Monday morning came and I got dressed in my usual attire. After I was ready, I grabbed my motorcycle helmet and went downstairs. My brothers were already waiting, so we went to school with our respective vehicles. Once we got to school, I saw Miranda waiting by the front doors for me.
"Hey, Andrew! I see that your leg is better." Miranda said as I gave her a light hug. Most humans can't handle the full extent of Shifter strength.
"Yeah, the Witch at Blackstone Pack healed it for me yesterday." I said as we went to her locker first. After she had her necessary books, we went to mine next. Apparently we had the same classes, except for Art, so we had extra time to talk.
"Hey, Mirand, I want to give you a heads up about something." I said as we took our seats.
"Oh? What's up?" She asked, confused.
"So, I told my parents that I invited my girlfriend over today. My mom might or might not do something embarrassing. She's just happy that I have a relationship outside of my family." I said, rubbing the back of my neck. It was a nervous habit that I have had for as long as I could remember.
"It's okay. My parents were excited when I told them that I had a boyfriend." Miranda said, chuckling at how similar our parents were. "I do have a question though. Are you related to Duke Slate?" She asked after a slight pause.
"Um…yeah. He's my dad." I said slowly. Miranda's eyes opened wide and her mouth made an adorable 'O' shape in shock.
"I thought that it might have been a coincidence." She said softly.
"Unfortunately, no." As I said this, Mr. White walked in and started class.
"Alright class, let's settle down. Today we'll be reading about the war between the Humans and Beasts." Mr. White said as the students fell silent. There were groans and grumbles as everyone opened the textbook to the required chapter.
"Andrew, could you come up here really quick, please?" Mr. White asked. Getting up, I walked to his desk before he started talking again. "One of your godfathers called the school and requested time off for you next month. I understand that the request hasn't been granted yet, but I was wondering what the reason for this is?"
"As you know, I'm a Dual Shifter King. With the war with the Hunter's Association coming up, I'm going to reclaim the Dragon and Ayakashi thrones next month." I said honestly.
"Well, just be careful. If my knowledge on Shifters is correct, then I can assume that they'll expect you to fight in this war." He said, dread lacing his words.
"That's correct. My godfathers have someone coming to teach me war strategies and tactics, that way I roughly know what I'm doing." I said with a grim smile. After Mr. White was done talking to me, I went back to my desk to read the assigned chapter.
After AP World History, we went to our AP Biology class. Today's lesson was going over the anatomies of frogs and pigs. Ms. Harris said that we'd be dissecting either one in a few days. It just depended on what she was sent. The class was a bit boring but went by quickly, and soon I was on my way to my Art class.
Mrs. Lovelace had a different prompt than normal for me today. She had me draw my Beasts. I could choose any scene as long as both Magnis and Nightmare were present. I decided to do two scenes in one. One side of the page was going to be a fiery landscape for Magnis, and the other half would be a frozen tundra for Nightmare. As I was working, my phone buzzed to let me know that I had a text message. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I saw that it was from Umbra.
UMBRA: I just heard back from my strategist contact. He'll be at the house tomorrow afternoon.
ME: Thank you for letting me know. Please tell him that I'm grateful for his help.
UMBRA: Will do. I'll let you get back to your schoolwork.
After I put my phone away, I told Mrs. Lovelace about taking next month off of school and why. She said that I'd stay safe. It's safe to bet that she doesn't know how temperamental Beasts were. When the bell rang, I put my supplies away and made my way to Mr. Norris's AP Algebra class.
This class was dedicated to the Quadratic Formula and the alternate form of it. It was easy once you knew what you were doing, so my brothers and I were done with the assigned work sheet by the time the bell rang. Next was AP English, where Mr. High had us acting out The Crucible. It was fun listening to the class try to play a 'dirty' female character. Before we knew it, it was already time for PE.
Coach HIll gave us a free period today, so my brothers, Jacob, Amber, MIranda, and I did any homework that we had left. It was quiet in our group, until Miranda asked a question. One that I wasn't expecting at that moment.
"Do you really intend to reclaim the thrones next month? I thought your plan was to wait for summer." Miranda asked quietly.
"It was originally but, with the war coming up, I'll need all the time I can get to organize those who will be fighting with me. Plus, my godfathers have someone coming to the house tomorrow to start teaching me about battle strategies and tactics." I said, still feeling overwhelmed by the situation.
"Oh. That makes sense. I just don't like the idea that you'll have to fight in a war. You're only what, 14 or 15 years old? It's crazy to expect a teenager to fight like that." Miranda said, venting her frustration.
"I know, but I'm technically an adult in the mindset of a Shifter. It's to be expected." I said, rubbing Miranda's back to try and calm her down.
"Still doesn't make it right." She grumbled. I couldn't argue with her on that. It didn't take long before the final bell rang, and Miranda was following us to the house. Pulling into the driveway, we made our way to the door. Miranda's eyes were wide, and her heartbeat was picking up.
"Breath, Miranda. You can call them Mr. and Mrs. Slate unless they tell you differently. My godfathers aren't here today, so you don't have to worry about them." I said while squeezing her hand. She nodded silently while following us inside the house. Once we were inside, Miranda gasped in shock.
"You live in a freaking mansion!" She breathed in awe.
"Dad's a Duke, remember?" I said, chuckling at her reaction.
"I forgot." Miranda said numbly. Her reaction was cute, but I felt bad that she was out of her comfort zone. At this time, my mom came out of the kitchen.
"Miranda, this is my mom, Lillian. Mom, this is my girlfriend, Miranda." I said, introducing them. "Do you know where Dad is?" I asked after they shook hands.
"He's on his way home right now." Mom said before turning back to Miranda. "Do you like steak?"
"I love steak. Could I please have it medium well?" She asked politely.
"Of course, dear. I'm just glad that Andrew finally has a relationship outside of this family. It's a very pleasant sight." Mom said as she walked back to the kitchen. Miranda chuckled since tHAT'S exactly what I had told her earlier in PE.
"Do you want to go to the game room?" I asked, trying to help her relax. Once she agreed, I took her to the room and hooked up a second guitar for Guitar Hero. Miranda chose the medium difficulty while I chose expert, and we played until dinner was ready. Walking into the dining room, I saw dad already at the table. I pulled out a chair for Miranda before talking to dad.
"Hey, dad. I want to introduce you to Miranda. Miranda, this is my dad, Mark." As I introduced them, Miranda hesitantly shook his hand.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir." She said softly. Once everyone was sitting, dinner started. About ten minutes later, my cell phone rang. Pulling it out, I saw that the call was from Umbra.
"Hey, Umbra. What's up?" I asked after answering the call.
"I just wanted to let you know that my friend will be there by the time you get home from school. His name is Reverenth, and he is a Darkness Metal Dragon. Umbra said in response.
"A Darkness Metal Dragon?" I asked curiously.
"Yes. He's half Darkness Dragon and half Metal Dragon. They have the same kind of powers as a regular Darkness Dragon, mixed with the powers of a Metal Dragon. They're advantages are strategies, tactics, and defense. Reverenth is also the Head of the Metal Dragon Clan. If you can get on his good side, then you'll have the Metal Dragons on your side." He said before hanging up the phone. Not long after, dinner was finished and Miranda left to go home.