A Teenage Enchantress

My name is Arabella. Over the last couple of weeks, I have discovered my true identity. You go through life thinking you know yourself, only to realize you have an unknown side to you. It takes a lot of courage to face change. I’ve seen and done things that shouldn’t be possible in this world. Within such a short timeframe, I have loved, lost, and battled for survival.

This is the story of my revelation, how I found out who I am and the events and consequences that followed.

Part One: The Beginning

I couldn’t believe it! I was about to turn sixteen – an exciting milestone! It’s the age at which things start getting cemented, and I was looking forward to the prospects.

I live with my mom and younger brother, Sebastion. There’s a six-year age difference between us. Our father deserted us four years ago, leaving an unspoken of presence despite his absence. Mom never speaks about it. In a sense, we’re kind of forbidden to bring him up in conversations; his abandonment left a huge desolate hole in our lives. But Sebastion and I are doing well in spite of our father’s desertion; we have a lot of friends and a healthy social life.

My best friend is Emma. We’ve been friends since we were toddlers, and live next door to one another. Emma is an only child. Her mom sadly passed away when she was very little and was left in the sole care of her father Ray, a kind and comical man. He goes to great lengths to show that Emma is his pride and joy.

Emma and I are excited for Thursday, the day of my sweet sixteenth, even though I wasn’t having a party; just a quiet dinner with mom, Sebastion and

Emma. I was looking forward to the magical feeling of finally turning sixteen. Little did I know that on the day of my birthday, I would find the irony in that thought.

When Thursday morning finally arrives, I wake up with an exuberant smile, excited for the day. I check my phone to see a text from Emma, “Arabella, happy birthday beautiful, finally sweet sixteen, get your butt ready, and I’ll see you soon! xox.”

“Thank you Emma, I’ll be ready shortly, can’t wait to see your pretty face! xox.” I text back with a laugh.

“Good morning my birthday girl!” Mom says in a sing-song voice as she enters my room.

“Morning mom!” I reply with a huge smile, putting my phone aside to accept her warm hug.

“Yeah, happy birthday Arabella,” Sebastion parrots as he scrunches his face.

“Thanks Sebastion.” I giggle.

“Here you go honey,” Mom hands me a pink box tied by a black ribbon. I start opening it enthusiastically, heart hammering with excitement.

“Sebastion, honey, can you go to your room and get ready for school?”

“But mom, I want to see what Arabella got,” he replies, disappointment coloring his voice.

“Please darling,” Mom beseeches.

“Fine,” was his reply as he stomps out of the room in a dramatic manner. I roll my eyes at his attitude and return my attention back to my present. I excitedly open it as mom watches me with a fond smile.

“Mom, I’m ready, can I see what Arabella got now?” yells Sebastion.

Mom rolls her eyes with a grin and briefly shakes her head.

“Go and eat your breakfast honey, I’ll be downstairs shortly,” says mom, a tone of finality in her voice, letting him know not to argue.

I absentmindedly listen to their altercation, focusing on the blank white card lying inside the box. This is strange, what am I supposed to do with a blank

card?

“It’s time you know,” she states calmly with a soft smile.

Time to know what? I think with trepidation, feeling uneasy.

“Pick up the card honey.”

Bewildered, I do as she says only to be startled by black words magically forming, as if roused from sleep, as soon as my fingers come into contact with the card. I freeze in shock and drop the card, which flutters downwind.

Mom leans down and picks it up, handing it to me again with an understanding smile. I carefully take it from her and look back at the card, the words now completely unveiled.

It read: ‘One, two three, magic you’ll soon see, you’re now sixteen, an enchantress you’ll be...’

I look at my mother, more confused than ever. “What’s going on mom?” Is this her idea of a joke? And how did those words form like that?

“Now that you’re sixteen, sweetheart, it is finally your right to know the truth. Our family comes from a long line of witches and warlocks. We come from a completely different world; Aquarian Falls is the name of our realm. Your father wanted to raise you and your brother in the mortal world, and after he left I continued to bring you up here,” elaborates Mom as she rests her hand on my leg that’s hidden beneath the covers as I sit up in my bed, “Your grandfather is one of the most famous warlocks of all time.”

“Wait, what!” I was shocked. I can’t be? Can I? I was too distracted to notice that Mom made mention of my father, a taboo topic in this house.

“You have powers baby, you have magic coursing through your veins, which makes you very special,” Mom continues with a serious undercurrent in her voice, “You must never tell another living soul who you truly are, it’s our most absolute law that we must abide by.”

“I can’t tell Emma?” I was dumbfounded, not

really grasping what I was saying.

“No baby, not even Emma. Our world is beautiful,

but if our kind were aware that a mortal knew about us, it will put her in danger.”

Well that’s just great. I scoff internally. Mom has gone mad.

“Ok mom, joke’s over! Let’s go back to reality. But I gotta admit, the way those words appeared on the card was a cool trick! Which shop did you buy it from? I’d like to play a prank on Emma as well.” I muse out loud.

“Arabella honey, this is serious. I know it’s sudden and hard to believe, but sooner or later you’ll have to accept the truth of your identity.” Mom says gently, cupping each side of my face with her palms.

“Mom come on, next thing I know you’ll be telling me we’re descendants of Harry Potter.” I say sarcastically, refusing to believe her.

“My darling daughter, don’t you know that behind every book is a spark of truth? People tend to look at the ordinary and overlook the extraordinary because it’s just easier to pretend that there aren’t bigger things happening in the world. Magic truly exists baby, whether you choose to accept that right now or not. It’s as real as you and I. It isn’t easy to open our minds to such distinct possibilities, but once we do, a figurative portal opens in our minds and you’ll find yourself much more aware of your surroundings.”

I could feel myself panicking. Could it be real? Am I still dreaming?

Mom leans over and hugs me tightly. With the security of her arms around me, I feel lighter; with her on my side I can overcome whatever looms in my future. “You will come to terms with your magical abilities soon, just keep your mind wide open. I’ll teach you everything you need to know, but you must remember the ultimate rule: You must never use your powers to harm anyone. There are serious consequences if you do that.”

“Of course not mom!” I reply indignantly. Even though I don’t quite believe what mom is saying, I know that I’m no Voldemort...

I look at the time. 8:12am. I’ll shelve all thoughts of magic for now, I’ll be late for school. “I have to go Emma will be waiting for me.” I hug her again.

“You can’t tell anyone, not even Emma,” she reminds me, returning my hug and rubbing my back in a soothing manner.

“I know mom, I love you,” I grumble, not having the heart to ask her if she needs to be put on any medication for her out-of-the-world ramblings. Besides, like anyone in their right mind would believe that I’m some kind of an enchantress now.

“I love you too baby.”

Mom leaves my room and closes the door with a warm smile.

I stand before my mirror, staring at myself. Am I really an enchantress? I tilt my head to the side, studying my face. I quickly look down at my hands and wonder if I really do have powers. I point at my half burnt candle and mutter, “Ignite...light.... flame magic....” It didn’t work. Of course it won’t. Magic doesn’t exist.

I shake my head at my foolishness and quickly get dressed for school; I brush my teeth, quickly swing my hair into a pony, and check the time one last time. 8:29am. Emma must be wondering where I am.

My phone vibrates as a text from Emma displays across my screen. I don’t bother to check the message as I grab my bag and run downstairs.

“Love you Mom!” I yell, as I rush to the door.

“You need to eat something baby,” she replies.

I quickly run to the kitchen, grab an apple, kiss

my mom and head for the door. At the back of my mind, I realize that what just transpired hasn’t sunk in yet. I was an enchantress, a real enchantress, me? I couldn’t believe it. It just couldn’t be real. I’ll just reflect upon mom’s weird behavior when I’m back home from school.

“Happy birthday Arabella, my amazing best friend,” bellows Emma as I walk out to the front lawn, “Here you go!” She hands me an elegantly wrapped present.

“Oh, thank you, Emma.” I smile and quickly open it. “Oh my God, I’ve had my eyes on this!” I yell with glee. It was the new white diamond purse. In girl world, this was the ultimate must-have accessory. I give Emma a bone-crushing hug. “Thank you, I absolutely love it!”

“You’re welcome Arabella, it’s my pleasure! I’m glad you do. I know you’ve been eyeing it for a while now,” she says with a grin, obviously pleased with my reaction.

“Happy birthday Arabella!” I hear Ray, Emma’s dad, shout from their doorstep as he waves with a grin.

“Thank you Mr Ashford,” I beam, waving back at him.

As we walk to school, my mind couldn’t help but drift off, thinking about the profound moment my enchantress persona was revealed.

“Something on your mind?” asks Emma. “Sorry, I feel tired despite going to bed early.” “How early?” she replies.

“11pm.” I state meekly.

She laughs. “That’s not early.”

“Well, that’s early for me.” I join her laughter as

we interlock our arms and make our way to school.

Emma and I walk through the halls of Edgewood High. Definitely not Hogwarts, I think, rolling my eyes at the way my mind keeps drifting off to ‘the revelation.’

We pass our friends in the hall. “Hi Emma, happy birthday Arabella.” Casey and Lyla greet with smiles.

“Thank you.” I smile back at them as we each go our separate ways to class.

“Have fun in English!” Emma says as we head off in separate directions as well.

“Everyone, take your seats now and be quiet. David, sit down!” yells Mr. Conway, his usual grumpiness radiating through the room as I step into my classroom. It was the first class for the day, English.

“Open your books to page 117,” he continues as the class settles down for his lesson, “Can anyone tell me who Arthur Conan Doyle is?” No one raises their hand. “Arabella?” he asks with a lifted eyebrow.

Of course he had to pick me. I didn’t know the answer... well, at least that’s what I thought, until the words suddenly pour out of my mouth with ease, “Arthur Conan Doyle was born on the 22nd of May, 1859. He was a novelist and a short story writer from Scotland. He had five children, and died on the 7th of July, 1930.”

I was stunned at my own response. I look around; seems I wasn’t the only one in utter shock. I briefly smile and slide down further into my chair.

“Excellent Arabella, just excellent!” It seemed like it was the first time Mr. Conway ever cracked a smile, extenuating the profound moment; I was expecting him to clap his hands with glee at any moment now. I stay quiet throughout the rest of the lessons until the bell finally rings, signaling lunch break. I was still troubled at my unexpected sprout of genius, but push it to the back of my mind.

Emma and I walk together to the cafeteria for lunch, “Did you see the new kid?” chirps Emma.

“No, what new kid?” I reply.

“His name is Riley, he’s so dreamy!” she says in a

trance-like voice.

“Well then, I need to see this Riley,” I laugh,

surprised at her reaction to this unknown guy.

“There, there he is.” Emma says with uncontrolled

excitement, discreetly pointing him out to me.

I turn my head towards her direction as I take a bite from my sandwich. My mouth falls open, full of chewed food mind you, but that was trivial at the moment. Emma was right; he was too dreamy for words with tight jeans, a white tee, and dark hair. He walks in and it was as if everything seemed to slow down in motion. He runs his fingers through his perfect hair, flicking it away from his gorgeous hazel eyes and flashing a charming smile. I was glad I was sitting,

because if I were standing, I’d be weak at the knees and would most probably topple to the floor, making a total embarrassment of myself. I quickly chew the mouthful of sandwich and gulp it down as he walks right by Emma and I, leaving a scent of delicious cologne.

Where did he come from? Look at the state of all the girls, everyone has fallen prey to him. I think in awe.

“Where did he come from?” I voice my thought aloud.

“Apparently, he transferred from New York.”

“New York? Why would anyone in their right mind want to transfer to Edgewood from New York?” I wonder. “Who knows? But I’m certainly glad he’s here!” We

both giggle as we head back to our classes.

