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| - Ever feel like your parents were hiding something from you? Like there is this whole other world that your parents know about but won’t tell? Of course you do, every kid does, especially kids like Alexandria. In Alexandria's case, however, her parents really did hide things from her; quite a bit was done as she remained blissfully aware. 'Bliss' is only ever temporary, though, and the truth had to come out sometime. No one knows for sure how far back the Slater line goes, but it is certainly old, and the family has firm roots in history. Always, the family has been held to a certain amount of power, influence, and wealth; everyone had known this, but only the Slaters themselves ever knew exactly how. All that the Slaters were, all that they had done, was made possible through luck, trickery, and above all their blood... which is thick with their fey origins. Their ancestry was not completely mortal but in part faerie. As a result of this, the Slaters had always been attractive, and sophisticated type of person with a gift for keeping secrets and making schemes. They had libraries dedicated to gaining magical powers to build off their own and powerful spells and for years they had been some of the most powerful mages and spellcrafters around. The Slater family revered its bloodline proudly but it had its effects on them. For one, possibly from bad luck or by some magical law they didn't understand, they only had male children. All women of the Slater family were married in, and their families were all very patriarchal. As another result, it seemed that they were also incapable of having more than two suns at any given time. The family, as a result, remained fairly small even after its generations passed and one after the other, their powers of which they were so proud dwindled. It came to a point in time, where the Slater men recognized themselves as average and so they formed plans of getting their abilities back... but again, years passed with no success, they barked up trees that were never meant to be disturbed. Men of the Slater clan died mysterious deaths, some went missing, appeared murdered, and worse over decades of time. Their search for power had ended up a curse, but each son was told of the same stories of when their clan was younger, taught the magic and given the resources, in hopes that one day they would be the ones back to power, This became the path of all Slater mages. Arthur Slater was no different in his goals, but he had another concern placed upon him. Instead of having two sons, Arthur Slater's parents had three... Typically, a family may find this as a surprise, but the Slaters were outraged. though their limitations placed upon them had been somewhat inconvenient, they had grown used to them and respected them. For better or for worse, it was at least a rather divine contraceptive once they had a second son. The faerie blood in them had prevented them from having more than two sons for years and then a third was born. To them, the message was clear, their powers were at their end. When Arthur was born, he had already had an older brother named Derrick who was three years older. Unfortunately, Arthur was born with a twin brother, later named Nicholas. The family went into a turmoil and the three brothers were looked down upon by others in the family as being inferior and even despicable. Though they lived the Slater lives, the treatment of them and their family differed from that of their cousins. It only brought the brothers together, forced them to be more driven. Like a trio of black sheep, they rebelled against the family, they practiced their own spells and learned their own magic. Through their teens, they used their powers to pull pranks and taker revenge until one day their father passed away. The Slater boys were all deeply affected. For one they had loved their father, as outcast to the rest of their family he was all they really had of it. He was their link to learn magic, to practice the art, but now he was gone and the rest of the family would not let them anywhere near their knowledge. After months of being lost and without direction, the boys decided that they too would search for a way to regain the family's powers. For a while their resources were too thin but a metaphorical light shined upon the trio when the Tri-magus council came to Derrick. Derrick learned from them, and the resources in their towers became his own. The knowledge that his mentors shared, he shared with his brothers, borrowing books from the tower, studying charms and runes with a passionate focus. With their newfound resources the brothers learned of their bloodlines, ones like it, and of mage power in general. A particular demonic bloodline was of particular interest to them, allowing their bloodline to be stronger than ever before. For weeks the boys prepared to summon the demon, and to offer him a favor. The first part of the preparations was to complete the summoning circle. Because the infernal was so powerful, the runes of the circle were intricate and took weeks to complete. The other part of their preparations was to find a gift suitable for the infernal. Infernals had a rather self serving nature that