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PROLOGUE

Massachusetts, Governor Sir William Phips had a secret. He didnt

know how, he just knew. He knew that witches were not real. And he

also knew that the good people of Salem had no clue. They were

innocent. They had been put on trial for witchcraft. They were tried and

were about to be burned at the stake.

As Governor he knew he was the only one that could stop it. And so here

he was, on his way to Salem, to stop the confused citizens of

Massachusetts. Mr. Phips was a powerful man, and maybe he could use

that power to save the innocent people about to be murdered that day.

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dad, who has just the about the sharpest memory in my family, walks in

my room from time to time with his newspaper thinking its the

bathroom.

Another loud boom got Haus running down the hall towards his room,

with me walking slowly behind him. After a good minute of searching, I

found the door labeled Haus, and stepped inside. Hauss mind was no

calmer than it had been before. He went and laid down on his huge

cushion and started shivering in fear. A flash of lightning lighted the

room. The room was originally used as a sitting room, or maybe a

reading room. It wasnt quite as large as some of the bedrooms, but it

was not closet sized. It was bare apart from Hauss cushion and small

table in the corner. On the table was a blanket. I had put it there for

nights such as these, when Haus needed some company. I grabbed the

blanket and eased myself down next to Haus on the cushion. He put his

head in my lap, and I ran my hand over his smooth fur. Gradually, hismind started to calm down, and soon enough, the 200 pound dog was

snoring.

Boom! The house shook and creaked. Haus twitched in his sleep. The

house continued creaking even after the thunder had died down. Well of

course it would creak! The house was built in 1691 after all. That was

probably the only reason we moved into it. You see, my father got a job

at Harvard as a history professor. Thats why we moved from Kentucky.

My mom, who is always traveling anyway because she is a best-selling

travel book author, was ecstatic about moving. It took a while to find aplace to move to, since my dad was looking for something with a little

bit of history to it, but then we found what he labeled, the perfect

house. Actually, the house was really named My Island by the

Governor who built all those years ago. Anyway, when my dad found

this house, he was thrilled. He quickly offered to buy the house, only to

find that someone else had beat him to it. The real-estate lady was real

nice about it and apologized several times, promising that if things

didnt go well with the other people, that wed be the first she called.

But that was unlikely.

But then the unlikely happened. She called. A week later, the real-estatelady called. And just like that, we moved into 219 Brimmer Street.

Through all of this, my parents didnt ask for my opinion much. Im not

a talker, and I prefer to be alone, and my parents respect that. I hadnt

been devastated by the move, not at all. In fact Hausss thoughts had

more anxiety about leaving than I did. I just simply went along, did my

part. Adapted. But if my parents had asked me my opinion, I would

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have told them I wanted to stay in Kentucky. I was not attached to any

people there, but I loved the country-styled fields and open blue skies.

Now, here in Salem, I am going to be attending a school for the first

time, since I have been home schooled in my previous years. I already

went this afternoon, since school starts tomorrow, to meet my teachers,

get my schedule, and find my locker. Everything sounded great except

for the meeting the teachers part. I just dont like talking to people.

The teachers were very teacher-like, with their straight backs, beady

eyes, and in some cases, balding hair. My locker number was 202, and it

was on the end of the row of lockers, which means less people to be near.

My schedule was very simple: math; English; science; P.E.; lunch;

history. They said there was a free period in there somewhere, but it

failed to show on the paper.

I didnt see many people, just a few stuck-up richies, a couple of nerds,

and some jocks. I was about to leave, and thats when I saw them. A girl,about five foot in height with dark brown hair and olive skin, and a boy,

about six foot in height with shaggy, blonde hair, tan skin, and broad

shoulders. The boy was towering over the frail-figured girl, taunting

her, teasing her. The girls thoughts were racing a mile a minute; she

was very scared. I hadnt been able to make out the words he used, but

the tone was clearly not pleasant. And neither were his thoughts. That

was all I needed to hear. I had needed to stop it.

Now, see, on any other day I would have just ignored the two, no matter

how uneven the odds are. Id have just stayed where I was, remaininvisible, and move on. But today was different; it was just something

that had to be stopped.

I had walked right up to the boy and girl, who both looked like they

were about my age, despite the varying heights. I grabbed the boys

shoulder. He started to turn his head towards me, and says harshly

What do you! he never did finished. I stared at him right in the

face, into his deep, blue, eyes. And he just stared right back. We both

just stared. His face had contorted then into a playing field of mixed

emotions, all unreadable. His mind was going far too fast for me to even

hope to read. The girls mind was filled with relief, but also a whole newfear. She feared for me. That was a first.

The boy was not in his emotional stupor long. What now played on his

face was shock and confusion. Who are you? hed asked.

I had answered him without skipping a beat, The names Dani Beth

Phips. I had then put my arm around the small girls shoulder, turned

my head, sending my braid swinging around, and led the confused girl

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away.

I did not need to look back to sense that the boy- no the bully- was

staring at me as I made my retreat. His mind was still in turmoil, so I

hadnt been able to read it then. Well, that had suited me just fine. I

didnt want to read his mind anyway.

And now, on the floor, dwelling on my horrible day with my Hauss

heavy head bellowing in my lap, I realize I have to face the girl and the

boy in two days. Great, Dani, just great.

I have made enemies before the school year even started.

I sighed, lifted Hauss head off my lap, draped the blanket over him,

and made my way back to my room slowly. Wandering through the

creaking halls, I examined what was now my home. It didnt feel like

home. Kentucky didnt feel like home either. Where is home? Well,

Dorothy was right about one thing. Theres no place like home. Because

there is no such place.I found my room after a couple of turns, and crawled into bed, too tired

to care that my slippers were still on my feet. This was only one of the

many sleepless nights Ive had since we moved here. But if I hurried up

and fell asleep quickly, I could get about four hours of rest.

I nearly slid into oblivion the second my head hit the pillow.

Dream-like thoughts and conversations filled my head.

But one voice, among the other dreamy voices, stood out to me, even

though it was whispering:

You have been chosenCHAPTER 2

I woke to what sounded like a dying animal.

BEEP BEEP SHREIK! BEEP BEEP SHREIK! No its just my dang

alarm clock. A great start to the last day of summer. Just peachy. I

checked to see what time it was. 12:34. Well, I slept half the day away.

Apparently my alarm clock isnt working properly. I slipped out of bed

and went to get ready for the day.

My mom and dad were up. I know this because my dads thoughts were

on where he last put his car keys while my mom was wondering if she

should have a tuna or ham sandwich. I threw on my favorite gray shirtwith an old pair of jeans and headed down the halls toward the kitchen.

When I entered the kitchen, I found Haus staring very intently at my

moms ham sandwich.

Hey honey. Howd you sleep? she said. Mom has been asking me that

every morning since the move. Her mom-instincts have been telling her

I havent been sleeping well. Either the mom instincts or the black

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circles under my eyes.

