Shapeshifters Academy

Prologue

"Do I sense a new shapeshifter?" A dark menacing voice hissed, dark fluttering robes gathered in a circle. Glowing red eyes turned towards the speaker, an alarmed look filling their ruby colors. "A legendary one?" Someone else suggested, and immediately, a commotion of gasps rose. "Silence! The Obscuri shall destroy this new Caeleste!" Someone said, with an air of authority. "Or recruit the shapeshifter to the Obscuri." The creatures agreed, blood red eyes bobbing up and down as they nodded of approval. "What are you waiting for? Proceed!" The leader screeched, and all the scruffy robes scatter, leaving darkness and silence in the room, when a burst of fire lit up. A ragged dragon was there, it's scales lit with fire, but otherwise unharmed. It spoke, a rusty and scraping voice. "The Obscuri shall rule..." It hissed...

Chapter One

A pale and rosy skinned girl floated calmly on the water, a blond boy beside her on the float. They had smiles on their faces as the sun shone on them. "Lavinia? Do you believe in magic?" The boy asked, opening his dazzling sky blue eyes. The girl shrugged, her light brown hair drifting around her face like a halo. "You know it's hard to, with the rumors flying about my family. Alex, do you really think we're witches, like really?" Alex shook his head, looking at his best friend. She looked nothing like one, nor behaved so. Vera got up, rubbing her eyes gently. "Let's grab some snacks and get on the laptops." She suggested, changing the subject. She splashed into the water, swimming strongly to the edge of the pool, and hauled herself up, her skin glistening from the water and the sun. Alex followed, and they dried off, changing, then went into her night sky wallpapered room, with the different hues of purple. Everything else was blue or white, matching like a day and night theme. "Alex, I really wish you would stop asking me that. If I don't have proof, you know me, I won't believe." In that moment, the boy really wanted to show her the perfect proof that magic existed. Unfortunately she wouldn't believe in something so lost easily. "You know, Miss Matiba is going to give us a lesson on that tomorrow." Lavinia shrugged, looking uncomfortable. She knew more jokes would be coming. But, more excitedly, her sixteenth birthday was coming right up, on Saturday. It was already Thursday night. Her parents were acting weird, mailing so many letters and getting them quickly in return. Even Alex was acting differently, more fidgety than usual. "Lavinia!" Her mother called, as they both went downstairs. Both her parents were there, sitting solemnly on the couch, their identical green eyes gazing into her solid light grey eyes. Alex stood off to the side, shuffling his feet awkwardly. Her parents handed her a golden piece of papyrus, with perfect cursive written smoothly on it. Glancing to her best friend, Vera began.

"Lavinia Lafayette Cithara, you have been selected to attend the Shapeshifters Magia Academy. The Lafayette-Cithara ancestry line has been a famous magic shapeshifters. Now you, Lavinia, will continue the legacy, where the Academy takes place, teaching you everything you will need to know in order to be a successful shapeshifter and survive the Obscuris' dark thirst of power over us. Friends shall accompany you into battle, and defeat the Obscuri for the last and final time, rendering them to be stuck in their own dark realm and never trouble us again. Lavinia, you shall be trained by the most powerful and well known professors of the Caeleste world, and in the end, you shall be the prophecied shapeshifter to lead the Caeleste into glorious victory. Pack everything you shall need, and a shapeshifter by the name of Alexander Kane will be there to guide you through every step, and take place beside you in the final battle. We await your arrival, legendary Lavinia Lafayette Cithara."Vera glanced up, extremely alarmed. "Who are the Caeleste? And who is this Genevieve? I'm pretty sure there is no magic, I'm pretty sure this is all just a-" She shrieked when she heard a roar, and a flame of heat behind her. Alex was gone, and in it's place, a beautiful human sized golden dragon with fiery scales, and sky blue eyes just like Alex's. "A-Alex?" She stuttered, reaching towards the dragon to stroke it's nose. As she stretched her hand, she felt an unexplainable moment of calm, and she stroked the dragon's nose gently. Vera could see the familiar twinkle in it's bright blue eyes. "Lavinia, dear. It is true. Go pack your things now. You're going to be living there." She dropped her hand, quite alarmed. "But-but-" She couldn't finish, as her parents were staring dead at her. "Fine... Alex?" She asked, poking him. He folded his wings together and climbed up the stairs, and Vera followed, after looking at her parents dreadfully.

