The drive to school was the same as always. We stopped in the front of the black doors towards the end of the junior high. I grabbed my backpack and lunchbox once again as I hopped out of the car. I quickly waved at my mom and shut the door. "At least it's Friday.." I moaned under my breath. I would way rather be doing something I actually enjoy than going to school. I entered the building and stopped walking as I reached locker 337, where I met my friend Brydie. “I’m excited for tonight!" I said cheerfully. Brydie exclaimed "Me too! We are just hanging at your house right?" I answered "Ye-...Abigail!" my friend Abby walked up and I gave her a mischievous smile. I knew that she absolutely hated it when I called her Abigail. She rolled her icy blue eyes, flipping her honey-blonde hair and sarcastically said, "Hey Cassandra..." Brydie laughed at our nonsense. I also hated when she called me Cassandra, because it's not even my real name! It's just Cassie."Fair enough!" I laughed. Suddenly, the bell rang, telling us that we had five minutes to get to class. We all then slowly walked to English.
The day dragged on, but at least I had something to look forward to. Finally, I got through 4th period and it was time to leave this...prison! I walked to my locker as fast as I could and threw my things into my backpack. I glanced at Brydie and said, "Let's go!" We walked back to my tan Buick Enclave. I was greeted by my little brother, who smiled extra-charmingly at my best friend. I swear he loves her more than me! She waved back at him and grinned cheesily. We rode home as we talked about what we should do. "There's always Station Park, Lagoon..." Brydie stopped. I just didn't feel like shopping or going to an amusement park. My Mom chimed in, “You could always just stay at home. I did make you guys a fabulous after-school snack." I giggled at how cheesy she was being, especially when my friend was here! We both decided that we should just stay at my house and find something to do there.
We entered the kitchen and I was greeted by the aroma of fresh-baked cookies. I was also greeted by an odd-colored....smoothie? My Mom quickly explained as I flashed her a disgusted look. I didn't want to have my friend have to eat something that looked so...un-appetizing! She explained," Honey, it's only a kale smoothie. I just wanted your after-school snack to be a little bit healthier." She offered a tiny smile. She had always talked about being healthier, but I thought she just meant herself, not the whole family! Now she's resorted to making some...interesting things. First, eggplant for dinner, and now kale smoothies? I thought to myself, "It's only going to get worse..." I eyed Brydie and she exclaimed, "I love kale smoothies! My mom makes me these all of the time. Thanks Mrs. Bowers!" Of course, she was just trying to please my Mom; she's probably never had a kale smoothie in her life. At least we have cookies. Brydie and I both took a tiny sip of the weird smoothie just to please my Mom. I silently gagged and covered it up with a fake smile. "Thanks Mom...that's just...delicious." I said before I gagged once again. Brydie quickly gulped the liquid down and nodded, "agreeing" with me. My mom contently exited the room, leaving us alone. I shoved a cookie into my mouth, hoping it would cover up the terrible after-taste that the smoothie left.
Brydie and I chatted for a while, but I had this terrible stomach ache, gnawing at my insides. Then Brydie said, "I'm not feeling so great...Would you mind if I called my Mom?" I exclaimed, "I wouldn't mind at all. I'm not feeling the best either...It was probably those kale smoothies!" She nodded. "Probably!" About a half an hour later, Brydie's Mom ended picking her up. As soon as she left, my mom exclaimed, "Why did she leave so soon?!" She looked concerned. I said, as I clenched my stomach, "Her stomach was hurting, and so is mine. We think it was your kale smoothies!" My mom's expression changed from concerned to confused. "Honey, I don't think kale will affect your stomach in any way....Just go sit down for a while." I obeyed. I laid down on my bed, immediately drifting off into a peaceful slumber.

I awoke suddenly due to a sharp knock on the door. My Mom poked her head in and said, "Are you feeling better? Your dinner is ready." "I'm feeling a little better," I said as I rubbed my head. It seemed as though a headache had replaced the stomachache. "I will be down in a minute." She nodded and closed the door. I grabbed a sweater and headed downstairs. I was suddenly freezing! I walked into the kitchen and I was greeted by the aroma of my favorite dish, tortilla soup. I eyed my mom, knowing she made this just for me, probably trying to make up for the not-so-great-kale smoothies. "Maybe some food will make me feel better," I pondered. I grabbed a spoonful of the steaming soup, the vibrant vegetables showing through the earthy brown liquid, and scooped it into my mouth. An instant warm and savory taste replaced the odd sleepy taste in my mouth. I instantly felt better. "Maybe I just needed some food!" I said to my Mom, confused. She smiled and said, "I knew you would like it!"
