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Bradley Albarn grinned, cockily. "Yes, me. What? Did you expect someone else?" He casually strided over to Cyrus's desk and leaned against it. Cyrus sighed and shook his head slowly.

"I should've known you would be here. With a school full of nuts, I suspected you would be the vice principal" He said.

"Hah! Close, I'm the main guidance counsler."

Cyrus's lips tilted up in the slightest hint of a smile. "Yeah? Can't believe they let someone like you 'guide' their kids." Bradley's eyes sparkled with amusement. Yep, some things never change.

He frowned in mock surprise. "Why, Mr Felton! Whatever do you mean? I'm about the best thing to ever happen to this lovely establisment." He sputtered and dramatically put the back of his hand against his forehead. Cyrus rolled his eyes.

After recovering from his little drama queen skit, Bradley folded his arms and raised his chin. "So what do they have you teaching? Wait, no. Let me guess. Dissecting People 101? Beheading for Beginners?"

He scoffed and leaned back in the big leather chair. "That's the thing, I don't know! I mean, they suspected me to know what I'm doing. I just winged it on the damn interview!" Bradley softened at his old friend's confusion and frustration.

"Cyrus. You teach Remedial and Wavelength lessons," He spoke quietly. He watched as his comrade's head jerk up and eyes glimmer with confusion.

"Wavelength? What does that mean?"

Bradley narrowed his eyes. "What? Don't tell me you don't know the history of this place. Your job is the most important in this whole damned school!"

Cyrus's face must have been a huge question mark because Bradley started explaining, "Cyrus, do you know who George Tatum is?"

He raised a dark eyebrow. "Um, yeah. He's the principal. Do you think I'm an idiot, Brad?"

The expression on the man's face betrayed nothing. "Other than that. The school is named after him, 'Tatum's School for Gifted Youngsters.' It's not called that for nothing. Nor the term 'Gifted.'"

Cyrus stared at him. Where was this headed?

Bradley closed his eyes for a moment, then opened. He sighed, "You might have to sit down for this. It's some story...." He cleared his throat. "Alright. You know how in the old days, people were proclaimed as witches and vampires, that sort of stuff?"

"Yes....those guys were burned at the stake. So what?"

"Well, all that was real. Especially the belief in demons. Though in this time, our era, we call them Pretas, which in Hindu mythology, the Pretas are the spirits of dead people that inhabit Preta-Loka, the realm of tortured spirits."

"And let me guess, these Pretas have something to do with the school?"

"Yes, but quit interrupting." Bradley continued on, "A long time ago, about one millenium, give or take a few years, anyone could see a Pretas. They roamed the earth devouring the souls of humans. Only a few humans could stop and completely destory them. After vanquished, Pretas leave behind their own soul. The people who can kill them are called Guardians and Hunters. For example, I am a Hunter."

"Guardians? Hunters? Explain." Cyrus had leaned forward in anticipation, getting more interested by the second.

"Well, each Guardian is a paired up with a Hunter as life-long partners." Bradley paused and chuckled a bit. "It gives the term 'soul-mates' a whole new meaning. Each partner must have a similar Wavelength, which means the rhythm of one's soul. The Wavelength carries the true characteristics of a person's soul. With me so far?"

Cyrus nodded.

"Okay so Hunters, which is me, are human beings that have the ability to transform themselves into a weapon. Guardians wield them. Together, they can achieve a greater amount of power than they would on their own." He paused to let this sink in. "Hunters are always prepared to die for their Guardian. No more, no less. When they kill the Pretas, the soul remains. Hunters then eat the soul which make them stronger. They must require ninety nine Pretas souls and one witch soul to become a Shadowhunter. The strongest they can become."

Cyrus cocked his head. "Witches?"

"Yes. Witches are of the same gene of Pretas but more deadly. For some unexplaned reason, they despise us." He shrugged nonchalantly.

"So what does this have to do with George Tatum? I already guessed that he must have made this school to teach the Guardians and Hunters but there's more than that I'm guessing."

"Right you are, Cy. The most powerful Pretas was called the Faye. It was made purely of madness."

"Madness? What do you mean by that?"

