“Hey, it’s no big deal.” Lex also had a reputation; although he was mostly in a good mood he didn’t smile without reason – Alice gave him a thousand reasons to smile. Everyone saw how he looked at her. “And for you, anything.” He wrapped him right arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer in sort of half hug. Then as they parted for their first class, his smile disappeared.

*


*


*


Getting ready for bed, Alice’s mouth still tasted of her chocolate cake. She wasn’t one for parties but still enjoyed the small family gathering every year. Her parents, older brother, aunt, uncle and cousin were always there. She brushed her teeth and the chocolate taste slowly faded, she paused in front of the mirror and looked at Alex’s necklace. It suited her perfectly; it wasn’t too big of a distraction but just big to be noticed. She wondered it she should take it off before sleeping but knew she would forget to put it back on in the morning. She got under the covers and held the silver letter, thinking the first day of her thirteenth year had gone pretty well…more than pretty well.

*


*


*

Alice looked at her clock. 3:29 A.M. She felt almost woozy and sunk her head back into her pillow. Then she felt a hand on her check gently stroking the side to wake her. She moved it away then realized it wasn’t her parents or her brother’s. Whose was it? She sleepily studied the hand and it intertwined its fingers with hers. Her eyes traced up the arm and saw a dark but young face staring back at her.
“Hey, sorry to wake you; its okay it’s just me.” She recognized that voice from somewhere, but where? She was too tired to remember.
“Who are you? Leave me alone!” it finally occurred to her just because the intruder had held her hand willingly didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous.
The lights flicked on and she squinted so hard closing her eyes would’ve been better. When she finally adjusted she saw Lex sitting beside her on her bed.
“Alex! What are you doing here? You practically scared me to death.”
“Look, I know this is a weird time, but it’s the best time.” he put his hand on her shoulder like her was reassuring her of something. “Trust me. I’ll explain everything. First just do one thing.”
“What?” she couldn’t understand why he didn’t just do this at school, or if didn’t want people watching he could’ve come over after. Her parents knew they were good friends and said he was always welcome.
“Point you right finger at… umm at your desk.”
“Why?”
“Just – just trust me okay Alice.” He watched her face as she slowly raised her finger and aimed it towards the desk and if by magic the contents of her top drawer flew out and landed on her bed, assembling them exactly the way she had it in the drawer.
She sat motionless, her finger frozen in the air and subconsciously moving it, she unwillingly summoned the second drawer to do the same. Her eyes grew wide; Lex couldn’t help but throw her into a big hug. He knew he was about answer a million questions but he was glad.
“What is this?” Alice whispered and stared at the various papers and pencils, and other things that lay before her.
“Okay it’s a little weird but just let me explain.”
“A LITTLE WEIRD! Lex did you plan this or something? What, are strings attached to all this stuff just lifting it through the air? This isn’t normal.”
“And you’re not normal. Alice, now that you’ve thirteen you’re officially a wizard.” He saw the terror in her eyes and hated himself for doing this. Telling people about their powers was never easy but especially not when they were friends.
“Wizard? You’re making this up, wizards don’t exist!”
“Wave.”
“What?”
“Wave your hand in the air, like you’re saying goodbye or something.” She obeyed and swept her hand through the air in front of a wall. All the posters and pictures, including Lex’s drawing of her fell off and landed on the floor. She looked at him, still not ready to believe it.
“Alice, just listen to me. I know you won’t believe me at first but I’ve got tons to tell you just let me talk then ask all the questions you want.”
Alice looked pale, like she had just seen a ghost. But she nodded and listened to him.
“Way back, no one knows just how long ago, certain people could do things. Things others couldn’t and so the regular people thought they were evil so they would lock them up instead of, you know, helping them. They were wizards, they just didn’t know it. Two powerful wizards were helping the other wizards escape from where people had locked them up and soon they assembled a group of about ten or fifteen. The two wizards went by the names of Monalint and Ganza, they were married. That’s actually where the name Mona comes from it means helper and freer, that’s what people called her for short. So Mona and Ganza formed this group of sort of protection for the wizards and they started using their powers more and more. Little things like pranks, some free food; but then Mona and Ganza started doing other things. Random disappearances around town started happening, people were afraid to walk outside alone. Then after about a month, Queen Elizabeth’s crown went missing. The others from the group confronted them and told them it was wrong, but they wouldn’t listen; soon they became the most power wizards of all time. Still are. They rose to more power and the group struggled to defeat them. Now the town new something was up, but they thought a murderer, it was much worse. There were always new wizards coming, when you turn thirteen, if you come from a wizarding family that’s when you get your powers and find out you’re a wizard. New wizards can’t always control their powers so at times they’re the strongest out of any older wizards. So Mona and Ganza knew that and got the new ones to do things for them. They wore masks so wouldn’t be identified, and instead of helping the new wizards with their powers, they trained them the torture and kill. Killing people and burning down houses were just the beginning of Mona and Ganza’s reign, they destroyed cities, stole priceless objects and tortured innocent people. Soon every wizard knew of them, some were even scared to talk about them. But after a few years their new wizards were no longer new, so when they weren’t wearing the masks, you wouldn’t know if anyone was with them or against. Suspects or known helpers of Mona and Ganza were thrown into wizard jail: Stravaganza, named after Ganza of course. Of course over time all of their followers were lost and so one night it was just Mona and Ganza with no help. They were going to kill a small family in the next town, it was the family of a former follower and they weren’t happy that he’d betrayed them. But instead Mona and Ganza got there to see the house abandoned with others on the property instead. They were surrounded. They defeated them and Mona and Ganza died in Stravaganza. That’s when all wizards decided the keep their magic a secret and made two separate worlds: the magical world called Plix and the Cant world which is short for Insignificant world. I don’t know who came up with the name but that’s what we call normal people; the Insignificants. Now if any wizard does any major magic they’re not supposed to who’s not a full wizard, you’ll go to Fuge – the wizard court – or straight to Stravaganza.