It was finally the last class for the day, Science.

“Everyone, settle down please and take a seat, we have a new student,” announces Mrs. Newton.

My heart drops. He was joining our science class! He walks in, so casual and carefree, and fixes me with a piercing look. I look around trying to escape his gaze, wondering why he was signaling me out. I feel the nerves rushing through me.

“Take a seat Riley, behind Arabella at the back.”

What, near me? No! I didn’t even know him, and already he was making me nervous. My palms start to sweat. He walks past me and I purposefully keep my head down, pretending to look through my textbook. It was the longest 45-minute class ever.

As soon as the bell rings, I jump up and leave the class immediately, rushing through the throng of bodies and racing to where I always meet Emma after school.

“Emma, Emma!” I shout, “He’s in my class!”

“Who’s in your class?”

“Riley,” I say in a high pitch. I didn’t recognize my

own voice.

“Oh, I want him in my class,” she says enviously

with a laugh, not realizing how serious the matter was. “I don’t know what it is Emma, but he makes me

extremely nervous.”

Emma looks past me. “Ok girl, don’t freak out,

but I think he’s coming over.” “WHAT!”

“Calm down,” she hisses.

“Excuse me.” His voice was like singing angels.

What the hell is happening to me?

I take in a deep breath of fresh air and turn around with a strained smile. “Yes?” I stammer nervously, my tummy doing acrobatic somersaults.

“You’re Arabella?” he says ever so sweetly.

“Yes.” I reply.

“My name is Riley, and being that I’m new, the

teacher suggested I find someone who would help show me around. I was hoping you’d like to help me?”

Me. Why on earth would he choose me? Our school has tons of much prettier girls than I; I was just your average teenage girl. Actually I take that back. I’m supposedly an enchantress. Yup, my sarcasm knows no bounds.

“Uh, sure, I can help you,” I say, nearly choking on my words.

“It’s Arabella’s birthday today,” Emma pipes in with a smile. I give her a death stare to silence her from saying anything further.

“Happy birthday Arabella, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Riley flashes a grin and leans in to kiss my cheek. My eyes widen and I stand frozen, unable to react. He walks away as I remain a statue, my mind still trying to process what just occurred.

“Oh my God!” exclaims Emma, “The new boy likes you!” She screams with joy.

“What just happened?” I wonder dumbly.

Emma laughs and wraps her arm around mine. “C’mon Arabella, tonight’s your birthday dinner. Let’s go have some fun!”

As we walk home, my mind drifts off in thought. I could slightly hear Emma talking, but I wasn’t paying her any attention; I couldn’t help but think about this whole enchantress thing, another world – a magical one at that - and Riley.

“Hi girls.” Mom welcomes as she sets the table.

“Mom, why is the table set for five people?”

“Your grandfather will be joining us,” she gives me

a warning look as she discreetly nods at Emma, a silent reminder to keep quiet about what transpired in the morning. I smile back at her, assuring her just as silently that I haven’t, and won’t, say a thing. It’s not like I believe it myself anyhow.

“Your grandfather?” asks Emma.

I shrug my shoulders, not knowing what to say since I haven’t seen my grandfather since I was about six years old. Emma was well aware of this.

“I wonder what your grandfather will have to say after all these years Arabella,” says Emma.

She’s very protective, and is afraid his sudden presence after so many years will upset me. Her protectiveness is one of the many traits I love about her.

“Come on, let’s change and do our make-up.” I change the subject nonchalantly.

An hour later, Emma and I are starving. We run downstairs to see if dinner is ready yet only to find my grandfather in the kitchen, conversing with my mother. He turns around with a smile, “Arabella,” he says with arms outstretched, wanting a hug, “Happy birthday princess.”

I step into the security of his hug; for some reason, his hug makes me feel happy, safe. I don’t know why my grandfather hasn’t been around for the last ten years, but if mom’s morning revelation held any ring of truth, then he was off performing his warlock duties in Aquarian Falls. Yeah right, I scoff internally.

“Mom, I’m hungry,” whines Sebastion. I don’t blame him, I’m starving! All this thinking has worked up an appetite.

“Everyone, please sit, dinner is almost ready.” Mom has outdone herself; the table setting was beautiful. Everything was white, from the tablecloth to

the lit candles. Grandfather takes his seat at one head of the table while mom situates herself at the other. Emma and I obviously sit next to each other, and Sebastion sits across the table from us.

“How is school my dear?” asks grandfather.

“She met a boy.” Emma, the traitor, says under her breath with a chuckle.

I laugh nervously, hoping nobody heard her. “School is good, how have you been?”

“Oh good my dear, we have much to discuss later,” he replies with a wink, awakening my curiosity and making me feel uneasy at the same time. What if...? No Arabella, there are no what if’s! Just wait until said discussion, maybe he wants to apologize for his years of absence. Yes, I’m sure that’s it! I think with satisfaction, keeping away all thoughts of magic out of my mind. We then commence to eat, enjoying quality time with another.

Dinner was amazing! I feel utterly stuffed. “Thank you, mom, the food was delicious.” I get up, walk over to her and kiss her cheek, hugging her tightly. I adore my mother; she is incredible.

“I hope you had a good birthday Arabella,” says Emma as she prepares to leave.

“Of course, I got to spend it with you,” I say honestly, thankful for her friendship.

“I’m going to head home, but I’ll see you tomorrow.” She hugs me affectionately and makes her way out the door.

“Arabella, come in here please,” yells mom. I walk into the living room where my mother and grandfather are waiting.

“Where’s Sebastion?” I ask.

“Up in his room playing video games. I think it’s time we talked. Have you come to terms with what we talked about this morning honey?”

“You... You guys are serious?” I splutter, looking at their solemn expressions, no traces of a joke playing on their faces.

“Arabella dear, what your mother has told you is true. You are an enchantress, from a realm called Aquarian Falls. Magic is real and you will be able to wield it with practice.” My grandfather tells me gently, sensing my frailness.

“You really mean to tell me that magic exists? Are you crazy?” I could feel myself reaching my breaking point. “Then prove it to me!” I yell hotly, unexplained anger coursing through my body, making me tremble.

Mom takes a step towards me, as if to soothe me, but grandfather stops her with a sharp shake of his head, laying his hand on her arm to hold her back. He then takes in a deep breath, looks me square in the eyes and lifts his palms in the air, muttering an incoherent string of words. Before my very eyes, a shroud of white mist emerges from his palms and slowly makes its way towards me. I take a step back in fright, unable to believe my eyes. As the mist gets closer to me, I feel cool air blowing towards me and in the blink of an eye it puffs out of existence, sending droplets of water onto my face.

I wipe my face and stare at my mom and grandfather incredulously. “Wow...” was my brilliant reaction. This is real, magic is really real! As scary as the prospects are, it’s also quite awesome!

“Sebastion. Is he a...?” I ask, curious if the magic ran in all of us.

“A warlock? Yes, he is, but he is not to know until his sixteenth birthday.” Mom answers.

I sit down, my hands wringing nervously as I wait for one of them to speak.

“The reason I haven’t been around for ten years Arabella, is because I am needed in our realm. You see, I’m the king in our world.”

“A king?”

“And you a princess,” he continues, oblivious to my stunned expression.

A princess?

“However, your status in the mortal world is inapplicable.”

“Can I ever visit Aquarian Falls?” I ask, wondering what a magical world would look it.

“Of course, you are welcome anytime,” he replies kindly, “When you’re ready, I’ll escort you there myself.”

“What powers do I have?” I ask, ever so curious. I could feel the excitement building up. I guess I’m finally beginning to accept all of this.

“Well, the main one is Telekinesis, the ability to move objects with your mind or by uttering a few incantations through the use of hand gestures. However, you have some rare powers, powers that have skipped generations and adapted within you. We will need to practice to see exactly what abilities you do have.”

This was incredible! I was ecstatic to try out my powers. Guess I’m no longer doubtful about this reality.

“Has your mother told you that you may never reveal who you are to a mortal?” he continues, his tone

firm.

“Yes.” I reply, beginning to fear the repercussions. “This will be difficult for you, but trust me, it is

not worth the risk,” he tries to assuage my fears.

“I understand.” I reaffirm. It will be a firmly

guarded secret.

“Also, no magic in front of your brother for he must not know until his sixteenth birthday.”

“Got it.” I say, trying not to sound exasperated at the constant reminders. Once they make sure I understand the rules of our world, my first lesson begins.

“Your mother and I will teach you all that we know. If you ever perform a spell and forget certain words, you are forbidden to make up words because you will never know what spell you are creating, and what dangers it could entail, do you understand?” asks Grandfather.

“Of course.”

“Firstly, I have this for you.” He hands me a silver charm necklace with four small circles embedded, each stone colored differently. Pretty.

“This is a four-element charm, and as you can see, you hold the ability of four elements. See how they’ve all lit up?”

I look down. Woah.

“The power within you charges this necklace, being able to manipulate the four elements, Earth, Air, Fire and Water. You must wear this because if you don’t then it won’t work. It also shields you and keeps you protected, so you should never remove it. Now, we’ll get to practicing the four elements soon,” says Grandfather with a clap of his hands, excitement shining in his eyes.

“Stand up honey,” Mom urges with a warm smile. Sorry I doubted you, mom, I think, making a mental note to apologize to her later on.

I rise to my feet, nervous yet excited. I get to perform magic, for the first time, under the watchful eyes of my mother and grandfather.

“We’ll start off with something simple Arabella. You’re going to tap into your telekinesis and move an object using only your mind. You need to open your mind, focus on this pen, and think of moving it,” instructs grandfather. I stand and stare at the pen that lies above the fireplace. I lean in close and concentrate, gasping when the pen moves perfectly in sync with my mind. This is real.

“Perfect Arabella, you’re a natural!” Grandfather beams proudly.

I smile, quite pleased with myself, feeling my belief in magic getting cemented, as if me performing magic was more real than watching someone else perform it.

“Okay honey, we’ll now try using the fire element. I want you to start a fire.” Mom says, pointing at the fireplace.

Oh yay! This sounds exciting to try! I smile to let them know I’m ready.

“Rub your palms together until you can feel the heat extract from your palms, and simultaneously click your fingers at the fire place.”

I do as I’m told. It worked, a little too well though, because the flames went right up through the chimney; I wouldn’t be surprised if they were seen outside. The blast of the heat was like an oven and I suddenly scream in fright when I see that my palms are alight, but it wasn’t painful. I quickly shake them and the flames extinguish.

“Arabella, you have to be quiet, we don’t want Sebastion coming downstairs. Your palms are meant to ignite.” Mom frets.

“Was that supposed to happen?” I ask, still freaked out.

Mom and grandfather look at each, surprised for some reason.

“Okay, let’s try the air element,” says Grandfather without answering my question about the massive flames.

“Close your eyes and concentrate on wind, fierce wind. Hold your palms out, face up, and try to summon the energy of the wind.”

I focus hard and suddenly feel my palms become cool, a breeze picking up around me, and the sound of fluttering papers. I decide to peek and open my eyes, only to be met with an astonishing scene; it’s like we’re in the middle of a windstorm! Mom’s hair was blowing all over, papers were flying around, and grandfather was holding onto the mantle. I drop my hands and the wind disappears just like that.

“Perfect! Next, we’ll try the earth ability. Through your manipulation, I want you to grow the seed and be able to bloom it into a single rose,” Grandfather coaches as he drops a single seed into a pot plant filled with only dirt.

“Hover your hand above the seed and draw its energy, connecting with your life force. Lift your hand slowly, and the seed should then grow as you wish it to.”

