Serena Cage: Chapter Two: Part One

Chapter Two
I awoke in the bedroom that Myrie had given me. I looked around, momentarily forgetting what had happened the day before. Then it all hit me. Myrie had said that I, Serena Cage, a humble girl from a non-magical family, was probably the most powerful Magic in five hundred years. I gasped for air, unable to breathe. Surely not me…. I decided then and there that Myrie had lied to me. Perhaps she could gain something by lying to me. Maybe I couldn’t even do magic, and Myrie would get money or something from me. That’s it! I thought. It is about money! The thousand dollars that Mom and Dad gave to her was for nothing. My “ring” is a fake. That Richard guy knows this. He gets some of the money too! My thoughts were broken by a call from downstairs.
“Serena,” the voice – Myrie's voice – said. “Start getting ready. I shall have breakfast ready in an hour.” I couldn’t figure out why I needed an hour to get dressed. I figured that Myrie wanted me to bathe, so I started to fill the tub.

After my bath, I dressed and combed my hair into a bun. I had decided to ask Myrie if I was a real Magic, and if Myrie said yes, I would ask for proof. Real, true proof. Sure, I had caused the scorch mark and the parakeet at the ring store yesterday, but that might have been a trick also. I had to be sure.
“Myrie,” I said, nervously tiptoeing into the kitchen. Myrie stood over the stove, stirring something in a pot. She had said that food tasted better without help from magic. “Am I really a Magic?” I sat down at the table. It was small. Only four people could fit at it comfortably. It surely wasn’t a good table for dinner parties… I ordered my mind to stay focused.
“Yes, of course,” Myrie said, chuckling. “I doubted that I was a Magic when I was first told. I came from a non-magical family just like you did. And let me guess, you want proof that you’re actually a Magic.”
“That would be right,” I said weakly.
“Too bad for you, then,” Myrie said. “You’ll just have to trust me. I will let you go home if you want, but the ring is not returnable. I don’t think your parents would like it if you just wasted over half of the money they gave me. So, my suggestion is that you stay and don’t throw this opportunity away.”
So I can’t do anything else but trust her, I thought, frowning. I knew that my parents would be very angry if I “threw this opportunity away”, as Myrie had said.
“By the way, Serena, you have your ring on the wrong hand. It always goes on your left hand. All Magics are left-handed.”
“Oh,” I mumbled, moving the ring to my left hand.
“Now let’s eat,” Myrie said happily. She put a delicious-looking meal on the table. There were pancakes, oatmeal, egg whites, and various fruits. I liked all of these foods. I filled the plate that appeared in front of me and began to eat quietly.
“We will start your training after breakfast, okay?” Myrie asked me.
“That’ll work.” I put all my attention on eating slowly. For some inexplicable reason, I somehow didn’t want to start to practice magic. Maybe I was just scared of not being a Magic, so I wanted to postpone the disappointment. Or perhaps I didn’t even want to be a Magic. They did live very dangerous lives; they were always battling evil creatures or fighting amongst themselves. I knew that I couldn’t live a peaceful life as a Magic.
“Come on, dear, eat faster. You have a responsibility as a Magic to protect the inhabitants of this world. If you don’t do magic, you could be arrested. The leading Magics know about your power.” Myrie's words surprised me. Once again, I had the disturbing thought that Myrie could read my mind.
Deciding that I would take my chances as a Magic, instead of being arrested, I finished my meal quickly.
` “That’s better,” Myrie said, magically clearing the table and washing the dishes. As the clean dishes flew to their proper place, she turned to my. “Let’s go into the study.” I was about to ask where the study was, but Myrie was already out of the kitchen.
The study was a medium-sized room with ceiling-to-floor bookshelves that were crammed with books. I guessed, correctly, that most of the books were about magic. A wooden desk and chair sat in a corner. The rest of the room consisted of comfy overstuffed chairs and side tables. Soft, warm light filled the room. I thought that the room would be a good place to spend cold, rainy days.
“Come over here,” Myrie said, bending over an open trunk. I walked over and tried to peer into the trunk. “Here it is,” Myrie said, holding up a paper-wrapped object. As Myrie carefully peeled away the paper, I saw a glimpse of the hidden object, but I was unable to decipher what it was.
