Nasia

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

THE BARRED WINDOWS were cold and rough against her fingers. They have been there since she was born. People she let come inside her room think it's odd, but not to her.

Three knocks on the window catches her attention and Xena's smiling face appears from outside. The girl lifts a picnic box from her hand. With a swift flick of her fingers, she puts her wand to use and opens the lock on the window. "I brought you snacks, so we can have our picnic here since you're not allowed outside," Xena says. Nasia hugs her friend and pulls her to sit on the floor with her.

"Thank you, Xena." The girls drape a blanket over the hardwood floor and place the basket full of food down. Xena takes several pastries and a bottle of grape juice out of the basket. "Did your mother bake these?" Nasia asks and grabs a piece of lemon-honey bread.

Xena takes two cups from the basket and pours juice into the cups. She hands a cup to Nasia and sets down her own on the floor. "Yes. She baked a lot today and told me to bring you some." Nasia takes a bite and moans in delight. She devours the piece of bread in seconds then takes another one. Xena watches her friend inhale the bread one after the other. She holds Nasia's cup in front of her just as she starts coughing. "Here."

Nasia takes the cup and gulps down the juice to relieve the inflammation in her throat. "Thank you."

Xena pats her back while she pours herself another cup of grape juice. "Slow down, tiger. No one's going to take those breads away."

A knock catches their attention and Irini, Nasia's mother, appears behind the door. "Hello, girls. What are you two doing?"

Xena stands up and hugs Irini. "I was watching Nasia here inhale the bread. Mother also saved some for you, Irini." Irini smiles at Xena and pats her hand. Xena sits back down with Irini. Nasia is still munching on the bread and the bottle of juice is already halfway consumed.

"Nasia, dear, are you that hungry?" Irini asks.Nasia looks at her mother and nods her head as her mouth is still full. Irini shakes her head at her daughter and stands up. "Well, I'll leave you girls alone now. Call me if you need something, okay?" The two girls nod and smile at her.

Xena watches as Irini closes the door while Nasia continues munching on her bread. She lets Nasia eat her food and casts a spell inside the room to block anyone from hearing what they will talk about. "Nasia, I have good news!" she says. Nasia hums, bread in his two hands and her mouth still full. Xena sighs but smiles at her friend. 'Okay, so, Yeliara is now accepting admissions. We need to take the exams as admissions."

Nasia gulps the bread down and drinks from her cup. "We?" she asks. Xena nods with a huge, bright smile on her face. "Xena, I'm sure you know that would be impossible. Mother wouldn't allow me."

"Who said she's going to know?" Xena says. Nasia's eyes go wide as Xena smirks at her. "I have learned a simple cloning spell. Well, it's not that powerful, but it might work." Nasia contemplates on her friend's words but fear creeps into her mind.

"Might?"Nasia asks.

"Nasia, your mother is a much more powerful witch than me. Obviously, it would be hard to fool her. But we won't know until we try, right? And if she does find out, well, let's cross that bridge when we get there." Xena laughs and gulps down her drink. Nasia sighs and plays with the skirt of her dress. Xena grabs her hand and they look at each other's eyes.

"You know it's my dream to go to Yeliara. Both of us dreamed of going there. But, maybe it's only meant for you, Xena." Nasia brings her head down. Xena smiles at her friend as she pulls her chin up.