(Hey guys! Just wanted to let you know that this piece of writing was something that I wrote over 3 years ago, back when I was obsessed with a YouTube series. I will warn you, it is slightly cringe-y, but I do hope you enjoy.)

The Amulet of Flame seeks someone with the boldness and strength to wield its power... one who has been marked for a powerful destiny. It hides itself from the eyes of the unworthy by cloaking its glow in the shadows, waiting to be found by the one who has been foretold. Only then will it reveal itself and begin to glow amber, for it knows that the Chosen One is close to her destiny.

The fire blazes blue and yellow in a ring that completely encircles me! Yet, I feel no heat and smell no smoke! I started the afternoon in the basement of the school looking for props for a play and now I am watching flames dance around me like flowers swaying in the wind. I am freaking out of my mind! Feeling myself about to pass out, I close my eyes and slowly ease my breathing and steady my heartbeat. Soon, I feel calmer and I slowly open my eyes. The ring of dancing fire is gone. No smoke lingers. No traces of fire burning the cold, smooth, stone floor. It was like the ring of fire was never there. I'm starting to think that I am imagining things. The only sane thing I can think to do right now is to call one of my friends to help me out of this moldy basement. When I turn on the phone, I stare at the time in disbelief. The time is almost midnight! There is no way that it's midnight!!! I came down here at 4:00 in the afternoon. There is no way that I have been down here for 6 hours!

"Now how am I going to get out of here?" I think to myself. Nobody will be awake at this time. My friends are asleep in their beds with no idea where I am. It will never occur to them that I am in a basement at the high school. I will be down here for who knows how long if they do not hear my call. Besides, how do I explain the events that transpired this evening to them when I don't understand them myself. Climbing up the stairs to the basement door with these thoughts in mind, I twist the doorknob. To my relief, it's unlocked. I slip out of the basement door and jog to the entrance of the school, only realizing those doors are locked once I tried to swing them open. I run to the English home room and unlock the old window and squeeze myself outside. Breathing in the fresh air, I start my way to my house.

I start to think about the events in the basement on the way home. The only reason I was in the basement was to grab props for the school play. I spotted a necklace that seemed to glow as it sat in the corner of a dusty box of props at the back of the basement. Draping the necklace over my neck, I heard what I thought was the door being locked. Terrified of being locked in the old basement, I felt myself becoming scared and dizzy. That is when I lost track of time. That is when I awoke with the fire dancing around me.

As my mind moves back over the events in the basement, I remember that I put the necklace around my neck. I reach up to make sure that it's still secure. For some reason I don't understand, I am happy that it still hangs around my neck. I quickly unlatch the necklace and I hold it in the palm of my hand. It's no bigger than a yoyo held by a silver chain, a tear-drop in shape and etched in gold and little diamonds. It glows amber just as it did when I first saw it. I'm really close to my house, so I place the amulet around my neck again and enter the house to go straight to my room to get some much-needed sleep. Maybe when I wake up I will see that it has all been a dream.

Six Hours Later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! My stupid alarm clock starts making that annoying noise. I turn my head and glare at the clock like it's the clock's fault for choosing the time. I jump out of bed and quickly start getting dress. The amulet winks back at me as I comb my hair in the mirror. I really want to leave it behind, but I don't want my parents to ask where I found it.

"You know what," I think to myself. "I'll keep it on and tell my friends about the basement incident." The thing is, I'm afraid they won't believe me. I mean, will they? The incident last night is still fresh in my mind. I can't close my eyes without seeing the fire. But, I really need this mystery off my chest, so telling them might be a good thing. I'll have to wait and see.

With my parents still asleep, I race downstairs to heat up a piece of toast. With the warm toast in one hand and my books in the other, I run out the door to school, eating the toast along the way. My mind is full of questions and I don't look where I am going so I end up running into the people I really need to see.

"Whoa there!" Bridget laughs. "Hold your horses."

Bridget is 16-years-old and has brown, curly hair. She is dressed in her standard uniform, a t-shirt and a pair of denim jeans. She has very dark skin and hazel brown eyes, which right now are sparkling with amusement.

