Chapter 2

David paid the cabbie and burst through the front doors of the Chambers Estate. Paul quickly came to hold David back, but as Duncan flew from his study to see what the commotion was about, he saw the look on David's face and dismissed Paul.

"We have a problem." David announced. Duncan, Katherine, David, and Maggie gathered in Duncan's study and closed the doors. Katherine seemed unusually anxious and David was stone silent. Maggie had no idea what was going on but when she tried to ask before, Duncan shushed her and made her sit on the couch. Duncan was now pacing back and forth, his hands always falling onto a key on his desk. He was muttering to himself as he paced, something about not understanding and having more time. Maggie saw that Katherine was getting increasingly pale, while David sat stone still without saying a word.

"Will someone tell me what is going on?" Maggie asked. All three of them looked up at her, as if only now realizing that she was still sitting there. Duncan sighed and took the key up in his hand.

"We can't wait any longer." He said. Katherine sobbed and started to protest.

"It's too soon. There are still a few more days." Duncan touched her shoulder and she sat back down, sobbing into her hands.

"What's wrong?" Maggie asked, going over to comfort her mother. Katherine quickly pulled her daughter into a tight hug and Maggie had to strain her head up to get air.

"It's time for you to know what you truly are." Duncan sighed. He took the key and turned around, looking at the large bookshelf behind his desk. He looked through the shelves and finally stopped in front of a large leather bound book. He took it from the shelf, placed it on the desk and opened it. To Maggie's surprise, the book was hollow, but there was a small keyhole inside. Duncan fit the key into the lock and as he turned it, Maggie felt the ground beneath her shake. A door opened up under the fireplace, steps leading down into darkness. Duncan removed the key and pocketed it, looking over to David. In turn, David walked towards the door and started down the steps. Katherine sniffed rather abruptly, dried her eyes and stood up, following David down the trapdoor. Finally Duncan followed but waited by the entrance.

"I'm sorry to have kept this from you, but it was for your own safely, and that of our world." Duncan turned but Maggie stopped him.

"Dad, you're telling me that we're… different, right? Like spies or something." Maggie's heart sped up.

"Not spies, gods."

Maggie followed her parents and David down the steps and when she finally came to the bottom she saw that they were in the basement.

"Look, there's that old bed that I threw out when I was 10. And that's the dining set that Mom hated." Maggie went to take a step towards the old treasures but found herself blocked by an invisible barrier.

"Two-way mirror." David tapped on the glass. "We're behind it." Maggie was unnerved, how did David know what was going on and she didn't? Duncan and Katherine continued walking until they reached a large stone wall. A small panel pulled out and Katherine entered a code, while Duncan had his retina scanned. Katherine then had her handprint scanned and then a door opened from the solid wall. They walked into a large warehouse that seemed to never end. The ceiling was at least 10 stories tall, and the windows above let in a pale blue light, while the sky looked pink. Maggie then noticed that the warehouse was filled with shelves and racks of stuff. There was a large collection of cauldrons in the corner, another pile of chests. A whole section piled with stacks of books of all shapes and sizes; and more little trinkets and tools. Another shelf held jars full of strange objects. Maggie suddenly laughed and held her stomach.

"What a wild imagination I have, to dream a place like this up, under my own house." Maggie smiled but when no one else joined in, she stopped.

"You're not dreaming. This is our family's cove. It has everything from generations back, ingredients, tools, weapons, spell books, charms." Katherine said and Maggie took one more glance around.

"Where exactly are we?" She asked after getting the feeling that she wasn't dreaming.

"We're in Jynx, a realm on another dimension. We were able bring our cove with us, but only through a portal. It can only be accessed from the other world, but still stands in Jynx." Duncan said. Maggie's head was reeling.

They couldn't be serious, a different realm, different dimension. Maggie's heart started to race and her ears started to pound. A fear started to rise in her, fear of where she was, of who her parents were, of who David was. She couldn't stand straight and fell back down against the wall. She held her head in her hands and her knees to her chest, trying to drown out the horrible pounding in her head. Suddenly a large fire caught on the pile of cauldrons. Maggie gasped and even the others seemed frightened.

"It's true!" David exclaimed but Katherine was the one to rush to Maggie. She held her daughter in her arms and comforted her, whispering soothing words in her ear. Finally Maggie calmed down and the fire diminished, leaving the cauldrons smoldering.

