Chapter One

I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS BELONGING TO THE OTHERWORLD SERIES.

THEY ARE SOLELY PROPERTY OF THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR: KELLEY ARMSTRONG

"Crafted by the most powerful of all smith-masters of all time, the forgotten blade lay blanketed in a cloak of dust and cobwebs. Scattered across the four winds, time echoed the battles of the lands rich history from betrayals and brutal beginnings to bloodied endings as the people of the world soon forgot what the Earth would forever remember."

Slowly, the young Literature instructor lowered the book he was reading to raise his eyes to the group of students that were present in the theatre. Dark, fathomless eyes stared out at the assembled teens while he wordlessly bookmarked his place and set the book down on the polished black pulpit. It slid, the protective plastic cover smoothly slipping down the lacquered surface until it came to a stop at the high-lipped edge of the wooden structure.

He stood, feet apart, surveyed the room as he methodically picked the ones who'd been paying attention from the ones who were not. A shadow of a smirk graced his face as he took a sip from the water glass on the small table to his left before he spoke. His searching gaze fell on two of his students that were notorious for falling asleep during lectures. "Caleb, tell me what the author meant from the phrase '...blanketed in a cloak of dust...'?"

"Seventeen..." The young blonde haired boy yawned as the class giggled.

"Nice to know you're paying attention, Caleb. Rodney?"

"Huh?" Rodney pulled his ear buds out. "You say somethin', Teach?"

Another giggle rose up from the teens surrounding classmates. The young teacher pressed his finger and thumb against the bridge of his nose.

"Apparently, you were absent the day that the Gods were giving out extended attention spans." He scanned the crowd and settled on one of the quieter students. Not that she was shy. No. It was merely her personality that gave people a false sense of power over the young woman. "Mana, please, enlighten the rest of the class as to what the author meant by the phrase I quoted earlier."

Mana blinked as she recalled the line that the teacher was talking about. Her shoulder length red-black hair was loose today - not really a style she liked for herself, but given the fact that her twin brother had hidden all her elastics, it was one she had to go with for now. She leveled a look so innocent at the teacher that he almost believed she was as pure as the new-fallen snow. "The author was using a metaphorical personification to give life to a lifeless object. For instance, in talking about the sword, they are giving an image of something that is sleeping and covered in a blanket."

"L'Elliot?"

Darker skinned than his sister, the young man raised his head off of his arm and sighed. "He was trying to paint a visual of the scene for his readers' enjoyment."

"Oh good, you actually were paying attention."

Acting on the teachers' sarcasm, L'Elliot placed a hand over his heart, "Mr. Paxton, you wound me. I only sleep through the boring lectures."

"Very good, I shall endeavor to remember that for future classes." The teacher smirked again. "Vance, use of a personal digital assistant or any other form of wireless tech is not permitted. You may find that Mrs. Hall in room 306 would be more than happy to accommodate your technological fix for the day."

After the roar of laughter calmed to a chuckle, he spoke again. "For tonight's homework, read any poem of your choosing and, in detail - and in your own words - tell me what you think the writer was trying to convey. Class dismissed." The bell rang shrilly in the hall, signaling the end of yet another day for the students. The public announcement system crackled ominously as the secretaries voice called over the loud hustle and bustle of the halls.

"Mana-Fay and L'Elliot Saint-Jean please report to Dean Anderson's office."

The twins turned to face each other and nodded. As they shared a locker, it was easy for them to hide a second backpack each inside the tiny metal box. Mana brushed her hair back from her face and scowled as she hoisted the bag that contained the scant belongings that she absolutely could not live without onto her back.

"I guess no time like the present?"

"Yeah, no kidding," her brother replied softly. "I guess it's time to find out what the higher-ups got to say."

"What can they say that we haven't already heard from someone else?" L'Elliot asked as he grabbed his own travel pack. "At least now we have an address to Great-Uncle Jason."

"Just in case," his sister whispered in a voice so low that only his suped-up hearing gave any indication that she'd even said anything. "Be ready to bolt."