could benefit the brothers if they managed to appease to them, but it was a very difficult task to please one. Money was of no use to them, power they were abundant in, in reality... there were few things to please an infernal other than sacrifices or the essence of another living being. This, the boys decided, was the only thing they could offer. With heavy hearts, he brothers found a young man who they were going to offer the demon to possess. Once thy had a seemingly suitable boy, they brought him to their home and summoned the infernal. Summoning an infernal of this caliber gave them a particular taint, a smudge to their soul. Though they didn't realize it at the time, summoning the demon was inviting evil into their bloodlines. The summoned infernal came with a presence that radiated chaos, and hate, and malice... It was almost too much for the brothers to take, and they almost killed each other immediately just from experiencing its power. Fortunately their circle nullified its full effects. In a rush to relieve themselves of the awesome and dangerous presence, the brothers tried to strike a deal with the demon, to allow him possession of a human body. Immediately, the demon turned to them in a rage, stating that he would not want a mortal body, he'd only find the body of a mage at all useful. He suggested, instead, that the brothers feed the boy to him and allow them possession of one of them. This was an immediate no-go. For one, the boys had no interest in losing each other, but morality found them and they had a problem allowing the demon to suck the life out of the boy. Instead, they tried to bargain out of it, which led to no advances. Though they never had a problem with the demon possessing the boy, they had told themselves that the boy would still live within the demon. In this way, though, they realized that they would be doing a very evil deed. They abruptly tried to banish the infernal but blacked remember nothing before they blacked out. Arthur and Nicholas Slater woke in the wine cellar that they had been casting in to find that they had somehow fallen within a protective circle that had not been there before. What occurred during that time is a mystery, one that ended in the bloody death of Derrick Slater and the loss off the young boy. The infernal was nowhere to be found. The brothers were shaken. Their brother had been killed and for all they knew they released a vicious demon onto the world. Months passed before the brothers came to their conclusion of finishing their brother's work. Thy would finish their goals or die trying, like every Slater man before them. The twins devised yet another plan, but this time to earn back their bloodlines from the fairies. They summoned a faerie queen, who was all too familiar with Slater men. Before they even asked, they were harshly denied. Magical creatures were not so inclined to mingle with mortals on such a whim, and certainly not so that the mortals could taste power. Before the Queen could leave, Arthur, thinking quickly on his feet made an offer to her to be in her service and attend to her matters. This gained the attention of the Faerie queen, who in turn told them of an artifact that their clan wanted returned to them. 'Cocoons' as they had been named were crystals of various sizes that faeries stored themselves inside of when they became old or even bored. Because faeries are mostly immortal (though they can be killed), they do not die but can store their essences in constructs woven with magic that take the crystal form. From within the cocoons, time passes differently for the faeries and they can wait inside quite comfortably for years without getting bored and are able to release themselves at their own will. Unfortunately for them, however, one of their largest clusters rested on a plot of land, previously undisturbed by anyone mortal and purchased by a young business woman. The woman had already held firm against even the persuasion methods of the fae, insisting she claim the spot. 'Hauntings', money, nothing seemed to convince her. Wrought arm fences covered the area and incidentally blocked the faeries from entering or trapping faeries who had waken. The brothers were sent to uproot the woman from their location and if successful, he would be rewarded. This woman happened to be a very wealthy Elizabeth Winston. Elizabeth Winston was a young woman who had graduated in business from Yale University. She was relentless and calculating in her work. Elizabeth's family had not been as glorified as the Slater family. She had one brother, Theodore, and her father was a widower from when Theodore was born. Not much can be said about Elizabeth's own wealth other than her hard work. Sure, there were a few cut corners and room for a shadiness but she was not lofty are lackadaisical about it either. Elizabeth is best described as a workaholic and pushes herself so that she can obtain respect, social prowess, and the lifestyle of her dreams. It jut so happens that the location that she purchased on top of the faerie 'nest' was a vacation home of sorts. Elizabeth did not vacation often, but when she did, it certainly counted. The twins arrived to the land thinking it would be rather easy, unfortunately she was