2 Chapter One - Friend's Family Friend

Harper ran to the door. "I swear," she muttered as she spotted the green vehicle at the edge of her block. "If I'm late again, Juno will kill me." The black haired girl ran like her life depended on it, and jumped, Shade lurching within her, as she landed in front of the closing doors.

"Wait!" she yelped as she squeezed herself in just as the doors started to shut. The driver paid her no attention, as this was Harper Krass, the girl who cuts it a bit too close every time. Harper sighed in relief as she found a spot in the bus in the back where there was the only empty seat. There was another guy sitting by the window (Harper's preferred seat by the way), who was reading a thick book. Harper internally groaned as she sat where she was given no choice.

The ride went on for another five minutes before Harper started to get bored. She would draw, but she got bus-sick real easily. Which is why she tried her best to avoid looking at the boy next to her who was reading. A book. With tiny letters. 

She did take some time to observe him though. Just to pass time, not as a weirdo, that is. 

The boy was older than Harper, maybe a few years. He looked like he could be a senior at the Academy, so she decided to assume so. 'Maybe he's eighteen? Nah, he looks a good nineteen to me' . Harper nodded to herself, satisfied at her guess. The boy was a No-Lifer, both eyes dark as a pit's depths. Which meant he probably didn't take any weapons classes since he wouldn't have a weapon to have access to and no Element either. 

Harper hummed. 'I wonder what being a No-Lifer's like?' Harper was a Full-Lifer. She couldn't imagine what her life would be like had she not had access to her Shade and spears. Boring? Mundane? Frustrating that she couldn't do anything? 

Harper shook her head and continued to observe the guy. His most distinctive feature was his gray hair. Harper's eyes widened when she first saw his silver hairs; 'did he dye it? But why gray? If gray represents the color of the old, then why would he dye his hair gray? To say he's old? Older than me? Well, of course he's older than me, but--'

"Hello?" Harper jumped and would have fallen out her seat had she not worn her seatbelt.

"Bwuhwat?" Harper jumbled out. She realized it was the gray haired dude that had talked to her. Looking at his face straight on, something about him...' I feel like I've seen him somewhere…' "I meant, ah, blue skies, bruh! Heh," Harper managed with a nervous chuckle. The gray haired guy looked at her with a blank look and a slight smile that seemed to be there all the time.

He grinned with a suave that Harper had only seen before in Keenan Diamonds. He stuck his hand out. "Kern Anteia; might I ask what your name is?" For a moment, Harper's 'StAY aWAy' alarm went off in her head with the thought that this Kern might be flirting. But the thought was immediately dispelled because his demeanor was that of someone just being polite because he accidentally scared Harper almost-out-of her seat.

Harper shook his hand awkwardly, but she grinned as charmingly as she could. "'Sup? Name's Harper!" Kern's grin wavered a bit as she said this, but it then grew to be wider.

"So, Harper Krass; you exist," he said with slight awe and at the same time, some sort of...wisdom?

Harper blinked. "Uh," she patted herself. "I'm pretty sure?" Kern laughed.

"Well, you don't sound so sure," he replied chuckling. He shook his head as Harper looked at him with awe. What just happened? "Sorry, sorry," Kern said. "About earlier and now. Before, I had noticed you staring at me for a while, so I thought you might have wanted something," he explained. Harper tried hard to keep the red from  her face as she coughed nervously. "And just now, well, may I assume that you are a good friend of Juno Diamonds?"

Harper perked up at her best friend's name. "You know her?"

Kern nodded. "I've known her for quite a while now; I don't hang out with her much though -- I've trusted that task with someone who I'd like to believe is competent." He looked thoughtful for a moment before he said, "If anything, you would have seen me around Juno's brother, Keenan. He's quite the antisocial one; I like to think of myself as his best friend." Kern's mouth quirked a bit and Harper realized that that was why he had seemed so familiar. 

She must have seen him around Keenan Diamonds before.

"Cool," Harper said. She thought about what the gray haired teen said. One thought struck her as a bit strange. "Wait, who's the person that hangs out with Juno a lot?" Kern laughed.

"Oh, you know her; don't worry, she's not a bad person from what I can tell," Kern replied with a knowing smile. Harper shivered. Ooookay, then, she thought. 'I guess he's sorta off' . Harper mused. It's probably the hair, honestly speaking. 

"You're a Freshman right?" Kern asked. Harper nodded as the bus pulled over to the last stop. "Same as Keenan and Juno," he muttered. Then, louder, he said, "I'm a Senior at ZapAcad, a good nineteen years old." Harper noticed laughter in his eyes, as if he had said something funny but it was an inside joke so it wasn't something she would understand. 

It probably was just an inside joke.

"Cool," she replied. 

