I want to hit the floor. I'm left speechless. How can I respond to that?

Did I just get a job I didn't even push for? I don't even know what the job is. I can't understand why the owner of the bookstore would quickly give me a position. I hardly know what goes around here besides selling books, maybe that what it is. I only met him for a couple of minutes, and I already have the position.

But do I really.

My nerves are going haywire. I can feel them crippling me, and yet I haven't fallen to the floor. I stare back at Emmet, as he quickly restocks a lot of books on the wood shelves. I'm still shocked.

 Without a proper interview or any rebuttal of what can I do to help make this place better, I just heard him say I got it. I remembered Zip saying his friend, who worked here very well, could be that cashier I talked to. That Emmet is precise in what he tries to say. He gets to it without any distractions. I want to be respectful, yet I'm thinking this man is trying to tease me to get out while I still can.

 "So I got it, Mr. Willgood?" I ask.

He doesn't respond for a couple of minutes. I find it rude. I'm just standing, and he's doing stuff as if it's a normal day. I try to ask him again.

"Yes, you did." He replies, still restocking the books. "You're that type of person I want working here. Simple as that."

Really?!

This is simple, it's quick I can give him that. But what about the others. I ask him; force him to tell me why he just flat out chose me instead of other job-seeking teens.

He glares at me with a small grin with that face that even scare Addie, "I see something in you. Something that I haven't seen in a long time." He continues, "I had this store for twenty years. I had one other person who you reminded me of."

I lean my head down wondering what he is talking about. And then I ponder, about that who. I ask him that same question. "Who was it?" I ask.

Once again, he doesn't reply. It's not like he's hesitating. It seems he doesn't want to give me an answer. Another minute later, he just let it out. "Congrats, you got the job."

He then glances down on the first floor. "Go down there and help out that elderly lady."

What?

I look down to see a sweet lady with short gray hair, wearing a long blouse and long skirt. I don't even know what to do. My nerves are getting to me. I can feel my anxiety growing. I try to lean on the iron banister, hoping Emmet doesn't see me and wonder did he just waste a spot on someone who's not good in this field. I see him barely staring at me; he just continues doing what he's been doing. He's literally putting me in this situation.

If I get my hands on Zip... I mumble in my head.

Fighting off my nerves, I keep taking deep breaths. I hastily head back down. Trying not to let my nerves get to me, I exhale. My lips pucker, waiting to utter that first word. Should I say hello, should I just tell her what she wants. If I can help her, what will be my first word?

I get closer, sweat on my hands. I rapidly wipe it off on my pants. My eyes focus only her. How she just standing near a side table with so many books, stacked in an organized way. I'm ready to ask her, how I can help her. Yet just as I about to get to that mode, I chicken out. I lost the first word I was going to say.

Stupid me.

I want to hit myself, but then I stop as the awkward silence is finally broken. But she's the one who broken it in a gentle way.

"Which are better mysteries or romance?" She asks.

I check the two books in her hands, seeing the one in her left looks romantic. And the other looks mystery. She's confused to get which one, and she wants me to choose. I want to look up to see Emmet, but I don't think he would approve. I got to do this by myself. The nerves are coming back. Glancing at her appearance, she seems so sweet. I don't see a ring on her finger.

That proves one major point, she's not married.

She looks old, yet I feel she wants to have some youthfulness still left in her. I guess. She wants something to spark her life. Why I'm doing this is beyond me. I lean down to see the two books. And then, I realize I can't choose books based on how she lives. She has to do that. I just go with my gut.

"The right one."

"Are you sure?"

"You'll love it!"

 The lady smirks, pats my left hand. "Thank you young lad." She then walks off to the counter where the cashier is waiting.

I then notice Emmet smiling, coming towards me. "See there's your interview."

I'm perplexed. My interview?

Emmet still smirking, "Just by that one customer alone, I can see you doing great here. I knew it the moment you stepped inside the door; proving my point that I saw something I haven't seen in a long time." He then comes over and almost like a whisper, "So tell me, why you chose mystery?"

I give him my best response. "I just think she'll have a blast."

Emmet chuckles lightly. "Okay." He murmurs.

The elderly lady returns still grabbing hold of the book snuggle to her side. "Thanks again, my lad." She then turns around, glancing at Emmet with a sly smirk. "So how he did? He got the job?"

I'm just overwhelmed. Did Emmet set me up? How she knew this is my first outing. She had experience, or she just knew. This has to be a test Emmet knew he was going to pull.

"Naven, this is Ms. Ophelia." Emmet says, "She has been my customer since the beginning. She has been my good luck charm for many years."

