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I woke up to see the main road leading into the heart of Lion's Ford, sitting next to a tree while seeing cars speed by on the highway. My head throbbed with pain, a side effect of exerting too much emotional energy into my aura. I remember what Barnes told me during my training sessions to unlock my power...

"Hone in on what makes you...you, Grisham. Who are you? What are your beliefs? What experiences have you gone through to make you the cub you are today?" He looked down at me with his crystalline blue eyes, being that I was much smaller in stature at the young age of eight.

My mind raced to my memories with the other kids in the city, to seeing one of my fellow operatives killed on a mission to retrieve stolen goods from the government. Happiness, to anger, sadness and a whole host of other emotions. A strange feeling encapsulated me, and soon a rainbow of colors surrounded me. All the different colors on the spectrum blazed around me in a dance of brilliant light. My aura was going out of control, and if it wasn't for Barnes I surely would have died during that moment.

"Grisham... Grisham!" He shook me with an intense vigor, snapping me out of my state of mind. I felt like I was in cloud nine one moment, to falling in a deep ocean of darkness the next. My emotions were completely null, and I was nothing but a numb chrysalis of monotony. I collapsed from exhaustion in Barne's arms.

I pulled myself out of the reverie of my tutor turned traitor, and swept back to the reality of the situation. Other than my immediate family, I had no other contacts. I wasn't even sure if Steele was still alive after what happened in the office of our mansion in the countryside. My mother never participated in my life, and I doubt I could find out where she is now let alone ask for help. I had no idea where my old friends in the city could be, let alone if they'd want to talk to me after being gone for a few years.The only help I could possibly find is with the government, and my father's warnings quickly flooded through my head. "Don't put yourself into debt with the government, or you'll find yourself a slave to their methods Grisham." I shuddered at the thoughts of what the government can do to aura users. Torture if you're lucky, death if you're unfortunate...

I'm alone in this, confused as ever on why Barnes betrayed Steele. I remembered their conversation in the office, but surely that wasn't justified for such an attack? Regardless of the morals, my training told me to consider Steele dead and fight back for control of the estate. Until I had more resources behind my back, there's no way I could contact the government for assistance. However, an option played out in my head. One that Steele told me to consider if a situation like this happened.

"Get a job in the city, ditch all of your previous identification and work until you have enough money. Once you do, take a plane to the United States and enroll at Charles Academy for Gifted Users. Only they can give you the point in the right direction in case of my death."

The money part is the most important since Barnes has probably frozen all of our assets and claimed it for himself (if Steele was dead). Besides a hundred in my wallet, and the clothes on my fur I had nothing. In a matter of what I presume to be a day before I collapsed at this spot, I went from one of the richest people on the planet to dirt poor....

"God dammit, I'm sore as hell and I don't know where to start..." I let out an exasperated groan and hobbled over to the small pond a few feet behind me. I doused my face with some water and looked at my reflection in the crystal clear water. My face looked roughly the same, just some matted up spots of fur here or there. My families trademark piercing still hung on my left ear, a red and black "G" for Gaines to mark my membership with the clan. My brown almond eyes were tired looking, one of them slightly bruised. I looked down at my six foot body, making sure to take note of any significant injury. My broad chest seemed to be in perfect condition, no marks or missing fur. The fur pattern almost exactly the same as Steeles, just with a few less black spots. The only injury I could notice was located on my leg where the chain had landed back in the office. Thankfully, it was only missing a small ring of fur with a little bit of blood to mark it's landing. My clothes looked a bit disheveled, the flannel shirt still looked roughly the same. The only noticeable difference I could find was a slight puncture in my jeans from the chain inflicted injury.

After freshening up at the pond, I journeyed over to the heart of Lion's Ford while making sure to cross the highway with caution. I went down the exit ramp to a row of restaurants, and my stomach quickly reminded me of gnawing hunger. Having not eaten since early yesterday, it was only natural to be famished. I still laid claim to the hundred in my wallet, so I decided to grab a quick bite at a diner. Cheap food is a necessity if I want to fly to Charles Academy like Steele mentioned...

The greeting bell to the Dingo Diner chimed throughout the establishment, and a peculiar hyena walked in from the entrance. He looked exhausted as all hell, and walked at a snail's pace. Maybe he got mugged? Muggings have been a common occurrence in this part of the city, but he pulled out his wallet while he walked up to me. I don't care what happened to him, as long as he behaves....

I stumbled into the diner encased with neon lights, making my eyes squint a little in reaction. The bell made sure to alert the diner of my presence, and the middle aged female otter at the register didn't seem too pleased to see me. Not that I could blame her, I walked slowly for being a sixteen year old and my appearance wasn't much better.

"Hello, just a table for one please." I waved to her, wanting to establish that everything is okay.

She sighed before picking up a notepad and a pen "Follow me, please." She simply beckoned me over to a table in the far corner of the diner. The place was flooded with different variations of species. Dogs, cats to dragons and more. It smelled divine and my stomach couldn't help but growl at the diner's aroma. I sunk into the table chair, feeling a slight sense of relief in my legs by finally being able to sit for a little.