"I… don't… understand." She heaved, trying to catch her breathe.

"Jynx is another realm, on a different dimension than Earth. It's a place where creatures like elves exist. Magic exists there too. It's where you're from." David explained. He had a large book in his hands, and seemed to be looking for an important passage.

"I'm an elf?" Maggie exclaimed. Katherine hushed her daughter, stroking her hair back softly.

"You are not an elf but you are very important to Jynx." Duncan knelt down before Maggie and looked at her earnestly. "You are prophesized to be the savior of Jynx. You have…" he looked up at Katherine, who nodded at him kindly. "You have… powers, abilities that you can control." The three of them were silent, waiting for Maggie's response. David, however, seemed to be more involved in the book he was holding.

"Powers… like magical powers." Maggie clarified. Duncan nodded and pointed to the smoldering cauldrons.

"You did that." He smiled.

"I didn't mean to. I was so scared and confused. I just –"

"We're not blaming you." Katherine hushed Maggie.

"No, of course not. But you have the power to set things on fire, to create earthquakes, to control water, to create tornados and hurricanes. You have power over the elements." Duncan said.

"Look this is you." David suddenly spoke and placed the book in Maggie's hands.

Only the one who returns with powers of another world, to concur, to take, to use, shall.

There was then a picture of a tall figure with flaming red hair, ice-blue eyes and a ball of fire in the palm of her hand. Maggie stared at the picture for a few moments, feeling the air thickening around her. Duncan sighed and started to pace once more. Katherine sat with her eyes fixed on Maggie, and David stood with his hands in his pockets, staring at the cracks in the stone wall.

"so… I can hold fire in my hand?" Maggie asked. Duncan held in a laugh as he stopped pacing and stood before his daughter.

"If you train enough." He said.

"Alright, so I'm a witch with powers and I'm supposed to save this world. What happens if I can't save it?" Maggie asked, looking around for an answer.

"Then Jynx will be ruled by Daegon forevermore." Katherine sobbed.

"Who is Daegon?" Maggie asked. David looked at Duncan, who in turn, turned to Maggie.

"Ifra Daegon is an evil warlord who took over the realm 20 years ago. He… is banished into a helmet, and whom so ever wears the helmet is under his control. The last king, King Mestra, ruled for a few months before Daegon took over and since then, Jynx is overrun by destruction and cruelty. You are the only one powerful enough to stop him." Duncan seemed to be looking at David for some help, but David's eyes were firmly fixed on the wall.

"I'm supposed to go to this whole other world, by myself, and defeat this guy, alone?" Maggie's heart fell. No one did she hate being alone, but she feared dying alone as well.

"No-" Duncan was cut off by David, who finally seemed to have found his voice.

"You won't be alone." He stepped forward and nodded at the book still in Maggie's hands. She flipped the page and saw a number of fingers on the page. Six figures were drawn, each with different defining features. There was a set of twins with long black hair. One had a red streak in her hair, and the other had a hand that shined like diamonds. There was a boy who held a lightning bolt in his hand, and another who looked like he was bending a solid piece of metal. There was one more, besides the redhead in the middle. He had blonde hair and hazel eyes.

I'm sorry. A voice spoke in Maggie's head. She jerked up and knew at once who the voice belonged to.

"You! You're in my head! You're one of them!" Maggie exclaimed, getting up and backing herself far away from David. His eyes met her's but he couldn't look at her for long. His head fell and he looked ashamed of himself. Maggie couldn't hold herself back. She wanted so desperately to run at him, beat her fists against his chest, make him feel just how hurt she really was. But she backed away, not wanting her parents to witness her breakdown. She ran out of the warehouse, back up the stairs and out into the backyard. Into the middle of the field she stood, backing the house, knowing that David was only steps behind her.

Her fists were clenched, her heart not racing, but slow and steady, pounding in her ears.

He lied to me. For 6 years, he lied to my face. He pretended to love me, because it was his job.

"Was that all I was to you? A job? A duty? You were sent to watch me, right? Get close, keep an eye on me. Well… congratulations, mission accomplished." Maggie's voice was dripping with disgust. She had never hated anyone more in her entire life. And to think, she had loved him only hours ago.

"I never meant to hurt you." He said. Maggie was impressed that he spoke to her instead of just using her mind, but it didn't count for much.

