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Chapter 1
The Stage Is Set
A quiet, light snow fell over the town of Sandoval, blanketing the houses and trees with a gentle white coating. It was not uncommon for snow to reach the town this early in the year, as Sandoval was always at least twenty degrees colder than most other regions of the country of Harkina. In any other city, children would dance and play outside dressed in T-shirts and shorts up until the end of the summer. By this time, the people of Sandoval were already bundled up in scarves, sweaters, and gloves, anticipating the fall of the first flakes of the season. When a cold snap would sweep through Bentley Marsh in the winter, their citizens would think nothing of it, but the citizens of this little town were always prepared to dig themselves out of a large snowstorm. Nobody in Sandoval seemed to mind this, as many of its inhabitants had families that lived in the area for two or three generations.
Aside from its unusually cool summers, Sandoval was also abundant with magicians and wizards. At least one in every six citizens over the age of thirteen was able to use magic to a certain degree--the highest concentration of magic users among towns with an entirely human population. In decades past, humans could do little more than illusions or visual tricks, and those that called themselves "magicians" were really employed as stage magicians, sent to entertain children at plays and during breaks in sporting events.
The real magic, it was said--the sort that involved fireballs and teleportation and summoning of woodland creatures--was once the exclusive domain of the rosites, a race of people that closely resembled humans, but were slightly thinner, rosy-skinned, and had more angular facial features (whereas those of most humans were round or oval-shaped). The rosites did not live anywhere within the boundaries of Harkina at the time, so it was hard to observe them to learn much about them. The humans, being the curious lot that they were, decided one day to seek out the rosite habitat and learn their magical secrets in order to apply them to their own lives. Many searched, but very few returned, having either decided to stay after being able to appreciate such an incredible gift, or mauled or eaten by the ravenous beasts that roamed the plains outside Harkina.
Those that made it back into the country applied their newfound magical knowledge and shared it with everyone they knew. Spell casting books became a popular item among young children, trailed only by the "superhero" comic books that inspired them. Naturally, the government feared that something as appealing as magic could turn destructive when abused by children with impressionable minds, so its usage was restricted to scholars, soldiers, young adults and teenagers who had undergone rigorous "Arcane Responsibility" training. Even after one had "become of the age" to use magic, it would be impossible to simply mutter an incomprehensible string of words and burp out a bolt of lightning at will. Magic scholars and blacksmiths crafted gloves, rods, rings, and other artifacts that tapped into the spirit of the user and allowed them to easily mimic the abilities that the rosites held naturally. This new development brought upon Harkina's first Age of Magic, which gave those humans abilities they had previously believed impossible, unrealistic or, at the very least, just plain silly.
Over time, Sandoval became a hot spot for people interested in studying the arcane arts, as its school was among the first to hold extensive courses on the subject. There were some who loved teaching it so much that they continued to do so in private, well after their contracts with the school had ended. One such magic scholar was forty-two-year-old Heath McAllister, who spent a total of twelve years in the program--five as a student, and seven more as a teacher. He was extremely good at helping his students realize their potential. Some students actually believed he had the power to bestow magical powers upon those who had previously exhibited none whatsoever. These rumors were, of course, unsubstantiated, but the Dean of Sandoval University was incredibly pleased with the way his students were progressing that he presented Heath with the Platinum Star--an honor awarded to the teacher with the best performance during a given academic year--in his very first year of teaching. Heath would receive two more Platinum Stars in his university career before leaving the school.
His teaching days were far from over, as he spent his career away from the university homeschooling his three children with the help of his wife, Pauline, a priestess at the Church of Saint Kathleen. Pauline was a demure woman in her late thirties, and was short and somewhat skinny, with an affinity toward light, pale-colored clothing. Her appearance often contrasted with her husband, whose dark shirts and cherry-red hair projected a rebellious persona. In reality, Heath was serious to a fault, but deeply cared for the well-being of his family.