It was nearing the end of the night, and I was getting ready for bed. I flicked the light switch, replacing the dim yellow light with a pale moonlight pouring out from my window. Slowly, I climbed into my bed, ready to be swallowed by the warm blankets. I still had an odd feeling. I tossed and turned all night, hardly getting any sleep.
 

I woke up to the morning sunlight shining on my face. I slowly got ready for school, finally making my way to the kitchen for breakfast. "Will you check to see if we have any milk please?" My brother, Caeden, had asked. I mumbled, "Sure.." I trudged over to the fridge and looked inside. I saw the milk jug appear for half a second and then...disappear? I rubbed my eyes. I must be imagining things. "Sorry bud, but we don’t." He shook his head, "I swear we did." He walked over to the fridge and exclaimed, "Yes we do! You must be really tired, Cass." I was bewildered. I had just checked and it wasn't there. Maybe I was really tired.
School went by slow, as always. I finally got home to find my little brother, Chyler, rambling some story to my Mom. I could tell she was trying to hide her laughter, but my brother definitely thought this was a serious matter. He suddenly finished and walked off, distracted by something else. I walked over to my Mom and asked her what it was all about. She laughed," He was telling me how he saw some 'mysterious' person with a big cape come into the house when we were sleeping." She rolled her eyes. "That's not creepy at all..." I said, as I made a weird face. My mom stated, "That's not all though, he then told me that the mysterious person got into our fridge and put something into my smoothies, and that's why you were sick last night!" She got up and was walking out of the room as she said, "He's so creative.."
I was actually kind of frightened. I don't think Chyler would make this up. I walked over to my almost 5-year old brother and sat down. I started with, "Chyler, what kind of a story were you telling Mom?" His eyes widened in fear. "Bubba, what's wrong?" Tears welled in his eyes. I grabbed him and gave him a tight hug. Why is he all of the sudden so scared? He rambled, "There really was a person in the house, Cass! I saw him, I swear!" "I believe you, bud. What did he look like?"I questioned. He shivered. " He was wearing like a really, really, big cape. He had a hood on it too! But he was really fast, running like the flash!" I tilted my head, "Running really fast? Why was he running?" Chyler's lip quivered. "He was opening the fridge and...and he p-put this green stuff in mom's smoothies! He saw me, and then gave me this big, ugly smile, with really, really sharp teeth and then came running at me!" He started breathing fast. " Why didn't we hear any of this, Chy? What did he do after he ran at you?" Chy burst into tears. "I don't know why you couldn't hear. I tried to run to Mom and Dad and wake them up but they wouldn't. It was like they couldn't wake up! And..and..and then the person grabbed me and said in a really.." He sniffed. " In a really scary voice that if I told anyone he would...kidnap you!" This was a really elaborate story. I know that Chy watches some weird cartoons, but I don't think he could come up with this all on his own. I know it sounds crazy, but I kind of believe him! "Oh Bubba, don’t you worry about a thing! We will protect you." He gave me a sad smile.
I kept thinking about the scary story all night. I was especially frightened when I came out of dance class and saw a cloaked figure like the one Chyler described...He was walking around the park, which is right next to my dance studio. He kept glancing at the door, as if expecting a certain person to come out. I walked out keeping my eye on him, as he lifted his head once more. I squinted, trying to identify facial features, but he quickly bowed his head and walked away. Was he watching me? I hurried into the car. I couldn't help but notice the creepy smile he flashed as we passed him.

That was the last mysterious incidence I had encountered over the next few days, and then, something even more terrifying had happened. As I hopped out of the car after our drive home from school, I noticed a crisp white paper hanging on our front door. I sneakily made my way up to the porch and snatched the letter. The front of the letter had a maroon stamp, in a form of a star, with odd writing surrounding it. I couldn't tell what language it was, except for that it wasn’t English! I shoved it into my black jacket, hoping that no one had noticed the letter before. I hurried into the house and straight to my room. I shut the door quietly, my heart beating. I had an odd feeling that this letter was meant for me. My fingers trembled as I unfolded the paper. At first, it was blank. I turned it over, and back again, looking for any writing. A small, handwritten message written in a thick black ink started to appear. I suddenly dropped the letter in surprise.