Fine. Is there ham left? I replied as I sat down at the table. No, but

there is just a bit of tuna left to make a tuna sandwich. she answered.

Did I mention how much I hate tuna? I scowled at the little can with the

overly happy fish on it. My dad walked into the kitchen. Has anyone

here seen my car keys? I have to get to Harvard before one. Dads

thoughts were trying to retrace his steps from the time he walked into

the door last night. He knew he had his keys when he walked in, but

after he saw dinner for him in the microwave, he lost track of where he

put them.

Try looking in your pants pocket. You know, the pants you wore

yesterday? I suggested. Remembrance dawned on his face. Thank you

Dani! he turned to my mom, Do you know where my pants are? My

mom took a minute to answer. Oh! There in the washing machine.

Dad ran in the direction where he thought the laundry room was. By thetime he returned, my mom had a finished tuna sandwich on a plate for

me.

He held up the remains of what was his car keys. Do you think it will

still work? he asked. I tried to stifle a laugh. The key will. my mom

answered. At least its clean now. I said. He frowned and headed out

the door to his car.

Now I have to walk all the way up to the car to unlock it. he thought.

I couldnt help it. I burst out laughing. My mom joined in and we

laughed for a good bit. Men are just so lazy sometimes.Well that was an interesting lunch break. Mom said after a bit.

That confused me a bit. Wait, youre on your lunch break? I asked.

She walked over to the sink and started to wash off her dirty dish from

lunch. Yes, I had the morning shift at the store today. I get an hour

break and then I have to go back. Becky is sick, and I have to cover her

afternoon shift. She said.

Apart from writing travel books, my mom works at Go Global

Traveling Agency as her day job. She hadnt been working there long,

only about a week, so Im surprised she is on a first name basis with

some of the employees. My mom looked at me sadly. I hate leaving youhere like this. She chided. And she really meant that. The only reason

she let me keep Haus was so that I wouldnt be completely alone all the

time. Mom, Im sixteen. Ill be fine. I said.

She started to gather her purse and her car keys. No wild house parties

while Im gone. She joked. As if I knew any people that would willingly

talk to me, let alone party. I smiled and played along, Guess Ill have to

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call all those people to tell them my mom is on to us.

She laughed and headed for the door. Ill be home around nine. Bye.

And that tuna sandwich better be finished by the time I get back. she

thought.

Dont worry, it will be gone. I said, eyeing Haus. Wait a second. Oops.

My mom looked at me real funny for a second. Her hand was on the

doorknob. So close, all she had to do was walk out the door. What?

she asked. What to do! I decided to do what I do best. Frame Haus.

Um, Haus still looked spooked from that thunder storm last night. I

was simply telling him it would be gone. Why do you ask?

Mom looked doubtful at first, but then thought, She does talk to that

dog a lot

No reason. Ill see you later, sweetie. she finally said. She turned the

doorknob and she walked out the door.

Whew! She bought it. There are reasons why I dont like to talk much,and its because my big mouth can get me in big trouble. I turned to

Haus. Looks like its just you and me, boy. I got up from the table and

was about to leave the kitchen, until I saw what caused the close call this

morning. The tuna sandwich. I walked over to it and rattled the plate.

Hauss eyes never left the sandwich. I set it on the corner closest to him

and turned away. Haus is smart; he wont eat anything off the table

unless no one is watching. I heard his big claws click against the kitchen

tile, then stop. I heard a shift of weight and paws thud on the table. And

finally I heard a chewing sound and satisfied thoughts. I turned backaround, and sure enough, the plate was empty of both sandwich and

crumbs. I took the plate and put it in the dishwasher.

Now what? My parents are gone and its the last day of summer. I

walked out of the kitchen until I was in our living room. The TV had

been left on, and it was talking about the upcoming 2012 presidential

inauguration. Not one for politics, I switched it off. I glanced around the

room. This is were we have all the other boxes we havent unpacked yet.

My mom, being such a neat-freak, had labeled ever single box. There

were three small boxes labeled attic that were pushed in a corner.

Well, there is nothing else to do, and I can carry boxes.. So I put two andtwo together and went over to inspect them. They were small boxes, so I

could carry them all at once. I grabbed the boxes and started to walk

towards the stairs. The downside about carrying boxes is that if you

stack them up to carry them and you cant see well. So I made the trip

up the stairs, tripping over every third step I took. By the time I reached

the top of the stairs, I could have sworn that the boxes were full of

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rocks.

I walked around the halls, looking for anything that looked like it would

lead to the attic. Haus loped up the stairs and found me, and then took

his usual place at my heals. The boxes were now getting heavier with

every step. I looked at Haus (hard to do with boxes in you arms) and

said, You could help you know. He just wagged his tail and pretended

to know what I just said. His dark eyes seemed to laugh.

I turned the corner and saw a rope hanging from the ceiling.. The attic.

I set the boxes down and hopped up and down until I caught the tip of

the rope. I pulled down, and with a loud creak, a set of ladder/steps

greeted me. Now I see why these boxes had been left for someone else to

put up. How do you carry a box full of unknown crap up a ladder? Very

carefully, thats how. I grabbed the first box and ascended up the ladder.

It was dark, and I couldnt see a thing. I felt my way to the wall, and set

down the box. I walked around, slowly so I wouldnt trip over anythingthat might be up here.

Something cold and string-like brushed my forehead.. I reached out and

blindly found it. Curious, I gave it a tug, and a naked light bulb

illuminated the attic. The whole interior was made of wood. It was like

being on the inside of a ship or a small abandoned cabin. There was a

very old chair in the corner. At closer inspection, the chair looked like it

might have been bright red, but lets just say the years havent been

very kind to it. Next to the old chair was a small reading table. If the

lighting was any better, this would be an ideal place for me to read!There were ancient boxes everywhere. Even with the small light, I

couldnt see everything about the room. And the smell! It smelled as old

as the place looked, with about a pound of dust coating everything. I

walked around, looking in some of the aging boxes. Some boxes had

books in them, some had old cloths, while others were just empty. A

large box caught my eye. It was in the corner, and it was barely visible. I

worked my way around the room, focused on that one box. A stupid idea

when there is stuff everywhere just waiting to trip you.

My foot got caught on what looked like the oldest box in there. I fell

head first onto the hard floor.THUD!

When my head hit the floor, I saw black and red stars dance

everywhere. Haus, hearing my clumsiness, was barking as loudly as he

could. I tried to call out to him, but between the dust coating my mouth

and the breath getting knocked out of me, I remained silent. I sat on the

floor for a minute and then stood up. I continued on toward the big box.

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Extra carefully this time though. When I got to it, I blew the dust of the

top. I place my hand on it and lifted the lidonly to find that all that

was in there was a dead mouse.

Great, I trip and hit my head for a dead rodent? Happy last day of

summer to me!

