Me and Rachel were at the front steps of our suburban home, walking through the house deck and opening the door.

The whole time we were silent, knowing what we'd find.

Our father was inside, sitting on the couch, staring at the floor. He didn't acknowledge us.

"Hey, Dad..." Rachel said. Dad looked up with red eyes.

"You two should head to your rooms and do your homework. I'll... call you for lunch after I make some calls." Dad said.

"Actually, we don't have any homework." Rachel said. "It was basically an orientation sort of thing."

"Oh... then read a book or play video games. I don't know, just... whatever you usually do. Lunch is gonna arrive in half an hour. It's some pizza." Dad said, and then immediately went on his phone to end the discussion.

Rachel and I nodded and headed upstairs.

"Dad seems a lot more worried than we are." Rachel said.

"But it makes sense - he's been with her for longer than we have." I replied. Rachel sighed.

"I hope everything's okay..." She said, heading to her room. I headed into my own and closed the door behind me, flopping onto my bed.

For a while I was in that position, lost on what to do. But after a few minutes of laying on my bed, resting my chin on the pillow, I decided to get up and finally sort my bookshelf.

My bookshelf had been a mess from the moment I started using it - nonfiction and fiction books mixed together - novels and short stories sprawled around either horizontally or vertically - and some of them weren't even in the bookshelf! They were just on the ground, stacked next to it.

I put them in two sections, and sections inside those sections.

But then when I was holding a stack of books, I dropped one of them. I put away the stack and reached down to pick up the one that fell-

It glowed a brilliant white light and I got startled, lurching back and falling onto the floor.

I sat up and reached for the glowing book. When I touched it, for a split second I thought my hand was glowing too - but then the glow was gone and I assumed my magic had just activated because I was startled.

The book was called Secrets of Magic by... my mom?!

I just stared at it, my jaw dropped. Since when did my mom like writing books?! About magic, something she never had?! How would she know secrets of it?!

There was a sticky note on the cover, and something was written on it in Mom's handwriting:

Dear Lukas,

I wrote this book long before I met your father. I left it in your room because school is nearing, and since we haven't taught you any basics of magic, you might be left behind, along with your sister.

Unfortunately I only have one copy left, this one. So you and your sister should read this together, and practice. Not many people know about these secrets, so that is why you will excel and make me proud.

Stand tall in the face of hardships and never give up.

Love,

Your Mother

P.S. Your bookshelf is so messy! I'm not even sure you'll find this by the time school starts!

I chuckled at the P.S., but it was bittersweet.

Even when Mom isn't around, she still never fails to leave us with something special.

I opened the book to the first page, but it was blank. I flipped to the next page. Blank.

I was flipping through all of the pages, but all of them were the same. Blank.

"Come on, why are they all blank...?" I muttered to myself, frustrated.

My hands glowed and my eyes widened. The book flipped to the first page, which wasn't blank anymore.

It showed a moving  picture, like a gif image. Words were above and below it.

The image showed chaos - people using their Elemental magic in a panic, everyone scared and fleeing for their lives. Something I noticed was that they all wore medieval clothes, implying that it was during medieval times.

The title was: Chapter 1, The Six Heroes.

 The chapter talked all about how the world used to be in dark times - most Dark Elements were terrorizing everyone, and no one knew how to handle their magic.

But, six sages, from each Element, mastered their magic and sought out to stop the Dark Elements.

After the Dark Elements were kept in check, the Dark Master made sure they properly knew how to use their powers,  and to not let them commit any crimes.

The other Masters of Ice, Fire, Water, Nature, and Light - would teach their own Elementals to use their magic within reason, and just like that, a chaotic time had been turned into the most peaceful.

That peaceful time stretched out until the present time, thankfully.

I wasn't exactly sure why that time was important to discovering the secrets of magic, but whatever.

I read more and discovered the spells in the book were ancient and were the very same teachings of those sages who brought peace to the world.

Learning these spells would be a huge help in school, and would be extremely beneficial.

Coming to the realization that I couldn't just leave Mom's disappearance in the police's clammy hands, I studied every page closely, heading outside to the backyard to try out the spells.

Because I didn't care about getting good grades.

I cared about taking matters into my own hands and saving Mom with the skills I'll learn.

Shooting blasts of magic into the sky, changing handfuls of grass into apples, and changing the weather from cloudy skies to sunny rays was a cinch for me in just half an hour.

Dad called for lunch and I headed inside the house, picking up the spellbook and stuffing it in my big hoodie pocket.

A few minutes later, we were sitting at the dining table, eating some pasta together.

What was once a family of four was now a threesome. It pained my heart to see us like this. Then I remembered how crucial my magical training was and how it could help fix this, and quickly began to eat swiftly.

"So... I saw you using spells out in the backyard, Lukas! I'm glad you're using your time to focus on studies even without classes yet! It's a little weird how you're good after only a little practice..." Rachel said, eating a spoon of pasta.