I hastily picked it back up and started to read, “Your eyes don’t always speak the truth. For many this is true, but not for you. Trust your eyes and pay attention to the things that many can’t see, for you might find something that I dearly need. To ensure your family’s safety, I’d advise that you follow these instructions carefully. On the 31st of October, at a quarter to midnight, you will follow the light of the moon that will guide you to where I need you to wait. Heed my warning, and everything will be fine, indeed.”
Sincerely,
Les Créateurs  de Magique
Les Créateurs de Magique? After taking 7 years of French, I ought to know what that means. "Creators of Magic" I breathed. I shoved the letter into the very last pocket of my blue backpack. I had to keep this safe. A million thoughts poured into my head. Who are these people? Why do they want me? More importantly, what do I have that they want? I remembered the milk incident that had happened this morning. It was almost as if I had made it appear...I know it sounds crazy, but maybe it's true. The letter would make more sense if that was true. Maybe that's why they wanted me...because I can make magic? I scoffed at my thoughts. None of them made sense. None of this made sense. I decided to let it pass, instead of wasting more time thinking about it.
That's what I thought I'd be able to do, but I was wrong. I couldn't stop creating reasons why they would want me, but none of them seemed right. During the next few days I had noticed the same things happening as they day when I made the milk "appear". I had noticed it at school at first. My math teacher had started calling for our math homework. I suddenly realized that I had left it on the kitchen counter! I flipped through my folders just in case I forgot that I might've put it in there. I opened my math folder and saw the math homework appear long enough so that I could recognize it, but then faded away. The next day, I was really craving ice cream, and I actually felt it appear in my hand! Sadly, it disappeared as usual. After two days of practicing, I was able to usually make small things appear on command. During this whole time, I had kept this all secret. I hadn't even told my family. I had still decided that it was best not to, but I couldn't keep my secret much longer.

The next morning, I had decided that I was going to tell my best friend, Brydie. I met her at our locker, and while unloading my backpack, started with, “I need to tell you something important, but you can't tell anyone." She raised her eyebrows. "Why is this making you so nervous?" I avoided the question and led her outside, under a tree. The green leaves swayed, and we saw cars pass. I finally stated," I've been having some weird things happening to me lately.." Brydie gave me a puzzled look. I kept going. "Like...It's like..I can just make things..appear!" There, I said it. I then felt a sudden rush of embarrassment. I sounded completely crazy. She tilted her head, curious. "You mean like, you have a superpower?" "I guess you could call it that.." I mumbled. She probably doesn’t even know how to react to such a crazy statement. Suddenly, she grabbed my hand and whispered, "Come with me.." She led me back through the busy halls, past our locker, and into an empty classroom. She then pointed at the clock. "Watch this!" She gave me a mischievous smile. I was utterly confused!
She then pointed her hands towards the clock and made a circling motion. The hands started moving backwards and I saw through a glass window that it began to get darker outside. The halls emptied and it was soon just her and I in the school. I was shocked! "Y-you...have a "superpower" too?" She nodded her head excitedly. "I'm not the only one!" I smiled. It was better knowing that someone else was going through this too! We found empty desks sitting down side by side. "How do you think we got these...powers?" Brydie questioned. "I don’t know for sure...but I have an idea." She nodded. "I know it sounds weird, but my brother had told me about this man in a big cape coming into our house during the night." She tried to hold back her laughter. I rolled my eyes, saying, "I know, I know. It does sound crazy, but hold on. Anyways, Chyler had said that this figure had put some "green stuff" in Mom's smoothies. Then, you came over and we drank the smoothies. Ever since then, I've had this weird stuff happening to me." Brydie pondered about this for a minute. "Ok, I still think that's a little far-fetched. What if it was your parents? Maybe your Mom made our smoothies and had some kind of ingredient mix-up that led to a "magical"," she laughed, "combination that gave us our powers?" I giggled. "I know she isn't always the greatest cook, but that seems a little far-fetched as well." I suddenly remembered more evidence. "Oh! Right after Chyler had told me that story, I had to go to dance. But after dance, I noticed a figure that matched Chy's description and I was a little creeped out. It had seemed as if he was watching me.." Brydie's smile fell. "That is creepy. Maybe I should pay a little more attention of the people around me...and maybe I will see that guy too. After all, if he's watching you, shouldn't he be watching me, too?" I nodded. "That's a good plan. But, that's not all. After school, about a week ago, I noticed a letter hanging on our front door." I reached for my backpack and found the letter.
