Chemistry class was the first class of the day and also his homeroom class. He and the rest of his crew shared that in common as well as a fierce friendship. Unlike the other enlightened in his school they didn't gravitate to the usual cliques of water type, teleporter, wielder or arcane practitioner. It didn't matter to them whether you were a demigod, fae, shifter or shaman. Each of them knew that blood makes your relatives; it's loyalty that makes you family. And they were.

Knight was not only his mentor, but his homeroom, chemistry, and alchemy teacher, and on top of that he was the toughest teacher in the whole damn school. He accepted nothing less than excellence. He was as old school as old school got. Excuses were just that to him: excuses.

So when Knight announced a pop quiz, everyone groaned, all except him, he knew he'd ace it, he always did.

When Meg got a look at his self satisfied smirk, she irritably poked him with her crutch.

"Ouch!" he complained dejectedly as he rubbed his sore knee.

When she fixed him with one of her stares, he quickly said as he threw his arms up in surrender:

"Okay, okay I deserved that."

But she poked him again when he couldn't control a chuckle.

Chemistry class had flown by and so did all his other human classes.

Before he knew it the lunch lady was dishing him up a healthy portion of Monday's Lunch special sloppy joe's and he was being beckoned over by the rest of his homeroom to their usual table in the back by the corner.

Cam joined the rest of the guys who had conveniently saved a space for him beside Meg. He slid beside her and nabbed a kiss before digging into his messy lunch and taking a sip of his black coffee. His heart leapt when he realized excitedly that he'd gotten there just in time for one of Xander's proclamations.

"Hey guys," Xan announced, "rumour has it that Liam's crew sent a letter to the council after the Yule Ball stating that the attacks will continue unless they end the practice of halfblood conscription and their submission of the magical world.

"I can imagine how that went over," Zach snickered.

"Yeah like a lead cloud," Lauren said from her seat right beside him.

Zach gave Lauren a side hug as she blushed furiously. The pair were back to being inseparable and Cam was just waiting for them to make it official. Lauren had even changed her status on FB to 'it's complicated'. He didn't know if Lauren was ready to forgive Zach's behavior last semester, but he had hope for the pair.   

Ollie broke into Cam's thoughts when he announced, "Isn't that a good thing for us? I mean, I don't know about you, but I don't want to have anything to do with the council.

"Yeah, aren't they doing us a favor by standing up for us?" Ray asked from his spot next to Ollie.

I don't think either side cares about halfbloods," Zach interrupted. "They're both equally willing to use us as cannon fodder."

"I don't understand it." Meg added, "why haven't the council caught up with them yet? They have some of the most powerful fullblood magic creatures on their side. "

"I have a theory about that," Marley said through a mouth full of chicken wing as she shoveled her veg on to Ollie's plate, "I think they must have some really powerful allies."

"I've been thinking the same thing. I think there might be a puppet master manipulating Liam's crew to possibly take control of the council or the hub, or maybe even both." Zach said as he stole a fry from Lauren's plate.

She used her Fae speed to snatch it back, but not before slapping his hand. He let out an exaggerated 'OW' which made her laugh.

"So what can we do about it anyway?" Quinn asked.

"Ya'll keep thinkin' we can do anythin' about it," Kelly interrupted, "but ya'll need to be reminded the council's guards made it perfectly clear we're not to get involved."

"I don't know about ya'll but I'm gonna heed their advice," she finished haughtily before stalked away from the table carrying her barely touched lunch.

"What's up with her," CJ asked?

Everyone looked at Xander, but he just shrugged his shoulders and said, "How should I know?"

"I think she is right, "Donnie added. "The last time we try and stop the dark Fae he nearly kill us, no?"

Everyone looked at him with daggers in their eyes. They'd all been avoiding the dreaded topic of Lauren's brother's murderous tendencies.

Donnie blanched at his faux pas, but it was too late to take it back.

Everyone watched as Lauren paled and turned her head away to hide her hurt look.

She cleared her throat to speak, "I know what you guys are thinking that I can't accept that my brother might be too far gone to save and you're right. I can't, because he isn't," she continued," We can still stop him and get him help. I have to believe that. "

"I'd like to know how when the council can't even do it," Ryan remarked.

Zach jumped in, "look guys I know it seems impossible, but we won the last battle, okay, so we haven't won the war, but I believe we can. I have faith in us as a team."

