《Love and Magic ( A Harem Light novel Story )》


 Chapter 1 Love and Magic

    Chapter 1


    Love and Magic


    Magic is real!


    No, it really is real!


    I¡¯m not pulling your leg, and no, it is not the kind of magic you find on the busy streets of some tourist intersection or in some theater being performed by a skilled illusionist.


    Though funny enough, illusions are a type of real magic, but more on that later, right now, I¡¯m talking about the world-ending magic that can changed a life forever.


    The kind you find in popular books about kid wizards and beautiful women from those shows, you know, the ones with all the cool magical circles and bright, colorful effects.


    That kind of magic.


    Now, you might think I¡¯m crazy by saying that magic is real, heck, I don¡¯t blame you. I mean if someone was talking about some crazy fantasy thing like magic and saying that its real, I would thing they were crazy too, and this is coming from someone that enjoys a good fantasy story, plays games, and reads comics, so I¡¯m quite verse in these kind of things, or so I thought I was.


    But it turns out, fantasy and real life aren¡¯t exactly the same.


    You see, I was just a normal teenage boy that didn¡¯t believe in things like that, especially not in magic, at least not the cool, world-ending kind anyway. But all of that changed that day when I had the displeasure of being attacked by a certain teacher we all had at one point in our school career¡ªyou know, the one that you dreaded to go to their class. The one that gave just too much homework and always seemed to be on your case for no particular reason.


    Mine was named Ms. Serpin, and she, well, let¡¯s just say that she had seen better days. But before I jump right into the life-changing event that changed my life forever, why don¡¯t we start at the very beginning, when my childhood friend came to wake me up as she always did every morning.


    Oh! And before I forget, my name is Rey, a once normal sixteen year old boy and the protagonist of this crazy, magic-filled story.


    ***


    ¡°We¡¯re going to be late,¡± I heard a voice say as I tried to find a comfortable spot on my bed.


    ¡°Five more minutes,¡± I responded back, tossing and turning while putting my white-colored blanket over my head. Not wanting to start the day yet, wanting to spend a few more minutes in my bed¡¯s soft embraced.


    ¡°I¡¯m coming in, so you better not be doing anything weird,¡± that endearing- and I only mean that part half-sarcastically- feminine voice said, as she barged into my room without a care for my privacy.


    ¡°Five more minutes,¡± I groaned, tossing and turning like a little kid who didn¡¯t want to go to school, which wasn¡¯t too far off from how I felt. Especially since today was Ms. Serpin¡¯s - my favorite teacher- dreaded biology mid-semester exam. And I mean the favorite part as a joke, I did not like her one bit. Heck, I don¡¯t think anyone in school did. She just had this aura around her that the only way I could describe it was as if a cloud of poisonous gas had decided to linger round her, which kept everyone that came in contact with her at a safe distant, if that makes any sense, but that was how I saw that aura that she exuded around her, and I was sure I wasn¡¯t the only one that noticed it.


    But to make matters worse, I hadn¡¯t studied for her exam. Well, that wasn¡¯t entirely true, is not that I hadn¡¯t tried to study for her exam, it was just that for some reason, every time I tried to study for her class, I would forget everything the moment I stepped into her classroom. It was a very bizarre occurrence, like my mind would forget everything about her class, and to be honest it probably was for the better, I hated her class, and I wasn¡¯t alone. I don¡¯t think anyone in our school liked her. She was mean like a viper, which honestly with a name like Ms. Serpin, I wouldn¡¯t be surprise if she wasn¡¯t related to snakes somehow.


    But regardless of that, that meant only one thing, I was sure going to fail her exam and that was something I wasn¡¯t looking forward to.


    It was as if I was cursed to fail her class, which was crazy, but that was how it felt to me. My memory wasn¡¯t the best when it came to her class, but only her class for some reason. I was passing the rest of my classes¡ªbarely, but I was passing. Her class was my one and only weakness.


    ¡°Sheesh! You¡¯re like a little kid,¡± Mikki, the owner of that endearing voice, said.


    She was my sweet and dearest childhood friend, and I only meant that half-jokingly. I lived with her and her mother in this two-story suburban house. Her mother had adopted me when I was only eight years old, when my mother passed away.


    Mikki opened the blinds of my room, letting the light in, which hit the white blanket covering my body, penetrating it and striking me¡ªa direct hit.


    ¡°AHH! The light!¡± I said jokingly, flinching like some creature whose weakness had been casted upon him by a group of meddling heroes. Which reminded me of the late gaming session I had last night, which, in retrospect, probably wasn¡¯t such a good idea now that I think about it, but it was so worth it, though.


    Bringing me one step closer to completing my goal of getting all the armor pieces of the Black Dragon Set for my wizard character in my favorite game¡ªWarlocks and Witches. I had been grinding for this armor since the beginning of the year, skipping a few homework assignments here and there. Which , if Mikki knew, she probably would not have approved off.


    But to a gamer like me, it was so worth it.


    ¡° Get up and come eat breakfast, we don¡¯t have all morning,¡± Mikki said, looking down at me, her ¡®dearest childhood friend¡¯ who did not want to get out of bed. I looked up at her; she had her blonde hair tied into a pair of pigtails and her St. Mary¡¯s uniform, which was white with black borders, neatly over her body, accentuating a certain body part. She looked very beautiful, not that I had the guts to tell her that to her face. She was, after all, my childhood friend, and it would only make things weird between us if I ever told her how I felt about her. So that was another thing I also hid from her.


    ¡°I¡¯m up, I¡¯m up,¡± I said, getting up from the nice comfortable bed, its softness calling me back like a lover would, not that I knew how that felt, but I¡¯m sure it was quite welcoming and comforting.


    ¡°You kn¡ª¡± I tried to say, but my yawning won as I stretched my arms as I got up from my bed.


    ¡°Y-You idiot!¡± she said, turning around swiftly.


    ¡°Put on some pants, you weirdo.¡±


    ¡°Weirdo?¡± I said, looking down and remembering that I was in my boxers and not in my pajamas pants.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m s-s----¡± I stuttered, my face turning a hot red that seemed to take hold of my tongue. I grabbed my blanket and put it around my waist as quickly as I could. Flailing my arms around like some fish out of water, closing my eyes and preparing myself for one of her loving taps, which was sure to come every time I did something she did not approve of. I waited a few seconds, anticipating it but nothing.


    I opened one eye to see if she would give me one of her warm taps any minute now.


    ¡°Just hurry up and get dressed, idiot,¡± she said, walking out of my room.


    ¡°Sorry!¡± I yelled back at her as she left my room.


    ¡°Well that was weird,¡± I thought.


    I could hear her steps as she went down the stairs.


    ¡°Sorry..¡± I said again, feeling my body burning up.


    I let out a sigh, not only had I embarrassed myself, I had embarrassed myself in front of her. At least I counted myself lucky for not receiving one of her disciplinary loving taps, as she called them. For usually she would give me a nice little slap or something every time I did something she would consider weird or things in the nature of a teenage boy. Not that I did those ¡°teenage boy¡± kinds of things often, she just had a very broad field of what was considered weird or strange, which she wasn¡¯t shy about telling me, well, more like showing me when she didn¡¯t approve.


    I turned around and looked at the mess called my room, scanning it for my black school uniform.


    ¡°Found it,¡± I said, noticing it bunched up at the corner of the room, next to the small desk that served as my study place; not that it was of any use as of late, but it did serve as a nice little clothing hanger. I got dressed as fast as I could, not wanting to miss Ms. Hexa¡¯s breakfast, Mikki¡¯s mother, and my guardian, at least until I turned eighteen, which was in two years.


    Now you may ask, how did I get to live with them, well I wish I could tell you about my life before I came here, but I had no recollection of it, it was all a blank in my mind. The doctors called it traumatic amnesia, perhaps that was the reason I couldn¡¯t remember anything I studied for Ms. Serpin¡¯s class. Her class was traumatic all right, but anyway, Nana, Mikki¡¯s mom, took me in and raised me like a son after my mother passed away. Now you may ask why, and the answer is: because she was my mom¡¯s best friend.


    But to be honest I didn¡¯t really think of her as a mother, not that she wasn¡¯t great but I don¡¯t know, it just felt weird to think of her like one. To me she was Ms. Hexa, Mikki¡¯s mom, and my mother best friend.


    She was very kind and loving toward me, just like a mother would. Not that I knew how that felt with my lack of memory. My mother died when I was eight and to be honest I didn¡¯t have any memory of her, or my childhood before coming to live with Ms. Hexa because of the traumatic amnesia caused by her passing. She didn¡¯t died in any traumatic way or anything, Mr. Hexa told me she was just sick and well, I guess to an eight year old it was traumatic. Perhaps that was why I couldn¡¯t think of Ms. Hexa like a mother. It would feel like I was a replacing the mother I had forgotten.


    The only thing I had of her was my most prized treasured. The only thing that was evidence of her existence.


    I reached down to my chest, expecting to find my most prized possession hanging from my neck, but it wasn¡¯t there. In the excitement of the morning, I had forgotten about it.


    Which made me feel guilty.


    I glanced over at my desk, it had a bunch of biology books laying on top that I probably should have gone through, but it was too late now.


    No point in crying over spilled milk.


    ¡°There it is,¡± I said, spotting my most prized possession; my mother¡¯s necklace. It was on top of the books I should have opened at least once last night.


    I must have taken it off last night, which surprised me because I rarely took it off. The necklace was silver in color with a small blue gem encase in the middle¡ªmy treasure.


    It was the only thing I had from my childhood before them, and it was the only thing I had of my mother. I grabbed it and put it around my neck, where it belonged. My mother¡¯s birthstone.


    I was told by Ms. Hexa, and, for some reason that I couldn¡¯t explain, the blue color gem made me feel warm inside, almost as if I could feel her motherly love reaching toward me and embracing me. I wasn¡¯t one for sentimental talk, but it did make me feel all fuzzy inside.


    I caught my reflection in the mirror that was standing next to the door of my room. I had messy black hair, which I tried to clean up a bit, but it was futile since it always did whatever it wanted, and a pair of blue eyes that complimented my jet black hair.


    Ms. Hexa said I looked a lot like my mother whenever she would bring her up. Which wasn¡¯t a lot; and I understood why, after all, she was her best friend, so her death must have been rough on her as well. Though I must say, I wished I had remembered meeting Ms. Hexa prior to coming to live here, considering she was my mother¡¯s best friend, so I felt guilty I had forgotten her too. Granted, I didn¡¯t really remember much of my childhood before I came to live with them due to my traumatic amnesia. I had forgotten most if not all of my childhood memories, and most importantly, I had forgotten all of my memories with my mother.


    ¡°Hurry up, weirdo!¡± Mikki yelled.


    ¡°I said I¡¯m sorry!¡± I yelled back, grabbing my backpack and dashing toward the stairs.


    It was no use dwelling in the past, besides, I was happy here.


    I rushed down the stairs, excited to be greeted by Ms. Hexa¡¯s food, which in my opinion was the best in the whole world. She was a five star cook in my opinion.


    ¡°I see you and my daughter had a very intimate moment this morning,¡± Ms. Hexa said, as I entered the kitchen, she let out a faint chuckle, no doubt teasing us, which she liked to do.


    ¡°Sure, you can call it that,¡± I said, hiding my blushing and taking a seat across from Mikki.


    ¡°Don¡¯t remind me,¡± Mikki said, not amused by it, as she ate.


    Ms. Hexa was a very beautiful woman. She had long light-brown hair styled into a ponytail that hanged over her right shoulder with a red ribbon attached at the end. She had a pair of green eyes covered with half-moon glasses which made her look like a librarian.


    She had an apron covering her housewife dress like all mornings, which covered certain assets her daughter had inherited from her. She looked like your typical housewife, but without the husband. Which made me wonder why I had never met any boyfriends or guys in all my time living with them. And now that I think about it, she never talked about her late husband either. Of course, I didn¡¯t ask, I figured it was rude to ask.


    ¡°I said I was sorry, besides, you can¡¯t blame me for mother nature¡¯s mishaps,¡± I said, taking a bite of my toast that had sweet jelly spread out on top of it.


    ¡°Whatever,¡± Mikki said, sticking out her tongue at me like a little kid, which I found funny.


    ¡°You two sure do act like a pair of bickering lovers,¡± Ms. Hexa said, giving us a teasing smile, which made me choke on my mouthful of toast.


    ¡°M-Ms. Hexa--¡± I said, trying to clear my throat, and reaching for my orange juice, trying to pass down the piece of toast in my throat.


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    ¡°You sure have a wicked sense of humor.¡±


    ¡°Sheesh, mom,¡± Mikki said, raising an eyebrow in disapproval.


    ¡°We¡¯re not like that, besides, he¡¯s too much of a weirdo that I¡¯m sure no girl is going to want him, which means I¡¯m going to be stuck with him,¡± Mikki said as she got up from the table.


    ¡°Thanks for the confidence boost,¡± I thought


    As I took another bite of my toast. I mean, I didn¡¯t want to be a burden on her. Which I apparently I was.


    ¡°Hurry up, Rey, before I leave without you,¡± she said, dashing out of the kitchen. And in that that moment, I could¡¯ve sworn I caught a glimpse of her face as she walked out of the kitchen, and, if I was not mistaken, it was red as the jam on my toast. Probably from her anger, I mean what other reason could there be? She clearly saw me as a burden for her.


    ¡°Ah! to be young and in love,¡± Ms. Hexa said, placing her hand on her cheek, and losing herself in her fantasy. She had always been like that, especially about Mikki and I, to Mikki¡¯s dismay. I mean, Mikki clearly found me annoying like some little brother, considering she was older than me by a few months, though, once in a full moon, she was nice to me.


    ¡°Rey!¡± she yelled,


    ¡°Coming,¡± I took the last bite of my toast as I got up from my seat.


    ¡°Thanks for the food as always, Ms. Hexa,¡± I said, gulping down one last bite, trying not to choke on it.


    ¡°Your welcome, honey,¡± she said, smiling at me. Her smile was very motherly like, making me wonder if my mother had a smile like that, too. For some reason, these past few days, I had been thinking a lot about my mother. Not that I didn¡¯t think about, but this past few days had been different, hoping that all the memories I had once forgotten about her were finally coming back. Perhaps I was finally getting over this traumatic amnesia I had, well at least I hoped, considering it had been eight years now.


    ¡°Now hurry before our lovely Mikki gets even angrier.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± I said, dashing out of the kitchen.


    ¡°Have a safe trip,¡± she said, waving goodbye at me.


    ¡°We will,¡± I said, as I rushed toward the front door of our two story suburban house, where Mikki was no doubt waiting for me, as we left the house which had been my home since I was eight years old.


    ¡°Sheesh, that mother of mine,¡± Mikki said as we walked toward St. Mary academy, our school.


    ¡°Love, romance, and nonsense are all she has on that brain of hers. I swear she watches too many dramas.¡±


    I chuckled a bit. She was kind of adorable when she was flustered like that, which was a rare sight since she was always very compose and serious most of the time, after all, she was the Student Body President of all the third year at our High school and she carried herself with a sense of maturity.


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny,¡± she asked, raising an eyebrow and looking at me. Her blonde hair, which was tied into a pair of pigtails, bouncing up and down¡ªalong with a certain asset of hers-- as we walked.


    ¡°You¡¯re cute when you''re flustered,¡± I blurted without thinking.


    ¡°W-what d-did-¡° she stuttered, stopping in the middle of the street, her milky complexion now a bright red.


    ¡°N-No, I-I mean,¡± I tried to say, gathering my composure. I couldn¡¯t believe what I had just said, not that it was a lie or anything. She was very beautiful, which made me the envy of all the guys at our school, always catching their beasts like eyes looking at her, no doubt having a bunch of impure thoughts about her.


    ¡°D-Did you study for Ms. Serpin¡¯s exam,¡± I quickly said, changing the subject.


    She looked at me. Her stare felt like she was waiting for something, or perhaps that was just my over active imagination these past few days, but I was sure her stare had a certain longing to it. I think.


    ¡°Of course,¡± she said, going through her small, brown purse-like backpack.


    ¡°Here I made these,¡± she said, giving me a set of small index cards.


    ¡°If you study these, you should be able to get at least a passing grade.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said, grabbing them.


    ¡°You¡¯re a lifesaver.¡±


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t mention it,¡± she said, averting her eyes from me. Every time she acted nice toward me, it confused me. I didn¡¯t know what she thought about me. But it didn¡¯t matter, either way, I was glad I had her in my life¡ªher and Ms. Hexa.


    Glad I wasn¡¯t alone in this world since my mother¡¯s death.


    ***


    ¡°Whoever gets below a C will have to stay for a very special after-school lesson with me,¡± Ms. Serpin said, smirking at the whole class, but her hazel eyes looked directly at me, which was to no one¡¯s surprise, sending a chill down my spine.


    Yikes, I thought, feeling sorry for the unlucky fellow that had to spend more time with Ms. Serpin, but who was I kidding, it probably was going to be me.


    Ms. Serpin was one of the most, if not the most, dreaded teachers in all of Saint Mary Academy. She had a certain gift that allowed her to suck the air out of a classroom and replace it with a feeling of suffocation as if a snake was wrapping its slimy body around you.


    ¡°Okay, we can do this,¡± I told myself, trying to remember Mikki¡¯s index cards. I glanced at her, and she nodded at me, reassuring me I had this. But the glares of all the male students acted as a counter to that reassuring stare. Which made this exam trickier than it had to be, their eyes weighing on me. Not that I care much for them. Okay, maybe a little, besides, it¡¯s not like Mikki and I were dating. We were just close. After all, we were childhood friends that had lived in the same house for eight years now. I guess in a way, we were more than childhood friends , but not in the way they thought we were.


    But either way, I ignored their stares. For now, I had to make sure I didn¡¯t have the misfortune to stay for an after-school special with Ms. Serpin.


    I wish I could tell you how the exam went or even describe how the hour and thirty minutes of her class went, but it was over so quickly that it felt like I blinked and the class had ended. But trust me, It was probably for the best. Her class was never exciting.


    ¡°Okay, class, that wraps it up. I will have your test results later in the day,¡± Ms. Serpin said as she began to collect the exams. She stopped when she came toward my desk, and looked down at me as if she was a predator that had stumbled upon her prey, and about to enjoy the moment before the kill. She had medium-length dark green hair, and she was wearing her usual dress suit, which consisted of a dark blue dress jacket on top of a white dress shirt and a black skirt.


    ¡°Morning, Ms. Serpin,¡± I said, giving her a half-assed smile.


    ¡°You look lovely today.¡±


    ¡°Have a great day, Rey,¡± she said, smiling at me, though it looked more like a big, wide grin than a smile, her snake-like eyes not helping her at all. She looked like a predator about to make its kill. I swallowed my saliva. I didn¡¯t need to wait for the end of the day to find out how I did. I was sure I had failed. Heck, I couldn¡¯t even remember the exam; something was blocking my memory every time I came to her class. It was silly, but there was just something strange about her. I just couldn¡¯t explain it, all I knew was that I felt strange every time I was in her class.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m sure you did okay,¡± Mikki said, trying to comfort me, as we walked to our next class.


    ¡°Right,¡± I said, looking back at Ms. Serpin¡¯s class. There was something odd about it; I couldn¡¯t quite point my finger at it.


    ¡°Listen to your wife,¡± one of Mikki¡¯s girlfriends said, giggling at us as she walked next to us, but I was too preoccupied with my own thing to pay attention to them.


    ¡°Were not like that,¡± Mikki said back to her.


    ¡°Sure, sure, you guys are practically husband and wife since you live together,¡± she continued her teasing.


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m sure you did fine,¡± Mikki said, trying to reassure me once more.


    ¡°Yea,¡± I said, not paying attention to her words, not that I didn¡¯t believe them, if it had been any other teacher besides Ms. Serpin, I would have believed her words. I just couldn¡¯t shake this feeling I had, there was just something about Ms. Serpin. It was as if my body was trying to communicate with me, but my brain couldn¡¯t understand it.


    The rest of the day passed as fast as Ms. Serpin¡¯s class, and the next thing I knew, the school bell rang throughout the school, signaling the end of another school day.


    ¡°Finally,¡± I told myself.


    ¡° I can¡¯t wait to go home and continue playing Witches and Warlocks.¡±


    The excitement of coming home and unwinding with my favorite game had fueled me throughout the day. It¡¯s too bad magic didn¡¯t exist in real life, I would have loved a spell that made me know all the right answers on every test I had to take, especially on a specific one.


    I got up from my desk and began to walk to the door when¡ª


    I swallowed my saliva; there she was.


    What do they say, talk about the devil and she would surely appear.


    Ms. Serpin was standing by the exit door of my math class. She had her arms folded, and a big wide grin on her face.


    ¡°Guess I failed,¡° I told myself.


    After all, what other explanation was there for Ms. Serpin to be standing outside my class? She had come directly to a classroom other than her own. She wasn¡¯t exactly known to be buddy, buddy with the other teachers, keeping to herself mostly.


    ¡°Well, I better face the music, ¡° I said, letting out a sigh.


    As I walked toward her, I couldn¡¯t help but notice all the other students lowering their heads as they passed by her, no doubt not wanting to get caught in her trap. Which honestly, I didn¡¯t blame them. She wasn¡¯t exactly anyone¡¯s favorite teacher.


    ¡°Not bad, Rey,¡± she hissed.


    ¡°Did I pass?¡± I said, a brief wave of excitement washing over me. Had a miracle occurred? Had some angel blessed me?


    ¡°Not quite,¡± she said, squashing that wave. I knew it was too good to be true. She just wanted to get my hopes up and then destroy them. She truly was cold-blooded like a snake.


    ¡°You did better than the previous test, but it wasn¡¯t good enough. Since you failed, you¡¯ll have to stay for an extra lesson after school.¡±


    ¡°Great, just what I needed,¡± I thought, a chill ran down my body.


    Spending more time that I had too with Ms. Serpin was not something I was looking forward.


    ¡°Did Rey passed?¡± I heard a voice and saw Mikki walking toward us.


    ¡°Miss Hexa,¡± she said, looking at Mikki,


    Her English class must have ended early, considering it was at the other end of the school building.


    ¡°I was just telling Rey that he has to stay after school today since he failed his test.¡±


    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll wait for you then,¡± she said, smiling at me, though it felt more like she was smiling at Ms. Serpin.


    ¡°It would be better for you to head out, Miss Hexa,¡± Mr. Serpin hissed back, her green eyes squinting at her, which I found odd since Mikki was loved by every teacher in school.


    ¡°Just another thing to add to the weirdness of Ms. Serpin.¡± I thought.


    ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± I said, turning to Mikki. She didn¡¯t have any after-school duties today, so she had no reason to stay after school, even if it was for me.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can wait,¡± Mikki said, looking at Ms. Serpin, giving her a stare that I found odd as well. It was almost as if she was examining her. It felt like they were in some quite of fight that honestly felt a bit strange, but I ignore it. All I cared about right now was finishing this after school special with Ms. Serpin.


    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Ms. Serpin said.


    ¡°Besides, what would the school say if the student president was waiting outside for some boy?¡±


    She smirked at her.


    ¡° I don¡¯t care,¡± Mikki said, not budging.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Mikki,¡± I said, not wanting to get her in trouble. Besides, it wasn¡¯t that serious.


    Mikki looked at me. Her stare almost felt like she was studying the situation, which I found odd, it was just Ms. Serpin, then again, it was Ms. Serpin we were talking about so I could see where she was coming from.


    ¡°If anything happens, call me,¡± she whispered to me as she left, which I found weird. She wasn¡¯t exactly my favorite teacher, but I¡¯m sure she wasn¡¯t going to hurt me or anything.


    ¡°So, Ms. Serpin, what¡¯s my punishment?¡± I asked, not looking forward to it, wanting to get it over as soon as possible. Being with Ms. Serpin gave me actual chills, which I found unsettling.


    And in that moment I saw Ms. Serpin staring at Mikki with a stare that, if I hadn¡¯t mistaken, almost had a murderous glare to it. And for a minute, I could feel a cold sweat on my skin, as if a slimy snake was wrapping its body around me.


    ¡°She truly does have a skill with making someone feel uncomfortable,¡± I thought.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to help me pick some flowers behind the school,¡± she said, smiling at me thought it felt more like a big villainous grin than a smile.


    ¡°Flowers? Okay,¡± I said, finding it weird, I had expected some boring lesson in her classroom, but then again, this was Ms. Serpin we were talking about; weird was her specialty.


    ¡°What kind of flowers?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Just some special flowers. Anyway, enough chit-chat, let¡¯s get going before the sun sets on this very special day,¡± she said as we began to walk toward her classroom. And as we passed some of the students in the hallway, I couldn¡¯t help but notice the other students giving me glances of pity, it almost felt as if I was walking to my doomed. Which honestly, wasn¡¯t that far-off, considering it was Ms. Serpin we were talking about.


    ***


    ¡°Yeesh, there wasn¡¯t a heavier bag,¡± I said sarcastically underneath my breath as I carried a big dark bag full of supplies to the school''s garden which was behind the school building.


    It almost felt like I was carrying rocks or something on my back.


    ¡°How much longer,¡± I asked, as my shoulders were getting tired, but she ignored me, looking around, almost like she was looking for something.


    ¡°Set the bags down over there,¡± she finally said, pointing at a giant tree in the middle of the garden. It had a dark brown color to it, it looked quite different from the other ones.


    ¡°Has that tree always been here, ¡° I thought, noticing the strange looking tree. But then again, I really didn¡¯t pay much attention to our school or its surroundings. I didn¡¯t care much for school, and paying attention to this building was the last thing on my to do list.


    ¡°Okay,¡± I said, placing the heavy bag down, and letting my shoulders catch a break.


    ¡°What¡¯s in the bags? Rocks,¡± I jokingly said as I stretched my arms, letting them breath for a second.


    ¡°AHAHA!¡± she laughed, which surprised me, making goosebumps appear on my skin.


    ¡°Rocks, yes,¡± she said, looking at me. And in that moment, it felt as if she was looking through me, which honestly creeped me out.


    ¡°Enough chit chat , start looking for flowers with purple pedals.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± I said, eager to get away from her.


    I began to look around the ground, looking for her flowers.


    ¡°Found one,¡± I said as I spotted one near the strange tree.


    ¡°Oh, cool, another one.¡± I kept plucking them out, one by one.


    ¡°So, why do you need these flowers,¡± I asked, trying to fill the silence.


    ¡°They¡¯re the final piece for a little project I¡¯ve been working on for the past year,¡± she said, I looked back at her, and was surprised to see that she was putting rocks around in a circle.


    ¡°There were actual rocks in the bag pack,¡± I thought.


    ¡°She really is strange.¡±


    ¡°Sheesh, she¡¯s really an odd one,¡± I said underneath my breath.


    ¡°A whole year huh!¡± I said as I continue to pick the flowers.


    I got up from the ground with a handful of flowers in my hand, wondering what project took such a long time to complete, but knowing her, it was probably something weird. But it also reminded me that she had been at our school for one whole year now.


    ¡°Where do you want me to put them,¡± I said, turning to face her.


    ¡°A whole year, that¡¯s a long time, don¡¯t you agree, Rey?¡± she said, standing inside the circle of rocks she had made, and smiling, or was it grinning? Whatever it was, she looked stranger than usual, which was quite a feat for Ms. Serpin.


    ¡°Yea, I guess,¡± I said, the flowers still in my hand.


    ¡°I almost gave up, but perseverance, ¡° she said,


    ¡°Is the key to success, Rey.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± I said, there was something odd about her, even for her standards. My body was screaming at me to run for some reason, which I found odd, after all, it was just Ms. Serpin. My biology teacher, but yet, I couldn¡¯t shake off this odd feeling I had in this moment.


    "It took me five years to find you," she said, her voice becoming distorted.


    ¡°Find me?¡± I thought, not understanding her words.


    ¡°Ms. Serpin, are you okay?¡± I asked, and in that moment her body began to twitch as if something was trying to come out of her.


    "FIVE WHOLE YEARS!¡± she yelled, making a bunch of birds that were on the trees fly into the sky. Making me wish I was one of them.


    ¡°Ms. Serpin, are you okay?" I said, trying to make sense of what she was saying, and more importantly , of what was happening.