I nod again, and prepare to do as instructed. “Wow!” I whisper as right before me, a stunning

rose grows. I did this! I think in awe, admiring the beauty of the rose I brought to life. This is amazing. I still couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that I, of all people, am an enchantress.

“Arabella, honey you’re doing so well,” Mom says with a pleased expression.

“Okay, this is the last element, water,” Grandfather places a cup of water in front of me.

“I want you to connect with the water, lift it from the glass, and transform it into any desired shape or

form.”

I’ve done so well so far that I’m bound to screw up

this one. I grow nervous but I do as I’m told, preparing to use my water element ability, and concentrate hard as the water begins to lift from the glass. I tried to form a heart, but it was just a blob of water in the air. Not exactly the shape I imagined it to be, I think wryly. Suddenly, I’m distracted by a noise upstairs, and the water falls and splashes all over the ground.

“Sorry,” I mouth to Mom.

“It’s okay honey,” she consoles as she runs for a paper towel. We take a short break for me to get my bearings before we move on with my first lesson.

“Alright, it’s time for you to perform a spell with words Arabella. It’s called night stars. The ceiling above you will become transparent, and you’ll be able to see the stars.”

That sounds incredible; I couldn’t wait to try it.

“Repeat what I’ll tell you and think of your hand as a wand. Wave over the ceiling as you say this incantation: Wish on you, wish on me, the stars I want to see.”

I nod in understanding and prepare to utter my first spell. I look up and close my eyes. I swish my hand in a wand-like movement and repeat: “Wish on you, wish on me, the stars I want to see.”

I open my eyes in anticipation of what I’ll see and indeed, the ceiling has become transparent. I could see the bright stars above me. How magical!

“You’re doing wonderfully Arabella, I’m proud of you. Let’s try one more thing,” Grandfather grins affectionately.

“You’re going to bring forth your family’s grimoire. Your mother has hidden it, so I want you to connect with it and draw it out from hiding.”

“What’s a grimoire?” I ask in confusion.

“It’s our family’s spell book sweetheart, also known as the book of shadows,” Mom explains.

“Take in a deep breath and slowly breath out. Empty your mind and only concentrate on the grimoire. When you feel you’ve connected with it, click your fingers on your right hand only, you ready?” Grandfather asks.

“Ready.”

I’ve never seen this book, how am I supposed to connect with it? I give it a try and take in a deep breath. I close my eyes, and open my mind, picturing the idea of a spell book in my mind. My body starts to tingle all over. I think I’ve connected with it! So as told, I click my fingers. When I open my eyes the grimoire is right in front of my face, floating mid-air. It looks incredibly old. Grandfather reaches for it and places in on the small coffee table.

“You’ve done well sweetheart, that will be enough for tonight.” Mom and Grandfather both hug me, bestowing praises upon me. I flush with pride.

We wish each other goodnight and I run upstairs to my room. I quickly change into my pajama’s and climb into bed. As I lay there, I stare at the ceiling, contemplating the events that unfolded today. I smile to myself and look at my bedroom door, making sure no one was about to walk in and turn my gaze back to the ceiling.

“Wish on you, wish on me, the stars I want to see.” I whisper as I wave my hand. Simply breathtaking. I watch the stars and glimpse a couple of shooting stars before I drift off to sleep.

It’s been a week since my birthday, and I’ve learned

some more basic spells. It’s been a struggle to not tell Emma about my recent discovery. I’ve never ever had to keep anything from my best friend; I wish that I could tell her - it would make things so much easier - but it’s against our law.

Since my birthday, Emma and I discovered that Riley has an older brother, Jake. Emma falls in love at first sight, and within days Jake asks Emma out and she happily accepts. She had her very first boyfriend, and I was so happy for her. Riley and I were getting close, but we weren’t boyfriend and girlfriend yet. I was fine with that because I didn’t know if I even wanted a boyfriend. With being an enchantress, could I possibly find the time to have a boyfriend? How could I be with someone and keep such a huge secret? It’s bad enough keeping it a secret from Emma.

It was finally the weekend, and the boys asked us to go camping at Shadow Lake. It’s gorgeous out there. Below the mountains and rainforest was a hidden waterfall - perfect for camping.

Emma and I pack what was needed, and head to Jake and Riley’s house.

“You girls ready?” asks Jake, as he put our bags in the back of the car. He gives Emma a quick kiss on the cheek as I stand there smiling at their antics; I was very happy that she found love.

I feel a tickle on my waist, “You ready Arabella?” Riley asks with a grin.

“Sure am.” I reply, smiling from ear to ear.

“Let’s go.”

We jump into Jake’s car and head for the

mountains to get down to Shadow Lake. We would have to walk from the top - good thing I loved hiking. An hour later we finally reach our destination, grab our backpacks and make the walk downwards.

It took us about 25 minutes to get down, and we set up our tents right away. As we turn to the task of preparing the fire, we realize that we all seemed to have forgotten matches to start it. So while everyone was occupied with organizing their belongings in their tents, I suddenly decide to use my magic to start a fire. I know I shouldn’t, but with no way of starting a fire, we’d be cold all night, and without light to see things.

“Woah, how’d you start that?” asks Jake in bewilderment as he pokes his head out of his tent.

“I just rubbed the rocks together until there were sparks.” I reply with ease, confident that I wasn’t seen.

“Who’s keen on a swim?” asks Emma, thankfully finding nothing odd about how I got the fire started, thereby shifting everyone’s focus.

“I am!” I reply enthusiastically. I quickly get dressed into my bathers and head for the crystal clear water. I shiver as I dip my feet into the water; the water is quite cold! I look around quickly to make sure no one is watching, and manipulate my water ability to slightly warm the water. Perfect! I make my way over to the waterfall, swimming straight through to the other side. Riley quickly follows me; we’re hidden from Jake and Emma behind the waterfall.

He stands in front of me, and my heartbeat increases with every breath I take. I was extremely nervous. Would this be the moment I get my first kiss? He moves closer, maintaining eye contact while I struggle to not look away. He places his hand on my face. I smile nervously. He inches closer and there it was, in that moment, that his lips touched mine. He holds me tight as I wrap my arms around his neck. He pulls away after a few moments.

“I hope that was okay?” he asks bashfully.

“Yes it was,” I reply shyly. He grins and kisses me

again.

“Arabella, what are you doing?” yells out Emma

suddenly.

Thanks Emma, you’ve cut short the most exciting moment of my life. I roll my eyes.

We swim back out to Jake and Emma, spending quality time with one another. As night falls, Emma lies blissfully in Jake’s arms, while Riley and I sit next to each other with his arm around me.

“Oh look, it’s a full moon!” Points out Emma, staring up into the sky above.

“It can’t be a full moon, a full moon isn’t due for another five days!” Jake exclaims in a choked voice. He looks nervous, anxious.

Riley quickly releases his hold of me, as if electrocuted.

“What’s wrong?” I ask Riley in alarm.

“Nothing.” He tries to smile but the anxiety was all over his face.

I couldn’t tell what was wrong, but I definitely knew something was. “We have to go to the car,” Jake stammers.

Riley quickly stands to his feet. What the hell is going on? I think in bewilderment.

“Right, what’s going on?” I demand sternly, “You’ve gone weird since Emma mentioned a full moon.”

“Nothing Arabella, I forgot something in the car-” All of a sudden Jake’s voice changes, sounding deeper, tremors wracking his body.

Emma runs over to me. “What’s happening?” She shouts in a panic.

“I have no idea!” I reply, freaking out.

“Move back,” yells Riley with a roar.

Emma and I automatically step back at the

command, hugging each other in fright. In a matter of seconds, Jake and Riley transform from men into werewolves. No Way! Emma and I freeze, utterly gob smacked, unable to speak a word.

Riley approaches me on four legs. I let go of Emma and move back, further and further away from him. He stops and lies down, as if he wants me to pat him.

Jake howls, making Riley instantly get up, and together they run off. Great, just leave us two alone in the middle of nowhere.

“I’m confused,” Emma says slowly, rubbing her eyes as if to make sure she wasn’t seeing things.

“You’re confused, I’m shocked,” I reply in a monotone.

“How... how is this even possible? I don't understand... this, this possibly can't be real! This sort of thing only happens in movies and books. I just don't get it, Arabella," stammers out Emma, her expression a mixture of shock and bewilderment.

She looks utterly petrified, and her complexion has turned pale. I grab her hand to comfort her, hoping I can soothe her with my presence. I expected myself to be as traumatized as Emma is, but with my newfound awareness of magic, I believe my mind was subconsciously opened to the realm of otherworldly creatures. I suddenly recall Mom’s words on the day of my birthday, “It isn’t easy to open our minds to such distinct possibilities, but once we do, a figurative portal opens in our minds and you’ll find yourself much more aware of your surroundings.”

I felt uneasy at the thought of such distinct possibilities, and shifted my focus to Emma. She is stunned beyond words, her disbelief perfectly understandable.

"I can't quite grasp what just happened. Am I dreaming? There is no way this is real." Emma declares as she pinches her arm in the hopes she'll wake up from what she thinks is all a dream.

I have no words for her. I couldn't explain it. How could I?

Forty minutes pass and the boys aren’t back yet. Suddenly, Emma and I start hearing noises. We grab one another, trembling in terror at thoughts of the unknown.

We hear footsteps behind us, and as we turn around praying it were Jake and Riley, we see a figure of a man emerging from the bushes. Without realizing, I scream loudly, causing a column of fire to flame upwards, acting as a shield.

“What the hell was that?” yells Emma with wide

eyes.

“I don’t know.” I believe my fear triggered my

magical abilities.

“Your scream made the fire react, what the hell is

going on?”

“I don’t know.” I insist forcefully.

Jake suddenly emerges from the bushes. “What

on earth was that?” It was Jake, no need to be scared and out yourself!

“Where’s Riley?” I ask, trying to dodge the question.

“He’s coming.”

“You two have some explaining to do!” Emma states hotly.

“Yeah, I know babe,” he replies in a serious manner.

We turn at the sound of rustling bushes as Riley emerges. We sit around the fire, which has thankfully died down a bit.

“Our father is a werewolf. We were born this way and are never meant to reveal ourselves. I’m so sorry this happened, but I hope you can understand this has to remain a secret.”

Seems they weren’t the only ones hiding a huge secret. I know I shouldn’t, but I trusted them, and Jake and Riley had a secret themselves.

“I... I have something to say.” I nervously announce. All eyes fixate on me. I second-guess myself for a moment. What consequences would I suffer if I reveal my secret?

Well, that’s just a risk I’m willing to take. I did promise I wouldn’t, but these are my best friends. I have complete trust in them.

“What is it Arabella?” urges Emma.

“Oh, I’m nervous. Okay, here goes, I have a secret too. You guys are my best friends, and by telling you this, I’m breaking the rules, so please, I hope you all can respect that my secret has to remain a secret.”

“You’re a werewolf too?” says Emma.

“No.” I giggle.

“But please, what I tell you must remain a secret.” “Of course Arabella,” Emma says as she moves to

sit next to me. The guys nod their heads solemnly. Here goes. “I’m an enchantress.”

No one spoke for what seemed like ages.

“You’re a what?” Emma is clearly shocked.

“An enchantress. I only found out on my sixteenth

birthday. That’s how I created the fire earlier, and why the fire rose higher when I was scared. It seems to be a built-in defense mechanism. I can wield magic at will.”

After a short moment of silence, Emma speaks up.

“Well, I’m just normal,” she laughs, “No matter what, we’ll forever be best friends, and we’ll have each other’s backs.” The boys echoed her statement. Their easy acceptance filled my heart with warmth. I’m so grateful to have them in my life.