"What drink would you like?" She asked with an inquisitive but indifferent tone. "Just a water please, and if you don't mind I'll order the food as well." She gave a quick sigh before scribbling on her notepad "What do you want?" "I'll take a burger with fries please." She wrote down the rest on her notepad before wading back into the kitchen to place the order. In the meantime, I observed some of the diner's scenery. According to my history lessons at the estate, this place was supposed to resemble the diners in America during the 1950's. It was a pretty close replica, but it still felt somewhat out of place considering we were in the United Kingdom. I glanced upon the "Now Hiring" sign hanging on the door and knew exactly what I needed to do.

"Here's another order for you John, and make sure to make this one quick. I don't trust that hyena out there, probably doing drugs or something." The chef named John nodded silently and began making the burger and fries. The otter waitress named Sandy at the Dingo Diner hated to judge people, but around these parts of the city you had to be cautious sometimes. At least he was polite and not causing a ruckus around the diner.

Eventually, the food was made and Sandy ventured her way towards the hyena. "Here you go, enjoy!" She exclaimed to Grisham with a fake tone. "Thank you, and I'm sorry if my appearance is putting you off." Her expression turned to that of slight shock, but quickly turned it back to an inquisitive look to the hyena. She felt like a fool that he knew how she felt about him being here. "Was it really that obvious... ugh. Please don't give me a bad review. That's the last thing we need here." She pleaded with the strange hyena in front of her. It's almost like he read her mind.

"Nonsense! I know I don't look like the most welcoming creature in the city right now." He laughed it off. If he wanted a job here, he had to make sure to get along with the employees. "I'm guessing you deal with some shady types around here, and I understand being a hyena that my reputation isn't going to be perfect." She cracked a genuine smile to the hyena, at least he understood what the diner has gone through before. "Again, I'm sorry for being off putting, every customer deserves a chance to be waited on properly. Is there anything I could do for you to make up for it? Make the meal free, or throw on some dessert?"

"I was actually wondering if you guys would be willing to give me an interview, since I see you could use some more manpower." He smiled warmly to the otter he noticed was named Sandy. She seemed to consider it at first, but shrugged at his suggestion and gave him a piece of paper from her notepad and a pen. "Sure, it's the least I could do for you after being so rude!" He did seem like a nice fellow, he exuded an air of confidence while making you feel comfortable.

I quickly scribbled my first name, and a fake last name with false addressing information. Nobody could know I was a Gaines family member, and right now I may as well be homeless. I handed it to her with a gentle motion of my arm. "Thank you for the opportunity, Sandy. You're a nice lady for doing this, and don't feel bad about earlier." I assured her. "Thanks for being so easygoing, can I catch your name before we part ways?" She asked curiously. I made a good first impression, so all I needed to do now is nail the interview and I'll have a source of money. "Yes, I'm Grisham Thackeray, could you let me know when the interview is before I leave? My phone line is dead at my place right now..." I said with a bit of melancholy in my voice. I quickly brushed it off though and I gave her the warmest smile I could muster, making sure to show off my canines.

"No problem, I'll make sure to throw in the good word to the boss. I think you'll be an excellent addition to the Dingo Diner." With that, she gave me a handshake and bounced on over to the kitchen. The first step may as well be complete, now all I had to do is get my hands on some forged identity and I'll be on my way to the academy in no time...

I walked away from the hyena named Grisham with a sense of genuine surprise in me. He knew how to carry himself in a conversation, and proved to be different from most of the rubbish around here. The middle aged otter Sandy, with a small size of five foot four and plain brown fur walked over to the manager's office. The owner sat in his chair, working on something illuminated across the computer he sat across.

"Hey Boss, I met an interesting customer a little bit ago who was interested in a waiting job here." She handed him the slip of paper with Grisham's information on it. He yanked it away from her and interrogated her. "So what? He's probably like the last few pieces of trash we hired. Hiked up on drugs and worthless, right?" Despite the affront, Sandy made sure to stand her ground and speak the truth. "I've got a good feeling about him boss, you know you can trust me out of everyone else to give a good recommendation. He's got what it takes, and he knows how to carry himself in conversation." He looked up at Sandy's dull green eyes, aged with experience and wisdom. "Hmm... I suppose there is room for another hire. But! If this one does not work out, I will have you fired. Understood, Sandy?" He mentioned with a plain and casual voice.

I gulped, making sure to not lose face in front of my boss. He may be an intimidating fellow, but I'm sure this one has what it takes to help out the diner. "Yes boss, you won't regret working with Grisham! He requested a time for the interview, if you don't mind. Says he doesn't have a working phone right now..." He gazed at Sandy for a short moment before sighing "Since you're so eager...why not now? I'm not doing much anyways." He turned off the computer monitor and motioned for Sandy to retrieve him. "Oh umm... okay sir. I'll be right back with him!"

Grisham soon found himself in the office with somebody they call "Boss". Sandy told him the interview would be conducted after he finished eating, and quickly finished his food to keep him from waiting. He nailed the interview, making Boss laugh and feel comfortable around him. He even complimented Grisham, something Boss rarely did according to Sandy. He would start his work day tomorrow. At least something was turning out in his favor, but he knew he would have to work hard for good tips to get to the Academy as soon as possible...