Myrie finished unwrapping the thing. It looked like a blob of liquid light. It swirled and bubbled, glimmering. The odd little object oozed between Myrie's fingers, much like mud, yet never seeming to fall apart at all. The glow emitting from the thing was harsh, yet at the same time soothing. I glanced at Myrie confusedly.
“What is that thing?” I asked.
“This is a poithenus,” Myrie said, which simply confused me more. I was relieved when Myrie explained. “This thing can tell you about anything, if you know how to ask it properly. It is a sort of pet, really, and like all pets poithenuses come in many different shapes, sizes, and colors. It is an actual animal, even though it never eats, drinks, or even moves. Yet, like all animals, you must show one love and compassion to get what you want from it. I have had little Benni here for years. Watch this.”
Myrie held the thing up to her face and whispered something into it. I was surprised when it pulsated, changing colors and swirling differently. Seemingly, Myrie got what she wanted form Benni. She looked up at me and smiled.
“See? Isn’t he just wonderful!” I didn’t get what was supposedly wonderful about the poithenus. In fact, I thought that Myrie was playing a joke on me.
“Of course, you wouldn’t have heard him, but certainly you saw the change in his appearance. Only the person holding the poithenus can hear it. We shall have to get you one of your own, but for now Benni will have to do. Here, take him.” Myrie handed the poithenus to me. The poithenus was very light, I noticed. It was unusually soft and warm, surprising me; I had thought that it probably felt like mud, cold and gravelly. A small voice appeared in my head.
“Hello, you are Serena. I like you. You seem very nice,” the voice was saying “I wish you were my owner instead of Myrie. I can tell that you would take me everywhere you went, instead of locking me in a dark box all the time.” I smiled, enjoying the blob’s compliments.
“I can tell he’s talking to you,” Myrie said happily. “What is he saying?”
I hesitated for a moment, deciding whether to tell Myrie that her poithenus wished that she wasn’t his owner, then decided against it. “He said he likes me,” I said simply. “And he said that I seemed nice.”
“Much like him, the little darling,” Myrie chortled. “Now ask him something, anything.”
I thought for a moment, then whispered into the blob that was Benni. “Will I be happy as a magic?”
“That all depends,” Benni answered simply. I was baffled. What did he mean? It all depends… what did that mean? What did it depend on? My thoughts were interrupted by Myrie.
“Did he answer?” Myrie asked.
“Yes, he did,” I said. I tried to sound as if I had understood Benni, even though I hadn’t.
“I won’t ask you about your question or Benni’s answer,” Myrie said, to my great relief. “I think that should be personal, private. You will also like to know that poithenuses can only tell the truth. They never lie. We need to go shopping for some other things for you,” Myrie then said, with a look like she was mentally noting that.
“But we went shopping last night,” I said.
“Well, you need other things for… a trip.” I questioned Myrie about this trip, but Myrie wouldn’t talk about it. Instead, she stood up and went over to a bookcase.
She pulled a few books off of different shelves. Handing these to me, Myrie said, “You’ll need these. They are books about magic, spells, mystical creatures, other lands, etc. you may keep them. Don’t worry about how old they are. My great, great grandmother put a protective spell on them, thankfully.”
I glanced down at the books. They looked old and worn, with beautiful patterned and colored covers. They were probably from other lands, I guessed.
“I won’t be able to teach you every single spell there is. I just have to teach you to use a spell, and you can learn everything else from those books. That is why I gave them to you. You’ll find that a magic’s life is very busy. Many things are expected of us.” Myrie was silent for a moment. Then she simply stood up and left.
I started to read the first book. The title page read Magic Creatures: Where They Live and What They Do. I flipped to the table of contents. “Chapter One: Animals of the Plains.” That caught my attention. What magical creatures lived in my homeland? The introduction was simple.
“This book deals with the magical creatures of our wonderful planet. It also states their important and helpful powers. The animals are grouped according to the side of the planet that they are found naturally in. we hope that this book is helpful to you in many ways.”
The next page read: “Chapter One: Animals of the Plains
“There are few magical creatures that are native to the plains. That doesn’t mean that the creatures that live there naturally the least useful; in fact, these very creatures are among the most useful magical creatures known. A few of the creatures discussed here are the poithenus, the Marten Unicorn, the Ghastly Mongel, and the Lopsided Mistzy.”
I read and read for hours. “Serena, come down, we are leaving!” Myrie's voice startled me. I had heard nothing from her since she had left the library.