It was a witchy house: the low slung roof; the quiet gray paint; those squinting shuttered windows; but it was the start of something amazing! My family is not by any definition normal, not even close to normal! Shockingly last month my father took off with a flight attendant, leaving my mom, the most amazing and beautiful woman in the world to raise four kids! Our home was in New York City, which BTW is the greatest city on earth! But my dad had the lease in his name, so goodbye Broadway hello kooky, creaky, and creepy house! “Florence” my mother calls to me, “Will you help Jaime find his room.” Jaime’s my little brother and the sweetest little boy in the world! There’s my mom Eliza Jean Swita, my brother Jaime, and my Brother Alex, who is quarter back, class president, MVP…at least that was until we moved to my grandma’s house in Cortland, Ohio! I love Alex, he is always encouraging, always kind, and the kind of brother you only read about in fairytales!  I wish I only had two siblings, two kind, caring, and sweet brothers! But the demon queen of torture is sadly a member of my family! Kayla is a backstabbing conniving witch, She is the oldest, and thinks that she is “too cool for school!” Being an impressionable fourteen year old girl, I do everything I can to be nice to her, but it is hard! Well there is my wacko family, oh I forgot Dooley! He’s my black cat, and I don’t think I could survive without him! Okay back to the Munster home! My grandma just bought it for renovation, and it’s sort of in the haunted faze! My Sister screams at this home! “How am I supposed to live here? I’m seventeen I should be enjoying my junior year of high school in New York with my friends, ugh I’m going to go live with Dad” Kayla always knows how to cheer up my mom! Great, Kayla storms back to the car stubbornly and pouts like an angry toddler who won’t eat her baby carrots! My Grandma is in the kitchen baking cookies, and letting the smell waft through out house. My Grandma is stereotypical cuddle bunny, who loves baking, and loves spoiling her grandchildren! Jaime huddles behind me; he really doesn’t like the chill, or creaks of this fixer upper! “Mom this house doesn’t seem like a great idea” I hear Alex whisper! My grandma scoffs at this idea, and sends my brother to pick out a bedroom! Jaime and I first stumble into a sun room, with a million books of all different genres! There’s one book that really interests me, it has a tattered marron color, with swirly letters reading A Newbies Guide to Magic! My grandma loves fantasy books, so something like this isn’t that unusual, but the book just seems to call to me! Jaime drags me along until we’ve seen all the rooms! He chooses one, and helps me find one too. There’s nothing really special about the room, except for a jewelry stand with Grandma’s Knick knacks all along the window sill. I hear the door slam shut, with the familiar attitude of my sister! She marches upstairs, finds a bedroom and locks herself in it, well she updates her status and whatever else needs a selfie. The day turns out to be nothing but unpacking, and making this house well, livable! At dinner I keep thinking about that book, on the shelf with the enchanting cover!
Early the next morning I wake to find my grandma and my mom arguing about some family honor, or truth! I’m too curious not to listen!       