After Brydie had read the letter, her face went pale. "That's odd, I found a letter just like this one, but I didn't think it was for me. It was after the mailman had come, but I thought he had just dropped it." She started breathing fast. "What are we going to do? Are you going to follow their instructions? Do you think they will really hurt our families?" Her eyes got bigger and bigger. "Calm down, we'll be fine. I think we should do what the letter says, just to be safe. "

We prepared for the next week. It was almost Halloween and it was almost time to go to this mysterious place that the letter told us to go to. I was getting even more nervous as the time went on. I tried to strengthen my powers, because I figured it would come in handy. I'm still not sure what the letter meant by finding something that they might dearly need. I haven't found anything special that could be of use to anyone! Suddenly, my phone rang. It was Brydie.
I answered with, "Hey, are you ready? Halloween is in 2 days!" Her voice quivered. "I'm not sure..You really think we should do this?" I answered, unsure. "I-I think we have to. To protect our families." All of a sudden, our conversation was interrupted by a deep voice. " This is an important message from " Les Créateurs de Magique" Stay on the line to hear the message." I asked in a nervous tone, "Brydie, are you still there?" "Yeah.." She said nervously. A new voice entered the phone call, with an even deeper voice than the first. "You might need to know a little more before you make your way to our secret location. Just to clarify, you are to meet on the 31st of October, a quarter to midnight. The light of the moon will guide you to your destination, but in order for this to work; you have to be in a field, or park, alone. Make sure to stand together, stay together, or it might not work. If you are not there by midnight, the deal is off, and your families are in trouble." The line went dead.

The full moon shone on my face. Brydie's steps fell into rhythm with mine. It was finally time! We had pretended to go trick-or-treating at my house, to fool our parents, but instead, we made our way to the local park. It was already 7:30. We left early just to make sure we had enough time to make it there. We entered the park, illuminated by the moon. It was eerily silent! I felt the green grass move under my feet. We sat in the middle of the park, silent. It was too quiet for either of us to speak. Plus, we were too frightened. At last, right on time, the moon broke through a set of trees and it made a single beam of light. It shone on the ground, beckoning us forward. We glanced at each other, following the light. It led us down a few streets, we turned left and right. It felt like an eternity, just following the white beam. We entered a deserted field, where an old, red barn sat. Its red paint was peeling, showing the worn, brown wood underneath. The doors scratchily slid open, revealing a dim light. We entered inside, a putrid scent invading my nostrils. There was no one inside, but the doors slammed shut all the same. I stood next to Brydie, our shoulders touching.
We didn't dare say a word. Instantaneously, I was thrown to the ground with impeccable speed. A black cloth was thrown over my head. I started to scream, but, it was as if my vocal cords had snapped. I couldn’t mutter a single word. A wave of nausea hit me and everything suddenly went black.

We're back at this part again! Here we go...
I woke up in a dark place. My mouth was gagged and my hands were tied. My head throbbed. I couldn’t tell where I was. Suddenly, there was a faint bright light that was shining on my face. I heard a deep voice. "We found...them" "Them?" I thought. "There's someone else in here with me?" I felt someone seize my arm as the door to my prison slammed shut.
I tried to speak with my mouth gagged but it only came out muffled. "Hello?" I heard a weak and muffled voice back murmur, "It's me, Brydie." I flooded with relief. "Brydie! I didn’t know you where in here with me." I still couldn't see a thing. I opened my eyes, but I wasn’t met with a fabric inhibiting my vision. I just simply couldn’t see! I blindly crawled on a cold, hard floor. The arm that had seized me before pulled me closer. I sat next to Brydie, hearing her breathe ragged breaths.
