Monday had arrived quickly. I was standing by Red’s locker, talking to her animatedly about the practice we were about to go to. Students were greeting us as they passed by and more than one girl winked at me. We had let it known that Red and I weren’t together like everyone believed, so the girls thought I was fair play again. I was not surprised when Isobel, one of my courtiers, came up to me with a sexy smirk though that smirk didn’t arouse me anymore.

“Hey there lovely” she purred “what are you doing tonight?”

“Actually I am busy” I said sweetly while Red rolled her eyes “With my girlfriend” Her expression was priceless. She looked at Red who shook her head pleasantly.

“Who is it?” I didn’t have to say anything because Jimhaya had crept behind her in all her glory and white sexy uniform. It was funny; out of the three sisters, Jimmy was the only one who wore the uniform properly. Jessica usually had an unbuttoned blouse and a loose tie while Red never tucked her shirt and kept her tie unattached. But wearing a spotless white uniform with a seriously scary expression had students flinch away as Jimmy walked by. Today, her hair fell freely down her back and cradling her face nicely.

“Is there something wrong?” Jimmy asked in her usually dark tone; her body extremely close to Isobel. The poor girl screamed and turned around. She backed up, pale faced and wide eyed with Jimmy stepping along with her trapping the girl between her and me. Saying that students here were afraid of her was an understatement. They had the scariest rumors running around the school about her and most were believed therefore nobody dared to oppose her. It was weird because Jimmy never did anything wrong, she just stared wrongly at the kids with her permanent glare. Although sometimes Jimmy used those rumors to her advantage though I hope she didn’t take it too far.

“Um, no-no, nothing is- wrong” Isobel stuttered incoherently. Beside me Red was biting her tongue to keep her from laughing. Jimmy stepped forward invading Isobel’s personal space.

“Are you sure?” Jimmy asked again and Isobel could only nod. Taking that into account, Jimmy walked around her to me and gave me a possessive kiss. The kiss was over when it started while I raised an eyebrow. I must say I liked it when she was possessive; it assured me that she was as fond of me as I was of her. Satisfied with marking her territory she had one last glance at Isobel before disappearing down the hall.

“Isobel, meet my girlfriend Jimhaya, she’s a little protective” I said before taking Red’s hand and leaving the stunned student alone.

We burst laughing with tears in our eyes. When she could be, Jimmy was unconsciously a deadpan comedian and as spectators, we enjoyed her outburst. We made our way to the arena for our training to find Jimmy already sitting beside her protégé Marcus. Ever since the tryouts, she and Marcus had been sticking together during the practices because neither of them were well liked. Marcus did not have the physical strength to be on the team but he excelled in making traps out of nothing. He and Jimmy had made a deal: she privately taught him how to fight and he taught her how to create traps. They ignored most of the training but still practiced together. Our coach Boris let them do what they wanted as long as they practiced on their own. He got many complaints about favoritism but after a good yell and beat down they were left alone for it was obvious Boris didn’t favor them.

Our practice was hard as usual, improving our skills and Boris made us play outside in the cold weather. We all had our coats and hats on to get accustomed for the first game of the season in two days and Boris had not been kind. Today we concentrated on our fighting skills and learned new game tactics. Boris made us train with everyone so he could see who plays well with whom. Not every player can team up with others; some complete each other well while others are disastrous.

Our group was stretching on the cold grass with hot chocolate in our hands, a gift from our fellow teammate, discussing about tomorrow evening because it seemed we all had plans. Jess and Ren were going on a date, I was bringing Jimmy to the fair in Annwn and Marcus was playing video games all night. The only one who had nothing was Red which was odd. She apparently had not been on a date in years which gave me a great idea.

“Let me get this straight” Red said to me as we were making our way to the car “You want me to go on a blind date with a friend of yours”

“Yup” I said “trust me, she is great. She is not looking for a relationship but she knows how to give a good time. Come on, when was the last time you enjoyed yourself?” she didn’t answer my question but accepted my proposal.