"Yeah... I got a spellbook before, when I was excited for us to finally use our magic." I lied. Couldn't let them know it was from Mom. They'd know my true intentions immediately and would try to stop me. Can't let that happen.

But it seems it already did - Dad was staring daggers at me like he knew what I was planning. But he said nothing, making me feel tense.

"Ooh! Cool! Maybe I could take a peek, if you'll let me." Rachel said, beaming. I shrugged.

"Sure. Why not?" I said. It was fine if she came along - besides, I can't protect her all the time. She'll need to defend herself too.

I finished my food and headed out of the dining table, carrying my plate and utensils into the kitchen to wash them.

Then I went back to training, went to sleep, and then the next day came.

Me and Rachel got dressed and ate our breakfast, climbing aboard the bus and sitting down together.

For once since our mom disappeared, I was actually... smiling. Genuinely smiling.

*Time Skip*

We were sitting in class together, listening to Professor Deanne. I could tell Rachel was excited.

"Today, for our first class we'll be learning how to change a rock into a ruby. Start by visualizing a rock transforming into a ruby inside your head. It helps to focus. Then, concentrate on that visualization happening to the rock in front of you, holding your hands out to the rock." Professor Deanne said. "Your hands should glow and you'll feel a tingle, then the rock will..."

I stopped listening and just did it. I had studied a lot of attack and defense spells, but I thought that the school would start with something more easy for those who get pressured in combat, so I studied some metamorphosis spells too.

I thrust out my hands and the rock transformed almost instantaneously.

Everyone noticed the flash of light and gasped when they saw the ruby. Even Professor Deanne looked impressed.

"Seems like someone's getting ahead of themselves." The professor said, staring daggers at me. But then her face softened. "But then again, time waits for no one. So - chop chop! Get to work!"

I noticed lots of students failing, turning their rocks to other gems instead of rubies. Mostly sapphires. Sapphires were almost the same as rubies - save for their color - so it would be understandable as to why they accidentally turned the rocks into them.

My sister was one of them. Despite us practicing together, she couldn't quite get the hang of metamorphosis. Rachel looked really disappointed when she didn't do it right. It was unlike her to be so harsh with herself.

"Hey, you okay?" I asked her. She got a little startled.

"Oh! Yeah! I'm doing great! Why'd you ask?" Rachel said, smiling.

"Well, you looked a little sad so I thought... never mind." I said, looking away.

Ten minutes had passed and only one other person had managed to succeed. A girl with blonde hair and black clothes. She had hazel eyes and her expression was very... how do I say this... proud? Is that the right word? I'm just gonna say proud.

"Ugh... this is the worst class I've ever had to teach." Professor Deanne said. "Only two people can get this right. You're all disgraces."

I rolled my eyes.

"For those who were incompetent - homework. Master this metamorphosis spell or else you'll fall behind. Class dismissed." Professor Deanne.

Remembering yesterday, the rest of the students got out of class without shoving and pushing, much to the professor's delight.

Walking in the hallway with Rachel, she read out the class we were heading to.

"We just came from Metamorphosis class, so next we're going to have History Class with Professor Columbus! That guy who gave us a tour around the school yesterday!" Rachel said. "I wonder what events we'll learn about!"

"Yeah, I guess so." I said. Rachel gave me a weird look.

"Lukas, are you even listening to me? You gave me an invalid answer that implies you're not listening to me." Rachel said. She usually uses words that aren't casual when she's worried.

"Oh, sorry. I kinda zoned out for a bit." I said. It took me a few moments to remember what she said. "You were saying you're excited for History Class?"

"Yeah, I was. Anyway! What are your thoughts on it?" Rachel said. I shrugged.

"Eh. I can take it or leave it. I can't remember dates very well, but then again - it's interesting to see what stupid stuff our ancestors argued about. I mean, WWI was all about some guy dying... I think his name was Archduke Franz Ferdinand...? Yeah, and they got all angry about it and stuff, and their allies got caught up. Plus, they were all bloodthirsty anyway." I said.

Rachel blinked at me.

"What? You asked me the question, so I gave you the answer!" I said. Rachel just giggled. It was contagious and I chuckled a bit too.

"You silly - that's from that 'alternate timeline' you kept talking about. It was in one of your dreams. Speaking of which..." Rachel looked at me. "Do you still have dreams like that?"

I looked at the ground. "Yeah, I do. I keep seeing things talking about some disease called the corona virus. Everyone's in quarantine." I said, gagging. "I feel sorry for those guys."

"Anything else interesting...?" Rachel pressed.

"You sure you wanna know?"

"You saying that makes me want to know more."

"Come one - I don't want to tell you stuff about politics."

"Politics?! Ew. Gross. No thank you. Keep it to yourself. You must have been tortured with dreams riddled with those... politics. Blegh." Rachel said, gagging.

