Prologue

Dear little witches and wizards, 

Everything happens for a reason. Not everybody knows why and nobody ever knows how to explain it to you. Sure people can guess and sure they can hope and want. But in reality nobody knows the true answer. Many people think that they know the answer and will try to tell you what it is. Yet in all honesty if I’d known the answer, I would have told myself years ago. It probably would have saved a lot of lives. 

Now I warn you. If you are reading this and all you have ever known is that magic is dangerous and that magic can only be used in evil ways then listen to this. Set down whatever else you are doing. Step away from the table and sit down. Magic is beautiful. It is a magical, beautiful thing that helps you discover who you are. Magic can create and destroy, it is only when you ask yourself how you want to be remembered does your magic become good or evil. You can forge your own path and nobody can step in your way. It is your choice. Choose wisely though for you only get to write your story once. Once your story is written people will come from far and wide to hear your story and rarely does your story ever get to be edited the way you want it to be. You will have to create your own path and decide how you want your story to begin and end. In the end most people will only remember you by the story you tell. 

~ Idalia

~

Sunlight flickers through the woods as I walk. The ground is soft and the air smells of freshly fallen rain. Through the trees I can hear the laughter of children as they run through the forest chasing each other. The slapping sound of feet against rocks jolts my body into action as they get closer. I slip into the shadows of the trees waiting. My body scratches against the rough bark from the tree as I push myself closer trying to stay as hidden as possible as they draw nearer. The sound of laughter and voices fill the air.

“Come on, let's see it! Please?” 

“You promised us last week that we could see it.”

A young girl with golden hair breaks through the line of trees in front of me. Her hair is tied into knots above her head with little red bows. She is wearing black bibs with a white shirt and red shoes. She's laughing and teasing the other children as they trudge through the forest, 

“I know I know, don’t worry we will get there soon. I just need to find a clearing.” She's smiling wider now, showing off her white teeth in a goofy grin, leading the children deeper and deeper into the forest, their matching smiles flickering from face to face. 

Curiosity gets the better of me as I follow them through the woods crawling over rocks and stepping over fallen logs, making sure to keep a large enough distance between us praying that they aren’t able to detect my almost silent footsteps. Within moments they are standing in a clearing with grass, one of the only places in the forest where you can see the clear sky at night, my favorite place during a thunderstorm. 

The little girl instructs them to make sure they stand back as she moves into the middle of the clearing, rolling up her sleeves and slipping out of her shoes. She stands in the middle of the clearing lifting her hands in front of her as if to study them as red flames shoot from her fingertips, dancing and twirling as they make their way into the sky. The children ooh and ahh as they watch from the edge of the clearing as she begins to weave a pattern in the air leaving a trail of embers on the ground as she moves. As she walks about making changes and edits to her drawing, focused on the air above her, my gaze falls to the ground. I stare in wonder, every step she takes she leaves a dark footprint in the grass. Not only is she making art  in the air but as her feet move she makes a design in the grass as well. 

Transfixed I take a step towards the clearing tugging up the sleeves of my own tattered and torn green dress and pull my dark hair into a knot on the top of my head. I become so mesmerized that I don’t notice something is wrong until the other children begin calling her name. The little girl’s face twists in pain as sweat begins to form on her forehead and soak through her shirt. 

“Adriana?” A small shout from across the clearing calls, “Adriana are you ok?” 

“Yes…I’m…Fine…I’m…” Her limp body falls to the ground with a sickening thud. Shouts begin to fill the clearing as the fire, free from its leash, becomes wicked and undomesticated filling the air with smoke and scorching the ground with flames as it dances towards the tree line. 

The children run for Adriana shouting for her to wake up. One grabs her leg while the other tries to lift her arm before they both drop the limbs shrinking back in pain with welts forming on their hands. 

Lighting crashes across the sky as the flames continue to grow. Soon the sky is filled with lightning and flame. Both dominant and neither submissive. Blue lightning collides with red flame, eliminating both in a flash of bright purple. 

As the light clears from my eyes and the electricity in my blood boils I find myself face to face with Andriana, now conscious.