Their oldest daughter was twenty-one-year-old Maxine, who had quickly become Heath's favorite student thanks to her persistent devotion to the mystic arts. The young green-haired, brown-eyed girl developed interest in the subject right around the time she turned fourteen, when she saw a concert featuring famed illusionist Vanessa Lindsay. Initially, she wanted to be a magician strictly for entertainment, but she also wanted to learn it to test her physical and spiritual limits. She studied her craft constantly, reading books and practicing with cards and disposable magic sticks, and made money on the side by performing her tricks for the children in Sandoval. With her father's careful hands-on tutelage, she became good enough to catch Vanessa's eye, and the illusionist hired her to become part of her band of performers.
Maxine was given her first magical wand on her sixteenth birthday, and with it she learned to use telekinesis--an ability that came in handy when the time came to clean her room and she had to shift heavy objects around (such as her full-size bed, which left very little room for her to place other things, but had a very generous underside for hiding smaller items). While the children in the neighborhood loved to watch her sidewalk shows, they still teased her for her unusual hair color and style. The adults generally showed her a little more respect, and were quick to note that magicians often dyed their hair to represent one of the five classical elements to show their dedication to the arts. Maxine, a natural brunette, chose the color green to represent earth, her personal birth element.
She spent the bulk of her free time joking with her younger brother, Jesse. His shaggy brown hair (which he often hid under a baseball cap) and less-than-intimidating physical stature would sometimes make him the target of the same people who picked on Maxine, but he knew better than to get into arguments with them and risk suffering physical and mental beat-downs. He preferred reading the fictional heroic tales of the Pyro Knight to living out adventures of his own. Sandy, the youngest child, was similarly reserved, except she chose to put her talents toward drawing instead of reading. Physically, she more closely resembled her mother, which granted her a bit more positive attention from the local teenage crowd.
When Maxine turned eighteen, Jesse and Sandy pooled a small amount of money to purchase a doll for her birthday. The clerk who sold it told them that theirs was a "magical doll", while not saying a word about its supposed mystical nature. Not knowing or caring that females Maxine's age were deemed "too old" to play with dolls, they hoped its magical aspect would appeal to her. The doll bore many similarities to a clothing store mannequin, and lacked the visible joints of other similar dolls to give it a more human appearance. It looked like an ordinary human girl, and stood roughly three feet, six inches in height, with sapphire blue eyes, curly blond hair and no instruction manual. It certainly looked cute enough. Perhaps its ability to capture the hearts of anyone who gazed upon it was where the magic lied. It certainly worked on Maxine, who warmed to the doll almost immediately upon receiving it.
At first, Maxine chuckled at her siblings' suggestion that there was more to her new present than was on the surface. She generally trusted Jesse's word; he hadn't given her any reason to doubt her, for he always liked to tell the truth, no matter how outlandish or unpleasant. Ever the curious one, Maxine scoured through her collection of spell books to find an incantation that would unlock her doll's hidden ability. Hours of chanting and drawing of air symbols yielded nothing. She gave up and went to bed that night, wondering if she would look silly talking to a mannequin that looked like a seven-year-old girl.
When she awakened the next morning, the doll came to life, presenting her with the spell book she had read before dozing off. Maxine, astonished by her seemingly accidental discovery, realized that the little girl staring at her was no longer simply a doll, but a genuine humanoid familiar spirit. She named the spirit Violet Papilio, for the purple dress she wore and the butterfly beads that adorned her bonnet. Violet liked to refer to Maxine as "Mother" rather than "Master", even though such a thought made Maxine uncomfortable. They eventually agreed on calling each other "big sis" and "little sis", respectively. Violet had no trouble interacting with Jesse and their parents, but she did not get along very well with Sandy. Nevertheless, Violet was accepted as an unofficial sixth member of the McAllisters by the majority of the family.
Jesse and Sandy handed their finished papers to their mother, and hurriedly rushed to the coffee table to grab the lunch bags. Sandy reached inside the first bag and pulled out a sandwich. She peeked between the two slices of bread and quickly placed it back into the bag, covering her eyes. "Yuck!" she groaned. "There's no way I'd eat this. Who could possibly enjoy such a thing?"
Jesse looked over at Sandy, saying, "Oh, that's probably mine."
"What in the world is in that sandwich? It barely looks like food."
"It's grilled lemon salmon," he said, taking a bite from the sandwich.
"Looks like somebody overdid it with the marinade. I could barely see the fish. Why not just eat it plain?"
