It was like someone had rubbed their hand on a balloon and fuzzy carpet and tapped me directly on the stomach. Electricity fired up my lungs and I choked, spitting out drool and wheezing. I bolted upright and tumbled off of the bed and hit the ground harshly. Coughing, I gawked at my surroundings through the curtain of dark brown hair.

   The room was incredibly small and would have felt cramped, if not for the decorations. The decor was minimal, but it got the point across. The walls, floor, and ceiling was made of dark, stained wood. One wall had a door with a golden handle. A large window sat on the opposite wall, covered in dark red curtains. The remaining wall was a bookshelf and covered with dozens of different-colored books.

   The bed sat on a dark blue rug. I pushed my hair out of my face and scrutinized the room, brow creasing. How the heck did I get here? The last I remembered, I'd been arguing with a bunch of nutjobs. And Dad. Sitting upright, I glanced at my arm and cursed when I saw the black ink. So I hadn't been dreaming. How'd I get here?

   Getting up, I approached the door. The first door opened into a small bathroom. I was about to enter and try to find something useful when the other door creaked. I spun around to see it open by itself. It opened into a small hallway that led into another room. Warily, I wished I had something to defend myself with. I stepped forward and peered around the corner.

   The hall became a large room, sectioned off with the back of a couch. One side was a small kitchenette and the other a living room. A small table was behind the counter with a few books scattered across the surface. The tall guy -- Alexie? -- sat there and seemed to be sifting through the books. He clearly knew I was there, since he said, "Eat, and then we will begin."

   I crossed my arms defensively. "Where am I?"

   He didn't answer. I clenched my jaw. "Look, I don't know who you are, but I'm fairly sure that I did not agree to come wherever the heck this is. And that's kidnapping, in case you didn't know."

   "Are you going to eat anything?"

   "What? No," I wrinkled my nose. Whatever's in there is probably poisoned, at this rate. 

   "Then we will begin." He stood up and tucked one of the books under his arm. He entered the opposite hall and left me standing there, gawking. I scowled, mentally debated, and reluctantly followed after him. The hall led to some stairs up into an attic. The ceiling was shaped as the roof and a small window peeked out. A desk sat nearby, bare of any papers or anything much at all.

   Alexie turned, hands clasped behind his back. "It is easy to be confused right now. However, it is time for you to forget everything you thought you knew."

   My eyebrow arched. "I mean, we all know high school is a scam and practically a teenager babysitting deal, but that's a bit of a stretch."

   He wasn't amused. He cocked his head, pale eyes boring into my skull. His salt-and-pepper (mostly salt) hair was chopped short and cast a small shadow on his forehead. "I fail to see how a human school could be remotely useful to you."

   "Human?"

   His eye sparkled with something I didn't like. "That's right."

   "You make it sound like you're not," I said suspiciously.

   "We're human, but a special kind."

   "We?"

    He nodded. "We."

   I snorted and shook my head. "You're losing me, Icicle."

   "Then I shall give it to you straight." Alexie set the book on the desk deliberately, then stepped near the door and grasped the handle. "Magic is real. And you're part of the community of magicks, a race capable of wielding the magic to our own purposes. Your task for today is find where you fall in our ranks. Only then will you be let out."

   I snorted. "Sure it is." Then what else he'd said hit me. "And what do you mean, let out?"

   The door clicked shut after him. I cursed and tried the handle. It didn't budge, proving it'd been locked. My teeth ground and I shouted through it, "This is absolutely kidnapping, you psycho!"

   No response. Glowering, I fished through my pony-tail and located the two pins I used to keep stray hairs back. I sat down and worked both into the keyhole, tongue caught between my teeth. I ain't some helpless teenager, mister. Like I'm gonna sit around and pretend--

   The door was seconds away from unlocking when it rattled in its frame. My head snapped up in time to see the white stick sail straight through the wood and slam into my chest with the force of a horse's kick. I was sent skidding across the floor until my back hit the wall. Stars danced in my vision and I groaned, rubbing where I'd been hit. "What the hell?"

   Rolling upright, I realized the pins were gone. My mind spun as I scanned the floor for them and finally located them both. What just happened? I was seeing things. I had to be. Shaking my head, I convinced myself that I was just tired. I stuck the pins back in the lock and saw the white spike too late. I hit the wall for the second time and felt a sinking in my stomach.

   There's literally nothing here. That stuff is coming out of no where and knows exactly when I've almost finished. That can't be possible. Can't be. Denial banged on the inside of my skull. Cautiously, I tried the lock again. This time I saw the white coming and ducked out of the way. Instead something caught my ankle and flung me away that way instead.

   I gritted my teeth. Whatever it is, it's pissing me off. I wasn't making any headway. I tried the window, but it was firmly locked shut. I was trapped.

   "It is time for you to forget everything you thought you knew."

   I felt cold. He was kidding, right? Magic wasn't real. I'd seen all those movies. But it was just that -- movies. Fake. Magic didn't exist. It couldn't.

   Unbidden, my eyes landed on the black ink around my arm. The memory of the skin bubbling like boiling water while I was in that pain made me grimace. How do I explain that, then? And the unnatural fire. And how Dad was talking . . . I shook my head. I was thinking crazy things. Yet I couldn't think of another way to explain what I'd seen.

