When Christine was little, she dreamed of a family that treated her like the girl she was. In Gillian, it has been hard for the last two generations of parents to really pay attention to their kids. Christine's life was filled with neglect, and now that she had become a parent to a young boy, it meant she could give the baby a chance. A chance to feel loved, and to be special.

After the magic class is finished, a portion of the eighth-grade class that is sectioned into section A, are the first to group to begin the first Rally.

Rallies are when the scholars (eighth graders and up) go out and about the town of Gillian, rallying up the lost and abandoned children that are left to starve out in the streets. With spring around the corner, Gillian can get ridiculously hot, extremely fast.

The scholars are usually driven by a large coach led by white stallions, and they travel around Gillian looking for children. There are about ten coaches, each one going a different route and bringing back children and soon to be nannies, ages ranging from six to eighteen. Sometimes, the kids are younger than six. They have these Rallies once a week, and civilians who live in the KSDL can sign up to become a part of that week's Rally. For eighth graders, this one in particular is mandatory.

At the moment, section A waits behind the glass front doors of the school as the ten coaches begin to be lined up behind each other, wrapping around the fountain. Finley, Cailin, Ella, and Julian are a part of section A. As they and the rest of A stand in a small group by the front doors, word is already going around about what happened in magic class. The four kids try to ignore all the whispers as the instructor tells them all the rules and regulations, in addition to some safety requirements.

"Rule number one: never exit the coach under any circumstances, unless you are picking up a child. Rule number two: do not stray too far away from the coach, we don’t want you to get lost. Rule number three: always remain vigilant. Pedestrians and other people that walk around Gillian will want to hop on the coach. If that happens, get them off. We do not care how you do it, your safety comes before anyone else's.”

   Of course, the townspeople are very aware of these Rallies, but they are never sure whether the coaches are ordinary, or if they belong to the castle. This is for safety reasons. Sometimes regular pedestrians that are desperate to be taken away, usually hop themselves on the coaches, but soon are kicked off.

"You will choose which group you want to travel with. No more than four, no less than three. You will get with your groups and wait for your names to be called so you can be escorted to your coach. Do not stop for candy, do not stop because you see some neat clothes you want, and do not stop somewhere for lunch. The coachman knows the route, and the rules. He will not stop because you see something that you might like.

"If you see a child, tell them who you are, and escort them safely at their own pace, to the back carriage. You cannot pick up more than ten children, for that’s all the carriage can carry. And remember, try your best not to be suspicious. Any questions?"

Once a moment passes without any questions being asked, the mentor nods. He turns on his heels to open the glass front doors. A Universe Dragon waits by the coaches as the mentor begins to split the groups to their own carriages, working like an assembly line. Once the first group leaves, the carriage begins on their specific route, the others moving up for the next group.

Finley is a little nervous, grasping Cailin's hand to try and find some comfort. Cailin looks down at him with a smile. "We'll be fine, Fin. Since we have our wands working, we're allowed to bring them on the mission. No one will be able to touch us. Aren't you excited?"

Finley glances up at his friend before shrugging, slowly nodding. "I guess I’m a little excited."

"I'm excited!" Ella states loudly, turning to give Julian a high five.

"So am I. Who knows, Finley. Maybe we can add someone into our group of friends. Think of it like… finding a friend."

The blonde giggles at Julian's explanation, nodding. He can feel himself becoming more confident. "For sure,” he states with a smile as the mentor calls their names.

The white stallions trot forward, the horses scoffing as the coachman hops off his stand. He walks over to the carriage doors, opening them for Cailin who enters first. Finley follows with Julian and Ella close behind, ignoring the whispers and evil eyes that follow them.

Everybody is either talking about Finley or Cailin. While some are awed and in shock, others are jealous and angry. People know how well liked the pair is by the facility, and the dragons. They have been the center of attention for a very long time. Everybody wants to be in Cailin and Finley's spot. So, while a lot of people are nice to them, most are secretly against them. Unfortunately, and for some odd reason, more so Finley. Even with odds against him, the blonde has found out that he does not mind as much as he used too. He has his best friend at his side, nothing could be better.

Once the door is shut, the curtains are pulled closed, except for a small crack, so the scholars can look out and scope the area. The coachman whips the reins, and the horses begin on their route. The Universe Dragon runs next to it as Finley and his friends laugh at the silly creature. Cailin waves when the dragon stops and takes a seat on the lawn, watching the gates open and the coach pull away.