there when they tried. thinking of them as thieves, Elizabeth stayed alert and they knew it. As it would happen, the brothers tried to collaborate to get the cocoons without Elizabeth noticing. Arthur was the distraction while Nicholas busied himself. It didn't take long for Elizabeth to find that the man at her door had been non other than Arthur Slater, a man who had blueblood genes and an impressive family reputation. As a result, Elizabeth saw a benefit in befriending the man. All too often her own wealth and success were questioned; she had hit the scene so incredibly fast. The plan of friendship developed into a plan of courtship as each side now had something to gain from the other. Though they were motivated by their desires alone, each thought the other's feelings were sincere. They played the game carefully and eventually love fueled love and the fake love from the other caused them to truly begin to care for the other. Elizabeth and Arthur made it back to the states and married a short time afterward. It was one of the most newsworthy marriages. All types of attention, good and bad, buzzed. And then, wham, life and happiness. Unlike years of being part of a tradition of patriarchs, Arthur found himself in a matriarchal family which was something he's have to adjust to later. Elizabeth was powerful and guiding and demanding. With the woman seeming to wear the pants of the family, Arthur's children to come will follow the example of strong female figures over the damsel or dopey. Adrianna was born months after their wedding, the Winston Slater corporation had a dramatic expansion. With it formed a new era in medical history as that very year that they opened two new headquarters facilities, they had more than a dozen medical breakthroughs. Though he had a life, a wife, and a kid now, much more than the punk magician kid he had been, Arthur never forgot his goal. His first child was a girl and that wasn't a good thing for him at all. It meant his bloodline had finally ended. Nicholas and Arthur returned to the fairies with news. The land that their ancestors had occupied would remain theirs... through him. The iron fences were removed for wooden ones allowing the faeries to enter and exit without harm and without having to move their ancient resting place. The faeries were so greatly appreciative of his cunning in wooing of the woman that they acknowledged Arthur's request. It was only later did the faeries sense the taint within Arthur and his brother. Vile is all they could describe it as, and such a mark would be impure and undesirable to a fairy. It was for this reason that the fae decided they would no be able to mate with the brothers, they did not want an infernal child which could be caused by the taint and their faerie blood being mixed in a child. They also did not desire to bless their own magic onto one who had already been proven to participate in such terrible magic. Not wanting to deny the mortal that had done them a favor but finding a problem in their deal, the faeries made a resolve. They could bless the children of Arthur and Nicholas, allowing the same effect but avoiding their fears of the taint. A faerie blessing comes in the form of gifts both powerful and attribute based. This was typical practice of a faerie bloodline, to give those of faerie blood a birthright. Its traditions had long died out in the Slater family after their blood had diluted, but the brothers were familiar with it. They agreed, though they had hoped that they would get the power themselves. Adrianna, by now, was much too old to received a birthright so the faeries waited and Arthur waited... Not wanting to introduce Elizabeth to his magical inheritance, Arthur sought out a woman that could hold his child who would be blessed with a faerie spirit. that way the businesswoman would never know his own dark secrets. Arthur met an enchantress, interested in helping him out. She had apparently been wanting a child and a prodigy, the enchantress accepted his offer. Unfortunately, Elizabeth was already pregnant with his second child, so his infidelity was a moot effort. Months later Alexandria was born... and her half sister followed a day behind. Elizabeth had already confessed her love for names that began with A, but Arthur had already decided her name would be Alexandria and so she was born as such. he faeries were summoned immediately and while the baby was separated from Elizabeth Winston, their gifts were bestowed. The faerie queen approached Alexandria and blessed her with the gift of potential. With that gift, Alexandria would have nearly limitless potential to learn and excel in any of her endeavors. Once her gift was received, the faeries informed their father off how she would gain their power, they were going to bind her soul to that of a fairy. In this way, Alexandria would become the first of a new fairy bloodline and very powerful because of it. As if Alexandria were one of the crystals that they slumbered in, a young faerie wove herself inside of Alexandria to remain permanently dormant. Debbie was another matter. Arthur's daughter had already been blessed by the fairies, s he had no idea what to do with the enchantress' daughter. He had no desires to abandon her, but