   I got up and glanced at the door. If Alexie had been responsible for the white stuff in the alley, then he was what was blocking me. I had to get past him. And get home. I looked toward the book he had set on the desk. I picked up the grey book. 'Neutrals Theory by Jesse Burt.'  Wasn't that guy some hotshot Senator? Eyebrows furrowed, I flipped to a random page. 'It is theorized that the wood from the Ghost Realm acts as an amplifier for the magick to access their respective magic or as a gateway to tap into the magic that has been infused into the wood for several centuries. This could be why old wood is the only kind that suffices for our purposes.' 

   I slammed the book shut. "No way. I'm crazy. This is not happening."

   Then, like a kid sneaking candy from a jar, I hesitantly opened to one of the first pages. 'Each type of neutral uses their magic differently. The first category are wizards. Their power can access anything without a life force surrounding it. The humans call it telekinesis. Wizards are able to move items with nothing but their will. This makes them the best to remain in human cities because of the easy access to the power.'

   So the movies had it wrong, apparently. 

   'Witches hold the second category. In contrast to wizards, witches use the magic from life sources. They can amplify and manipulate that power to their will. They can cause faster growth in flora or subdue a wild fauna. Witches tend to remain in the wilderness because of this.'

   Witch. I wanted to snort. Instead I remembered how Dad had referenced something like that. He had said my mother was a witch, hadn't he? I looked around the room and saw a very small potted plant on the windowsill. Feeling like an utter idiot, I glared at it and waited to see if it would explode into flames or wave or something. A few minutes passed and I scoffed to myself, shaking my head. "Idiot." This whole thing was making me feel stupid.

   The chapter wasn't finished. I kept reading. 'The third category are mages. Mages are the in-between of wizards and witches. Instead of using other objects to access magic, they pull magic directly from the source. (Whatever the source may be.) Unlike the other two, a mage's magic manifests in a color specific to each caster. It can be described as shapeless fog or misty objects, depending on the spell cast.' 

   Shapeless fog or misty objects . . .  I glanced snidely at the door. So Alexie was one of these. I honestly can't believe I'm considering this. A mage. I couldn't be one of those. I would've known if I could make that stuff appear at will. The last paragraph said, 'The final category are seers. Instead of being able to control magic through a gateway, they become the gateway. Each seer is different but all have visions or feelings controlled by magic. Each seer is identified through a marking on their right wrist.'

   So that wasn't an option, either. My right wrist was bare. I groaned and sat my head against the wall. My stomach rumbled hungrily and I knew I probably should have taken Alexie up on grabbing a bite to eat. Even if it was poisoned. I closed my eyes and rubbed my forehead, exhaling. 

   After some time, I realized I'd dozed off. A bee seemed to be buzzing by my ear. I swatted at it, realized I was inside, and cracked an eye open. The buzzing disappeared. Well, "buzzing" was generous. It was more like a humming. Squinting, I closed my eyes and waited. Once I had begun to doze again, it returned. This time I felt the vibrations rather than heard them.

   Suspicious, I honed in on it. My hands warmed up slightly. The vibrations hummed through my fingers and faded as they went up my arms. Something tickled my hand and I cracked an eye open, annoyed. Then I yelped.

   It looked like my hands were doused with blood. Crimson covered them. Then I realized the crimson was see-through and looked like a flowing fabric. Ribbons and tendrils spun around my fingers. Whenever the red hit my skin, golden sparks flew and caused the tickling I'd felt earlier. But as soon as I got a good look, it all disappeared.

   Nuh uh. Wait a hot minute. I shook one hand out, astonished. Nothing happened. Was I hallucinating? My hands were tingling, like they'd fallen asleep. I flexed my fingers and shut my eyes. My mind raced and I wrestled with it to calm down. Slowly, the vibrating returned. I peered at it through one eye.

   It was back. The red color spun around my hands in ribbons. I attempted to try and grab one, but it vanished as soon as I moved. I swore aloud. Ten minutes later and I had brought it back. Hesitantly, I swatted my arm at the leg of the nearby desk. Once the red connected, golden sparks flew and the desk rattled. So whatever this is can touch stuff... My eyes slid to the door.

   The red disappeared as I stood up. Sweat beaded across my forehead and I gritted my teeth. It took another bit of time to bring it back. Another three tries later and I managed to concentrate enough to swing my fist at the door, wreathed in red. Pain exploded up my arm and I yelped, cradling it. The door had rattled dangerously, but didn't break open. I cursed and looked at my knuckles -- they were already swelling up.

   Crap. That's not going to work. I glowered at the door, willing it to open. When it refused to obey, I kicked it and cursed at my throbbing toes. Disgruntled, I tried twisting the door handle and saw the flash of white coming. Yelping, I threw my hands up and the white connected with the scarlet. Sparks exploded and I braced to hit the wall. Instead, I only stumbled.

   If this were a cartoon, a light bulb would have gone off above my head. "Yes, queen!" My lips curled into a smirk. "So whatever this is can block that white stuff, huh?"

