Fiery Magic

Chapter 1: Ignus

"Why do we even have to do this?" I whined to no one imparticular, maybe the entire universe.

"Because you are in a typing class and here you obviously have to type!" Mrs. Scregal said as she took another angry sip of her coffee. She was the type of teacher that was a mean, old witch even on her best days.

"Why?" I muttered to myself in slightly further retaliation as I draped my arm across the keyboard and laid my head down. Of course, I got stuck with the meanest teacher there was for the school year, and it was just my luck. Little Agnus Blackwood, orphan placed in the foster system, nerd bullied at school, and fangirl stuck in her dreams. Yup, I definitely had the best life ever. Thank goodness for my only friend in the world, Carter Terra. "Come on, Agnus, it's easy. Every time you make a mistake, just pretend to punch the little computer in its face!" she said with a big smile on her face, of course.

"Why are you always so painfully annoying?" I moaned.

"Because it annoys you."

"Wow, you're so extravagantly kind, thanks." She lightly grabbed my arm for a moment and let go, a silently subtle way to say she knows life hurts right now.

That's what she usually is, a mean yet kind person that held me down to Earth and let it be known that there was good in the world for me, at least in an indirect way.

"Wow, even your one friend is mean to you? Oh, wait, because you're you, that's why!" Dylan Uler spoke up behind of me. He was the biggest bully in school, and he was horrible at insults, just good at punching. Luckily, I was great at comebacks. "What was that? I couldn't hear you. Are you choking on your big mouth again? It might help to take this medicine here and step back!"

"Do you even know who I am?" he started to raise his voice. Quietly, the principal walked in through the door behind him, Dylan didn't look back. He didn't know. Perfect. "Oh, um, Mrs. Scregal? It seems as though Dylan might have amnesia again, he just asked who he is," I quickly said with an innocent look on my face.

"Good one," Carter whispered in my ear.

"What? I do not! My name is Dylan Uler, you little worm! Don't mess with me," he finally got so fed up with me that he punched his computer clean off the table. Perfect!

"Uler!" Mr. Andrews shouted behind him in an absolutely livid voice. Perfect. "Outside! Blackwood, you're coming too!"

"What? I didn't do anything," I protested. He just stood there, holding the door open as if my argument wasn't good enough. "Good luck," Carter said beside me. I walked outside with Dylan, I was getting in trouble yet another time.

"Really? Another fight? That's the second one since Monday," Mr. Andrews had a disappointed look on his face.

"I didn't do anything, I swear!" Uler tried to defend himself. Both Mr. Andrews and I turned to him as if that was the worst lie we had ever heard. "You punched a computer off the table," the principal had said. "But-"

"Nope, there are no excuses for that. The school is going to have to buy another one and you are going to be the one to pay for it."

"What? Why me-" I rolled my eyes as Dylan said that.

"That's enough with you, head up to the office, Ms. Andria will decide what to do with you," Mr. Andrews pointed down the hall with a very disappointed look on his face. Dylan muttered some very not-nice words as he begrudgingly walked to the vice principal's office. "Agnus, another incident? I know you can be better," Mr. Andrews had a sorry look on his face.

"I'm sorry it was just that he was insulting me yet another time, and it just annoys me so much-"

"Listen, there are no excuses for trying to get a rouse out of someone like you were doing, but this time it is just going a warning for you. I know it's been hard since your mother died last year," I tightened the fist I had wrapped around my arm as he said that, "You used to be a star student, but since then it's as if you've given up trying," That's because I have, "listen, just try not to antagonize people anymore," he gave me a look that told me I had to stop," now go back to class." I walked through the door he had opened for me, not saying a word. I sat back down and took a deep breath. I hated getting in trouble by Mr. Andrews, he was always so nice, and somehow I always managed to let him down. That was one of my major qualities recently, at least since a year ago. I looked down at my keyboard. "Hey-" Carter was probably going to console me yet another time, trying to be the friend that I didn't deserve, but then the school bell rang. The announcements came on, as a raspy voice began talking.

"Lockdown! Lockdown! This is not a drill!" a shrill voice boomed from the intercom. Everyone stood still.

"What?" is all I could get out before everyone started surging to the side of the room to hide. No one would get quiet, yet there was no mistaking what we heard outside. CRACK! A single gunshot echoed in our ears. Suddenly, BOOM! The floor rumbled and dust fell from the ceiling. An explosion happened somewhere in the school. "Carter? Carter! What's going on?" I shouted over the screaming.

"Agnus, you'll understand later! It'll be okay!" Carter said. I stared at her, what was she talking about? Did she know what was going on?

Suddenly, the door flung open, a dark form replaced it. We hadn't paid attention to the fact that there was shouting coming down our hallway. We all froze and stared at him. Oh my gosh, I was about to die, a guy with a gun stood in the open door frame. "I need Ignus, sorry, I mean Agnus!" a deep voice came from the dark mask. What? Me? Why? What was going on? Is this real? I darted for the corner. What was going on? People cried and screamed, running towards the opposite corner of the room. What in the freaking-hecking-goodness was going on? It's okay, just stay quiet, count to 50, count to 50, count to 50. 1, 2, 3... Carter stood up from behind me and grabbed my arm, "Let's go!" she shouted. I was starting to get pulled to the door by my only friend in the world. What was going on? "No, Carter!" I planted my feet on the ground, I was not going to be moved. 4, 5, 6, 7... "What are you doing? What is happening?" Why was she suddenly acting like this? We were just about to have a conversation in typing class, now she was pulling me toward a man with a gun, or was that a needle? A lot of things had just happened in the past few seconds.

Her grip weakened, "Agnus I know you don't understand what's going on right now, but it'll be okay," she gave a little nod to the man in the doorway. "Sorry, Ignus, I hope this doesn't hurt," he said. He lunged forward, with a needle in hand that had green liquid festering inside. I jumped at his legs, and he fell. 8, 9, 10... I was acting on pure reflex, which I had no idea I even had those. His reflexes were fast though, he leaped up, spun around, and a sharp point pierced the side of my neck. "Agnus, it'll be okay," Carter repeated as the world twisted around me and then everything went black.