    Something odd was going on with her. Perhaps she was having a stroke or something.


    ¡°SERPENTIS, I PLEDGE MYSELF! TO THEE ! ¡±


    A gust of wind blew all around me as it made its way toward her.


    And in that moment, I could¡¯ve sworn I was still on my bed, dreaming, for that was the only explanation for what was happening to Ms. Serpin.


    Her body began to contort like no human should, her limbs moving to positions that would have surely killed a normal person. It was as if something was moving inside of her.


    ¡°What the¡ª¡± I said, watching in horror as a giant snake-like head shot out of her upper body; her lower body still looked human but not the rest.


    ¡°Ms. Serpin¡­¡± I tried to say, but my body froze for a second, perhaps trying to make sense of what was happening. Yet, my mind was screaming at me to run. To get as far away as possible from whatever this thing was.


    I looked around, trying to find some shelter or anything.


    ¡°The trees,¡± I said, only thinking about putting something between me and whatever had come out of Ms. Serpin. I dropped the flowers that I still had in my hand and began to run for the trees.


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t!¡± she hissed at me. Her voice was a mixture of a snake and that of a woman. She threw her upper body, which was a giant snake now, at me. And to my surprise or luck, I managed to dodge it, her face hitting the tree in front of me and splitting it in half.


    ¡°That could have been me,¡± I said, as I looked at the tree that had been split in half by her.


    ¡°I must be dreaming,¡± I told myself, I mean, what other explanation could there be that could explain why my biology teacher had transformed herself into some slimy, scaly snake creature?


    ¡°I know I did badly on the test, but can we talk about it?¡± I jokingly said, trying to make light of whatever this situation I found myself in was. But what really scared me, besides the hideous creature before me, was how calm I was beginning to be. Almost as if my mind and body were growing accustomed to whatever this situation was. Which was far-fetched, things like this don¡¯t happened outside of fantasy stories. I was just a normal sixteen-year-old, maybe a bit hard headed at times, but no more than a growing boy my age. Things like this didn¡¯t happen in real life, so why was I beginning to be calm about this.


    ¡°Stand still, you brat!¡± she hissed at me, throwing her disgusted snakehead at me like a whip. But luckily, the trees that surrounded the backyard of the school shielded me from her, taking most of the damage from her blows.


    ¡°You have the honor of becoming a sacrifice for my ascension, FOR SERPENTIS, ¡± she hissed, sticking her red, slimy tongue at me.


    ¡°Look, Ms. Serpin,¡± I said, hiding between the trees and trying to distract her while I looked for a way out. ¡° I don¡¯t know what you ate, but you should definitely go see a doctor.¡±


    ¡°Bingo,¡± I thought, spotting a nice little rock that looked sharp enough to cause some damage or at least enough to distract her long enough for me to escape from whatever that thing was before me.


    ¡°Before you turn even more disgusting!¡± I yelled, baiting her. She threw her head in my direction, coming rapidly toward me.


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t,¡± I said, throwing a sharp stone at her with all my might and hitting her right in the face with it. She recoiled her snake body back toward what remained of her normal body. Not to brag or anything, but I had quite the arm.


    ¡°ARGH!¡± she hissed in pain.


    ¡°Nice! Direct hit! ¡± I thought, almost wanting to celebrate my achievement.


    It wasn¡¯t every day that you got to hit a snake monster, especially one that was none other than your least favorite teacher.


    ¡°You brat!¡± she said,


    ¡°NOW!¡± I said, as I tried to move my legs. But, to my luck, they didn¡¯t budge.


    ¡°What the-¡° I said, as my head began to spin.


    ¡°You should have paid more attention in class,¡± she said, smirking at me, as blood dripped from her right eye.


    ¡°MOVE-¡± I tried to say, but my throat felt tight.


    I dropped to one knee as the other one gave out. I looked at Ms. Serpin, or what was left of her, and saw her walking toward me. Her snake face grinning in delight.


    ¡°If you had, you would have known that some reptiles have quite the potent saliva that renders its victim paralyzed, but don¡¯t worry,¡± she said,


    ¡°Paralyzed, great just what I needed now,¡± I thought, as I looked at my hands and saw that they were dripping with a thick slimy substance of sorts. I looked at the trees and found them all covered in the same slime substance as my hands.


    ¡°How did I not noticed it?¡± I thought, feeling dumb for not paying attention. I was too preoccupied with trying to escape that I didn¡¯t pay attention to my surroundings.


    And as I fell to the ground, my body unable to move, all I could pay attention too was the grotesque snake monster coming closer to me, no doubt about to end my life.


    Don¡¯t worry , Rey, you¡¯re death would be my ascension,¡± she hissed at me as she got closer to me.


    ¡°Ascension, what is she talking about,¡± I thought, as I looked up, and saw her sharp fangs dripping with her saliva as she stood before me.


    Her thick , mucus like saliva dripped down to my face; it felt hot against my skin and it had a putrid smell to it.


    ¡°Your dead would not be in vain,¡± she hissed.


    ¡°GOODBYE ! REY !¡±


    She opened her mouth. It was wide enough to fit a whole human body¡ªmy body.


    ¡°So this is how it ends huh, being eaten alive by some snake monster. Who would have thought.¡±


    I had only been sixteen years on this earth. There was still so much I wanted to experience, like perhaps having a girlfriend, you know, normal sixteen-year-old stuff. But now, all those hopes and dreams were about to be eaten away by my least favorite teacher that had transformed herself into some hideous snake creature before me, for reasons I did not know or cared in this moment.


    ¡°Life is really cruel sometimes,¡± I said, letting out a faint chuckle of desperation. I closed my eyes, accepting my fate, for there was nothing I could do, even if I wanted too. This body of mine had thrown in the towel. And in that moment¡ªthe last seconds of life--I grabbed my mother¡¯s necklace.


    Perhaps it won¡¯t be so bad¡ªof course, it would be; who was I trying to kid? I wondered if there was some afterlife that would give me the chance to meet my mother again. The mother I was robbed of.


    ¡°NOW DIE!!¡± I heard her snake-like voice, no doubt lunching her hideous face before me. Her fangs rapidly approaching me, about to end my life. And in those final seconds, her face flashed before me.


    ¡°Mikki!¡±


    Her long blonde hair and her emerald color eyes; my childhood friend.


    I hadn¡¯t even confessed. Not that I would had anyway, but still, I might have if I wasn¡¯t about to get eaten whole by a snake monster in this moment.


    ¡°I L-Lo¡­¡° I tried to say , as I accepted my fate.


    ¡°HEAR MY CRY ZEUS !¡±


    I heard a voice that didn¡¯t belong to my favorite teacher. I was sure of it.


    ¡°COME FORTH THY THUNDER ! ¡°


    A loud thunderous noise filled the school garden. I could feel my body vibrate from whatever had impacted the ground close to me.


    I opened one eye and saw what looked like Mikki landing on the ground by the entrance of the school¡¯s backyard. Yet, she looked different from the usual Mikki, she was wearing her school uniform, but she had on a black cape that extended down like a robe of some kind, a black hat, and a broom in her hand, looking like some witch straight out of some fantasy story.


    ¡°YOU!¡± Ms. Serpin yelled as she dodged the lighting that landed between us, saving me from her.


    ¡°YOU FILTHY WH-¡± she tried to say, but another thunder blast came down from the sky, followed by another and another. Mr. Serpin tried to dodge the thunderbolts coming from the sky, but it was useless. The thunderbolts were proving to be too fast for her to dodge, getting hit by them. Her whole body was electrocuted by each hit that came, and at the end of all the thunder that descended from the sky-Ms. Serpin fell to the floor right next to me, smoke coming out of her body, as if she had been cooked.


    ¡°You can¡¯t Protect¡­¡± she tried to say, but the last thunderbolt obliterated her.


    ¡°Mikki,¡± I tried to say, but my body was too weak to even try to talk. The last thing I saw before my eyes gave out was Mikki walking toward me.


    ¡°I must be dreaming,¡± I said underneath my breath as my eyes grew heavy.


    ¡°One big weird dream.¡±


    And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how I found out about magic, but don¡¯t worry, my story doesn¡¯t end here.

 Chapter 2

    Chapter 2:


    A mother¡¯s memento


    ¡°Please be safe, my son,¡± I looked up and saw a face I didn¡¯t recognize, yet, for some reason, she felt familiar. She had black hair and blue eyes, and she had the kindest eyes I had ever seen.


    ¡°Wait!¡­ Don¡¯t¡­.Go..¡±


    I tried to reach out to her but she disappeared, turning everything to darkness.  And in that darkness, there were two red eyes looking at me. Strangling me, they felt like they would swallow me at any moment.


    ¡°Some¡­one¡­h..elp¡±


    I tried to say, closing my eyes, as those two red eyes engulfed my mind.


    I felt cold and alone in that moment as those red eyes swallowed me and the darkness around me.


    I awoke to find myself back in my room. How I got here, I didn¡¯t know.


    I could feel a single tear dripping down my face.


    ¡°What was that all about?¡± I thought, remembering that weird dream. I touched my throat, I could feel a slight pain on it, almost as if someone had tried to crush it.


    ¡°Those red eyes.¡±


    Their color lingering in my mind, clouding  it.  I felt so confused.


    ¡°Just what the hell is going on.  ¡±


    ¡°Does it have anything to do with my traumatic amnesia¡­.no it couldn¡¯t be, can it.¡±  ¡°Mom.¡±


    I hated  the fact that I couldn¡¯t remember my childhood prior to coming here, frustrating me. Did my childhood have anything to do with what happened to me at school? No, that¡¯s impossible, I was a normal teenage boy, wasn¡¯t I?


    ¡°Just who am I? ¡±


    I had so many questions in my mind, but for now I needed to think about what happened at school first, and not get ahead of myself, and run after some far-fetched possibility.


    There was something more important right now that some cryptic dream of mine or the childhood I couldn¡¯t remember.


    I glanced around one more time to make sure it really was my room and not some other place with a certain someone. But the mess, the dirty clothes, and the scattered books on the floor reassure me that it indeed was my room.


    I sat up on my bed and made sure I still had all my limbs, which I did. I noticed I wasn¡¯t wearing my school uniform but instead a black shirt and jeans, wondering who had changed me, but for now, that didn¡¯t matter. I paid close attention to my body, ensuring I wasn¡¯t in any pain besides the dryness I felt in my throat. But other than that , I felt fine.


    The weakness and dizziness I felt because of Ms. Serpin was gone¡­.. Her name brought back everything like a wave, swallowing me.


    I still couldn¡¯t believe it. One moment I''m walking with her toward the school garden, and the next thing I know, I¡¯m almost being eaten alive by her¡ªif it wasn¡¯t for Mikki.


    ¡°Mikki.¡±


    She was the last thing I remember before I lost consciousness. She was so clear in my head, and how she came to my rescue wearing her school uniform but with a dark cape, a black witch-like hat, and a broom in her hand. Even though I had a lot of questions about what happened, there was one thing clear on my mind right now: and that was to thank her for saving me. If it hadn¡¯t been for her, I wouldn¡¯t even be here right now.


    I got up from my bed, ready to look for her when I heard a stranger¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡ª¡± I turned toward the door. The faint sound of the stranger¡¯s voice was coming from downstairs. I could hear, just barely, a second voice as well. It belonged to Ms. Hexa, I was sure of it.


    I opened the door as quietly as I could and walked into the hallway, ensuring that every step I took was quieter than the last one. I wasn¡¯t sure why I was being sneaky. It¡¯s not like I had done anything wrong. I was just an ordinary boy who almost got eaten by my teacher, who turned out to be some snake creature, but somehow, it felt like I wasn¡¯t supposed to hear their conversation. I don¡¯t know why I felt that, it was as if my body was trying to tell me something once more, a feeling that felt all too familiar now, like the feeling I had with Ms. Serpin.


    Perhaps I wasn¡¯t an ordinary boy like I thought I was.


    ¡°That¡¯s crazy,¡± I told myself.


    Things like that only happen in fantasy stories. This was the real world, but what I had seen was real too. I didn¡¯t know what to make of everything that happened at school, as well as that dream, was there a connection? Or maybe I had dreamed it all. I¡¯ll be honest, sometimes I did get lost in my fantasy stories and games but nothing like this. This was real, heck, it felt too real to be a dream.


    ¡°Just what is going on,¡±  I thought,  recognizing these kind of scenarios in all those novels, comics, and shows I love to watch.


    Normal teenage boy finds out he¡¯s not so normal after all.


    ¡°That¡¯s silly,¡± I told myself,  but what other explanation could there be that would explain the crazy thing that happened at school today.


    I got within ear shot of them, obscure by the walls  and the staircase of the second floor of this two floor suburban house, where an ordinary family called home, at least that¡¯s what I thought, until Ms. Serpin.


    ¡°Do you know who she was or from what coven she belonged too?¡± the stranger¡¯s voice asked.


    ¡°She¡­¡±


    I could feel the a cold sweat in me.


    Ms. Serpin¡¯s snake face flashed before me, that grotesque snake face and those piercing fangs coming toward me.


    ¡° I almost died,¡±


    The realization of what almost happened came to me, making me lose my balance for a second. I leaned against the wall as the gravity of the incident took me. If it wasn¡¯t for Mikki, I wouldn¡¯t be here.


    I owe her big time.


    ¡°I promise I¡¯ll be the best childhood friend ever,¡± I said.


    I owe her my life.


    ¡°No,¡± a third voice said.


    This one sounded familiar too; it was Mikki¡¯s voice, I was sure of it. ¡°Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t have the chance to get any information from her. I had to act fast.¡±


    ¡°I supposed that couldn¡¯t be helped, considering the situation,¡± the stranger¡¯s voice said.


    There was a softness to it that felt familiar, which was weird.


    I wanted to lean forward more, wanted to know more, to make sure I didn¡¯t miss anything from their conversation, but any further, and it will have brought me in full view of them.


    ¡°A pity ,¡± the stranger¡¯s voice said. I didn¡¯t need to see the disappointment on her face. I could hear it.


    ¡°To think a witch would attack in plain view for it is very worrying news indeed.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps it was¡ª¡±


    I got closer to the edge of the wall, ensuring I wasn¡¯t spotted.


    ¡°Perhaps it was what¡­¡± I was hanging on her words like some struggling mountain climber about to fall to his doom. I tried to get closer to them without being seen, unsure why I was hiding, but it was too late to go back now. Besides, I was on the edge of finding more information about what happened at school about Mr. Serpin, and about me; I couldn¡¯t turn back now.


    ¡°Who was Ms. Serpin, and why did she attack me? And, who was I?¡±


    I had so many questions running through my head. I wanted to know more. No, I needed to know everything.


    That dream that I had seen flashed before me. What did it all mean, did it have anything to do with her.


    ¡°Mom,¡± I whispered.


    ¡°It appears we have a visitor,¡± the stranger¡¯s voice said.


    Her words sending a cold fear in me.


    ¡°A visitor?¡± I thought, had someone else entered the house? I didn¡¯t hear anybody come in.


    Could it be another one of those creatures has come to finish the job that my sweet and caring teacher failed to do?


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we have him join us? I¡¯m sure he has many questions.¡±


    The stranger¡¯s voice said.


    ¡°Him?¡±


    Is a he¡­


    ¡®Rey.¡±


    Her words stopped me in my tracks. I felt my body freeze for a minute. And for a brief second, a sense of relieve washed over me, thawing my body.  It wasn¡¯t another creature coming to eat me.


    They were talking about me. I felt silly; all this weird stuff¡ªmore like surreal¡ªhad made me paranoid.


    I stepped out of the corner of the hallway, in plain view of the three of them, feeling like a child that has been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to eavesdrop,¡± I said, bowing my head to them, the staircase separating them from me.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± the unknown woman said. She was short, no taller that some middle school kid.


    She was sitting on the couch that was in the middle of the other two couches, yet  she had an aura of matureness around her that not even Ms. Hexa had. Despite her youthful face, I could tell she was very important and even wise.


    She was dressed in a black robe that seemed to drown her. She had a silver neck collar with strange markings on it around her neck. Her hair was strange as well. She had white, spiky hair that swooped behind her like a porcupine¡¯s mane and a pair of dark-colored eyes with a scar on her right side that passed through her eye. She was sitting in the center almost like a king hearing her council.


    ¡°Come and take a seat,¡± she said, extending her hand and inviting me. I glanced around the living room and found an empty spot by Mikki. She was wearing a pink tracksuit. I walked to her and took a seat. Ms. Hexa was sitting across from us, she didn¡¯t have her apron on, yet she still looked like your typical housewife.


    I looked at Mikki and smiled, but she averted her glance from me.


    ¡°Did I do something weird?¡± I thought.


    ¡°Or perhaps she was the one who changed my clothes.¡±


    But it didn¡¯t matter right now, I had other stuff on my mind, and so many questions that needed to be answered. And the person that had all the answers to the many questions running in my mind¡ªI was sure of it-- was sitting in the center of the room, overlooking the two couches in the living room  like some wise figure.


    ¡°This is Evara,¡± Ms. Hexa said, pointing to the strange middle school child that was sitting in a couch that seemed too big for her.


    ¡°The Great Witch Evara,¡± Evara interjected, smiling.


    ¡°Forgive me master,¡± Ms. Hexa nodded.


    ¡°I just didn¡¯t want to scare him.¡±


    ¡°Scare me?¡± I thought, thinking about Ms. Serpin.


    ¡°It¡¯s too late for that.¡±


    I wanted to let out a small chuckle, but I figured right now was not the time for jokes.


    ¡°That¡¯s understandable, but there¡¯s no need to keep it a secret from him considering what he went through,¡± Evara said, looking at me. It almost felt like she was inspecting me.


    ¡°The Great Witch,¡± I thought.


    I guess I didn¡¯t dream Mikki falling from the sky like a witch after all. But I was surprised by how quickly they just told me , normally in these kind of scenarios, they would try to hide it by making up some silly excuse. I did not expect them to come out of the gates with the truth.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°You¡¯ve grown quite a bit, Rey,¡± Evara said, smiling at me, almost as if she was reminiscing some distant memory.


    ¡°What did she meant by that?¡± I wondered, trying to inspect her, but all I could see was a middle schooler sitting on a couch that was too big for her.


    ¡°Had I met her before? Perhaps I wasn¡¯t a normal sixteen year  old boy after all, perhaps I was¡­¡±


    I thought about the childhood I couldn¡¯t remember, did it had anything to do with this, but I  brushed those thoughts aside, I was going too fast, I needed to slow down.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Miss Evara,¡± I said, ignoring her words, for I was sure this was the first time I was meeting her.


    ¡°You hear that, I¡¯m a Misses,¡± Evara said, chuckling.


    ¡° You''re definitely well-behaved,¡° she added. ¡°You did alright, Nanna.¡±


    She looked at Ms. Hexa and gave her a thumbs up.


    ¡°Thank you, Master,¡± Ms. Hexa said, bowing her head toward her .


    Which I found a little weird considering their physical looks, but we were past the point of weird now.


    ¡°You probably have a million questions running through your pretty little head, don¡¯t you, child?¡± she said, her expression changing instantly. Her eyes were fierce, and there was a certain weight to them that I guess only someone with the name of the Great Witch could only have.


    I swallowed my saliva, clearing my throat.


    ¡°Y-Yes,¡± I answered.


    ¡°But first,¡± I said, glancing at all three of them. Ms. Hexa smiled at me, giving me one of her many warm, motherly smiles.


    ¡°Are you guys?¡±


    ¡°Witches,¡± Evara said bluntly, her expression dead serious,


    ¡°Witches, like the type that wears hats, flies on brooms, and cooks using big pots, those kinds of witches?¡±


    ¡°Something like that, though not every witch cooks with giant pots,¡± Evara said, leaning back in her seat.


    ¡°Then again, I¡¯ve used a big pot here and there. ¡±


    She chuckled in her seat that if  anyone was her, she would appear like a normal middle school kid, and not this wise witch figure she apparently was.


    ¡°Does that mean that Ms. Serpin was a witch as well?¡± I asked, knowing the answer to that question but wanting reassurance that it wasn¡¯t just some bad dream I had.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Evara said, her black eyes looking at me.


    ¡°Why did¡­¡± I stopped, hesitating for a second. Feeling like once I asked the next question, my life would never be the same. Heck, it was already not going to be the same. I mean, how can it ever be the same when you find out witches are real. But knowing why your teacher, who was a witch as well, attacked you, well, that was bigger than anything. Like a hero about to learn his prophecy. Not that I considered myself a hero, far from it, but you don¡¯t get attacked by a giant snake every day for nothing, do you?


    ¡°Why did she attack me?¡±


    I could feel Evara¡¯s black eyes looking at me. It felt like they were looking deep into my soul.


    ¡°Because of that,¡± she said, pointing at my neck. I looked down at my mother¡¯s necklace laying against my black t-shirt, it¡¯s clear, blue gem sparkling as the light that was coming through the window  hit it, making it pop out against the dark color of my shirt like some  treasure.


    ¡°My mother¡¯s necklace?¡± I said, taking the necklace in my hand, the blue gem sparkling in my eyes. It felt warm, I noticed. Did it always feel like this, or was this something new?


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡±


    ¡°This is just a normal necklaces, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    I felt even more confused now.


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Ms. Hexa said,


    ¡° We call them Witches mementos, and they are imbued with strong magical powers,¡± Evara said.


    I looked again at the gem, its translucent blue body was shining against the palm of my hand. It began to look magical in my eyes, or perhaps I was just being influenced with what I was learning, but whatever it was, it no longer felt the same.


    ¡°A witches memento.¡±


    Her words echoing in my mind.


    All I knew about the necklace was that it belonged to my mother, and it was the only thing I had from her.


    The only thing I had from a childhood I had no recollection of, a childhood  that now was giving me even more question.  Why did she have it? Was she also a Witch? Was I?


    Just exactly was I?


    All I knew about her was what Ms. Hexa had told me. Did she not tell me everything ?


    ¡°Is okay Rey,¡± Evara said, her face no longer looking serious but instead it almost had a motherly touch to it. Which was crazy since she looked younger than me.


    ¡°I know this is a lot to take in , so let¡¯s try one step at a time.¡°


    ¡°Okay,¡± I said,


    ¡°Witches mementos are artifacts created by witches and passed down from generation to generation,¡± Evara said, leaning against the couch.


    ¡°And sometimes witches get greedy and try to steal them from one another to increase their powers, very nasty stuff.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean this necklace is powerful,¡± I ask. It had to be, after all, Ms. Serpin almost killed for it.


    ¡°Not really, but sometimes certain witches that aren¡¯t strong enough try and get witches mementos in a futile attempt to enhanced their powers. But most witches mementos don¡¯t¡¯ hold enough power to really influence a witches magic that much.¡±


    ¡°I see, then why did she try to attack me for it? ¡± I said, almost pitying Ms. Serpin, if she almost killed a normal kid for a necklace that wasn¡¯t that strong, that meant she had to be really weak.


    ¡°But she did try to kill me, so I¡¯m glad she wasn¡¯t successful,¡± I thought.


    ¡°Sometimes witches grow desperate for any witches memento that they get blind by their own selfishness for power. If she had not been blind by her greed, she would have known that it wasn¡¯t that powerful.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I said,  almost wanting to laugh at the fact that I almost got killed for nothing.


    ¡°If my mother had this, does that mean that my mother was a witch?¡± I asked, trying to make sense of why she had this witches memento. I mean, if my mother was friends with Ms. Hexa, who was a witch, and she had this thing called¡± witches mementos¡± does that mean my mother was also a witch. What other reason could there be for her for  having such a thing?


    Bu if she was, why did Ms. Hexa not tell me. This was kind of a big deal.


    ¡°No,¡± Evara said.


    Her face looking serious and stoic.  Her words almost felt like a hammer shattering a mirror, and along with it crushing any fantasy hope in me.


    ¡°Then...¡± I said, feeling sort of disappointed. I mean, it¡¯s not every day you find out witches are real and about magic.


    ¡°I¡¯m just an ordinary boy.¡±


    Of course, I was; why did I think I wasn¡¯t?


    ¡°Yes,¡± Evara said.


    Her answer felt kind of anti-climactic. Somehow, here I was expecting some big revelation about myself; turns out I was just unlucky.


    ¡°How did my mother get such a powerful thing,¡± I asked, hoping to know more about a mother I didn¡¯t get to know.


    ¡°Once in a while, ordinary humans stumble upon treasures they shouldn¡¯t have,¡± she said, leaning back against the couch.


    ¡°Though witches mementos are usually passed down from witch to witch, and sometimes absorbing magical essence in the process, there are times when they are lost, and ordinary people stumble upon them. Of course, they¡¯re harmless in ordinary human hands.¡±


    ¡°So my mother just stumbled into it and passed it down to me without knowing what it was?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Evara said, resting her face on her hand.


    ¡°Angelica always liked to pass through obscure stores that seemed quite eccentric,¡± Ms. Hexa added. ¡°She stumbled on it, and I figure it was harmless since humans can¡¯t do anything with them. I¡¯m sorry, Rey. It wasn¡¯t my intention to put you in such a dangerous situation.¡±


    ¡°So it was just dumb luck, huh,¡±  I thought, feeling disappointed in the outcome. Something in me had hoped I wasn¡¯t just a normal, boring, teenage boy.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Nanna,¡± I said, calling her by her first name, something I rarely did. I smiled at her, I couldn¡¯t hold it against her, and I¡¯m sure she had her reason for not telling me or taking it away from me. But now it was different, I knew.


    ¡°Did the necklace have anything to do with her death?¡± I asked, curious about her death, Something I rarely thought about, since I was told she was sick, but did this thing have anything to do with her sickness. Remembering that dream of mine, and those red eyes.


    ¡°No,¡± Ms. Hexa said, her eyes were serious, as serious as I have ever seen her.


    ¡°Angelica was unfortunately sick before you were born, Rey.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I said. Being glad that she didn¡¯t get killed in some supernatural way.  Ms. Serpin¡¯s fangs lingering in my mind.


    ¡°Here,¡± I said, taking the necklace off, every fiber in my body was telling me not to do what I was about to do. This necklace was the only thing I had of my mother, the only thing that made me feel like she was still with me, and now I was willingly parting ways with it.


    ¡°Rey¡­¡± Ms. Hexa said, looking at me.


    ¡°It was¡ª¡± Ms. Hexa stopped as Evara got up from her seat. She looked quite small. If I didn¡¯t know that she was some witch or heard her, I would think she was nothing more than some middle school child. She looked at me.  Despite the scar running down her right eye, she looked very normal, and not at all like a witch, well at least not like Ms. Serpin anyway.


    ¡°I guess some witches look very normal, and not like monsters.¡±


    ¡°Rey,¡± she said, placing her hand on top of mine, which I noticed had on a bracelet that looked like the silver one covering her neck. ¡°You should treasure your things more,¡± she closed my hand, with my mother¡¯s necklace inside.


    ¡°Especially when it holds such value to you.¡±


    She smiled at me. Her smile was warm, almost motherly, I looked at her and for a second she looked older and bigger, it was as if I was seeing  a great wise witch in front of me.


    ¡°Could witches change their appearances, they must be able too since Ms. Serpin changed herself to that hideous snake creature.¡±


    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t it be safer with you?¡± I replied, hating myself for it. Here she was, telling me to keep it, yet I was throwing it away¡ªthrowing away the last thing I had from my mother.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, ¡° she said.


    ¡°That witches memento is not powerful, the fact that you were attacked for it was nothing more than dumb luck if you will.¡±


    ¡°Dumb luck,¡± I thought


    ¡°Quite the dumb luck indeed.¡±


    ¡°Besides, you have two very powerful witches with you,¡± she said, trying to reassure me.


    I looked at Ms. Hexa and Mikki.


    ¡°I-I¡­¡±


    I held the necklace in my chest for a few seconds, being glad I still had it with me. But I also had another question.


    ¡°Why are you guys telling me this so willingly, wouldn¡¯t it be better to take the necklace and, I don¡¯t know, erase my memory?¡±


    ¡°Stop Rey , they are already letting you keep the necklace,¡±


    Yet I couldn¡¯t help but feel like the necklace really was safer with them. I was just a normal boy and not a witch to protect it. Even if it wasn¡¯t powerful, what if another weak witch tried to get it.