"You all lied to me. So all this time, all the magic and things you've been trying to get me to believe was for this? Come on, Alex, you could've just shown me that a long time ago." The dragon shook his head, morphing back into Alex. "If you knew any sooner, you may not have been alive for this." Vera stopped in the middle of unzipping her glitter blue suitcase. "What do you mean?" She asked, a cold chill running down her back. "The Obscuri. The letter said, Vera, you're a legendary shapeshifter of the Lafayette Cithara line, and the more powerful you are, the more you know, the more the Obscuri will try to get rid of you so their power won't be stopped." Alex paused, blinking sadly. "One of our Caeleste was sacrificed this way, so now, we tell the shapeshifters when they are going to the Academy immediately after." Vera squeezed her hands together, blinking rapidly. Alex helped her pack everything he knew she'd need, and zipped up the suitcase. "Time to go, Vera. I'll be there." His tone was gentle as he took her hand and gave her the suitcase's handle. Taking the form of the dragon once again, Alex breathed fire into the wall, but it was unscathed, and a golden sparkling light grew, bigger and bigger, until both of them were able to fit in. Alex-dragon nodded and stepped in the portal, and Lavinia followed, pulling her suitcase gingerly. She felt a rush of a summer breeze as she entered, and stopped, finding a room with two sides, and identical furniture, but one was decorated in an Alex style, while the other side was bare and gloomy, but with stacks of things that Lavinia liked. "What now?" She asked, as she watched her best friend change back into his normal body. "I take you to meet Genevieve. Ignore the stares you'll get." He said, and led her out the door. Walking down a well carpeted hallway, other students passed by in groups or by themselves, chattering like songbirds. They would glance up and look at Vera, then blink at Alex, smile, and look away again. A set of three girls caught her eye, there were a set of twins and one other girl. They all had fabulous clothing, the twins had the same platinum blond hair, while the other girl had a dirty blond head. All three had the same honey hazel eyes, with the same smug smile. Stopping Alex and Vera in their paths, one of the twins spoke, seemingly the leader. She ignored Vera when she spoke, more to Alex. "So, Alex, this is the new shapeshifter you brought in? Doesn't look like much." Her eyes scanned Lavinia like she was an item not worth her time. "Yup. Lavinia Lafayette Cithara, just call her Vera." He smiled, and squeezed Vera's arm. "Mmm. Hello, Lavinia." The girl spoke it with great dislike, the same vain face when she heard 'Lafayette Cithara'. "I'm Carlotta Rivera, this is my twin, Henrietta, and my younger sister, Belle. Call me Lotta." She smirked, and then shifted her legs. "A Lafayette Cithara, huh? I'm just like you." She said, as if daring Vera to contradict her. The other Rivera girl, Bella or what's her name, poked Carlotta. "She has a better bloodline." "Belle, I don't need you to talk right now. Zip it," She turned to Vera once again, and waved her fingers, then linked her arms through her sisters. "Ta-ta!" She said, sashaying away with her sisters. "Don't mind them, Vera. They're... just like the girls in your old school. Come on, let's go meet Genny!"

Who Lavinia saw was completely unexpected. Genevieve, who Lavinia expected to be twenty-five or so, was instead, only about nineteen. "Hi! I'm Genevieve Romanov of the Caeleste. You must be Lavinia! Please, sit!" Her tone was cheery and friendly, even Alex cracked a smile, which led to Vera doing so as well. Genevieve's aura was just so pleasing. "It's nice to meet you, Genevieve." Vera said, her voice no longer quivering as it had earlier. "Please, darling, call me Genny. I am the Headmistress of this Academy, but it is not age that matters. It is your wisdom, and how well you can excercise your power to it's fullest without turning to the evil paths of the Obscuri." The young Headmistress then launched into a lengthy explanation.

"Since the most ancient times, talented shapeshifters began popping up all over the world, and the founder of our Academy and the Caeleste shapeshifters, Celeste, gathered them in order to train them to protect themselves and how to benefit the world. Then, the Obscuri rose, a power-hungry group of scattered shapeshifters. They infiltrated our ranks, robbing the stolen members of their light, and replaced it with a bloodthirsty darkness. Their leader, a lady with only a one worded name, Leyanna, went into the first Shapeshifters War against our beloved Celeste. Both sides suffered many losses, but in the end, Celeste emerged out of the dust, severely injured, but victorious, as she held up the staff of Leyanna. The Obscuri leader was faded away into the dark side of the prism. Then, of course, like most others, came a new leader, less infamous but very strong nonetheless. He still lives now, Vladimir Leyann, taking a part of Leyanna's name to continue her legacy of the Obscuri. At this very moment, they are trying to recruit shapeshifters and fill their heads with darkness, promise of power and fortune. But we are fighting back, having the light shine in the shapeshifters once more and gaining a larger Caeleste army. We are bound to fight soon, with me at your side, Lavinia." Genny finished, a solemn smile on her angelic face. "At my side? What do you mean? I can't do anything, I don't know anything!" Vera yelled, her eyes wide and frightened. Alex grabbed her hand and stroked her hair, which made Vera jump involuntarily. "We will guide you, Lavinia, with friends and professors to raise you to the highest level to secure us a second victory over the Obscuri, Lavinia Caeleste Lafayette Cithara. You are our new Magistra Patrona, the mistress of the Caeleste." Lavinia snorted at her new title, too much in denial to believe anything. "If I really was the 'Magistra Patrona' thingy thing, Carlotta what's her name wouldn't be talking to me that way." A knocking came, and a pretty platinum blond poked her head in, with light blue grey eyes. "Oh, sorry to disturb you, Genny." The Headmistress waved her hand for the blonde to stay. "Lavinia, this is Celestia Caeleste. Celestia, this is Lavinia Lafayette Cithara, the Magistra Patrona. Dear Celestia is Celeste's very own descendant, the ninth generation. I think you two will be best friends." Alex wore a hurt look on his face. "But... I have Alex...?" Vera's voice raised to a question as she glanced hopefully at her best friend, and gave him a shrug. "Celestia, take Lavinia to her shapeshift class. I will send Alex along shortly." The blonde nodded, and took Vera out of the room and going down another hallway. As she walked, Lavinia could hear Genevieve's irritated voice hissing at Alex. "Alexander Kane, what in the world were you thinking? All you were supposed to do was get her to believe in this and be her friend and guide, not her love interest! Your idiotic actions will lead her on the wrong path!" That was all Lavinia heard before Celestia tugged her around a bend, the Headmistress' voice fading away. Love interest? Sure, Alex loved her, but only as a friend, or was that all a false pretense, and he actually fell for her?