Disappointed, I walked over to see what I had tripped over. The

contents of the box were flung around it. There were lots of papers, all

elegantly written by hand, and journals. Well this is a cool find! Making

sure there was nothing under me, I sat down next to the box. I picked up

an old journal and flipped through the pages. Most of the ink was faded,

but I was able to make out a few sentences:

an evil that must be stopped at all costs

The citizens of Massachusetts are confused

the mission is far more.may God help me

Wow, this guy had an interesting life! I wonder whos this is? I flippedthrough the journal, looking for the owners name.. I found a promising

signature on the last page: Sir William Phips.

Phips. He has the same last name as me! Are we distantly related? I

flipped through the journals to see if there was anything that could give

me a clue. I couldnt find anything, so I set the journal down. As I did, a

small white envelope caught my eye. What have we here? I

murmured to myself. The envelope hadnt been open before, since the

red circular seal was still intact. I picked it up and looked at it.

It was very old; so old that I felt that if I dropped it, the envelope wouldshatter into many small pieces. I carefully turned it over. It was

completely blank. Should I open it? Or should I not? For all I know, it

could be report on how crops were doing back in the day. Or worse, a

love letter. But thats just the thing. I dont know.

Curiosity killed the cat, I guess.

I fumbled with the seal, trying to get it open without shredding the

paper. But despite my caution, I tore right through to the letter. Oops.

Even more carefully than before, I unfolded the fragile letter.

And nearly dropped it.

Thats not possible! I whispered.It was addressed to me.

CHAPTER 3

My dearest Dani,

I read the line over and over again. It felt like time had stopped. There

was a strange silence, creepy and maddening at the same time. Even

Haus had stopped barking and the house seemed to put off the creaking

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for now. It had to be some kind of coincidence. It couldnt possibly be to

me. I mean, it was written in the late 1600s! Its not possible!

But it felt possible. If I can read minds, I think it could be possible.

Ok, lets just think for a second here. The only way I could ever find out

if it is addressed to me is to simply read it. So I forced my widened eyes

to leave the first line, and read,

My dearest Dani,

You have questions that have been unanswered. There are differences

from you and others. You have a gift, Dani. A powerful gift. I hope that

you will receive this letter as the answers you have been searching for.

Dani, you are a Magician.

You are called to help mankind in some way. That is your mission. Your

mission will be apparent. It will be a passion that you feel you must

complete. And you must.

I do not know exactly what you will accomplish. I only know of you.When the world is about to go through some of its darkest times, we are

born. Always to our family and always on February 2nd. It is a

Magicians job to bring light to the darkness. It is not a simple task, I

know from my own past experience.

I do not know who is in control of the hardships to come, but I know

that without your help, things will go very wrong. It is my

understanding that what I did was to save freedom. I guess that

happened after I was gone. I know what I did was impossible without

my gift. Let you instincts guide you, and trust them blindly.You will not be alone through all of this. You will be meeting someone

new. This person is to be you Guardian. Their mission is very clear. To

keep you safe so that you can finish your mission. You must trust them

with your life, for they will gladly give up theirs.

Dani, you will be finding new abilities. They will come quickly and

naturally. Forget all that you know about magicians. You will never see

a real magician on a stage. A real magician lives by a code and for a

cause much bigger than themselves. It is never about them, but about

the mission.. It is there purpose in life.

By tomorrow, you will know who your Guardian is. Things will not feelright at first, but you will grow accustomed to them. Remember to trust

your Guardian. This person will have the passion, strength, and skills to

take up the task of protecting you. Let this person into your life.

Dani, this is a secret that you must keep. Dont give it away to anyone

whose intentions are wicked. For to know this secret without being

endowed with the gift and passions it takes to protect them, could cause

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the whole world to parish.

Signed through love,

Sir William Phips

219 Brimmer Street

Boston, M.A.

October 14th, 1692

I was dizzy. I felt like I was about to pass out. Breathe, Dani, remember

to breathe. It could be another Dani, right? I folded the letter, even more

carefully than before and slid it into the envelope. Not a simple task

when your hands are shaking.

He couldnt have been talking to me. Its not possible. Im just not

Magician material. But part of me hoped he was talking to me.

Because either Im a Magician, or Im just slowly going in sane. I looked

down at the envelope in my shaking hands. The seal was now broken, its

secrets now revealed. I flipped it over to the back. It was still blank.Dont get you hopes up. Youve read way to many fantasy books. Its

finally getting to your head. He wasnt talking to me.

But then the impossible happened.

The blank envelope was no longer blank. On it, in big fancy letters,

words were being written. I watched in awe as it wrote my full name.

Dani Beth Phips

Thats when I had what you would call a wow moment. I think I

stared at the no-longer-blank-envelope a full ten minutes. Haus, who

had been patiently waiting for me, woke me from my wow stupor witha loud bark. I jumped as the loud bark echoed in the attic. It seems that

Hauss patience had worn off.

I stood up slowly, my bones making little snapping noises from sitting in

one position for so long, still clutching the envelope. I walked over to the

square hole in the floor and looked down. Haus seemed to be attempting

to find a way up the ladder/steps. When he saw me he literally started

jumping up and down, trying to get up in the attic. I smiled down at

him. Look whos laughing now! I said.

Revenge was so sweet.

After hearing my voice, he decided to try a new tactic. He went allpuppy-eyed on me. He sat still long enough to look at me and whimper

pathetically like a newborn puppy. Smart dog. He knew I could never

resist the puppy face. I climbed down the ladder even more carefully

than I had with the boxes, clutching the envelope to my chest. He

wagged his tail triumphantly as my feet hit the hard floor. This time I

glared at him.

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Enjoy it now, Haus. One day I will find a way to ignore that face of

yours. I said. That just made him wag his tail all the more. He shoved

his nose into my hand, wanting me to pet his head.

You just cant stay mad at a dog forever can you?

I patted his head all the way to my room. When I got there, I started to

look around to see where I could put a 320 year old letter. I examined

possible hiding places. My room was always neat. My bed with the miss-

matched colored comforter with an old tattered blanket was made army

style, with all the sheets and blankets tucked into the mattress. The

dresser was un-cluttered and had a small stack of books to read on top..

The small outdated tv that refused to work no matter what I did sat next

to it, My reading table was barely fitting a small fan, a lamp, a clock,

and a book. But it looked neat the way it was set.

The messiest part of my room was the desk. It had a computer, a large

can of pencils, paper scattered on top, and little speakers for music.There were drawers full of useless crap. This was probably the best

place to hide the envelope. I walked over to the desk and pulled a

drawer completely out of the desk. In the spot where the desk drawer

had been was a flat surface where the drawer sat when it was unopened.

I placed the envelope there, and put the drawer back in its place. No one

ever takes out a drawer, so the letter should be safe.