the faeries had already granted a gift to his first child. After some minor confusion, Arthur asked if his brother could take Debbie as his own daughter and Nicholas did. Debbie got the blessings promised by the faeries to Nick for his daughter. The faeries, whether out of their impish nature or an unspoken disapproval of Arthur's unfaithful relationships, gave Debbie the gift of knowledge. This magical gift of innate knowledge would later on make Debbie aware of a sister before even meeting her. In dreams, Debbie would see her and learn what had transpired, as well as gaining knowledge to so many of the other things around her. Another faerie bound herself to Debbie, just as they had done with Alexandria. Then each daughter had their powers bound by the twins, which was not an easy feat at all. Te men were a bit jealous of the girls for gaining the power that they had expected to receive; fearing their daughters would become more powerful than them. This was the beginning of the Slater sister's stories. Alexandria had a rather plush and comfortable life. She had a silver spoon in her mouth from the very start and her parents always wanted her and her older sister Adrianna to have the best. The best education, the best clothing, the best music instructors, the best food. Still growing up was a bit different as a child of the Winston' Slater family. Alexandria and even her older sister were much more like trophies to their parents than actual children. They expected a lot from their daughters, Elizabeth in particular. Having had such a driven personality, she would not have any less from her daughters and pressed upon them the importance of higher education, politics, and having a public image. For the Winston-Slater sisters it was all fine and dandy and they tried their best to please both parents. Early in her childhood, Alexandria began to take gymnastics, a sport she would continue to compete in for several years after. Elizabeth also stressed an importance in playing an instrument. While Adrianna learned piano, Alexandria was forced to learn the flute. Pageants came next, with their little trophy tykes wearing dresses and too much make-up for comfort. For the most part, barring their many skills practiced, Alexandria and Adrianna lived a average life. Alexandria was home schooled by tutors in French, Literature, Arithmetic, and just about everything else. Alexandria became passionate about art and literature through them and from that age began to write as a hobby. She was tutored until about fifth grade. Her parents had decided it best for her to be around more girls her age rather than with one tutor for hours on end. She began sixth grade at a rather exclusive private school and was ahead of her class due to her excellent tutoring. Her teachers all remarked on how much raw potential she had as a student. Most had already had Adrianna and been quite impressed with her, Alexandria tried her best not to shadow Adrianna in such things. During sixth grade, Alexandria began to play soccer at her school and loved it a lot. HEr mother cared less but her parents supported her in her interest once they noticed how well she played. Alexandria's mother briefly pushed for Alexandria to learn to ice skate, Elizabeth Winston had been an ice skater when she was younger and was quite adamant about her daughters following. Alexandria, however, hated ice skating and it was blatant contempt. Arthur saw this and encouraged his daughter to just stop if she didn't like it. It was over this small matter that the family dynamic had changed. Arthurs small comment had been seen as favoritism. By the end of the sixth grade, Elizabeth had decided that if Arthur was going to smother Alexandria so much, she'd be the one to make sure Adrianna felt loved. The girls themselves knew not of their parents' thoughts or the conclusion drawn, they only saw its effects. It was silly in a way, but each parent began to favor a child. With the family being of a matriarch, though, Adrianna seemed to be the child who got everything... Adrianna always had her mother's approval for things, her permission for parties, or blessings with relationships whereas Alexandria felt as if she could ever do anything right. While her father, on the other hand, still encouraged Alexandria to do her best and take part in what she enjoyed. With his blessing, Alexandria would take on many new endeavors. The first of which was dance, which even Alexandria's mother seemed to enjoy. When Alexandria reached the summer after her eighth grade year, her mother tried to coerce the two sisters into modeling. Though it was completely unexpected, the two girls became very famous while doing so, each became expected to be the next supermodels of their generation. Alexandria, however, had no desire to do so. Within months she suddenly quit and disappeared from the magazines and runways, Adrianna stayed upon that path and rose to stardom. As high school approached, Alexandria latched on to new hobbies. On a whim, she moved to a college preparatory private boarding school located overseas. Alexandria spent this time in Rolle Switzerland and attended Le Rosey boarding school. It was an impulsive change in setting but her parents supported her and