“The children just lost their father! I think we could give them some time”                                                                                                     “Kayla is almost at the age of decision, if she doesn’t learn she could end up…”                                                                                               “What, Mom, normal, is that what you’re afraid of”                                                                                                       “She deserves to know what runs through her blood”                                                                                                                                                                    “I always wished I could be normal, and when I finally chose, you stopped talking to me”                                                                                                     “Yes I’m sorry, I just wanted the best for you like I want for the kids”
I inch closer; I hear know that they sound like they’re coming from behind the book shelf! I try the shelf to heave to see, but it won’t budge. Finally I just grab that special book and head back to my bedroom, but I hear the squeak of a door opening, turn to see a door opened straight through the book shelf! It’s like that in a fantasy book! I can hardly believe my eyes! I enter the secret passageway! It’s a windy stone staircase, with torches, and spider webs, weaving and winding. It is a long path, but the voices sound like they’re getting closer. Eventually I can see their shadows pacing back and forth, arguing more about destiny. I hear my Grandma say “Have you even read the golden list for Kayla” “Of Course, She strong her choice would be difficult and burdensome” my mom whispers, “maybe you’re right, they deserve to know, but Kayla will freak out!” she continues. My grandma goes into I told you so mode “If they had grown up magic, this would have been much easier!” I have to admit the idea of magic, made my skin tingle! I had tried making magic potions as a little girl. But by the time I was seven, Santa Claus was a figment of my imagination, and fairies were only found in books. My Grandma continues lecturing my mom; hmm I wonder where my mom learned that skill from. “Look the kids will be awake soon, I’ll go make pancakes, but dear you have an important decision!” I hear the approaching footsteps, and panic. I scurry up the stairs as fast as I can; I close the creaky passage way, and run into my room. All the way I’ve been clutching the book, I fear my grandma will be in soon so I tuck it under my mattress and pretend to sleep. I soon hear the familiar smell of pancakes wafting up to our rooms. I want to be first so I scramble out and run down the stairs plopping myself next to my mom, and Jaime. I see the fresh squeezed orange juice already set! I decide to test out this supposed magic I have in my blood. I try to scoot the OJ with my mind. No use. I keep trying, but in the end I just look constipated. “Flow, are you okay?” my little brother asks. Horrible! I have no magic, “Great, yeah awesome, in fact I feel magical!” No sign from my mom, or grandma, man they are tough! “Jaime,” my mom sighs “Would you go wake up your siblings, Florence and I need to talk!” Omigod, here it comes, you’re a wizard Harry! I hold my breath excepting the news! “I know you’re upset with your father” NOOOOOOOOO “But he really wants to talk to you, try maybe toady to call him” I’m crying inside, what about the golden list, or the magic? My grandma gives my mom a look, and I see them exchanging glances, but I’m too busy silently pouting to care. “One more thing” my mom apprehensively sighs. What, what could be worse than a world with magic dangling in front of my, only to become a joke. “There are a few things you don’t know about yourself!”  Wait is she actually telling me! “You are very powerful!” Oh my god! “M, m, magic runs through you.” “YES, Ha-ha, I knew it, I knew it, Yass!” Oh crap, I did not mean to say that out loud, ooh I am busted! “You knew what?” my grandma begins interrogating me! “Ummmmm, nothing, I know nothing about a secret entrance way, and a golden list, or a choices!” I shrug. They both chuckle “The way the golden list works, is that destiny decides three possibilities for where your magic can take you.” My mother begins. My Grandma takes out a beautiful metallic purple scroll with gold lining. We hear approaching steps, and I quickly bury the list in my bag. “Ewww, carbs” my sister whines, “You people are going to be fat.” I’m too happy to through back a snappy remark, luckily Alex takes my place “Well, the good news, is that we will never be as fat as your ego.” I wait quietly for my mom to shout out the great news, that we are a magical family, who solves crime and makes the world a better place. “We have a big day! We have to visit all the schools to find something magical!” my mom exclaims. Ha, I see what she did there! I excuse myself, and run upstairs to discover what’s in my destiny! I find my adorable Dooly snuggled, in with my pillows. The excitement is bubbling out, as I slowly unroll the ancient script.  The scroll reads,
Hello Florence Elizabeth Swita, You are a Sceltian, meaning you are a magical being with a choice. Many being are born as mermaids, or wizards, but you my dear get to choose! You are fourteen and two months which means you have one month before you must choose! In the mean time you can explore your options! You are very important, so we have assigned you a protector, his name is Adrian, and he will be your mentor, and your guardian. Your choices are…
1. Shapeshifter
2. Nymph
3. Enchantress
Good luck!