Emma hugs me and whispers into my ear. “I love you just the way you are, you’re my best friend, and I’ll always be here for you.” Riley then gets up and situates himself on my other side, clasping my hand in his. I smile, feeling relieved, like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. In that moment, I couldn’t be happier.

Once everything was out in the open, we had the best weekend ever; the boys freely transformed into wolf form and we wandered through the forest together. It was scary and magical all at the same time. I was able to manipulate the weather, going as far as making it snow, which I was surprised that it even worked. It was quite the moment, as Emma and I stood in the falling snow, wrapped in the arms of Jake and Riley. The moment was perfected when Riley whispered into my ear and asked me to be his girlfriend and I accepted. Best. Weekend. Ever.

Now that we were home I felt nervous that I revealed my secret, feeling paranoid that mom would find out and secretly fearing the consequences.

Days pass by, and thankfully mom has no idea yet. I sit in my room, unpacking my things from the weekend away that I was too lazy to do at the time. I reflect upon everything that happened on the trip. Riley, my first boyfriend, is a werewolf!

Out of nowhere, my grandfather appears in my

room, causing me to scream in fright at the sudden intrusion. I hear mom racing up the stairs. She swings open my door.

“Father?” she says in a bewildered tone.

“Sorry, Elanore, but Arabella revealed herself to a mortal, and not only a mortal, but to two werewolves as

well.”

“What?” She’s clearly stunned. How on earth did

my grandfather find out?

“Mom, I’m sorry, it’s just that Jake and Riley accidently revealed themselves, and I felt that I could trust these people. I know I broke the rules, but I hate keeping secrets mom, you know that.” I say apologetically. Honestly I was sorry, but I trusted my friends.

“Well, you’ve made a big mistake Arabella, werewolves hunt and kill, our kind.”

What? “What do you mean?” I ask uneasily.

“I think Jake and Riley are unaware of who their father really is, but I’m well aware of who he is. He’s a well-known hunter.”

“Grandfather, I’m sorry, I had no idea.” I cry, holding back tears.

“You must stop seeing this boy Arabella, and hope he doesn’t tell his father,” he replies sternly, disappointment coloring his voice. All I could think about was that I had to stop seeing Riley.

That night I cried myself to sleep, and decide to stay home from school the next day.

Emma texts me. ‘Missed you at school today, Riley misses you, are you sick? Get well soon xo.’

I don’t reply; I didn’t know what to say. Night soon falls. I’ve been in bed all day. I didn’t eat a thing, even though mom brought me breakfast, lunch and dinner. I had no appetite and pretended to be asleep every time she came in. I didn’t want to discuss anything with anyone. Why did I have to be an enchantress? Why did werewolves hunt our kind?

I fall asleep around 9pm, sleeping fitfully and waking up at 12:17am. I turn back over, snuggling into

my pillow to try and fall back to sleep only to hear a noise. My eyes open wide, and I lie frozen in fear. I hear a loud bang and force myself to throw the blankets off me and run over to the window.

I look out into the streets but couldn’t see a thing as it was raining, but it sounded like the roof was creaking. As my eyes slowly adjust to the blur of the rain, the face of a black wolf forms with piercing red eyes. I jump back and freeze again in fear, but shake it off and scream my head off.

The black wolf lunges through the window, head- butting it into a shattering mess, sending shards of glass everywhere. He slowly climbs in and I scramble backwards, tripping on my feet in the process, heart racing with adrenaline. The wolf menacingly makes his way towards me, fangs glistening in the low lighting. Could this be Riley and Jake’s father? There is no other explanation, they must have told their dad. I can’t believe I trusted them, how stupid could I be? I was warned, and told over and over to never reveal who I am. I didn’t listen, and now I have to deal with a wolf trying to kill me.

Soon enough, the wolf is inches away from my face, his jaws wide open in a snarl while I sat against the wall that prevented me from falling, paralyzed with fear. I close my eyes against the inevitable when at that moment my mother bursts through the door, distracting the wolf long enough that I was able to scramble away in haste.

She casts a spell, lifting the wolf from the ground, throwing him to the other side of my room and breaking my bedroom wall in the process. I run to mom to aid in some way but she pushes me behind her to keep me protected, in complete mother-bear mode now. The wolf looks very angry, shaking his head to get his bearings and launches himself at my mom, pinning her to the ground. I scream and try pulling him off her, glimpsing Sebastion running into the room from the corner of my eye.

“Go, get back to your room!” I yell. Well, guess the secret is out now. It’s not like I can make him believe it was all a nightmare he was having.

“What’s happening Arabella?” he asks in a panicked voice, clearly unable to believe his eyes. Where the hell is Grandfather? He appeared before, why not now? I wish that he could sense my fear now.

I divert my focus to pushing the wolf off mom, straining to pull him off to no avail. Mom moans in pain from underneath him. I jump onto his back in panic, not knowing what to do. I was panicking; I couldn’t even remember how to conjure fire! I couldn’t think in that moment. So I just tighten my grip on his fur. He bites my arm and I roll off him in pain. I was slipping in and out of consciousness, and everything becomes blurry until I submerge in total darkness.

I wake up in a hospital bed. I look around and see Emma and Sebastion sleeping on the extra bed and sofa, respectively. Sitting on a chair on my other side is my grandfather. I clear my throat as I try to speak. “Where’s mom?” I ask hoarsely.

Grandfather gets up and walks over to me, taking my hand. “How are you feeling Arabella?”

“Where’s mom?” I ask again, worried about her.

“I sent her back to Aquarian Falls, she needed a lot of healing, no mortal would have been able to help her otherwise.”

“But she’s okay?”

“Yes my dear.”

I exhale in relief. “What happened?” I ask.

“The wolf that came that night was indeed Jake

and Riley’s father. Jake was the one who told his father, unaware that his father hunts our kind. I arrived just in time to save your mother. I’m sorry Arabella, but you and your brother must return to Aquarian Falls, our world will keep you safe.”

“How long have I been here?” I ask, feeling groggy. “Several hours, my dear,” he grimaces.

I notice my arm is completely healed from the wolf

bite. Grandfather must have healed my wound.

“Why am I in hospital and not in Aquarian Falls?” “Ray brought you here, when I took your mother

home.”

I look over at Emma. She and Sebastion were still

sleeping despite our conversation.

“What happens to Emma and her father?” I ask

worriedly.

“I spoke to her father, after my return and I have

explained everything. You’ll be happy to know that they will be coming with us - a first for our kind to welcome mortals - but Emma is loyal and Ray poses no threat. Our kind agreed to help them.”

“Really?” I ask excitedly, maybe a little too excitedly, because Emma wakes up. She comes over with misted eyes and gives me a bone-crushing hug, her worry over my state the last couple of days apparent in her features.

“You’re coming with us!” I cry with happiness, hugging her back.

“Yeah babe, I’m coming with you!” she beams back.

I was so excited to see our world, to see my mom, and live in a world where I can use my magic and learn further with my best friend at my side.

Sebastion soon wakes up, rubbing his eyes.

“Arabella,” he shouts happily, “You’re finally awake!”

“Hey Sebastion.” I reply, marvelling at how he’s taking things so well.

“Guess what?”

“What?”

“We’re from another world, did you know I’m a

warlock, and you’re a witch? Grandfather says I wasn’t supposed to know yet, but with the werewolf, he had no choice but to tell me.”

“Actually, she’s an enchantress, a little different to just the regular witch, son.” Grandfather corrects with a fond smile in his direction.

“Oh, that’s cool, but we have powers!” Reiterates Sebastion quite enthusiastically.

I couldn’t help but giggle. A nurse then enters the

room.

“Good morning Arabella, I’m Dr Harris,” she

smiles warmly.

“Good morning.”

“I’m just going to give you a quick look over, and you should be discharged in no time,” she says as she places her cold stethoscope upon my chest.

After some routine check-ups, she gives us the verdict. “Great news Arabella, you can go home as soon you’re ready.” She turns to my grandfather, “Don’t worry, she’ll be fine,” she states with assurance as she shakes grandfather’s hand.

“Thank you,” he says gratefully.

I gather my belongings and get dressed. As I walk out of the double glass doors and out into the fresh breeze, I see Riley and Jake standing there with worried expressions. I gulp nervously.

“Stay away from my granddaughter,” Grandfather rebukes harshly.

“Please sir, we would never want Arabella hurt, we had no idea who our father was. He has deserted us. We’re leaving Edgewood and returning to New York to live with our mom. Arabella, I’m so sorry,” explains a forlorn Riley.

Emma walks over to Jake and wraps herself in his arms; she can tell that he genuinely didn’t tell his father out of spite.

“We’ll get the car and when we’re back, it’s best that you two are ready,” commands grandfather sternly, glaring at Riley and Jake.

I look at Riley. His face was sad and his eyes empty. I couldn’t believe his father just left them like that - something else we have in common; we’re both fatherless and hide a secret. I slowly walk over to him. I know in my heart that he would never want me hurt. I believed that he loved me. It didn’t take long for me to wrap myself in his arms, and let the tears flow.

“Arabella,” he sniffles, holding me tightly. Was he crying? I peek up at him, tears welling up in his eyes.

“Arabella, I’m truly sorry this happened. I hate him for doing what he did, for who is he is. You must know that Jake and I are not like him, and I truly hope your mom will be okay,” he says apologetically.

“It’s okay, I believe you,” I console him as I enjoy his embrace, savouring our last moments together.

Grandfather and Ray pull up next to us in the car with Sebastion in the back, staring at us. Emma cries as she kisses Jake goodbye.

This is it. The end of what I thought would be a happily ever after. That’s it now? We’re instantly forbidden lovers? This isn’t fair.

I weep in Riley’s arms and try to be strong. I slowly let go and step back, looking at the tears that were silently streaming down his face. He looks away and turns around, walking away with dragged footsteps as if forcing himself to walk away from me. Jake joins him and swings his arm around Riley’s neck, both heads hanging in sadness.

“Arabella, let’s go,” Grandfather urges firmly. Emma was already in the car, crying her eyes out.

I wipe my tears and put all my emotions aside as Grandfather drives us from the hospital to Edgewood forest.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

The car stops, and we all proceed to get out. Grandfather starts walking and I look at Emma, Sebastion and Ray; they were just as curious, yet excitement shone in their eyes. We quickly follow my grandfather, who led us deep into Edgewood forest.

Grandfather suddenly comes to a halt, and holds his hand up. Emma looks at me in confusion and I respond with a slight shrug.

“Wow!” shrieks Sebastion suddenly.

“This is incredible.” Says Ray in awe.

I look around to see beautiful blue and purple

fireflies slowly lift from the ground and merge together. Emma’s mouth was wide open, which made me giggle silently. I turn my attention back to the stunning fireflies, and watch them form into a breathtaking luminous archway, filled with a veil of beautiful blue and purple ombré fog. Grandfather turns to look back at us.

“You all ready?” he asks.

Hell yes!

As we stand there before the portal, I look at each and every one, faces excited, curious, and anxious, not knowing what to expect past the fog. Emma grips my hand and glances at me with a nervous smile.

“You ready?” I ask her.

“I think so.”

Sebastion goes through first, completely

disappearing behind the fog.

“Hurry!” Grandfather yells suddenly, with a tone

of panic in his voice.

“Why? What’s wrong?” I ask in alarm.

“They’re coming.” His voice turns grim as he pushes Ray towards the portal.

“C’mon Emma,” yells Ray with a note of urgency in his voice.

“She’ll be there, go through now, you’re wasting time. Girls hurry up!” He shouts as he comes behind us, and pushes us towards the door, looking behind us with trepidation, “The wolves are coming.”