Now that the letter was safely hidden, I could actually think about what

it said. Apparently, something big was about to happen. Something very

big. And I had to stop it. You can call me crazy all you want, but afterreading that letter and seeing my name written on the back of the

envelope, as if by an invisible hand, Im gonna believe every word that it

said. So what was a Magician? What powers are there? When am I

gonna get these powers? Will they help me get an A in math this year?

That would be a miracle in itself!

At least I dont have to do this on my own. I have a Guardian. Now I

just need to figure out who this Guardian is. The letter said Id know by

tomorrow. Well thats good for me, because I prefer quick results. There

is too many questions that are unanswered.

I sighed and sat down at my computer desk. I clicked and found myselfof an internet search page, where I typed in the word magician. A

bunch of websites came on the screen, and I randomly clicked on the

first one I saw. It had a picture of a tall scrawny dude on stage pulling a

rabbit out of a hat. I didnt even bother to read anything on the page. I

went back and clicked on another website. This one had stars shooting

out of wand. It didnt look promising. I decided it was worthless to try

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to just look on other peoples websites. I went to an online dictionary

web page and typed in the word magician as I had before. There were

two definitions.

The first one said: an entertainer who is skilled in producing illusion by

sleight of hand, deceptive devices, etc.; conjurer.

The next one wasnt any better: a person who is skilled in magic;

sorcerer; witch or wizard.

Well, Im sure not a witch, that much is sure!

The sound of protesting springs reached my ears. I turned around in my

chair to see that Haus had made himself very comfortable on my bed.

Haus, how many times do I have to tell you I stopped there because

when I turned around, I had gotten a good glance outside my window. It

was already dark. Dang it..

I dont wear a watch because I hate numbers, so I checked the time at

the bottom of the screen. 8:35. Mom would be home any minute now.How long was I in that attic? It couldnt have been that long, could it? I

guess I was starring at the letter a bit more than I thought. Oh, well.

A high pitched whining caught my ears. I turned around for the second

time. My TV was making the noise. Hauss ears went back. He clearly

didnt like the high pitched noise as much as I did. I turned away from

Haus and looked at the TV. It was just a fuzzy haze of black and white

specks. I got out of my chair to go investigate. The closer I got, the

better the picture was on the TV. And I know it had nothing to do with

my vision.The whining had now turned into audible words. It was the news

channel, talking about the 2012 presidential election. The screen was no

longer fuzzy, but had the perfect picture. I was now close enough to

push the off button, but I hadnt seen who had actually won the election.

A sharply dressed man that looked to be in his late fifties came up to a

podium. The bottom of the screen said that the mans name was Charles

Vallend. He adjusted the microphone and let his gaze go around him,

posing for cameras and paparazzi. He smiled one more time and spoke

up in the microphone, saying, I speak to you for the first time today, as

your next president.So this was the new guy in charge. I knew he was important because of

the not-so-inconspicuous body guards hovering in the background. But

now that he said it on screen, you can tell he played the part well.

Behind Charles, a group of political-looking people were crowded into

seats. The only sign that showed they were still breathing was when they

nodded. Or in others cases, shook their head.

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Suddenly, a handsome man who looked to be in his late twenties came

up to the podium and whispered into Charless ear. Bit young for

politics isnt he? Apparently no one else thought so, because Charles

turned to the man and nodded. He continued on with his speech. But the

camera was no longer focused on Charles, but on the handsome guy. I

got a good glance at him before the camera switched back over.

He had a full head of black hair, slicked back. A hard look to pull off

without looking greasy, but with that face, he looked fine. Dark eyes

seemed to match his dark hair. He wore a perfectly tailored suit that

looked like it cost more than my house. He wasnt scrawny, but he

wasnt well built either. At the bottom of the screen, the name Edric van

Raphen was being displayed.

You could tell this man was powerful. Just at the first glance. He just

radiated power. I think it was the way he carried himself, with grace

and confidence. Edric was now on his way back to his seat, and thecamera adjusted back to Charles. The speech was still going strong, and

my curiosity over the new leaders had worn out. I reached out and

pressed the off button on the TV.

But it wouldnt turn off.

The button had done absolutely nothing to the picture on the screen. I

pressed it a second time. Nothing. A third time. Zip. I was now getting

frustrated. Well, if your TV wasnt responding to you, youd be

frustrated, too.Id had enough of the Im-broken-now-Im-not TV. I

walked around my dresser until I could see the wires and pulled theplug. The screen went black.

Thank God.

I heard a rustling on the bed behind me. Haus was sitting up with his

head

cocked to the side, listening to something I couldnt hear. Then he

jumped off the bed, shaking everything on that wasnt more than his

200 pound bulk, and ran out the door.

Mom was home.

I knew this because of Hauss behavior and also from my mothers tired

thoughts. Dani! Im home! she called up the stairway. I got up,glanced warily at my TV and headed downstairs. When I got to the

bottom of the stairs, the hallway split into two directions. I stupidly took

the left and ended up in the living room. Well, I took the long way, but I

can get to the kitchen if I go through the door on the other side of the

room. I took a step to cross over to the other side.

And the living room TV came on with a high pitched whining.

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I looked at the TV. Charles was finally finishing up his speech, and an

old lady in a stiff blue suit stepped up to take the mike. But none of this

concerned me. I just want to know how the TV came on. The remote

was lying on the living rooms coffee table. Glancing around to make

sure that my mom wasnt coming in, I walked over and picked up the

remote. After a minute of looking for the off among the many buttons,

I slowly pressed off.

It didnt turn off. Again. Even after I pressed the button multiple times,

it would switch off.

Dani, where are you? my mom yelled from the kitchen. Crap.

Ill be there in a minute! I yelled back. I didnt want to unplug the

living room TV like I did with the one in my room. This was the TV that

my dad used to watch

PROLOGUE

Massachusetts, Governor Sir William Phips had a secret. He didnt

know how, he just knew. He knew that witches were not real. And he

also knew that the good people of Salem had no clue. They were

innocent. They had been put on trial for witchcraft. They were tried and

were about to be burned at the stake.

As Governor he knew he was the only one that could stop it. And so here

he was, on his way to Salem, to stop the confused citizens of

Massachusetts. Mr. Phips was a powerful man, and maybe he could use

that power to save the innocent people about to be murdered that day.But he was not powerful in the way people thought him to be. He had a

power.. The power few possessed that was for the good of mankind. But

it also had to be hidden from those he protected. Its the burden that

Mr. Phips knew only too well. He had kept his secret hidden his whole

life and would die keeping it if necessary.

CHAPTER ONE

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Umph!

Haus landed on top of me, all 200 pounds of him. A loud boom shook the

room. The storm outside was now raging now at full force. An

illuminating flash let me see the outline of my massive dogs face only

inches from my own. Haus, get off me! I moaned tiredly. His

quivering form only seemed to move closer. For such big dog, he really

was a wimp when it came to storms. Seeing he hadnt obeyed, I pushed

back the huge dog till his back paws hit the wooded floor. Although his

front paws remained on me, I could now fully breathe. I patted his huge

head. His thoughts were panic stricken and filled with fear.

