*Hey everyone! I'm back, sorry for the delay! Marching band, summer reading, martial arts, bla bla bla. So basically, I've been busy and I apologize. But anyways, I know you guys will forgive me after reading this chapter. I think it's my best one yet, so brace yourselves!!! I can't thank you all enough for all the comments and votes. Angel Academy is now on the Home Page under Fantasy, so I'm very happy with the progress! And it reached #21 on the "What's Hot List"! As always, don't forget to tell me what you think! Take care! ♥ - Brynne*

~Merick's Point of View~

Even though it hurt to smile, I couldn't resist as I saw Emma fast asleep in a chair next to my bed. Staring at her, I noticed a new wrinkle or two. Looking out one of the infirmary's windows, I could see that it was early morning. I saw her bag on the ground and groaned in pain as I reached for it. Pulling out a pocket mirror, I examined the damage.

Damn, I did NOT look good. Both of my eyes were black and I had three large bruises scattared around my face. All three were swelling. Oh joy.

It felt like every bone in my body was bruised or sore. But I wouldn't want to see Damien's condition right now either. He probably had a million burn marks, thanks to Emma. I smiled evily. I groaned loudly as Emma woke up and sprung in for an embrace.

"Sorry," she apologized, now sitting beside me.

"It's ok," I winced, holding back a yell.

"How are you feeling?" she asked with worry eyes.

"Almost as bad as I look," I answered truthfully. She smiled. I looked around the room. Where did they put Damien?

~Damien's Point of View~

"AHH!" I roared loudly.

"Hold still, you big baby!" ordered Tristan. He was putting on new wraps for my burns. I would've strangled him for using that tone with me but I couldn't move. Blake watched us anxiously while he held my arm down. If he wasn't restraining it, I swear the dorm would have been burnt to a crisp by now. These burns were legit and they had me howling.

"How could you let a FRESHMEN do this to you?" criticized Tristan. I glared at him.

"She's a freaking level FOUR!" I yelled back. The room went silent. All I could hear was my heart beat. There was a sense of shock throughout the air.

".... T-That's not possible," muttered Tristan, trying to calculate this. Blake was gaping at me.

Here at Angel Academy, ability was based on levels. There was five levels. Usually Freshmen were level one; two if they were very talented. In order to become a teacher here, you had to be level three. It used to be unheard of for a student to be level four. But then Merick arrived here.

He became the first. That's why he's so well known and admired. Not only is he extremely talented, his element is also intensely unique. I admit, I have envied him in the past but not so much anymore, since I became a level four. I worked so hard. I've been to the infirmary countless numbers of times for exhausting or electricuting myself. Riley, River, Trinity, Ava, Blake and Tristan were all upper level threes.

It was unheard of for a freshmen to become a level four. I can't believe that no one has noticed her amazing ability yet! Especially herself! I mean, I admit that I wasn't exactly modest about my talent, but it's like she's hiding it! She must be aware of it, right?

Then a sickening feeling coursed through me. Power was bad. It corrupted you. I should know out of anyone, and not because of myself....

~Emma's Point of View~

It was night time already and I was hurrying through the halls, praying to not get caught because it was past curfew. I had spent the whole day with Merick, tending to him and keeping him company. Riley, River and Trinity had stayed with us most of the time too. But they were smart enough to leave before curfew. I wasn't. I wanted to make sure Merick was set for the night.

Suddenly, a faint light shined through one of the hall's many windows. I froze and stared at it. It was coming closer, making the light grow. What is that? A flashlight? But no one could be outside at this time. What is that light?!

I squinted heavily as the light now covered all my vision. I shrieked and backed away as the window burst. A man came in and stared at me through black, thick goggles. He was dressed like a black ops. He raised a strange looking gun at me.

Screaming, I sent fire towards him. My heart pounded as I ran. I heard his body hit the ground outside with a crack. As I reached the girls dorms, different girls came out of their rooms and stared around. They must have heard me scream.