-

We arrived at the Hundale residence surprised to see a limousine parked by the garage. Jessica and Jasmine recognized the symbol on the car and jumped out of mine happily rushing to the house. Ren, Jimmy and I walked after them. There were three people standing in the living room beside Raymond and Kelly. The older woman had blond hair and looked a lot like an older Kelly. She was a little taller than the girls and wore expensive clothing. The girl and boy, presumably her children, were about our age and both had blond hair and expensive clothing too. Their faces seem familiar but I was not sure where I saw them before.

“My god it is good to see you again” I heard the boy said in a British accent to the sisters.

Jessica and Jasmine were hugging them happily and waved us to come closer as Jess hopped beside us excitedly.

“Connor, Brit, this is my mate Ren” Jessica said happily. Ren took the girl’s hand and kissed her knuckles.

“You really are charming” Brit giggled with a blush. “You were right Jess, he is gorgeous” Ren gave her a charming smile and wrapped an arm around his mate.

“Who are you?” Jimmy asked rather impolitely though she does that when she is confused.

“Are you serious?” The boy laughed nervously not sure what to do. Ren scoffed.

“I am”

“Jamie, these are our cousins Britany and Connor. And that there is our Aunt Allie, short for Aaliyah” Jasmine explained. Now I remembered where I saw them before. They were the royal family of the Witch society: Queen Aaliyah Gillen, Prince Connor and Princess Britany Gillen. They were almost in every magazine. They lived in the Amber City on the England Island. The city cannot be seen by humans

“Figures you don’t know their names” Ren said

“I only remember those who are worth remembering” Jimmy answered

“So you consider family unworthy”

“Why is it still around Jessica?” Jimmy asked her sister annoyed. She turned her attention back to Ren with a menacing posture “Why do you assume that just because you are sleeping with my sister you think you have the right to insult me constantly, little Toy?”

“I am simply saying the truth since, well, I am going to be your future brother-in-law”

“Since we are speaking truthfully now, do you know what I like about toys, in-law? Except the squeaky ones, I don’t like those. They irk me” she said with an exaggerated shiver which seemed get under his skin “I like that they can be manipulated in any way we want and once were done, we can simply throw them away when were done. I can’t wait until my sister throws you away, in-law”

That was le last straw for Ren. He lunged at her but was restrained by his mate who kept a firm arm around him. His eyes had turned golden and his teeth sharpened into canines.

“Oh yes” Jimmy said in a mocking British accent “You really are charming” She dismissed him once she was done making her point and focused her red eyes on her cousins “Welcome to our domain” she walked to Britany “cousin” and walked past her to the stairs. We watched her walk away as Kelly told everyone that she will explain her daughter’s behavior.

“I’ll talk to her” I said out loud and followed my girlfriend into her bedroom. Dropped on the bed and watched her pace around the room.

“I know what you are going to say” Jimmy says not looking at me. She didn’t let me answer her and continued to rant “You’re going to say that I was wrong and I shouldn’t have said what I said”

“Nope. I’m glad you put him in his place” I said. “But you shouldn’t have said it in front of the High Queen or anybody else you don’t know”

“What do you mean?”

“This is not about what is right and wrong but about perspective. Who would people believe more, a future pack alpha or a-“

“A what, Albino? Say it” she ordered me angrily.

“A troubled person” I said quietly. “Honey, people don’t know you the way we do. They won’t understand your actions will be misinterpreted”

“And who am I?” she asked. Smiling I sat on the bed and waved my hands for her to take. She stopped pacing and lightly grasped them with her fingers.

“You are a quiet girl who does not understand life. You are a girl who is learning how to smile and how to open up.” I went to my knees so we were eye level. “You are a nice person but do not know how to show it. You hide behind sarcasm and rudeness to hide your scars but that makes you a badass chick. You protect the people you love even without knowing. Your have one of the biggest and warmest heart I have ever seen and you sacrifice yourself continuously for those you cherish; the people who are fortunate enough to be yours. But you protect yourself from all the selfless acts you have done to keep your people safe so you created an almost impenetrable wall around you” I kissed her nose “You are one hell of a woman Jimhaya Sophia Hundale but most of all, you are mine”

“That’s it?” Jimmy teased and I laughed. I pecked her cheek.