A set of hands help me to my feet. Two more of my friends, Mark and Jordan, are also chuckling in amusement.

Mark is 18-years-old and has wavy, brown hair that currently has been dyed a bright shade of red. He seems to prefer changing hair color on a regular basis...always bright and bold. Right now, he's wearing a red t-shirt and blue jeans. He is slightly tan, built like a soccer player and has chocolate brown eyes.

Jordan is 17-years-old and has slightly spikey white hair. He also wears a grey t-shirt and black jeans. Like Mark, he is slightly tan and has blue eyes. Unlike Mark, he's built more like a basketball player.

After the chuckling and laugher stops, all three of them start to notice that I'm the only one not laughing. The nervous look on my face must indicate to them that something is wrong. They look at each other for a minute, wondering what's wrong with me. Jordan decides to be the one to ask. He walks up to me and lays a hand on my shoulder.

"What's wrong Amber?" he says gently. "What are you nervous about?"

I take a deep breathe. I decide this is the time and place to tell them.

"I-I have something to tell you guys," I stammer out. I begin to tell them everything about last night. From the necklace in the box, the thought of the door locking, and the ring of fire that appeared and disappeared. My friends just stand there, making no attempt to stop me. Their emotions are unreadable. They keep looking at each other with knowing glances. It begins to feel like they don't believe me. A couple of minutes later, I finish talking about my night time adventure.

"If you don't believe me," I state calmly. "Then that's fine. I just really needed to tell someone I trust. You three have been my best friends since we were toddlers so of course, I would tell you."

Bridget, Mark and Jordan stare at me in disbelief. The three of them don't stop looking back and forth between me and themselves. Finally, Mark grabs my wrist and starts pulling me into the school with Jordan and Bridget close behind, both wearing an excited look on their faces. Mark continues to hold my wrist and lead me to a small, quiet classroom. Mark let go of my wrist and when Bridget and Jordan enter, he slowly closes the door and locks it so we won't be disturbed.

Mark rejoins the group and whispers to them that the door is secure. Finally, all three of them gather around me. They're making me really nervous by the way they're acting right now. Jordan steps forward and reaches his hand forward.

"May I please see the amulet?" he asks politely. I quickly nod my head and unlatch the jewel from my neck. Handing it to him I begin to shake a little bit, wondering what they might do to it. He takes it and shows it to the other two. They turn their backs to me and fall into hushed whispers. After about 10 minutes they turn back towards me. Jordan hands the amulet back into my shaking hands. He turns it over to show me 3 distinct emblems on the back of the amulet. Then Bridget, Mark and Jordan turn their backs to me again, only to expose part of their backs to me. Each one of them has a marking that matches one of those on the amulet itself. I stare at their backs in astonishment. They lift their t-shirts back on and turn around to face me once more.

"Amber," Bridget says. "You have been chosen to be the owner of the Amulet of Flame."

"Amulet? Did he say amulet?" I think to myself. "I thought it was just a cool necklace."

"Which means," Marks continues for Bridget. "That you must learn how to control its powers and guard it with your life."

"So, you must begin your training immediately," Jordan finishes off.

Not knowing what else to do, I begin to ask questions about the Amulet of Flame, but Jordan quickly shuts me down.

"We understand," he explains. "that you have a lot of questions. I will only explain one thing. Bridget, Mark and I have been chosen to protect the one with the Amulet of Flame. The amulet has revealed itself to you as the one foretold in the prophecy. It is no accident that we have been friends since such a young age. It is meant that we make this journey together. We will help train you to control your amulet and understand its purpose."

Silence fell on all of us like a heavy fog. They wait for me to grasp the fact that they want to help me control this power. After a good 20 minutes, I break the silence with my answer.

"When do we begin training?"

(Also, just a quick vote. If you want me to make a book out of this, go to the comments below and post a  ♥ with your comment. If you don't want me to make a book out of it, post a ♦ with your comment. In the next chapter of this book, I will announce the winning vote. Thank you for reading this and I hope you enjoyed this excerpt.)