"TRINITY!" I yelled as the dorm room flew open. I ran to her and shook her body frantically.

"...W-What?" she mumbled sleepily in her bed.

"SOMEONE JUST BURST THROUGH THE HALLWAY WINDOW!" I gasped.

"What?!" she asked and jumped up. We hurried out of the room.

"I'll get the Headmaster!" called out an older girl and she ran towards his office. Many of the girls in the hall were freaking out.

"Ok, everyone back away," said another girl. She hurried to the end of the hall and created a wall of ice that prevented anyone from coming in. Everyone froze and stared through the ice, watching and waiting. I was surprised how quickly they reacted and worked togeather.

I flinched as yelling, crashing and running footsteps could be heard from the boys dorms. All the girls shivered and some of the younger ones whimpered.

"AHH!" I gasped as a loud voice could be heard inside my head.

"All students report to the cellar. Upperclassmen make sure everyone is accounted for. Stay quiet," boomed the Headmaster's voice. I stared around. Everyone had the same reaction as me. How did he do that?! How could he communicate with all of us?!

"Alright, let's go!" called out the oldest girl. The girl that made the ice made an opening and we all hurried through, then she closed it when we all passed. Our feet padded softly against the stone hallways. A tense, horrifying vibe passed through everyone. What was going on? Who was here? Where was this cellar?

I kept quiet as we hurried towards the other end of the school. I looked around. There's no way that man was alone. As we rounded the corner, we saw one of his friends. The man jumped slightly at the sight of so many kids. He raised his gun, but it was too late. An intense gust of wind blew him straight out the window. Thank goodness we outnumbered them.

We continued down the many hallways. I had no idea where we were going, so I just kept watch all around us. As we came into the entrance hall, we saw about half the boys.

"Where's everyone else?" said the oldest girl.

"They took the eastern passage," replied an older boy. I searched around their group. None of my friends were among them. Our group morphed with theirs and I felt a bit safer. We hustled, trying not to run each other over. As we ran down a long hallway, I saw another hall branch out of it. I have never seen this hall. I stared down it. It was empty except for a huge door at the end. Was it another dorm? There could be someone in there!

Curiosity got the best of me as I sneaked away from the group. Due to the large number of people, no one noticed me leave. I ran down to the end and put my ear to the door. I flinched away as someone on the other side pounded the door.

"Whos there?!" I called out, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Please let me out!" whimpered a girl. My heart clenched and I instantly started tugging on the door. It wouldn't open.

"They locked me in here! Please help me!" she cried. Anger seeped through me. Those bastards.

"Hold on! I'm coming in, back away from the door!" I ordered. The now familiar sense of elemental power coursed through me. I let it all out. The door was strong; it took me a while to burn through it. After I did, I saw the girl.

She had blonde hair, light blue eyes, and fair skin. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail with her bangs let out on each side. She was a little shorter then me and looked a bit younger.

"Who are you?" I asked, staring at her angelic features. She looked up at me innocently.

"Jenna Harren," she replied. My jaw dropped. So THIS was Damien's sister? The one who can control lightning?! But as I examined her, she did look like a softer version of him.

Suddenly her facial expression turned serious and her eyes narrowed. Jenna looked me up and down with a critical eye.

"Who are you?" she demanded, her voice dripping with venom. My eyebrows furrowed at her sudden mood change.

"Emma Rose," I said back with a little attitude. I just saved this little girl and now she's being rude to me??

I saw the reflection of a flashlight inside her eyes. I spun around and saw one of those men. Just as I was about to use my power, Jenna beat me to it. Lightning sped towards him, down the very long hallway. Before he knew it, it had struck and he began to shake violently, then dropped.

I stared at Jenna. The lightning... it was faster then Damien's. It was also more powerful. She brushed past me and walked down the hallway. I huffed.

"Where are you going?" I asked, trailing behind her. Her steps were quick and determined. Her presence seemed to tower over me even though she was smaller. She didn't answer me. It was like she had forgotten me already.