I growl in her face, “How could you be so foolish! You could have lit the entire forest on fire, and incinerated all your friends along with yourself. How can you be so careless?” I feel myself grip her wrist as I send sparks dancing across the top and my nails dig into her skin drawing blood. “You know what happens when you lose control? You have nothing left to fight back with when attacked. Now run little Adar. Run before you learn the consequences of losing control.” I shove my hand into her chest, hard, before stalking back into the woods as the others lift her off of the ground to her feet. 

“Can you stand?” one asks, their voices fading.

“Yes, Who was that?” 

“That’s the witch from all the stories. The stories say that she used to kidnap children and torture them until she decided to let them go.  They would stumble back to our village frozen cold and could barely remember what had happened to them.” The children gather closer, adding in little comments about stories that they had heard. All I can do is laugh as I walk to the edge of the clearing listening to the children talk. 

“Come on, that can’t possibly be true.” 

“It is! You can ask anyone in town!” 

“She can’t possibly be that evil, why didn’t she hurt us then.” 

I don’t hear the other children reply. I just don’t care. 

I am back in my cabin before it hits me. That girl. Adriana. She had fire magic.  And the other children marveled at it. They truly marveled at it. They didn’t shrink away in fear or shutter. They didn’t even run away when she lost control. Instead they ran towards her. To help her.

Grumbling and groaning, I gather my tools into my basket and head out into the morning sun tying a green bandana around my hair. It had been a few weeks since I had seen the girl, but her face never left my mind. All I could see was her face staring at the lightning as it shot out of my hands and her eyes following me as I retreated back into the forest. Little gifts had started to appear though. First it was an apple, which the bugs got to first. Then it was a basket of bread wrapped in cloth, berries and chocolate from the local town. The last gift was a little figure crafted out of sticks and flowers to resemble me. The more I looked at it the more I thought of her. 

Shock hits me as I open my door one morning and there she is. Standing on my steps one hand raised as if to knock on the door that had just been there. 

“Sorry, I didn’t know you were going to be here.” She jumps back in alarm, retreating back down a few stairs. 

“What do you want?” 

“Well. I. I was wondering. Wouldyoubewillingtohelpmecontrolmymagic?” 

“No.” 

“Why not? It’s not like you have anything better to do. You live out here.” 

“Because I said no. Now. Go home.” I turn to her with my finger outstretched as if to touch her, but instead lightning flashes and collides with her fingers, sending her tumbling down the stairs with a thud.

“Will you just listen?” 

“No.” 

“I need help. And I think you need help to” 

“Not from you I don’t.” I brush past her moving into the forest as I begin to lift up leaves and pinecones. 

“Why do you have to be so stubborn?” Andriana replies, twisting and moving as she follows me around like a lost dog looking for a new home.

“How did you find me?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“How do you know where I live?” 

“Everybody in town knows where you live. You're the lightning witch…” 

She continues talking but her voice fades into the background… Lightning Witch. Lightning. Lightning… 

“Oh come on you're being foolish.” 

“I am not. I wanna see it. Please…” 

“Fine but why does it have to be here?” 

“The elders said that this place was sacred and that when here nothing bad could ever happen.” Shaggy hair drapes in front of his face, shading his dark green eyes from view. 

“Elijah I’m not sure this is a good idea.” 

“You promised me that you would show me your magic Idalia. I know that today is your 12th birthday so you have to have gotten it.” 

“I just don’t think that this is a good idea.”

“Quit being a baby and show me.” 

I steady my breath and take a seat on the library floor, moving large leather books away as I stretch out my finger. Taking a deep breath I slowly reach for my magic dragging it forward. Lights begin to dance across my fingers twirling and dancing as if they were tiny dancers being pulled by strings. Elijah’s face is illuminated in the light as his face stretches into a smile. I draw my eyes to his and smile back. I move the lightning across my fingers and into the palm of my hands, not breaking eye contact. Reality slips as I feel the Earth tilting and suddenly I’m falling. 

I stretch out my hands to catch myself but bright blue bolts spring from my hands arching into the ceiling of the building. Thunder crashes as I crash into the hard ground. Light illuminates the ceiling and within seconds it comes crashing down. Pages of books fly in all directions, lit with fire as they come fluttering to the floor. Shouts and screams fill the air as I stumble to my feet. Grabbing onto Elijah’s arm and dragging him through the chaos. 