"I'm not hurt, I'm pissed off. I'm livid." Maggie turned to face him, blowing her hair off her face, feeling the blood rush to her cheeks. When he finally looked up at her, only for a moment, she saw he was on the verge of tears. It seemed that he never meant for her to find out, but now that she had, he had no backup plan. But that only made Maggie angrier.

A tremor started under her feet, it rippled through the ground towards David. He felt it and fear struck his eyes. He looked up at Maggie as another one followed. The quakes grew in size and magnitude, causing David to tremble as he stood. Maggie saw him struggling to stand but she hated the very sight of him. Another quake, this one so big that David was shaken off his feet. He laid on his back, looking up at Maggie, the sheer hatred on her face, her eyes actually turned grey. Another quake and the ground between them started to crack open. Grass and soil started to part as a rift opened up in the Chambers' backyard. As the crack grew David struggled to his feet. He backed away, slowly at first but as the rift grew in his direction, he started to run. He ran past the house and out of Maggie's sight.

Then she collapsed on her knees, her face in the grass, hot tears streaming down her cheeks. The earthquake stopped and Katherine and Duncan emerged to take her back inside.

Without knowing it, Maggie had been taken upstairs to her room and she fell asleep for hours. When she woke there was a tray of food on her bedside table, a note, and a small wooden box. Maggie took a bite from the sandwich and read the note.

I can't imagine how difficult this must be to accept, but unfortunately, this is reality. David is a part of your team and you must work with him in order to survive. You are the strongest woman I know, you can handle it. Training starts as soon as you are up, it is vital that you can defend yourself. Inside the box is a gift from your father and I, it is your only keepsake from Jynx.

Maggie put the letter down and grabbed the box. It looked hand-carved and had such a soft touch. Inside was a silver pendent. It looked like a Venn Diagram, four circles interwoven, with a fifth around the centerpoint. It had a sparkly tinge to it, and as soon a Maggie picked it up and held it in the palm of her hand, something magical happened. The pendent glowed brightly and then vanished. Maggie looked for it in her bed, thinking that it dropped, she looked under the bed and even searched her clothes, no sign of it. She hoped that it would turn up again, but tried to put it out of her mind as she dressed. She managed to find a pair of sweatpants on a tank top in her heap if clothes. Pulling them on and walking down the corridor, she noticed that there was an odd glow on the wall. It looked like a glow stick light, but she had no idea where it was coming from. As she continued down the hallway, she heard music from Tyler's room.

She knocked quietly, the music shut off and there were footsteps coming towards the door.

"Hey… oh it's you." Tyler's face softened as he opened the door to let his sister inside.

"Expecting the parentals?" Maggie smiled as she took a seat on the large beanbag chair. Tyler continued over to his desk and glued his eyes back to his computer screen.

"Something like that. So how are you doing?" He quickly glanced over to Maggie.

"I'm fine. Tired, exhausted really, but fine. I just wish I knew how all this happened. And I find myself wondering how I never knew before, you know. I mean something as big as this, I think I would have known or suspected… what are you looking at?" Maggie noticed that Tyler was now staring at her.

"When did you get a tattoo?" He asked. Maggie's heart stopped and she jumped up and over to the mirror on the wall.

At first glance, there was indeed a tattoo on Maggie's neck, just below her jawbone. It was the symbol on the pendent from earlier. She touched it and scratched it but it was pure ink on her skin and it wasn't coming off.

"How did that… "Maggie was slowly accepting the fact that weird stuff like this would be happening to her. She took a step back from the mirror and took in her whole appearance.

"You know, it's not that bad." She smiled. Tyler shrugged and turned back to his screen.

"You're alright though?" She asked, feeling she still had to watch out for him.

"Yeah…" he seemed uncertain of his own words. "There's something you should know." Maggie stepped forwards and planted her feet, preparing herself for another emotional blow. "I just found out something as well. I can't explain it; I don't even know when it happened but…" Maggie knew that whatever it was, it was going to be just another piece in the weird puzzle.

Suddenly the lights flickered on and off, then exploded in a display of sparks. Maggie jumped out of the way and clutched onto the beanbag chair.

"What just happened?" She asked slowly after a moment in the darkness.

"I… umm… I did that." Tyler said as he walked over to the windows and opened the curtains. Sunlight shone in the dark room and Maggie released the beanbag.