The next few minutes were what Harper felt was the most awkward silence she had ever experienced. Her leg kept jerking around from impatience; 'When are we going to arrive at the academy?'

"Krass," Kern said jerking Harper out of her thoughts. Harper blinked up at the near white haired boy. He raised an eyebrow, a slight smile on his face. He pointed out the window. "We're here."

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"Harps, Harps, Harpie!! Hellooooo!?"

Harper shook awake. "Huh?" There was a hand on her shoulder, and in front of her, was one of her good friends, Remi Valor. "Oh, hey Rem," Harper said wiping the drool off her face. "'Sup?" Remi's mouth twitched before she sighed. There was a silence, Harper's being because she was confused. Where…? She swore she was just on the bus--

"Oh," Harper murmured. "Another dream." The silence was pierced like a balloon and a prick, and soon Remi was laughing full on.

Harper sat up. She remembered now. She, Remi, and Juno had been having a sleepover to work on their group project. Remi's brown hair obscured her vision again. 

"Sooooooo," Remi said, her black No-Lifer eyes glinting with delight. "How was the sleep, gurl?" Harper groaned. Remi's mouth twitched down before it was back to its original goofy grin. 'Did I imagine that?' "Not so good? Why? Nightmare?" Harper shrugged.

"Who knows," Harper muttered. "It's either a nightmare, I'm going crazy, or it's just another weird dream." Honestly, Harper wasn't sure which one it was. She doubted that the dream was a nightmare, though, she's seen the dream so many times at this point it felt like she was going to go mad if she resaw that scene of her life one more time.

She didn't tell Remi about the dream of meeting Kern on the bus. That would just lead the girl to conclude that Harper had a crush on Kern. 

And Harper was pretty sure she didn't. 

The occasion was fairly normal too; there was nothing strange about it. 'So why do I keep dreaming about it?'

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Harper walked into the dining room where Juno had laid out their project materials on the dining table. Remi ran to the other side of the room and into the living room proclaiming proudly that she needed to use the restroom. Harper took a seat by the posterboard. She started to pick at it.

'Kern Anteia' . She shook her head and laughed at herself. What was she doing with her life, thinking about some guy she barely knew?

'Harper Krass, you exist.'

'Krass. We're here.'

'The name's Harper!' 

Harper never really did tell him her last name; is that what was bothering her so much? 

Juno took a seat next to Harper. Juno, like Harper, was a Full-Lifer, except instead of golden eyes, Juno had electrifying blue eyes. She was a Zapper, as Harper was a Shader. Juno had shoulder blade length blonde hair, and her glasses, as her Object, made her look as smart as she really was.

"Well, while Remi's in the bathroom, I guess we can start to brainstorm," Juno said with a thoughtful look. Harper could already see her friend's gears turning. Harper nodded as Juno started to list out her ideas in what to Harper, was a garrulous manner.

"We should also include the statue's significance." Harper stared at Juno's mouth as the girl talked and started to list things out on a piece of scrap paper. How did this girl think of things like that? Why was she so smart?

"Then on the right of the poster board, we can add in the theories that historians have come up with regarding the words written on the Black Plaque." Harper wanted to meet Kern again. She wanted to ask him why and how he knew her last name. Harper was pretty sure she never mentioned it in their short conversation.

"And right here, in the middle, we can include the summarization of the Bureau's history so that we can hit all the points in the rubric," Juno finished, slipping the paper over to Harper. Harper blinked, coming out of her daze. "And since I am your best friend and know that you were not listening to a word I just said, you can read this over and sketch us an aesthetically pleasing design for us." Harper jumped and then proceeded to laugh nervously.

"Aaaaalrighty then," Harper said as she looked at the paper in her hand. It explained the different topics and their general placement on the board.

Harper glanced at the posterboard. 'Okay, average trifold, soooo, title's real big on top I guess?' She shook her head. 'Naw, the whole idea is supposed to be historical, so maybe it should be in the center of the middle part with a few pop ups on top with screening' . She started to sketch and just as her pencil scratched the surface of the paper, the front door swung open.

Harper looked up, as did Juno. At the door was Keenan Diamonds. He was Juno's sister, so same blond hair and electric blue eyes. Well, eye. 

Keenan was a Half-Lifer. Not quite a No-Lifer, but not quite a Full-Lifer. His right eye was the one that was dark and colorless. He was also a Zapper as the Diamonds family was famous for their Zappers, but since he was a Half-Lifer, Harper never got to see him in action with his Element. It was rumoured, however, that Keenan Diamonds was so skilled with weapons, that he could even beat the head-Academist. Harper doubted it at first, but at this point, she really wasn't sure.

The blonde turned to face Juno, red diamond earring flashing on his right ear. "We're gonna be in my room," he said as he put his shoes to the side. 'We…?' "Kern's place is occupied it seems."