After an estimated half an hour, I heard a distant voice. I sounded slurred and the words mushed together. I was instantaneously jerked forward onto my feet. I was roughly led out of the prison, at least I thought so. My vision had seemed to be coming back with each moment, but it was taking longer than I had hoped. The person guided me then pulled hard on my arm, bringing me down towards the ground. I heard another thud on the ground, and I thought it must have been Brydie. I heard heavy footsteps approaching. They suddenly stopped, and I heard a snapping sound. My vision returned instantly! My eyes burned when a blinding white light seeped into my vision. I was temporarily dazed. A few moments later, I heard a booming voice. "I see you have made it. A wise choice my dears." My vision cleared, and I saw an old man. His long beard was as white as snow, and his eyes as pale as ice. Still, his skin beamed and was free of wrinkles. It was an odd combination. We were located in a large room, with high ceilings, and the walls made of concrete.
I mustered up the courage to question, "What do you want from us?" With a weak, but steady voice. The old man raised an eyebrow, and dipped his head forward. "That's a very good question, my dear. But for now, I will be asking the questions." He paused. "First of all, we know that you both," he nodded towards Brydie and I. " Have powers, but when did you start noticing them?" Brydie stated "Right after we had both had that odd smoothie Cassie's Mom made us."
He drummed his fingers on his chin for a moment. "Interesting." He beckoned towards me. "And what power did you end up inheriting?" My eyes widened. "Well..Um..I can make things appear." I stammered. He chuckled. "Would you mind showing me then?" I noticed a large man behind me, who quickly untied my hands. I massaged my sore wrists. The old man said, "Try to make...a..." He thought for a minute. "Make a rose appear." I gave him a confused look. He nodded, motioning for me to start. I curled one hand into a fist, while leaving one open palm. I closed my eyes and imagined a beautiful red rose. I felt the large rose appear in the palm of my hand. The thorns pricked me as I turned the rose over. The old man clapped. "Bravo!"
He beckoned towards Brydie. "Now, show me what you can do." She looked unsure of herself. The same man who had let my hands loose also untied Brydie's hands. He walked over to a window that was covered with a dark cloth. He pulled it up, revealing the full moon. The old man stated, "Reverse time first, and then see if you can fast-forward it." She then closed her eyes and made the circling hand motions with her fist. We saw the sky get lighter and lighter as she turned her hands. She stopped, momentarily. Then we saw it get darker and darker again. He smiled, "Very good! Now, you must wonder why I brought you here. Now, it's time for me to explain." He motioned for us to sit down. " There has been an on-going experiment with certain children and their DNA. Only certain children can inherit powers like you have. Though, we still haven't figured out what causes it. You two, out of all of the children tested, have had the strongest powers. Even though we do not know what causes it completely, we have an idea why. First of all, it might be because both of you ladies are related to me. Suddenly, as if he was wearing a mask, his facial features changed. I instantly recognized who I was staring at! "Grandpa!" I yelled. He smiled brightly.

"Wait, how are we related?" Brydie motioned between her and I. My grandpa stated " You two have always been related, in fact, your mother is my daughter."He Motioned towards a figure that emerged from the shadows. Brydie's eyes widened. "Mom?" Her mom smiled. "Then my mom and your mom are related?" I asked Brydie. We both looked confused. They looked nothing alike. My grandpa explained, "Because of magic, their appearances were altered, so none of you would guess what happened." I questioned, "But what does this have to do with you wanting us? And the threats about our families?" My Grandpa looked a little embarrassed. "We had to make this seem like nothing your family would do. You couldn’t know that it was us." He paused. "We need you because you are the only two who are left who can practice magic." What? This is crazy! My parents emerged from the shadows as well. "Honey, we couldn't tell you until it was the right time." I suddenly remembered the odd story my brother told me. " Was the story that Chyler told really true, then?" My grandpa chuckled. "Of course not! We only made him dream that to confuse you. The man who followed you was only me the whole time, too!" I was relieved.
It all made sense, at least most of it did. I still had a thousand questions. I was too tired to think anymore, though. The morning sun started to rise, and we left the large room soon after. My parents silently drove home, as I drifted off to sleep. I dreamt about the whole night. During the whole dream, I was haunted with the question of "Why?" Why was I chosen to be this person? Why did this all involve my family? Why did I never know about this? I didn't wake up, even when we got home. I was in a very deep slumber, conjuring a million questions.