"No way! You can't eat it without the marinade. That's the best part! It gives the fish that extra 'kick.'"
"I don't know about you, but I like my sandwiches without anything smothering the meat. I just feel better that way." She reached into the other bag and pulled out a chicken salad sandwich and a bottle of orange juice.
"If you say so...but you're missing out on some really delicious fish."
At that instant, Maxine emerged from the top of the stairs, her clothes halfway covered in ash. She and Violet looked down to see everyone enjoying lunch together. "Is it lunchtime already?" she said. "Why didn't anyone inform me? I'm hungry."
"Max," said Heath, "you know that our lunch hour is at twelve o'clock every day. Don't you have an alarm clock in your room?"
"Of course I do. I just forgot to set it, that's all."
"Why did you forget to set your clock?"
"And why are your clothes all dirty, young lady?" asked Pauline.
"I was busy practicing this neat new disappearing trick with Violet, and I guess I used the wrong mixture for my smoke balls."
"We'll discuss this after you've had something to eat." Maxine walked down the stairs and into the kitchen to look for something to eat. She had a craving for a bowl of fruit salad, but there was no fruit to be found in the refrigerator. "Darn it!" she said. "Are we out of blueberries and bananas again?"
"Oh...I knew I forgot to pick up something from the store yesterday," said Heath. "Max, if you don't mind, could you make a quick run to the food market down the street and get some food for the house?"
"Me?" she asked. "Why do I have to do it?"
"You did say you wanted fruit for lunch, didn't you?"
"Yeah, but--"
"Don't complain, Max. You're old enough to go to the store without my help, and if you really need something, you'll have to get it on your own."
"Oh, all right." Maxine reached into her pocket to fetch her wallet, noticing that she was only carrying four dollars with her. She had spent sixty dollars earlier in the week on components for her smoke balls. "Father, may I borrow twenty dollars from you?"
"I'll give it to you this time," said Heath reluctantly, "but I expect you to pay me back in full when pay day comes around. Do you understand?"
Maxine bowed her head and took the small wad of bills from his hand. "Yes, sir."
"Before you leave," said Pauline, "I want you to put on a set of clean clothes, and put your dirty hat and robe in the hamper so they can be washed later."
"Yes, madam."
Maxine and Violet headed back to her room to find a cold-weather outfit, grabbing a white jumpsuit, overcoat and matching gloves from her closet. Slamming the door and window to her bedroom to filter out prying eyes, she quickly tossed her dirty clothes into the hamper and slipped into her outdoor clothes with ease. "Don't forget to put on earmuffs," said Violet, buried underneath the pile of clothes in the hamper. Her hand beheld a set of fluffy white earmuffs, which appeared large enough to cover her whole head, but were just the right size to fit over Max's ears. She put the earmuffs on, and together the two prepared to head out the door, when Jesse turned to them and said, "Hey, Max? While you're out, could you get a few chocolate bars for me and Sandy? Mom didn't put any snacks in our lunch today."
Without even waiting for their mother to jump in, Maxine spun around and said, "No," before exiting the house with a smile on her face.
Maxine waved to him and smiled. "I'm here to pick up some blueberries, strawberries and bananas for the house."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Max. We're all sold out of bananas, but we do have some frozen peaches available." He pointed to the freezer on his right, where a dozen plain-labeled cans marked "Peaches" were gathered neatly on the top shelf.
"I don't know...those cans look a little dull. Are you sure these are still good?"
"There's nothing wrong with them. Just go ahead and grab a few."
"Oh, well...I suppose it's better than nothing."
Maxine walked over to the freezer and took three of the cans of peaches, placing them in a nearby wicker basket. She looked over to Violet, who was nose-deep in a pile of white grapes. "Ooh! These look delicious," said Violet. "Can we take home a few of these, big sis?"
"Sure, why not?" replied Maxine. "More fruit will make the salad even sweeter. Where are the blueberries?"
"Right next to the grapes," said Violet. "I'll get a handful of them for you."