Finley has not ever seen Gillian before. He has never really left the castle walls, and the same goes for Cailin. They are all a little nervous about this, for they do not know what to expect. The last time anybody had met someone from Gillian, was when Finley almost got tricked by one in third grade.

Third grade came fast. The boys were turning eight, while Sarah turned six and was beginning first grade.

At this point in time, the third graders were running out to recess in either the front or back gardens. This was one of the Universe Dragons favorite times of the day, where they would get to entertain the kids as much as they wanted.

If the teachers so do decide to set the kids in the front gardens, they must remain vigilant. The front gardens are right outside the front doors of the school, down the steps, and where the gravel road sits. The road is for coaches and other vehicles that come around every once and awhile. The gravel leads out the gates and into the small town of Gillian.

Gillian is not the safest place, and all caution must be taken seriously. There are many people in Gillian who despise the school and try every waking moment to sabotage or cause havoc in the castle. These quests to destroy have not succeeded yet, but letters are usually mailed to the castle every day. These letters range from requests to death threats, so the dragons are usually out with the children and teachers when they are in the front gardens for safety.

And sometimes, people will just stand outside the large gates, staring at the children. And sometimes, these people are not the most appropriate.

“Hey, kid."

Finley, who was sitting in the dirt not too far away from the gate, was playing around in the daisies where the butterflies usually hung around. He looked up, giving a shy smile at the man who stood behind the gate. His hair was matted, eyes wide and tired, clothes dirty.

For some reason, Finley did not take the outside appearance of the man into account. He simply waved innocently. "Hello!"

The man grinned, tilting his head as Finley went back to trying to capture a butterfly in his hands. "Aren't you a pretty little thing…." The man mumbled, which made Finley grin, thinking it was supposed to be a nice compliment. It did not come as a shock to the young boy. In school, he was considered a very pretty child. Though, it was never brought up with malicious intent. Until now.

"Thank you."

"Hey little man, you like secrets?" The man asked, making Finley's eyes widen. He nodded his head.

Penelope had always told him secrets. She would always tell him how important they were, and how you could not tell another soul about them. Finley took secrets and promises very seriously.

The man grinned again at the child’s answer, pushing a hand through the bars of the gates. "Well, come on then. I can't tell you from way over there. Secrets are secret, don't you know? Come closer, so I can whisper it to you."

Finley hesitated, eyes blinking as he tried to think about it. What harm could come from a secret? The man obviously trusted him enough to tell him something important, and that was always an honor. Penelope would always tell him how secrets are only told from the ones who had great trust in you, a person who thinks you are a great friend.

And Finley needed some friends.

He slowly got up, the butterflies fluttering around him as he took a couple steps forward. He was prepared to take more, only to not be able to do so. The blonde flinched when something pulled him back from the gates, a warm puff of air hitting the back of his neck. A low growl rumbled in his ear.

Finley smiled happily, thinking his Universe Dragon friend had probably come to say hello to his new human friend outside the gates as well. Cailin also stood by underneath the beast with arms crossed, not looking happy.

The Universe Dragon was fully formed and gigantic. His sharp teeth held the collar of Finley's shirt gently to keep him from getting any closer. The creature raised his head, Finley giggling when his feet left the floor.

The man looked terrified as the dragon glared down at him, growling, and puffing smoke from his nose. Then, his scales changed from a beautiful multichrome to gray and white. He huffed a small gust of air, the air flicking the man like a bug a long way away from the school gates.

Once the dragon thought it was safe, the creature put Finley down. He crooned as the little boy turned, Finley smiling lightly when the dragon pushed his nose against the blonde’s chest. Finley ran his hands over the creature’s face as his scales turned back to normal.

“I don't know why you did that, the man trusted me enough to tell me a secret!" Finley protested with a frown.

The Universe Dragon gave a deadpan stare, blinking when Cailin rushed out from under him, gripping Finley in a hug. "Fin, are you okay?!"

Finley, confused, hugged him back. "Of course I am, what was that for? The man was going to tell me a secret."

Cailin stepped back to hold his friend at an arm’s length. "Didn’t Penelope tell you about stranger danger?! He was going to hurt you!"

Finley tilted his head, blinking. "I only felt loneliness."

It was true that Finley seemed to have a connection to other people's emotions. This sudden trait only started to develop when he entered kindergarten.

The school had been studying him, as well as Cailin, ever since.

"Well, I’m glad I called a dragon before anything bad could happen," Cailin said, turning to look at the Universe Dragon who was preoccupied with watching the gates again with colorful eyes.