Bradley frowned. "You should know what Madness is. You lived with it since childhood." He stared at him for what seemed forever. He was waiting for him to be shocked by this news, but he wasn't. Cyrus was expecting this to be brought up ever since he became a teacher at this academy. Also what didn't shock him was that Bradley be the one who said it. They were friends since childhood and he had witnessed Cyrus's psychotic breakdowns, the moments when he just loses it and loses sense of reality. The memories send shivers down his spine. And even in these days, did he feel the control of it slipping more and more each day.

He gulped and nodded. "Go on, you were saying? What happened to this Faye?"

Bradley blinked his big hazel eyes and hesitated, as if he were coming back from a memory that had suddenly took him far far away. "Well, George was one of the most powerful, and still is, Guardian this world has ever known. He didn't kill the Faye, no, but sealed him in the depths of the school underground."

"But...why didn't he kill it?"

"George Tatum isn't that sort of person. He imprisoned the Faye underground in a seal of it's own skin."

Cyrus's blue eyes widened in surprise. "What? He, like, stripped the skin off of it? Why?"

"He did it to make a sack to seal Faye in. It was supposed to contain Faye's soul, body and all of it's Madness....and Faye's own skin would make the best seal. Then George drew out all of Faye's blood...and stuffed the dried up body and soul into the sack. Faye's body thirsts for blood. The only way to revive it...is inject a special type of blood into it."

At this point, Cyrus had stood up and slammed his hands onto the desk. "What dumbass would think of trying to awaken it?! It'll cause destruction and mayhem and all of George Tatum's work would go to waste!" His face was going red in anger.

"I don't know..." Bradley spoke quietly. "But it's the job of us, and all the rest of the staff and students to make sure it's doesn't happen."

Cyrus mumbled to himself, letting this flow through his mind. He had so much to think about and process. Suddenly he came to a question he surprised himself by not asking before. "Wait, what am I then? A Guardian or a Hunter?"

Bradley shocked his friend by laughing. "Oh, you? You, my friend, are a Guardian. And what makes it even more better....your my partner."

"Oh boy...." And for the first time in his life, Cyrus Felton passed out.

Description
Bradley Albarn grinned, cockily. "Yes, me. What? Did you expect someone else?" He casually strided over to Cyrus's desk and leaned against it. Cyrus sighed and shook his head slowly.

"I should've known you would be here. With a school full of nuts, I suspected you would be the vice principal" He said.

"Hah! Close, I'm the main guidance counsler."

Cyrus's lips tilted up in the slightest hint of a smile. "Yeah? Can't believe they let someone like you 'guide' their kids." Bradley's eyes sparkled with amusement. Yep, some things never change.

He frowned in mock surprise. "Why, Mr Felton! Whatever do you mean? I'm about the best thing to ever happen to this lovely establisment." He sputtered and dramatically put the back of his hand against his forehead. Cyrus rolled his eyes.

After recovering from his little drama queen skit, Bradley folded his arms and raised his chin. "So what do they have you teaching? Wait, no. Let me guess. Dissecting People 101? Beheading for Beginners?"

He scoffed and leaned back in the big leather chair. "That's the thing, I don't know! I mean, they suspected me to know what I'm doing. I just winged it on the damn interview!" Bradley softened at his old friend's confusion and frustration.

"Cyrus. You teach Remedial and Wavelength lessons," He spoke quietly. He watched as his comrade's head jerk up and eyes glimmer with confusion.

"Wavelength? What does that mean?"

Bradley narrowed his eyes. "What? Don't tell me you don't know the history of this place. Your job is the most important in this whole damned school!"

Cyrus's face must have been a huge question mark because Bradley started explaining, "Cyrus, do you know who George Tatum is?"

He raised a dark eyebrow. "Um, yeah. He's the principal. Do you think I'm an idiot, Brad?"

The expression on the man's face betrayed nothing. "Other than that. The school is named after him, 'Tatum's School for Gifted Youngsters.' It's not called that for nothing. Nor the term 'Gifted.'"

Cyrus stared at him. Where was this headed?

Bradley closed his eyes for a moment, then opened. He sighed, "You might have to sit down for this. It's some story...." He cleared his throat. "Alright. You know how in the old days, people were proclaimed as witches and vampires, that sort of stuff?"

