How To Become A Magician 101

chapter 6

Why couldn't my life be normal? I remember when I had gone around and tried to figure out everyone's story. Ah to be simple again. How childish that was! And now I met this strange boy who says that apparently I'm magician! Ha imagine that, me, little old Carmen wheeler, fighting giants with magic.

That's funny.

But I realize its also very real as I am sucked into the portal. It feels like all balance has left me and a force is pulling me into the swirling purple mass.

The portal isn't like what you see on TV. It doesn't have numbers and random objects floating around in a rainbow tunnel. Its more that the room spins so hard you feel sick then it stops and you in a completely new place.

"Welcomed to ground base!" Kingston says and he opens a huge oak door, as tall as a redwood tree and as thick as one too.

I gape at it all as I walk through the door. The room is big with dark wood walls and stone floors. All around are sticks that I'm guessing are wands. There are bookshelves with rows and rows of dusty books and a couple of desks with maps and sketches and other thing sprawled out on them. It all looks so ancient.

I finger a piece of thin ivory, thick at the bottom and gradually thinner as it gets longer. "You still use these?" I ask.

"Yes we do. Wands are a very essential part of magic." Kingston says.

"But in the books I read things are different" I point out.

He picks up the wand and waves it in patterns. A shot of gray light shoots out of the end and out of thin air, a mouse appears. It falls lightly to the ground then scurries to the corner.

"The books you read," he says incredulously "are twisted so much that the real stories are lost. That is why people don't believe in magic any more, and that is why we are the only good magicians."

"Ok then." I mutter as I look at all the other wands. Oak, cherry, maple, birch, and ivory. There were also some made out of precious stone and metal. Emerald, diamond, gold, sapphire, topaz, ruby, and silver.

"Wow" I breathed. Kingston came over and gently grabbed the diamond wand out of my hand.

"Heh um well... don't touch these. They do intense magic and-"

I waved the diamond wand and a shot of light traveled across the room and hit Zeke. His body stretched and bended then he disappeared, just like that.

"Zeke!" I cried.

"Well great Carmen! I told you it was intense magic! Now how do we know where you sent him?"

I shoved the wand into his hands. "Fix it."

He waved a couple of times, trying to get him back. Finally Zeke popped into the room. I noticed flames licking the bottom of his pants.

"I'm on fire!" He grabbed his hair and started running around like a mad man.

"I can't believe it! You sent him to the underworld?"

"You let me hold the wand! I don't even know how to work that thing!" I defended.

"Don't even try to pin that on me! I didn't say 'hey Carmen, go touch that diamond wand and send your brother to the underworld!'"

"You think I did that on purpose?"

Zeke was now in the corner in only his underwear, stomping on his jeans to get the flames out.

"No, I know you didn't do it on purpose but I think a smart person would wait to be taught!"

"Oh, so now I'm not smart?" I threw my arms up in frustration.

"A little help please! Poor brother over here is going up in flames! Do you want me dead?!

I rushed over to help but Kingston had in covered. He picked up a minor wand and pointed it at  Zeke. At once the flames were gone.

"Bibitty bobitty boo!" He said, blowing on the tip on the wand.

"Jerk." I muttered under my breath.

"Do you believe in the magic now?" He asked.

"No".

He sighed and gesture for us to sit down. "We need a plan." He stated as if that were a new fact.

"I think a little info about magic and our enemy in in order to have a plan." Zeke pointed out.

"Oh, yes. That. When magicians come of age, 13, you start to experience things."

"Yes I know. We learned all of this in health class," I shuddered "worst day of my life"

He chuckled "no, no, nothing like... that. When you turn 13 the magic begins to sharpen your senses. You may have noticed that everything was loud or you saw of smelled from a great distance. You also would have been severely sensitive to temperatures. Its all normal."

"But your 13. Why do you know so much?" I asked.

"I'm actually centuries old Carmen. When I saw that the good magic was decreasing I put a long living spell on me so that I could live and teach the rest. The spell is very hard on the body, even for a magician. I get tired easily after casting spells and such."

"Oh. Wait. Then why us? Why are we magicians?" Zeke scrunched is eyebrows.

"Special people are picked. Nobody knows how but I have a hunch that yes, you are special. That you will bring in magicians and will save us."

"Do you know who you talking to? I'm Carmen wheeler who cant even open a jar of pickles without my dads help!" I cry.

He smirks. "Well. You'll need lots of training then."

"Oh you think your so funny!" I cross my arms.

"And Sorian?" Zeke prods.

"Sorian is a horrible beast who has a horrible story."

"Tell."

"Once there was a magician. He came to the realization that he was aging and he needed to train someone to take his place.  So he called upon his eldest and most favored son, Sorian. The magician transformed himself into a old man with a hunched back and a withered figure. He waited on the street side for Sorian to pass as he knew he would. When Sorian passed he called out for help and food but Sorian just snapped at him and beat him. His father was so infuriated that his son would do such a thing that he turned him into his worst fear. A lion. And now he is out for revenge to any good magician there is."

"That dude needs therapy" Zeke muttered.

"It is what it is," Kingston shrugged "so... plan anyone?"

"Your the great all mighty, shouldn't you have a plan?" I asked, completely unamused.

"Look, I know you didn't ask to be a magician but we need to work together." Suddenly a idea dawned on his face. "I have a friend. He'll take us in and we can figure out what to do from there. Sound good?"

I could tell it wasn't really a question so i just stood there, watching him stuff random wands and thingamabobs into backpacks.

He handed us each a huge bag and we set off. This was sure to be an adventure.