ariannawriter-blog

[ariannawriter-blog]

Here's my schedule of posting other parts of my story: Once in two weeks, either on Saturday or Sunday.

Yes. I know this thing is for quotes, but I like using it as an announcement post.

[ariannawriter-blog]

Mark Albert’s Secret Spellbook - Chapter One (part 1)

Chapter One

The Cat's out of the bag 

Twitter: @AriannaWriter

     I am Mark. Mark Albert. I was born on March 5th 1999. My story isn't quite a normal one. I was born a wizard in the Spell Valley, the capital of The Fantasy World. There are a lot creatures unknown by humans; vampires, werewolves, pegasuses, fairies... but I grew up among humans. When I was 3, my father died while traveling through a portal, and on my fifth birthday, my mother left without a trace. She only left behind a goodbye letter. She never mentioned why she left me or where she was going. I grew up with my Aunt, Sapphire and her brown cat, Kat, in Brooklyn. I went to school like a normal kid, I made friends, I pretty much had a normal human life. But it all felt fake. I was different and I couldn't tell anyone my secret, not even to Jimmy, my best friend. My aunt worked as a surgeon, so we had a very solid financial situation. On the weekends, she would bring me to The Fantasy World to train and improve my magic. She wants me to become The Greatest, which is the most powerful wizard in that world. I never bothered too much. I didn't care about my magic. All I wanted to do was find out how my father died and why and where my mother went. When I was sixteen, I decided to move out alone in a small apartment in the center of Brooklyn. I got a part-time job as a bartender. I didn't make much money, but it was enough to live a normal life. Also, my aunt was bringing me money every month for my studies. When she came to my apartment to bring me the money, she came with Kat. Kat was always a weird cat. She never left the house and when I came near her, she would just keep staring at me. But cats are cats, and cats are weird.

May 3rd 2018

     I am running. A second feels like an eternity. Everything is moving in slow-motion. I stopped. I look around and everywhere is destruction. Burning houses, falling trees, families running with their children in their arms. A massive storm is after them. The gray clouds are now darker. Strikes of lightning are destroying the houses. I use my magic to make a shield around the citizens. But everything feels familiar. It's almost like it happened before. I feel like I know that town. I hear a scared voice:

     "Mark, where are you?!"

     Before I could turn around I open my eyes and I look around. I'm in my bedroom. It's half past six. I'm already late for work. I go to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. I look in the mirror, when I hear a loud knock on the entrance door. I slightly open the door. A tall and slim figure pushes it and enters the apartment.

     "C'mon, Mark! We should have been at work by now. Did you have one of those dreams again?"

     It's my best friend, Jimmy Swift, tall, slim and blonde. He also works at the same bar I work for. He's not a bartender, he only tells jokes there. People actually like his jokes and he's well paid.

     "Yeah, I've been having them a lot lately."

I answer.

     It's sad that I can't tell him everything about me. He knows a fake story of my life. I told him that I was abandoned by my parents and raised by my aunt, Isabelle. She doesn't use her real name in the humans world. I wish that one day I could reveal myself to him.

     A loud "meow" comes from my back. It's Kat - the weird cat. I now remembered that my Aunt is out of town this week and I have to take care of the "Weirdo". Really suspicious, given that she never leaves town, except for the weekends in The Fantasy World. But that only happens during the weekends, which makes it even more suspicious. I don't do that anymore. My spells are advanced enough to help me find my mother and defend myself. I just need backup to support me.

     "And who's that little guy? Hello kitty!"

     "Oh, she's my Aunt's cat, Kat."

     "What an ironic name... anyways, Mark, you need to hurry, we're already late for work, and I don't want to be fired because of you.

     "Right, but first I need to feed the cat."

     "Of course you do."

he says obviously pissed.

     I went to the kitchen and fed Kat, then I put my brown leather jacket on and I leave the apartment with Jimmy. On my way to work I have a weird feeling about him. He never comes to my apartment to go together to work.

     "Mark, we should go this way, I found a shortcut to the bar."

he says as he points to the opposite direction of the bar.

     "Jimmy, are you okay? It feels like you're not yourself today... What's wrong?"

I ask perplexed.

     "I'm fine."

he says with a fake smile on his face.

     As he turns his head around, a bright glow almost blinds me. It's his hair. A small strand, almost hidden in his blonde hair, was coloured bright orange. I follow him on the shortcut.

     "You've colored your hair. Why only one strand?"

     He stops for a second. He growls silently and then he continues walking.

     "Jimmy! I asked you something!"

, I say impatiently.

     This time he didn't react at all. He kept walking towards the bar and so did I. As we were getting closer to an empty, unknown place in Brooklyn, he stopped and stared at me for a few seconds.

     "Jimmy, are you okay? You can skip work for today, you know? I can talk this through with the boss if you're not feeling like working today."

     He grabbed my wrist really tight and stared right into my eyes with a striking look. I didn't know what was happening to my best friend, so I pulled my hand back and started yelling at him.

     "Jimmy, what is happening?"

     He didn't hesitate this time. He grabbed my wrist again and pushed me towards the wall. From his jeans' back pocket, he took out a sharp knife and pointed it to my face. I was in shock. His eyes turned dark yellow and he smiled evilly.

     "Don't worry, dear friend - it will only hurt for a split second, and then, your pretty face will be gone forever."

he says.

     "W-what the heck, Mark? This isn't you, come back to normal."

     "Oh, this is me. The REAL me. And you will never change me, Albert."

     He never called me by my cognomen, so I immediately knew that something was wrong. His eyes were getting brighter as I nervously stared into his eyes, and eventually turned back to green after a few seconds. What he didn't know was that as he stared into my eyes, I was mumbling an exorcism spell. If he wasn't possessed, then his soul would have left his body, and I knew the risks, but even if I wasn't sure about him being possessed, I still acted without thinking. I should have thought about it more. But what if I didn't act at that time? I would've been dead by now. I guess I make the right decision, casting the spell on him and saving myself.

     "What happened? Where are we?"

he asks.

     "Oh, I -

I couldn't tell him the truth, so I hid it -

I wanted to try this shortcut I heard about. But, oh Lord, look at the time! We're late for work... I guess we're gonna get fired.... again."

     "I guess we'll find a new job together then. But why do I have a knife in my hand and why can't I remember anything? I don't even remember why I am walking to work with you."

     "Ummm... uh... You slipped and hit your head very hard. You're fine now, don't worry."

     "Yeah, but that doesn't explain the knife."

     "What knife? I see no knife,,,"

     "This knife, Mark!"

     "Oh, yeah, that...um... on our way to work you found a knife shop and you decided to buy one for that meat you wanted to cook for tonight."

     "Oh, I guess it does make sense, after all."

     Phew. I got away with that. I hope I won't have to explain this ever again.

     "Mark! Hey Mark!"

I hear a voice.

To be continued...