   Moments later and I sat crouched in front of the door. Sweat beaded across my forehead as scarlet circled my hands and I worked the pins into the keyhole. It was the hardest thing I'd ever done. Every time I lost my focus, the color vanished. Then I had to wait to focus and get it back. Then I'd work with the pins again and inevitably lose focus.

   Finally, I heard the lock click. White rushed under the door and I lunged, grabbing it with both hands. It connected and I prepared to chuck the the stuff away when I belatedly realized that the scarlet was gone. I flew across the room and rolled into the wall with a groan. Anger surged in my blood. "Okay, now I'm getting pissed." 

   Clenching my jaw, I crouched in front of the door, summoned the crimson, and stuck the pins in the lock. The lock clicked and I sensed the white as it came, this time. I twisted the knob and knocked aside the white stuff, wrenching the door open and throwing myself out. My body tumbled down the stairs until I sprawled on the small landing. 

   Alexie sat in a chair against the wall, a book in his hand. He looked up calmly, his face impassive. I got to my feet, chest heaving, but my words caught on my tongue. What was I supposed to say? He'd locked me in an attic until I was forced to accept the fact that he couldn't have been lying earlier. My nails dug into my palms.

   "Not bad," he finally said. "I had assumed you would have given up by now."

   I glared viciously at him, a war pounding in my head. "Seriously?"

   His head cocked. "Tell me, Roxie Reilly, what you are."

   My lip curled slightly and I wished looks could kill. "The weird one. The third in the book."

   "You manipulated common magic to your will," he agreed quietly. "That makes you a mage, unlike your parents."

   "What?"

   "That is all for today." He closed the book softly. He got up and headed down the stairs to the main house. I followed after him, frustrated. "Wait a minute, you can't just walk away like that!"

   He ignored me. I growled and lifted a hand. "You know what? I'm done with this. You've freaking kidnapped me and now confused my version of reality. I'm not putting up with this crap."

   Back in the room, I threw open the closet door and found my backpack. Slinging it across my shoulders, I stamped into the main room and yanked open the front door. A forest greeted me, tall trees reaching to the sky. Mountains dotted the distance. A faint path led into the trees. I was about to take a step when Alexie remarked softly, "I wouldn't do that, if I were you."

   I glared at him over my shoulder. "And why not?" I challenged.

  "You do not understand your situation." Alexie glanced over, turning in his chair to face me. My foot hovered above the grass outside. "Once you leave, you have turned your back on the world. Our world. For good."

   "I don't want anything to do with this!" I fired at him. "This is all way over my head. I'm good being a nice -- or not so nice -- regular person. My life was fine until you came in and screwed it up."

   "Be that as it may, you mustn't leave until you fully understand." He folded his hands and reminded me of an angry principal. "Your mother made the same decision. She chose to leave our world."

   I hated to admit it, but my curiosity peeked its head up. I narrowed my eyes. "What has my dead mother got to do with anything?" And how does he know her?

   "Because as you say, she is dead."

   "And that's got to do with this conversation, why?"

   Alexie tilted his head slowly to the side. "When you were in there, trying to find the way out, you tapped into the magic. You felt it. Its power. It is like a liquid -- constantly shifting to find an equilibrium. It needs pathways to exert power through. Magicks are those pathways. We are the way for magic to release pressure and find equilibrium."

   He was dodging my question. I exhaled hard. He continued, "You have opened the metaphorical door within your self that allows you to become a pathway. In essence, you have opened a door in the dam. If you were to shut it off, the consequences would be fatal."

   "Wait, consequences? For what?"

   "Magic must use a quota of magic, or risk imploding," he replied shortly. "Now that you have awakened your potential, you must use your quota. Either that, or suffer the same fate that your mother did."

   My lips parted slightly. "You're saying magic killed my mom."

   He nodded.

   "And if I leave, the same will happen to me?"

   "Without a doubt. You have her blood and her potential. If you were to shove it away, your body would implode from the overload of magic energy. With your level of ability, you would also likely take a few people around you along. Not only would you die, but several around you."

   An idea lit up my head. An out. "And what's to stop me from going home and using this quota on my own? Then I still wouldn't have to deal with any of this stuff." I smirked internally, knowing I'd caught him.

   Alexie held up two fingers. "Two reasons. One, it would not work. A mage requires honing and training to learn how to use their power in the proper way. The apprentice-master system has existed since the birth of magicks for good reason. Two, even if you managed to survive on your own, you bear the mark of a dark mage."

   I instinctively looked down at my arm. Alexie nodded as I glanced up, confused. "Dani Darhk was captured. However, you bear the link as her source. On the off chance that she escapes, she will be heading straight for you. And you will be chained to her as a source for the rest of her life, or she will simply kill you and your loved ones for the fun of it. Without my help, you will be a sitting duck. You will die."

   "That's nice," I muttered, but the ink on my arm suddenly felt like a shackle. I rubbed it subconsciously. "So either way, a bunch of people and I die. No matter what."

   He nodded slowly.

   "Well, ain't that cheerful!" I groaned. "I guess I don't have much a choice, huh?"