She smiles listening to that.

So this was a test. Did I even pass? I guess I did when Emmet looks like he's smiling. He walks close to me, extends his hand out. He grins with another smile, "Welcome to Arcane."

He pats my back and mentions I'm going to start tomorrow. As things shift quickly, I can't believe I got a job. That has to be more than this. This isn't normal. My nerves that have been growing up and down continue to get the best of me. I notice Ms. Ophelia kissing Emmet's right cheek. She then turns to me and wishes me good luck. But then before she leaves, there's one more thing she tells me.

"I see a Raver in the twilight." She says as she winks at me. I look a bit confused, what she means by that? What Raver? What twilight? I want to tell Emmet, but he's already heading to the back. Heading inside that door with no handles.

***

A week has passed since getting my first job. I asked Emmet if I can cut the sleeves of my black plaid shirt, but he wanted me to wear it as is. I just loved wearing shirts with no sleeves. I only wished to tear these itching sleeves out, but rules are rules. The jeans though are awesome.

Since the past week, I have gotten use to the environment. Even though I still get confused in certain things, Emmet—when there—helps me. However, most of his times have been leaving the right side, which his office is in. But then heading passed or around the checkout counter, and head to the left side hallway. Always to that handle-less door. I swear I always see him using some type of key and point at something at the door, the door opens. He walks in. An hour or more, he returns.

He claimed its storage.  He never let any employee go there. Only him. It's strange, why he does that. I didn't mention that to my aunt. She was thrilled I got this job, a nice job for my age. She originally would like to see me working in the MediCenter. But I never had that in my mind. I hope she don't pay the same courtesy, and come here to embarrass me.

Besides Emmet and me, there's only three others working here. The 28 year old tall, muscular, Black man is Declan. He acts as the second boss. He seems quiet but only does things like a manager when he needs to. There's Viola who is three years older than me. She's the cashier with purple hair and blue eyes. At times she roams around the first floor to help customers. And then circulating upstairs is Bertrand, the sixteen year old goofball. I remember seeing him from school. We chat a little, but not that much.

After school, I head straight to work and then after that, a hovbus takes me back home. When it gets to closing time, I always have to wait on the bus. Then one night as I walk to the hub stop, right near the side of the street. I then turn to a narrow alley. I notice Emmet and some other guy carrying something inside the back. It looks weird. Oddly, the thing they're carrying don't look like books. It's long, bent down and wrapped in a cloth. That's much I can see. I then walk over to a window stained in dust. It's hard to get a good view. But I'm able to see Emmet and the other male carrying whatever it is, inside the storage room.

What's in there? I wished I could stay longer to see them come back, yet my bus is here. I need to get onboard. If I don't, I have to wait another hour for another one.

As the month of April goes by, I continue the job, helping customers with certain book selections and sometimes checking them out. When I have to wait on the hovbus, I try to take a view, at the back or at one of those dusty windows. Almost all those times, Emmet repeats that same pattern, going to that door.

It's the first Saturday of May. It has been raining all day. Slow day at that. Only two customers are still wandering around, and Declan is helping both of them. So it leaves me, Bertrand, and Viola doing nothing. For me it's good. I try to have a chat with Bertrand. Viola just standing there by the counter, Emmet appears. Walking out of his office, he bypasses Viola. Don't even notice us. He just heads to the other side, towards that door. He uses that same strange key as well.

I walk to the counter, I see Viola. "You know why Emmet always has to go on the other side."

"It's just a storage closet." She says obscurely.

If that's a closet why it takes him an hour to get out of it. It doesn't make sense. Feeling the day slow, I notice something glimmering, near that hallway. A strange shine. I walk towards it, and it's a small crystallized oval key. I bend down to pick it up. And just my luck, it's next to the storage closet door. Emmet must have forgotten it. I then stare at the key's symbol, a beak pointing up, two sides almost shaped as wings, and in the center, a circle with multiple lines crossing.

I look up and there etched on the door in the center, is the same symbol as this thing in my hand. I then check around, I see no one coming. I try to remember what Emmet did all those times, and I finally do.

I aim the crystal object near the door symbol. Out of nowhere, the symbol starts to rotate quickly, and a few seconds later, the door pops open. For door with no handles, it's odd to be a storage closest. I look puzzled watching this. I then look back at the store front, basically Declan, Violet, and the others don't even see me. Or even ask me what I'm doing.

Weird.

