The bright sunshine creeps through the curtains in my bedroom. I slowly open my eyes letting them adjust to the dawning of a brand new day. My annoying alarm clock goes off; I switch it off within three rings. Shards of the previous dream reappeared in the back of my eyes. I dragged myself out of bed and got dressed into my school uniform, I didn’t feel like wearing my school dress today so I wore the school polo shirt and ugly chequered skirt instead. Red, blue and grey had to be the ugliest mix of colours known to man but that horrific collection of colours had to belong to the school uniform. Four years ago – from what I’ve heard from older students – The ding dong of a staff member who designed the school uniform left the school three weeks after making the new uniform compulsory. It’s a bit disheartening it ended in such extremes but that’s Calleford secondary for you.
I cut through the lounge room on the way to the kitchen. Alan sat on the floor eating his cereal in front of the TV.
“Morning Rhi” Alan waved focusing on his morning shows. He swallowed a spoonful of sugar coated cereal. I smiled and said a quick good morning. He was still in troll form and did not have to think about getting ready for another half an hour. Bryan would drop him, Alice, Charlie and Tyson off at their happy little primary school at quarter to nine. Primary school days, good times, good times. Life with the so called ‘Stevens’ cannot be called rough, harsh or even weird. What’s the word? I can’t remember and although settling in was a like riding a rollercoaster with a stomach full of hotdogs, I couldn’t have asked to be fostered out by a better bunch of people, I mean ... creatures. They all come from an underworld region from Kalumbu which literally sits just below Australia and pretend to be related as part of an underworld border home set up on the surface. And they don’t even come under the medieval Hollywood fantasy stereotype – they laugh at the fantasy shows on TV, to be honest. – They just act like one big family and turn to a human form whenever it’s necessary to leave the house. I noticed Harry in human form sitting quietly in Wilbur’s chair, also known as the loner’s chair. He was in his Calleford uniform too wearing oversized skate shoes with loose shorts. His blonde hair and hazel eyes used to look so natural, now whenever I came into the room his eyes would harden and his very loose curly hair would cover his eyes.
“Morning” I say awkwardly with my shoulders hunched up to my ears. I broke up with Harry a few weeks ago, it was too weird and I never had any feelings for him in the first place. He randomly planted one on me on our doorstep and I was too busy fantasising about my first kiss to say ‘no, we can’t go out’.
“The bus is coming in thirty minutes” He said grudgingly.
As much as I wanted to get back on speaking terms he simply wasn’t ready.
“C’mon Harry” I moaned pulling a sad face for a moment. “I want to be your friend.”
“Exactly. Just a friend” He replied. “In case you ever noticed, I had feelings for you.”
“We’re two different people. Wait a minute, you’re a golem, and we are too different”
This isn’t the first time we’ve had this conversation it’s more like the twentieth and still we didn’t get anywhere.
“You just have to accept my friendship; otherwise we can no longer talk to each other.” I added assertively.
He did not say anything.
“Harry” I nag.
“Oh c’mon Rhi, you can’t simply expect me to get over it”
“Well I did” I cross my arms like a child.
“That’s cuz you’re a...” His voice trailed off.
“I’m a what?”
“...”
“Excuse me?”
“Never mind” He tilted his head trying to see the TV.
“What am I Harry? You just said it, say it again” I tap my foot impatiently.
“Diva, you’re a diva” He mumbled.
“Thank you”
Diva was my nickname, although the politically correct definition of a ‘diva’ is overdramatic, impulsive and princess-like, when the Steven’s call me a diva they mean moody and weird, for being the human of the household.
“Just try to understand what I’m saying”
“Rhi, please stop your just being really awkward” He interrupted and looked at me like I had leprosy.
I forced a smile with hope.
“Unless you want to get back to where we started...” His tone changed from rough to charming.
“Harry.” I said sternly. “It’s not gonna happen.”
He frowned again.
“If I catch you with Bayley or Simon or with anyone else under this roof, this place is going to turn Hamlet. “ Him and his new interest in Shakespeare novels.
“Whatever” I tried to consider the warning.

In the kitchen everyone was in their school morning routine, this included Alice still asleep, Wilbur quietly eating his toast and Hannah preparing her porridge and Bayley - in beast form – swinging back on his chair eating the cereal straight of the box. Hannah shunted him a bowl. “I know you hate milk but you can still eat cereal in a civilised fashion.” She reprimanded.

Bayley frowned and poured some cereal into the bowl then ate it in handfuls like potato chips. Hannah rolled her eyes, when she meant in a civilised fashion it included a spoon too.
Simon came out of the bathroom in human form dressed in uniform. I looked down at his skate shoes.
“Since when did you guys figure out skate shoes were in?”
“What? They’re black, lace up shoes exactly what the school wanted and it’s the last day of school nobody’s gonna care” Simon shrugged. “You could get away with your ballet flats if you wanted to”
I nodded. He had a point there.
Wilbur pushed the newspaper to the centre of the table, for Bryan to pick up later when he finally got out of bed.
The Saarb Ritual was the title of the newspaper. Bryan picked up the surface world’s paper later in the morning. I read the headline on the front cover.
SENATOR’S STRATEGIES TO MINGLE WITH MONARCH
Stupid Colloquial terms in headline got me interested in the headline.
“I’m having a shower” Bayley announced heading off for the bathroom.
I put my toast in the toaster and sat back down to read the article.