paid the outstanding tuition. At this international institution, Alexandria rubbed elbows with other students whose parents were all just as affluent as her own parents or better. At Le Rosey, Alexandria took on several new interests with vigor. Archery, and, fencing were things she never tried but had always had a curiosity about. Once there she took quickly to these and with her innate ability to pick up on things quickly, became a formidable fencer. she found something else while finally away from her parents, adventure. Alexandria took part in every expedition that she could and began to live for the excitement and wonder that came with it all. It is because of this reason that Alexandria would later have a passionate love for similar things. While off at school in Switzerland, Alexandria's father and his twin brother went missing for a month. Alexandria became terribly worried that something had occurred to him. Elizabeth called all types of forces to recover her husband, the family was distressed. When Arthur resurfaced, he was a lot thinner than he had been, he was being arrested for a number of crimes done in the middle east as well. For anyone that thought they knew Arthur, it was a shock and Elizabeth was enraged and embarrassed. It quickly made front page news. Alexandria heard a lot about it at school, a scandal turned to gossip in the always. she became distressed. As time went on, the matter died down and some other thing became more interesting and more current, still, the event left its scars on Alexandria she couldn't fathom why her father would do it. She traveled to America not long after just to visit him, and while there he informed her of the dangers she had been threatened by. An enchantress (he left out the part that she was a mother to another child Alex knew nothing about) had gotten angry with him and wanted Alexandria as payment for something she had lost. He explained he did what he did so that she would remain safe and that he planned on making things right whenever he got released. Alexandria returned back o school a day later to fall back into routine. Just as she had in the Manhattan private school, other students began to respect Alexandria and even admire her. She rose to a more popular crowd. A group of mean girls, maybe, but everyone recognized Alexandria as being the sweeter of the few. Alexandria's life fell apart right before she was going to return home for the summer. Classes were almost over, it was finals week, and then they would all be home free. Alexandria had a friend named Breanna who had been dating a boy from outside the school. Alexandria and her friends were at soccer practice when her boyfriend made a surprise appearance, accusing the other girl of cheating on him. He pulled a gun from his belt and raised it as he shouted. Whether he meant to pull the trigger or not is unknown, but he did it. Alexandria moved in front of her friend, arms outstretched, without even hesitating about it. the bullet did not penetrate her, or any of them though. Alexandria had stood in front of the bullet and it was deflected off of a blue globe that now circled her. Everyone was speechless. The girls managed to get the authorities to apprehend the trigger happy boy but the bullet was found, clearly having slammed against something hard. Alexandria made the others swear to secrecy but Breanna had betrayed this trust. Alexandria talked to her parents in distress about the matter. Her mother did not believe Alexandria initially, but Alexandria had never been one to lie or exaggerate to her. Smelling a cover-up when it was necessary, Elizabeth made a few calls and Breanna knew to keep their secrets at that. Alexandria returned back home abruptly when finals were completed and severed her connections to many of the girls she once called friends to keep her secret. Elizabeth made no effort to investigate, in fear that their secret would be released. She pretended as if nothing ever happened and Alexandria was to continue being home schooled. Alexandria met with her father in prison, and thinking he should know, informed him of what had occurred. The man then confided to her what he knew and unbound her abilities, the event of the gun firing made him realize they were only lucky. With him now incarcerated, and her growing up, he could not expect to protect her any longer. Alexandria returned home, but she felt everything. The magic hit her so suddenly that she felt discomfort wherever she went. She sensed everything and it was scary and confusing initially. She hated her abilities. Fortunately, Elizabeth Winston-Slater discovered the Academy for Superpowered Youths. Apparently, someone at the Academy had found out about Alexandria and tipped off her mother about a place appropriate for Alex to learn her abilities. The last thing Elizabeth wanted was for her daughter to use those abilities, however, realizing that it would ensure Alex's powers remained hidden, sent Alexandria on her way. While at the Academy, Alexandria formed some very unexpected friendships, took on more adventures than she thought possible, practiced magic, and took to learning more of her family. Oh. And she began to get craaazy.
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