As she reached the entrance hall, she slowed down and stared around everywhere. Jenna seemed to take in every feature around her.

"It hasn't changed at all....." she whispered. Her mood had changed to a quiet, dreamy tone.

"What do you mean?" I asked. She looked at me, a soft pain in her eyes.

"Never mind me, let's go," she shook her head and instantly, her old mood was back. This girl was crazy!

~Jenna's Point of View~

Even within my cell, I knew of this girl. I had followers who told me everything. About how she was a freshmen who was a level four. About how my ignorant brother was interested in the weak thing. I huffed at the thought of him.

*FlashBack*

The wind swept past me as I smiled at my older brother. He was showing me his new moves in the field after classes had ended. I grinned at his face. It was full of wonder and happiness. He loved his element. I was surprised of his ability, him being an eigth grader and me being in fifth grade. Just as I was about to show him what I learned with the lightning, two men came out of the school and walked towards us. I had never seen them before.

Damien and I stopped and stared at them. We were the only ones out here, so they obviously wanted to see us.

"Jenna Harren?" asked one of them. I nodded skeptically at him. Suddenly they grabbed my wrist and pulled me away.

"What are you doing?!" yelled Damien as he ran infront of them and made them stop.

"Child, you need to move," said the man. Damien glared at him. His eyes started to change color. Uh oh.

"Let my sister go," ordered Damien, his voice dripping with danger. From out of nowhere, Headmaster Aaron pulled Damien's arms behind his back and moved him to the side. Damien gaped and turned his head, searching the Headmaster's face. He just shook his head, silencing Damien.

"Headmaster! Headmaster!" I called, begging him to do something. He didn't. He just stood there, restraining my brother.

"JENNA!" yelled Damien, as he squirmed under the Headmaster's strong grip.

*End Of Flashback*

The men then had taken me away for tests. Needles, experiments, the works. They had to, it was protocal for all Level 5's. People had to be assured that I was stable, that I wouldn't kill anyone. Not even the Headmaster was a level 5.

Damien did nothing. He did nothing to help me. He let those men take me away. My hand clenched into a tight fist at the memory. From that day on, everyone found out I was a level 5. They avoided me, they stared at me, they spread rumors about me. They feared me.

I was an outcast for years. But I had had enough. I finally cracked during the end of my seventh grade year.

*Flashback*

"Ooo look. It's Miss. Fancy Level 5 Lightning," said a girl as I walked down the hallway. I stopped dead in my tracks. Her friends around her laughed at her comment. I turned slowly towards her.

"What are you gonna do about it?" she challenged. She honestly thought that being in the school would stop me from hurting her. It didn't.

I let it out. All those years of torture was realeased. Her friends screamed in horror. After I was done, I had left her there on the ground. I trembled as I walked away, that power still surging through me. I was scared. I had never seen that much elemental ability come from me. I started to pray inside my head.

Later that night, Headmaster came for me. He had the teachers there to back him up, in case I was trouble. I was told that the girl had died. Because of me.

"No! I didn't mean to! It was an accident! I'm sorry!!!" I cried, tears running down my face. I had never killed a person before. They dragged me to a succluded part of the school and threw me in a strange room.

"I'm sorry," whispered Headmaster Aaron. That was the last time I saw him or my teachers. Or anyone.

*End of Flashback*

Emma was staring at me zoned out. I shook my head and got back into reality.

"Are you ok?" she asked softly and cautiously. I nodded, biting my tongue fiercely.

We came closer to the cellar where everyone was heading towards. As we approached, the crowd of people inside gasped and stared at me in horror. I rolled my eyes.

"Relax. I'm not going to hurt anyone. I'm here to help," I stated loudly so everyone could here me. They relaxed, but only a little bit. I was surprised to see that everyone remembered me. Well, maybe not so suprised. My whole ordeal was the biggest thing to happen to Angel Academy.

Then I saw them come towards me.

Damien's jaw dropped and his eyes grew huge as he saw me. He ran and embraced me, tears coming down his cheeks. Once again, I rolled my eyes.