Yes thats right, I said thoughts. I dont know why, but I can read

peoples minds. And apparently animals, although all that I can hear is

just emotions. Haus is a good dog, except for the occasional thunder

storm crazes. He is also my only friend. I raised him since he was only a

few weeks old. Our old neighbors in Kentucky gave him to us for free.The mother was our neighbors rottweiler, Duchess, and the father is to

this day a mystery. Mr. Jinks, our neighbor, said he saw a huge black

dog leaving the pen where he kept Duchess. He had at first mistook the

massive black dog for a bear. Biggest dog Ive ever laid my own two

eyes on! hed said when he had handed him to me.

It took me a while to find a name for him, since he was so unique. He

looks like a rottweiler, except for his sheer size and full black coat. But

he got his name soon enough when my mother spilled a whole gallon of

milk on the floor.. She had gone to grab a mop to clean up the milkymess, only to find that the puppy had beaten her to it. My Haus. shed

said. When I had questioned her about the word Haus, she told me

that it meant hero in Hungarian. And so from that day on, he was Haus.

Now, sitting on my bed with his gargantuan paws in my lap, the hero

was cowering. Come on, Haus, I said, lets go get you to your room.

We didnt really intend to let Haus have his own room, but we have so

many extra rooms since the move. Haus plopped his front paws on the

wooded floor and waited for me to join him. I hopped out of bed, pulled

on my slippers, and walked to door. I still get lost every time I walk

around in the new house, with all its new hallways and doors. Even mydad, who has just the about the sharpest memory in my family, walks in

my room from time to time with his newspaper thinking its the

bathroom.

Another loud boom got Haus running down the hall towards his room,

with me walking slowly behind him. After a good minute of searching, I

found the door labeled Haus, and stepped inside. Hauss mind was no

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calmer than it had been before. He went and laid down on his huge

cushion and started shivering in fear. A flash of lightning lighted the

room. The room was originally used as a sitting room, or maybe a

reading room. It wasnt quite as large as some of the bedrooms, but it

was not closet sized. It was bare apart from Hauss cushion and small

table in the corner. On the table was a blanket. I had put it there for

nights such as these, when Haus needed some company. I grabbed the

blanket and eased myself down next to Haus on the cushion. He put his

head in my lap, and I ran my hand over his smooth fur. Gradually, his

mind started to calm down, and soon enough, the 200 pound dog was

snoring.

Boom! The house shook and creaked. Haus twitched in his sleep. The

house continued creaking even after the thunder had died down. Well of

course it would creak! The house was built in 1691 after all. That was

probably the only reason we moved into it. You see, my father got a jobat Harvard as a history professor. Thats why we moved from Kentucky.

My mom, who is always traveling anyway because she is a best-selling

travel book author, was ecstatic about moving. It took a while to find a

place to move to, since my dad was looking for something with a little

bit of history to it, but then we found what he labeled, the perfect

house. Actually, the house was really named My Island by the

Governor who built all those years ago. Anyway, when my dad found

this house, he was thrilled. He quickly offered to buy the house, only to

find that someone else had beat him to it. The real-estate lady was realnice about it and apologized several times, promising that if things

didnt go well with the other people, that wed be the first she called.

But that was unlikely.

But then the unlikely happened. She called. A week later, the real-estate

lady called. And just like that, we moved into 219 Brimmer Street.

Through all of this, my parents didnt ask for my opinion much. Im not

a talker, and I prefer to be alone, and my parents respect that. I hadnt

been devastated by the move, not at all. In fact Hausss thoughts had

more anxiety about leaving than I did. I just simply went along, did my

part. Adapted. But if my parents had asked me my opinion, I wouldhave told them I wanted to stay in Kentucky. I was not attached to any

people there, but I loved the country-styled fields and open blue skies.

Now, here in Salem, I am going to be attending a school for the first

time, since I have been home schooled in my previous years. I already

went this afternoon, since school starts tomorrow, to meet my teachers,

get my schedule, and find my locker. Everything sounded great except

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for the meeting the teachers part. I just dont like talking to people.

The teachers were very teacher-like, with their straight backs, beady

eyes, and in some cases, balding hair. My locker number was 202, and it

was on the end of the row of lockers, which means less people to be near.

My schedule was very simple: math; English; science; P.E.; lunch;

history. They said there was a free period in there somewhere, but it

failed to show on the paper.

I didnt see many people, just a few stuck-up richies, a couple of nerds,

and some jocks. I was about to leave, and thats when I saw them. A girl,

about five foot in height with dark brown hair and olive skin, and a boy,

about six foot in height with shaggy, blonde hair, tan skin, and broad

shoulders. The boy was towering over the frail-figured girl, taunting

her, teasing her. The girls thoughts were racing a mile a minute; she

was very scared. I hadnt been able to make out the words he used, but

the tone was clearly not pleasant. And neither were his thoughts. Thatwas all I needed to hear. I had needed to stop it.

Now, see, on any other day I would have just ignored the two, no matter

how uneven the odds are. Id have just stayed where I was, remain

invisible, and move on. But today was different; it was just something

that had to be stopped.

I had walked right up to the boy and girl, who both looked like they

were about my age, despite the varying heights. I grabbed the boys

shoulder. He started to turn his head towards me, and says harshly

What do you! he never did finished. I stared at him right in theface, into his deep, blue, eyes. And he just stared right back. We both

just stared. His face had contorted then into a playing field of mixed

emotions, all unreadable. His mind was going far too fast for me to even

hope to read. The girls mind was filled with relief, but also a whole new

fear. She feared for me. That was a first.

The boy was not in his emotional stupor long. What now played on his

face was shock and confusion. Who are you? hed asked.

I had answered him without skipping a beat, The names Dani Beth

Phips. I had then put my arm around the small girls shoulder, turned

my head, sending my braid swinging around, and led the confused girlaway.

I did not need to look back to sense that the boy- no the bully- was

staring at me as I made my retreat. His mind was still in turmoil, so I

hadnt been able to read it then. Well, that had suited me just fine. I

didnt want to read his mind anyway.

And now, on the floor, dwelling on my horrible day with my Hauss

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heavy head bellowing in my lap, I realize I have to face the girl and the

boy in two days. Great, Dani, just great.

I have made enemies before the school year even started.

I sighed, lifted Hauss head off my lap, draped the blanket over him,

and made my way back to my room slowly. Wandering through the

creaking halls, I examined what was now my home. It didnt feel like

home. Kentucky didnt feel like home either. Where is home? Well,

Dorothy was right about one thing. Theres no place like home. Because

there is no such place.

I found my room after a couple of turns, and crawled into bed, too tired

to care that my slippers were still on my feet. This was only one of the

many sleepless nights Ive had since we moved here. But if I hurried up

and fell asleep quickly, I could get about four hours of rest.