    ¡°What if I lost it? I couldn¡¯t forgive myself.¡±


    ¡°HAHAHAHA!¡± Evara said, letting out a laugh as she went back to her seat.


    ¡°Well, is not that we try to hide the truth,¡± Ms. Hexa said,


    ¡°Humans just aren¡¯t prepare for something that would destroy their world view just yet,¡± Evara said,


    ¡°Sometimes is easier to just hide, but I don¡¯t think is necessary to hide it from you, after all knowing about witches is not dangerous for a normal person. Is not like you can use spells. And witches don¡¯t really attack normal humans, we have laws against ¡±


    ¡°Laws,¡± I asked, curious to find more about this new world I was being let into.


    ¡°Yes , laws,¡± Evara said,


    ¡°But not all witches follow those laws it seems, especially for some magical items,¡± I said, not meaning to.


    ¡°Not necessarily.  It¡¯s much easier to just steal the item than to attack the person that has it,  since attacking a normal human attracts certain witches, but some witches are just careless, that¡¯s all. ¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re not in any danger,¡¯ Ms. Hexa said,


    ¡°You¡¯re safe. Most witches mementos aren¡¯t that powerful enough to attract a witch¡¯s attention, let alone battle other witches for it, they¡¯re mostly sentimental artifacts for witches. ¡±


    I looked at her, is not that I didn¡¯t believe her, but I couldn¡¯t help and think about Ms. Serpin and her snake head coming my way. What if another stronger witch decided to come for my necklace? For sentimental reason instead .


    ¡°All this talking sure has made me hungry,¡± Evara said, smiling at me. Her smile almost felt like she was telling me that everything was going to be fine.


    ¡°Mikki, dear, would you be so kind and go to the store and buy some ingredients? Mama has just the feast for Master,¡± Ms. Hexa said, smiling at us, as she put her hand on her cheek.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Mikki said, getting up from her seat.


    ¡°Rey, would you be so kind as to accompany such a beauty?¡± Evara said, winking at me.


    ¡°Y-Yea, of course,¡± I said as I got up from my seat, I felt like  there was something they weren¡¯t telling me, but I figured it was okay for now. I would know more sooner or later, considering I was carrying my mother¡¯s necklace, or a witches memento as they were called.


    ***


    The walk toward the store was filled with an awkward silenced that I didn¡¯t like.


    I looked at Mikki as we walked toward the store that was a few blocks from our house. She would glanced at me for a brief second then look away. There was something on her mind. I could feel it. I don¡¯t think I did anything wrong, or did I? Was she angry at me for something I did ? Did I show her something I wasn¡¯t supposed to? I mean, what else could it be?


    ¡°Is everything alright?¡± I asked, but knowing her, she probably wouldn¡¯t tell me right away. Every time she had something on her mind, it took a struggle to get her to tell me. She had been like this since we were kids.  Of course, whenever I did something she didn¡¯t approve of, she wasn¡¯t shy about letting me know.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± she said, but I could see that it wasn¡¯t. Our walk to the store was filled with a silence that seemed to occupy the distance between us in this moment.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­.¡±


    ¡®We¡¯re here,¡± she said, stopping my apology.


    ¡°Ah! Hello, Rey, Mikki,¡± the store owner said as we entered it. It was a small store, but surprisingly it had everything we needed.


    ¡°Hi, Mr. Dan,¡± I said, greeting him.


    He had messy brown hair and a store clerk apron covering his big, round belly. He looked like some big teddy bear.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get the stuff we need, ¡° Mikki said as she went by herself. I knew me going was futile. I guess she wanted to be alone.


    ¡°Is everything alright?¡± Mr. Dan asked.


    ¡°Yea,¡± I said. I couldn¡¯t tell Mr. Dan about witches, though I did wonder what he would say if he knew about them.


    ¡°You know,¡± Mr. Dan said, no doubt sensing something going on between Mikki and I , perhaps it was the fact he had been married to his wife for almost twenty years now that he had a good sense when it came to women.


    ¡°When a woman has something on her mind is better to dig for it, or else it just hides away, and that¡¯s no good,¡± he said, smiling at me.


    ¡°You got everything you need ?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Mikki answered, her voice cold and distant.


    ¡°Having a party, aren¡¯t we?¡± he said, smiling at us.


    ¡°Something like that,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Take care now,¡± Mr. Dan said, waving at us goodbye as we exit his store.


    ¡°You too,¡± I said.


    As we walked back home, I couldn¡¯t help but glance around at the people who passed us by, wondering if there were any witches. Now that I knew that my mother¡¯s necklace was, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if there was another witch crazy enough to try to get it. I was beginning to be paranoid about everyone that passed us by. Which was fine, I guess; after all, I chose to keep it. And if I had to be a little bit on alert, so be it. As long as I still had her close to my heart, I could put up with it.


    ¡°There are no witches here,¡± Mikki said, no doubt sensing my paranoia. Perhaps it was a witch¡¯s intuition or something.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± I asked. It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t trust her. I mean, she was a witch, so she had powers I couldn¡¯t fathom. It¡¯s just that¡­


    ¡°I was being silly,¡± I thought, she knew more about this world than me, so if she said that it was fine, it probably was fine.


    ¡°You know-¡° she tried to say something but stopped herself and silence took its place again.


    I couldn¡¯t take any more of this. I had to do something,


    ¡°Mikki,¡± I said, grabbing her hand. Her being weird right now made me more worried than some witch hiding and waiting to snatch my necklace.


    ¡°R-Rey,¡± she said, taken aback by it.


    ¡°Look,¡± I said, pointing toward the park entrance of the park that was next to our house, and running toward it.


    The park was mostly empty except for a few mothers walking their kids.


    You remember how to swing, don¡¯t you?¡± I said, spotting a pair of swing sets, which were all too familiar to me.


    ¡°Of course,¡± she answered.


    ¡°Loser has to do what the winner says.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re on.¡±


    She put the bags on the side of the swings and sat on the black swing next to me.


    ¡°Whoever swings the highest wins,¡± I said, smiling at her.


    ¡°Deal,¡± she said, her green eyes had a determined look to it that felt all too familiar, which I was glad for, she was beginning to return back to the normal Mikki I knew.


    ¡°Ready set go,¡± I said as I began to pull and push my body back and forth, adding momentum to my swing. The higher I went, the more I felt like a bird soaring through the sky, which made me remember why I always liked to come here as a kid.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to lose,¡± she said, swinging as high as possible.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± I said as I let the momentum of my swings carry me higher and higher.


    ¡°Hey, no fair,¡± she said, laughing. And for a brief moment, we were back to when we were kids, swinging without a care in the world, just trying to get as close as possible to the blue sky before us.


    ¡°Remember when you found me here,¡± I said, looking up at the sky, as the swings began to slow down.


    ¡°It was the first time you came to our house. Mom was worried about you, and I went to look for you and found you here at this park, swinging like a madman,¡± she said, smiling at me. ¡°You were a weird kid.¡±


    ¡°I guess I was,¡± I said, chuckling.


    ¡°How come you always liked to come here to this park when you were a kid?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know? ¡°I said, glancing at the mom getting ready to leave with her kid.


    ¡°Something about swinging as high as I could kind of gave me a sense of freedom, I guess. Perhaps I just wanted to be free as a bird and search.¡±


    ¡°For home,¡± she said, finishing my sentence. There was sadness in her words I noticed.


    ¡°And I found it,¡± I said, smiling at her.


    ¡°Can you remember anything before you came to live with us?¡±


    ¡°Sadly no,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s like my mind has no recollection of that time. It almost feels like I didn¡¯t even exist.


    ¡°Well you did,¡± she said, smiling at me,


    ¡°You were always together with your mom, you were a shy kid.¡±


    ¡°Was I,¡± I said, looking at the sky.


    Yet, I couldn¡¯t help but recall that strange dream. Did it have anything to do with my childhood. I childhood I hardly remembered.


    I wondered, but for now, I brushed that thought aside. Perhaps me finding out about witches was fate or something.


    ¡°Well, regardless,¡± she said, looking at me, ¡°I¡¯m glad I met you eight years ago.¡±


    ¡°Me too,¡± I said. It had been eight years since I came to live with Mikki and Nanna, and I was glad I did. I felt at home with them. They were my family now.


    ¡°You know,¡± she said, looking at the bright blue sky. ¡°Not all witches use their gifts to hurt people.¡±


    She glanced at me, her green eyes had a seriousness in them that I had never seen from her before, I mean, she was always serious, but this was different.


    ¡°Is that what has been bothering you?¡±


    ¡°You might think it is silly, but it gets to me whenever a witch uses her power to hurt a normal person. Especially someone very¡­ ¡°


    She looked at me, and in that moment, she had a certain vulnerability I had never seen before.


    ¡°I would never think of you as silly,¡± I said, looking at her.


    ¡°Prudish at times,¡± I teasingly added.


    ¡°But never silly.¡±


    She glanced at her hands, almost as if she was waiting for something to come out of them.


    ¡°Is just that we have these gifts and to abuse them by causing harm to people is just wrong. Especially when those people can¡¯t protect themselves from these gifts.¡±


    I guess It made sense for her to feel that way. After all, it seemed that this whole magical power thing was something only a few people could do. So I could understand why she felt that way.


    ¡°So,¡± I said.


    ¡°What kind of spells can you do?¡±


    I was curious to know what a witch could do. I¡¯ve seen shows and read a few stories about witches, but nothing could prepare you for the real thing. And truthfully, it still felt surreal to think they were real. It wasn¡¯t every day you got to see real magic.


    ¡°Just a few, ¡± she said, getting up from the swing.


    ¡° Since you¡¯ve always wanted to fly like a bird, why don¡¯t I help you.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t turn me into a bird,¡± I said, half-jokingly and half series.


    She looked at me and let out a chuckle.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I won¡¯t, yet.¡±


    She brought her hands together and began to say some incantation in a language I didn¡¯t understand, making her hands and body glow.


    ¡°I summon thee!¡± she said, and a magic circle appeared before her; it had strange writings like those in animation shows and games I had watched and played, but this was different. This was real and not fake.


    ¡°Come forth and here my words,¡± she said, and a black broom felt from the sky and right into her hand.


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve always wanted to touch the sky as a kid, why don¡¯t I bring you closer to it.¡±


    She put the broom between her legs.


    ¡°Come, it¡¯ll be fun,¡± she said.


    I walked toward her. My curiosity was stronger than the hesitation I had of the broom. I put my legs over the broom, ready to ride it like you will a horse. A flying wooden horse.


    ¡°Hold on,¡± she said, and the broom began to levitate from the floor, and the next thing I knew, we were floating a few inches from the ground.


    ¡°W-Wait,¡± I said, closing my eyes and grabbing onto her as fast as possible.


    ¡°Soft,¡± I said, feeling something quite magical.


    I heard a soft cry,


    ¡°R-Rey,¡± I opened my eyes.


    ¡°S-Sorry,¡± I said, letting go of them.


    ¡°Just put your arms around my waist,¡± she said.


    ¡°O-okay,¡± I said, doing what she told me. Her waist was slim and soft, yet it had a firmness to it, and  if any of the boys from school saw us they will truly despise my very existence.


    ¡°Hold on,¡± she said, and we shot up into the air in the blink of an eye. I closed my eyes as the wind brushed against my hair, hitting my face.


    ¡°You can open your eyes,¡± she said, and I did.


    ¡°Beautiful,¡± I said, as I took in the scenery she had given me.


    We were hovering  over the city like some flying saucer, or in our case, a flying broom.


    ¡°Hold on,¡± she said, speeding up. And as we flew all around the city like a couple of birds, I couldn¡¯t help but feel free.


    ¡°THIS IS AMAZING! ¡° I yelled, feeling like some little kid. My face had the biggest grin ever.


    ¡°Magic truly is awesome?¡± I yelled as we flew all around the city.


    ¡°Hopefully, that experience replaces the bad one,¡± she said.


    ¡°Definitely,¡± I said with a big smile.


    And as we flew without a care in the world, I could feel all my worries leave my body as the wind embraced us.


    ¡°Can they see us?¡± I said as I looked down at the people, wishing they could experience such a magical thing.


    ¡°No, I put a spell on my broom that hides us,¡± she said.


    ¡°Look.¡±


    She pointed toward the sun set in front  of us.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it  beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Yea it is,¡± I said as we both looked at the sunset, yet for me, there was another more beautiful sight that the sunset.


    ¡°We shall probably start heading back,¡± she added,


    ¡°Yea,¡± I said, not wanting to end this magical experience, and wishing I was able to use magic, but for now,  this was good enough.


    ¡°Hold on.¡±


    The broom sped at a speed that no human made craft could, and as we got closer to our house I could see two figures outside.


    ¡°Welcome back,¡± Ms.. Hexa said as she stood by the door, with Evara next to her, making her look even more like some middle school kid.


    ¡°I see you guys had quite the fun experience,¡± Ms. Hexa said, as we both got off from Mikki¡¯s broom.


    ¡°I figure he should have a good experience with magic to replace the bad one at school,¡± Mikki said.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea at all,¡± Evara added,


    ¡°Magic is quite beautiful. Unfortunately,  I can¡¯t stay for dinner, it was nice to see you, Rey. ¡±


    ¡°It was nice meeting you too,¡± I said.


    I still had a feeling deep inside of me that was telling me  that my mother¡¯s necklace, or the witches¡¯ memento like they were called, would be much safer in her hands. But for now, I was just glad I could keep it, regardless of how long.


    ¡°Well, I better get going,¡± Evara said, taking a bottle from her long sleeves and spilling a liquid on the floor. She walked on it, and her body began to turn to liquid


    ¡®See you later,¡± she said, as her body disappeared as the wind blew it away.


    ¡°Magic sure is awesome,¡± I thought.


    Still wishing I could use it, but unfortunately, I was just an ordinary boy with a  treasure to guard, and I was going to guard it with everything I had, with or without magic. I was ready to put even my life on the line for it.

 Chapter 3

    Chapter 3:


    A dangerous game


    The footsteps of someone making their way to my room woke me up.


    ¡°I must have snoozed off,¡± I said, letting out a yawn.


    I looked down at my desk, which had been my bed for the night, it was filled with all the books I had been reading about witches. I had learned as much as I could, but there was very little information about glowing magical circles or people transforming into snakes, or magical items.  But I did read about the Salem witch trials, which made me understand a bit more why witches remained hidden.  Who knows what would people think or do again if they found out about magic.


    I stretched my arms trying to do away with any awkwardness that came from sleeping on a chair.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯s going to be surprised,¡± I said, as the footsteps grew closer. No doubt it was Mikki coming to wake me up as she always did, or perhaps it was another witch coming to finish Ms. Serpin¡¯s job. I brushed that thought aside. I was safe here with Mikki and Nana. I didn¡¯t need to worry.


    My door flunked open.


    ¡°Wak-¡°


    Mikki stopped, looking confused at the sight of me looking back at her.


    ¡°Well, this is a first,¡± she said.


    ¡°Thought I¡¯d surprise you,¡± I said, smiling teasingly at her.


    ¡°Well, you certainly did. Anyway, get dress and come downstairs for breakfast. Mom has a surprise for you,¡± she said, turning around and about to leave my room,


    ¡°Mikki,¡± I said, stopping her.


    ¡°Yes, Rey,¡± she said, turning back toward me. Her blonde hair was in the usual pigtails style she always wore and her uniform, which consisted of a white coat and a white color skirt with black borders was neatly styled as it always was.


    ¡°Thank you for saving me,¡± I said, smiling at her. I had forgotten to thank her, especially with everything that happened yesterday. She smiled back at me, her face had a certain softness to it that was rare from her sometimes.


    ¡°Always, Rey,¡± she said, and in that moment, I knew¡ªno idea how, I just knew¡ªthat she would always have my back, no matter what.


    ¡°Now hurry up and get dress.¡±


    I wonder what kind of surprise Nana had waiting for me downstairs. Not that I didn¡¯t like surprises, but now that I knew they weren¡¯t exactly normal, I was a little worried yet excited at the same time.


    ¡®Ms. Serpin,¡± I thought, her face still flashing before my mind.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay I¡¯m safe here¡±


    I held my mother¡¯s necklace for a moment, feeling the weight of it in my hand. If I rarely took it off before, now I was definitely never going to¡ªconsidering how important it was to me. Despite the fear I still had about witches, I¡¯m not going to lie, after all, magic wasn¡¯t all fun and games, there were still scary parts about it, monster eating parts, I wasn¡¯t going to hand my necklace over to any witch without a fight now.


    ¡°I¡¯ll protect you,¡± I thought, almost as if I was speaking to her directly, which was silly, yet her necklace always gave me a warmth feeling as if she was still with me.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do this .¡±


    I grabbed my book bag and headed downstairs, ready to see the surprise Nana had for me.


    I could hear strange noises coming from the kitchen, increasing my intrigue at what was waiting for me downstairs.


    ¡°Wow!¡° I said as I was greeted by plates and food floating in the air as I walked into the kitchen. ¡°You don¡¯t see this every day.¡±


    ¡°Since you know what we are, I figure there¡¯s no point in hiding magic from you. Besides, it makes things really easy, and as you can see,¡± Nana said, moving her hands like a conductor and directing where the plates and food went.


    ¡°Magic is not always scary, sometimes it¡¯s very useful.¡±


    She smiled warmly at me, perhaps this was her way of telling me not to be afraid of magic, which I wasn¡¯t , okay, maybe a little, but honestly , I was more excited that scare, after all, magic truly seemed like such an awesome thing that I wished I could use.


    ¡°Better this that being swallowed whole,¡± I thought, as I took a seat.


    ¡°It has its perks,¡± Mikki said, taking a sit across from me.


    ¡°Here you go, Rey,¡± Nana said, making a plate float toward where I was sitting. It floated in the air as if it was being carried by some invisible hand toward me. She placed it down on the table and smiled.


    ¡°Bravo,¡± I said, clapping.


    ¡°And to finish it off,¡± Nana said, moving her hand side to side as if she had some sort of wand on her hand, she placed the food on all the plates that had floated toward the table.


    ¡°Amazing,¡± I said, clapping once again.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said, taking a seat.


    ¡°And to think that if it weren¡¯t for Ms. Serpin attacking me, I would have never been able to witness such an event,¡± I said, taking a bite from my pancakes, which were better than usual. Perhaps they were imbued with magic. Can you eat Magic? I wondered. I would have to ask Mikki later.


    ¡°This is so good.¡±


    I looked up at Nana and saw a certain sadness in her that I rarely saw before.


    ¡°Rey,¡± Mikki said, looking at me.


    ¡°Ouch,¡± I thought as Mikki hit me underneath the table. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to,¡± I said, realizing what I had just said,  feeling guilty.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Rey,¡± Nana said, smiling at me. Her warm and kind smile made me feel even worse. Of course she felt guilty. Who wouldn¡¯t? I mean, she let her best friend¡¯s kid keep a magical artifact. She would feel guilty and responsible for what happened to me. But it¡¯s not like I blamed her. In a weird way, I was thankful. I mean, Witches and Magic were more exciting than the dull, normal life that I was sure I was going to live. ¡°You were going to find out sooner or later,¡± Nana said, pointing at the necklace around my neck.


    That was the truth. They couldn¡¯t keep this a secret from me, especially when I had such a treasure hanging around my neck.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Nanna,¡± I said again, trying to apologize as much as I could to her.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Rey. Besides, you have two very powerful witches that are going to make sure nothing happens to you, isn¡¯t that right, Mikki?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mother.¡±


    ¡°Now hurry up and eat or else you guys are going to be late,¡± Nana said, smiling at me.


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am,¡± I said, eating as fast as I could. But my appetite was already gone. Yet, I didn¡¯t want to hurt Nana more than my words had already done. So I ate everything, leaving not even crumbs on my plate.


    ¡°Thanks for the food,¡± I said, getting up from my chair,


    ¡°No problem, dear. Have a great day.¡±


    ¡°See you later, Nana,¡± I said, waving goodbye as both Mikki and I left the kitchen,


    ready to walk out of our two-floor house, which we called home, and head to school.


    ***


    ¡°You know she feels responsible for throwing you into this,¡± Mikki said as we walked toward St. Mary Academy, our school.


    ¡°I know, but it¡¯s not her fault,¡± I said, grabbing my mother¡¯s necklace  and looking at it.


    Wondering if my  mom also knew about witches, in all my excitement I forgot to ask them. But I knew one thing thought,


    ¡°It¡¯s nobody¡¯s fault.¡±


    I looked at its blue color gem that was glowing as the light hit it. It almost looked translucent, and I saw a sort of flame burning deep inside of it. It looked so beautiful, yet, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a certain longing for it, it almost felt like It was calling to me. I kept looking at it. Something about it was attracting me to it like a moth to a lantern. I couldn¡¯t keep myself from it. Every fiber in my body was screaming at me to keep looking at it, almost as if there was some hidden message deep inside it¡¯s vibrant blue color for me to discover, some kind of treasure waiting for me to reclaim.


    ¡°Rey?¡± I faintly heard Mikki¡¯s voice. It was as if her voice was getting further and further away from me.


    ¡°REY!¡±


    Her voice sounded as if she was screaming at me.


    I could feel the warm hands of somebody on me.


    ¡°W-what,¡± I said, feeling like I had just woken up from some strange dream.


    ¡°Is everything alright?¡± she asked. I could see that she was worried about me, which surprised me. I mean, we were just walking to school.


    ¡°Y-yea, why wouldn¡¯t it be?¡¯ I asked, feeling confused. I mean, I was just looking at the blue gem and spotting an unusual flame inside of it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe because you stopped suddenly as if you weren¡¯t there.¡±


    ¡°But I am here,¡± I said, looking at her funny. ¡°Walking right next to you.¡±


    She looked at me. Her green eyes felt like they were inspecting me. All of me.


    ¡°Mikki, is everything alright? ¡± I asked, being confused by what she meant. We were just walking to school, and then I looked at my mother¡¯s gem and saw a blue flame, that was all. I think.  I looked at the gem again, but the blue flame was gone.


    ¡°Are you sure everything is alright, Rey?¡± she asked, her eyes never leaving mine.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I said.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yea, I probably ate too much,¡± I said, laughing it off as if nothing had happened. But it wasn¡¯t nothing. I was sure I saw a blue flame inside the gem. But now that I was looking at the blue gem again, the flame was gone.


    ¡°Okay,¡± she said, I could tell she was completely satisfied with my response.


    ¡°But if there¡¯s anything wrong, you¡¯ll tell me, right?¡± she asked, looking straight at me, her green eyes embracing me like the embrace of a mother trying to protect her younglings.


    ¡°Of course,¡± I said, feeling guilty for not telling her about the blue flame. But I wasn¡¯t so sure now  if I even saw what I saw. I mean, perhaps it was the light playing tricks on me.


    ¡°Anyway, like I was saying,¡± Mikki said. ¡°She feels guilty for not taking the witches memento from your mother.¡±


    ¡°My mother,¡± I thought, wondering if Ms. Hexa ever tried to tell her about magic and witches, and about who she was? And also, why did Ms. Hexa allow me to keep my mother¡¯s necklace in the first place, was it purely a sentimental gesture, or was there more to it that she wasn¡¯t telling me? I had so many questions about the necklace, but I brushed them all aside for now. My head was going to explode from everything. Even if I did ask Ms. Hexa, I was sure she wouldn¡¯t tell me everything. I mean, she rarely talked about my mother and every time she mention my her, it was to tell me that I looked a lot like her. Which was fine, but I wished she would tell me more about her. I wanted to know more about her besides that I looked like her.


    ¡°Rey,¡± she said, stopping.


    ¡°Yea? ¡± I said, looking at her.


    ¡°Is everything al¡ª¡±


    I stopped, I felt a stare of pure hatred and killing intent, rendering my body frozen in fear. Feeling so vulnerable and naked to whatever was staring at me.


    ¡°I-Is it a¡­¡­ witch ?¡± I croaked, I could feel my voice failing me. That sentence taking everything from me.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Mikki said, bringing her hand up.


    ¡° I summoned th¡ª


    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary my young witch,¡± a chilling voice said. It sounded high pitch, a female¡¯s voice. I turned around, looking at every direction and trying to find the owner of the voice, but it was futile. The houses around us looked like fortresses hiding everything¡ªnot giving up anything.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Rey. ¡° she said.


    Her words felt like daggers digging into me. One minute I felt like I was being crushed and the next everything felt fine. The killing intent and fear I felt now gone.


    ¡°Did she leave?¡± I asked, but I knew the answer.


    Mikki stood in silent, no doubt thinking, and a deep silent took a hold of the both of us.


    ¡°First Ms. Serpin and now this one, my mother¡¯s necklace had to be quite the witches memento,¡± I thought.


    ¡°Was is a good idea for me to keep it.¡±


    I shook my head, brushing away any doubt from it. I had made the right choice, all I needed was to trust Mikki and Nanna¡¯s power, for now.


    ¡°She¡¯s gone,¡± Mikki finally said.


    ¡°Is another witch after the necklace isn¡¯t it,¡± I said, grabbing the necklace tightly.


    ¡°Probably,¡± Miki said as she looked around, almost trying to pinpoint where the killing intent had originated from.


    ¡°But it doesn¡¯t make sense , witches memento¡¯s aren¡¯t that sought after, unless¡­¡±


    ¡°Unless what?¡± I ask, hanging on to her words.


    ¡°Is nothing,¡± Mikki said,


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± I asked, hating the fact that she was hiding something very important from me, I could feel it.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Is alright, Rey, trust me,¡± Mikki said, her green yes looking both serious and soft.


    ¡°Okay,¡± I said, there was no point in trying to dig at what she was hiding, at least not now. I still felt spooked from that voice.


    ¡°Luckily I have two powerful witches to protect me,¡± I said, half-jokingly, half-serious, trying to lighten the mood.


    ¡°Yes, you do,¡± Mikki said, her face as serious as life and death. Which, in a way, it was life and death. Whoever that was, if it wasn¡¯t for Mikki, I¡¯m sure they would have happily feasted on me like Ms. Serpin tried to do.


    ¡°Yea,¡± I said. Whether or not me finding out about witches and being thrown into their world was something that could have been avoided, I didn¡¯t know, but what I did know was that I was glad I had Mikki and Nanna with me. Remembering that gaze on me a few moments ago as it  tried to squash me underneath the weight of its killing intent.


    ¡°Is nice to meet you, Rey.¡±


    Her words lingered in my mind, making themselves at home.


    ***


    When we arrived at the school entrance, I couldn¡¯t help but look around nervously. The school¡¯s large, black rectangular gates stood on each side, ready to come together and close themselves, and keep any late student from entering, or so that was their job, but there were ways to go around them, ways for an enemy to come uninvited.


    ¡°What if that voice followed us to school,¡±  I thought,


    I noticed students rushing in before the gates closed. They stared at me as they walked by. Their faces seemed strange and foreign to me now, and I couldn¡¯t help but wonder how many were really students and how many were really witches in disguise, waiting for the opportunity to attack, like Ms. Serpin had done.


    Where their stares toward me because I was standing next to Mikki, one of St. Mary academy¡¯s beauties, or was it because of something entirely different, maybe they knew something that only a Witch or a Warlock would. Did Warlocks exist? I wondered. There were the male equivalent of witches. I mean, if there were witches, then Warlocks had to exist as well. It was only natural, right?


    ¡°Rey, it¡¯s fine,¡± Mikki said, looking at me. Her green eyes brought me a certain comfort only she could. I had known her all my life, well, since I was eight years old, which in a way was all the life that I knew, or it my case, remember.  Her words were almost like a blanket covering me, and making me feel like a defenseless child, which I was. The truth of my situation feeling like a dagger in me, reminding me of just how out weak and defenseless  I was in their world.


    ¡°Do you think she¡¯s here, the voice from earlier, just like Ms. Serpin was, biting their time,¡± I asked, my paranoia growing. I mean, it was one thing to know magic and be able to defend yourself. But I was just some normal kid. I felt like a sitting duck that was waiting for a predator to come and take me to my death.


    ¡°Perhaps?¡± Mikki said, surveying the vast field of the front of the school entrance. ¡°But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll know if any witch tries to make a move,¡± she said, smiling at me. Her smile was warm, almost like Nana¡¯s, which she was starting to look more and more like.