The town's oldest elder emerges from the gathering crowd shouting, “What is this? What is happening? Who…” His eyes find mine narrowing as a voice shouts, 

“She did it. She told me she wanted to show me something so I followed her into the library. She tried to kill me! Her magic is lightning!” 

More screams fill the street as people step back but all I can do is stare at Elijah. My friend who was now betraying me. Who had just lied to the elder to protect himself.

“I didn’t mean to. I just lost control. I just wanted to show him. He asked.” 

“Liar! You could have killed everyone in this town, little girl!”

“I didn’t mean to, I wasn’t trying. It was an accident.”

“This is your last mistake, little Lighting Witch…” 

“Idalia? Are you okay” 

Around me, greens and browns filled my vision drawing me back to the present. My name is Idalia. Not Lightning Witch. I am in the forest. I am ok. I am safe. Adriana is still here and I haven't been an innocent little girl in a long time. I am ok. I am safe. Why hadn’t the children run away when she lost control like Elijah had? Why didn’t they turn on her? 

“I’m ok.” 

“You look like you just saw a ghost.”

“It’s nothing. I must have just spaced off.” 

“People don’t normally look like that when they are lost in space. You looked like you were reliving something.” 

“Adar, I will teach you control but in return you will tell me why the children did not run from your fire.” 

“Ok?” She looks confused, as if I had just asked her why blueberries are blue. 

“Follow me. Closely. I will not wait for you.” And with that I turn and head deeper into the forest.

After walking for a bit we came to a clearing. 

“Take off your shoes.” 

“Wait, I know this place. This. This is where I lost control. Isn’t it? 

“Yes. Now take off your shoes.” 

Without another word she removes her shoes. I begin pacing around the clearing collecting sticks and pinecones before moving to the middle of the clearing. The ground crunches beneath my feet as I move over the charred ground, placing piles of pine cones and sticks on the ground.

“What’s this for?” 

I jump. I hadn’t noticed Adriana walk up behind me. 

“It’s for you. You have no trouble summoning your fire but you struggle with control and direction. When you lost control your fire shot for the tree line as if it was out of instinct. So you will light the piles without searing anything or anyone else. And. You will only light the pile I choose.” 

“What if I lose control again? I don’t wanna hurt anyone.” 

“That is why I am here.” 

“But what If I hurt you?” 

“You won’t.”

“But…” 

“But nothing. Now light the pile right in front of you.” I move beside her indicating at the pile I mean. 

She closes her eyes, taking in a deep breath. When she opens them again there is a spark in her eyes. She lifts her hand using it as a guide and points a finger at the pile. Flames soar. The red flame arches in the air before falling into the pile. It ignites and she lets loose a groan as the flames begin to crawl across the ground heading towards the pile to the right. 

I step forward, looking her in the face, “Focus. Think of something that makes you feel calm. Something that makes you feel safe.”

“This is impossible,” She grabs the water pitcher next to a stump and drenches the fire, “Why are you making me do this?” 

“You need to have patience, Adar.”

“How is this going to even help me? I won’t have to light fires like this back home.” 

“You need to learn this because without it you could hurt someone you care about. Someone you love could get hurt, or worse, killed,” I march up to her grabbing her hands, still warm from the flames, forcing her to look me in the eyes, “I am teaching you this because without it you may not be able to survive. It will help you learn control and will help you keep focus on things. True, you won’t have to keep fires alight but you may have to be able to keep the fire from leaping across the rooftops.” 

“Idalia…”

“I am teaching you this so that you don’t one day end up like me.”

Silence fills the air. The birds in the trees have stopped their singing and even the bugs in the grass have silenced, listening closely as if to hear a secret that has been locked up for so long. 

“What happened to you?” She scans my face looking for answers, “The children in town say you are this monster, but you really aren’t. You don’t seem scary and there is no proof that you did all they say you do.” 

“Nothing. Here let me show you.” 

