[Center][h2][b][color=Gold]Morrigan Cade[/color][/b][/h2][/center]

[Color=gray]There was a niggle at the back of his mind, a persistent reminder that things were off. Morrigan knew how his body should be reacting—still hung up on the phantom memories that lurked within the recesses of his mind. There should be a buzzing beneath his skin, fingers twitching in tune with an anxiety riddled heartbeat. But instead he felt an unnerving calm to his form. The feel of ice and peace that lavished every movement while his mind raked over the event to come. 

[I][color=gold]Annabelle[/color],[/i] the mere thought of her name sent a trill of excitement down his spine. Emotions weren’t cut off, not like most humans had speculated, but thrust unto a peak of a high. While his body didn’t react to the anxiety his mind bathed in—it still felt the pangs of joy at his sister’s name. It was his silver lining, the bright spot in his now darkened world. 

He would be at the same academy she had been sent to all those years ago. And hopefully it would be there that he could find all the missing pieces about her whereabouts. Annabelle Cade, his memory sparked to life, she shared the same unnerving blue eyes he had. But favored their mother with her coppery tresses forever pulled back into a hasty pony tail. How he wondered how much she had changed.

And how she would take the news.  

He felt the corners of his mouth twist up into a small smile, his nerves now being overrun with excitement. This was an adventure, he would remind himself. To enter the world he always was so curious about. It wasn’t exactly the way he [i]wanted[/i] to learn about the relationship between the mages and the vampires—but by this point he didn’t have the luxury of complaining. 

The car began to lull as it slowed down, he could feel the subtle lurch as the driver stepped on the breaks. It wasn’t particularly interesting sitting in the back of a blacked out car, missing the opportunity to stare out the windows. But Morrigan wasn’t going to complain—especially not after his first-hand experience with ambient sunlight. The burn had taken a solid week to heal. He didn’t want to know what full on sunlight would do to him. So instead he tempered his boredom by playing over scenarios in his mind's eye while they has drove.

He could hear the lofty chatter before the car pulled to a full stop. The sounds and smells spilling into the backseat as he pushed open the door. Morrigan slid out of the car and into the cool night, his hand reaching up to adjust the knot of his tie before stepping away. 

The academy was more impressive in person than any photo showed. Had he been a man who breathed he would have been stuck gasping at the craftsmanship as it loomed over him. Part of him wanted to walk over and touch the stone, feel its solidness beneath his own fingertips. But instead his feet turned on their own accord and moved him into the main hall.

Vampires and mages mingled together, a sense of joy and excitement was only soured by the faint lingering of fear wafting off of a few select humans. Morrigan threaded his way through the masses. Everyone was dressed to impress—shining bright enough to put the stars to shame. 

As he went he looked for the boy in the photograph he had been given. A sullen looking teen with muddy brown hair and what looked like a permanent scowl etched across his face. Morrigan wasn’t sure how well the pairing would be, but he was optimistic that the photo was just taken at a bad time. 

A voice broke out over the din, a sound so soft that it brushed against his fraying mind and commanded attention with the authority laced within her words. [I]The princess.[/i] He looked up at her practically glowing face. Her words sweeping through the crowd, bringing with it new invigoration. 

For Morrigan, he clung to every syllable that dripped from her painted mouth. She was the visage that would start his new journey. And a genuine smile split across his face as her speech came to an end. 

As the party began to stir back to its previous conversations, he pressed himself over to one of the entrance walls. His eyes scanning over the mass as he waited for his partner to arrive.[/color]