The Five

1. Meeting

Anywhere is dangerous under the blanket of darkness. Unknown perils lurk in every shadow. Those who fear the darkness are not irrational. Whoever said it was certifiable. Those who do not fear the darkness are the ones who are irrational.

Lamps lined the streets and sidewalks, but there were still places that were pitch black. No one was on the streets because there wasn't much nightlife in Lumina, which was why Freya was so anxious as she walked briskly down the sidewalk. No one with good intentions was ever out past midnight in this dinky little place they called a town. It had a total of one restaurant and five other shops. Houses were few and scattered. The population was nearly five hundred, but not quite. To say it was small was the understatement of the year. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop a mile away.

Addey was Freya's best friend in the world, but sometimes she questioned her sanity. She called as soon as Freya's magic lessons were over earlier in the day and begged her to sneak out to the corner where O'Mally's restaurant stood. Addey said she had something important to tell her, and she couldn't risk anyone overhearing. Freya suggested they talk on the Rumi (a magical phone), but Addey refused. It was something they had to discuss face to face. It took nearly a half-hour of convincing, but Freya finally caved. She sneaked out of her bedroom window a little after midnight, and now here she was alone with nothing but her wand to protect her. In most cases, a wand would be enough, but Freya wasn't great with remembering spells under pressure, and right now she felt like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. This was irresponsible and terrifying.

Freya rounded the corner, ready to take on the last street before reaching O'Mally's, but she stopped dead in her tracks. This street wasn't lit like the others. It had plunged into total darkness. She looked to the sky for help, but the moon was nowhere in sight. The skies had been cloudy and grey this morning, and it looked like the clouds were here to stay for the night, too. She returned her attention to the street and took a deep breath. She opened the black leather bag on her shoulder and pulled out her wand. She would just have to use magic to make the street lights work.

"Aduro."

The street lamps came back on illuminating the entire street. Freya smiled to herself. She was getting better at this. When she was younger, even the simplest spells were hard for her. She didn't come by the talent for wizardry naturally like her brother. Lucky for her, he was kind enough to teach her when he wasn't working. She took a step forward. Suddenly, the lamps went out again. Freya frowned. She was certain she said the spell correctly. It worked. She saw it. She straightened her back and cleared her mind as her brother taught her. Maybe she hadn't been concentrating hard enough.

"Aduro."

Again, the lights came on. She ran forward this time, nearly making it to the middle when they went back out. She gulped. It was almost as if someone was countering her spell. Her eyes darted around, but she couldn't see anyone.

"Weird," she whispered.

As still as a statue, she gripped her wand tightly. She wasn't moving any farther until she could see at least three feet in front of her. If the lamps wouldn't remain lit, she would have to take a different approach. She readied her wand.

"Elucido."

A flood of bright white light flowed from the tip of her wand. She held it out in front of her, and a satisfied grin crossed her lips. She didn't bother walking. She ran the rest of the way down the street. Her heart was racing by the time she turned the next corner. This street was dark, too, and she was beginning to wonder if maybe they were this way for a reason.

"Turn out your light!" Addey shouted as she came into view. Freya jumped, startled. She hadn't even seen the direction she came from. "Are you crazy? I had these streets dark for a reason."