Defying Destiny

Chapter One: A Book and a Mental Slap in the Face

Chapter One: A Book and A Mental Slap in the Face

It was a dark night. The moonlight that infiltrated the trees was insufficient to light up the place where a small group of teenagers ran through the forest on bare feet. The last thing they expected was for something abnormal to happen. Then, one girl tripped, injuring herself, and cried out, bringing the lighthearted conversation to a halt. They looked to see what the girl tripped over, and noticed it was the corner of a book. They dug it out, curious, and saw the thick book was rather old, its brown leather bindings cracked. The strangely carved symbols of stars, moons, and fairies all suggested that it was a book of magic.

The teens knew little about magic, but had enough imagination to understand that was what the book seemed to be about. As for the girl who had tripped, she was feeling fine now, and the barely-formed, large bruise on her ankle was gone, though she and all her friends noticed that a dull glow was spreading up her calf.

The girl gasped in fright, and, unsure what to do, called for her brother to help her. He came immediately, fearing she was hurt, and kneeled in the grass next to his sister. When he saw the magic book and her spreading glow, his eyes softened, and he smiled at her. 

"Kelly," he said, "don't be scared; this is good. You're a healer. You have magic."

"But there is no such thing!" Kelly told her brother sharply.

"No, you have magic," he assured. "I would know."

"How?" Kelly asked, her big brown eyes wide and skeptical.

"I am a healer, too," he replied calmly.

The rest of the kids left the forest then, mostly afraid but some just bored. Only two of the group stayed behind with Kelly and her brother. These two were Kelly's closest friends, one a girl called Lavender, the other a guy, Keppel. Their eyes were filled with a mix of wonderment and concern as they stared at their friend.

Kelly refused to believe what her brother said. "That's not true," she said, through gritted teeth. "You've got to stop hanging out with those dirty friends of yours."

"But, Kelly--" he started, but Kelly cut him off.

"You don't need to believe every lie Dylan shoves down your throat, Cobalt."

"What happened?" A voice called out as footsteps echoed on the thick grass they'd tread on. Dylan gasped when he saw the the fading glow on Kelly's calf. "Kelly, you're a--"

"Healer," Kelly finished, "I knew you'd say that. Right. I'm not even sure I got hurt in the first place!" she exclaimed with a sour expression.

Dylan knelt down next to Kelly. "I'm waiting for the day to arrive," he whispered, softly enough that only she could hear, "The day you'll start believing in magic."

Then he slowly took the book from her still, cold hands. Seeing the unconvinced expression on her face, he sighed.

"C'mon, let's get going," he said, motioning to Cobalt, and they both rose.

"Kelly, you okay?" her brother asked.

"Yeah, fine."

So Dylan and Cobalt left Kelly, Lavender, and Keppel.

Keppel turned to Kelly and grined. "That was so cool, how you used magic!"

"It wasn't magic! That stupid Dylan is a jerk." Kelly crossed her arms.

"He's kinda cute." Lavender shrugged, smiling slightly and Keppel made a gagging sound. 

"Lav. He is my older brother's best friend, and he's a jerk." Kelly said flatly. As Lavender rose to her feet, she smiled down at her friend, saying, "See, but you don't deny it," and then skipped off the same way the boys had gone.