not worth it." Cornelius said, and his brother hissed at him.

The sun was already starting to set, the time of day having flown by at an extreme pace. Luis flew away, and I looked over at Cornelius when Avery came out of nowhere.

"Guys! Something's wrong with Cassie!" She said, and we all ran back towards the house.

She was laying on the ground near the steps, convulsing in sporadic patterns.

"What happened?" I questioned, and she shrugged as she threw her hands up in the air.

"I have no idea. One minute we were training, the next she collapsed. My healing isn't working on her either." She said, when I noticed something strange on her leg.

"What's this?" I questioned, trying to grab it off her leg. It looked like a tracking dart of some sort, when the sound of helicopters and many cars approached us rapidly.

"Grab her! Let's get to the basement!" Cornelius yelled, going inside the house. Claudius was standing in the kitchen, looking as if he had just gotten out of bed as his hair was tousled and he wasn't wearing a shirt.

"Get to the basement!" He yelled, Claudius following us rapidly down the stairs.

"Why are we trapping ourselves?" I questioned as Cornelius slammed the basement door. He went over to what looked like a closet and opened the door.

"Not trapping us. Helping us escape faster." He said, pulling a coat hanger that was a lever in disguise. Claudius grabbed a sweater from the closet and put it on. A hallway formed behind the coats, and we started to run as the house above shook and collapsed.