Emma’s hand lets go of mine as she goes through the portal, and grandfather pushes me next after her. I fall through the portal and land on the grass on my hands and knees. I quickly look back at the portal and am left stunned.

The portal I fell through was not the portal we saw on the other end. It’s amazing! Emma helps me to my feet and holds my hand, equally amazed at what she is seeing. Ray stands beside Emma and holds her hand, while Sebastion comes to my left and holds mine, linking us in a loose line. The four of us are shell- shocked, utterly astonished at what we were seeing. I’m utterly speechless. We just stand there staring as we wait for grandfather to come through. Before our eyes was a huge wisteria tree, beautiful bright pink in colour, the tree trunk itself acting as the door in which we came from - it was open, hollow so to speak. The wisteria tree was glowing with beautiful swirls of glowing purple, pink and blue fog inside the hollow tree trunk. Wow, what a magical sight. I think to myself.

Grandfather jumps out through the portal and quickly turns back to face it, with his hands up, and yells something. The trunk is no longer hollow; it just looks like an ordinary tree trunk now.

Grandfather releases a sigh of relief and a crown slowly appears on his head.

“Grandfather are you ok?” I ask worriedly.

“The werewolves, they know I killed their leader, they seek revenge.”

I look at Emma, shocked.

“What do you mean, you killed Riley’s father?” I cry out.

“Sweetheart, I had no choice, he was about to kill your mother. But his pack of wolves, they seek revenge and tracked my scent,” he tries to placate me.

“How did you even know they were coming?” I ask, trying to come to grips with reality.

“I got a rapid vision of them running through Edgewood forest; my rapid visions are in present time, so I knew we didn’t have long. But we are safe now, they can no longer hurt us,” he reassures us.

I point to my own head, referring to his newly appeared crown and Grandfather smiles in understanding.

“My crown doesn’t exist in the mortal world, but here, it always does,” he explains.

I couldn’t believe that my grandfather killed Riley’s father! I didn’t feel sympathetic towards Riley’s father, but I felt empathy for Riley himself. If only I didn’t reveal myself, none of this would be happening. This is all my fault. I blame myself. Why did Jake have to go tell his father about me? I needed to get myself out of this deep thought.

It didn’t take long to notice the amazing new world we were standing in. The sky boasted beautiful rays of colour, from blue and purple to a shimmer of sunset orange and pink. We stood in the forest surround by magical mist.

In the distance was a huge beautiful blue neon glowing waterfall, flowing down into a stretched river.

A glowing path led us from the magical portal. This place is like a fairy-tale, a world one could only dream of, and yet this my world, it really exists. I am so thankful I’m sharing this with my best friend Emma.

Grandfather leads the way and we trail after him. I couldn’t help but wonder about my mother. I miss her so much and thinking about her brings a smile to my face.

I glimpse a woman walking towards us. She looks like an angel; her ears pointy, eyes bright blue, hair white and wavy flowing long past her shoulders, her dress long, and the train of her dress drags along the green grass. She wears a beautiful chain headband, her arms by her side as she walks towards us.

She bows to Grandfather. Who is this mysterious magical woman?

“This place is beyond my wildest imagination,” whispers Emma. I turn to look at her grinning from ear to ear, her happiness infectious.

“This world is incredible,” I nod in agreement as we come to a stop to greet the newcomer. Sebastion stands next to Grandfather, and Ray walks on the other side of Emma, completely fascinated with our surroundings.

“Welcome back Father,” speaks the mysterious woman.

Father? This woman is my aunty?

“Hello my dear, how is she?” asks grandfather anxiously.

“Elanore is doing extremely well, she’s waiting to see her children,” she reassures him with a sweet smile.

“Wonderful! This is Ray and his daughter Emma.” He introduces her to them. He then turns to us to make the necessary introductions but then turns his attention to a figure making its way towards us.

Suddenly, I notice a man wearing only long white pants, and a white blouse. His skin shimmers and in moments he is standing next to us, looking extremely happy.

“This is Abaddon. He will take Ray and Emma to settle in, and we’ll all reunite at tonight’s feast,” says Grandfather.

I look at Grandfather, reluctance to be separated from my friend written all over my face.

“It’s okay sweetheart, they’ll settle in while you and your brother go see your mother,” He states soothingly.

I look at Emma. I didn’t want us to separate. Emma hugs me.

“I’ll see you soon,” she smiles reassuringly as Abaddon escorts them away.

I turn my attention back to the mysterious lady. “You must be Arabella, and you Sebastion. I’m Ariel and I’m an elf.” I guess that explains the pointy ears. She smiles. Such beauty, she looks perfect. What every girl dreams to look like.

“It’s nice to meet you.” I smile politely. Sebastion just stands there quietly, staring at her with wide eyes, obviously enthralled by her. I nudge him.

“Hi,” is all he can manage. I stifle a laugh.

“We’ve met before sweetie, but you were only a baby. Let’s go see your mother,” she graciously says as she turns around, beckoning us to follow her.

We follow Ariel but I suddenly stop, grabbing Sebastion by the arm.

“What?” he says looking at me.

I shake my head slightly and blink a few times. I was staring at the water below the waterfall. From under the water, a large, beautiful shimmering black horse emerges, his legs still completely submerged in the water. The mane and tail were violet in colour and flowed magically like water. A magic horse? I also notice a huge beautiful mushroom, glowing vibrantly with pink and blue shades, it was at the foot of the gently cascading waterfall. A kaleidoscope of magical jellyfish, were floating around the mushroom, giving an ethereal air to the whole image.

“What is it Arabella?” asks grandfather, noticing my pause.

“What’s that?” I ask pointing at the horse. “That’s Midnight, he’s a water spirit.”

“A what?” asks Sebastion curiously.

“A water spirit.” Grandfather chuckles. “Arabella, Sebastion, you’ll be seeing a lot more

magical creatures in this world. Don’t be afraid, they will not harm you,” he smiles warmly.

“Do you want to meet him?” asks Ariel.

“Midnight is one of our protectors, he guards the waters and watches over the land,” explains grandfather.

“Yes please!” I nod enthusiastically. This place is beyond incredible.

We walk over to the water’s edge that was glowing neon blue. Midnight was far out in the water. Noticing us, he turns and goes under water. I did not expect what would happen next - Midnight emerges as a boy, not much older than I. What the...

“Hey where did the horse go?” asks Sebastion in confusion. My exact thoughts.

“Arabella, Sebastion, this here is Midnight.” “Weren’t you just a horse?”

Midnight laughs and leans down on one knee

before Sebastion.

“Technically, I’m a water spirit, but yes, I was just

in horse form. It is one of my abilities,” he smiles. “That’s pretty cool!” States Sebastion in awe.

Midnight laughs and then looks up at me. He stands to his feet and walks over to me.

“You must be Arabella?”

“Yes, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” he smiles and takes my hand and

kisses it. A gentleman of a water spirit, how bizarre, I think.

“That’s enough for now, you may visit Midnight another time, we have to see your mother.” Grandfather says, urging us along.

I wished Emma were here to see this! I wonder how she’s doing. As we follow Ariel and Grandfather, we pass many witches, warlocks, and elves, orange monkeys swung above in the over-lapsing tress, I think I’ve even seen a fairy. Words can’t begin to describe this whole new world. We arrive at grandfather’s home, which is of course much different to a mortal’s. Magical was the word.

“Arabella? Sebastion?” We hear the sweet voice of our mother calling our names.

Oh how I’ve missed her voice. I race into the room, relieved to see her looking well and healthy. I hug her tight as she stands by the window, embracing me back and smiling lovingly.

“I’ve missed you so much Arabella.” “Mom!” yells Sebastion excitedly.

“Oh my babies, I’ve missed you both so much.” She says tearfully, joy dancing in her warm eyes, welcoming him into a group hug.

It was so good to see mom looking well after that nightmarish incident. I can see why grandfather brought her here. I feel so happy to be with everyone I love, in a whole new world, filled with creatures and magic beyond my imagination.

Grandfather explained we’ll be staying with him for a while, until a place of our own is ready, I get my own room, and it’s beautiful.

“Knock-Knock!” A melodic voice calls out. “Come in.” I answer.

“Sweetheart, we’ll be heading off to tonight’s

dinner festival soon, get yourself ready,” says Ariel as she hands me a white box wrapped in a yellow ribbon.

“Thank you,” I smile as she leaves the room, gently closing the door behind her. I still can’t believe that we’re related.

I unwrap the ribbon and lift the lid off the box. It’s empty. Is this a joke? I notice a blank card. Again?

I pick up the card and just like on the day of my birthday, words start to form. It reads: “A stunning dress for you, a turquoise blue, stand up you’re about to transform, I unleash a magical storm.”

I stand up quickly as instructed and look down as shoes form on my bare feet, and a dress clings from my shoulders. I spin around, and suddenly, I find myself wearing a stunning turquoise dress, light, flowy, and sheer. I look in the mirror; my hair in curls, with a turquoise head chain wrapped around my head, even my make-up was done! I felt beautiful. I quickly feel for my four-element necklace, and sigh in relief as my hands grip it. I take in a deep breath and prepare to

attend the first festival in Aquarian Falls, stepping out into the purity of the air, mystical sights wherever I set my eyes toward.

Though night has fallen in Aquarian Falls, this world was lit up with beautiful colours, from the flower petals radiating with a glow to the gorgeous neon waterfall, and the path way was alight! How magical, I think in wonderment as I breathe in the beautiful crisp air, making my way towards my family formed in a loose group.

“Oh honey, you look beautiful,” Mom says as I meet them in the garden.

“Thanks Mom,” I reply shyly.

“You look stunning Mom!” Sebastion pipes up. Sebastion was well dressed, all in white. He looks so adorable. And as I look up, I notice that he’s dressed exactly like grandfather.

Grandfather leads the way and we follow, heading towards the waterfall. I smile the whole way there, enchanted by the sights.

“Where is this festival dinner?” I wonder aloud, “And where is Emma?”

“Emma and her father are waiting at the waterfall, which is where dinner is being held tonight,” responds Grandfather, as he walks in front of us with a regal air about him. Must come with the territory of being king, strange that I’ve never noticed it before this moment.

We arrive at the waterfall and walk around to the side where our dinner was being held inside a cave, a direct view of the waterfall flowing beside us.

“Emma!” I scream in excitement when I see her sitting there at the table. Wow, she looks as beautiful as ever!

She puts down her glass and runs over to me, just as excited, giving me one hell of a hug.

“Arabella, this place is amazing, I can’t believe it’s real, I feel as though I’m dreaming, oh my God you look beautiful!” She says looking me up and down, out of breath, cheeks flushed out of all the excitement.

“As do you, I love that you’re here,” I beam at her.

I look around, taking in my surroundings; everything looks amazing with so many glowing lights inside this beautiful cave. A huge long table was stretched as far as I could see, to fit all of us. I wonder what they will serve in this world. I peek out and see Midnight swimming, carefree, and wonder if he’ll be joining us for dinner.

“Can you believe this place? This is your world Arabella, your magic, oh I can’t believe it, it’s amazing!” Emma chatters enthusiastically.

I smile at her warmly. “I’m so glad you get to share this with me.”

“I wish I was magical.” She giggles, wistfulness in her voice.

“Hello,” interrupts a male voice. Emma and I both turn around and see two boys standing there, ever so casually.

“Hello,” I reply.

“You must be Arabella, and you the mortal friend.”

I hope he didn’t mean that in a rude way because if he did, then we were going to have a problem.

“Yes.” Emma says, bristling at his tone.

