Sinatus

✨Chapter One✨

       Lily Atwood slipped out the door as quickly and quietly as she possibly could, trying desperately (and failing) to kill the triumphant smile that was quickly spreading across her freckled features. She'd only have a few minutes of peace before her older brother, Benjamin, woke up and found the happy hedgehog family that was now occupying his bed. An involuntary giggle escaped her lips as she stepped out in the garden, where the birds chirped playfully as they flitted through the trees. The early morning sun made everything shine a pale gold, and dew glistened on the leaves like small, beautiful crystals. Lily watched a bee crawl out of a pale pink flower and take flight, buzzing by her right ear. Then —
       "Lily!"
       Uh oh. She knew that voice. She squealed, "Hi, Ben!" and dashed off into the house, running past the rickety wood table at which they had their meals, and into the small, brightly painted kitchen, where she ran into her mother.
      "Hi, mom..." Lily smiled innocently, silently cursing her luck. Ben came hurtling after her.
       "Mom!" he glared at Lily. "She relocated a hedgehog family! Into my bed!"
        "I'm sorry," Lily replied, "they just needed somewhere comfortable, you know."
         "Oh? And your bed isn't comfortable enough, is it?" Ben shot back. Their mother sighed and turned back to the stove.
         "Well, it's quite comfortable enough for me." Lily assured her brother, her green eyes glinting. "But, you see, those hedgehogs were rather high maintenance. Like a certain brother I have. And so your bed was the perfect fit!"
           "Was it?" Ben growled. "I don't agree, saying as their comfortable nights sleep will end with me throwing them out the window!"
           "You will not!" Lily's nostrils flared angrily. Ben just shrugged as he pulled three light blue plates from a cupboard and set them on the table near some small bowls. Lily's mother, Meghan, placed a large plate of steaming, fragrant pancakes in the center and placed a bowl of strawberries next to them.
         "Eat," She said, pushing a strand of light hair from her eyes. "Then continue your ridiculous argument later."
           Lily huffed, pulling out a chair and sitting down. She shoveled some strawberries into a bowl and slapped a pancake onto her plate.
            "There's a wizard coming into town today," Meghan told them. "It would be great if you could show him where to find lunch, Lily."
            "Hm," Lily stabbed her pancake, "Can't he find his way himself?"
             "You know they don't come down here often." Meghan prodded. Lily did know. The island they lived on, Montisul, was covered in mountains, on the top of which lived the wizards and witches. They didn't visit villages like Lily's very often, as they where Sinati; non-magical folk.
           "Well, I'll come down all the time once I'm a witch," Lily promised. Meghan frowned slightly.
          "You're not a witch, Lily, and you can't become one. You're a Sinatus."
          "It's not fair!" Lily shot suddenly to her feet, her fists clenched and her sandy blonde curls bouncing. "They're just people too, mom! And—"
           "Lily," Meghan sighed. "If it's not in your blood, becoming a witch is basically impossible!"
           "Nothing's impossible, mom, I will do it. I'll prove it to you!" Lily declared.
          "You can try what you want, dear. Just eat your breakfast, will you?"
           The pancakes suddenly tasted like cardboard, and she didn't touch the strawberries. Instead, Lily went for a walk. She ambled through the streets of her village, waving at familiar faces and smiling at the less familiar ones. When she reached a small, yellow-painted bakery, she pushed open the door and stepped inside, inhaling the familiar sweet scent. She was greeted by a girl with long blonde hair. She had it tied back in a ponytail and wore a grey shirt adorned with the word FABULOUS. "Hi,"
            "Hi, Elisa," Lily smiled. "You haven't by any chance seen Sam, have you?"
            "Actually," Elisa grinned, "I was just talking to her. She just left."
            "Great. Thanks!" Lily turned and ran out of the store to catch up with a small, dark-haired girl with glasses that were a little too big for her face.
           "Lily!" She exclaimed. "Good morning."
           "Morning," Lily decided to get straight to the point. "You think I could be a witch, right?"
           "Sure," Sam shrugged. "If you really wanted to be one. I mean, I guess you might be able to get through the challenges."
            Lily's head snapped up. "Challenges?"
           "Yeah," Sam nodded, "You know, the ones you have to pass for them to let you learn magic?"
           "No," Lily said, "I didn't know. What kind of challenges?"
           "Hard. Potentially dangerous."
           "Only potentially?" Lily laughed. "Sign me up!"
           "You'll have to talk to a wizard," Sam regarded her with her big blue eyes. "Maybe you'll catch the one coming through today!"
           "Yep, maybe I will," Lily grinned at her friend. "When I'm a witch, things'll change. Anyone will be able to learn magic, whether it's in their blood or not."
          "I don't know if you becoming a witch will change that much." Sam admitted.
          "It's wrong," Lily said determinedly. "Someone has to make it right. Why not me?"
         "I guess you're right." Sam agreed, and they walked on in silence, listening to nearby voices and the crunch of the ground under their boots. Lily was lost in her thoughts for quite a while before she looked up from the ground and at Sam.
         "Don't you want to be a witch?"
         "No," she replied easily. "I like being normal."
         Lily laughed. "Magic is normal for some people."
         "I know." Sam smiled self-assuredly. "But I'm not one of those people. You will be though, I'm sure."
         "Thank you,"
         "Just don't get snobby!"
         Lily gasped in mock horror. "Never! Now, Sam, I've held up this long, now I have to tell you about the hedgehogs I snuck into my brothers bed!"
         "I want to hear it all," Sam laughed lightly, "so I know what's coming at me."
         "Oh, it'll be a lot worse for you," Lily said. "I know you're not as big a cry baby as Ben, you'll be able to handle it."