I walk to the spot Adriana occupied only a moment before. Removing my shoes, I slowly begin to take deep breaths as I close my eyes. In. Out. In. Out. As I open my eyes once more, I raise my hand stretching out my index finger to the place I want the lightning to land. As I exhale my next breath, lightning flashes. A blue bolt runs along my fingers before leaping into the air and landing atop the small pile in the middle. Blue flames erupt from the pile. 

“Why are the flames blue?” 

“It is simply my lightning in a different form. It could still shock you if I wanted it to.” 

“How are you keeping control of it? I couldn’t even hold it for a couple minutes and you have been holding it for a while now.” Her face flushes a deep red and her eyes well with tears as her voice shakes, “It’s not fair.”

Extinguishing my flame, I move back towards her, “I have had years of practice. Come back tomorrow and we will try again.”

“Ok.” 

And so that is what we did. Every morning Adriana would meet me in the clearing with a basket full of bread and fruits. We would snack and I would answer her thousands of questions. Well almost all of them. She would sometimes ask about my past which would cause me to change the subject abruptly or even have her start. Day after day she would stand in front of the piles. Then one day she simply stopped coming. Day after day I checked. I would walk out into the clearing calling her name. “Adriana? Adar?” But she never appeared. After a while I decided that she must have been able to control it enough to not want to come anymore. She might have figured something out, or maybe she just simply didn’t care anymore. She had her town and she had her friends. What did she need me for? Why would she want to come all the way out here to see me every day? She has a family. Weeks pass and I begin to forget about the little girl who had found a way into my life when I had sealed up all the doors and windows. 

As I am gathering berries I hear a small cry echoing through the trees. A small boy appears seconds later clutching his small body. His golden hair is tangled and soaked with rain. His clothing doesn’t look much better, they are tattered and torn and I could barely make out that his shirt had stripes from all of the mud. His eyes are filled with fear as he spots me and he stumbles clutching his hands closer to his chest. 

“Please don’t hurt me.” He sniffles, raising his hands to cover his face.

“What’s wrong?” My basket falls to the ground as I rush towards the child. Reds, blues, and purples fill my vision. As I run, tripping over branches and twigs. 

“Adriana. She’s… She’s… She’s in trouble. She said that if this happened I should come find you.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“She kept disappearing for days without warning. People were getting suspicious and then the town's Elder got involved. When she came home a few weeks ago he was waiting for her in our home. He… He started… He started asking her what she had been up to and she started telling us all about you. She said that you were helping her and that magic could be used out in the open. He got so mad. He tied her up in the middle of town and left her there saying that she needed to learn a lesson. Please! Please help.” 

“Show me.” 

Entering the town it seemed as if no time had passed. Everything was still the same. Buildings lined the streets as people walked about going about their normal day. The little boy tugs at my hand leading me towards the middle of town. As we  reach the place where the old library once stood I freeze. A limp body lays on the ground a few feet in front of me. Red bows stick out from under golden hair. Instantly my blood runs cold. All of my earlier thoughts of happiness leave my mind replacing the feeling with rage. Wild rage. Lightning curls along my fingers as a familiar voice echoes across the street.

“Well, well, well. Look who finally decided to come home. And after all this time.” 

“What have you done?” I whirl slamming my feet into the ground as I stalk towards Elijah. 

“Nothing she didn’t deserve. She arrived back to town a week ago telling tales on the Lightning Witch. She claimed that she had met the Witch and that she was nothing like the stories she had been told as a child. She claimed that the witch was teaching her how to use her magic,” His eyes bore into mine. Pure rage showed in his eyes as he stared at me, “Doesn’t that just seem peculiar.” 

“No. No it doesn’t.” 

“Well it does to me. Legend says that the Lightning Witch is a cruel Witch who shows no mercy. She would stop at nothing until all children have been punished.” 

“Liar!” 

“Well how would you know. The last time I saw you was when you attempted to kill me.” 

“It was an accident. You brought me there. You knew what would happen. You! You had me thrown out of town. I was forced to live on my own!” 

“Well I guess you should have kept your magic hidden like you promised. Maybe you would be here instead of me.” 