She took a plastic bag and half-filled it with blueberries, and then grabbed two bunches of grapes and floated over to Maxine's basket with both. Maxine spotted a small stack of tubs of strawberries near the other berries and added one of them to her basket as well. Terry looked on with intrigue as the duo walked up to his counter with their basket filled with fruit. "Ooh...those look good," he said, "and so colorful. What are you going to do with all this?"
"I'm making a fruit salad for lunch," said Maxine.
"Sounds tasty. I wish my dad would let me take a lunch break. I haven't had anything since breakfast." He totaled up Maxine's order and placed all of the fruit into a large plastic bag. "That'll be ten dollars, please."
Maxine's smile faded. "Ten dollars? But this batch of food usually only costs me eight."
"I know," sighed Terry, "but the farmers encountered a lot of weather-related problems with this spring's blueberry harvest. They shipped us a lot less than we normally get, so prices had to be raised to offset the losses."
"That's too bad. I hope next year's harvest turns out better than this one. These blueberries are just too good to ignore." She paid Terry for her groceries and tipped her hat to him on her way out.
She unlocked and opened the door very slowly, peeking inside to see if anything was out of the ordinary. After she was assured that things were quiet enough, she opened the door all the way with one swift push, hoping that it would catch any potential burglars off guard. All it managed to do was deliver looks of surprise from her mother and her siblings for a few seconds. "Maxine!" shouted Pauline. "What in the world are you doing?"
"N-nothing, Mother," Maxine said nervously.
"Well, you should be more mindful of what's going on inside, you know. I thought a burglar was going to break in when you opened the door like that."
"I thought a burglar had already broken in, so I pushed the door wide open to catch them off guard."
"Come on, Max," said Jesse. "Use your head. If our house were under attack, one of us here would have called the police by now."
"That's right," said Pauline, "and you should know that your father and I are perfectly capable of defending ourselves. He fought off bullies in high school who were as tall as I am. I don't think a silly little thief would be able to stop him."
"I see your point." Maxine looked around the room, noticing her father was no longer in it. "Where is Father, anyway?"
Pauline pointed behind her with her thumb. "He retreated to the dining room for a chat with your boss."
"Dame Lindsay's here? But why?"
Pauline got up from her armchair and reached for a large history book from the bookshelf next to the fireplace. "Why don't you ask your father?" she said. "I'm about to start Jesse and Sandy's history class, so I'll need a little privacy for now." Maxine took the hint, and walked into the dining room through a small opening just to the right of the fireplace.
The dining room table was empty, with only a small daisy-filled vase in the center to provide atmosphere to an otherwise dreary room. Maxine's employer, Vanessa Lindsay, was seated at the table opposite Heath, dressed in the long, royal blue dress and pink hair that had become her staple outfit over the years. They appeared to be in the middle of a conversation, so Maxine stood quietly between the two of them, listening attentively.
Vanessa began speaking in a low, sultry tone that reminded Maxine of the way her mother would speak to her father late at night when nobody was around. "So you see, Mr. McAllister, it is imperative that your daughter performs well at tomorrow afternoon's competition. A victory would not only place her in the national finals next week, but it would also do wonders to her self-confidence."
"Self...confidence?" Heath was unfamiliar with Maxine ever displaying any confidence problems. She always put on a happy face when she was at home. There were times when she got so wrapped up in her magic studies that it felt like she didn't have time to worry, no matter how many times a trick or spell went awry. "Are you sure we're talking about the same Maxine here, Madam?"
"Yes, Mr. McAllister. I won't lie to you--Maxine is one of the best young performers I've seen in years." A wide smile crossed Maxine's face when she heard that compliment. "She's incredibly talented, and she pours her heart out into every performance. The audiences absolutely love her shows. However, I sense a few flashes of anxiety when she plays for larger crowds. It feels almost as if something is holding her back--something deep down inside that's preventing her from displaying her full potential."
"That's not true!" Maxine blurted out.
"Don't interrupt, Max," said Heath. "This is a private conversation."