"It was so grueling..." I said.

"Anyway, back to history. Who knows what sort of things we'll learn?" She asked.

"Maybe we'll learn about the history of video games." I snickered.

"You know that'll never happen, you gamer." Rachel laughed.

"Says the weeb." I retorted, and we both giggled.

*Time Skip*

We were seated in History Class, one of the only joint classes that wasn't taught by the Headmaster - and was a normal school thing.

"Now, can anyone tell me what happened after Anne Boleyn was executed? Yes Cynthia?" Professor Columbus called.

That same girl with blonde hair and black clothes stood up. "Henry VIII had cleared the way to marry Seymour, of course." She said, her voice smooth.

"Excellent! Yes, Henry married his third wife, Seymour, in an attempt to get a male child..."

As Cynthia sat back down, she glanced at me coldly, and I instantly looked away. Yet, I felt her gaze was still fixed on me. In the corner of my eye, her expression seemed... intrigued.

Feeling uncomfortable, I tried to focus on the lesson, ignoring her.

"Now, I'll call out names to tell me how Jane died. Let's see... Rachel?"

"Jane Seymour died during childbirth." Rachel said.

"Correct! Now-" Professor Columbus was cut off from the bell. He sighed. "It's your break now. Head over to the cafeteria if you're hungry."

All of us stood up and left the room, still feeling Cynthia's intrigued stare on the back of my neck. Rachel noticed me being a little nervous.

"Hey, you okay? You look a little stiffer than usual." Rachel said.

"Oh, no, I'm fine!" I said, waving it off.

"Okay..." Rachel said. "Anyway, let's head to the cafeteria. Maybe we can find Candice there!"

Oh great. That girl again.

I don't trust her... she's the only Fire Element that's actually nice to us, which could mean that she's probably going to be up to something. Can't take any chances.

That same muscular Fire Element from before came up to us. Why this guy again?

"Look, we get it. You hate Dark Elements because you think we're evil and cause pain and misery for everyone - bla bla bla. But we do still have the right to eat. So step aside and let us pass." I said. This was a waste of time.

He just looked angrier.

"Listen here you twit!" He yelled, flames in his hands now. A Light Element girl with red hair quickly held him back.

"James, no! They're not worth your time." She said in her wispy voice.

"Chloe, they deserve it! They need a real pounding!" He said.

"Let life do the real pounding! That way you won't get in trouble or have any wrongdoings weighed on your shoulders!" Chloe said.

Rachel was gripping hard on my sleeve, trembling. James couldn't control himself and lunged at us, throwing fireballs.

I quickly made a barrier to protect us against his attacks, but since Fire Elements are strong against Dark Elements, the barrier was cracking despite all my practice.

Rachel was squirming, scared. I hated seeing her like that...

I reinforced the shield, but he never stopped punching. Chloe let out a burst of light, and it gave me a stinging pain just looking at. My shield evaporated and me and Rachel were both biting back our pain.

James stopped attacking us though. Chloe was frowning.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"Why are you apologizing? That was great! Do it again! They deserve it." James said. That just made me angrier.

"But... why? Did they ever attack you or do anything bad to you?" Chloe asked.

"YES! Weren't you listening when I told you yesterday?!" James said.

"No, I mean these two specifically. Not Dark Elements in general."

James sighed. "No, they didn't..."

"So stop attacking them. Resorting to violence means you're going to their level." Chloe said.

Although I was glad the fight was concluding, I was still annoyed by what she said. But, wanting to be a good brother for Rachel, I grabbed her hand and swiftly exited the tense area.

After arriving at the cafeteria, Rachel kept looking around for Candice while I went to get food for us.

I still don't trust that girl. She's too different from the others, she's too nice and kind and caring to us...

Realizing what that meant, I turned tomato red and kept my eyes on the floor, my eyes wide.

Feeling uncomfortable the whole time, I got the two trays of food and quickly hurried away to find Rachel.

But, looking at the sea of heads and the loud buzz of chatter, I couldn't seem to find her. I kept looking around for her, when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

I turned around to see a familiar blond haired girl from class.

"What do you need, Cynthia?" I asked her.

"Just an introduction. You already know my name, so it'd be fair if I knew yours." She said.

Both of us stared the other down with cold glares.

At that moment, in the corner of my eye, I caught Rachel sitting at a table. I needed to end this quickly...

"Okay, well I'm Lukas. Now that that's out of the way, I need to get going-" I said, trying to walk away, but she grabbed my wrist.

"Ending our chat so soon? Did something come up?" Cynthia asked. I glared at her.

"Why do you care?" I asked, prying her fingers off me.

"Oh, no reason." Cynthia said, giving me a sly grin as I walked away form her.

It certainly didn't seem like it...

Walking away from her, I felt a burning feeling in the pit of my stomach, telling me something was up with her.

Something terribly wrong.