    ¡°How will you know?¡± I asked. Not that I didn¡¯t believe her, but it would calm my mind, but if I was honest, it probably wouldn¡¯t. My body and mind still remembered that stare, and what it had brought with it.


    ¡°Like this, I¡¯ll show you,¡± she said, facing me. She placed her hand on my chest and closed her eyes, her face looked calm and serene, bringing a certain peace to me.


    ¡°Hear my call! Spell Caster!¡± she said, making a small magic circle, no bigger than her hand, appear on my chest for a brief moment, then it was gone as soon as it appeared.


    ¡°What was that?¡± I asked, looking around to see if anyone saw it.


    I was sure magic wasn¡¯t supposed to be known by us normal humans, after all, there had to be a reason for not seeing witches flying around freely in the open? Remembering the Salem trials which I read during my free time.  I wondered if there was some kind of secret society that kept everything hidden about Magic. So many question yet so little answered, I let out a sigh.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± she said, looking at her hand with a puzzle expression.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s just that I tried to put a spell on you that would have alerted me if you were in the vicinity of any magic besides my own, but..¡±


    ¡°But what,¡± I asked.


    ¡°It failed,¡± she said, raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°It failed, that¡¯s not good right? Should we be worried?¡± I asked, the stranger¡¯s voice circling my mind like a shark playing with its prey.


    ¡°No, ¡° she said.


    ¡°Perhaps there¡¯s some kind of¡­¡° she stopped.


    ¡°Again,¡± I thought, feeling like I was being kept in the dark again. I knew they were trying to protect me, but yet I couldn¡¯t help but feel that the less I knew about their world of magic, the more defenseless I was.


    ¡°Miki, what is it?¡± I asked, even though I hoped she would tell me what was going on, I knew she probably wouldn¡¯t. But yet I hoped she would confide in me more about their world, which I was a guest in. For my own safety, if nothing more.


    ¡°Y-Yea. Anyway, I have another idea,¡± she said, reaching for the side of her bag, where a bunch of toy straps were hanging from. She took two toys from it and  placed them in my hands.


    ¡°Hear my call! Spell caster!¡± she whispered, making a small magic circle appear and hover over them.


    ¡°Alert thy owner for any mana not imbued to you by them!¡±


    To my surprise, the toys began to glow for a brief second.


    ¡°You keep that one and I¡¯ll keep this one,¡± she said, taking one of them from my hand.


    I looked at the one that was still in my hand. It was a small white rabbit toy with red color eyes. ¡°I put a spell on them that would glow if they come in contact with any magic besides my own. If one of them glows, it will alert the other.¡±


    She showed me the rabbit toy she took, its color was black with red eyes as well.


    ¡°Okay,¡± I said, putting the rabbit toy in my pocket, as well as putting my fate in it.


    ¡°Anyway, you should get going. You don¡¯t want to be late for class,¡± she said, smiling at me. ¡°I¡¯ll see you later.¡±


    ¡°Yea, see you later,¡± I said,


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry , everything is going to be alright,¡± she said grabbing my hand.


    ¡°Yea,¡± I said.


    ¡°Well I better get going too,¡± she said.


    ¡°And make sure you pay attention in class okay, your studies come first.¡±


    I let out a faint chuckle, even with all this, she was still the Mikki I had known since we were kids.


    I watched as she left me to go to her student council meeting, which was at the other side of the school.


    ¡°I sure hope everything is going to be alright,¡± I thought, reaching into my pocket and feeling the small toy in my hand.


    ¡°I really hope so.¡±


    ***


    I made my way to Ms. Serpin¡¯s class, wondering if she would greet me. Of course she wasn¡¯t. Mikki had killed her, I think. Though I never got to ask her what happen to Ms. Serpin after  I passed out. But to be honest, I didn¡¯t care. Not to sound cold blooded or anything, but she did try to eat me after all, so I wasn¡¯t exactly fond of her.


    I wondered if any of the students would ask about her or if they even missed her. Perhaps some sort of secret magical society had erased their memories. Not that I knew if there was such a thing as that, but I figured perhaps there was since keeping all this magic and witches business hidden was probably no easy task, or at least that¡¯s what they did in tv shows.


    I walked into my biology classroom. Most of the students were already sitting at their desks, except for Mikki, who had Student Council duties today.


    ¡°I wondered if Ms. Serpin will give us another test like last time?¡± I let out, as I walked toward my desk, trying to see if it would raise any eyebrows.


    ¡°Who?¡± one of the students said, confused


    ¡°You know, our home room teacher.¡±


    ¡°Our homeroom teacher? Rey are you okay?¡± one of them asked, raising his eyebrow. But before I could answer, a strange man walked into our classroom. He had brown hair that was all but gone on top and a messy dress shirt and black pants.


    ¡°G-Good morning everyone,¡±  he said. timidly.


    ¡°Who is he?¡± I asked one of the student sitting to my right.


    ¡°His our home room teacher, Mr. Normal,¡± he said, looking at me as if I was on drugs or something.


    ¡°Right, I knew that,¡± I said, laughing it off. But of course, that was a lie, for Ms. Serpin had been our homeroom teacher for a whole year, and not this strange short man I had never seen before.


    ¡°Today, we have a new student j-joining us.¡±


    His words shot all the blood to my head, making me dizzy.


    ¡°A new student!¡± I thought, recalling that menacing voice from this morning, their words circling  in my head.


    ¡°Now, class,¡± he continued.


    ¡°S-She¡¯s from another country so make sure to make her feel at home here.¡±


    ¡°A foreign student,¡± I thought, that chilling voice from this morning and now this new foreign student, it was too much to be only a coincidence. They had to be related somehow; I could feel it.


    ¡°So class, I want you to meet, Esfir,¡± Mr. Normal said.


    I stared at the door as it opened. She was not what I had expected to be completely honest.


    She had long silver hair and bright gray eyes. She looked almost ethereal. She was wearing the girls¡¯ school uniform, which consisted of a white dress jacket and a white skirt with black borders.


    ¡°G-Go ahead, Ms. Esfir,  introduce yourself,¡± Mr. Normal said, smiling at her.


    ¡°Good morning, Everyone. My name is Esfir Czarina Ivanov, I¡¯m from Russia and I¡¯m fourteen years old and I have been living in the states for five years now.¡±


    Her voice was stoic and methodical with a certain matureness that no fourteen-year-old girl should have. It almost felt as if she was not from the same status as us, but of a higher status than us.


    In a weird way, it reminded me of Evara, the great witch Evara that is. It was as if she had a certain out-of-this-world aura to her. Which could only mean one thing, she had to be a witch. There was no other explanation for the presence that came from her.


    I would bet my life on it, ironically.


    ¡°Did you skip grades?¡± a boy from our class asked,


    ¡°Thomas, please don¡¯t be rude and raise your hand if you have a question,¡± Mr. Normal said, shushing him.


    ¡°I was just curious, that¡¯s all. Since she¡¯s two years younger than us.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Mr. Eisner,¡± Esfir said.


    ¡°I did skip a grade in my home country of Russia. But despite being two years younger than most of you, you  will find that I¡¯m mentally quite mature,¡± she said, bowing her head. It almost felt as if she was some sort of princess addressing her subjects.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re from Russia , is that why you have such pretty hair,¡± one of the female students asked.


    ¡°My hair is no more prettier than yours,¡± she said, her expression as serious as life and death. ¡°We all have traits that are beautiful in our own way.¡±


    The whole class stood in awe at her at how she spoke. It was as if we were in the presence of royalty.


    ¡°A-Any more questions? ¡°Mr. Normal said,


    ¡°Perhaps Rey would like to ask one since he hasn¡¯t taken his eyes from our guest.¡±


    I heard a voice I wasn¡¯t quite fond of.


    I blushed, not realizing what I was doing. I was so concentrated on what happened this morning that I had been leering at her, trying to find some kind of witch trait. The class exploded in laughter. I turned around to see my mortal enemy, though not by choice, sitting behind me. His name was Dave, and he was after Mikki; and me being with her made him angry, like really angry. He was smirking at me as if telling me he had won this round.


    ¡°Would you like to ask a question, Rey?¡± Mr. Normal asked, keeping himself from laughing as well.


    ¡°No, Mr. Normal,¡± I said, lowering my head, and wanting nothing more that the voice from this morning to come and swallow me up just this once.


    ¡°Very well, perhaps the empty desk next to Rey would be too much of a distraction to Rey.¡±


    ¡°That desk is suitable, Mr. Normal,¡± Esfir said,  turning to him, but to me it look liked she had commanded him and he had obeyed, as if a spell had been casted on him. Which was silly, but yet I couldn¡¯t help but feel something strange about our foreign exchange student¡ª Esfir Czarina Ivanov. She just had to be a witch, there was no other explanation for the worldly aura around her.


    ¡°Understood,. Esfir,¡± Mr. Normal said in an almost monotone voice. I looked around to see if anyone caught it but yet everyone was to enthralled with our Russian beauty to noticed anything besides that.


    Esfir bowed at him and walked toward the empty seat next to me. I took out the bunny toy strap Mikki had given me, expecting it to glow as Esfir got closer to me, but it just stood still as any normal toy would.


    ¡°Perhaps she wasn¡¯t a witch,¡± I thought. I looked at her and gave her an awkward smile, but all she gave me was a cold, icy stare from her grey eyes.


    ¡°Great, if she¡¯s not a witch she probably thinks I¡¯m a creep,¡± I thought as Mr. Normal began his lesson for the day.


    I didn¡¯t pay much attention to our so called homeroom teacher¡¯s lesson at all.


    All my concentration was on Esfir, and trying to spot anything out of the ordinary, something beyond than just her being some kind of Russian princess genius.


    She wrote every word Mr. Normal uttered with such speed and precision that it almost seemed magical.


    ¡°Perhaps she is a witch, after all,¡± I though,  I mean it takes some sort of magic to pay attention to his lesson, he was more boring that Ms. Serpin, and that was an understatement.


    I glanced at her briefly, and I turned around quickly. Not wanting to be spotted. I mean, if anyone saw what I was doing, they would think I was infatuated with her. Which I wasn¡¯t. I mean, sure, she was cute, I¡¯ll give her that. Much cuter than the last witch that tried to kill me, but she wasn¡¯t my type.


    ¡°So, Mikki isn¡¯t enough,¡± a voice said behind me. I could feel their hot breath underneath my neck suffocating me.


    ¡°You know me, Dave, I¡¯m such the ladies¡¯ man,¡± I said sarcastically, as I leaned back against his desk, teasing him. I knew he liked Mikki, and seeing assholes like him flustered because they couldn¡¯t get what they wanted brought a certain joy in me.


    ¡°Ha-ha-ha, very funny clown,¡± he said. I could feel the viciousness of his words, or perhaps it was his breath sliding down my neck.


    ¡°See you next period.¡±


    I could hear him leaning back into his chair. I won¡¯t lie. He was a bit bigger than me, vertically anyway. I wondered if there were any warlocks as well. Big, evil ones because if there were, Dave was sure to be one.


    The bell rang, and I was relieved, based on my observations, Esfir seemed pretty normal, well, as normal as a genius student can be.


    ¡°Oh! My!  looks like the period is over already,¡± Mr. Normal said, letting out a faint laugh. ¡°H-How time flies when you are having fun. Now class, d-don¡¯t forget your essays are due first thing tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Oh! great,¡° I thought as I gathered the unused student items lying on my desk.


    ¡°Just what I needed, homework.¡±


    I glanced over at Esfir, trying to spot anything before we left, but she looked and acted like any normal teenage girl, well, normal for a genius teenage girl, anyway.


    ¡°See you later, Rey,¡± Dave said, bumping his shoulder deliberately into me.


    ¡°Quite the bully,¡± Esfir said, looking at him.


    ¡°Oh, him,¡± I said as I watched him push some poor student out of his way.


    ¡°He¡¯s just peachy, real stand-up guy underneath all that macho interior,¡± I said sarcastically, which I wondered if Esfir got it,


    ¡° What class do you have next?¡± I continued , taking advantage of my chance to find out her schedule. And thanking Dave for once in my life for giving me the opportunity to talk to her.


    Still, I felt creepy at the thought of spying on her like some weirdo, but I just had to know for my sanity.


    ¡°Physical Education with a Mr. Ram,¡±


    ¡°Me too!¡± I blurted out, happy to have another chance to see if she was a witch or not. The remaining student all looked at me for a second then went back to gathering their stuff.


    ¡°Great¡±, I thought.


    Now they¡¯re really going to think I have a thing for the classroom Russian princess.


    ¡°Just so you know, I¡¯m not interested in any romantic endeavors,¡± she said, putting her things inside her bookbag, which I hadn¡¯t noticed until now was a big brown teddy bear. It was very childish, taking me by surprised.


    ¡°Maybe she really is just a normal girl,¡± I thought.


    ¡°Oh no¡ª¡± I tried to say, but it probably was futile. I was sure half the class, including her, probably thought I was infatuated with her. But I didn¡¯t care, I had to be sure about her.


    ¡°If you want, since we have the same class, we can walk together,¡± I said, reaching for the toy in my pocket, feeling its soft body around, trying to detect anything unusual on the toy. Anything that told me I was right, that I wasn¡¯t just being paranoid.


    ¡°Okay,¡± she said, grabbing her teddy bear book bag.


    ¡°Lead the way, Rey.¡±


    ***


    I could feel the stares of the students on us as we walked together. I didn¡¯t need magic to know what they were thinking. Their whispers made it all too clear what was on their minds.


    ¡°Look, is Rey and the new girl.¡±


    ¡°So, Mikki isn¡¯t enough for him.¡°


    ¡°Lucky bastard.¡±


    Those were some of the whispers I was able to catch. I shut all their voices out of my mind. I didn¡¯t have the time to worry about them and my social standing with them right now. I had more important things on my mind to worry about, life and death kind of things.


    ¡°So you skipped a grade or two,¡± I said, trying to make small talk with her and find some more information about her.


    ¡®That¡¯s correct,¡± she said, her voice cold and emotionless. It was very monotone.


    ¡°Wow! You must be a genius or something,¡± I said, smiling at her. Trying to be as friendly as I could.


    ¡°I¡¯m no smarter than anyone else. I just put in extra time, that¡¯s all,¡± she said, looking at me, her light gray eyes inspecting me. She always had the right thing to say, it almost felt robotic to me.


    ¡°Well, I think you¡¯re smarter than anyone I have met,¡± I said, smiling at her.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said, and for a brief second, I almost noticed a normal girl underneath that neat and well put sophistication she had about her.


    ¡°She¡¯s normal, maybe,¡± I thought.


    ¡°That¡¯s a very pretty necklace?¡±


    Her gray eyes landing on my necklace.


    I looked at my necklace, and grabbed it, holding it tight as if I was going to lose it.


    ¡°Is just some old thing I found, nothing important,¡± I said, putting it over my shirt, hiding it.


    ¡°Is that so,¡± she said raising an eyebrow.  I looked at her and for a minute I could¡¯ve sworn her face had an annoyed look to it for a brief moment, as if the real Esfir was coming out.


    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± I said, as we came to the gymnasium entrance.


    ¡° Thank you for showing me the way,¡± she said, bowing before me,


    ¡°There it is, that royalty aura,¡± I though, as she bowed to me.


    ¡®it was no problem,¡± I said, flailing my arms, being taken back by her gesture toward me.


    ¡°See you in class, in Rey,¡± she said, as she walked toward the girl¡¯s locker room.


    ¡®Yea,¡± I said, looking at her as she left. If she wasn¡¯t a witch that was after my life, I could definitely see her as a little sister, I thought. I reached into my pocket and took out the small rabbit toy, but it looked like an ordinary toy and not some kind of witch detecting toy as it laid normally on my hand.


    ***


    I enter the boys¡¯ locker room and began to put on my uniform when I spotted Dave walking toward me.


    ¡°Great, just what I need,¡±  I though, not being in the mood to deal with him.


    ¡° I hear Mr. Ram is going to let us play dodgeball today,¡± he said, smirking at me. No doubt he was going to try and go after me, I¡¯m sure he felt like a kid at a candy store, ready to pick or pick on,  anything his heart desired.


    ¡°Watch yourself, Rey,¡± he said, his eyes had a vibrant red that I hadn¡¯t noticed before. He looked like some beast ready to unleash its carnage.


    ¡°Thanks for the advice, pal,¡± I said, smirking back at him, and letting him know that he didn¡¯t intimidate me. Whatever he had in mind, I wasn¡¯t scared. With or without magic, I could protect myself.


    ¡°Just ask Ms. Serpin¡¯s right eye,¡± I thought.


    ¡®Watch yourself punk,¡± he said, bumping my shoulder as he left the boy¡¯s locker room.


    ¡°I sure have it tough, not only do I have to protect myself from witches but school bullies as well,¡±  I thought, but to be honest, I prefer a school bullies than a witch. School bullies don¡¯t try to devour you looking like some hideous snake creature, well , I hope they don¡¯t.


    I let out a sigh, even though I wasn¡¯t looking forward to Dave¡¯s failed attempts at intimidation, I still had to keep an eye on Esfir.


    The school gymnasium was big, it had a pair of basketball courts on each end and a small theater stage in the front. The boys and girls were separated and standing on each side of the gymnasium.


    ¡°Alright, class,¡± Mr. Ram said as he walked in.


    He was wearing a pair of red shorts and a tight brown shirt with a whistle hanging around his thick, veiny neck and two red balls in each hand. He tossed one at the boys and the other at the girls.


    ¡°I want you to separate into pairs and stand opposite each other. It¡¯s time for you guys to know what a little pain feels like,¡± he said, blowing his whistle.


    ¡°Ready, Rey!¡± Dave said as he walked opposite of me. His eyes on me like a beaming missile latching onto its target.


    The gymnasium erupted in a symphony of grunts and shrieks as a bunch of red balls flew all over, hunting their prey. I was nimble enough to dodge every ball Dave threw at me, making him grow even angrier than he already was.


    ¡°Quit squirming like a girl, Rey!¡±


    He grabbed one of the balls on the floor and threw it my way with all his might. Thankfully I was fast enough to dodge it, missing me and, unfortunately, hitting some poor soul right in the face and knocking him out.


    ¡°Sorry buddy, better you than me,¡± I thought, yet something felt strange. The gymnasium looked more violent than what a gym class should be.


    ¡°Hey, teach!¡± I yelled as I saw all around me bodies hitting the floor. Even the girls¡¯ weren¡¯t immune to the savagery this game had brought onto the gymnasium. But it was no use,  Mr. Ram was nowhere to be seen. We were on our own.


    The gymnasium now looked like a stage for some bloody sports spectacle. Every student was acting like wild animals trying to kill each other.


    I looked around for Esfir every chance I got while I was dodging balls coming my way.


    ¡°There,¡± I said, spotting Esfir standing by the corner, almost as if she was invisible to the other students.


    ¡°So, she is a witch!¡± I thought, for what other reason could there be for nobody picking on her, then again she was a princess so perhaps they were scare of her.


    ¡°Pay attention!¡± a mysterious voice in my head said, which, if it weren¡¯t for it, my face would have caught an extra dangerous ball coming my way.


    I moved to the side, and the ball hit the wall like a meteor, cracking it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think a regular dodgeball is strong enough to do that,¡± I thought.


    This wasn¡¯t normal. Was Esfir responsible for this? And also, who was that voice? But right now  I didn¡¯t have time to think about that. I had more important matters at hand.


    I had to stop her for everyone¡¯s sake. I began to run toward her, but a big beast stood in my way.


    ¡°Where are you going, Rey?¡± Dave said, and in  that moment, I could¡¯ve sworn he was twice his size, looking quite intimidating, smoke was coming out of his nostrils like some kind of demon in an RPG game.


    ¡°Hey Dave!¡± I said, backing away from him slowly as if a rabid beast was standing in front of me. I felt something hot inside my pocket.


    ¡°The toy!¡±


    I reached for it and took it out, dropping it on the gymnasium floor. Its body was melting as if it was being  burn to a crisp.


    ¡°Magic!¡±


    That was the only explanation for this scene of brutality I was seeing. And if Magic was responsible, that meant Esfir had to be the one that was doing it.


    I had to stop her.


    I searched for her, trying to find her, but it was no use. Dave was forcing me to dodge the red dodgeballs he was blasting toward me like a mad man. I had no time to look for her.


    ¡°Where is she?¡± I thought, trying to get a look after each dodge, but even if I did find her, what could I do? I was just a normal person. But before I thought of a plan to stop her, first I needed to deal with a certain annoyance.


    ¡°Dave, I¡¯m going to need you to settle down,¡± I said, grabbing a ball next to me and throwing it at him with everything I had. And to my luck, or so I would like to say, he stood still, taking the hit right in the face.


    ¡°Direct hit !¡± I thought as I grabbed another and threw it at him again, trying to go for another shot.


    But to my luck, he grabbed the second ball with his hand and sent it right back at me. I managed to dodge, and it hit the wall, burying itself in the crater the hit had created.


    ¡° This has gone on for far too long!¡± I said, dashing toward him. I didn¡¯t know what I was going to do, but I had to stop this. I tackled him or tried to, but he grabbed me and lifted me. Slamming me to the floor. I won¡¯t lie; that hurt like hell¡ªtaking the air out of me. He reached for me, trying to grab me again, but I managed to slip away from his grasp and move to the side, grabbing a ball next to me and throwing it at him as hard as I could.


    ¡®R-E-Y!¡± he yelled like some lunatic.


    He grabbed the ball and threw it at me, sending some poor fellow flying to the other side. Either Dave had been working out, or this strength he was displaying wasn¡¯t his.


    ¡°MIKKI!¡±


    Was the only thing I could think of; I needed her help. She was the only one that could beat Esfir. I needed a witch to battle another witch.


    Dave ran toward me. I stood my ground, ready to take him head-on.


    I didn¡¯t know if I was going to survive or not, but if I wanted to do something about the violence that had been unleash  in the gymnasium by Esfir, I had to take him out first.


    But before we could engage in our final battle to the death, the gymnasium door flung open. The light from outside hit Dave¡¯s face, making him lose his balance. Which I took advantage of, hitting him right in the face and knocking him to the ground.


    ¡°Mr. Ram!¡± the figure standing in the light said.


    ¡°I believe Physical Education  is over for the day,¡± she said.


    ¡°Mikki!¡± I said, feeling relieved to see her.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Mr. Ram said, coming into view in the gymnasium.


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    He blew his whistle, and all the students fell on the gymnasium floor, exhausted from our deathly  little game of dodgeball.


    ¡°My head hurts,¡± the students said, as they began to tend to their bruises.


    I was relieve to see that all the students were back to normal, a bit bruised up from the game, but nothing a good night couldn¡¯t fix.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± I said, extending my hand to Dave.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he said, slapping my hand away. He touched his jaw as he stood up and walked away.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Mikki said. I looked around and spotted her rabbit toy strap, or what was left of it.


    ¡°A witch,¡± I said, handing her the toy back.

 Chapter 4

    Chapter 4


    The Bet


    ¡°Are you sure it was Esfir? ¡° Mikki asked as we walked our daily route home. The sky was turning into a dim orange as evening was beginning to set in. I spotted some students making their way toward their homes. I wondered if any of them were witches just hiding in plain view and how many were just normal people, like me, completely unaware of what hid under their noses. Of course, I knew the answer. Every person that passed us, for some reason I couldn¡¯t explain, felt normal. It was almost like what happened inside the gymnasium had awakened something in me, and, if I was honest with myself, it was starting to scare me. It was as if my body was tuning into the frequency of magic, getting a feel for it. But then again, perhaps it was all in my head. But I just didn¡¯t feel any danger from them.


    ¡°I¡¯m positive,¡± I repeated myself. There was no other explanation for Esfir showing up the same day that that strange voice, and now with the whole gymnasium accident, it was just too much of a coincidence to not be related somehow.


    ¡°Well,¡± she said, looking at the small rabbit toy she gave me, or what remained of it, for it had been destroyed as if it had been set on fire. ¡°There¡¯s certainly a very powerful witch hiding at the school.¡±


    Her words brought back their faces, their distorted and beast-like faces that were hungry for something that wasn¡¯t on any menu. It was as if all trace of their humanity had been stripped from them and replaced with something that belonged in nightmares; dark, malicious, depraved, monsters with no minds of their own, being controlled by something far worse.


    ¡°Do you know what kind of magic was used on the students? ¡° I asked as the light from the setting sun hit my mother¡¯s necklace, making it shine a vibrant blue. I looked at the necklace, grabbing it; it felt warm, welcoming, almost like a child¡¯s blanket covering me. There were many things I was ignorant of concerning the world I had been thrown into, and if I didn¡¯t wise up, it would cost me my life and those around me. I had to know more.


    ¡°It was probably some kind of mind control spell combined with an Illusion spell for added effect,¡± she said casually.


    I stopped, looking at her.


    The wind caressed her blonde hair almost as if it was protecting her.


    ¡°Mind control, illusions?¡± I repeated, being more confused than ever.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Rey,¡± she said, letting out a faint chuckle,


    ¡°I forgot that all of this is new to you.¡±


    ¡°Yea,¡± I said, giving her a half-smile as we continued our walk.


    ¡°There are many types of magic and each has its own spells. Each spell is like a branch stemming from a much large tree, so to speak, and certain witches can combine spells to create much stronger spells.¡°


    ¡°I see, I see,¡± I said as I listened closely to her, caressing my chin, and  imagining some kind of tree with branches extending outward from it, trying to conceptualize this magic system. It almost felt as if I was in some RPG game, and if my life wasn¡¯t in danger, I might have enjoyed it. It was as if knowing more and more about magic was enticing me like some sort of lustful lover.


    ¡°Do you know how many spells there are ?¡± I asked, eagerly awaiting her answer, ready to write everything down in my mind. As if I was preparing myself for some sort of test that had no pass or fail¡ªonly do or die.


    ¡°Rey¡­¡± she said, stopping.


    I looked back at her. The sun from behind hitting her back and making her glow like some sort of angel. She looked at me, her green eyes intensively looking at me.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but¡­¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s better if you don¡¯t¡¯ know more about magic; it¡¯s too dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Mikki,¡± I said, walking closer to her, our faces inches away. I could smell the sweet strawberry shampoo on her beautiful golden hair. ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡± I asked.


    I could feel the wind gathering around us. I could feel it trying to move my necklace, almost as if it was trying to steal it. Perhaps it was some witch using some sort of magic spell, or maybe it was just my overactive imagination.


    I brushed those thoughts aside for now. I could feel Mikki¡¯s emerald color green eyes staring at me. Her stare was not that of Mikki, my childhood friend, but that of Mikki, the witch.


    ¡°Yes, but,¡± she said, ¡°I can¡¯t promise you I¡¯ll answer it.¡±


    She was being stubborn again. I could feel it. She didn¡¯t want me to know more about magic than what I already knew. Perhaps she was trying to protect me like some defenseless kid, which I was. But knowing more about magic was how I could protect myself.


    ¡°Can you not tell me because you don¡¯t want to or because you can¡¯t?¡± I asked, paying extra attention to her words, trying to decipher the secret code she was hiding within them. Trying to find the real truth between the words that came from her lips.


    ¡°Both,¡± she said, her voice firm and unwavering.


    ¡°I see,¡± I said, nodding at her. ¡°Very well, I won¡¯t pester you about it.¡±


    For now, her answer was enough, and as a guest to their world, I was going to honor it. But, despite being an unwelcomed variable, and the least I knew, the better, according to them.


    I still had a certain right to know. After all, it was my life on the line.


    The rest of our walk was filled with bits of silence and chit chat regarding school, especially about the upcoming school dance, which no doubt would bring every guy gunning to ask her out. Remembering last year when every guy tried to beat me up for being her childhood friend. Not that it mattered, we were only friends and nothing more.


    ¡°I hope Nana prepared one of her special rice and steak combos for lunch,¡± I said as my stomach growled. ¡°Because I could eat a cow right about now.¡±


    I let out a faint laugh.


    ¡°If you want,¡± she said, fidgeting, ¡°I c-can prepare you something to eat while you wait for lunch, a quick snack.¡±


    I looked at her. ¡°You know how to cook?¡± I said, taken back by her. I had never seen her cook in the eight years I knew her.