I feel nerves coming through. Trying to fight it, I step through. The door shuts behind me. It's getting freakier by the minute. I continue going through a dark room. I can see cleaning supplies and boxes that's until I see.

Light.

I notice a stairwell, going down. It must be a basement. I cautiously step down slowly. And the more I go down, the more I hear some kind of like chatter. It's really getting freakier.

 I slowly step down close to the bottom, but I stop. Looking forward, about twenty yards away. I spot what looks like, a sacrifice?! I look to see the body of a young male with fare skin and sandy blonde hair; he looks like he's older than me, lying on a table, motionless.

Soon there are four others all wearing charcoal, tight training shirt and cargo pants, most with their heads down. I can see there are two boys and two girls, all teens. I can't really see their faces, but then one leans up. A young female. She looks familiar. Where did I see her before, the girl with the reddish-black hair? I try to cogitate, but then I spot Emmet walking alongside an old male in black robes, the same hawk symbol etched in the center, holding a staff.

The old man's eyes, as I try to get a better view, suddenly turn pure white.

What the...?!

He suddenly chants something in a different language, I can only hear gibberish. And then the next thing I know the male on the table is engulfed in flames.

I gasp stepping back, yet I fear I made a squealing sound.

Am I nervous? Yes.

Am I scared? Oh yes.

I don't want to be caught, so I race back upstairs. I rush all the way back to the storage door. I look to see if there's anything to open this stupid door. I hit the wood, banging the grain with my fist. I don't feel nothing metal. Suddenly I think about the crystal piece. I glance back at it. I then look around the room, to see something. Feeling Emmet could be coming back up. I then spot the same symbol, as a wall marking above the door. I take the piece. I maneuver so it matches the symbol up top. A glimmer happens. Then a popping sound, the door opens.

Hastily I exit towards the store hallway. I can hear the door closing behind me, as I sprint to the counter. I bend down. My hands next to the counter table, I let out one huge breather. I pause; turning to my left to see Viola staring at me with concern.

"I had to use the restroom." I grin.

She stares at me for another minute, doesn't respond. And just veers her head back. She didn't have to say anything. As I keep catching my breath, hoping whatever is going on down there. Whatever Emmet and his buddies are doing shouldn't concern me.

But it is.

***

I walk with Anita, my hand holding hers. Zip is by my side. We walk towards a growing gathering, out in a small grassy area of South Dawning nicknamed, Mystic Corner. It is a small, round outdoor theater; known for mages to practice their magic without Dawning officials watching. I look up seeing the clear, night sky.

I glance back down, seeing more people showing up. What's going on is this event called LightOut. Pratt told me about this a week ago. He heard these two male siblings, the Upwood twins, are mages and was secretly throwing a party every month. It's their way of sticking it to the director and the officials. They use this party as a symbol to show the rest of Dawning that if mages are hiding; they can come here and have fun.

And he's right. I had seen a lot of mages have fun down here. It's the perfect place for this type of event. Even M.A.D.O.O would agree seeing some of their supporters here, wearing those M.A.D.O.O shirts. And besides us, there are some norms here. Especially after the recent bombing and the discovery of Rufus' remains, this quad needs some goodness.

I look around, and no sighting of Pratt.

"Is Pratt even coming?" I ask Zip.

 "I think he couldn't. He said he had to stay and watch his sick mother." Zip replies.

I feel disappointed. It was Pratt who told me about this event. He should've been here. But I understand. I'm ecstatic even more. I got my girl. I got one of my Glider brethren.

As the event is set to go, we all quickly sit near the second-to-last row. Anita sitting to my left, Zip to my right. I still grab hold of her hand, as Anita leans close to me. I smile knowing this is good for a date. Easy for me to forget what happened earlier today.

The Upwood twins begin showcasing their magic. They lift their hands up, and a ribbon of lights begins to take shape. Soon the spectrum of ribbon-like lights appears nine feet in the air above the twins' heads. The lights continue to flow in and out, rotating in spirals and circular formations. The lights change colors.

It's spectacular.

This may not be public viewing, but they're proving M.A.D.O.O's point; to see how magic can be use safely. Why the officials are denying this is baffling.

I turn to Anita as she still leans to my side, her head almost resting on my shoulder. I can feel her softness. I can feel her silk hair. This moment is perfect for a kiss. I then look forward to my left. I glance at a pair of young ladies on the other side of the theater. They surely look familiar. And as one of them turns, I'm amazed.

There she is. The girl I saw in the bookstore's basement. I knew I recognize her from before.

That reddish black hair. Those emerald eyes.

It's her. The one I bumped into.

Terra.

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