“We’re the Bralin brothers,” he announces. “Nice to meet you,” I say as I link my arms with

Emma’s and head for the table.

In that moment, I was reminded of Riley; the memory of what happened and the consequent effect on our relationship was dwelling on my mind. I miss him and feel dismayed that our kinds are enemies.

“What’s the matter?” asks Emma, sensing my gloomy thoughts, as she unfailing does; she knew me too well.

“Riley,” I whisper.

“I miss Jake too,” she replies in understanding, giving my hands a gentle squeeze

“Everyone, please take a seat, the feast is about to begin.” My grandfather’s voice echoes throughout the cave we’re seated in.

“Where do we sit?”

I look around for Sebastion and Mom, spotting them seated up near Grandfather and Ray.

“This way,” I pull Emma’s arm, leading her towards their direction.

“Arabella, you are quite the beauty tonight,” states Grandfather as he hugs me warmly and guides us to our seats.

We all take a seat, and the chatter quickly dies down. There are so many people here; elves, witches, warlocks, fairies, and who knows what else.

Grandfather remains standing at the head of the extremely long table. Will the people seated at the other end even hear him? I wonder. Emma, seated next to me, has the biggest grin on her face; she was full of pure excitement. Her elation must have been infectious because soon enough, Riley was far from thought, and I was just as happy as Emma.

“Good evening my wonderful people,” spoke grandfather, “We hold this feast in honour of my granddaughter Arabella, who has turned sixteen

recently, and has been told about her abilities and our world. Due to unfortunate circumstances in the mortal world, Arabella and her family and friends will be living here in Aquarian Falls with us.”

This feast is all because of me? I wonder in astonishment.

“Arabella, please stand,” Grandfather implores with a flourish of his hands, offering me an encouraging smile.

What? In front of everyone? My heart starts beating wildly and butterflies flutter around in my stomach as I try to get a handle on my nerves. I shake my head profusely in refusal. Emma gently places her hand on my shaky arm and smiles, providing me with comfort and courage.

Grandfather catches my eye and motions for me to stand quickly with a reassuring nod. I gulp, take in a deep breath, push my chair back with my feet, and slowly rise to my feet, avoiding eye contact with those present; I just look down at the beautiful place setting that was in front of me.

There was a moment of silence until grandfather holds up a gold goblet glass, encrusted with diamonds. That seemed to shatter the silence as everyone started cheering and clapping, shouting my name in a sign of approval. I raise my head in a bold gesture, and the cheers get louder. I smile and quickly sit back down.

“Arabella, stand back up,” orders Grandfather gently. The attention on me wasn’t over yet? I stand back up, feeling the nerves making a comeback.

“My beautiful granddaughter has the magical four elements,” he pronounces in a serious tone, yet the pride was unmistakable.

Everyone falls silent, and I heard gasps of shock.

Is that a bad thing? I look around, trying to decipher the expressions on the attendee’s faces to find the answer to my unspoken question. All I could hear was the sound of the waterfall crashing into the water below. I look to grandfather, pleading with my eyes for him to elaborate further, and see his serious expression change to one of complete pride. He smiles.

“She’s the one!” he yells exuberantly.

Everyone cheers once again, and they stand to their feet clapping thunderously, faces alight with wonder.

What the hell is going on?

“I’m the one for what?” I ask him harshly, never one appreciative to be left in the dark. I wanted to know what the big deal was, and I wished they told me before subjecting me to the public’s eye with such a statement.

“I’ll explain after the feast my darling,” Grandfather promises me calmly, his wide smile never leaving his face.

I look to mom as she nods in agreement, seeming just as pleased.

Before I sit down, a voice from the far end of the table yells out.

“Prove it.”

I look to grandfather for guidance.

“Arabella, untuck your necklace and show them,”

demands grandfather, clearly unpleased with the challenge. His eyes narrow, as if personally insulted, and at that moment I can see traces of the powerful warlock he must be renowned for.

I lift the necklace that I had tucked into my dress earlier, and show it to the entire table, eliciting more gasps and whispers.

“Perform some magic,” yells that same voice, the challenging tone still present.

Grandfather looks at me to see if I’m up to performing some magic. I nod confidently, even though inwardly I’m nervous to perform magic in front of everyone. Something in the challenger’s tone made me bristle, and I want to prove the person wrong, that I do hold the power of the four elements.

I start off with the fire element. I rub my palms together and feel the heat, then click my fingers at the candles upon the table. Each and every single one of them all lit one by one, the flames only inches away from the cave’s roof.

Before anyone could speak, I focus on the air element and lift air from the ground, causing hairs to blow and dresses to flow about wildly; I couldn’t help but giggle.

Next was the earth element. I concentrate on the vines that grew outside next to the waterfall, bringing the vines inside the cave and allowing them to grow at a fast pace, wrapping the vines around the backs of the chairs in a criss-cross pattern. Once my magical affinity to earth is clear and unquestionable, I quickly stop the vines and they slowly slither back outside to their natural state.

Next was the water element. I focus on the waterfall that was flowing beside us. What could I do with this? I use the magic within me and connect with the water. I amaze myself by bringing the waterfall inside the cave, letting it flow in my direction, yet not allowing it to fall or drip at all; I was in total control. I focus on releasing the water and push it back outside, letting go of my mental grip on it and watching the shaped mould fall back into place.

I feel extremely proud of myself and turn my attention back to the audience. I look around and find that everyone has their mouths open in surprise, eyes lit with incredulity.

“She is truly the one!” yells a female voice gleefully.

Everyone cheers in sheer excitement.

I couldn’t help but wonder, I’m the one for what? This world is full of magic, how am I the one? What makes me so special? I try to push those questions to the back of my mind until I can sit down with Mom and Grandfather to get my answers.

After that we all enjoy our feast, a huge selection of food. From fish, to fruit - it was most delicious and satisfying. Fully satiated, we start making our way back home.

“I really want you to come see our new home.” Emma pleads as she tugs at my arm.

“I’d love to.” I smile.

Emma and Ray’s home is beautiful, with a gorgeous garden like grandfather’s. Her room was perfect for her, and she was the most content that I have ever seen her to be. I couldn’t be any happier with Emma being here with me. I felt like I was home, like I was finally complete. I never felt complete in the mortal world, and perhaps this is why; I never belonged there in the first place.

Emma decides to walk me back to my grandfather’s house, and I suggest she meet Midnight along the way.

“Is he really a horse-man?”

I laugh. “He’s a water spirit in horse form that can adapt into human form.”

We stand at the water’s edge. Midnight spots us and swims over but remains in horse form.

“Well, I thought he would turn human. Anyway, this is Midnight,” I introduce him to Emma.

“It’s wonderful to meet you Emma,” says Midnight kindly.

“You can talk when you’re in horse form?” I ask in shock.

“Yes I can. Only during the day can I adapt to human form,” he clarifies.

I smile, not knowing what to say next. But it seems nothing was needed to be said as I hear a scream coming from the wisteria tree.

I look back at Midnight.

“Go!” he yells.

“What? What’s happening?”

“Go, I don’t know what’s happening, but just in

case, run and hide!” he demands, a note of urgency creeping into his voice.

“Stay safe please,” I beseech him.

He nods, urging us to make a run for it. There’s that scream again. I grab Emma’s arm,

and we run back to Grandfather’s house as fast as we can. In the opposite direction of the discord I see Ariel. “Ariel!” I scream in panic, coming to a halt.

“Arabella, get back to your Grandfather’s house quick!” she urges, “You’ll be safe there.”

“What’s going on?” I ask in befuddlement.

“I don’t know, just go!” With that command she runs off towards the cacophony, which I just realise has stopped, though the intensity of the screams was still ringing in my ears. I see flashes of light sparking here and there from the distance.

Emma and I look at one another; we both knew what the other was thinking. We were intrigued, tempted and curious; we wanted to see what was happening. Instead of obeying orders, we follow the flashes of light, which led us towards the wisteria tree.

“The portal?” I whisper.

As we get closer there are several witches and warlocks using power lights from their hands to stop something entering our world from the other side. I couldn’t tell what they were trying to keep out. The tree was flickering, as though it was being powered from the other side, but from our side they were clearly trying to stop it.

Is this what Grandfather meant earlier? That I’m the one? Could I help with this? I thought. There’s only one way I’ll find out.

“Stay here, I mean it,” I tell Emma firmly. “Wait, where are you going?”

“To help.”

“You need to let them do it, I don’t want you

getting hurt,” she panics.

“And I don’t want you hurt, so stay here please.” I

implore, squeezing her hands in comfort.

I slowly walk off in the direction of the tree. I still

can’t see what is trying to force itself through the portal. I see Ariel using her powers, attempting to drive it back. I stare closely at the portal and gasp. In the midst of the fog, I see a werewolf trying to force his way in. In a panic, I use my earth ability and grow vines from the roots of the tree, wrapping continuous layers of vines around the tree trunk. Soon enough, the tree trunk is completely hidden beneath my tight layer of vines and the glow of the tree disappears.

No more witches or warlocks or elves were using their powers anymore. Instead, they were all staring at me with less than pleased expressions. My heartbeat thunders in my chest, and I have those butterflies in my stomach again.

“Arabella what have you done!” Ariel yells.

What exactly have I done?

The portal immediately shut down, the glow was lost. That’s when I realise I might have just made the biggest mistake.

“Arabella, what’s going on?” asks Mom, as she runs towards me with Grandfather by her side. Great.

“Father, Arabella here decided to use her magic, she’s ruined the portal!” snaps Ariel.

I feel terrible, I didn’t know what to do.

“I’m sorry.” I say, as mom hugs me consolingly. “Arabella, I can’t believe you used your magic,

without guidance you’re still learning!” yells Grandfather angrily.

I already felt so bad, I didn’t need him and Ariel rebuking me; I didn’t mean it, I only wanted to help and stop the werewolves from coming through. I glance around at all the unhappy faces glaring silently at me, making me wish I had the ability to undo time. I won’t be living this down anytime soon, I think wryly. What a way to make an entrance into this world.

It’s been two days, since I used my magic against the portal. Grandfather was not happy with me. Even if I was only trying to help, my magic is apparently quite strong and it turns out I had no idea what I was doing; when I blasted power from my hands, all four elements blended, causing the tree to die and the portal to cease to exist.

Since I was the one who cast the magic, I’m the only one who can undo this, but I’ve tried countless spells only to fail each time. I have no idea what to do. I could understand the anger, because some of the witches and warlocks have hybrid offspring in the mortal world, and now all because of me, they can’t travel back and forth freely. I really didn’t mean to ruin everything.

I remember what was trying to come through the portal in the first place, werewolves, and my mind decides to remember Riley. Great, I think in satisfaction. My mind was concocting a plan, leading me to ‘borrow’ my family’s Book of Shadows when Mom and Grandfather went to sleep that night; I wanted to see if it had any spells that could help undo my mistake.

The next day, as I lay in bed flipping the pages of the book in haste, hoping to find something useful, I hear a sudden knock on my door,

“Arabella, it’s me,” whispers Sebastion. Without waiting for an answer, he comes in uninvited. I quickly hide our family’s Book of Shadows underneath the covers.

“What is it Sebastion?” I ask, as I glare at his unwanted intrusion.

“I’m making sure you’re okay?”

Now I felt bad. “I’ll be fine,” I whisper. “Everything will be okay Arabella, Mom made

lunch if you’re hungry. She used her magic, it was so cool to see!” exclaims Sebastion gleefully.

“I’m not hungry, thank you though, Sebastion?” “Yeah?”

“Could you please leave me alone?”

“Okay.” He says understandingly, smiling gently

as he leaves my room.