I nearly slid into oblivion the second my head hit the pillow.

Dream-like thoughts and conversations filled my head.But one voice, among the other dreamy voices, stood out to me, even

though it was whispering:

You have been chosen

CHAPTER 2

I woke to what sounded like a dying animal.

BEEP BEEP SHREIK! BEEP BEEP SHREIK! No its just my dang

alarm clock. A great start to the last day of summer. Just peachy. I

checked to see what time it was. 12:34. Well, I slept half the day away.

Apparently my alarm clock isnt working properly. I slipped out of bedand went to get ready for the day.

My mom and dad were up. I know this because my dads thoughts were

on where he last put his car keys while my mom was wondering if she

should have a tuna or ham sandwich. I threw on my favorite gray shirt

with an old pair of jeans and headed down the halls toward the kitchen.

When I entered the kitchen, I found Haus staring very intently at my

moms ham sandwich.

Hey honey. Howd you sleep? she said. Mom has been asking me that

every morning since the move. Her mom-instincts have been telling her

I havent been sleeping well. Either the mom instincts or the blackcircles under my eyes.

Fine. Is there ham left? I replied as I sat down at the table. No, but

there is just a bit of tuna left to make a tuna sandwich. she answered.

Did I mention how much I hate tuna? I scowled at the little can with the

overly happy fish on it. My dad walked into the kitchen. Has anyone

here seen my car keys? I have to get to Harvard before one. Dads

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thoughts were trying to retrace his steps from the time he walked into

the door last night. He knew he had his keys when he walked in, but

after he saw dinner for him in the microwave, he lost track of where he

put them.

Try looking in your pants pocket. You know, the pants you wore

yesterday? I suggested. Remembrance dawned on his face. Thank you

Dani! he turned to my mom, Do you know where my pants are? My

mom took a minute to answer. Oh! There in the washing machine.

Dad ran in the direction where he thought the laundry room was. By the

time he returned, my mom had a finished tuna sandwich on a plate for

me.

He held up the remains of what was his car keys. Do you think it will

still work? he asked. I tried to stifle a laugh. The key will. my mom

answered. At least its clean now. I said. He frowned and headed out

the door to his car.Now I have to walk all the way up to the car to unlock it. he thought.

I couldnt help it. I burst out laughing. My mom joined in and we

laughed for a good bit. Men are just so lazy sometimes.

Well that was an interesting lunch break. Mom said after a bit.

That confused me a bit. Wait, youre on your lunch break? I asked.

She walked over to the sink and started to wash off her dirty dish from

lunch. Yes, I had the morning shift at the store today. I get an hour

break and then I have to go back. Becky is sick, and I have to cover her

afternoon shift. She said.Apart from writing travel books, my mom works at Go Global

Traveling Agency as her day job. She hadnt been working there long,

only about a week, so Im surprised she is on a first name basis with

some of the employees. My mom looked at me sadly. I hate leaving you

here like this. She chided. And she really meant that. The only reason

she let me keep Haus was so that I wouldnt be completely alone all the

time. Mom, Im sixteen. Ill be fine. I said.

She started to gather her purse and her car keys. No wild house parties

while Im gone. She joked. As if I knew any people that would willingly

talk to me, let alone party. I smiled and played along, Guess Ill have tocall all those people to tell them my mom is on to us.

She laughed and headed for the door. Ill be home around nine. Bye.

And that tuna sandwich better be finished by the time I get back. she

thought.

Dont worry, it will be gone. I said, eyeing Haus. Wait a second. Oops.

My mom looked at me real funny for a second. Her hand was on the

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doorknob. So close, all she had to do was walk out the door. What?

she asked. What to do! I decided to do what I do best. Frame Haus.

Um, Haus still looked spooked from that thunder storm last night. I

was simply telling him it would be gone. Why do you ask?

Mom looked doubtful at first, but then thought, She does talk to that

dog a lot

No reason. Ill see you later, sweetie. she finally said. She turned the

doorknob and she walked out the door.

Whew! She bought it. There are reasons why I dont like to talk much,

and its because my big mouth can get me in big trouble. I turned to

Haus. Looks like its just you and me, boy. I got up from the table and

was about to leave the kitchen, until I saw what caused the close call this

morning. The tuna sandwich. I walked over to it and rattled the plate.

Hauss eyes never left the sandwich. I set it on the corner closest to him

and turned away. Haus is smart; he wont eat anything off the tableunless no one is watching. I heard his big claws click against the kitchen

tile, then stop. I heard a shift of weight and paws thud on the table. And

finally I heard a chewing sound and satisfied thoughts. I turned back

around, and sure enough, the plate was empty of both sandwich and

crumbs. I took the plate and put it in the dishwasher.

Now what? My parents are gone and its the last day of summer. I

walked out of the kitchen until I was in our living room. The TV had

been left on, and it was talking about the upcoming 2012 presidential

inauguration. Not one for politics, I switched it off. I glanced around theroom. This is were we have all the other boxes we havent unpacked yet.

My mom, being such a neat-freak, had labeled ever single box. There

were three small boxes labeled attic that were pushed in a corner.

Well, there is nothing else to do, and I can carry boxes.. So I put two and

two together and went over to inspect them. They were small boxes, so I

could carry them all at once. I grabbed the boxes and started to walk

towards the stairs. The downside about carrying boxes is that if you

stack them up to carry them and you cant see well. So I made the trip

up the stairs, tripping over every third step I took. By the time I reached

the top of the stairs, I could have sworn that the boxes were full ofrocks.

I walked around the halls, looking for anything that looked like it would

lead to the attic. Haus loped up the stairs and found me, and then took

his usual place at my heals. The boxes were now getting heavier with

every step. I looked at Haus (hard to do with boxes in you arms) and

said, You could help you know. He just wagged his tail and pretended

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to know what I just said. His dark eyes seemed to laugh.

I turned the corner and saw a rope hanging from the ceiling.. The attic.

I set the boxes down and hopped up and down until I caught the tip of

the rope. I pulled down, and with a loud creak, a set of ladder/steps

greeted me. Now I see why these boxes had been left for someone else to

put up. How do you carry a box full of unknown crap up a ladder? Very

carefully, thats how. I grabbed the first box and ascended up the ladder.

It was dark, and I couldnt see a thing. I felt my way to the wall, and set

down the box. I walked around, slowly so I wouldnt trip over anything

that might be up here.

Something cold and string-like brushed my forehead.. I reached out and

blindly found it. Curious, I gave it a tug, and a naked light bulb

illuminated the attic. The whole interior was made of wood. It was like

being on the inside of a ship or a small abandoned cabin. There was a

very old chair in the corner. At closer inspection, the chair looked like itmight have been bright red, but lets just say the years havent been

very kind to it. Next to the old chair was a small reading table. If the

lighting was any better, this would be an ideal place for me to read!

