Chapter 1

Absolution Academy - Student Orientation

As soon as his blond hair hit the air, it was dry, followed by the rest of his body, including the black and gray Absolution Academy uniform he was now wearing.

He struggled to catch his breath, but held up his magic wand, charging it with power as Seth and Eddie pulled up at his sides.

"Are the Holy Ones still coming?" Eddie shouted, his dreadlocks were now below his ear, and the back ones tied up in a pony tail. He was the only one wearing the gray mechanics uniform of the Techno Mystics school.

Richard shook his head again, still trying to come all the way to the present. The spell they had used to hold their breath in the moat was a doozy. He felt like he almost lost his mind in all that crystal blue, absolute black, and then the strange blinding flash of white.

Richard was trying to come to grips with what just happened, but he couldn't focus on that right now. They were about to go to war!

The four boys waited outside the moat in front of their school as protestors marched towards them in a "surprise' attack. It wasn't surprising to them though, the Christians had their prophets, but the wizards had their oracles.

They'd gotten word that they were trying to burn down Absolution Academy, America's first official magic school, but luckily, the 4 advanced students of Kaye were on call. They were looking like some kinda super hero team in front of their school. They were powered up, and ready to protect it!

Well, most of them were. Richard noticed the sparks coming from his magic wand, it looked like the thing was on the fritz.

Professor Diaz stepped onto the scene coming from Chris' right. He staked the end of his golden scepter into the soft soil and grass, and watched the protestors with their picket signs and protest chants of "Hell no! Witches go!"

He adjusted the tiny gold-rimmed glasses on his face with a bemused smile on his lips as he watched the angry mob draw closer.

"Adorable. Let's make sure we disburse this crowd with a limited amount of injuries. Remember, you represent not only Absolution Academy, but witches everywhere." A news van and a couple of cars drive up towards the campus. "Ah! The media is here!"

"Right!" Seth agreed, he swung around the guitar hanging off his back and started plucking the guitar strings. "Hey, we should have Richie talk to the media! He's already famous, and you know people love 'Teen Jesus'!"

He reached over and pinched Richard's cheek until Rich smacked his hand away.

"I hate talking to the press!"

"So we pimping Blondie out? I'm down for it!" Eddie said, adjusting the aviator glasses on his head, using them to push back his dreads.

Diaz looked pleased by that plan as well. "Wonderful idea, Seth! Richard, put your wand down. We will use your charm to win the hearts of the American Public."

"Don't worry, dummy! You're getting off easy." Christopher Robyn muttered, putting an uncomforting hand around Richard's shoulder.

"I told them we should let the Christians crucify you. They satisfy themselves, we all have a good laugh and go home happy, having gotten rid of you," he snickers evilly. "But Seth started whining about having to clean up all the blood. So now go shake your ass for the press!"

"Let's all relax," Eddie added, standing straight instead of in his martial arts stance. "Diaz is right. We don't need to get violent. We're looking like some broken down Power Rangers out here for nothing."

Everyone chuckled at that, except for Richard. The sparks completely stopped from his magic wand, and he watched the oncoming protestors sadly. He'd much rather stay with his team and deal with them than alone with the evil media.

When he thought of the media, he thought of paparazzi and the reason his parents hardly let him leave the house, even in disguise. And that was why he knew almost nothing about the real world, which had made him naive and the weakest one out of the 4 boys.

But remembering the paparazzi also reminded him of the glaring camera lights blinding him, which reminded him of…

The water, Kaye's hand, and that dazzling world full of white light…

"RICH!"

He snapped back to attention at Seth's call. The Holy Ones were before them shouting and chanting.

"Hell no! Witches GO! Hell no! Witches GO!"

A news woman hopped out of her news van, adjusting her skirt. She and her crew set up a camera and pointed them straight at Diaz and the 4 boys.

Richard gave Seth a last, begging look. Unmerciful, Seth twerked his head towards the newspeople.

"Go get em!"

Rich rolled his eyes and groaned. But he obediently headed in the news people's direction, because Seth always obeyed Kaye, but Rich always obeyed Seth.

"How about a tour of our school?" Richard said to the news lady after he had lumbered over to her. He pushed out the best smile he could and tried to be "charming", but his heart was so not into this.

It didn't matter though. Rich knew these folks didn't want charm, they wanted BLOOD. And he would have to give it to them.

Because he was the sacrifice, after all.