"You… control electricity?" Maggie guessed, examining the broken light bulbs on the ground.

"I guess so. It's just lights so far, I'm waiting for a lightning storm to pass by." Tyler flashed a smile but Maggie wasn't sure if he was joking or not.

"When did you find out? Maggie asked.

"A few weeks ago. I was upset about something, and the lights just sparked and died. It happened again last week, and then I was sure. I'm not totally in control of it yet, but… I know what you're going through. " Maggie smiled weakly then hurried over to his brother. She hugged him close, feeling happy that she wasn't alone, but also that she could help Tyler as much as he could help her.

Katherine's voice echoed through the hallways and up into Tyler's room.

"Tyler? Maggie? Come downstairs please." Tyler groaned, and looked longingly at his computer.

"Come on." Maggie had to drag Tyler downstairs and released him when they entered the dining room. A huge spread of food was laid out, and Maggie's stomach instantly grumbled.

"Eat up dears, training starts in half an hour." Katherine smiled.

"Training? For what?" Maggie asked as she stuffed half a piece of French toast in her mouth.

"Jynx is not a safe place, especially for you. You must learn to use weapons to defend yourself on you journey. David will be training you both." Maggie nearly choked but saw her mother's sympathetic eyes and remembered the note.

"Fine." Maggie said and rushed upstairs.

Duncan had told them to head down to the basement to meet David, this time using the main staircase instead of the hidden one in his study. As they walked through the dark and musty storage room, Maggie's fingers grazed the mirror on the wall. At the back of the room there was an open door. Maggie had always assumed it was the boiler room or something, but as she and Tyler walked in, it turned out to be a large training gym. The walls were lined with weapons and shields and the floor was padded and rubbery. David stood in the center of the room, arms folded across his chest, eyes glaring at both of them.

"Go to the wall and pick a weapon." He instructed. Maggie wanted nothing more than to stick her tongue out at him, kick him, or just turn and walk away, but she held herself back and walked along the wall of weapons.

Hammers and axes of all shapes and sizes hung on pegs. Swords, knives, daggers, throwing stars, shields, spears, arrows, anything with a handle and a sharp edge or point, it was there. Maggie thought she might pick the bow and arrow, she had been pretty good at camp, but as she walked back a nice looking staff caught her eye. It looked more like a walking stick than a spear, no pointed head. There was a hollow circle attached to the top, and as Maggie looked closer, there was also a small sphere floating in the center of it. As Maggie touched the staff, the ball shot off several red sparks.

Tyler stood in front of David with a bow and a sheath of arrow, Maggie held the staff. David pointed Tyler to the target on the back wall of the gym.

"Shoot." He said. Tyler nodded and set himself up across the room. David then turned to Maggie, who was examining the little ball. Anytime her finger was within an inch of the ball, sparks shot off. When she touched it, a huge surge of energy hit her entire body. It was exhilarating and exhausting all at once.

"Figured you'd find that." He said.

"What do you mean?" Maggie asked, finally taking her eyes off the staff.

"It's yours, well, it was meant for you, designed for you." David was slowly circling her now. She felt his eyes on her, watching her, testing her. She held the staff tighter, willing herself not to break it over his head. He stopped and stood before her.

"You need to learn how to use it." He said and Maggie's self-control shattered. She flipped the staff upside down and wacked David with the end. But David was quick and caught it.

"Properly." He released the staff and pushed her back. "But that was good. Any weapon you use is a part of you, an extension of yourself. It needs to flow with your body movements, don't leave it hanging out there for someone else to catch." David swiftly reached for the staff but Maggie whipped around her back and into her other hand. "Good." David smirked. "When you hit, hit hard. Don't hold back because if you only have one shot, make it count." David stepped back and brought out a basket of tennis balls.

"You're not serious." Maggie laughed. David did not smile but threw a ball at her instead.

For the next few hours, Maggie blocked tennis balls that David threw at her, missing most of them but not all. She felt bruises growing and found herself getting more and more frustrated.

"Can we do something else, come back to this later?" She asked as she grabbed a drink of water. She expected David to be a slave-driver and refuse, telling her to work hard, push more. But he nodded and returned with a large body pad. He suited himself up in a padded body suit and fit more pads on his hands.

"What? Put on those gloves." Maggie was sure he was kidding but when she put on the gloves, she knew he was for real.

"Hit me." He said. Maggie didn't hesitate.