Now, inside the walls of this power filled school were people of all types and skills. All were here to learn and hone their power, but if you looked, there was a strange sight. In the back, out of sight and out of mind, was a girl no one knew. She had black hair and eyes, pale skin, and always had a simple black dress on. The odd thing was, she always wore a pale rose-colored mask, one that she never took off.

This girl was named Shadow, and no one knew what her power was. Of course people were curious but her cold and menacing eyes kept others away. The only person who could, and wanted to, get close was her best friend of many years, Clark. Remember him, he'll be important real soon. Of course, what school would be complete without the popular kids, and they knew what they wanted. You see for as long as she had been here, Shadow never said a word, or removed the mask. The populers were determined to know what was under it, and they knew just what to do.

Every month the school had a huge pep rally to talk about events and stuff. But this would be a rally no one would forget, Dakota would make sure of that. He was the strongest in the school and he was going to use it. The rally was underway and Shadow was sitting in the bottom corner where she always was. But when the presentation glitched out, Dakota stepped on stage and had Clark in his grasp, a gun made of magic to his head.

"Get up here Shadow, come save your friend!"

Without hesitation, Shadow launched from her seat and scrambled onto the other side of the stage, staring wide-eyed at the seen in front of her.

"So it's about time you showed us your little secret. What the hell is behind the mask Shadow?"

She was frozen in fear and shock, there was no way she could show them. No no, she can't.

"Take off the mask bitch! Or he takes a bullet!"

She was frozen still, not even breathing. She closes her eyes and twitches, before straightening up and looking at him with a look of pure determination and anger. Closing her eyes once more, slowly, she lifts her hands up to her mouth. Hooking her fingers into the loops of rough fabric behind her ears, and gently pulls them off. She pulls the cloth away, and the room filled with gasped and screams, as she then holds it in her left hand before dropping it. After it left her hand she opens her eyes that were filled with pain, anger, and determination.

What she had been hiding for years was revealed, her mouth was sewn shut. It was sealed tightly shut with many crisscrossed greenish twine looking strings. They were precise and neat, as if they were a part of a golden tapestry. Her skin was healthy and clean, healed into the twine like it was a part of her. Dakota let go of Clark and he ran to Shadow, who made him run to safety, before looking back to Dakoda.

"Hahaha, so this whole time you were hiding this? Wow, you must have pissed off one of the higher beings and this is what you get hahaha!"

Shadow closed her eyes and looked away to keep from crying. Just then a bright light broke the room, stopping Dakoda's laughter. From the sky came one of the higher beings, Lucy the cryomancer. Dakoda was about to start bashing Shadow to her, but lucy was not having it. With her power she froze his mouth for a moment before releasing him, he kept quiet. Lucy turned to Shadow who was looking at the floor.

"Oh my poor darling, what have they forced you into."