    ¡°Of course,¡± she said, looking at me, her expression serious.


    I smiled at her, though it was more a worried smile than anything, I mean, who wouldn¡¯t be worried about tasting someone¡¯s food if they had never seen them cook before? Either way, I was still going to eat it, but I can¡¯t lie; I was a bit scared.


    ¡°What!¡± she said, being annoyed,


    ¡°You don¡¯t want food made by a beautiful girl like me,¡± she said, smiling at me playfully. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that there are many guys that would kill for a chance to be able to eat food made by yours truly.¡±


    ¡°There would definitely be some killing involved, that¡¯s for sure,¡± I bantered back.


    ¡°Hahaha very funny.¡±


    She stopped, and looked at me, brushing her hair from her face,


    ¡°What do you say, Rey?¡± she asked. I looked at her; I didn¡¯t know if this was punishment for trying to be so nosy earlier or if she really wanted to cook for me, but in that moment, I couldn¡¯t say no to her, even if my stomach was apprehensive.


    ¡°Are you sure? I don¡¯t want to give you more work, and I¡¯m sure you¡¯re already quite busy,¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine; I can manage. Besides, I have a little magic on my side,¡± she said, blinking at me. And in that moment, I didn¡¯t mind witches coming after me. For I was sure Mikki was going to finish their job.


    ¡°S-Sure, if you insist,¡± I said, giving in to her.


    ***


    ¡°NANA, WE¡¯RE HOME!¡± I yelled as we entered the house. ¡°Did you forget to put away an extra pair of your shoes, Mikki?¡± I asked, pointing at the pair of black dress shoes by the entrance.


    ¡°No,¡± she said as she took off her shoes. ¡°Must be a student from the student council; I probably forgot something,¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unlike you,¡± I said as we walked toward the living room.


    I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes; in fact, I thought I was hallucinating. Perhaps I was still under the effects of an Illusion spell. That was the only explanation to me for her sitting down on the couch next to Evara.


    ¡°Be careful, Mikki,¡± I yelled. ¡°She¡¯s a witch.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s quite the energetic little one; please excuse him,¡± Evara said, smiling at me.


    ¡°It appears so,¡± Esfir said, taking a sip from a white-colored cup.


    ¡°Rey, have a seat, ¡° Evara said, giving gesturing at me to sit down.


    ¡°Master?¡± Mikki said, but Evara ignored her. Signaling us both to sit down.


    ¡°Now, now, everything will be explained shortly.¡±


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°So, you are a witch,¡± I let out as I walked toward the empty seat, facing her. My eyes stuck on her like an animal coming in contact with one of its predators, calculating its every move.


    ¡°I brought some snacks,¡± Ms. Hexa said as she walked into the living room, carrying a silver, round plate with cookies. She placed the plate down in the center where the coffee table was and looked at me. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Rey,¡± she said, smiling at me.


    ¡°It appears that both of you have already met,¡± Evara said, reaching for the plate and grabbing a cookie.


    ¡°Oh! We meet alright,¡± I said, looking at Esfir as she took another sip of her tea. Her expression was cold and aloof as if she didn¡¯t have anything to do with bewitching all the students in the gymnasium to attack one another. It was one thing to try to attack me, but it was another to bring innocent people into it, and yes, that included even Dave.


    ¡°Master?¡± Mikki said, looking at Esfir briefly and then glancing at Evara. ¡°Is she?¡±


    ¡°Ah! where are my manners,¡± Evara said, letting out a faint laugh. ¡°This is Esfir Czarina Ivanov.¡±


    ¡°Ivanov,¡± Mikki said.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I thought, once again feeling left out. I looked around the room, glancing at each witch that surrounded me. Nanna, Mikki , Evara, and now Esfir. I couldn¡¯t help but feel a certain Deja-vu feeling washing over me.


    ¡°Where you the one that made all the students act that way in the gymnasium today?¡± I asked, staring her down. I didn¡¯t know if she was an enemy or not, especially with the way Evara and Nana and now Mikki had their guards down. Feeling completely lost, which I hated.


    ¡°What if I was?¡± she said, her cold gray eyes looking at me, her expression telling me nothing. Despite looking like any normal girl in her school uniform, and her teddy bear book bag by her feet, there was something dangerous about her.


    ¡°What would a normal human like you do about it?¡± Her words came at me like daggers, hitting every inch of me. And she was right; what could I do? I was just a normal person.


    ¡°I-I¡­¡± I swallowed my saliva, feeling like some helpless baby standing before a¡­.


    ¡°Answer me!¡± I said, trying to show her I meant business and that her words didn¡¯t impact me.


    ¡°Rey¡­¡± Mikki said, placing her hand on my hand. ¡°Esfir, were you the one responsible for the gymnasium? ¡°Mikki said, but I just felt worse. Here I was, being defended by a girl, my pride¡ªthe little that I had¡ªas a man taking a hit. I moved my hand away from hers. I wasn¡¯t going to allow her to see me like some weak, little boy that needed defending.


    She grabbed her tea from the table and took a sip. I could hear the liquid going down her throat, effortlessly, without a care in the world. The room was quiet for a brief moment that it felt like the silence was stretching into eternity. She placed her tea back down on the coffee table in front of us and looked at me, her gray eyes looking through me. And in that moment, I sort of admired her, even if it was for a brief moment. After all, she was only fourteen years old, two years younger than me, she looked more mature than me. Compared to her, I looked like some bratty kid lashing out.


    ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t the one responsible for what happened this afternoon in the gymnasium,¡± she said, her words filling the room like a king addressing her subjects.


    ¡°I see,¡± I said, believing her and feeling relieved. ¡°Now that we have cleared that misunderstanding, why don¡¯t w¡ª¡±


    ¡°But,¡± Esfir said, cutting Evara¡¯s words, making me wonder just who Esfir was. After all, Evara was some Master Witch, whatever that meant. ¡°Now that you know just how strong and dangerous magic is, why don¡¯t you give me that which belongs to me?¡± she said, her cold gray eyes looking at me, or so I thought, but they were really looking at the blue necklace that hanged from my neck.


    ¡°Which that belonged to you? I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t follow,¡± I said, my hand moving toward my most prized procession.


    ¡°She¡¯s talking about the necklace,¡± Evara said, taking a sip of her tea. I looked at her, her white-colored hair flowing from her back like a mane made of quills.


    ¡°I tell you, Nana, you have a gift when it comes to cooking.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Master.¡±


    ¡°The necklace,¡± I said, holding it tightly in my hand that I felt it would leave its imprint on my hand.


    ¡°As I told you, Rey, Witches¡¯ mementos are passed down from generation to generation,¡± Evara said as she indulged herself with another one of Nana¡¯s cookies. If I weren¡¯t in the middle of this, I would have loved to try them myself. ¡°And it just so happens that that necklace you have hiding between your hands belonged to the Ivanov family at one point.¡±


    ¡° I see,¡± I muttered, though I doubt anybody heard me. Nor did I care. The only thing I cared about was the necklace leaving its mark on me. The only thing I had of a mother I didn¡¯t get to know.


    ¡°Though¡­¡± Evara said, licking her fingers. ¡°The magic of many Witches has probably been mixed inside the memento, rendering any ownership claim invalid. Wouldn¡¯t you agree, Esfir Czarina Ivanov?¡± Evara looked at Esfir. And in that moment, Evara looked much older than anyone sitting in the room, despite her youthful appearance.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t expect anything less from someone with the title of Master Witch,¡± Esfir said. ¡°But¡­¡± she looked at me, noticing me holding my necklace like a baby that didn¡¯t want to depart from their favorite toy. ¡°If the original founding Magic is strong enough, it can overshadow all the rest.¡±


    Her expression was cold and aloof. Not giving up any emotion she might have felt. And in that moment, I didn¡¯t see some fourteen-year-old girl but a witch wise beyond her years.


    ¡°That is true,¡± Evara said, taking a bite from another cookie and placing her arm on the couch¡¯s arm rest, resting her cheek on her hand. ¡°Is the Ivanov family magic strong enough to still be noticeable after all those years? I wonder? ¡±


    ¡°You know the answer to that, dear friend,¡± a voice said that reminded e of the voice I heard at the gymnasium.


    ¡°Who said that?¡± I said, the mysterious voice spooking me. I looked around the room, trying to find the owner of it, but there was nobody besides us. Was this another Illusion spell? Was this the voice I had heard in the gymnasium?


    ¡°Ah! I wondered when you were going to show up,¡± Evara said, smiling at Esfir.


    ¡°I wanted to meet the boy, ¡° the voice answered; it was a high, almost cartoony.


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s quite the¡­¡± the voice stopped.


    ¡°Esfir, dear?¡±


    ¡°Can you bring me up?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master,¡± Esfir said, reaching for the teddy bear book bag that was by her feet. And it hit me like a slap, awakening me to the fact that I was no longer in my world but theirs. Esfir brought the teddy bear bag that was laying by her feet on her lap, and it began to expand as if life was being imbued to it. Expanding into the firm form of a teddy bear toy.


    ¡°Ah! Teddy, it¡¯s been a while,¡± Evara said, smiling at the stuffed toy that was sitting on Esfir¡¯s lap.


    ¡°It truly has, Evara, dear,¡± the stuffed toy said, jumping into Evara¡¯s arms and sitting on her lap. ¡°So, this must be Nana and Miki Hexa,¡± he said, bowing at them.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you,¡± Mikki and Nana said, bowing their heads at the talking stuffed toy. If anyone saw the scene that was unfolding before my eyes, they would have found it quite silly. Heck, it was silly to me.


    ¡°And you must be Rey,¡± he said, his black-colored eyes looking at me.


    ¡°I¡­¡± I said, looking at the talking light brown teddy bear toy sitting at arm¡¯s length from me.


    ¡°Now, now, you have seen enough of our world to be surprised by my appearance.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yea, I guess I have,¡± I said, wondering how many weird things I would see about their magical world before I¡­.


    ¡°Evara, a cookie, please,¡± Teddy said, extending his short, light brown arms at the plate filled with cookies.


    ¡°Here, dear,¡± Evara said, giving him a cookie.


    ¡°Now, kid,¡± he said, filling his mouth with a cookie that seemed too big for it , dropping crumbs on the couch.


    ¡°Teddy, sir,¡± Nana said, raising her eyebrow. ¡°Can you be so kind and not make a mess.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry, dear,¡± Teddy said, blushing, which caught me by surprise. ¡°But Evara is right; you do have a gift for food.¡±


    I stared at him for a bit, feeling like I was in some kind of dream that I would wake from at any second. Just one big surreal dream I found myself in. Talking teddy bears, teachers with snakeheads, all of it felt so unreal, but it was real. All of it, and I had a feeling this was only the beginning.


    ¡°Anyway, where was I?¡± Teddy said, gesturing with his small hands for another cookie. ¡°All we want is the necklace back, and we will be on our way, Rey.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± I said, still holding onto it. ¡°How can I trust you?¡± I said, not meaning to. I mean, did it really matter? All I had to do was give them their necklace back, and I would probably go back to my normal, boring life. And they probably had some sort of spell that would make me forget everything that had happened up to this point.


    ¡°Well,¡± Teddy said, licking his toy-like paws. ¡°It¡¯s not really a matter of trusting us or not. It¡¯s a matter of giving us back what belongs to us in the first place.¡±


    His stare felt more real than him. It was like I was being looked at not by some stuffed teddy bear toy, but by something else.


    ¡°Still¡­¡± I said, trying to find another reason that would prevent me from parting ways from my mother¡¯s necklace. ¡°I don¡¯t trust Esfir. I mean, how can I be sure she isn¡¯t lying to me about what happened at the gymnasium?¡±


    Esfir looked at me, and for the second time since I met her, there was a reaction from her. In the form of her gray eyes reducing their size as they looked at me.


    ¡°Well,¡± Teddy said, stuffing his face with another cookie,


    ¡°You can rest easy, for Esfir here is a summoner Witch, and the spell that was casted on the gymnasium was an Illusion spell.¡±


    ¡°What does that even mean?¡± I said, not knowing what any of that meant. I meant, sure, Mikki told me a bit about magic, but in the end, she stopped. Not wanting me to know more about magic for my safety.


    He stopped eating and looked at me. His black eyes looked at me as if they were studying me, which I was growing tired of.


    ¡°I see,¡± he finally said, looking at Evara. ¡°The boy knows nothing.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s just a normal kid,¡± Mikki said. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, Rey?¡±


    Mikki looked at me. Her green eyes felt like they were mocking me, or maybe that was just my imagination. I was growing tired of not knowing, growing tired of everything being a secret that I wasn¡¯t allowed to know. I stood up from the couch. There was an anger in me that I couldn¡¯t hold off.


    ¡°I may not know a lot about magic, but I know that I¡¯m not giving up my necklace to some toy, Esfir, or anyone in this room,¡± I said, turning my hand into a fist.


    ¡®Rey-¡± Nana and Mikki said,


    ¡°And no word from some stuffed toy is going to change my mind.¡±


    I felt a hot flash all over my body.


    ¡°Stuffed toy¡­¡± Teddy repeated, standing up from Esfir¡¯s lap.


    ¡°Oh, dear!¡± Evara said as she took another bite of the cookie in her hand.


    ¡°Stuffed toy! you say..¡± he growled, jumping into the table. And growing twice his size, crushing the table below him.


    ¡°STUFFED TOY!¡± he roared,


    I was scared, I¡¯m not going to lie, but I was more scared of losing the only thing I had of my mother. And I don¡¯t know if it was my fear or what, but I could feel her standing right next to me and giving me courage.


    ¡°Seems like things have gotten out of hand,¡± Evara said,


    ¡°It appears so,¡± Esfir said, taking a sip of her cup, the two unfazed by what was happening. ¡°Well, you heard the boy. He¡¯s not going to give up the necklace. And dealing with three witches would be hard, even for you, Teddy.¡±


    Teddy looked at Evara and then to Nana and Mikki, resting his eyes on me. His eyes were now a vibrant red.


    ¡°Esfir, dear,¡± he said, his voice was no longer that of some sweet, stuffed toy. It was deep, almost beast-like; it had a certain urgency, like a dog waiting to attack any moment.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it,¡± Evara said, looking at Esfir. Her eyes were sharp like daggers. Yet Teddy¡¯s eyes never left my own, both staring down each other.


    There was a silent that took the living room. I could feel the hotness within me beginning to subside.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Teddy said after some seconds had passed, and the thick aura that had fallen in the room disappearing, almost as if someone had opened the window. ¡°Can¡¯t risk Esfir here; how about this boy?¡± Teddy said. ¡°Since you hold that necklace with such regard, are you willing to bet your life for it?¡±


    ¡°Rey,¡± Mikki said, standing up. ¡°Don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I-¡± I said, holding the necklace tightly. Nothing was going to separate me from it, not even death.


    ¡°Listen to your girlfriend here, Rey,¡± Teddy said, extending his paw, which now had three sharp claws.


    ¡°And give me the necklace, and you can go back to living your normal life again.¡±


    I stared at his paws. His claws were a vibrant white, wondering how many of his enemies he had struck down with them. Just one word and I would go back to how everything was. The only thing I had to give up was my mother¡¯s memento.


    ¡°Never, not even if death himself asks for it,¡± I said, firmly holding onto it. Feeling like any chance of returning my life to how it was; was now destroyed.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Teddy said, examining me and my resolve. He smiled. ¡°One week from now, we¡¯ll have a fight between us,¡± he said, smirking at me. ¡°And if you can beat me, I¡¯ll let you keep the necklace and not bother you again. What do you say?¡± He extended his paw toward my face, inches away from me, I could feel their coldness on my face.


    ¡°Very well,¡± I said, clasping his stuffed toy paw like a handshake.


    ¡°Esfir,¡± he said, returning to his original size. Esfir stood from her seat and bowed down before us.


    ¡°Thank you for the food, and I apologize for our mess,¡± she said, taking Teddy in her arms.


    ¡°See you in a week, Kid,¡± Teddy said, looking back at me as they walked out of the living room.


    The doors closed and they were gone, and all that remained was a broken coffee table and crumbs of cookies on the floor.


    ¡°IDIOT!¡± Mikki yelled at me. ¡°You could have gotten hurt.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said, sitting back down on the couch and feeling like some brat that just threw a fit. I felt embarrassed about how I had behaved, but I just couldn¡¯t. I couldn¡¯t give up my mother¡¯s necklace. Something in me was screaming at me to hold on to it.


    ¡°Master?¡± Mikki said, looking at Evara. ¡°Is there any way to cancel this? ¡°


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not, child, not after shaking Teddy¡¯s paws. He¡¯s a stickler for things like that. Even I would have trouble containing his fury.¡±


    ¡°Now, now,¡± Nana said as she cleaned the mess splattered all over the floor. ¡°I¡¯m sure Master has a plan, don¡¯t you?¡± Nana looked at Evara.


    ¡°But of course I do, child,¡± Evara said, reaching for the only cookie spared from the damage

 Chapter 5

    Chapter 5


    Training Part one:


    ¡°Five more laps, Rey,¡± Evara said, waving at me from her chair. She had a nice little umbrella covering her from the burning sun that seemed infatuated with the park this early morning. I stop, for just a second, trying to catch my breath. I looked around the park and saw a few mothers that had decided to wake up extra early to stroll their kids in peace , not expecting a small child, and two teenagers making a ruckus so early in the morning, or so that was how it would look to them if it wasn¡¯t for magic. Evara had casted an invisibility spell on this track I found myself magically in, since I was pretty sure there was no such track field in park.


    ¡°Come on, Rey, enough sitting around. RUN! RUN!¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± I said, running the remaining laps that I needed around the track field that was conveniently in the park.


    I could feel my breath shortening with every lap, yet I had to finish it. For training against that stuffed toy named Teddy.


    I ran the remaining laps, feeling exhausted.


    ¡°Here, have some water.¡±


    I felt a cool breeze brush up against my cheek. I saw Mikki with a glass of water in her hands.


    ¡°What did I get myself into,¡± I jokingly said, taking the glass of water and gulping it down like a man trapped in a desert. I could feel the water running down my throat, washing away any tiredness with it, almost like magic. I looked at the empty glass.


    ¡°Special water, I take it,¡± I said, giving the glass cup back to Mikki.


    ¡°Something like that,¡± she said, there was a serious tone in her voice which meant she was still angry at me for what I had done.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough resting. Get back to running. We have to build that stamina up,¡± Evara said while sitting on her chair and taking in the sun as she relaxed this sunny morning.


    ¡°Aye, aye, captain,¡± I said, teasingly, as I got up from the ground. Getting back to running laps, trying to build up my stamina, as Evara had told me. Remembering the events that had led me to be up at four in the morning running laps around this magical track field.


    ***


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan,¡± Nana said as she cleaned up the mess that the giant talking teddy bear had left.


    ¡°Well,¡± Evara said, reaching for the ground and grabbing the only cookie that somehow managed to be spared from the damage and getting comfortable back at her seat.


    ¡°First, we have to train the kid,¡± she said, taking a bit from her cookie.


    ¡°Master!¡± Nana said, standing up from the floor, and dropping the mess back down, which didn¡¯t seem to bother her at all.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a goo¡ª¡±


    Evara stopped her with a simple motion of her hand.


    ¡°Am I going to learn magic,¡± I asked; a jolt of excitement and giddiness ran throughout my body like a kid on Christmas, ready to open some long-awaited gift.


    ¡°Rey,¡± she said, looking at me.


    I swallow the batch of saliva lingering in my mouth, eagerly awaiting her answer. Awaiting the invitation to be a part of their world, to no longer being an outsider but an actual witch or warlock. I didn¡¯t care what I was called, as long as I got to use magic. Not only because it looked cool , I mean, what normal person wouldn¡¯t want to shoot beams from his hands, but mostly because I was finally going to be able to protect myself from them, from anyone that was after my mother¡¯s necklace.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not,¡± she finally said, her words coming at me like a bolt of electricity, destroying any childhood delight I might have felt.


    ¡°Oh?¡± I said, not realizing that I had gotten up from my seat in my excitement. What did I expect, really? That I was going to learn Magic; that I was going to learn some secret knowledge that only a few had the privilege of.


    ¡°Magic is something that you have to be born with, unfortunately.¡±


    ¡°Of course it was,¡± I thought, if anyone could use magic so easily it will be dangerous. But then again, not being able to use magic was just as dangerous, remembering everything that had happened since Ms. Serpin decided to make a meal out of me.


    She looked at me; there was a hint of sadness in her dark eyes. No doubt pitying me. ¡°You can¡¯t use it, but¡­¡±


    She stooped, taking a few more bites from her cookie, small crumbs falling on her lap, which she didn¡¯t seem to mind. Perhaps she¡¯s going to tell me of a way I can use magic? Perhaps I still have a chance no matter how small it may be. I wanted to use magic. ¡°We can train your body to be a little more sturdy, especially when it comes to magic,¡± she said, winking at me.


    ¡°Like a punching bag,¡± I blurted out, not meaning to.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, like a punching bag,¡± she said, finishing her cookie.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Mikki finally said. She stood up from her seat. She looked at me, her green eyes showing traces of a mother worrying for her child. ¡°I don¡¯t like the idea of Rey being use as some doll for teddy¡¯s amusement.¡±


    Her words cutting straight into my ego. She wasn¡¯t wrong, but still.


    ¡°Perhaps I could fight teddy in his spot.¡±


    ¡°Mikki,¡± I said. She may have been right, but I was conscious of what that meant this time. I was going to let her fight a battle I had instigated, even if she meant well.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Rey,¡± Mikki said, smiling at me, yet her eyes looked at me like a frail little kid, which I hated. ¡°You can¡¯t use Magic, and it will be, no offense, a bloodbath if you fight him.¡±


    Her words once again struck me and destroyed whatever was left of my ego, and making me feel even more useless than what I already felt.


    ¡°You certainly have a point, Mikki,¡± Evara said, sitting on the small couch that looked like it was swallowing her. ¡°But unfortunately, this fight is between Rey and Teddy,¡± she said, her words bringing my mood up again, if it only for a bit. Perhaps I wasn¡¯t as useless as I thought; perhaps Evara believed in me, or perhaps there was nothing she could do but train me to be a punching bag for teddy until he got bored.


    ¡°But Master,¡± Mikki insisted, trying to get her way.


    ¡°Have some faith in the boy,¡± she said, smiling at us. Perhaps she did believe in me, which was nice, I¡¯m not going to lie. ¡°Anyway, I better get going.¡±


    She stood up from the couch, dropping to the floor in a cutesy sort of way.


    ¡°Nana,¡± she said, looking at her.


    ¡°Yes, Master?¡± Nana said, snapping her fingers and making the mess on the ground move by itself, floating away as if it had somewhere else to be.


    ¡°I need your assistance with something, come,¡± Evara said.


    ¡°Of course, Master,¡± Nana said. She turned and looked at us, smiling at us like a mother. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure everything will be alright,¡± she said before disappearing with Evara into a magic circle of sorts.


    ¡°Magic sure is nice,¡± I said, sitting back down on the couch.


    ¡°You know,¡± Mikki said, looking at me. I didn¡¯t need to know magic to be able to tell what was on her mind.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, if anything happens, I always have you to come to my rescue,¡± I said, touching her hand. It felt soft and warm, bringing me a certain comfort.


    ¡°Just promise me you won¡¯t do anything stupid,¡± she said, looking at me with her green eyes that had a serious expression that I couldn¡¯t denied. She wasn¡¯t wrong to worry about me. Despite teddy being a large stuffed toy, he looked dangerous, after all, he was part of their world. A world that had tried to eat me.


    ¡°More stupid than fighting some giant stuffed toy,¡± I jokingly said.


    ¡°Yes, more than that,¡± she answered, not amused by my joke. I didn¡¯t blame her.


    ¡°I promise I won¡¯t,¡± I said, smiling at her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be careful.¡±


    ***


    ¡°How is this going to help me against Teddy,¡± I said, resting on the dirt ground of the track field I found myself this morning.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Well,¡± she said, taking a sip of water from a glass on a table next to her, and looking like someone on vacation. ¡°I¡¯m trying to build your endurance for the fight,¡± she said, smiling at me, sending a shiver down my spine.


    ¡°Here,¡± Mikki said, as she handed me a glass of sparkling clear water.


    ¡°Right,¡± I said, taking another sip of water from Mikki¡¯s glass. I swallowed it, and once again, I felt its cool body going down my throat smoothly, taking away all my exhaustion with it. Almost as if the water was recharging me. ¡°This water sure is really good. It¡¯s almost magically good,¡± I said teasingly, raising an eyebrow at them.


    ¡°Enough rest, here, wear this and go and run another lap or two. We have to build that endurance up,¡± Evara said, smiling at me, and making a black vest appear in front of me like magic. Her smile looked more like a grin, a mischievous little grin that had some mischievous plan in her mind.


    ¡°Yes, Master,¡± I said, putting on the vest. It felt quite heavy, but nothing I couldn¡¯t handle.


    I dashed back to running my laps around the track field, training this body of mine. I looked at the mothers that were passing by us, unaware of what was going on, on the other side of this invisibility spell. I¡¯m sure if they could see us , they will find it odd to see a young man who was just a few moments ago barely able to stand up now all charged up and running while wearing a black vest on. If only they knew.


    I spent all morning running as many laps as Evara needed me to. The heaviness from the vest had combined with me that I no longer felt it, and every time my body felt sluggish, tired, and ready to give up. I had a glass of water, which seemed to do the job. Recharging my body up, almost as if I was some sort of electrical device that just needed a quick recharge to be up and running at full speed.


    ¡°Easy on the water. You don¡¯t want to get sick,¡± Evara said, gesturing at me to slow down, while she took in the sun, she looked like someone getting her tan, which was odd since she still had her long black robe that covered her whole body.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I said, gulping down the last glass of magical healing water as fast as possible.


    The morning was spend with me running laps around the track field, and watching mothers come and go from the park.


    ¡°Well, I better get going,¡± Evara said, standing up from her beach chair. ¡°See you tomorrow first thing in the morning,¡± she said, waving goodbye at us and disappearing like a leaf being blown away by the wind.


    ¡°She sure is a character,¡± I said,


    ¡°Yes, she is,¡± Mikki said.


    ¡°Shall we head out too? I¡¯m starting to feel sore,¡± I said, stretching my legs.


    I looked at Mikki, her blonde hair tied into a ponytail, a first for her, which suited her. Her hair shining brightly as the sun hit it.


    ¡°Is the water¡­¡±


    ¡°Is the water magic?¡± she added,


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said.


    ¡°It is.¡±


    ¡°I had a hunch,¡± I said, wiping away the sweat from my forehead.


    ¡°Evara said it would help you,¡± she said, looking up at the sky,


    ¡°Well, it definitely helped,¡± I said.


    ¡°Did you guys put a spell on it?¡± Curious to know, despite Mikki not wanting me to know more about magic, I still wanted to; for some reason, I felt like I needed to know about magic. This feeling went beyond much more than a child¡¯s curiosity.


    ¡°No,¡± she said, looking straight ahead. ¡°We got it straight from the lakes of youth.¡±


    ¡°The lakes of youth,¡± I said, curious to know where this magical place was. Did earth have magical places that we, normal humans, didn¡¯t know off?


    ¡°Where is that?¡± I asked, not expecting an answer to be honest. Yet, I couldn¡¯t help but try.


    ¡°Some faraway place, you could even say it¡¯s in another world.¡±


    ¡°Another world?¡± I asked, wondering if there were places that only witches were able to go to.


    She stopped and looked at me. ¡°You really want to know about magic, don¡¯t you?¡± she said, her expression serious, as serious as it had been this whole morning.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I said, returning her seriousness.


    ¡°I guess I can tell you a thing or two, but Rey,¡± she said, her green eyes looking at me, grabbing me.


    ¡°Knowledge sometimes comes at a price, and I don¡¯t want to tell you more than what I have to,¡± she stopped and put her hand on my cheek.


    Taking me by surprise and making me blush like some middle school kid. She was very beautiful that I didn¡¯t know if it was because of the heat or some side effect of the water, but my body was telling me to reach forward and kiss her. But I stopped myself.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want anything to happen to you,¡± she said, her green eyes had a softness to them that were quite beautiful in that moment.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be alright,¡± I said.


