Hocus Pocus (ON PERMANENT HIATUS)

Hocus Pocus Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

“You only have one year left.”               

That’s what started everything. That one statement changed my life forever. I would never be the same.  

Now let me explain. My great-grandfather was one of the most powerful sorcerers of all time, Atticus Garcia. During his last battle, he had dropped his wand which people believed would be lost forever. Only his chosen ancestor would be able to find it. Of course, that just happened to be me. Whoopee freaking doo. Most people would be honored to be chosen to find this all powerful wand. Don’t get me wrong. This wand is amazing and holds the power of the world. It’s awesome and I would be excited if there wasn’t a slight drawback. There’s a curse on it so whoever was to find it, would only have 16 years to live. Yeah, my life sucks.  

The curse was put on by my great-grandfather’s arch rival, Thomas J. Mitchell. Our two families have hated each other since the beginning of time and Thomas cursed the wand in spite of the future ancestor who would possess it. So I have less than a year left since I turn 16 in March and it is now May. The only possible way for me to live is if I find the seven stones of ultimum potentiae immortalitatis. Anyone who has all seven stones will be able to grant any wish that they want. They’re extremely hard to find though and they are heavily guarded. I can either die by trying to find them or die by not finding any. Geez, I just can’t win…  

I remember what I did when my mother told me this. I fainted. Yep, I fainted and fell into my dad’s arms. I guess that they were expecting it, but honestly, what kid wouldn't faint if they were told that they had less than a year to live? It would be June next week. I had spent the last three months moping around in my bedroom about the little time I had left. It was worse because I had to go back to school each morning and act like I was completely fine. Just like today.  I woke up at 5:30, thanks to my idiotic brother begging me for $50 so that he could get wasted tonight. That though, was only the beginning of my terrible morning. Now I was in the kitchen with wet, curly hair, cold pancakes, and the irritation of being scolded by my mother.  

“Andromeda, if you don’t start searching for the stones, you will not find them all in time!”   I cringed. I hated it when she called me by my whole name. I’m named after a constellation which was named after a legend about a Greek princess. So I think you can tell that my mother wasn’t exactly pleased that she named her daughter after a princess and ended up with a tomboy. I shook my head and brought myself back to reality. My mother was standing on the other side of the kitchen with her arms crossed and a fierce scowl on her face. I sighed, grabbed my backpack and went over to hug her.  

“Look, Mom, I’m sorry. I just don’t see the point. I could die either way.”  

“You silly child. Learn that in this life, there are things worth living and fighting for.”               

My mother smiled, kissed me on my forehead, and went into her room. I sighed with her words going through my head. My sister, Amanda (I call her Mandy), honked the horn of her car out front. I ran outside quickly and hopped in the front seat.  

“Mom was giving you a lecture again?”  

“Yep, I don’t know why she keeps pushing this so much.”  

“She wants her youngest kid to live.”  

I sighed. Mandy was right. Mom had been pressuring me for months to make the most of life, to fight for the long life I fully deserve. I just saw no point to it.  

“Becca’s going to yell at you again.” I groaned.

My best friend since Kindergarten, Rebecca Hamilton, is the only one who knows about my magic. Besides of course, my destined lover, Dylan Crenshaw.  Rebecca has been on my mom’s side and trying to convince me to find the stones. Every morning she would ask me if I had started, I’d say no, and then she would punch me in the arm and call me an imbecile. Yeah, we have a great friendship going here. Mandy got our usual spot in the school parking lot and I hopped out quickly. I wanted to make it into the building and to my locker unnoticed.