That remark was met with stunned silence.

"We're not going to win anything if I have to face training with Steinman this afternoon on a nearly empty stomach. You done with that brah?" Kyle asked Trav, before snatching his bag of chips right out of his hand, which erupted in an all out wrestling match at the table.

The bell rang at that moment to announce the start of afternoon classes. The Enlightened of the school were expected to continue with the human learning in the morning but take all there prescribed magical classes in the afternoon. The classes you took in the afternoon were dictated by what type of magical creature you were. They all had a few common ones that were prerequisites like Iconography and Sacred Geometry. That was a hell they all had to endure. But most had specific classes like Transmogrification for the shifters, and 4th dimensional physics for the teleporters, and the study of Alchemy and Advance Potions for the practitioners to name a few.

In fact Alchemy was his first class of the afternoon. Cam eagerly dumped the leftovers on his tray in the garbage before following the rest of the gang to the secret entrance to the magic wing.

Knight was a task master and a perfectionist and exactly what Cam needed if he hoped to find the solution to the rejection problem soon enough to save his sisters and himself.

Everything he learned in Knight's alchemy class got locked away in the steal vault of his mind. When he was in the Library during the Study and Translation of Ancient Magical Texts he was looking for the answer to that problem. Every class he took, and every subject he was taught came back to the conundrum: how to solve the enigma of rejection?

He walked into the Alchemy Lab and breathed deep the aroma of the herbs and plants that were hanging to dry. Like the chemistry lab there were half a dozen long tables set up, but that was where the similarities ended. Instead of being covered in beakers and bunsen burners and plastic tubing and stoppers, it was filled with mortars and pestles and cauldrons. The shelves, instead of being lined with chemicals, were lined with copious jars of eye of newt and crushed dragon's scales. They teemed with fantastical items that no human could ever imagine and he loved every bit of it.

If it meant he had to be surrounded on all sides by practitioners of the arcane arts: witches, warlock, and sorceresses, sorcerers, wizards, and their ilk, so be it. So no one gave him the time of day, because they thought he didn't belong. So what if he was the only shifter/fae in the class, and so what if he had absolutely no magical talent. He was the best in the class and it ate them up inside. All of it was second nature to him. Here he was most comfortable. This made sense to him.

He made no secret of his motivations to Knight. He would tell the world if it meant he'd finally stumble upon the person who could send him down the right path.

Today there were brewing a simple potion to enhance memory and retrieve lost thoughts. And he was already contemplating if this could be of use for him in his pursuits.

Knight said as he started the class, "Now this is a rather innocuous brew, but as you can imagine it could be a far more serious potion if reversed. A craven few may chose to use it in such a way as to rob a person of their memories. I hope you choose to use this knowledge wisely."

Cam knew that the school did not differentiate between the light and dark arts. There were no inherently evil magical creatures only creature that chose to use their magic to embrace the dark arts.

Their curriculum was not based primarily on the light arts because in ignoring the dark arts they would be wholly unprepared for the real magical world outside of the school. How could a person, create a protection charm, or counter-spell, or serum for a poison draught if they were not intimately aware of its dark construction?

Knight intoned in his crusty English accent, "You may begin."

And Cam was lost in the magic of it all.

And there was magic. His world held so much wonder, but yet it could be so dangerous too. Case in point, him, if he rejected his skin today he could drown in his sleep tonight. The only way to stop him would be to tie him up or lock him up, but what kind of solution is that?

Magic was a cruel mistress and it demanded its pound of flesh. He thought ruefully to himself.

Cam concocted the brew so quickly that he decided to brew the antidote in the time remaining, while his classmates with failed concoctions stared daggers at him from across the room.

The rest of his afternoon was uneventful aside from a particularly boring symbology and iconography class. He'd nearly fallen asleep this time, he moaned when the last bell of the day rang and he realized there wasn't enough time to grab another coffee before training.

With a deep sigh he trudged along beside Meg on the way to the gym, and joined everyone on the mats for meditation.

After meditation Cam joined Connor and Ollie, who was surprisingly still in attendance, around Conte's mat.

Conte, a South American half demon and wizard of the 10th order, was their martial arts trainer who also taught Spanish and Spellcraft. Cam's specialty was Capoeira a Brazilian martial art form that even though it incorporated dance was no less deadly. It is known for its quick and complex moves, using mainly power, speed, and leverage for a wide variety of kicks, spins, and highly mobile techniques. And it made more than up for his lack of any ability on land.