    ¡°I promise.¡±


    ¡°I hope,¡± she said. She took her hand from my sweaty cheek and looked at the sky.


    ¡°The lakes of youth is hidden, well, the portal to it anyway, somewhere on earth.¡±


    ¡°A portal!¡± I said a tingling sensation washing over my body.


    ¡°Yes, a portal,¡± she continued. ¡°A portal to another world, our world.¡±


    ¡°Your world,¡± I stopped, a million questions began to run through my head.


    ¡°You¡¯re not from Earth?¡±


    She looked at me, the light from the sun hit her back, illuminating her like an angel or a visitor from another world.


    ¡°Yes and no ,¡± she said.


    We¡¯ll talk more about it later, lets hurry or else were going to be late for school.¡±


    ¡°School,¡± I though, not caring about it. How could I care about school when she dropped such a revelation on me. There was another world, another world filled with magic and wonder. I wonder how this magical world looked, and if I would ever get the chance to see such a world. A world that is better than this.


    ***


    The school day passed as quickly as it began, nothing of importance happened, Mikki had student council duties for most of the day, so I didn¡¯t get to see her that much, and Esfir kept to herself.


    I try to sneak a quick peek at teddy but he just sat there like an inanimate object. Any trace of him being a walking talking stuffed toy gone.


    But all I could think of was Mikki¡¯s word about another world, a magical world.


    I wanted to ask her, but she ignored me. And back at home, she was busy with school work so she kept to her room for most of the day.


    Night came and the day had come and gone, but yet all I could think of was her revelation. I wanted to ask Ms. Hexa or Nana as I was calling her now, but I figured I shouldn¡¯t. I figured that Mikki would tell me more when she was ready.


    But yet , I couldn¡¯t fall asleep, not after Mikki told me they were from another world. A million things swam through my head. My mind trying to create this world of theirs, wondering just how different it was from this earth I called home. Wondering If I would ever get the chance to see this world of theirs, if only for a brief moment.


    ¡°I have to go to sleep,¡± I told myself, tossing and turning, trying to find a comfortable spot to rest. I needed to rest, especially after all the running I had done this morning. Not that I needed it, for my body didn¡¯t feel one ounce of exhaustion. But I still felt like I should rest nonetheless. After all, in one week, I was going to fight Teddy. I was going to fight against a giant stuffed toy from another world, which I wasn¡¯t scared of, surprisingly. I was way too excited now that I knew there was another world filled with magic and everything a kid could dream of. After I spend quite a bit on turning and tossing. I got up from my bed and went downstairs as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake anyone up. But it was no use, for someone was already in the kitchen.


    ¡°Nana?¡± I said, looking at Nana sitting down on the kitchen table. There was a cup on the table in front of her.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t sleep, huh,¡± she said, smiling at me. ¡°Care to join me?¡± She gestured at the chair across from her.


    ¡°Sure,¡± I said, grabbing a cup for myself and pouring some of the tea she had made.


    ¡°Maybe this is a good chance to ask her about this other world, or perhaps about my mother,¡± I though, as I took a seat across from her.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s on your mind?¡± she asked. She had a certain aura to her that made me feel at ease, as if everything was going to be okay.


    ¡°Is it about Teddy?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I lied. She looked at me, her brown eyes inspecting me.


    ¡°I have a feeling there¡¯s more on your mind than a giant teddy bear,¡± she said letting gout a chuckle.


    Her warm smile embraced me like a blanket on a cold, rainy day.


    ¡°You could say that,¡± I said, my hand fidgeting around like a kid that had something stuck on his tongue, waiting to release it.


    ¡°Go on, Rey, you can tell me,¡± she said, reaching for my hand. Her hand was warm and soft.


    ¡°Is about magic,¡± I said.


    ¡°Mikki has told me,¡± she said, ¡°that you¡¯re quite eager to know about it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be lying if say I wasn¡¯t excited, after all, we were talking about magic,¡± I said.


    ¡°Something you don¡¯t see every day.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s scared, you know,¡± she said, spinning her finger around the cup¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Scared?¡± I asked, wondering what she was scared of.


    ¡°Is scary when a close friend finds a secret that can change everything,¡± she said,


    ¡°Did mom know about your secret,¡± I asked, curious to know more about Nana¡¯s relationship with my mother.


    ¡°She did not, but I have a feeling that there were times she would find out and¡­¡±


    She stopped, and looked as if she was reminiscent a very painful memory.


    ¡°Nana,¡± I asked,


    ¡°Is okay,¡¯ she said, smiling at me,


    ¡°Sometimes, the more you know about magic, the more you are thrown into our world and the harder it will be to go back to living a normal life.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t want to live a normal life,¡± I said, talking like a child not wanting to go to their bedtime. I was embarrassed.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I said, looking down at my cup.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± she said, smiling at me. ¡°For I fear that it¡¯s probably too late now.¡±


    She looked at me, though it felt like she was looking through me as if I wasn¡¯t there, which I found odd.


    ¡°Nana, is everything alright?¡± I asked, a feeling a wave of uncertainty washing over me.


    ¡°Sorry, Rey,¡± she said, shaking her head as if being woken from a dream.


    ¡°It¡¯s getting late, you should get some rest. Evara would be waiting for you first thing in the morning,¡± she said, as she got up from her chair and walked toward me. Kissing me on the forehead, something she hadn¡¯t done since I was a kid.


    ¡°Goodnight, Rey,¡± she said, smiling at me.


    ¡°Goodnight,¡± I said back.


    ***


    ¡°For today¡¯s training, we are going to train your reflexes,¡± Evara said, grinning at me.


    She took out a couple of red balls and put them on the ground next to her.


    ¡°Dodgeballs,¡± I said, recalling the gymnasium accident.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, these are safe,¡± she said, laughing.


    ¡°I think. Anyway, I want you to catch these balls, okay.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± I said, looking at the balls on the ground.


    They had a certain glow to them that made me a bit worried if I was honest.


    I cleared my throat, preparing myself for what was to come.


    ¡°Should be easy? Right ¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see about that,¡± she said, throwing the balls into the air.


    ¡°Wow!¡± I said, looking up at the sky as they disappeared into the clouds.


    ¡°Rey!¡± she yelled.


    ¡°DODGE THEM!¡±


    I saw the balls heading toward me at a speed that no normal ball should have. But of course, these were not normal dodgeballs, this were magical dodgeballs.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down!¡± she said, throwing more balls into the air.


    I dashed back and forth, dodging them. Every time they hit the floor, they made a bomb like sound, and I saw a crater underneath them. And the more I dodged them, the more she threw in the air. We did this all morning, my body feeling sore and tired. I wondered if she had brought some of that special water.


    ¡°What¡¯s this training for!¡± I yelled as I kept dodging them. The muscles in my legs were burning up as I dashed back and forth. Moving with a speed that I did not expect from me. Was my body already improving? Was this because of the water? Had it changed something in me, like magic?


    ¡°REFLEXES! ¡°she yelled, as she kept throwing more balls into the air for me to evade. They were fast, alright. In fact, they were so fast that no human eye should be able to see them coming at them with such speed, let alone dodge them. But, for some reason, I was able to follow them. Keeping up with their speed, which I couldn¡¯t explain how I was able to. And to my surprise, I didn¡¯t feel as tired as yesterday, almost as if the training from yesterday had really helped my endurance.


    ¡°That¡¯s the last one,¡± I said, dodging the last of the balls coming from the sky like rain fire. The last ball hit the ground, creating a small cloud of smoke.


    ¡°I manage to dodge them all, one hundred of them,¡± I said, hitting the ground, feeling a bit tired, but not by much.


    ¡°Very good,¡± Evara said, snapping her finger and making all the balls disappear. ¡°See you tomorrow, same time,¡± she said, grinning at me.


    ¡°Wait is training over,¡± I ask, I was sure we were barely getting started.


    ¡®It¡¯s already been three hours,¡± she said,


    ¡°But time does pass by fast when you¡¯re having fun, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Three hours,¡± I said, flabbergasted. I had been so preoccupied with dodging balls that I didn¡¯t even keep track of the time.


    ¡°I hopefully I won¡¯t be too tired for school.¡±


    Not forgetting my duties as a teenage boy.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be alright,¡± she said, chuckling. ¡°See you then,¡± she said, snapping her fingers and making her body turn into sand that was whisked away by the air.


    ¡°I guess school is not that important when it comes to trying to win a fight to the death,¡± I said, laughing.


    Not being able to hold this joy, I felt. Sure it wasn¡¯t magic what I was learning, but my body felt different. Almost supernatural. I felt like I could take on a hundred Teddys¡¯ or whatever magical thing came my way.


    I took a whiff of my smell, that, if any smell magic existed, I didn¡¯t know if it did, that my smell should probably be classified as one. I needed a bath badly.


    ***


    ¡°Hey,¡± I said, waving at Mikki, as I saw her standing by the door, waiting for me.


    ¡°How was training?¡± she asked,


    ¡°Smelly,¡± I said, raising my arms.


    ¡°Definitely,¡± she said, pinching her nose. ¡°Go take a shower, and come eat breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± I said teasingly.


    I walked toward the shower and saw my school uniform in the bathroom, no doubt Mikki or Nana had picked them for me. They were truly the best.


    ¡°Ah!, I feel refreshed,¡± I said as I laid on the bathtub. The water felt like it was taking away all my worries and leaving me with nothing but a peaceful feeling. I looked at my body and I could see muscles that weren¡¯t there before. I truly was getting stronger in just a week almost. It was almost magical I thought. After a few minutes of laying on the bathtub and admiring this new body I was beginning to get, as well as washing away all the sweat from by body, feeling like a complete different person, my stomach began to growl, it was time for breakfast.


    I came out of the shower feeling like a brand new person and smelling like one too. I walked out of the bathroom and headed toward the delicious smell that was coming from the kitchen.


    ¡°It looks really good,¡± I said, as I was greeted by a buffet of food waiting for me to devour.


    ¡° I figure master was probably giving you quite the workout,¡± Nana said, smiling at me.


    ¡°Thanks, Nana,¡± I said, smiling at her.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    ¡°So, when it¡¯s the next training session,¡± Mikki asked, sitting next to me.


    ¡°Tomorrow at four in the morning, ¡± I said, taking a bite out of the sausage on my plate, its body melting in my mouth.


    ¡°What about school?¡± Mikki asked, her student council president¡¯s voice coming out.


    ¡°There is no school at four in the morning,¡± I said, trying to imitate Evara as best I could.


    ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s alright,¡± Mikki said reluctantly. I could tell she wasn¡¯t too happy about it.


    ¡°Besides, we have magic. I can be home in a jiffy and get ready for school.¡±


    ¡°I guess,¡± Mikki said.


    ¡°We do have magic,¡± Nana said, smiling at us. I stared at her, trying to find that sadness I saw last night, but she was back to normal. ¡°Is everything alright,¡± Nana said, tilting her head sideways.


    ¡°Everything is alright,¡± I said. None of the sadness was there. Nana was back to her old self, and whatever was present that night was gone.


    ¡°Everything¡¯s alright,¡± I said, smiling. Everything felt alright in this moment.

 Chapter 6

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    Chapter 6


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    Training part 2


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    <div>


    ¡°Don¡¯t get too comfortable,¡± Evara said as I dodged one of the dodge balls coming my way.


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    ¡°Y-Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± I said, catching my breath.


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    ¡°Here comes another one,¡± she said, smiling at me, enjoying this more than she should.


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    ¡°Ugh!¡± I let out as I caught it.


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    The training had evolved from dodging them to catching them, and even though the hit looked like it would have hurt a normal person, which I was despite floating red balls coming at me. I was still a normal teenage kid, thought I was beginning to feel different now. It was as if a part of me was still normal, yet I wasn¡¯t at the same time. I couldn¡¯t really explain it, but I felt different. My body felt more sturdy.


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    ¡°Nice job,¡± Evara said, smiling at me, though it looked more like a grin, a demonic grin from a mischievous demon playing with its food.


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    The training I was doing with her for the past week had been hell, but I could definitely feel the improvement happening in my body. My reflexes and body felt new and improved like I could take on anyone and anything. I could even take on any witch that tried to take my necklace away from me. Okay, maybe not, but I was feeling stronger.


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    ¡°We should take a break,¡± Evara said.


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    ¡°Come sit next to me.¡±


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    ¡°Okay,¡¯ I said, as I walked toward her, and  sat next to her.


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    I looked around.


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    ¡°Looking for Mikki?¡± she asked as she saw me looking around.


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    ¡°Something like that, ¡°I said.


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    ¡°I told her to sleep in today.¡±


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    <div>


    ¡°Told or commanded,¡± I said, chuckling, knowing how hard-headed she was at times. Even though Mikki had been with me for most of the training this past two weeks, there were times were Evara told her to stay.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°She¡¯s definitely a strong-willed woman, which I wouldn¡¯t expect no less of someone from the Hexa family,¡± she said, drinking her cup of tea.


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    ¡°Family,¡± I said underneath my breath, touching the necklace that once belonged to my mother, my one and only family.


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    ¡°How do you feel?¡± she said, looking at me, and despite her small stature and young appearance, she had a certain weight to her eyes that seemed wise beyond anyone I had met.


    <div>


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    ¡°I-I,¡± I said, looking at my hands, which were bruised, yet it was nothing that the healing magic or a night¡¯s rest wouldn¡¯t cure.


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    ¡°I think I could beat him.¡±


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    <div>


    I didn¡¯t know if I was just being cocky because I had improved physically, but somehow, I felt a certain confidence I hadn¡¯t felt quite before.


    <div>


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    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± she said, stroking her chin like some wise wizard. ¡°Well, that¡¯s good that you believe in yourself.¡±


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    She stood up from her chair and stared at the sun as it was coming into view.


    <div>


    ¡°Rey,¡± she said.


    <div>


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± I said, swallowing my saliva, almost as if I was a young wizard expecting wise words from their teacher, which in a way, wasn¡¯t far from the truth.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Don¡¯t lose sight of what you have because you¡¯re too busy clinging to the past,¡± she said, giving me a faint smile, which, for a second, looked as if it was carrying a certain sadness that could drown everything it came upon.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± I said, not knowing if those words were for her or me. For some reason it felt like her words weren¡¯t just for me.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Just promise me that you won¡¯t do anything dangerous,¡± she said.


    <div>


    ¡°More dangerous than challenging a stuffed teddy bear to a fight,¡± I jokingly said.


    <div>


    ¡°Rey,¡± she said, unamused by my joke, and for a brief second, the light from the sun made her look physically older.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°I promise,¡± I said.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Good,¡± she said, stretching her arms and yawning. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to training. We need to toughen that body of yours.


    <div>


    ¡°Yes, teacher,¡± I said, standing up and giving her a military salute.


    <div>


    <div>


    ***


    <div>


    The whole morning was spent with me dodging and catching red floating balls as they came toward me. The training was tough but nothing I couldn¡¯t handle. Though I wished Mikki had been here with some healing water to make it easier. I still had the energy to finished the training.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Well,  that¡¯s it for today,¡± Evara said, as she got up from her chair.


    <div>


    ¡°Done so soon,¡± I jokingly said, as I sat down on the ground.


    <div>


    ¡°Don¡¯t want to overworked you,¡± she said, winking at me,


    <div>


    ¡°Just make sure to get a good rest and I¡¯ll see you later , Rey.¡±


    <div>


    ¡°Goodbye Evara,¡± I said, waving as she disappeared.


    <div>


    <div>


    I looked at the wind that was left behind from her spell.


    <div>


    ¡°Man, I wish I knew magic,¡¯ I said, as I looked at the bright blue sky.


    <div>


    ***


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°I¡¯m so sore,¡± I said as I walked back home, wishing Mikki had been there for training with her healing magic water.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°I¡¯m home, Nana, Mikki,¡± I said as I opened the door.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Good morning,¡± Nana said, greeting me.


    <div>


    ¡°You look beat,¡± Mikki said, coming down the stairs dressed in her school uniform.


    <div>


    ¡°You should see the other guy,¡± I jokingly said.


    <div>


    ¡°Does he smell as bad as you, too?¡± Mikki asked, pinching her nose.


    <div>


    ¡°Do I,¡± I said, sniffing my scent. ¡°Guess I do.¡±


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°I prepared the shower for you,¡± Nana said, smiling at me and petting my head, making me feel like some little kid that was back from playing with the neighborhood kids.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait,¡± I said, rushing to the bathroom, anticipating the cool embrace of a nice shower.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Please act your age!¡±


    <div>


    <div>


    I could hear Mikki¡¯s words from behind me, but I was too focused on getting to the bathroom to banter back.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°AH! So much better,¡± I said, feeling refreshed and brand new as I got in the shower. My body was beginning to look stronger and I felt stronger. I felt like I could really take on Teddy. I didn¡¯t feel as weak as I had been that day. And for a moment, I let myself get washed away by the cool embraced of the water, but of course I couldn¡¯t rest here all day.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°How was it?¡± I heard Mikki¡¯s voice form outside the bathroom door.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Refreshing,¡± I said.


    <div>


    ¡°The training, not the shower,¡± she said, no doubt rolling her eyes at me.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°It was much tougher than the other days, especially without healing magic water, but nothing I couldn¡¯t handle.¡±


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Did you guys talk about anything while I was gone,¡± she asked, arriving at what I figured she wanted to know.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Not really,¡± I said as I finished washing  all the dirt and sweat from my new and improved body, and getting ready for school.


    <div>


    <div>


    I opened the door, feeling refresh and clean.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Well, she did give me advice.¡±


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Well,  hopefully you listen to her since you don¡¯t seem to listen to us..¡±


    <div>


    ¡°I listen,¡± I said.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Most of the time,¡± I whispered underneath my breath.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Anyway, just hurry up. We have school to go to, don¡¯t forget,¡± she said, walking away from the me and heading toward the kitchen.


    <div>


    ¡°She¡¯s really too serious sometimes ,¡± I said, chuckling.


    <div>


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    <div>


    ¡°Hey wait for me,¡± I said, as I walked behind her.


    <div>


    ***


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°You have outdone yourself again,¡± I said, taking in the smell from the delicious food that Nana had prepared, she really did have top class chef skills. Which made me wonder if that was her magic power. But I figured I should not ask, it seemed kid of rude to me.


    <div>


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Thanks for the food,¡± I said as I sat down, ready to stuff my face.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Wow! You must have been really hungry,¡± Nana said, touching her cheek and smiling.


    <div>


    ¡°Slow down. It¡¯s not going away,¡± Mikki said.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°S-sorry,¡± I said, gulping down my bite.


    <div>


    ¡°How was training?¡± Nana asked.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°It was tough, but I can handle it,¡± I said, flexing my arm to show her the results of my training.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good, don¡¯t overwork yourself, okay. ¡±


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    <div>


    I ate as much as I could, finding it interesting that I was beginning to get a bigger appetite now. All this training was really creating a big appetite in me as well as strengthening my body. I wonder if perhaps magic was at play, but I figure I let it be, I was not going to question this new me .


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Slow down, the food is not going anywhere,¡± Mikki said, looking at me.


    <div>


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I said with a mouthful of food.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Thanks for the food mom,¡± Mikki said, getting up from her seat.


    <div>


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome dear,¡± she said, smiling at us.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Bye, Nana,¡± I said, waving goodbye at her with a mouthful, as I walked behind Mikki.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Have a good day at school, you two,¡± she said, waving goodbye.


    <div>


    <div>


    The walk to school was filled with chit-chat from school and how I was falling behind on my studies and homework. The usual stuff with Mikki and her worrying too much about things I thought were unimportant, considering the world we found ourselves in was filled with talking teddy bears. Which I was sure that was only the beginning, which made school look useless to me.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Are you paying attention,¡± she said, raising an eyebrow, not happy with me.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I said, giving her a half-assed smile.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Are you worried?¡± she asked, her expression changing from annoyance to worry.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°About school? Nah. I could always go to summer school,¡± I said jokingly.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Not that,¡± she said, crossing her arms.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Oh, you mean the stuffed toy,¡± I said, chuckling.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t call him that, ¡° she said, in a lecture-like voice .


    <div>


    ¡°He obviously doesn¡¯t like it.¡±


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right,¡± I said, not wanting to get in trouble with Mikki. ¡°It¡¯s a joke, that¡¯s all.¡±


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Well, just be careful,¡± she said. ¡°Magic beings have a certain pride that is quite fragile at times.¡±


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Magical beings,¡± I repeated her words. ¡°Is that what he is?¡± I asked, eager to know more about her world, as it was slowly becoming my world too.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Well, what other word would you give to a talking teddy bear, ¡° she said, which surprised me since Mikki wasn¡¯t one to make jokes. ¡°But Rey,¡± she said, stopping in front of me. ¡°Promise me you¡¯ll think about your safety first no matter what.¡±


    <div>


    <div>


    I looked at her and smiled. ¡°I promise,¡± I said, thinking about my promise with Evara and wondering if this was what being in a family felt like. Not that I didn¡¯t consider Mikki and Nana my family, but now it felt more real considering I knew their secret.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Good,¡± she said, pleased with my answer. ¡°We better get going; I don¡¯t want to be late for school.¡±


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡®Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± I said, and as we were about to continue our school commute.


    <div>


    <div>


    <div>


    A figure appeared before us.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Well, this is a surprise,¡± I said, looking at Esfir standing in front of us.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Where¡¯s the stuffed¡­¡± I stopped myself, remembering Mikki¡¯s words. ¡°Teddy,¡± I said, not referring to him as a stuffed toy.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°He¡¯s not with me,¡± Esfir said.


    <div>


    <div>


    I looked at her, trying to examine if she was lying, but her expression and personality weren¡¯t one to lie. Granted, I hadn¡¯t known her that long, but she didn¡¯t strike me as someone that would lie. She was way too serious in her expressions to lie. She almost reminded me of  Mikki with how serious she was. That I did wonder if perhaps that was a wish trait of theirs.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°How can we help you?¡± Mikki asked, looking at her as serious as ever.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miss Hexa,¡± she said. ¡°I came not to fight but to ask Rey a simple question.¡±


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Me?¡± I asked, wondering what she could ask me. But I had a feeling I already knew what she was going to ask. ¡°Is it about the necklace?¡±


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Rey,¡± Esfir said, looking at me. It almost felt like I was stuck in some cold tundra and frozen in place. Her voice and expression were stoic, almost stone-like yet there was a certain coldness to her that felt like I was looking at an ice statue.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Y-Yea,¡± I said, swallowing my saliva. Despite being two years younger than us, she had a certain aura that demanded respect, as if I was standing before royalty. Which, if I was honest, she very well could have been for all I knew.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°How important is that necklace to you?¡± she asked, her words coming toward me like icicles, making sure I couldn¡¯t escape.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°I-I--¡±


    <div>


    I looked at the blue gem glistening by the sun¡¯s light. Looking at my most prized procession.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°If your answer is not acceptable to me,¡± she continued, it almost felt like she was testing me, and there was nothing I could do. ¡°I will personally take the necklace away from you.¡±


    <div>


    <div>


    The air around us felt heavy and cold, as if we were inside a refrigerator that had been turned on.


    <div>


    ¡°Is she that confident in her magic,¡± I thought, I mean, Mikki, from what I had seen, which granted wasn¡¯t a lot , but from what I had seen , was no pushover.


    <div>


    <div>


    Mikki got in front of me, and despite not having any magic sense, I could feel a certain pressure trying to swallow me.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°What about Teddy¡¯s fight?¡± I asked, clearing my throat.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Teddy¡¯s whims are of no concern to me,¡± she said, and for the first time, I could sense who was really in charge. She had a commanding tone that I did not expect from someone with her appearance.


    <div>


    ¡°Esfir,¡± Mikki said, she looked like she was prepare to fight all out. I looked around us and saw people passing us by, unaware of what was about to happen in front of them. A fight with two witches was something I had witness once, and it was one sided. What would a fight be between two witches that were no push overs be like. I had to think about the safety of the people around us.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°M-Mikki,¡± I said, touching her shoulder.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Rey..¡± she said, looking at me, I could tell that she was ready to fight for me to the end, which I was very thankful for, but this was my fight, not hers.


    <div>


    <div>


    I cleared my throat, ready to address her with the respect she commanded.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if my answer would be to your liking, but I don¡¯t care,¡± I said, clenching my fist, making sure my body didn¡¯t betray me.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Having this necklace with me,¡±


    <div>


    <div>


    I looked at her, gripping my necklace tightly, ensuring it wouldn¡¯t leave my body.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how important it is to you witches or to your family or know anything about the magic that is inside of it. All I know is that it belonged to my mother, and having it makes me feel that I won¡¯t forget her memory, which is the most painful thing I could do for her. And at nights, when I can¡¯t sleep, I look at it and for a brief second I could feel her next to me, telling me everything is going to be alright. This may be just a necklace with imbued magic, but to me, it is my world. To me, it¡¯s my mother¡¯s presence next to a kid that didn¡¯t get a chance to be with her.¡±


    <div>


    <div>


    I stood firm in front of her. I was sure I sounded like one big clich¨¦ to her, but I didn¡¯t care. It was the truth, my truth.


    <div>


    <div>


    Esfir looked at me, and for a brief moment, I could see her stoic expression betray her for a second.


    <div>


    ¡°Very well,¡± she said, the heaviness around us disappearing. ¡°Thank you for your answer.¡±


    <div>


    <div>


    She bowed before us, which caught me by surprise.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, you don¡¯t have to do that,¡± I said, flailing my hands as if I was some peasant whose existence was being regarded as much more by a king.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°And Rey,¡± she said, looking at me. Her grey eyes had a certain warmness that she hadn¡¯t shown since I first met her. ¡°I wish you good luck in your fight with Teddy.¡±


    <div>


    <div>


    I blinked for a second, and she was gone, but the silent that remained took hold of us for a few seconds, almost as if both were admiring her.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°She¡¯s strong,¡± Mikki finally said, breaking the silence.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°I know,¡± I said.


    <div>


    Despite not knowing Magic, I could tell that Esfir was a witch not to be messed with. And if I thought Teddy was scary, which if I was honest, he was scary. I mean he was a talking teddy bear with three very sharp claws on each paw. Esfir was on another level, I could tell.


    <div>


    She was person I did not want to mess with, magic or no magic.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Let¡¯s get going. We still have school to go to.¡±


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Oh right, school,¡± I said, realizing where we were headed.


    <div>


    ***


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Phew, we made it just in time,¡± I said as I looked at the school gates as they were beginning to close.


    <div>


    <div>


    Some of the other students were squeezing through the gate. I couldn¡¯t help but remember the other day when they were turned into mindless savages by the witch that was hiding in the school.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°We made it just in time before they closed the gates,¡± Mikki said, adjusting herself.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°I wonder if that witch is looking at us hiding in the school ,¡± I said, looking at the school building.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°I can¡¯t sense any magical power in the school besides Esfir, but nonetheless, just be on the lookout.¡±


    <div>


    <div>


    I nodded.


    <div>


    <div>


    Hopefully the witch wouldn¡¯t involve any innocent people like last time, but I had a feeling that was just wishful thinking on my part. Thinking about that day I almost go eaten.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°If any magic is used inside the school that is not from me, I¡¯ll know since I put a protective spell on the school.¡±


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°You did?¡± I blurted out , and noticing the stares of the remaining students that were arriving at the school.


    <div>


    Mikki let out a faint chuckle. ¡°I did it this weekend while you were training. I figured I could use my time wisely and take any unwanted stress off your mind.¡±


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°That¡¯s so like you,¡± I thought. She always looked after me. Which I was grateful for. ¡°That¡¯s a relief,¡± I said, grabbing my necklace tightly. ¡°Now, the other students won¡¯t get hurt or involved in my problem.¡±


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Our problem,¡± she said, smiling at me.


    <div>


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± I said, smiling at her. I wasn¡¯t alone in this.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Let¡¯s get going. We have school to attend too.¡±


    <div>


    <div>


    She smiled at me, she truly was one of the most precious person in my life.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Yay, school,¡± I said sarcastically as we walked to our first-period class, which honestly was not so bad considering a certain homeroom teacher was no longer at the school.