Darkness begins to swarm in. Poking and prodding at my brain. The world tilts around me as I begin to feel like I am falling, but I can’t be. The ground is still under my feet. Just like the night in the library. I was sitting on the ground and I couldn't have fallen. I just couldn’t have. I was sitting on the ground. It would have been impossible for me to have fallen… 

Elijah… 

I slam an invisible hand down slamming shut the door that had been slowly eased open. Everything comes back into focus as I stalk towards him “You! Why would you do that to me?” 

“You got everything. Everyone believed you were perfect. Everyone thought you were going to be the one who changed the world. So I began to tell stories. Some to the other children. Some to the elders. They are the ones who chose to listen. When nothing was being done I knew I had to show them how dangerous you were.”

“You are the reason the children never come into the forest anymore? YOU’RE the reason that they fear me? YOU’RE the reason that they believe I take children and harm them. To teach a lesson?” 

“Well I didn’t just tell them things,” his eyes glisten, “I had to make it seem realistic,” black lightning flickers along his fingers, “Sometimes people need a little help to remember things. Magic is not good. It is only ever used for evil.” 

“LIAR!” A voice screams from behind us, “YOUR LYING!” 

“Adar?!” I run towards the small girl grabbing her wrists and loosening the cords, “Adar what happened.” 

“I wanted them to know… I wanted you to be able to come home. I want you to teach us how to use our magic, to not fear it. I wanted them to know that you aren’t cruel, that you helped me and were kind to me. That you aren’t scary and that people have been fed a lie.” 

Elijah stalks towards us grabbing hold of Adriana’s ankle, and throwing her to the ground, “You, little girl, need to learn the truth and if you don’t see it yet I will show you what it is to fear lighting.” 

Black lightning flashes through the air before I can blink leaving a trail of smoke and ash in its wake. 

“Adar? Adar!” I rush towards her, throwing myself between her and the bolt. Searing pain envelopes my body as I hit the floor. Toxic magic rushes through my blood. Tearing and ripping at everything inside. Black lightning fights blue inside. Neither backing down until one stands victorious. The roaring from the crowd goes silent as I close my eyes, focusing all my attention on the magic inside of me and the small child who now lays limp in my arms. 

Slowing my breathing I begin to push back at the magic. I throw my own weight against it, ripping it to shreds where nobody else might think to hit. I tear apart the magic brick by brick tossing the crumbs out. Slowly the pain and black lightning disappears, fading into nothing.  Digging my hand into the Earth I clutch the child in my arms whispering, “Let’s show him who is truly the real Lightning Witch. Let’s show him what his stories have turned me into. Let’s show him what he has created.” 

Before he has time to react I throw my head to the sky screaming. Lighting strikes from the sky slamming into Elijah. Blue light ignites around him tearing and poking through his body as he screams attempting to throw his black magic back against the wall of lightning. Pausing only for a second I break away part of the wall staring into the eyes of my childhood friend. 

“You used to be the one person who I thought I could trust. Turns out you were the person I should have been running from all along. I want you to look me in the eyes as you die. Nobody is going to save you this time. Nobody can save you. I am the Lightning Witch, I am what you made me. Nobody can give you mercy now.” I slam the rest of my power into him tearing through blood and skin. Soon all that remains are small lightning bolts that dance along the ground before evaporating back into the sky. 

Suddenly as if someone flipped a switch the sound of the world comes back, people are running towards me. Some are asking questions while others try to grab Adriana from my arms. 

“Idalia? Idalia. I need to look at her please.” A small lady asks me while raising her hands to show that she does not pose a threat.

“You can’t have her.” 

“She needs to be looked at though. I promise that you can sit beside her the entire time.” 

Reluctantly I let go of the small child who had found a way into my heart. I follow the small women into a tent. She lays down Adriana and starts to move around collecting supplies to check on her. Once the nurse is done she places a hand on mine and thanks me before leaving the room. 

“Idalia?” 

I shoot out of my seat stretching my hand to grab the small fragile one that is now reaching for me. Her face is pale and her lips are bloodless as she speaks to me, “Idalia. You're safe. You can finally come home. Please? Come home.” 

Home? 

Home.