Rise from the ashes

Chapter 1 - The Magician

As an orphan, no one respected me. It didnt help that I lived on the streets. My name is Seth Wilson and I'm just another street rat in a hundred. I'm tall, tan, with hazel eyes. My hair is a light brown, with sunstreaks in it. I'm fifteen, but look fourteen. My mom and dad died when I was young, at least that's what my told me before I ran away.  All I have left of them is a pendent that has a tear drop shaped aquamarine gemstone with interwoven black treads as a chain. It was my moms... I think.

I tried to sell it on the streets once but no one would buy it, afraid they would get mugged. One day I approached an elderly man in tattered clothes in a refrigerator box, another street rat.

"Would you like to buy thispendant, sir?" I asked. The man looked at me weird and spoke with a crackly voice.

"No, but keep that hidden boy, you dont want to be found with that in your possession. Shoo, shoo, be gone and take that with you.

So, here I am, on the streets, again, all alone. I hate it, being alone of course. I like living on the streets, well other than the food and the lack of showers that is. I also hate not having anyone to talk to. Being alone with only your thoughts to keep you company can drive anyone crazy. It gets lonely. To pass the time, I like to sneak into old or abandoned buildings and pretend I belong somewhere. Today was one of those days. I had snuck in and out of almost all the buildings in town, all exept the old jail and the magicians house.

Now me, I dont belive in magic but some people swear by it. The house is said to be haunted by the old wizard himself, but personally I think that is just to keep away the kids. I decided to check the jail house, just to be safe.

It was still early, a quick trip and back and I would be home before noon. I took off after finding a quick bite of breakfast of day old Chinese take-out I found in the top of a trash can. It sounds gross but it was in a container and still tasted good. If you live on the streets, you have to find food wherever you can. Unfortunately, it can usually be found in the trash.

I look left and right before taking off, keeping an eye out for the cops. Let's just say i may have stolen a couple of times.

As I left town I had a funny feeling I was being followed. I kept looking but no on easy there, so I kept walking, trying my best to look like a normal kid out for a stroll. About halfway there I got that funny feeling again, and as a street rat, you trusted your feelings but I kept telling myself to stop being so jumpy, just becouse I was headed to an old jail, didnt mean something bad was going to happen. It was just that I always had a fear of jails, and people who came from them. It's probably becouse I've broken so many laws.

When I was within a mile of the old jail, I thought I heard a crunching sound coming from behind me. I turned and saw a shadow dart behind a tree! Now I knew I was being followed. I ran as hard as I could, not looking back, afriad of what is see, wishing for once that I was headed to the Magicians house instead.

As I was thinking this, something strange happened. The world around me got really blurry and started to spin. I stopped and rubbed my eyes and when I opened them, I was in a forest. How did I get here I thought. I heard rustling behind me and forgot all about this strange place as I took off running again. He had followed me!

I ran as fast as I could until I didnt hear anyone following me anymore. I stopped and listened. Silence. All I heard was my own labored breathing. I needed to hide. I walked for a long time when I came to a startling sight. Somehow I had walked all the way around the city and stood at the steps to the old Magicians house.

Just then a boy came out of the woods behind me. He was eighteen by the looks of it and had blonde hair and blue eyes. He was big, and strong, but what worried me most was the knife in his hands.

I ran into the Magicians house without a second thought, hoping I was lucky enough for him not to follow me. Luck wasn't on my side. He followed me inside and caught me easily.

"Give it to me, twerp." He hissed in a deep voice.

"Give you what?" I asked.

"The necklace of course" He replied

"What necklace?" I said hoping he wouldnt catch my bluff, but like I said, luck wasn't on my side.

"Dont play dumb with me" he said "I saw you trying to sell an old man a gemstone necklace about a week ago."

Then a new voice came into play. It was a familiar crackly voice. "Degresues De Frizio."

The teenager froze, like acually froze, into a block of ice.

When I turned around I saw a familiar face by the fireplace. It was the old man from the street and he had just saved my life.