“Now what do you say we go back downstairs and face your aunt and cousins. Just make sure you don’t say anything that is not in your favor”

“And what would that be?”

“Everything that comes out of your mouth” I chuckled.

We made our way into the dining room where everyone was already sitting at the table. The adults were at the high end of the table while the kids were on the other side. There were two empty chairs beside Red facing the rest. I didn’t know how to act towards the royal family so I bowed to the waist with a ‘Your Highness’

“None of that child” the queen said “I’m on vacation and with family”

I straightened and noticed Jimmy had not acknowledged the queen. She had authority issues and would not bow down to anyone other than her mother or sister. We took a seat making sure Jimmy was between Red and I.

“So Siana, I’m sure there many poor souls who are lining up to court you. Is there anyone on your arm beautiful one?” Connor spared no time asking. I ungracefully spat the food back into my plate. I didn’t even have time to take one bite and it already started. Sometimes it sucks to be me. Red and I shared a look but it was Jimmy who answered.

“Me”

“You?” Britany said at the same time as her brother murmured “Well damn”

“Why are all the beautiful women taken?” Connor sighed dramatically “Nice catch cousin, I’m jealous”

“I did not catch her, cousin” she grumbled and Red patted her leg. She still had trouble understanding metaphors and sarcasm.

Connor turned out to be a cool guy. He was twenty two years old and a womanizer. We ended up comparing our conquers most of the night and Jimmy didn’t seem to care which I appreciated. He had graduated from military school and is on route to become the general of the witch army. Britany on the other hand was more up tight than her brother. At fifteen, she was taught severely how to become a proper aristocrat. She knows who she is and is not afraid to take advantage of it and given that she is a descendent of the queen and her brother refused the throne, she became heir.

“Siana Bane” the queen said when she spoke to me “You bare an uncanny resemblance as your mother”

“You knew my mother?” I asked her with pride.

“Of course I knew her, and your father. Everybody knew the heroes of the war. I believe that apologies for your loss are in order. I highly respected your parents and saw them as ideal figures throughout my childhood”

“Thank you ma’am”

“Now, I unfortunately have some business to discuss with you all. I come with a warning” The witch queen said getting all of our attention “There has been an outbreak in the maximum security prison of Quell” I gasped. Quell was an international prison where the worst monsters were kept imprisoned. The monsters there are those who either cannot die or managed to make a deal with the high authorities. Nobody breaks out of that prison.

“It was a heist” the queen continued “A group of highly specialized soldiers infiltrated the prison and took two inmates: the Hound and Riker”

I couldn’t believe my ears, we have heard of the horror stories of the two men. Riker was warlock who mastered the art of black magic. He created what is called ‘Wizard’s Fire’. It is no ordinary fire but is green and came from the demon realm. There is no magic in the universe that can heal wizard’s fire and the pain is multiplied when touched. Parents tell his stories to scare children but the scars he created to the world had not faded yet. Riker did not care who he hurt, as long as he heard them scream.

The Hound is a demon from the other realm. He was a general of the demonic army and if we think that Riker is bad, the Hound is worse. He is the monster under our bed; a shape shifter who takes the form of our worst fears. He raged through our world and destroyed entire cities with is bare hands alone. Nobody who was unfortunate to meet him survived the encounter for he was ruthless. No one knew how to kill him so they kept him locked up for fear of letting him loose.

“Have any of you ever met these two before?” Aaliyah put two pictures on the table for all to see. One man looked old with rids and scars on his face and white hair. The second man was scary as hell. He was big with black hair and red eyes with black instead of white.

“Oh yes that’s Ernie and Bach” Jimmy said out of the blue. Everyone was silent as we stared at her wide eyed “They arrived in the Underground a couple days ago, there not friendly” Jimmy explained with a frown.