    <div>


    <div>


    As we both enter the classroom, I notice that Esfir was already here, sitting next to my desk.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Mikki said, as she went to her seat.


    <div>


    <div>


    The whole class period, I would glance at Esfir since she was sitting next to me. Her face was stoic, and her grey eyes had the same icy look that she always had. The softness she had shown this morning was gone. But what caught my attention was her book bag, which was Teddy, her talking, walking teddy bear. I would glance at it, waiting for it to come alive at any moment and try to devour me.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Mr. Rey, please focus on your work instead of the pretty girl next to you.¡±


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I said, underneath my breath, my cheeks turning red.


    <div>


    <div>


    The whole class exploded in laughter. I could feel my face catching on fire.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°I¡¯m an idiot,¡± I told myself. I was so distracted by what happened this morning that I wasn¡¯t paying attention to where I was. I looked at Miki, and she nodded her head in disappointment, no doubt.


    <div>


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I mouthed at her.


    <div>


    <div>


    The rest of the day went by without any weird or strange occurrences, except for the occasional temper tantrum thrown by Dave trying to get the better of me. I loved the expression of his confusion when I bested him in gym class. The training I was doing was truly paying off. I felt stronger than a normal person.


    <div>


    <div>


    I just hoped it would pay off against teddy. I had complete trust in Evara¡¯s training, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel that I was a little over my head. But other than that, there was no strange magic happening, which was a relief.


    <div>


    <div>


    The school day ended without any suspicious things. Though I would glance at the students and faculty trying to decipher if they were friend or foe, which probably wasn¡¯t a good idea since they would look at me weirdly. But I needed to find the witch that was hiding in the school, for the safety of everyone at school.


    <div>


    <div>


    I was kind of relief when the school bell rang, since that meant students were not going to be in danger of the evil witch¡¯s grasp, recalling the gym accident.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Mikki,¡± I thought wondering if she had any luck, considering she probably was more adapt at finding magical things, remembering the both instances of me being in danger and how she came to my rescue.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°How were your classes, ¡°Mikki asked as we met up at the school gate.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°They were fun, especially gym class,¡± I said, smiling at her.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything out of the ordinary, did you?¡± she asked, raising an eyebrow.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡° Out of the ordinary, what do you mean? I¡¯m just an ordinary human.¡± I said blinking at her.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Rey,¡± she said, letting a sigh. ¡°You really are a kid sometimes.¡±


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Anyway, were you able to detect anything out of the ordinary in the witch department?¡± I asked.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Not really, everything seemed ordinary, I even went to the gym at lunchtime, but there was no trace of any magic.¡±


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Do you think she left?¡± I asked, knowing the answer to it.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°I doubt it,¡± she said.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Good afternoon, Rey and Ms. Hexa,¡± Esfir said, bowing before us as she greeted us as we were walking  out of the school gate and toward our home.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡±You can just call me Mikki,¡± Mikki said.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Hey, pipsqueak,¡± I heard a soft cute-like voice.


    <div>


    ¡°Teddy,¡± I thought,


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Is nice to meet you again, stuffed¡­¡± I bit my tongue, stopping myself.


    <div>


    ¡°Let¡¯s cut the chitchat. I¡¯m¡¯ here to give you this, Esfir darling would you be so kind,¡± Teddy said.


    <div>


    <div>


    Esfir walked toward us, and it that moment she looked like a small girl carrying her favorite stuffed toy in her hands.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Here, take it,¡± Teddy said.


    <div>


    <div>


    I looked at Esfir as she extended her hand toward us. On her palm was a golden key.


    <div>


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked as I grabbed it.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°The young misses next to you can explain it, see you tomorrow, kid,¡± Teddy said, laughing.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Have a good day, Rey, Mikki¡± Esfir said, bowing before us before she left. She truly was very respectful, which made me wonder why the talking teddy bear she was carrying was so rude.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked Mikki.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°It¡¯s a dimensional key,¡± she said, taking the key. ¡°It opens a portal to a place created by the owner. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen one.¡±


    <div>


    ***


    <div>


    <div>


    When we arrived home, the first thing we did was show the key to Evara who was sitting in her usual spot.


    <div>


    <div>


    Evara looked at the key and bit it.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Yup, it¡¯s real gold,¡± she said, laughing. ¡°I¡¯m guessing Teddy gave it to you guys.¡±


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°Yes, ¡° I said as I sat down on one of the couches that was in the living room.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Mikki has told you what it¡¯s called.¡±


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°She did. It¡¯s a dimensional key, and It transports you to a dimension made by the owner of the key.¡±


    <div>


    <div>


    Evara extended her hand and pretended to open a door, but nothing happened. ¡°It only opens once the owner opens the gate from his part,¡± she said, handing the key back to me. ¡°Get a good rest for tomorrow the big date awaits us,¡± she said, smiling at me.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°What about school?¡± I asked.


    <div>


    ¡°I¡¯m sure missing a day won¡¯t be too bad,¡± Nana said, touching her cheek and smiling at us.


    <div>


    <div>


    ¡°I guess so,¡± I said, feeling like a kid whose parents allowed them to miss school for a day off, to spend time with them, but instead of spending time with my parents, I had a date with a six foot tall talking teddy bear.

 Chapter 7

    Chapter 7


    Battle at the coliseum


    ¡°Ready, Rey?¡± Evara said, smiling at me. I looked back at Mikki and Nana, they both nodded at me, as if telling me that it was going to be okay.


    Which I hoped it was , but  I was still a bit anxious, after all, this was fight with everything on the line.


    ¡°As ready as I¡¯ll ever be,¡± I said, and to be honest, I wasn¡¯t so much afraid to face some human-sized talking teddy bear. The thing that scared me the most was losing the one thing that meant the world to me. I looked down and saw my mother¡¯s necklace, the blue gem shining against the light , giving it an almost magical glow.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do this!¡±


    There was no going back now.


    ¡°So, how do I use this thing?¡± I said, taking out the golden key I had received from Esfir and Teddy.


    ¡°Just pretend there¡¯s an invisible door in front of you and put the key in the keyhole and turn the door. That simple,¡± Evara said.


    ¡°That simple, huh,¡± I thought.


    I follow her advice, and  pretended I was looking at a door in front of me and extended my hand toward it, imagining I was putting the golden key into some door in front of me and began to turn the key sideways as if I was unlocking a door  that was going to lead me to a magical place far away from here. Well, at least taking me to a place where instead of being attacked by witches, I was going to be attacked by a talking stuffed toy.


    And to my surprise, though it wasn¡¯t really a surprise considering what I had seen so far, a light began to shout out of the key, almost as if it was tearing through the fabric of my reality. The light began to make a rectangular shape in front of me, and the next thing I knew, there was a glowing golden door in front of us. It looked ethereal and not solid, as if it would be whisk away by the wind at any second.


    ¡°See, that simple,¡± Evara said.


    ¡°Welcome to one of many transport gateways, or in our case, doorways of magic .¡±


    ¡°Do all witches use keys to travel?¡± I asked, remembering how Mikki gave me a ride in her witch¡¯s broom, just like in the stories of witches and magic.


    ¡°It depends,¡± Evara said, ¡°but enough chit-chat, let¡¯s get going. Teddy has a habit of getting impatience. In fact, I would say it¡¯s his worst quality,¡± she said, blinking at me, and letting out a chuckle as she passed through the doorway.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Rey, everything will be alright,¡± Nana said, giving me a warm smile that felt very motherly to me as she walked through the doorway as well, leaving just me and Mikki.


    ¡°Are you scared?¡± Mikki asked.


    ¡°Not really,¡± I said. ¡°Besides, I think being almost eaten alive by your favorite teacher has set the standard for my expectations already.¡±


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right,¡± she said. I could see a certain sadness in her expression for a second that made me feel bad for making such a joke.


    ¡°But luckily I have you three to protect me if it gets bad.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. You don¡¯t have to be afraid of anything,¡± she said, smiling at me. ¡°Now, let¡¯s go and show this talking stuffed toy how strong you are.¡±


    She extended her hand toward me, I looked at her, and in that moment, I was glad all this magic stuff was something I could share with Mikki.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go and show what our family is made of,¡± I said, grabbing her hand.


    ***


    On the other side of the door was a colosseum of sorts like the ones you would see in Italy. The only difference was that this was empty instead of being busy with tourists, with the exception of the two people standing at the other end of the colosseum¡¯s arena ground.


    ¡°I was beginning to think you wouldn¡¯t show up,¡± Teddy said, smirking at me. He was standing with Esfir at the other side of the colosseum.


    ¡°Not a chance,¡± I said.


    I swallowed my saliva, ready to face him.


    And to be honest, I didn¡¯t know how this fight was going to play out or if I even had a chance against a human-sized teddy bear. But I was going to try to the very end, not only for myself but also for them. Mikki, Nana, Evara and my mother. I owed them my very best, which I was going to give.


    ¡°Rey¡­.¡± Evara said, walking toward me,


    ¡°No matter what happens, make sure to not throw your life so easily trying to cling to the past when the present is filled with good memories as well.¡±


    There was a warm, almost motherly smile to her at that moment that I saw Evara not as she was right now, but a much older grown-up woman.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Nana said, petting me in my head


    ¡°No matter what, we¡¯ll be here for you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said.


    ¡°Now give him hell,¡± they both said as they walked toward the empty seats that encircled the colosseum.


    Mikki turned to face me, she was so close I could smell her strawberry shampoo scent on her blonde hair, which she had styled into a ponytail this morning.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything too reckless,¡± she said.


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± I said.


    ¡°Just promise me you¡¯ll be careful,¡± she said, grabbing my hands, which surprised me as I tried to hide my blushing.


    ¡°O-okay,¡± I said.


    ¡°Here, just in case,¡± she said as she opened my hand, placing a small silver ring with a red gem in the middle.


    ¡°Umm¡­Mikki,¡± I said, being taken back by the ring,


    ¡°Don¡¯t make it weird,¡± she said. And in that moment, the light hit her face, and I could see her cheeks were as red as the gem in the ring.


    ¡°What¡¯s it for?¡± I said,


    ¡°It¡¯s a magical item. It¡¯s called the ring of absorption.¡±


    ¡°The ring of absorption,¡± I repeated, envisioning the ring sucking in everything around it.


    ¡°It absorbs any force or mana thrown at it, and shoots out a small bullet made of energy  , if you use it correctly, it just might help you win the fight.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Mikki,¡± I said as I looked at the ring in my hand.


    ¡°When the gem on the ring glows that means it has enough mana inside, just envision in your mind a bullet and shoot it. That simple.¡±


    ¡°That simple,¡± I thought, looking at the ring.


    ¡°Win!¡± she said.


    Her green eyes had a fierceness that I had seen that day when she saved me from Ms. Serpin.


    ¡°I will.¡±


    And as I watched her leave, I promise to myself I was going to give it my best no matter what.


    ¡°Enough chit-chat,¡± Teddy said. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with, kid. I have some other business to attend to.¡±


    ¡°What other business could a talking stuffed toy have besides beating on a kid,¡± I thought, but I figured it was probably something that had to do with magic and nothing with me, a normal sixteen-year-old kid.


    ¡°Good luck, Rey!¡± I heard from the background as I saw Mikki and them sitting at the empty seats in the colosseum. I also saw, to my surprise, Esfir seating beside them.


    ¡°Ready, kid?¡± Teddy said.


    ¡°Bring it !¡± I said, putting on the ring on my index finger and bringing my hands to my face, ready to fight this human-sized talking stuffed toy. I didn¡¯t know if the ring was going to help me, but it was better than nothing.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you,¡± Teddy said as he came rushing toward me.


    But I wasn¡¯t scared. I was ready. Evara¡¯s training had prepared me for this.


    ¡°Too slow,¡± he said as he appeared in front of me, ready to punch me.


    ¡°But fast enough to dodge you,¡± I said as I managed to dodge his stuffed brown fist coming toward me.


    ¡°Lucky dodge,¡± he said as his fist hit the ground of the colosseum, creating a smoke mushroom. I also noticed  a faint glow on the ring for a second.


    ¡°It absorbs force or mana,¡± I thought ,


    ¡°So that¡¯s what she meant, I¡¯m really a punching bag.¡±


    I let out a smirk.


    I felt the warm sensation on my index finger, where the ring was. No doubt absorbing the hit from Teddy.


    ¡°I have to find the right chance and hit him with this bullet from the ring,¡± I thought. That was my key to winning this. I didn¡¯t know how I was going to get a clean hit on him, but I was going to use the ring of absorption to secure my victory.


    ¡®Now is not the time to sit there and rest,¡¯ Teddy said as he ran toward me, throwing punches at me, which felt all too familiar.


    ¡°Is this why she had me dodging flying dodgeballs,¡± I thought as his punches reminded me of the red balls I was made to dodge that morning in the park. ¡°Is this all you got?¡± I asked, taunting him. I didn¡¯t know if that was a good idea, but I knew that people made mistakes when annoyed or agitated, and that was my chance.


    ¡°I see Evara trained you,¡± he said, taking a break from the barrage of punches he was throwing at me. ¡°But you can¡¯t dodge my fist forever.¡± He let out a roar, and I felt stunned for a second. ¡°Dodge this!¡± he screamed as he punched me right in the stomach, sending me flying.


    And I¡¯m not going to lie, that hurt like hell as I was sent flying toward the wall of this empty colosseum we found ourselves in, knocking the wind out of me.


    My index finger felt like it was being dipped in lava, and I noticed the ring¡¯s red gem glowing.


    ¡°I guess that was enough for the ring to get charged.¡± I thought.


    I looked over at Mikki and at them. The look of worry on their faces cemented how hard that punch was. And even though it hurt, It hadn¡¯t knocked me out, which I was surprised.


    I was still in the fight.


    Any normal person would have been out with that punched. I guess my body had toughened up a bit by Evara¡¯s training.


    ¡°Tell you what, kid,¡± Teddy said as we walked slowly toward me. ¡°If you can land a punch on me, I¡¯ll give you the win.¡±


    He laughed at me, no doubt taking great pleasure in seeing me hurt.


    ¡°You¡¯ll regret that,¡± I said as I stood up from the ground. Ready to prove him wrong.


    ¡°Bring it, kid,¡± he said as he dashed toward me. He was fast, but Evara¡¯s training had taught my body to dodge fast things coming toward me. I moved to the side, and to my surprise, he moved his body to face me, punching me again and sending me flying to another wall.


    The red gem in the ring was now a dark red, remembering Mikki¡¯s words, ¡°Once it glows its ready.¡±


    ¡°Ugh!¡± I let out. Even though the punches hadn¡¯t done me in, they still hurt like hell, and I couldn¡¯t take more of them head-on.


    ¡°Just give up kid, and give us the necklace and you can go back to your normal life,¡± he said as he walked menacingly toward me.


    ¡°Never,¡± I said, getting up from the ground again. I was beginning to become quite attached to it now.


    I ran toward him. I couldn¡¯t be on the defense all day and get thrown around like a rag doll. I didn¡¯t know how I was going to use the ring since I didn¡¯t know how to activate this magic bullet of it. But all I knew was that the ring¡¯s glowing red gem felt like it was ready to explode as it was swallowing my finger.


    ¡°You have guts, kid,¡± Teddy said sarcastically. ¡°Show me what you got.¡±


    I threw a punch at him. I just needed to land one, but it was futile. He was fast. Dodging my punches and kicking me, sending me flying again.


    The fight consisted of me getting thrown around, but I wasn¡¯t going to give up. I needed to win. My hand felt like it was going to explode. I could feel the tightness of the ring extending outward into my body.


    ¡°I¡¯m getting pretty bored with this; time to end this,¡± Teddy said as he let out a roar and dashed toward me.


    ¡°You read my mind,¡± I said, dashing toward him, ready to meet him head-on.


    I was ready to give him a punch he will never forget with a hand that felt like it would melt off at any second.


    ¡°Is over, kid!¡± he said as our fists met. Our hands collided, and a light shot from the red gem of the ring. ¡°What the¡ªis that a...¡± he said, as a bright red light began to flicker all around us. A light red beam shot from the ring but he somehow manage to dodge it, moving his face to the side.


    His big, brown, fluffy face was in front of me at arm¡¯s reach. And I planted my fist on his cheek, but it did no damage since he was able kick me away, sending me flying to the opposite side of the colosseum. But it didn¡¯t matter; I had won. I just needed to land a punch on him; he didn¡¯t say anything about doing damage to him.


    ¡°UGH!¡± I let out as I hit the wall. ¡°I-I win,¡± I said as I passed out.

 Chapter 8

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    Chapter 8


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    A promise kept, and a new challenger appears.


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    I opened my eyes and found myself laying on Mikki¡¯s lap. We were still in the colosseum, and I could see the bright blue sky had a reddish tint to it; it almost felt magical.


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    ¡°How do you feel,¡± she said, looking down at me, her blonde hair cascading down her face to my face.


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    I stood up, my face a burning red, just like the red gem on the ring. I looked down. I still had my mother¡¯s necklace. ¡°I won,¡± I said, clinching the blue gem of my mother¡¯s necklace.


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    ¡°Something like that,¡± she said, smiling at me.


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    ¡°You put up quite the fight,¡± Evara said as she walked toward us. In her hand was a small cookie she was munching on, and  Nana walking right behind her as well.


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    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go that far,¡± a familiar voice said. It was Teddy being carried by Esfir like a stuffed toy in her arms.


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    ¡°But a deal is a deal,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s your victory, for now.¡±


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    ¡°I did it!¡± I thought, despite not winning in a conventional way, it was still a win. I had won against a magical being. Sure, I had help, but it was still my win. I didn¡¯t feel so helpless after all.


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    ¡°But if I had known a certain witch was going to give you a pesky little thing, I would not have let my guard down,¡± Teddy said, looking at Evara.


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    ¡°The ring,¡± I said, taking it off my index finger and giving it to Mikki.


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    ¡°It¡¯s Evara¡¯s,¡± she said. ¡°She told me to give it to you.¡±


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    I could see Mikki blushing, which, honestly, I didn¡¯t blame her for it. After all, a ring is magical in more ways than one.


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    ¡°Figure it will be better if the beautiful Mikki gave it to you,¡± Evara said, letting out a laugh.


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    ¡°You two are so cute,¡± Nana said, touching her cheek.


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    ¡°Mom!¡± Mikki said.


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    ¡°It should count as cheating if you ask me,¡± Teddy said.


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    ¡°Now, now,¡± Evara said, taking another bite of her cookie. ¡°You didn¡¯t expect us not to aid our boy now did you?¡±


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    She smirking at Teddy. ¡°Besides, it wasn¡¯t like it was a strong item. It was just a simple item with only one use,¡± she said, and to my surprise, the ring began to crumble. ¡°Witches make these items to train beginner witches, but they are not that useful in the long term, and if Rey had used it too early¡­well, this would have ended a bit differently.¡±


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    ¡°True, I would have noticed it and I would not have let my guard down, not that I needed to for it¡¯s a weak item, ¡± Teddy said.


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    ¡°So, this is your win, Rey. You used your instinct and won; you should be proud of yourself,¡± Evara said.


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    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said, blushing. I was not used to getting compliments like that.


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    I had managed to protect the necklace, but for how long, I thought. Not being able to help myself and think about the future fights that were no doubt going to come my way, but those were thoughts for another time.


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    I had won, and that was good enough for now.


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    ¡°So what now?¡± I asked.


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    I didn¡¯t know if me winning against Teddy meant they would give up trying to get the necklace.


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    ¡°Well, that¡¯s up to teddy and Esfir?¡± Evara said, looking at them.


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    ¡°Not up to me. I already tried and failed,¡± Teddy said.


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    I looked at Esfir. Her expression was cold and stoic.


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    ¡°You can keep the necklace for now,¡± she said, looking at me, her silver colored hair and light grey eyes glowing in an almost magical way as she looked at me; it almost felt like I looking at some far away princess.


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    ¡°Did witches have royalty too?¡± I wondered.


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    ¡°I will look after it and protect it. After all, it belonged to me. ¡°


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    ¡°YOU?¡± I said, as I stood up, finally understanding why she had such a serious expression that day on her face when she asked me how important it was.


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    ¡°I did tell you that some witch¡¯s mementos are usually passed down from witch to witch, and that necklace is part of the Ivanov family, though if I remember correctly, it was given away as a gift to someone in the past.¡±


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    ¡°A gesture brought on by a lie,¡± Esfir said, in a seriousness tone, which caught me by surprise.


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    I had never seen such a lively Esfir before.


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    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


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    ¡°E-excuse me,¡± she said.


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    ¡°Anyway, you can keep the necklace for now, now if you excuse us.¡±


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    Esfir got up from her seat and bowed at us.


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    ¡°Until next time, kid,¡± Teddy said as she and Esfir disappeared like the wind.


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    ¡°The Ivanov family sure has given birth to a genius only seen once in a lifetime,¡± Evara said as we stood in the empty coliseum.


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    There was a certain silence in the coliseum that brought back everything that had happened since that day when a certain teacher attacked me.


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    ¡°Rey?¡± Mikki said, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


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    I looked at her and smiled. ¡°Yea, it¡¯s just that when I think about it, everything that has happened feels so surreal.¡±


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    ¡°Magic has that effect on people,¡± Nana said, smiling at me.


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    ¡°You can always give the necklace and go back to your everyday life if you feel like it,¡± Evara said.


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    ¡°And live with the memories that happened, no thanks,¡± I said.


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    ¡°Well, there are memory-altering spells,¡± Evara said, looking at me.


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    ¡°Master!¡± Nana said,


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    ¡°I¡¯m joking,¡± Evara said, letting out a faint grin that, for a second, I caught a certain sadness in it.


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    ¡°No thanks,¡± I said. ¡°I don¡¯t what to forget about magic,¡° I said, like some small kid not ready to give their favorite toy away.


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    ¡°But Rey,¡± Evara said, looking at me, there was a certain seriousness on her face. ¡°The longer you stay in our world, the harder it would be for a normal person like you to survive. Are you sure you¡¯re up to that?¡±


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    They all looked at me, and I knew they meant well. I looked down at the blue gem of my mother¡¯s necklace.


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    I didn¡¯t know why or how, but I felt a certain closeness to it. Despite having forgotten about her , this necklace made me feel like her memories were still inside of me, locked away, waiting for me. Perhaps it was magic, or some instinct every kid has toward their parents, but whatever it was, I didn¡¯t want to give it up, not without a fight.


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    ¡° I¡¯m ready for anything and I¡¯m not giving up my mother¡¯s necklace¡± I said, with all the confidence that a sixteen year old boy could have.


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    They all smiled at me and nodded, perhaps understanding my resolve.


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    ¡°Well, it¡¯s been quite a day,¡± Evara said, getting up from her seat and stretching. ¡°Get a good night¡¯s rest, Rey.¡±


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    ¡°I will,¡± I said, though I didn¡¯t know if I could, considering everything that had happened.


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    ¡°See you later,¡± Evara said, disappearing as Esfir did.


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    ¡°Are we going to do that too?¡± I asked,


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    ¡°Those kind of transportation spell are hard. Only a select few witches can do it, ¡° Nana said.


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    ***


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    I lay in my bed thinking about the fight with Teddy and the future fights that would undoubtedly come my way, remembering the pain that Teddy¡¯s punches brought. Was I going to be strong enough to take even stronger hits like those? I brushed any doubt I had aside; I needed to be strong no matter what, I wasn¡¯t going to give up her necklace. I began to doze off, and for the first time in a long while, I dreamed of the same woman I had dream of. Perhaps it was my mother, but whoever it was, they felt warm. In the dream I found myself walking some street holding her hand. And even though her face looked at times blurry, I could still see her smile. The dream was comforting until night came, and I found myself covered in blood and a woman lying next to me.  And those same red eyes looking at me. I felt cold, scare, and hopeless. I wanted to run, wanted to hide but I couldn¡¯t. I stood still as those red eyes came toward us.


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    ¡®MOM! NO!¡± I awoke, my hand reaching toward the ceiling as if I was trying to stop whatever bad thing from happening in my dreams.


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    I leaned forward and wonder if that dream I had, had anything to do with my memories that seemed to have been lost. I had many questions running in my mind, but no answers. I wanted to ask Nana but I figured it was a bad idea. Heck , I didn¡¯t know if that was even a real memory or just my overly imagination. I hated not knowing. I hated that I had forgotten her. I hated not knowing what had happened to her, all I knew was that I lost her.


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    ¡°There¡¯s no point in trying to break my head trying to decipher a puzzle whose pieces are missing,¡± I told myself , letting out a sigh. I looked at the time, it was seven in the morning, I had to get ready for school.


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    ¡°Rey, wake up-¡± Mikki said, entering my room and finding me all dressed up and ready for school.


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    ¡°Don¡¯t be too surprised,¡± I said, chuckling at her surprised expression.


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    ¡°I guess all you needed was to get beaten up by a stuffed toy to straighten you out,¡± Mikki said, letting out a faint smile.


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    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go that far,¡° I said. ¡°I just thought it was about time I took a little control of things.¡±


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    ¡°Just don¡¯t go changing too much,¡° Mikki said.


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    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± I said smiling at her.


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    ***


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    ¡°Have a good day at school,¡± Ms. Hexa said, waving goodbye from the kitchen of our two story house , which had been my home for the past eight years. It had been a happy life, which I hoped would last as long as it could. That dream still lingering in my mind.


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    ¡°Is everything alright,¡± Mikki said, looking at me,


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    ¡°Yea, it¡¯s nothing,¡± I said smiling at her.


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    And as Mikki and I were heading out the house, I was surprised to find Esfir standing outside, waiting for us.


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    ¡°Well, this is a surprise,¡± I said.


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    ¡° Does Teddy want another round?¡±


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    ¡°Watch it, kid.¡± Teddy¡¯s voice said, coming from her backpack that hanged on her back.


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    ¡°Not quite,¡± Esfir said. ¡°As I said before, you can keep the necklace, but I¡¯m going to protect it, after all, it belongs to me.¡±


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    I looked down at the blue necklace that hung from my neck. The necklace that belonged to my mother, and not only to her but also to Esfir. And I was sure it was just as important to her as it was to me.


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    ¡°Fair enough,¡± I said,


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    ¡°Let¡¯s get going. We don¡¯t want to be late,¡± Mikki said.


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    The walk to school was awkward at times, considering it had always been just Mikki and me, but now Esfir had joined us.


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    As we arrived at school , I couldn¡¯t help but notice all the stares of the guys coming my way like daggers. No doubt envious of me for walking with two beautiful girls by my side. But honestly, if they knew half of it, would they want to be in my situation? On second thought, perhaps they would, I thought, laughing.


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    ¡°I have school representative duties this morning, so I¡¯ll see you later,¡± Mikki said as she left for her classroom president duties.


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    ¡°Shall we,¡± Esfir said as the two of us walked to the classroom that was once my most dreaded class to go too.


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    ¡°H-Hello, students,¡± our homeroom teacher, Mr. Normal said as he walked inside the classroom,


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    ¡°Today, we have a new student joining our class, so I want you all to be n-nice, okay?¡±


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    ¡°As long as it¡¯s not a witch,¡° I thought, letting out a faint chuckle. ¡°It¡¯s fine by me.¡±


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    ¡°Everyone, meet Alizon Celeste.¡±


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    All the guys stared at her right away as she entered the classroom. And honestly, who could blame them. Hey! I am a teenage boy, after all, and I can help but stare at a pretty girl from time to time. But something about her felt different.


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    She had long dark purple hair, and a body no one in school could rival. She had her student jacket hanging from her shoulders like some mob boss or delinquent, making her stand out. And she was barefoot which I found extremely odd.


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    ¡°Wow! what a beauty,¡± the boys all said.


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    ¡°My name is Alizon Celeste, and my three sizes are a secret, ¡± she said, winking .


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    Her expression was almost the opposite of Mikki and Esfir, where they were serious, she was more, I guess, playful and flirty , like a leader of some mafia group or an idol.


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    ¡°Do you have a boyfriend? ¡° a boy said, getting the annoyance of the girls in the classroom thrown at him, not amused by the boys'' display of their teenage attitudes.


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    ¡°That¡¯s not an a-appropriate  question.¡± Mr. Normal said.


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    She looked at the classroom. Her light pink color eyes, which were very pretty , contacts perhaps?