Wow! Three little words with so much power! And who even is this Adrian guy? I hear Grandma getting in the car, and have to hurry! I hop in seeing that Alex is staring into space, that’s not like him at all, unless, oh. I look at my mom and look at him, she nods solemnly. My grandma hops in the car with a picnic basket and a smile. “Oh, Alexander, do try to cheer up, it is a blessing not a curse, and you could always choose mortal, like your mother.” My grandma sweetly says. “I have two weeks before I have to choose! I have warlock, Healer, and Protector! Mom you don’t just bomb that kind of information on someone with a maroon scroll!” he shouts! “Look I know it’s shocking and upsetting, but you could choice mortal, you just ignore your Sceltian blood!” she replies “Also I haven’t told the others about it yet, so if you could just, keep it quiet for right now.” She purrs! We both nod, me more excited, than my brother. The two others slide in the car, and we take off, on this rainy pouty day. The first couple of schools are for Jaime, and so far he can’t stand the idea of any of them. Then we head on to high school. The first is a miserable low class, prison with no windows. The next is tolerable, and the third is absolutely terrible!   Then we find one for Jaime that actually looks kind of decent. We return home to fill out applications, and I head up to find some information about Sceltians. When I go into my room I find a boy, who looks a little older than me sleeping on my bed. I scream. He jumps. I almost faint. “Flow, don’t freak, it just me!” he insists. “Me who, who the heck are you?” “My name is Adrian Dooley, I’m your protector.” “No you are my cat, Omigod, have you been a human this whole time? Omigod did I turn you into a human? I have told you my deepest darkest secrets!” I scream “Yes, I know a lot about you, but you don’t know that much about me, I’m fifteen, I’m a shapeshifter, and I know that’s one of your options, but there’s no need to feel pressured! Ummm, your grandma and I have been talking, and she thinks it’s a good idea, if I pose as your cousin, or friend, and attend school with you” he breaths “Ummmmm, yeah cousin, or exchange student, whatever, Um can you give me a minute.” I ask, he morphs into my cat, and exits the room. Ahhhhhhhhhh, I have to admit, he is kind a cute, maybe cousin, would be a bad choice.  I walk down stairs to see my sister checking her status, and my brother Alex reading an assigned book for school. Jaime now skips down the stair holding a yellow scroll, my mom takes it from him, and plops him in a chair. For the first time in a very long time we have an amazing dinner, of talking and sharing, even Kayla puts down her phone! After we finish dinner Mom tells us to go get ready for bed, but keeps Kayla behind. Oh goody here it comes, now we will all be magical, and informed! I wait for her footsteps, but they don’t come, I finally here them at midnight, but they are light, not the expected stomping. Early the next morning I peak in her bedroom to find her reading a sky blue and golden scroll with a bunch of books scattered around the floor, I didn’t even know call knew what a book was. The creak of the door alerts her of my presence. “Hey, I guess I’m too last to now, as always. You know I have two days to decide.” She cries. I lift her scroll and read her choices, Mermaid, Witch, and Enchantress. “For one, I hate smelly gross fish; I don’t want to become an ugly old hag on a broom stick! I don’t even know what the heck an enchantress is! Always mom trying to ruin my life” she scoffs. “I’m sorry Kayla!” I say, “yeah me too!” she blurts; I feel the awkward silence and exit the room. Wow two days, that’s really short! I find Dooley, or Adrien, on my bed. He morphs and I plop down next out him. “Kayla has two days!” I confide. “I know its crazy right, Deloris, I mean your grandma, she told me!”
You think Kayla chose mortal, don’t you? She simply chose to ignore Sceltian power, and went on to live a normal life! WRONG! Kayla didn’t go with what was easy; she chose what actually made sense to her. The next few days were boring and uninteresting, my sister buried herself in books and when the big day came she chose. My Sister is a MERMAID! But don’t worry she’s not full, fledged fishy! As a Sceltian with human blood, she only transforms when she touches water, once she’s dry, she is human again! She is actually really powerful, and has the ability to control water! She isn’t quite as demonic as before, and has in fact grown a lot with her magic! The rest of us still have decisions to make, that are steadily approaching but, Kayla has made it obvious that we and only we have the power to decide! I’m actually sort of looking forward to my choice, but in the mean time I have some studying to do! We are not an ordinary family, we are extraordinary! We are Sceltians, we have a choice!