There were ancient boxes everywhere. Even with the small light, I

couldnt see everything about the room. And the smell! It smelled as old

as the place looked, with about a pound of dust coating everything. I

walked around, looking in some of the aging boxes. Some boxes had

books in them, some had old cloths, while others were just empty. A

large box caught my eye. It was in the corner, and it was barely visible. Iworked my way around the room, focused on that one box. A stupid idea

when there is stuff everywhere just waiting to trip you.

My foot got caught on what looked like the oldest box in there. I fell

head first onto the hard floor.

THUD!

When my head hit the floor, I saw black and red stars dance

everywhere. Haus, hearing my clumsiness, was barking as loudly as he

could. I tried to call out to him, but between the dust coating my mouth

and the breath getting knocked out of me, I remained silent. I sat on the

floor for a minute and then stood up. I continued on toward the big box.Extra carefully this time though. When I got to it, I blew the dust of the

top. I place my hand on it and lifted the lidonly to find that all that

was in there was a dead mouse.

Great, I trip and hit my head for a dead rodent? Happy last day of

summer to me!

Disappointed, I walked over to see what I had tripped over. The

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contents of the box were flung around it. There were lots of papers, all

elegantly written by hand, and journals. Well this is a cool find! Making

sure there was nothing under me, I sat down next to the box. I picked up

an old journal and flipped through the pages. Most of the ink was faded,

but I was able to make out a few sentences:

an evil that must be stopped at all costs

The citizens of Massachusetts are confused

the mission is far more.may God help me

Wow, this guy had an interesting life! I wonder whos this is? I flipped

through the journal, looking for the owners name.. I found a promising

signature on the last page: Sir William Phips.

Phips. He has the same last name as me! Are we distantly related? I

flipped through the journals to see if there was anything that could give

me a clue. I couldnt find anything, so I set the journal down. As I did, a

small white envelope caught my eye. What have we here? Imurmured to myself. The envelope hadnt been open before, since the

red circular seal was still intact. I picked it up and looked at it.

It was very old; so old that I felt that if I dropped it, the envelope would

shatter into many small pieces. I carefully turned it over. It was

completely blank. Should I open it? Or should I not? For all I know, it

could be report on how crops were doing back in the day. Or worse, a

love letter. But thats just the thing. I dont know.

Curiosity killed the cat, I guess.

I fumbled with the seal, trying to get it open without shredding thepaper. But despite my caution, I tore right through to the letter. Oops.

Even more carefully than before, I unfolded the fragile letter.

And nearly dropped it.

Thats not possible! I whispered.

It was addressed to me.

CHAPTER 3

My dearest Dani,

I read the line over and over again. It felt like time had stopped. There

was a strange silence, creepy and maddening at the same time. Even

Haus had stopped barking and the house seemed to put off the creakingfor now. It had to be some kind of coincidence. It couldnt possibly be to

me. I mean, it was written in the late 1600s! Its not possible!

But it felt possible. If I can read minds, I think it could be possible.

Ok, lets just think for a second here. The only way I could ever find out

if it is addressed to me is to simply read it. So I forced my widened eyes

to leave the first line, and read,

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My dearest Dani,

You have questions that have been unanswered. There are differences

from you and others. You have a gift, Dani. A powerful gift. I hope that

you will receive this letter as the answers you have been searching for.

Dani, you are a Magician.

You are called to help mankind in some way. That is your mission. Your

mission will be apparent. It will be a passion that you feel you must

complete. And you must.

I do not know exactly what you will accomplish. I only know of you.

When the world is about to go through some of its darkest times, we are

born. Always to our family and always on February 2nd. It is a

Magicians job to bring light to the darkness. It is not a simple task, I

know from my own past experience.

I do not know who is in control of the hardships to come, but I know

that without your help, things will go very wrong. It is myunderstanding that what I did was to save freedom. I guess that

happened after I was gone. I know what I did was impossible without

my gift. Let you instincts guide you, and trust them blindly.

You will not be alone through all of this. You will be meeting someone

new. This person is to be you Guardian. Their mission is very clear. To

keep you safe so that you can finish your mission. You must trust them

with your life, for they will gladly give up theirs.

Dani, you will be finding new abilities. They will come quickly and

naturally. Forget all that you know about magicians. You will never seea real magician on a stage. A real magician lives by a code and for a

cause much bigger than themselves. It is never about them, but about

the mission.. It is there purpose in life.

By tomorrow, you will know who your Guardian is. Things will not feel

right at first, but you will grow accustomed to them. Remember to trust

your Guardian. This person will have the passion, strength, and skills to

take up the task of protecting you. Let this person into your life.

Dani, this is a secret that you must keep. Dont give it away to anyone

whose intentions are wicked. For to know this secret without being

endowed with the gift and passions it takes to protect them, could causethe whole world to parish.

Signed through love,

Sir William Phips

219 Brimmer Street

Boston, M.A.

October 14th, 1692

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I was dizzy. I felt like I was about to pass out. Breathe, Dani, remember

to breathe. It could be another Dani, right? I folded the letter, even more

carefully than before and slid it into the envelope. Not a simple task

when your hands are shaking.

He couldnt have been talking to me. Its not possible. Im just not

Magician material. But part of me hoped he was talking to me.

Because either Im a Magician, or Im just slowly going in sane. I looked

down at the envelope in my shaking hands. The seal was now broken, its

secrets now revealed. I flipped it over to the back. It was still blank.

Dont get you hopes up. Youve read way to many fantasy books. Its

finally getting to your head. He wasnt talking to me.

But then the impossible happened.

The blank envelope was no longer blank. On it, in big fancy letters,

words were being written. I watched in awe as it wrote my full name.

Dani Beth PhipsThats when I had what you would call a wow moment. I think I

stared at the no-longer-blank-envelope a full ten minutes. Haus, who

had been patiently waiting for me, woke me from my wow stupor with

a loud bark. I jumped as the loud bark echoed in the attic. It seems that

Hauss patience had worn off.

I stood up slowly, my bones making little snapping noises from sitting in

one position for so long, still clutching the envelope. I walked over to the

square hole in the floor and looked down. Haus seemed to be attempting

to find a way up the ladder/steps. When he saw me he literally startedjumping up and down, trying to get up in the attic. I smiled down at

him. Look whos laughing now! I said.

Revenge was so sweet.

After hearing my voice, he decided to try a new tactic. He went all

puppy-eyed on me. He sat still long enough to look at me and whimper

pathetically like a newborn puppy. Smart dog. He knew I could never

resist the puppy face. I climbed down the ladder even more carefully

than I had with the boxes, clutching the envelope to my chest. He

wagged his tail triumphantly as my feet hit the hard floor. This time I

glared at him.Enjoy it now, Haus. One day I will find a way to ignore that face of

yours. I said. That just made him wag his tail all the more. He shoved

his nose into my hand, wanting me to pet his head.

