Erik Grunwald slumped in the backseat of the limo that carried him to St. Helena Academy. St. Helena, he thought bitterly. What a perfect name for a place of exile.
Erik didn't really fit in at home. Unlike his brothers and sister, Erik wasn't really Helmut Grunwald's son. His mother had been enchanted one midsummer's night, and he had been born nine months later. Erik's father wasn't human, and lately his heritage had been making itself known.
Erik had a magical gift that he had almost no control over. His mother knew that sooner or later, one of Erik's "accidents" would happen that couldn't be dismissed or ignored, and she would be ruined. So, she packed him off to a boarding school in another country.
When the school finally came into view, Erik saw that the buildings were made of stone and looked like something from the 19th century, instead of the 21st. Gardens, hedges and walls surrounded the school compound, and gave it a feeling of isolation. It really was like Erik had stepped back into another time. Then, he saw the cluster of satellite dishes and antennas on top of one of the buildings and he didn't feel so lost in the past.
Erik didn't really fit in at home. Unlike his brothers and sister, Erik wasn't really Helmut Grunwald's son. His mother had been enchanted one midsummer's night, and he had been born nine months later. Erik's father wasn't human, and lately his heritage had been making itself known.
Erik had a magical gift that he had almost no control over. His mother knew that sooner or later, one of Erik's "accidents" would happen that couldn't be dismissed or ignored, and she would be ruined. So, she packed him off to a boarding school in another country.
When the school finally came into view, Erik saw that the buildings were made of stone and looked like something from the 19th century, instead of the 21st. Gardens, hedges and walls surrounded the school compound, and gave it a feeling of isolation. It really was like Erik had stepped back into another time. Then, he saw the cluster of satellite dishes and antennas on top of one of the buildings and he didn't feel so lost in the past.