"Yes....those guys were burned at the stake. So what?"

"Well, all that was real. Especially the belief in demons. Though in this time, our era, we call them Pretas, which in Hindu mythology, the Pretas are the spirits of dead people that inhabit Preta-Loka, the realm of tortured spirits."

"And let me guess, these Pretas have something to do with the school?"

"Yes, but quit interrupting." Bradley continued on, "A long time ago, about one millenium, give or take a few years, anyone could see a Pretas. They roamed the earth devouring the souls of humans. Only a few humans could stop and completely destory them. After vanquished, Pretas leave behind their own soul. The people who can kill them are called Guardians and Hunters. For example, I am a Hunter."

"Guardians? Hunters? Explain." Cyrus had leaned forward in anticipation, getting more interested by the second.

"Well, each Guardian is a paired up with a Hunter as life-long partners." Bradley paused and chuckled a bit. "It gives the term 'soul-mates' a whole new meaning. Each partner must have a similar Wavelength, which means the rhythm of one's soul. The Wavelength carries the true characteristics of a person's soul. With me so far?"

Cyrus nodded.

"Okay so Hunters, which is me, are human beings that have the ability to transform themselves into a weapon. Guardians wield them. Together, they can achieve a greater amount of power than they would on their own." He paused to let this sink in. "Hunters are always prepared to die for their Guardian. No more, no less. When they kill the Pretas, the soul remains. Hunters then eat the soul which make them stronger. They must require ninety nine Pretas souls and one witch soul to become a Shadowhunter. The strongest they can become."

Cyrus cocked his head. "Witches?"

"Yes. Witches are of the same gene of Pretas but more deadly. For some unexplaned reason, they despise us." He shrugged nonchalantly.

"So what does this have to do with George Tatum? I already guessed that he must have made this school to teach the Guardians and Hunters but there's more than that I'm guessing."

"Right you are, Cy. The most powerful Pretas was called the Faye. It was made purely of madness."

"Madness? What do you mean by that?"

Bradley frowned. "You should know what Madness is. You lived with it since childhood." He stared at him for what seemed forever. He was waiting for him to be shocked by this news, but he wasn't. Cyrus was expecting this to be brought up ever since he became a teacher at this academy. Also what didn't shock him was that Bradley be the one who said it. They were friends since childhood and he had witnessed Cyrus's psychotic breakdowns, the moments when he just loses it and loses sense of reality. The memories send shivers down his spine. And even in these days, did he feel the control of it slipping more and more each day.

He gulped and nodded. "Go on, you were saying? What happened to this Faye?"

Bradley blinked his big hazel eyes and hesitated, as if he were coming back from a memory that had suddenly took him far far away. "Well, George was one of the most powerful, and still is, Guardian this world has ever known. He didn't kill the Faye, no, but sealed him in the depths of the school underground."

"But...why didn't he kill it?"

"George Tatum isn't that sort of person. He imprisoned the Faye underground in a seal of it's own skin."

Cyrus's blue eyes widened in surprise. "What? He, like, stripped the skin off of it? Why?"

"He did it to make a sack to seal Faye in. It was supposed to contain Faye's soul, body and all of it's Madness....and Faye's own skin would make the best seal. Then George drew out all of Faye's blood...and stuffed the dried up body and soul into the sack. Faye's body thirsts for blood. The only way to revive it...is inject a special type of blood into it."

At this point, Cyrus had stood up and slammed his hands onto the desk. "What dumbass would think of trying to awaken it?! It'll cause destruction and mayhem and all of George Tatum's work would go to waste!" His face was going red in anger.

"I don't know..." Bradley spoke quietly. "But it's the job of us, and all the rest of the staff and students to make sure it's doesn't happen."

Cyrus mumbled to himself, letting this flow through his mind. He had so much to think about and process. Suddenly he came to a question he surprised himself by not asking before. "Wait, what am I then? A Guardian or a Hunter?"

Bradley shocked his friend by laughing. "Oh, you? You, my friend, are a Guardian. And what makes it even more better....your my partner."

"Oh boy...." And for the first time in his life, Cyrus Felton passed out.