If Magic Existed

Chapter One - Half of a New Face

Chapter One

Half of a new face

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She woke in a sea of blankets... a shiver ran up her spine... the lights were all off... the clock blinked 2:00 a.m.... and her head pounded with the ringing and mumbling in her ears.

"Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me."

She groaned and sat up, her head protesting violently and making her vision spin. She stuck her ring fingers in her ears, but the mumbling did not cease. "Great," she muttered, "this again."

No point in trying to sleep now- she slept like a feather: any gust of wind or movement around her had her awake. She might as well see what was wrong and hope to sleep again before 3:00. She pushed aside her blankets and stood, ignoring when her vision flashed from getting up too fast. The room was very dark, but she could see through the shadows fairly well.

She strolled across her bedroom, the hardwood floors comfortably cool on her bare feet, and quickly reached the door. Light peaked out from the crack under it and the girl hesitated, hand on the doorknob. She peaked around herself cautiously. Many dark forms huddled themselves around the room and she heard soft, content mumblings overshadowed by the louder ones. She didn't dare wake any of them up, which surely she would do if the door opened.

She bit her lip, sighed and cracked the door open slowly, wincing as it creaked. No one woke up. She pulled it open just barely enough for her to slip out and closed it again, though not all the way.

She tiptoed down the hall in her yellow and red plaid pajamas, heading a few doors down and opening that door. Inside, a tiny voice muttered a fading "H-Hazel..."

Two big, sleepy eyes stared at her from a bunk. She smiled encouragingly at the little girl, who blinked slowly before laying back down.

Hazel carefully slipped in, avoiding the floorboards she knew creaked, and knelt by the side of a bed where a tiny girl lay, tangled in her blankets. Her brow was creased and she rolled about. The muttering came from her.

Hazel shook her shoulder and the girl woke up with a start, darting up and throwing her arms around the older, bigger girl. "Oh, Hazel, she cried quietly, "it was terrible. There was so much burning and-and freezing and- oh, it was so scary."

Hazel shushed her and hugged her softly. "It's alright. You're safe now. It was all just a bad dream."

The girl sniffled and climbed out of Hazel's embrace. "I-I know. Thanks, Hazel." There were big, rolling tears coming from her frightened eyes. She furiously wiped her arm over them, making them disappear.

Hazel crept out of the room satisfied, her headache gone now that the muttering had stopped. She slipped back into her room with the soft whispers of good dreams floating about her and their pleasant smell in her nostrils.

She was able to get back to sleep that night, and it was quite a good thing. Exhaustion faced her very soon.

* * *

"Tell me again," a deep, loud voice grumbled annoyedly, staring down at the girl sleeping in her bed, "why do we have to do this? It's ridiculous!" She had just fallen asleep again, and watching her was so exhausting.

"Quiet," another voice scolded, this one very high and melodic. "Can't you see that she's special?"

"Special or not," the first voice replied angrily, "white or black, left or right, reflection or true, all in the none! It's sill ridiculous!" The light-sleeping girl didn't even stir to her yells that no one else could hear.