The Familiars

Chapter 1

Waking up I open my eyes and look around my room. My family's home is quite small, with only two bedrooms and one bathroom. My two sisters and I all share a room, and with me being the youngest I sleep on a mattress on the floor. My sisters sleep on a rickety old bunk bed, that has been repaired a few too many times now. The paint on the walls is chipping off, leaving patches or bare cement peaking through. The carpet is stained from having never been replaced. Our entire house is in this shape, and from the outside it doesn't look any better. The paint has all peeled off the outside walls leaving only cement to great citizens as they walk by.

Today may be my last day of having to endure living in this place. Watching people grimace as they walk by our home. Disgusted by how our home looks. Hating us for having weak familiars, and not being as "good" as them. I might be saying goodbye to my family and home, and going on to live a higher life. Going on to become one of those grimacing people.

Getting up, I shake away those thoughts, and I start my day like everyone else, I get cleaned up, get dressed, and have breakfast. I'm the second one down the stairs, second only to my mom. Then, my dad comes down followed by my sisters. The only difference between today and any other day is that my mom makes a special birthday breakfast. It includes eggs, oatmeal with a little sugar, and bread. Normally we only eat plain oatmeal for breakfast. This breakfast is the closest my family gets to celebrating birthdays.

"Who is going to walk with me to the stonehenge today?" I ask, while I finish my breakfast. No one says anything or looks at me. Clearing my throat, i ask again, "who is is going to walk me to the stonehenge today?" I pause, "you know.. so I can get my familiar today.." I trail off.

My sister Beth, who is 4 years older than me, responds, "I could walk you there, but then I have to head to school. You're on your own when it comes to coming back home afterwards."

"Thank you, Beth." I mumble. I do not like to walk alone through town, but I guess I will have my familiar afterwards.

However my oldest sister Annie speaks up, she's 21, "I'll walk you there and then back home, I'm excited to see what your familiar will be." She said while giving everyone a stern look.

Even though my family thinks I'll just get a weak familiar like them, Annie tries to give me hope that I'll have a stronger familiar. Annie has the strongest familiar in the family, but its still not considered to be a strong one. At that moment her familiar made its way down the stairs. Her familiar is a a snow white weasel, and since weasels are carnivorous mammals Jack is stronger than the rest of the families herbivorous familiars.

My father has a tree squirrel for his familiar. My mother has a dormouse for her familiar. Annie has a rabbit with chocolate colored fur for a familiar.

Once my family finishes breakfast we all work together to clean up. Once everything is clean, we all head out of the house, and go our separate ways. Beth and I head to the stonehenge, father goes to work at the factory, and mother and Annie head towards the school. Mother works at the school as one of the cooks, while Annie is still a student. Normally Beth would be heading to her job as a teacher for the middle school aged kids, but she has a substitute covering for her today.

"Are you excited?" Beth asks me. "I know you'll get a strong familiar, you're better at everything than the rest of us are. Plus you're smarter than any other kid I've had come through my classroom." She gives me a hopeful look.

"I'm looking forward to this, and have been for a while." I respond. "I'm scared about leaving you guys behind. If I get the chance, I'll bring you with me. You're the only one who has ever believed in me."

"I know," Beth hugs me,"but if you get a strong familiar, we will all understand. Besides you won't to be around a bunch of slimy lower class people anyways." She laughs. "You'll be enjoying your lavish lifestyle of being a higher classed person!" She exclaimed.

"I'll still love all of you even if I have a high social status. I promise." I laugh, trying to keep the conversation light.

The rest of the walk there, was made in a somber silence. Neither of us wanted to talk about what could happen today at the Stonehenge. The stonehenge, is in the center of town, and it is where children go on their thirteenth birthday to summon their familiar. It is the only place in our city that contains magic. When we finally arrive I notice one of my classmates, Cody, standing in line, in front of me. His parents both have weak familiars. We work together a lot in school, since no one wants to be associated with someone from a lower class.

"You ready for this?" I ask Cody.

Turning around, and with a shaky breath, "no not really, but there's no way around it. Are you ready?" He breathes out. He is visibly shaking, and breathing heavily. I could see the sweat pouring down his face, but it was just a cool crisp morning.

With a smirk I respond with, "As ready as I could ever be. Don't worry about what's going to happen in there. Just be calm and confident, your familiar will be perfect for you. I promise."

With that the guard at the door yells, "next," and, with a nervous grin, Cody goes in to find out what his familiar is. Feeling my heart rate pick up, I smile. Time seems to slow down, as I wait, full of anticipation. Annie is looking at me like I'm crazy. I shoot her a smile while bouncing. After wait seems like ages, the guard yells, "next." It's my turn to learn what my familiar is. Walking past the guard, I stand up tall. Refusing to look weak compared to a man who could squash me like a bug. By looking at his familiar, I think no one would mess with him. His familiar is asleep at his feet and it is a large male lion.

"I hope that I end up with a strong familiar like that," I think to myself. I take a deep breathe, this is the moment that my life could changes forever. With a huff I take my first step into the tunnel that leads to the Stonehenge