Harper's eyes widened. Hold up, Kern as in--

A boy just a little taller than Keenan (who was already pretty tall) stepped in, his gray hair and black eyes the first thing that anyone would spot about him. 

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry about that, Juno; your brother doesn't seem to buy my story much but--"

"Yes," Keenan interrupted, already making his way to his room. "A story about how your long lost brother-not-really came to your house to bring you back to his side of the family." He sighed. "Fantastic, but hard to believe. I'll be in the room," he finished, closing the door with a movement so stealthy, Harper thought that maybe there was a monster lurking somewhere.

Kern laughed, and then he stopped as he spotted Harper. Their eyes met and Harper kept her gaze steady. 'Heck naw' , she thought. 'I ain't backing down!' From what, she wasn't exactly sure. He smiled and waved.

"Harper Krass," he said. "We meet again."

"Oh, you guys have met!" Juno said standing up.

"Nice, no need for introductions then?" She didn't wait for an answer, and instead went into the kitchen. "The usual, Kern?"

"You know it, sister!" Kern said with finger guns.

'Mm, okay then' , Harper thought. Juno came back with a bowl of Lantyrn chips. Harper grimaced. 'I hate those,' she thought. Kern thanked Juno and promptly went to Keenan's room.

As he opened the door, Harper was contemplating whether or not she should ask how he knew her last name. The door shut behind him and Harper shook her head. 'Oof, alright then' . She turned back to her work, and started to sketch a rough design of their presentation. Juno plopped down the seat next to Harper and pulled out her notes on the topic they were doing. She tapped her finger on the table.

"So," she started. Harper looked up with question. Juno continued as she put her glasses on top of her head. She looked at Harper. "You never told me you've met Kern." Harper jumped.

"Ah!" she exclaimed. "Right!" Juno raised her eyebrow. Harper laughed nervously. "It's not because I didn't want to tell you; it's just that it just slipped my mind that I could tell you. Speaking of which," Harper said, letting her musings take over. "I had told him my name, but only my first name. He still knew my last name though." Juno sighed and put a finger on her temple. Harper continued, "Do you think he's some kind of mystical psychic or something? Running away from the palace and is actually really old or something? Like, you know?" She waved her hand in front of her. "I mean, that last part's a bit of a stretch, but how'd he know my last name?!"

There was a sigh. "Harper," Juno said, finger on her temple. "Did Kern tell you he knew me?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Maybe I've told him your full name before?"

Harper paused. Her mind blanked for a second, before she said, "Oh."

"And I'm BACK!" Remi jumped into the room.

"Your bathroom is COOL, Juno!"

"Thanks."

Remi laughed. "So, what'd I miss?" Harper turned to Remi but before she could speak, the door to Keenan's room opened again. Remi looked slightly startled before saying, "Oh, hey Keenan." She waved to the Half-Lifer blonde who in turn nodded back in recognition. After Keenan came out Kern. Harper remembered her stupidity a few moments before before she waved at the two boys that made way to the front door.

"Don't mind us, we're just heading out to buy supplies," Kern said with a wave, slipping his shoes on. 

"Alright," Juno said. She then went on to yell at her twin brother who was already out the door (When the heck?) "Don't overspend, Keenan! Don't be extra!" There was no reply but Harper could imagine Keenan rolling his eyes at his sister's words.

Kern grabbed the door handle, and just before he closed it, he eyed Remi, eyes glinting as he grinned, "Hey, Remi! Say hello to your dad for me! It's been a while." He shut the door before anyone else could say anything else. Remi huffed.

Harper perked up. "Hold on," she exclaimed. She pointed at her brown headed friend as if accusing her. "You know him too!" Juno, too, seemed intrigued.

Remi nodded, eyebrow raised. "Well, we No-Lifers, the minority, by the way, do tend to stick around each other, so. Both your families are like, major exceptions to the rest of society which doesn't seem to favor us who don't really have an Element to access." She shrugged as Harper looked at her friend in awe. "No biggie though; No-Lifer's like me don't mind. But I do recommend this."

Remi leaned toward Harper and Juno, both of whose curiosity was peaked at the new aspect of No-Lifers' lives that was shown to them. Remi spoke, "I recommend that you stay away from Kern Anteia because he is annoying..." She paused. She smirked and whispered, "Annoying as Vy." 

Harper burst out in laughter as Juno looked unamused. "Yeah," the blonde said with a deadpan face. "No cursing in this holy house." Remi cackled as Harper continued to laugh. Through her tears of joy, Harper saw an exasperated smile show on her best friend's face. 

Before it turned into a frown. Juno sighed.

"We should seriously start on this project, regardless."