"No, Heath," said Vanessa, pressing lightly on Heath's hand. "It's okay. I originally wanted to talk to her about this, but she wasn't in the house when I stopped by. Maxine, sit down." She signaled for Heath to pull out one of the maple chairs next to him. Maxine put her bags down and slowly sat in the chair, her arms folded on top of the table. "Now, I apologize for giving you this news on such short notice, but I just recently returned from a week-long vacation in Talley Sands. My assistant foolishly waited until early this morning to give it to me." She reached into her purse and handed Maxine a canary yellow advertisement flyer. It was marked with a portrait of a long-bearded wizard hovering over a crystal ball, with curvy text written inside the ball in blue ink:
THIS SATURDAY
2:00 PM LOCAL TIME
SANDOVAL UNIVERSITY
Local Tryouts for the Fourth Annual National Magic Olympics will be held in the Main Auditorium. All are invited to this public Event. Top Three Participants receive Cash Prizes, and the Winner a Chance to represent Sandoval in next week's Main Competition at White Pine.
"There wasn't much time left to register," she continued, "so I completed an application on your behalf. By my estimation, there should be a total of nine other participants. I expected the field to be larger, but I guess the judges wanted to keep things small this time around so that the competition would finish before sunset. After all, they have mouths to feed, as well.
"Now, a handful of the contestants will probably be university students, so they won't expect an 'outsider' to storm their home turf. You may not have had a formal education in magic studies, but you're just as capable of winning the prize as they are, maybe even more so. As I told your father earlier, the top three contestants will win generous cash prizes, and the top overall winner will also get to perform live at the National Magic Olympics."
The thought of performing live on stage at one of the largest entertainment events of the year greatly excited Maxine. She knew that this could be her big chance to break into stardom. It almost made her forget for a moment about the anxiety troubles Vanessa mentioned earlier. All that mattered right now was proving to her boss that she was ready to make the jump. "The National Magic Olympics?" she said. "Are you kidding? Of course I'll participate!"
"That's good to hear," Vanessa said to her. "Now, I want you to be prepared to leave the house by ten o'clock tomorrow morning. You'll need to get there early so the judges can instruct you on proper procedure for the competition. Make sure to get a good night's sleep tonight and eat a healthy breakfast tomorrow, because you'll need all of the energy you can muster tomorrow."
"I won't let you down, Madam."
Vanessa looked down at her watch. It was already one o'clock, and she had to hurry home and make preparations for the next day. "Oh! I'm terribly sorry, but I must be going now. Mr. McAllister, I thank you for your hospitality." She put on a heavy jacket and prepared to leave for the front door.
"The pleasure is all mine," said Heath.
"I do hope that you and the rest of the family will come out to see Maxine perform tomorrow."
"We'll be in the audience tomorrow for sure."
She got up from her chair and turned to Maxine. "And Maxine?"
"Yes?" asked Maxine.
"Try not to get nervous on stage. Don't worry about what everyone else is doing. Just give the audience a great show, and have fun out there. I'll see you tomorrow morning."
"Okay, Madam Lindsay. See you." The two of them escorted Vanessa to the front door, and watched as she stepped out onto the snow, picking up her dress slightly so it didn't get wet. As she walked away, she checked her watch again and increased her pace to a leisurely jog, fearing that she was going to lose more time.
With the door closed behind him, Heath and Maxine told the rest of the family about the Magic Olympics tryouts, and urged them to come out with him to see the show. Jesse and Sandy were immediately committed to the idea, because it meant they wouldn't have to worry about doing homework on a weekend. It took several minutes for him to convince Pauline to see things his way, for Saturday was her regular church day, and she was scheduled to hold a sermon that week on parental responsibility. Her sermon would conflict with the time of the tryouts, as she would not be able to make it to the university in time after leaving the church. This time was different, he told her. This event would be one of the most important in Maxine's young career, and to miss out on this would mean passing up on the chance to witness another milestone in McAllister family history. She finally said "yes" when he reminded her that it had been several years since the two of them were able to go out on a Saturday afternoon together. She decided to cancel the rest of the day's lessons so that everyone would be able to get a bit of rest.
Maxine and Violet looked at each other and sighed, for they knew they still had work to do. The Magic Olympic trials were only 24 hours away, and she had very little time to practice. She would have to get all of her materials and her routine in order before sunset, a herculean feat for someone of even Vanessa Lindsay's caliber. If only someone could come up with a practical spell to alter time, she thought to herself as she headed to the kitchen to make her lunch.