SENATOR’S STRATEGIES TO MINGLE WITH MONARCH
For the last seventy six years, Kalumbu has had rises and falls in the beasts and dragons rivalry. Many experts believe just as a fall was upon the region’s citizens, a rise in tension is very likely to happen depending on the outcome of the court trail upon the chief Senator of the Dragon government; Yurmonse Grivel and his nephew/future heir to the throne Prince Harlo Deonte. The trial taking place in three days will discuss the potential punishment of Deonte after he stabbed the senator in the left leg for no apparent reason two weeks ago.
Grivel came out of hospital outside the Marcus Luc stronghold five days ago. The Senator has not been to any parliament meetings since the stabbing and yesterday held a press conference for the newspapers and citizens sharing his point of view of the ‘terrifying’ experience. “Juda has given me a new angle of life since the battle. She told me it’s time the beasts stepped down from their posts as dominant race and let a more balanced species step in to fill their colossal shoes.” Grivel announced. He appeared to the conference using a walking stick. The severity of the stabbing was one of the first things he discussed. “Never again shall I be able to walk far without aid, the weapon used by prince went in so deep it
Penetrated the thigh bone. My days of living without pain are over”. Awe came across the crowd - exceeding twelve thousand - after that part of the Senators speech. He concluded that Deonte should feel great regret for what he did to his fellow uncle and should be harshly punished. “Desmonda should not show any sympathy for his son, even if he is the only remaining child of the Deonte family. If his majesty was by my side right now I would plead for him to review his decision to the give the prince the almighty position as King. ‘How can he give a role to a child that cannot contain their own anger let alone run a developing region?’ ” Since the conference the stock market has headed south. Only the stocks with majority shareholders being dragons have risen ever so slightly.









Reporting









Bruce Aaron










(Dark wizard)

I buttered my toast and munched on it at the table reflecting on the article in my head.
“Did you understand the language?” Wilbur asked.
“It’s not that hard to understand” I shrug.
“You’re in confusion” Wilbur read my face. “Would you like to explain?”
Simon and Hannah had left the kitchen, Wilbur and I were alone. Like the journalist, he was a dark wizard too, meaning if he felt comfortable and could see no danger, he would tell the truth. I took a moment to figure out what I wanted to ask. “This article is about Yurmonse’s interview from the stabbing a few weeks back. It mentions Harlo Deonte stabbing him in the leg. Is that Bayley?” I took a bite out of my toast.
“Yes. You know him as Bayley and so does everyone else in this house but that is only his nick name, Harlo’s his name” Wilbur replied.
Harlo Deonte. What a weird name; the second he comes out of the bathroom I am not going to look at him straight, or as Bayley.
“But don’t call him that, his doesn’t like his full name” Wilbur added.
No duh Wilbur, otherwise Bayley, I mean Harlo; would have told me.
Speaking of the devil, Bayley came out the bathroom in his human form smelling of deodorant and toothpaste. His shaggy black hair matched his black skate shoes. My instincts were right I couldn’t look at him straight and it didn’t take him long to figure it out.
“What are you staring at?” He asked, roughly in his human voice – which wasn’t as deep and horsey like his beast voice.
“Someone can read Kalumbu print.” Wilbur answered proudly facing away from Bayley.
“No way, you can read?” Bayley teased.
Wilbur scrawled under his otala, the cloth that prevented everyone from seeing his face.
“Very funny, I was talking about Rhi” He countered calmly.
Bayley’s eyes darted to the newspaper on the table; he skimmed through the first section of the article.
“You’re the apple of the underworld media’s eye at the moment” I murmured leaving my plate only present with breadcrumbs.
“Yeah that’s new” Bayley replied sarcastically. He continued to skim through the article.
He was halfway through it before he gave me a blank expression. I patiently waited for him to say something.
“I can explain. My real name is stupid,”
I smirked.
“Sure is Harlo” I muse.
He pulled a face then continued reading the article. It was going to take him longer to pick up the topic question then I thought.
“Why are you due in court?” I demand.
Bayley finished reading the last paragraph and slid the paper away.
“Because I committed a crime. When you commit a crime you usually go to court. Duh,” He explained blandly.
“And...”
Wilbur sat quietly, listening in to our discussion.
“Since it’s about Yurmonse and me, and since we are both royals our case is top priority that is why it is so soon. I’m on bail at the moment.”
I rested my head against the tabletop, that wasn’t exactly what I was asking.
“She wants to know if you are going to end up in jail, stupid” Wilbur said.
“Shut up Will” Bayley barked.
“Make me Harlo” Wilbur challenged.
Bayley darted Wilbur a greasy and turned to me again.
“No matter what happens I am not going to end up in jail” He assured.
“But you’re guilty and thanks to Yurmonse’s speech, he’s got the public on his side.” I complain.
“True, but the way the court has been set up is a little different to most cases, and you’d be surprised by the outcome” He smirked.
“Let me guess, your punishment is decided by your dad” Wilbur replied dully and rested his head on the table too.
“Yep and that’s the way the cookie crumbles.” Bayley stood up straight and nodded with satisfaction.
Simon came through the doorway, holding his schoolbag. “The bus is coming in twenty minutes, we should start walking soon” He reminded.
“Gimme ten minutes and we’ll be out of here” I answer.
Simon smiled. “Bayley, Will, why did we have to take a girl out of foster care? Oh no, bad hair day. Where’s my mascara?” He sulked. “If Rhi was a guy, we could stink, tease and wrestle her all we wanted”
It was okay I knew they we’re joking.
“Harry wouldn’t be pissed at me either” Bayley agreed.
“But if I was dude then wouldn’t you two be arguing over who’s the better friend?” I point out.
Bayley paused for a second. “You heard Simon and I” He barked. “Grow some balls or get lost”