Song for the start of the chapter. Fun fact, I found this singer on a IG ad, I ended up loving the song and thought I would try to put it in this chapter.

Gray POV

"Gray, come on, step it up. Put your hands up, be on your guard," the teacher who went by the name Egrick said to me as I circled another student that was at least three years younger.

I tried not to pay attention to the age gap, but I wouldn't lie that it took a swing at my confidence. The kid in front of me was already so much better than I was. I nodded as I spit some blood from my mouth from the cheap shot the kid just got out of me.

The kid swung low at me, but I dogged it before he made contact with my side.

I placed my hands up higher and tried to take him down, but it only resulted in me being on the ground with his arms around my neck. I couldn't tell you the events that got me here, it all happened so quickly, but now he was cutting off my air.

"Ok, that's enough," the teacher said as he jumped onto the mat.

Instantly the kid's arms released me, letting my lungs fill with air.

"Practice is over. Oak, why don't you get some water before the next lesson."

The kid nodded and walked off silently while Egrick stared at me, no doubt judging me for such a poor job.

"Spit it out," I said as I wiped my mouth of blood. "I know that was poor."

Egrick sighed as he sat down next to me. "You shouldn't be so hard on yourself."

I shook my head. "Well, getting my ass kicked by a 14-year-old isn't a confidence booster."

"Start somewhere. Honestly, for having no formal training, you are doing well. I can see you are a fast learner."

His words added little to my confidence as I thought about how I could have beat Oak. Next time I will have faster reflexes. I will be sure I am prepared for next time.

"Gray, lighten up. Being hard on yourself solves nothing."

I nodded, although I didn't agree with him. I was hard on myself because my father was who he was. Because of that, I needed to be better than him, especially if he was coming out of the woodwork. Every one knew he was back and there was a tension in the air, knowing that it was only time until he came back. As his son, it was my duty to stop him. I had to stop him because who else would?

"Gray, do you have time?" Else asked as she walked up to us. She adjusted her shoes, but it still looked graceful as she did it. Else was beautiful. however for so long I never saw her interact with people to realize her true beauty. Now, watching her now, you had to be blind not to see it. Even Egrick stopped to stare as she walked up to us.

"Yeah, his training just ended," Egrick said as he got up from the mat and offered a hand to me.

I took it and nodded, although I wanted to practice more. This was only my first weekend at Churchwell Academy, and I wanted to make every moment count. I arrived early yesterday moment and by Sunday evening; the training was taking its toll. Bruises covered my body, but excited to come back next week and learn more. I was behind the curve, but that meant I needed to try ten times harder.

But I knew why she was here and I couldn't fight back a wave of worry and excitement to wash over me. Finally, I would go to one meeting she had. I could meet the royal family once again and they would know that I wasn't a threat to them or what they stood for.

She beamed at me and said, "Welcome home."

I nodded at her, knowing she probably waited all weekend to say that to me. As kind as the phrase was, I knew I wasn't as home as I thought I would be. I thought there would be some kind of warm fuzzy feeling I would feel coming back to a place I spent so much time at, but that feeling hadn't come. Instead, I feel like a foreign exchange student, struggling to keep up. "Thanks."

She smiled. "You can tell me all about your first weekend as we walk to the meeting."

"I don't think I'm in any condition to go to a meeting like this," I said with a frown as I looked at my workout clothing that I brought from home.

"That's why I brought this," she said as she pulled out some folded clothing from her purse. "Go and change. I will wait here."

I nodded as I took them and ran to the dorms where my room was. By the time I made it back, Egrick was gone and Else was sitting on the mat with folded legs in a meditation pose. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, as if calming herself before the meeting. I had never seen her meditate before, but as she did it in front of me, I could only guess she did this often.

"Ready?" she asked as she opened her eyes to look at me. She got up from the ground and brushed herself off as if she messed up her perfect outfit.

I nodded as I let out a breath, not realizing I was holding my breath. As the seconds went by the tension within me built like a spring ready to pop. "I look a little beat up, I hope that's fine."

"It'll add a little ruggedness to you. Maybe they'll like that," she shrugged.

Or maybe they won't. I tried to rub the rest of the blood from my face, however I wasn't sure it worked.

Else didn't see my concern as she started walking, talking as she went, expecting me to follow. "You should be lucky that winter hasn't come to Churchwell yet. It's been an absolute blizzard over there." She said as she started walking forward on a trail. She continued to talk about the weather in Jackson, but all I could think about was all the ways this meeting could go wrong. "Gray, calm down, it's just a meeting."

But it was more than that to me. This meeting marked the chance for me to show that I wasn't like my father, that I was nothing like him. This meeting showed that I was on their side, that I could contribute. Finally, I was being introduced into the Churchwell realm and I would not leave this realm again. I belonged here, not Jackson or anywhere on earth. "Yeah, just a meeting."

She smiled lightly as we walked across the courtyard of Churchwell Academy. People paid little attention to us as we passed them. I looked around at all the people we passed, wondering if I saw anyone I knew. I hadn't made any friends, but at least some people talked to me here and that was a start.

"Hey, gray gray, are you here to report us?" some boy laughed as his friends chuckled along with him. "I see you brought your babysitter."