“Sweetheart” Kelly said gently as the queen slowly got up from her chair and a serious look on her face “They don’t know about your extracurricular activities”

“Oh” Jimmy lingered. She pressed her lips together in a thin line before smiling sheepishly to her aunt “Sorry, never seen them before in my life”

‘Nice try bitch’ I thought.

“What is the meaning of this?” the queen spat angrily. “The Underground is a forbidden city; no one is to enter there”

Jimmy laughed out loud until saw her mother’s expression and coughed instead.

“How do I not know this and why didn’t you tell me?” Red asked. The queen was trying to grasp the meaning of the conversation when she noticed that none of us were surprised about the revelation of the Underground.

“Because Jazzy I don’t want you to be on their radar. These men are extremely dangerous and I don’t want you in the same city as them. Plus I didn’t know who they were, just that they were bad news”

“Worse than you?” Ren mocked but he turned serious when he saw her expression.

“Much worse”

“Enough” the queen yelled “I want to know exactly what is going on and you better impress me for I will not be kind with any of you”

Kelly tried to explain the basic parts of the very long story. She managed to exclude Jimmy going off the rail and other important information. At the end of the summary, the queen sat back down and took everything in consideration. Luckily she was Kelly’s sister because I highly doubt she would have let it go.

“I believe the Underground should be banned and abolished” Britany said in a strict voice. Jimmy chuckled darkly, her eyes turning red. I put a hand on her leg to calm her down.

“Do you now cousin? Let me ask you a question” Jimmy sneered “Would you prefer to have a city where the worst kinds of beings hang out to enjoy themselves or would you rather, as you mentioned, abolish the city and let them loose in the Outer world so they can express their pleasures to humans and innocent children? Think clearly dear cousin; if you get rid of the Underground, where do you suppose they will go for their entertainment?” Everyone was silent, listening to Jimmy who had not finished “The Underground is there to keep the world a safer place than it ought to be. I do not agree to everything that happens in the city and trust me, I have seen things you would never dream of in your nightmares, but whatever happens there stays there. There is enough things to do for the crooks to stay busy”

“She has a point sister” Conner said. Britany shot daggers at him but kept her mouth shut.

“No matter” the queen interrupted “I came with a warning. The two cons are on the loose and they were last seen here. I am on vacation but I will be staying here for a while to make sure our allies have been informed. We will take extra precautions for the sake of everyone. I have a business appointment with the principle at your school in a few days”

“I can talk with Cameron and see what he knows” Red said.

“You are acquaintance with the head of the Phoenix mafia” the queen asked exasperated. She put her hand up to silence her niece. “No, I don’t want to know; the less I do the better. Now on lighter matters, I want to know how my nieces are faring in magic”

The conversation flowed from then on to happier subjects. We had a good time and I got along really well with Connor. We mostly talked about women but even though Jimmy didn’t mind I still made sure she knew she was the only girl for me. I was invited for magic sparring with the witches and learned some new tricks from the queen. Jimmy went with the boys to fight fist to fist. It would not be wise for her to show her use of dark magic to the leader of light witchcraft especially since the queen did not approve of everything that is going on here. Jimmy wanted to stay to the side but her mother pushed her to interact with the visitors.

Connor was amazed by the scars on her stomach and asked her how she got them. Apparently in one of her first fights at the Golden Fist, one of her opponent had dipped his claws in poison and managed to scratch her. That was one of her few losses in the ring. She had been spared because death was forbidden during that fight. In response, he showed her his own scars from the assignments he was given in the army. The supernatural armies did not have the same methods or intentions as the human army. They mostly consisted of smaller squads specialized in different aspects: assassination, information extraction, spying and protecting the humans from harm. Wars are usually smaller but deadly in the supernatural world the amount of magical and physical power the races have are the equivalence as a nuclear bomb. Therefore the big face to face wars were avoided at all cost. That was why the last war was a great historical event because the races and rivals teamed up together to protect their land and also why the races do not want to have another one.

We didn’t know what the outbreak of the prison meant but we wouldn’t be able to get any information now. We got caught in a game of chess though we have no idea who we are playing against. We will just have to wait and see for their next move.