I continue to flip through the pages once the coast is clear but I grow frustrated when I don’t find anything with each turn of the page; the book is hundreds of pages long, and I’ve only skimmed the surface of all the spells and information!

I feel helpless and decide that I need to grab Emma and head off somewhere, where I can flick through the pages without fear of getting caught, and hopefully find something that will help. I wasn’t ready to face my mom and grandfather, so I sneak out through my bedroom window.

“Hello Ray, is Emma here?” I ask as he opens the door with a smile

“Emma!” he calls out.

I can hear the running of her footsteps.

“You’re out of bed,” she laughs as she peeks at me

from behind Ray.

“I am! Want to take a walk with me?” I ask

hopefully.

“Sure!” she says easily with a smile, “Be back later

dad.”

“You girls have fun,” he responds.

“How are you?” asks Emma, as we trek away from

her house.

“I’m okay, I have this,” I say as I pull the book

from hiding behind my back.

“Woah, what is that? A magic book?”

“It’s our family’s book of shadows or grimoire as

Grandfather calls it. It’s full of spells and information, collected within our family over hundreds of centuries.”

“That is so cool!” she exclaims excitedly, understanding why I have it with me.

As we walk further away from everyone, we pass the wisteria portal tree; it looks dead, brown in colour. I look down, saddened that I was the cause.

“Things will be okay, we’ll work it out,” says Emma reassuringly.

I half smile at her comforting words. I really hope so.

We find a spot in the meadows and sit upon the long length bright green grass, surrounded by a rainbow of glowing flowers. I open the spell book and flick through the pages.

“Attire transformation, no, Astral travel, no.” I mutter to myself as I turn the pages with a quick scan. It wasn’t until page 471 that I came across a page mentioning the four elements, and suddenly there was an entire chapter dedicated to the four elements; certain elemental spells, mistakes that were made and fixed, even dating back to over 1000 years ago. As I read on, there’s one in particular, an earth spell, to un-bind vines, and restore life. Perfect! I believe I’ve found the solution! I share my finding with Emma.

“Emma, it says I need a few things from the mortal world! How on earth can I get back to the mortal world, when the portal has ceased to exist?”

“Are there any portal spells?”

“I didn’t think of that, let me look.”

I quickly flick through the pages once more,

hoping for a portal spell.

“Stop!” yells Emma, slamming her hand in

between the pages as I turn them.

“This one here says you can create a temporary

portal,” she continues.

My eyes follow her finger. I silently read:

Temporary portal opening: choose your mortal city, only one portal can be created within one day. This temporary portal will last for only one hour, so make sure you’re back in Aquarian Falls before the hour is up. What you’ll need is a glass jar, water and a blue gem. Instructions: fill the jar with water, gently drop the blue gem inside. and repeat the spell three times.

I turn to Emma. “I need to do this spell.”

“I don’t think that would be a good idea,” she says nervously.

“You pointed the spell out to me!” I laugh, and Emma joins.

“It’s my only hope of un-binding our main portal. The tree is dead I have to fix my mistake.” I say imploringly.

“Well, what do we have to do?”

“Well, it says I need a glass jar, water and a blue gem.”

“Where are you going to get them from?

I wasn’t sure how I would obtain these items. I couldn’t ask my family because they wouldn’t allow me to do this, but deep within me, I feel I can do this, and that it will work. All I have to do is create a temporary portal, find a glass jar, water and a blue gem. Seems simple and easy. And I know exactly who can help me. Or at least I hope he can help.

“C’mon, let’s go see Midnight,” I say as I close the book, jump to my feet, and place the Book of Shadows under my arm.

“This place still amazes me. It’s huge, and we need to explore it after the tree problem is fixed,” says Emma in awe of our surroundings.

She was right, we have only seen some of this world.

“I wonder if they have shops here,” laughs Emma.

I actually wondered the same thing. We head to the waterfall and look for Midnight. I soon see him as he swims out from behind the waterfall. He notices Emma and I instantly. I smile and wave as he makes his way over to us.

“Arabella,” he smiles as he adapts human form. Emma gasps. She’s only ever seen Midnight in horse form.

“Emma,” he nods in her direction with a kind smile.

“Hello Midnight, I was wondering if you could help me? Does our world have shops? I need a glass jar, and a blue gem,” I say.

“Why would you be creating a temporary portal?” He knows? “How’d you know?”

“I’m over 300 years old, I know a few things,” he

laughs,

“And yes, there are stores here, you’ll have to travel to Belk Forest.”

He’s over 300 years old!

“How far away is that?”

“About a thirty-minute walk, west of here. You never answered me Arabella, about the need to make a temporary portal.”

“I need a few things from the mortal world that will help with the portal tree.”

“You think you’ll be able to restore life back into the portal?”

“Yes, I really do believe it will work.”

“I hope so Arabella,” he smiles warmly as he steps into the water and transforms back into the stunning horse.

Emma and I wave goodbye as we head back to my grandfather’s house. I’m glad Emma is with me when I face Grandfather.

I nervously open the front door only to realise that I have our Book of Shadows without their permission. I let go of the door handle, pull the book from underneath my arm, hold it before me and let go as it now floats mid-air. I use my mind to teleport the book to my bedroom window, and then proceed with opening the door to the house.

“Sweetie, where have you been? I came to check on you and you were gone,” Mom enquires worriedly.

“I’m sorry, I went for a walk with Emma.”

“That’s okay sweetie, your grandfather is waiting to speak to you.”

And there it was again, those butterflies floating in my stomach. Mom could sense my distress.

“It’s okay honey, he knows you were only trying to help,” she tries to soothe me.

“He seemed very angry.” I whisper.

“He’s waiting in the kitchen, go talk to him,” she urges kindly.

“I’ll... um, just wait here Arabella.” Emma says.

What! No, I wanted her to come with me.

“I think that would be best my dear,” interrupts mom as I stare at Emma pleadingly. She shrugs apologetically as she takes a seat in the living room.

I take in a deep breath and walk slowly into the kitchen, trying to muster the courage to face him. I turn the corner, and see him seated at the table with his back towards me. I take in another deep breath as I walk by him and take a seat to his right.

“Arabella,” Grandfather begins softy. “I feel terrible that Ariel and I both snapped at you. We know you didn’t mean any harm my sweetheart. It’s just, that portal has lived for thousands and thousands of years. Your magic is stronger than you know, you’re quite the powerful enchantress Arabella.”

“Grandfather I’m so sorry, I really am.” I whisper, as I try not to get upset and bawl my eyes out.

“It’s my fault for not teaching you more. With your sudden need to come to Aquarian Falls, and holding a feast and all that, I had no time before then to teach you. I also didn’t realise that wolves would be able to open the portal in the mortal world. They don’t have that sort of power, that’s how I know someone from our kind is working against us, and helping the vicious wolves.”

“What! Why would someone of our kind help werewolves?”

“That I still do not know, but I think there’s a way to reinstate our main portal, bring it to life again.”

You and me both, I think. “How so?”

“The information I require is in our Book of Shadows, the book you took last night,” Grandfather smirks. He knows I took it.

“I’m sorry, I took it only to find something that could help bring the portal back to life,” I say nervously. “I know sweetheart, that’s ok. What did you find?”

“Well, we need a few things from the mortal world so we need to create a temporary portal, we need a glass jar and blue gem.”

“Hmm, temporary portals, especially when created from a glass jar and blue gem can sometimes glitch, and with our main portal not working, it can be quite difficult to create another temporary portal from the mortal world. We’ll need to travel to Belk Forest, I know just what we need.”

“I really am sorry grandfather,” I feel the need to reinstate.

“Arabella, my dear child, it’s okay, we’ll get through this. You and I will fix this, then we can focus on you learning more about your magic,” he smiles comfortingly.

I stand up and wrap my arms around him. “Thank you,” I whisper.

As night will soon fall, Grandfather and I have prepared to travel to town first thing in the morning. I was so excited that I’d get to explore more of our world, to visit magic stores. I can’t wait! As Emma will be joining us on our excursion, she stays over for the night.

As we change into our pyjamas and hop into bed, I decide to show her the stars. I wave my hand across, and whisper, “Wish on you, wish on me, the stars I wish to see.”

Emma’s eyes light up as we see our bright sky, with rays of bright colours.

“Arabella, I never want to return to the mortal world, ever.”

I turn to look at her as she stares at the magnificence of the sight above. “This is our new home.” I assure her with a smile.

We continue gazing at the stars until we fell into a peaceful sleep.

It’s the following morning. Emma and I are up early and ready to visit Belk Forest. We have no idea what to expect but we’re utterly excited.

“Are you girls ready?” Grandfather asks with a grin, taking in our eager expressions.

“Yes,” we both reply at the same time.

“I love you honey, take care of yourselves,” says Mom as she kisses my cheek.

“Love you too Mom.” I give her a hug in return. “Why does Arabella get to go do fun things?” “Sebastion honey, you can go play with your

friends,” placates Mom, to which he runs out the front door and over to Daxton’s. We laugh at his exuberance.

Emma and I walk out the door as Grandfather quickly follows. He walks in front of us and holds his hand up for us to stop. Emma and I look at each other, perplexed.

I look to the right and in slow motion, running toward us, was a glowing, manifest, white winged horse. It stops before us. This is the third magical animal I’ve seen. She was huge; she stood much more than ten feet tall.

“Stardust, we require a lift to Belk Forest,” says grandfather. He sprinkles magic dust from one hand into the other, forming sugar cubes as her reward. Grandfather feeds this amazing horse as I stand staring, completely mesmerized.

Emma stood like a statute as she stared, enchanted by the magical creature. I nudge her a little and she gathers herself.

“This horse has wings,” whispers Emma in wonderment.

“Girls, this Stardust, she’s a star spirit.”

A star spirit? That’s interesting.

“Did she fly from the stars?” asks Emma. Grandfather laughs, and Stardust snickers. “No my darling, she comes from a part of our

world that always remains dark. She glows to light up the village, as do all the other star spirts,” he explains kindly.

“That is so cool!”

I look at Stardust, my eyes follow along her long, white, shimmery tail, to her perfectly braided mane, and up to her eyes, where I find her already gazing at me calmly. I immediately look away nervously.

“Alright girls, up you go,” urges Grandfather.

I look around. There’s no way to climb upon her, no ladder, no nothing.

“How?” I ask, dumfounded.

Grandfather smirks as he casts a spell. Emma and I are lifted from our feet causing us to yelp in surprise. It took my breath away.

“Oh my God, I’m flying, we’re flying, holy moly Arabella!” yells Emma in excitement.

It was truly incredible, and I soon started laughing as our bodies float upwards until we were seated on top of Stardust. Grandfather flies up and hops on in front of Emma and I.

“Hold on girls, Stardust is quite fast.”

Emma, grips onto my waist, with her face pressed against my back. Before I could reply, Stardust shoots up off the ground. Grandfather was right: Stardust is fast.

I take the opportunity to look around and see our world from above. Aquarian Falls stretches out as far as I could see. I glimpse Midnight down at the waterfalls. As I look around, I see the beautiful world we live in, the magical enchantments lighting up every inch of Aquarian Falls.

Before I knew it, Stardust lands, and we’re in the middle of a forest. It doesn’t take long to notice that the bottom of the huge tree trunks were little stores. How magical. Grandfather helps Emma and I float down from Stardust.

“Thank you Stardust,” I whisper as I caress her face gently.

“Wait here Stardust, we won’t be long,” instructs Grandfather with a gentle pat to her head.

Stardust nods in understanding.

“This girls, is Belk forest. Many stores exist throughout our world, but today we’ll be visiting The Sleeping Owl.”