I frowned at them for a second, unable to ignore them, then turned my attention straight ahead. When I told Else that I didn't want to report them, she was surprised. But they hadn't bothered me since that moment and words were easy to ignore since I did it in Jackson all the time.

"Let me know if you change your mind about them," she whispered as she continued to walk.

"Where are we going, by the way?"

"Just to get the car. It's behind the tree line. I always keep it there, can't trust these kids with it in open sight," she said and pulled out some keys with a small smile. Else wasn't a joking type, so I had a hard time deciding if that was a joke or if there was actually serious about keeping it hiding. "So how was training today?"

Training I had today and yesterday made me struggle to keep up and I couldn't help but feel resentment for the people that held me back from this place that I belonged. I tried to bury the anger I felt towards Else, but it bubbled within me right below the surface.

Taking my silence as an answer, she unlocked a car as it came into view. "You'll get the hang of everything. You are a fast learner. Egrick is impressed with your drive. Told me that he's never seen that before in someone before."

I resisted the urge to shoot her comments down and instated remained silent.

"So the drive will be about an hour. You can sleep and rest up if you want," she said, changing the topic as if she didn't sense that I was bothered by her words.

I didn't sleep at all on the way to the royal castle. In fact, I looked out the window, trying to see if I remembered anything about what I saw, but everything felt so new to me as if I was seeing it for the first time even though I spent the first 10 years of my life here.

Anger continued to boil within me as I knew the royals were one group that sent me away. They sent Else away, too. I didn't understand why she thought so highly of them when they turned her life upside down.

"Aren't you mad at them too?" I asked, unable to tell the truth from the simple response.

She shook her head as she continued to drive. "I have no reason to be mad."

"They sent you to watch me for years. You were the top of your class, you should have deserved more than me."

She smiled as I didn't get something. "I wanted to watch you."

Her response was simple enough, but it caught me off guard. All these years I thought she was punished for watching me, that she never wanted to. She was always gone and distant, I just assumed she didn't want to be around, but her smile made me think otherwise.

"I know it's hard for me to talk about, but I never thought you messed up my life. I think you have added to it, and I've spent some fantastic years in a place that I never thought I would live, earth."

"You like earth?"

"Well, not as much was Churchwell, but yeah, I do. It had a lot of beauty to it. Do you like earth?"

I shrugged. For so long, I thought being here was where I belonged, that I would be happy here. But now that I was here, I couldn't help but feel like I didn't belong. At this moment, earth and Jackson felt more like home than anything. "I do."

She smiled. "It tends you ware on you, doesn't it?"

I chuckled as I thought about the beautiful summers, snowy winters, and Stella. As the days have worn on, she spent less time watching me and as painful as it was; I knew it was safe that way. Stella made earth better and because of that, I couldn't have her. "It has that effect on one, doesn't it?"

"Yeah it does," she said as the castle came into view.

What felt like minutes later, I was walking behind mom as she took long confident strides into the front doors of the gigantic structure the royals called home. Else took halls and paths flawlessly, as if she had done it so many times before until we were walking into a smaller, more intimate room.

"Else, you are on time," a man sitting at the head of a large wood table said as we walked into the smaller room.

"Like always," one girl, no older than I, spoke up with a bored tone as if she hoped Else wouldn't show up.

"Of course I am, and like discussed, I brought Grayson," she said and moved aside to show me.

I looked around at the ten people sitting at the table and tried to remember if I had seen them before. None of them looked familiar, and I wondered if they recognized me.

"It's been years Grayson," one older woman said as she gave a little bow.

"Looks like time has been good to you," the teen girl spoke up, only to be poked by the man sitting next to her.

"Manors, Eureka," an older man, probably her father, said with a sigh.

"Look, I am just saying that he used to be this shrimp of a kid when he left. Glad to grew into something a little more pleasing to the eye," she winked.

I couldn't help but blush, wondering if she actually meant that. No one had ever given me such a forward compliment, and it made my breath hitch just a tiny bit.

"Piss off Eureka, you can't have all the boys you want. If I remember, you already have a boyfriend, two actually," a young man said with a tired tone as if this was the worst conversation of his life. "Sorry for my younger sister."

"Ok, enough introductions. Else, as you know, we have some important business to talk about that you said only Gray could share. Let's get into the meat of it then."

I nodded as I shared my information about meeting my father over a week ago. The memory was still fresh in my mind and was easy to retell.

As I finished retelling very detail I could remember, the oldest man cut me off with a frown. "Listen, I know what you said, but all of our records say that he is not around anymore."

His words cut into everything about me and caused me to shrink back, loosing my confidence I had just a second ago. I knew there would be blow back. Why would they trust me? I was my father's son anyhow.

"I believe him," Else stepped in, without wasting a moment.

"You do?"

"With my life. He wouldn't make this up. Think about it Eastly. Why would he lie? And the increasing Darklings... it makes sense."

He frowned as he mulled over Else's words. "I guess we should make plans for an encounter then."

Else nodded. "And Gray should be here." She said, putting her hand on my shoulder, making me feel as if I had a right to be here.

"Fine. Graywick's son can stay."