"Have you ever heard of Aria?"

"What is that, grandma?"

"It's a magical country in the sky, a heavenly paradise..."

BAM!

Lucy's head flew up and had hit the wall that she was leaning against for support. Pain flashed, and for a moment Lucy saw stars. After a long and grueling day in the mines, Lucy was tired, grouchy, and having weird flashbacks to her younger self; her younger self, the beautiful past where everything had been absolutely perfect.

These days, Lucy had to work hard in the diamond mines to support her younger brother and herself. Ever since her mom and dad had died in the 12 car pile-up, nothing had been the same.

With her eyes half open, Lucy trudged slowly down the rotting stairs. Taking a glance at the hall mirror, Lucy grimaced when she took in her appearance. The long dirty blond hair that she had inherited from the mother was caked with dust. Her pale skin was covered with angry red scrapes and purple bruises were beginning to bloom. Underneath her weight, the stairs creaked. The house was beginning to crumble and cave in. Sooner or later, they would have to be evicted from the premises. As she grabbed her frayed blue coat, a shadow flickered outside the window. It was just for a second, but Lucy had sworn she saw a pair of enormous, green, cat-like eyes staring at her with an utmost fury.

But mind you, it was only a second. Lucy rubbed her own sky blue eyes with her fist, surprised at the suddenness of it all. She had never gazed into eyes like that in her 16 years. No human, or even animal, had glowing eyes like the ones she saw peering into the shack.

Tentatively, Lucy reached for the rusty doorknob and turned it. The splintered wooden door opened with an eerie creaking sound that would've frightened Lucy if the sky were darker. However, the blazing sun was just beginning its descent over the horizon. Darkness would not fall for at least an hour.

Snap out of it, Lucy. It was just a slight apparition. Nothing to be afraid of.

Walking a little straighter, Lucy took the two miles to her brother's school.

St. Arnold's Academy was a run-down building, where the paint was peeling. Lucy had very little money to send Sam anywhere to receive a decent education. Stepping inside the school, a mixture of smells had hit her. Every time you walked inside, a wave of ammonia, mushrooms, and burnt plastic filled your nostrils.

"There you are!"

A figure had flitted across the room and into Lucy's warm arms. She grinned and looked down to see a red haired boy smiling at her. Thirteen-year-old Sam was 5'4", fair-skinned, and possessed the same dazzling eyes she had

"You're late!" Sam exclaimed. "What happened? You're usually here right on the dot!"

Lucy chuckled. Seeing her brother all riled up had that effect on her.

"I know, I know. I dozed off, is all. How about we go home and cook something delicious?"

Sam perked up at the thought of smelling something ambrosial instead of the school stench. Being stuck inside St. Arnold's all day was like walking into quicksand and anticipating a hero to drag you out. He dashed down the checkered hallway with an angelic grace Lucy admired.

As if he had wings, Lucy thought. All of a sudden, she heard a deafening crash at the end of the hall. Startled and a little worried, Lucy sprinted down the hall and laid eyes on the catastrophe that was her brother. It looked like a maelstrom had passed through the school, leaving papers, books, pencils, and pens scattered everywhere. Sam was lying on his stomach not making a sound.

"Samael Brunel!" screeched a bespectacled teacher. This teacher was dressed head to toe in dull gray from her sensible shoes to the roots of her hair. Lucy realized that one of the educator's shoes were missing and hanging by the strobe ceiling lights. Struggling to stifle her laugh, Lucy covered her mouth with her fist.

"I have never seen such reckless behavior in my life! You could have killed me and our new star student, Mr. Uriel Lukas! Honestly, I should have you expelled!"

"Expelled?" croaked Lucy. She had worked so hard to support her brother's education every single day in the mines, just to let it all go by a heartless teacher. A roaring fire blazed in her stomach and fueled her anger. How dare she? The two siblings were barely getting along as it was, and this teacher was going to ruin what little they had of their lives? Not on her watch.

"Listen here, teach -"

"Ms. Robinson, I'm sure you could find an exception for Mr. Brunel here," the black- haired youth suggested. "You and I are not hurt, and I'm sure Mr. Brunel did not mean to threaten your life in any way."

"W-w-well, I...", started the flustered Ms. Robinson. "Ahem. Y-you are excused."

Lucy let out a sigh of relief. For a moment there, the spindly legged teacher had her going. She spun around to thank her rescuer, but stopped short, frozen on the spot.

"Sis? Hey, Lucy? What's wrong?" Sam had just pushed himself off the floor and brushed the dirt off his clothes. His sneakers squeaked noisily on the floor, and his curly hair was extremely messy. "You look a little paler than usual, like you've just seen a ghost..."

But Lucy could no longer hear her anxious little brother. His voice sounded distant and far off, as if he was calling to her in the desert. With a jolt of surprise, Lucy's eyes widened as she locked stares with a pair of gleaming green cat eyes.