You just cant stay mad at a dog forever can you?

I patted his head all the way to my room. When I got there, I started to

look around to see where I could put a 320 year old letter. I examined

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possible hiding places. My room was always neat. My bed with the miss-

matched colored comforter with an old tattered blanket was made army

style, with all the sheets and blankets tucked into the mattress. The

dresser was un-cluttered and had a small stack of books to read on top..

The small outdated tv that refused to work no matter what I did sat next

to it, My reading table was barely fitting a small fan, a lamp, a clock,

and a book. But it looked neat the way it was set.

The messiest part of my room was the desk. It had a computer, a large

can of pencils, paper scattered on top, and little speakers for music.

There were drawers full of useless crap. This was probably the best

place to hide the envelope. I walked over to the desk and pulled a

drawer completely out of the desk. In the spot where the desk drawer

had been was a flat surface where the drawer sat when it was unopened.

I placed the envelope there, and put the drawer back in its place. No one

ever takes out a drawer, so the letter should be safe.Now that the letter was safely hidden, I could actually think about what

it said. Apparently, something big was about to happen. Something very

big. And I had to stop it. You can call me crazy all you want, but after

reading that letter and seeing my name written on the back of the

envelope, as if by an invisible hand, Im gonna believe every word that it

said. So what was a Magician? What powers are there? When am I

gonna get these powers? Will they help me get an A in math this year?

That would be a miracle in itself!

At least I dont have to do this on my own. I have a Guardian. Now Ijust need to figure out who this Guardian is. The letter said Id know by

tomorrow. Well thats good for me, because I prefer quick results. There

is too many questions that are unanswered.

I sighed and sat down at my computer desk. I clicked and found myself

of an internet search page, where I typed in the word magician. A

bunch of websites came on the screen, and I randomly clicked on the

first one I saw. It had a picture of a tall scrawny dude on stage pulling a

rabbit out of a hat. I didnt even bother to read anything on the page. I

went back and clicked on another website. This one had stars shooting

out of wand. It didnt look promising. I decided it was worthless to tryto just look on other peoples websites. I went to an online dictionary

web page and typed in the word magician as I had before. There were

two definitions.

The first one said: an entertainer who is skilled in producing illusion by

sleight of hand, deceptive devices, etc.; conjurer.

The next one wasnt any better: a person who is skilled in magic;

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sorcerer; witch or wizard.

Well, Im sure not a witch, that much is sure!

The sound of protesting springs reached my ears. I turned around in my

chair to see that Haus had made himself very comfortable on my bed.

Haus, how many times do I have to tell you I stopped there because

when I turned around, I had gotten a good glance outside my window. It

was already dark. Dang it..

I dont wear a watch because I hate numbers, so I checked the time at

the bottom of the screen. 8:35. Mom would be home any minute now.

How long was I in that attic? It couldnt have been that long, could it? I

guess I was starring at the letter a bit more than I thought. Oh, well.

A high pitched whining caught my ears. I turned around for the second

time. My TV was making the noise. Hauss ears went back. He clearly

didnt like the high pitched noise as much as I did. I turned away from

Haus and looked at the TV. It was just a fuzzy haze of black and whitespecks. I got out of my chair to go investigate. The closer I got, the

better the picture was on the TV. And I know it had nothing to do with

my vision.

The whining had now turned into audible words. It was the news

channel, talking about the 2012 presidential election. The screen was no

longer fuzzy, but had the perfect picture. I was now close enough to

push the off button, but I hadnt seen who had actually won the election.

A sharply dressed man that looked to be in his late fifties came up to a

podium. The bottom of the screen said that the mans name was CharlesVallend. He adjusted the microphone and let his gaze go around him,

posing for cameras and paparazzi. He smiled one more time and spoke

up in the microphone, saying, I speak to you for the first time today, as

your next president.

So this was the new guy in charge. I knew he was important because of

the not-so-inconspicuous body guards hovering in the background. But

now that he said it on screen, you can tell he played the part well.

Behind Charles, a group of political-looking people were crowded into

seats. The only sign that showed they were still breathing was when they

nodded. Or in others cases, shook their head.Suddenly, a handsome man who looked to be in his late twenties came

up to the podium and whispered into Charless ear. Bit young for

politics isnt he? Apparently no one else thought so, because Charles

turned to the man and nodded. He continued on with his speech. But the

camera was no longer focused on Charles, but on the handsome guy. I

got a good glance at him before the camera switched back over.

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He had a full head of black hair, slicked back. A hard look to pull off

without looking greasy, but with that face, he looked fine. Dark eyes

seemed to match his dark hair. He wore a perfectly tailored suit that

looked like it cost more than my house. He wasnt scrawny, but he

wasnt well built either. At the bottom of the screen, the name Edric van

Raphen was being displayed.

You could tell this man was powerful. Just at the first glance. He just

radiated power. I think it was the way he carried himself, with grace

and confidence. Edric was now on his way back to his seat, and the

camera adjusted back to Charles. The speech was still going strong, and

my curiosity over the new leaders had worn out. I reached out and

pressed the off button on the TV.

But it wouldnt turn off.

The button had done absolutely nothing to the picture on the screen. I

pressed it a second time. Nothing. A third time. Zip. I was now gettingfrustrated. Well, if your TV wasnt responding to you, youd be

frustrated, too.Id had enough of the Im-broken-now-Im-not TV. I

walked around my dresser until I could see the wires and pulled the

plug. The screen went black.

Thank God.

I heard a rustling on the bed behind me. Haus was sitting up with his

head

cocked to the side, listening to something I couldnt hear. Then he

jumped off the bed, shaking everything on that wasnt more than his200 pound bulk, and ran out the door.

Mom was home.

I knew this because of Hauss behavior and also from my mothers tired

thoughts. Dani! Im home! she called up the stairway. I got up,

glanced warily at my TV and headed downstairs. When I got to the

bottom of the stairs, the hallway split into two directions. I stupidly took

the left and ended up in the living room. Well, I took the long way, but I

can get to the kitchen if I go through the door on the other side of the

room. I took a step to cross over to the other side.

And the living room TV came on with a high pitched whining.I looked at the TV. Charles was finally finishing up his speech, and an

old lady in a stiff blue suit stepped up to take the mike. But none of this

concerned me. I just want to know how the TV came on. The remote

was lying on the living rooms coffee table. Glancing around to make

sure that my mom wasnt coming in, I walked over and picked up the

remote. After a minute of looking for the off among the many buttons,

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I slowly pressed off.

It didnt turn off. Again. Even after I pressed the button multiple times,

it would switch off.

Dani, where are you? my mom yelled from the kitchen. Crap.

Ill be there in a minute! I yelled back. I didnt want to unplug the

living room TV like I did with the one in my room. This was the TV that

my dad used to watch