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    ¡°No, but I have my eye on a person man,¡± she said, smirking.


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    I looked at Esfir and saw an expression of apprehension on her face.


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    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me?¡± I said.


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    ¡°You must be Rey.¡± I looked up and saw Alizon standing in front of my desk.


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    <div>


    I could hear nothing but hollering from the classroom, no doubt surprised by her walking toward me just as much as I was.


    <div>


    <div>


    And in that moment, I was glad Mikki wasn¡¯t in the classroom.


    <div>


    ¡°Y-yea,¡± I said.


    <div>


    <div>


    Was she another witch that had come for my necklace? Of course, she was, what other reason did a beautiful girl have for coming my way?


    <div>


    ¡°You¡¯re cute,¡± she said, biting her lip, as she leaned closed to me, and, to everyone¡¯s surprise, and mine especially, our lips met.


    <div>


    <div>


    And all I could hear was the classroom erupt in an uproar and the classroom door opening with such force, that I hoped it was not a certain person.


    <div>


    <div>


    And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how my life of magic started and my problems with love began¡­..but don¡¯t worry my story is just beginning on both fronts.


    <div>

 8.2 extra

    Chapter 8.5


    Extra


    ¡°So that¡¯s him,¡± A voice said clouded in black  as they sat on top of St. Mary academy¡¯s roof top,  looking down at the students coming in from the front gate of the school.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the boy that has it,¡± another voice added, as they walked toward the clocked figure.  They had a robe that was dark green in color with a snake emblem in the center and a face mask that covered half their face, with piercing green eyes.


    ¡°I see he¡¯s being guarded by both the Hexa and the Ivanov girl, is not going to be easy to get the necklace from him, alive anyway,¡± the figure in black said, letting out a laugh, as they crossed their legs, and resting their chin on their hand.


    ¡° As long as we have the necklace that¡¯s all that matters, dead or alive the boy has no use to us, only the necklace. ¡°


    ¡°Besides we have that person to keep them busy while we get the boy.¡±


    ¡°And if that person fails? What then?¡±


    ¡°Even for me taking on them two would be an issue, not that I can¡¯t but the Ivanov girl is of no interest to me.¡±


    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ve always wanted to take on two witches from such great families as theirs, ¡° the figured cloaked in dark green said,


    ¡°I also  hear Evara is here and you have Nana as well, Can the great Medusa handle four witches at once,¡± the dark cloaked figure say, in a mocking tone.


    ¡°Watch your tongue, mockingbird,¡± Medusa said, her piercing green eyes looking at the cloaked figure..


    ¡°Scary,¡± Mockingbird said, laughing , as they took off the cloaked and revealing green and pink hair.


    ¡°I hear Serpin was killed pretty easily, has the covenant gone weak?¡±


    ¡°She was not a true member of the covenant, more like a useful pawn to test the waters if you will.¡±


    ¡°Well, she was weak, being done so easily by the young Hexa child,¡± Mockingbird said, laughing.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°But I won¡¯t.¡±


    Mockingbird stood up, and looked at Mikki, there was a certain menacing look in her eyes, a killer intent that even Medusa had to acknowledge.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about the necklace all I care about is destroying the Hexa family.¡±


    Medusa looked at Mockingbird, she was only a child of twelve yet she already was quite the powerful witch and had a certain bloodlust for someone at such an age.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let the others hear you, for they aren¡¯t as forgiving as me,¡± Medusa said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of the Serpentis Covenant,¡± Mockingbird said,


    ¡°You should, after all, are you forgetting who our leader is.¡±


    Mockingbird put her hands on the back of her head, and laughed.


    ¡°I¡¯m joking, I¡¯m joking, where¡¯s your sense of humor. IS the covenant nothing but grumpy old witches. But as long as you give me what I want that¡¯s all I care about.¡±


    ¡°And you will, ¡°Medusa said,


    ¡°Good, well I guess I¡¯ll see you later,¡± Mocking bird said, as she was whisked away by the wind.


    ¡°Useful child nothing more nothing less,¡± Medusa said, almost pitying the young girl.


    ¡°She¡¯s going to get herself killed, but as long as she¡¯s useful that¡¯s all that matters.¡±


    ***


    "I see you were not able to get the necklace back to the Ivanov family,¡± an old lady dressed in a white dress said, as she looked down at Esfir and teddy from her large transparent ice chair.


    ¡°Forgive me great -grandmother Ivana,¡± Esfir said,


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t her fault,¡¯ Teddy interjected, it was him that failed not Esfir.


    ¡°SILENT!¡± Ivana yelled, which made the room tremble.


    ¡°If I want to talk to stuffed toys, I¡¯ll ask.¡±


    ¡°Sorry master,¡± Teddy said, lowering his head.


    ¡°So our necklace is in the hands of some kid, and I hear some witch tried to get it as well, for reasons we don¡¯t even know. What are you going to do , Esfir? If the necklace is lost again that would be shame upon the great Ivanov family.¡±


    ¡°I will protect the necklace,¡± Esfir said,


    ¡°Of that you will, it took us this long to find it and we only did because of that careless second rate witch.¡± Ivana said,


    ¡°Though I do wonder why some witch wants our heirloom, jealous of the great Ivanov family no doubt. I tell you our family is the envy of the witches.


    We have achieve such greatness that  I wouldn¡¯t be surprise if the necklace is looked as a treasure to be coveted by some second rate failed covenant. And is not like we can get it if Evara is with the kid, not even a figure as great as me can beat Evara so easily. If your mother was still alive she would not have let this happened. When she died it was a great loss to the Ivanov family.


    Such a shame that she didn¡¯t leave a better replacement for such talent,¡± Ivana touched her cheek as a gesture of pity as she looked at Esfir.


    Such a pity, and to make matters worse she fell in love with some regular man, such talent wasted on their offspring.¡±


    Teddy grabbed Esfir hand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her,¡± he whispered.


    ¡°Did you say something,¡± Ivana said, raising an eyebrow of annoyance at the stuffed toy. She had let Esfir be with it for far too long now.


    ¡°Careful or I will make you into a common table cloth.¡±


    ¡°Great grandmother Ivana ,¡± Esfir said, looking at her great grandmother,


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for letting you down, I promise that the necklace would come back to the Ivanov family.¡±


    ¡°Make sure you do, ¡°Ivana sad,


    ¡°Now go I don¡¯t want to see such failed sights in front of me anymore. ¡°


    ¡®Yes, Great grandmother Ivana,¡± Esfir said bowing down before her.


    Teddy looked back and wanted nothing more than to punch her lights out, but he couldn¡¯t, Esfir needed her, he was her protector.

 Chapter 9

    Chapter 9


    Mikki stared at her with such intensity that for a minute  I could have sworn I saw the image of a dragon emitting from her. I looked at Alizon and she was not fazed by her. The way they were staring at each other made them look like two divine beings ready to battle with one another.  Alizon sat smirking at Mikki, she looked as if she was enjoying herself as she saw Mikki flustered.


    I wanted to ask Mikki why she looked as if she was ready to strike Alizon at any moment as if Alizon was Ms. Serpin, but I figured maybe that was not a good idea. Besides, I couldn¡¯t grasp my head around her anger, was it perhaps because of the kiss?


    No, it couldn¡¯t be, could it?


    I thought about our lips, mine and Alizon. They were soft, hers,  it was my first time kissing anyone, let alone a beautiful girl like her. Mikki looked at me and I brushed those thoughts aside, feeling guilty for even thinking that.


    ¡°S-Sorry¡­¡± I whispered, apologizing as if Mikki had read my thoughts.


    She looked at me for a second then back to Alizon, her opponent.


    ¡°Well, this is a surprise,¡± Evara said, as she sat on the little sofa between the two couches that were in the living room of Nana¡¯s house.


    ¡°What is a member of the magic artifact division doing here in this part of the world,¡± she said, as she took a bite out of Nana¡¯s cookies that had been laid out on the table in front of us.


    Eve thought I was curious to know about this magic artifact division group that Alizon was in, it sounded interesting since it was more of their world which I was fascinated about. All I could think of was how I was going to make it up to Mikki about the kiss. I must say everything happened so fast that I didn¡¯t even get the chance to enjoy my first kiss. One minute Alizon appeared in our classroom as a new student and everything seemed to be normal then the next thing I  knew I had my first kiss in front of everyone, and to make matters worse, Mikki had appeared right at that time, and next thing I  knew all the students had vanished and the only four people that were in the classroom were me, sitting dumbfounded, Mikki pointing her staff at Alizon with sparks circling around it as if a magic spell was ready to be unleashed at her, and Esfir standing between Mikki and Alizon with an ice sword in her hand pointing it at Alizon as well.


    I wish I could tell you what happened afterwards but it was all a haze to me. One moment, we were all in our classroom, and the next I know were here in Nana¡¯s living room, with Mikki staring down Alizon as if she was a witch coming for my necklace.


    ¡°I¡¯m also curious as well,¡± Esfir said, taking a sip of her cup nonchalantly and with a certain aura that only someone of her caliber can muster.


    ¡°Not me,¡± Teddy said, as the small stuffed teddy bear toy munched down on the remaining cookies that were on the plate.


    ¡°Any witch from the magic artifact division always brings trouble her way. So count me out.¡±


    ¡°Only because certain witches get greedy with power,¡± Alizon said smiling at Teddy.


    ¡°O-Of course..¡± Teddy said, and for the first time, I could see a bit of nervousness in Teddy¡¯s brown beady eyes.


    ¡°Who exactly was Alizon? I thought,


    " And why had she kissed me.¡±


    So many questions were running in my mind but right now I didn¡¯t have time to think about them, the only thing I could think of was if this had something to do with my necklace that sat around my neck. Which I¡¯m sure it did. Beautiful girls don¡¯t go around kissing guys like me.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Miss Alizon is here for a good reason,¡± Nana said, as she sat next to Mikki and me.


    ¡°Well there¡¯s no point in beating around the bush, I¡¯ll get straight to the point since I¡¯m someone who likes to be direct,¡± she said, winking at me, which made me blush. Mikki looked at me and squinted her eyes at me in disapproval.


    ¡°I¡¯m here for that little treasure,¡± Alison said pointing at me,


    ¡°And I don¡¯t mean the cute kid.¡±


    I looked down at my mother¡¯s memento and grabbed it.


    ¡°Of course she is.¡±


    ¡°Sorry but you can¡¯t have it,¡± I said instinctively.


    I had beaten a human-sized stuffed toy to keep it and I was not about to lose it to a pretty girl that had stolen my first kiss. She had already stolen enough from me.


    ¡°I figure you would say that,¡± Alizon said,


    ¡°And since you still have the necklace that must mean not even a witch from the great Ivanov house was able to get it. Is the Ivanov family getting soft these days?¡±


    Alizon brushed her cheek as she sat studying me, I could feel a chill run down my spine as if I was some kind of lab rat.


    ¡°That¡¯s not of your concern,¡± Esfir said, looking at Alizon with those cold icy grey eyes.


    ¡°As you can see Rey is not going to give up the necklace so you can be on your way now,¡± Mikki said, as she got up from her seat.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t do that,¡± Alizon said,


    ¡°For you see we have gotten intel that witches belonging to the Serpentis covenant have been spotted around here.¡±


    ¡°Serpentis !¡± Evara said,


    ¡°I was afraid of that.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s the Serpentis Covenant?¡± I ask, Imagining some sort of slimy snake-like creatures that look just like Ms. Serpin did on that fateful day.


    ¡°There a bunch of witches that have forsaken the witches'' vows for greed and power,¡± Nana said,


    ¡°If your school teacher Ms. Serpin was with that covenant that means other witches would be coming our way no doubt. ¡°


    ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± Alizon said,


    ¡°Does that mean the witch that caused the gym incident was one of those Serpentis witches?¡±


    ¡°Most Likely,¡± Esfir said, taking a sip from her cup.


    ¡°Now what would they want with Rey¡¯s necklace,¡± Mikki said, she had calmed down now, well, as much as she could for Mikki, no longer spewing such intense eyes at Alison.


    ¡°As you know, witches'' mementos are passed down from witch to witch and sometimes they absorb magic but most of the time it¡¯s nothing to be concerned about. They are more like sentimental objects. But it seems your necklace is drawing quite the attention of the Serpentis Covenant for reasons that the Magic Artifact Division is not sure and since the Serpentis Covenant is aiming for it,  as the leader of the division, I can¡¯t ignore it.¡±


    ¡°Leader!¡± I said, surprised by the revelation. Does that mean she was someone important? She carried herself with a certain confidence that it only made sense.


    ¡°I was afraid of that,¡± Evara said, not paying much attention to Alizon¡¯s revelation, in fact, nobody but me did which I felt somewhat embarrassed.


    ¡°Normally witches should not be able to detect magic from mementos since its not very strong unless they have hidden magic, but for that, you would need a  magic oracle witch.¡±


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.¡°Are you saying that the Serpentis Covenant has a magic oracle witch?¡±


    ¡°Most likely,¡± Alizon said,


    ¡° That¡¯s not good,¡± Evara said, brushing her chin.


    ¡°What¡¯s a magic oracle witch,¡± I asked feeling like this conversation was something I was not supposed to be involved with.


    ¡°Is a rare gift that allows a witch to sense hidden magic,¡± Esfir said, and I could see a glimpse of sadness in her eyes for a second.


    ¡°A gift or a curse depending on how you  look at it,¡± Evara added,


    ¡°It¡¯s extremely rare but if they have a witch with this gift that means that the necklace has hidden  magic inside that the Serpentis Covenant is aiming for that I did not anticipate.¡±


    ¡°And every witch knows that hidden magic means it was hidden for a reason.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Alizon said,


    ¡°I do not know what kind of hidden magic is inside that necklace, no witch can know unless you have that gift which is why I came to retrieve the necklace.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I can¡¯t give it to you even if it has something like that inside of it,¡± I said getting up from my seat, something in me didn¡¯t want to let go of the necklace even if holding on to it would endanger not only my life¡­ I was being selfish but I didn¡¯t care, it was the only thing I had of her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Alizon said,


    ¡°I¡¯m more interested in finding those  hidden Serpentis witches and retrieving that oracle witch, besides,¡±


    She looked at me, her purple eyes had a certain allure to them that I almost felt attracted to them.


    ¡°I gave you a protective charm of my own,¡± she said touching her lips.


    ¡°T-The kiss,¡± I said flustered as I thought about our kiss, my first kiss.


    Mikki looked at me and there was a hint of sadness in her that I caught for a second.


    ¡°Is that why you kissed me?¡± I asked, feeling a bit disappointed my first kiss was for something like that.


    ¡°It¡¯s a secret,¡± she said winking at me,


    ¡°What kind of charm?¡± Esfir said, staring down at Alizon.


    ¡°A woman never reveals her secrets,¡± she said, smiling at them.


    ¡°She does if she wants to keep her Life,¡± Miki said, as she abruptly got up from her seat.


    ¡°Enough girls,¡± Evara said,


    ¡°So what do we do?¡± I asked, changing the subject.


    ¡°You don¡¯t do anything,¡± Mikki said,


    ¡°Miss Mikki is right,¡± Esfir added,


    ¡°If  Serpentis Covenant witches are around here then we have to find them. ¡°


    ¡°And Capture them to interrogate them,¡± Alizon added, and I felt a slight fear for a moment at her words.


    ¡°The Magic artifact division is curious as to what is hidden on that specific necklace but of course, we won¡¯t know unless we capture that witch as well.¡±


    ¡°Well help as much as we can,¡± Nana said,  which surprised me, and I wasn¡¯t the only one either,


    ¡°Mom !¡±  Mikki said,


    ¡°Thank you for your help,¡± Alizon said,


    ¡°Is great we can still depend on a past magic artifact division member.


    ¡°You were one of them?¡± I asked surprised by the revelation, there was so much I didn¡¯t know about Nana Hexa, the witch.


    ¡°In a past life,¡± she added.


    But our top priority is keeping Rey safe.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Alizon said,


    "We can¡¯t have a non-magical person get hurt in the matters of magic.


    ¡°I¡¯m assuming she came with you,¡± Evara said,


    ¡°She did,¡±  Alison said as she got up from her seat.


    ¡°Very well,  Nana, we have an old friend to greet.¡±


    ¡° Yes master,¡± Nana said as she got up from her seat.


    ¡°Be careful Nana¡± I said, not sure why, I mean she was obviously a powerful witch if anything I was the one that needed to be careful, but now that I knew a bunch of witches were roaming the streets looking for me, I didn¡¯t want nothing to happen to my only family because of me.


    ¡°I will,¡± she said, giving me a motherly smile only she could,


    ¡°We¡¯ll be back soon, there¡¯s food in the fridge so help yourself.¡±


    I watched as all three of them disappeared, and the only people that were left were me, Mikki, Esfir, and Teddy.


    ¡°Can we trust her?¡± Esfir said,


    ¡°You read my mind,¡± Mikki added,


    ¡°If you ask me I said get the necklace from the boy and be done with this Serpentis nonsense,¡± Teddy added,


    ¡°Well we didn¡¯t ask you,¡± I said, angrily, holding on to the necklace.


    ¡°Touchy,¡± Teddy smirked at me,


    ¡°Behave Teddy,¡± Esfir said,


    ¡°Sorry sorry.¡±


    ¡°She seemed nice, and I¡¯m sure she wasn¡¯t lying to us,¡± I said,


    Mikki and Esfir both turned to me, and I felt their gaze on me which made me turn red.


    ¡°Do you like her?¡± Mikki said, her face serious as I would expect from Mikki.


    ¡°N-No," I said,


    All I mean is that Evara doesn¡¯t distrust her or Nana so I figure she wouldn¡¯t lie that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s truth,¡± Esfir added,


    ¡°Someone like Evara could tell if a witch is lying.¡±


    ¡°And Nana as well, she always knows when we¡¯re keeping things from her,¡± Mikki said.


    ¡°I guess we can play along for now and see what her intentions are,¡± Esfir said,


    ¡°And if she tries anything well strike her down,¡± Mikki added, which kind of scared me.


    ¡°I wonder who they¡¯re meeting,¡± I asked, changing the subject before they got out of hand, they seemed to dislike Alizon for reasons I was not sure yet.


    ¡°I wonder who indeed,¡± Mikki said. And I was curious as well as to who this mysterious person was.


    **********************************************************************


    I looked at the time, it was already past 8 and Nana still wasn''t back, not that there was anything to worry about since she was with Evara and Alizon. Yet I couldn''t help it, wondering just who that mysterious person was, and if it had to do with my necklace, which I was sure it did. I looked at my mother''s memento, its vibrant blue gem seemed to glow tonight or perhaps it was the way the moonlight was hitting it as it entered my room through the only window. But whatever it was, it was glowing, attracting me like a moth to a flame.  Its mystery took a grasp of me, now that I knew it was hiding some sort of special magic I couldn''t help but be more intrigued by it.


    "Just what kind of magic are you hiding?"


    The longer I stared at the blue gem, the more I felt like I was diving deeper into its ocean-blue color. I felt like my body was as light as a feather, ready to be whisked away at any moment. I could feel something taking control of me and pulling me into whatever it was.


    "What are you?" I said as the blue gem began to look like blue flames being born from that glow.


    "Rey..."


    I heard the faint sound of a voice.


    "Who are you?" I said,


    I could feel my eyes beginning to feel heavy as if I was dozing off,


    "Are you awake?"


    "I...."


    "I''m coming in so you better not be doing anything weird."


    The sound of my door opening brought me back to my room, my reality. Whatever that feeling that was enticing me to the gem was gone now,


    "Rey, are you ok?" Mikki asked as she stared at me,


    "Y-Yea, I am," I said, as I got up from my bed.


    "Why do you ask?"


    "Because you didn''t answer me."


    "I must be tired," I said giving her a faint laugh,


    "Long day."


    "Well at least one of us can sleep," she said, as she walked to the chair that was by my study desk.


    "Is it about Nana?" I ask, sitting on the edge of my bed.


    She had her blonde hair tied into a ponytail and not the usual twin tails she normally sported and a set of pink pajamas with flower decorations on it which surprised me since it was quite soft of her.


    "Something like that," she answered, brushing her bangs to the side.


    "I''m sure she''s fine, and if anything Evara is with her," I said, trying to reassure her.


    "You''re right, " she said as she got up from the chair and walked toward me, taking a seat next to me.


    "How about you? How do you feel?"


    She was so close to me that I could smell the sweet scent of her shampoo, strawberry with a hint of vanilla.


    "Me?" I asked, feeling confused by her words, I hadn''t battled with anyone and it had already been a week since Teddy''s fight.


    "I''m fine, why do you ask?"


    "That division witch..."


    "You mean Alizon," I said,


    "Yes her," she continued, her words felt like daggers ready to be sent at Alizon if she was here. She was not fond of her, for reasons I was not quite sure of.


    " She said she put a spell on you when she.." She stopped herself,


    "The kiss?" I added,


    "Do you feel anything? What if she''s lying and put a  control spell on you or something."


    "I''m fine," I said smiling at her as I moved my arm up and down, posing any muscles I had on my arm.


    "You promise?"


    I could tell by looking at her that she wasn''t satisfied with my answer, she didn''t need to tell me, her eyes made it quite clear to me. She was looking at me like she did that time, as if I was a helpless child.


    Which kind of hurt my ego if I was honest, of course, there was nothing I could do, I was in their world. Powerless and helpless, I could only rely on them.


    "I am trust me,"  I said, once again.


    I didn''t feel anything new or weird. Whatever spell Alizon had put on me when she kissed me hadn''t changed anything, and it for sure didn''t change how I felt about Mikki.


    "Close your eyes," she said, her green eyes were serious in the only way only Mikki could.


    "What for?" I asked,


    "J-Just do it."


    "Ok," I said, wondering what exactly she wanted me to close them.


    I did what she asked, and closed my eyes.


    "Mikki, what is this for?" I asked as I sat there with my eyes closed.


    "B-B-Be quiet," she said, and I could hear nervousness, something  I had rarely ever heard before.


    Just what exactly is she doing? I asked myself.


    I waited a few seconds, which turned into a few minutes.


    "How long do I have to keep my eyes closed?"


    I waited for her answer but nothing.


    "Did she play a trick on me?" I thought, but she wasn''t the trickster type in fact she was the complete opposite. So I was sure that wasn''t it.


    "Mikki?" I asked opening slightly one of my eyes, the curiosity getting to me.


    "Are you playing a trick on me?"


    Just when I was about to get a good look, the door downstairs opened.


    "Nana?" I said,


    "N-Never mind," she said in a hurried manner, and I could hear disappointment in her voice.


    "What were you doing?" I asked,


    "Nothing, forget it," she said as she stormed out of my room. Her face was bright red I noticed.


    "What was she trying to do?" I asked, confused by the whole ordeal, but what confused me more was why was she so closed to my face.

 Chapter 9.2

    Chapter 9.2


    ¡° So this is where she decided to hide,¡± Evara said. She looked around and found nothing but an empty forest illuminated by the moon.


    ¡°It keeps any unwanted attention plus you know how she is,¡± Alizon said,


    ¡°Now if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°Not at all. Go right ahead,¡±  Evara said, sensing the magic that was distributed throughout the forest.


    Alizon nodded as she reached toward the sword hanging around her waist and planted it into the ground.


    ¡°A magic barrier and a strong one for sure,¡± Nana said, as she watched the young witch begin her incantation. A magic circle began to appear on the ground the sword was in and the atmosphere around them began to twist and distort itself like a piece of paper, taking away the darkness of the forest and replacing it with a garden filled with flowers of different shades accompany by the brightness of the sky above.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite the contrast,¡± Evara said, as she spotted a single white table in the middle with a single figure in a dark dress and a hat sitting by it.


    The three witches walked toward the figure, the sunny light of the bright sky shining above them.


    ¡°Is good to see you, master,¡± the figure sitting at the table said, as she took a sip from a white cup in her hand.


    ¡°I was certain you had retired, Lileth,¡± Evara said, as she took a seat opposite of her.


    ¡°Is like you haven¡¯t aged a day,¡± Lileth said, looking at Evara, and smiling.


    Evara looked at Lileth.


    Her eyes were covered by a cloth wrapped around her face. She wore a black dress, and she looked as if she was going to a funeral. Then again, Lileth always enjoyed a certain dress code that other witches deemed too melancholic for themselves, which Evara found amusing considering she was quite fond of things opposite of how she dressed.


    ¡°What can I say, it must be the fresh air,¡± Evara said, jokingly.


    ¡°The air in this part of the world is certainly very unique,¡± Lileth said, smirking at her. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°So, what made you come out of retirement, my young student?


    ¡°Before we begin, I brought you a present, ¡° Lileth said, waving her hand and making a bowl full of cookies appear before them.


    ¡°Thought I must admit they''re not as good as Nana makes them.¡±


    ¡°Just takes a lot of practice,¡± Nana said, smiling at her old friend and fellow classmate once.


    ¡°I don¡¯t assume you came all the way here to see your master and bring her such a delicious gift,¡± Evara said, as she ate a piece of the cookies that were in front of her.


    ¡° A bit bland but passable.¡±


    ¡°I could never get the right amount of sugar, you will have to teach me some time Nana,¡± Lileth said, as she took a sip of her cup and placed it on the table.


    ¡° I don¡¯t mind catching up with my dear master, but unfortunately this is not one of those times I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    ¡°Does it have to do with the necklace?¡± Nana said, eager to get to the bottom of it as soon as possible. What had brought the captain of the artifact division out of retirement?


    ¡°Your assumption is correct, and I¡¯m sure as my prot¨¦g¨¦ has filled you in, the Serpentis Covenant has made their move, and that individual is no longer imprisoned.¡±


    ¡° I see,¡± Evara said, putting the last piece of cookie in the bowl.


    ¡°So it is true,¡± Nana said,


    ¡° I had heard rumors but I did not think of them to be true.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so,¡± Alizon said, she could see in their faces what every witch in Salem had written about in those pages of the Witches'' crimes, the only witch to ever bring Salem to its knees.


    ¡°We got intel that the Serpentis witches were able to locate the prison and free¡­.¡±


    ¡°How many ?¡± Evara interrupted, her fist clenching underneath her robe.


    Alizon noticed for the first time since she met Evara, the fierce expression that sent chills down her enemies, one of the six master witches of Salem.


    ¡°The whole guard squad was wiped out,¡±


    ¡°By the Serpentis Covenant?¡± Nana asked,


    ¡°No, not by them, the Serpentis Covenant was never a threat to us, they were nothing more than a rogue covenant, but by that individual.¡±


    ¡°Were you able to capture any?¡± Evara asked,


    ¡°We did but the interrogation was futile for they didn¡¯t produce much information except for this,¡± Lileth said, as she waved her hand, causing an image of a blue color gem to appear in front of them.


    ¡°Rey¡¯s necklace,¡± Nana said, fearing the worst.


    ¡°So, what do you want to do?¡± Evara asked, sitting back in her chair, and looking at the bright blue sky.


    ¡°Take the necklace back to Salem and place it in the tower of the abyss.¡±


    "If only it was that simple,¡± Lileth said,


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that even if we wanted to we cannot. ¡°


    The necklace is tied to this world,¡± Alizon said, touching her lips.


    ¡°A grounding spell? ¡±Evara said, fearing that things were about to change, a change she did not anticipate.


    ¡°A very strong one, which I was unable to break when I kissed Rey.¡±


    ¡°Now who would ground the necklace to this world,¡± Lileth said,


    ¡°I wondered indeed, though I¡¯m afraid we already know the answer to that question, and now the question is, why do they want that necklace? ¡°


    ¡°The only way we would know is if we get our hands on the oracle witch the Serpentis Covenant has in their hands.¡±


    ¡°And in the meantime, we just wait for them to strike,¡± Nana said, her mind filled with Rey, and what it meant for him to keep the necklace, perhaps it would have been better off in Salem all those years ago.


    ¡°Not much we can do but wait and see,¡± Lileth said, as she stood up.


    ¡°Luckily we have time.¡±


    ¡°But how long before  the chains are broken that keep them in our world and away from here,¡± Evara said, looking at Lileth,


    ¡°I guess that depends on how strong our sister¡¯s spell was when she cast it upon that individual those years ago.¡±