"What are you doing out?!" he asked. Man, he made it sound like I had been in jail.

"Emma here let me out," I smiled michieviously. Everyone then stared at Emma like she had released the Kraken. She seemed to shrink underneath all their eyes.

Then I saw Merick come in. He stared at me, almost like he couldn't believe I was actually there.

"Hello Merick," I seethed, my eyes boring into his.

"Jenna...." he whispered. Everyone was silent, their eyes darting between Merick and I.

I admit it. I had a past with Merick.

*Flashback*

"So THIS is the girl I've been hearing so much about?" smiled Merick warmly. I grinned bashfully at him. It was my first day at Angel Academy, long ago. I was maybe eight years old and they were eleven years old.

"Yep," said Damien proudly. Back then, Damien and Merick were close friends. For then on, I was with Merick and Damien as much as possible. They didn't seem to mind me following and doting on them. I'd race to find them after classes and I'd hate it when I had to leave them at night.

All those years, the three of us became inseperable. And I started to feel differently about Merick. He'd come home with us for the summers and for winter break. He didn't have anywhere else to go. He lived at the Academy and still does to this day.

I found out later that at the same time as the incident with that girl, he was trying to find me to confess his feelings. But I never got to hear his confession.

*End of Flashback*

I bit my lip as I stared at him. He had grown taller and more mature looking, but still looked the same as I remembered. I held back a blush as I saw him examining me. I didn't look like the little girl he once knew.

"Alright, get in everyone," ordered Damien and the rest of the people hurried into the chamber. Everyone looked around, assuring no one was missing.

~Emma's Point of View~

"Where's Trinity?!" I screamed. Instantly, Merick, Riley and River searched around the crowd for her. She was nowhere to be seen. I jumped up and ran out of the cellar.

"NO!" yelled Merick and he started to chase me. But Damien restrained him.

"We can't risk anymore people! She'll be fine!" he breathed, and the two of them started shouting at each other.

I ran as fast as I could, my heart banging against my chest. Even if Merick got away from Damien, he couldn't catch me now. I searched everywhere frantically, looking for my best friend.

"Tell me where she is," I heard a voice say. It was a demanding man. I headed towards the voice and stared in horror. A man held Trinity by the throat against a wall.

"Never!" she spat in his face. His face scrunched in anger and he raised his gun to the side of her head. I instantly knew he was looking for me, or else he wouldn't be asking Trinity.

"If you want me, come and get me," I threatened loudly. The man's head whipped around towards me and stared at me in fear.

I didn't know it, but red energy surrounded me, making me look evil. Fire was held in both of my hands. Anger had taken control of me. No one touches my best friend. No one evades my school.

He pointed his gun at me but I moved, quick as a whip. The man barely had enough time to turn his face as I appeared behind him. Trinity stared at me in horror.

I unleashed a huge ball of fire and ran it into his stomach. He screamed and crashed through the hall way wall. Fire engulfed him as he fell to the dark grounds below. I huffed in and out, restraining myself. Trinity placed a hand on my shoulder. The red energy around me died down. I sighed tiredly.

"Let's go," she ushered, leading me back towards the cellar. When we reached there, people cheered at the sight of a safe Trinity. My friends stared at me.

"What happened?" asked Riley, holding Trinity as she shook from the danger she was in.

"A man tried to get Trinity to tell him where I was. I took care of it," I answered. All the people inside the cellar stared at me.

"Headmaster!" cried a boy inside. We looked and saw the teachers and him heading towards us quickly.

"Students," he started as he reached us. We all listened intently to him.

"There are no more enemies here tonight. We had rid them of our school," he said. Everyone cheered happily. I examined all the teachers. They looked like they had been fighting. I even saw Mr. Harkins, my Creatures Teacher, bleeding on the right side of his chest. All the teachers looked tired and sad.

"Who were they?" piped up a girl. Headmaster Aaron stared around at everyones faces.

"They were bad people," he stated shortly. I frowned. He was hiding something.