Unfortunately he has to spare against others that have no such disadvantages on land or water or air, you name it. They are inhumanly quick, strong, and lethal. Most sparing session end in a broken bone or two usually in his body and not the other way around.

Thank God for troll bile the hideous concoction that tastes like day old rat shit, but works like a charm, which is good for him as well; because he has no healing ability on land either, unlike many of his training companions.

Conte pared him up with Ollie and they both took to the mat. Cam immediately started jumping up and down on the bouncy surface trying to get his adrenaline going.

Olivia (Liv) Kallisto and Oliver (Ollie) Kallisto: Halfblood-Succubus & Incubus

Ollie's discipline was also a South American Martial Art form called Jiu-jitsu that teaches a smaller opponent to defend themselves against larger adversaries. The art of Brazillian Jiu-jitsu teaches a smaller, weaker person to successfully defend against a bigger, stronger, heavier assailant by using proper technique, leverage, and most notably, taking the fight to the ground, and then applying joint-locks and choke-holds to defeat the opponent.

Cam was normally larger than Olivia, but that was not true of Oliver her incubus other half.

Ollie is an incubus and the male persona of Olivia Kallisto a French Canadian succubus, and with his incubus speed and strength Cam is easily no match for him, but when was the magical world ever fair?

Cam took to the centre of the mat and started his ginga. The back and forth step that allowed him to build up a more powerful kick. Luckily Cam's martial art form was the perfect antithesis to Ollie's.

Cam began to use his ginga, which is the most basic movement in Capoeira switching back and forth from leg to leg while his arms swung out in a wide arc in front of his face to block any incoming kicks or punches, then in switching to his own Balança he was able to keep Ollie at bay. It is hard to hit a moving target. Then he went in for the kill with his Au which is the spinning cartwheel kick of the capoeira expert.

Cam's right foot made direct contact with the shocked face of Ollie, and because he had no reference for what Cam was going to do next, he had not blocked the blow at all. And he lay on the mat slightly stunned.

That was the only advantage Cam had during the rest of the fight. Ollie had taken him down several times and pinned him with ease, and at one point he'd even broken his nose.

It bloodied his training suit and ran down his face, yet the fight was not called off. Knight just delivered the noxious brew to him and Cam was told to swallow it down. It had tasted twice as bad as usual given the blood that mixed with it in the back of his throat.

They fought until the chimes sounded for the start of weapons training. When it sounded Cam picked himself off the mat, where he'd spent most of the MMA training class, with Ollie's help. Cam slapped Ollie on the back companionably to show there were no hard feelings, thinking maybe he should petition to change his discipline.

Cam was a floater where weapons were concerned. He had tried them all, but was equally as terrible with every one of them. He'd sucked at it for three long years, until; the instructors finally had to agree weapons just weren't his thing. Now he just floated from class to class, sitting in on the ones that he thought would improve his aim.

Today he followed Connor to le Fay's Archery class and had even managed to hit the bull's-eye once; the number of times he'd missed will remain unmentioned. Le Fay who was one of those ancient teachers that didn't subscribe to the encouragement makes a better student philosophy had berated him and belittle him throughout the entire experience.

At the end of training Meg offered to take him to Java Joe's for a double cappuccino to make him feel better, but he wanted to get home for a nap, he had some work to do in his lab tonight, before his swim.

He'd spent all evening brewing a confounder potion, made to confuse your opponent to allow you time to disable him or her. He'd also discovered an ancient text in the library today that mentioned a brew that would allow a non-wielder to change their appearance from the inside rather than from the outside with a glamour charm, which is the more common practice. Cam was excited about this prospect because a potion that could change your DNA just might be the solution he was looking for.

When his Dad came down to get him at 11pm he hadn't realized how much time had passed. It was like he was in a trance and had just woken from it, but the swim did wonders for him. The water healed his remaining injuries, it took away the itch, and it allowed him to continue to think about the Molecular Modification Brew, as he was now was referring to it.

Cam fell into bed at midnight exhausted at the end of a very long day and set his alarm for another 5am start tomorrow. Cam couldn't wait for the day he found the solution, maybe when that day came he could finally rest easy. 

Tune in tomorrow for the continuation of the story. Who could be the puppet master (if there is one) and what do you think they gain out of targeting the council?

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