Now that we’ve covered the history I’ll tell you all about you’re powers. We can control objects with our mind, tell things to do certain actions. We have spells that do certain things and of course we have wands.” Alex pulled out a thin cylindrical piece of wood with many tiny carvings and thick stub of a handle. Around the handle were fur and a circle carved into the middle of it. His named also carved on the side. Each wizard, even before they are born, is assigned a wand. You’ll get yours today, the reason I waited to tell you is because today is when you got your powers. It happens when you turn thirteen but you’re not full wizard yet. Full wizards have a license and to get that you have pass a test when you turn seventeen. But for now we can use magic ‘cause I’m going to be teaching you. I have a teacher of my own and you really only need them at first to get you started, so for a week we’ll be practicing after school everyday. You might need more than a week but it all depends, I was a fast learner and only took six days.”

“I believe it, every word. I don’t know why but I do and I want to try some more…you know magic but I’m kind of scared.” Alice looked sheepishly up at him knowing he was ten times better than she was.

“Trust me we will but there is one thing I have to show you.” He motioned for to stand up and pulled the comforter off her bed. Lex opened the window and through the blanket out the side. “I hope you’re not afraid of heights.”

Alice understood at once. “No way! What happened to broom sticks or carpets?”

“Well we do have broomsticks but most people use them to get around in Plix. In the Cant world we only fly long distance of we have to so blankets are much more comfortable. After you.”

She looked at the window and saw her green bed spread rippling in the wind. “Wait we should take jackets, it’s cold out.”

“Don’t worry about me I’m okay, but you might be cold.”

“Are you sure?”

“Well actually there’s a little more about wizards. I’ll tell you on the way.”

“On the way to what?” She slipped into her white jean jacket and let him guide her through the window and to her flying comforter. When he didn’t answer and got on to the blanket with her, she smiled at him and wrapped her arms around him.

“Ha, what was that for?”

“I’m flying on a magic comforter at night on my thirteenth birthday after finding out my best friend and I are wizards.”

“You’re welcome…so what you say we take one a spin on this thing?”

“Yes! But don’t teach me how just yet. I’ll watch and let’s just enjoy this.” Lex shot them up into the sky and held the ends in his hands to turn. After a while the comforter was high enough to fly itself and they both spread out and relaxed.

“Hey Lex, what was the thing you were going to tell me about why you don’t get cold?”

“Oh, well I’m kind of a wolf.”

“What?”

“Every wizard is an animal, it’s based on your personality so in a way you get to chose it and in another way, you don’t.”

“What animal am I?”

“I don’t know yet, I’ll happen during the first couple days of training, all of the sudden you’ll just transform. It’s a little freaky at first.”

“What do you use it for?”

“Well, different animal have different types of powers, powers we don’t have while we’re human. I can bark fire, fun at super speed and of course, we bite.”

“That’s cool, but what does that have to do with not being cold?”

“Every animal has a different temperature. I guess it’s a wolf thing.” Alice felt his forehead and quickly and pulled back.

“Lex, you’re burning!”

“Well, now that you know I don’t have to control it, I have to be really careful in school. I almost went home with a ‘fever’ last week because someone brushed me in the hall.”

“Wow, so how exactly do you change into your animal?”


“Just like doing anything magical, casting a spell or even flying this thing,” Lex nudged the comforter. “It takes concentration, and skill. Think of you and your animal, becoming one and if you try hard enough it’ll happen.” He steered into an empty field surround by trees on one side and facing the road on the other. “Okay, take a good look; this is where you’ll be training for the next… eight months, a year? Depends on how to adjust your new life.”

“New life? This is just magic what else is going to change?”

“A lot of thing actually, you’d be surprised how much. The first week or so when your powers are really setting in, you’ll find weird things happening everywhere you go.”

“Well, what kind of things?” Alice hopped down from the carpet and her hands reached out to find Lex as the light on her comforter flickered out and the field was now pitch black.
*
*
*

Instead of depleting with age, Alice’s fear of the dark only grew stronger as she got older and watching more and more horror movies. Her visions of not spooky, but real non-fiction characters seemed to make her more alert and paranoid in the dark. Standing in the field of complete darkness she could just make up the brownish yellow long grass slowly swaying in the breeze. Alice inched closer to Lex and almost as if hearing her thoughts he help her hand in a gesture that said he knew her fear would have to end soon. Wizards must be as close to fearless as possible.

Then both were blinded by an engulfing green light like lime slices shoved in a face. Their eyes – just adjusting to the dark – were stung, pupils retracted. Alice and Lex shut their eyes and in a few moments they opened and there they again. In the field, alone, with the carpet a few feet near, now standing in broad daylight. “Did we fall asleep? I don’t remember this?”

Lex looked around to get his bearings then focused his gaze on Alice and softly laughed. “No, it’s just your powers; I told you weird things would happen.”

“Wait what exactly did happen, I can’t just make the sun come up and what about the light – did I cause that too?”

“Yeah, you basically made the moon change color and size and made us time travel.”

“Okay, time travel. Another thing I’ll have to get use