We follow Grandfather into the forest that was like a maze; one could easily get lost here. We walk for only a short moment before we find ourselves standing outside a tree. Above the door it read: ‘The Sleeping Owl’ I look at the size of the tree and wonder how the three of us would fit inside. But once Grandfather opens the small door, I see that the inside is huge! In fact, it was like the size of a large house.

A kind lady welcomes us into her store. A staircase ran up the tree, leading to a library of magical books and spells. Emma and I wonder around, looking at all the potions, books and magical items. I pick up what looks like a red trident staff. I’ve only ever seen these in the video games Sebastion plays, so to be holding one is awesome!

“Arabella, put that back! Gently.” demands Grandfather.

I do as I’m told, cautiously.

“Sweetheart, that’s a fire blizzard, quite dangerous in the wrong or inexperienced hands,” explains Grandfather.

I hold my hands up and back away from the shelves that hold so much I wanted to know about. Grandfather purchases some type of scroll - not what I expected him to buy.

“Look Arabella, a potion to change your eye colour.”

“Really?”

I look at the tiny bottles, all filled with different colours. The label read ‘A Change of Eye’ and on the back it says, ‘This colour your eyes will change too, the effect will last twelve hours, side effects include non- working, tiredness, and itchy eyes. Must drink entire bottle.’

Interesting.

“Pick a colour Emma.” I say.

“We don’t have any money,” she replies. “It’s okay, you pay with magic. You pay in

shimmers, tiny gold coins, which you’re only allowed a certain amount a day,” Grandfather divulges.

“That is so cool!” exclaimed Emma. Her trademark expression here, it seems, I think with amusement.

“I’ll buy these for us.” I state as I pick the purple bottle for myself.

We continue to wander and I come across a shelf of wands.

“Grandfather, can I get a wand?”

“Arabella, you don’t need a wand, only wizards require wands. Your magic lays in your hands and mind. Well, I think we have all we need, are you ready to pay for your items Arabella?”

“Yes.” I say grinning at Emma in excitement.

“Good morning, welcome to The Sleeping Owl,” the lady behind the small oak desk greets.

“Good morning!” I reply.

“My name is Maple.”

“I’m Arabella, it’s nice to meet you Maple.” I smile. Maple lights a gold coloured candle. “Alright, to

use your magic, to make a payment, place the items

down, hold your left hand in front of you, your palm facing up, and use your pointer finger on your right hand to sort of swirl above your palm.”

“Repeat this spell Arabella: Goddess of gold, dare to be bold, place in my hand, the money of gold.” Grandfather instructs.

I do as grandfather says and repeat the spell. Before I know it, my hand holds tiny coins of gold. I pay Maple and we leave The Sleeping Owl.

“Well we have all we need my dears, it’s time to go home,” says grandfather.

“You got the glass jar and blue gem?” I ask.

“No my sweetie, creating a portal that way, it can glitch. I bought two portal scrolls, they can only be used once, and the portal will remain open for only thirty seconds. We need one to get to the mortal world, and we need one to return home.”

A portal scroll. I was glad to know about it. It could come in handy one day.

We walk back to Stardust, who looked quite relaxed.

“Can she speak?” I ask Grandfather in a low voice.

“Star spirts don’t speak, they communicate in other ways.”

“How so?”

“We speak and they understand us, and they respond with body language.”

“That’s amazing.”

Grandfather pays Stardust a handful of sugar cubes, which she eagerly accepts.

Emma and I couldn’t wait to get home and try out our eye colour potions. As Stardust drops us home and flies away, my happiness is cut short.

“Oh look, it’s the enchantress that killed our tree,” he says snidely.

“You ruined our portal, thanks for that, princess” snaps the other.

It was the Bralin brothers.

Oh no, I could feel my eyes starting to water. “You two, go home, before I call your father,”

barks Grandfather.

My eyes fill with tears and I drop our potions as I

run inside, letting the tears flow. I didn’t mean to ruin everything. I’m trying to fix things! Emma comes in after me shortly.

“Don’t worry about them, they’re losers.”

“I have to fix this.” I sniff.

“And you will. I know you will. This isn’t your

fault Arabella, you had no idea. Don’t let those nasty boys get to you,” Emma comforts me.

I wipe the tears I so desperately tried to hide, and think of the eye colour potions.

“Oh my, I didn’t break the bottles did I?” I ask with worry.

“No they’re right here babe,” beams Emma.

“Okay, on the count of three, we’ll take them together,” I grin.

“Deal,” smiles Emma, relieved that my mood picked up.

We open the potions. Emma picked green; she has beautiful blue eyes, but she always wanted green.

“1, 2, 3,” I say as I drink the entire bottle.

It tasted like bubble-gum. My eyes scrunch shut. I bravely open them and stare directly at Emma.

“Oh my God, your eyes are purple!” she shouts.

“Yours a green!” I giggle.

We both jump up and run for the mirror on the wall.

“Oh my God, my eyes look amazing,” says Emma dreamily.

I loved the purple colour, I think it suited me. It definitely made me smile.

“This is amazing Arabella, I wonder if they have a potion for longer hair, or even to change my hair colour for twelve hours.” We both fall onto the bed in laughter, discussing the possibilities.

Knock-Knock.

“Come in.” I say with a giggle.

“Arabella, we must go.”

“Go where?”

“To the mortal world of course! We need to gather

the things that will help return life to our portal.” “Can Emma come too?”

“Sweetheart, it’s best she, remain here, where we can keep her safe.”

“It’s okay Arabella, you do what you have to, I need to spend some time with dad anyways. Stay safe okay?” Emma hugs me, and heads off home.

“Where is the Book of Shadows my dear?”

Oh my, it’s on the sill of my bedroom window, I completely forgot! I jump up and open my window, breathing a sigh of relief to see it still there, safe.

“Why was it there?” enquires Grandfather with a perplexed look on his face.

“It’s a long story.” I really couldn’t be bothered to explain; we need to focus on restoring life back into the portal.

“I have a list of what we need, don’t you find it quite odd that we require things from the mortal world?” I ask.

“Not at all, because the portal is in what we call the in-between. It’s between Earth and Aquarian. It makes sense that we would require things from there,” he explains and then continues, “What items do we need Arabella?”

“I wrote it all down, we need three passion flowers, a bottle of earth, wind in a bottle, and we have to light a red candle in the mortal world, and catch the wax drops in a jar. We also need six raindrops. Once we have everything, we have to return home, mix it all together and pour onto the roots of the portal tree.”

“Ah, the four elements then.” Grandfather packs a small satchel with a red candle, the two portal scrolls and our spell book along with several small empty bottles.

“Can I come as well?” asks Sebastion.

“Not this time little man, we’ll do something tomorrow.” Grandfather promises him.

“Sweetie, you take care okay? I love you so much,” Mom hugs me tightly.

“I will, and I love you too.”

“Take care of her Father.”

“Of course my sweet child,” he assures her. I stay wrapped in mom’s arms, sensing her

reluctance in letting me go. I’ve missed Mom’s hugs. I’ve missed one on one time with her. “I love you.” I whisper in her ear. She gently kisses my cheek and lets me go, reminding me to be careful one more time.

Grandfather and I set off towards the portal I so badly ruined. It makes me sad to look at it. I think grandfather could tell I was sad.

“Arabella, it’s okay, we’ll figure this all out.” “I really hope so.”

“You ready?”

“Sure am.”

Grandfather pulls out the scroll. It floats in the air and un-scrolls itself. Grandfather repeats the words that form on the scroll. Once the incantation is complete, a blue ripple appears and the wind picks up.

“Go through Arabella, I’m right behind you.”

I walk through and find myself back in Edgewood Forest. I turn back and wait for Grandfather. He makes it through and the portal quickly disappears. That’s right, they only last thirty seconds, I remember.

“You okay?” asks grandfather.

“Your crown disappeared!” I laugh.

“We’re not royals in this world my dear,” he

reminds me with an affectionate smile. “Okay, so what first?”

“Well, we need to search the forest for three passion flowers, they’ll be around here somewhere.”

“That’s great, if I knew what they looked like,” I giggle.

“They have a yellow centre with a blue spiked ring around the centre, and purple petals.” He smiles.

We search for a while, trying to find the flowers. I suggest we put some dirt in the jar - at least that’s one thing we don’t have to worry about. Shortly after, we light the red candle and capture the drops of wax. Two things down, three to go.

Nearly an hour of searching Edgewood forest for the passion flowers, I stumble upon an entire bunch of them. I carefully pick precisely three, and then carefully place them inside the jar.

“How will we capture wind in a jar Grandfather?”

“That’s easy my dear, you just need to manipulate the air, and I’ll fill the jar with wind.”

“You can’t see wind how will you know you’ve captured it?”

“I’ll colour it,” he replies simply.

I didn’t know what that meant, but I guess I’ll soon find out.

“We also need six rain drops,” I say anxiously.

“Arabella, have you forgotten your four element abilities?” he laughs, “You can manipulate the weather, and capture the rain drops.”

“I haven’t forgotten, but it makes me nervous being here. It was only three days ago that werewolves were here trying to break into our world.”

“Fear not my darling, I’ve had no visions of any wolves paying us a visit. You’re safe with me,” he assures me. “Alright dear, let’s start with the air element, remember what I taught you on your birthday? How to manipulate the air?”

“Yes, of course,” I state with confidence. “Good, go ahead when you’re ready.”

I take in a deep breath, close my eyes and

concentrate. The wind soon picks up, and I decide to open my eyes to watch what’s happening; the wind around us glowed blue, like little sparkles - now I know what he meant by ‘he’ll colour’ the wind. Grandfather filled the small jar, leaving us with only one more thing to do before we could head home.

“Alright Arabella, you’ve manipulated the weather before, this should be easy.”

It amazes me how he knows everything; he was referring to the night at Shadow Lake, when I made it snow.

I imagine rain and click my fingers. Soon enough, drops of rain fall upon my face.

“We need precisely six rain drops,” I remind him as Grandfather counts the drops. I lean against a tree, hiding from the pelting rain.

Well this was easier than expected. Too easy perhaps? Oh I hope we’ve done it right. I really want it to work.

“Well Arabella, we’re all done. You ready to go home to try restoring the portal?” smiles grandfather.

“Definitely!”

Grandfather places everything safely inside the satchel, and places it across him. He pulls out the scroll, ready to open the portal to transport us back to Aquarian Falls.

“Arabella, you can make the rain stop now,” he says with a laugh.

“Whoops sorry!” I giggle, working my magic again. The sun soon shone in Edgewood forest.

The portal appears, and Grandfather heads through first this time. I move quickly but am yanked back roughly. My necklace is caught on the tree!

“Grandfather? Help me, I’m stuck!” I yell in panic.

But he had gone through already, and I didn’t know if he could hear me. I try to untangle my necklace from the tree, but I couldn’t. Time was running out. The portal is only open for thirty seconds! I’m panicking, oh my God, I’m going to be stuck here.

“Grandfather!” I yell again, hoping he could sense my dilemma.

I couldn’t risk breaking my four-element necklace.

Oh my God.

“Grandfather!” I give one last desperate shout.

That’s when I feel someone cover my mouth, preventing me from calling out any longer. I freeze in shock and watch as the portal disappears, tears streaming down my face. I’m officially scared. Who is holding me in their clutch? I have a really bad feeling about my captor.

“So good to see you’ve returned, Arabella.” spoke a deep, dark, evil voice.

I gasp in fear as I notice werewolves slowly closing in, surrounding me completely, and leaving no room for me to break through. Their sharp claws and fangs glisten in the sunlight.

Please. Someone, anyone, please help me, I think desperately, knowing my chances of survival were slim to none.