Chapter 1: Mortal Massacre

A tall, slender young woman reached out her hand to a silver handle to open a large, old fashioned oak door. Inside, another girl sat upon a large canopy bed, reading a thick volume that had no words but instead, symbols. As soon as the second girl noticed her roommate enter, she stuffed the book under her pillows.

"Maggie! You scared me." she said grabbing her chest where her heart was "What ever happened to knocking before coming into a room?" she seemed slightly annoyed.

"Sorry. I figured you'd be asleep" Maggie was staring at her with much interest "What're you reading?"

"Reading? Oh, um, nothing important. Just a book my aunt gave me."

Maggie was unconvinced. Alana Lucas - Girl of Mystery! She thought.

"So, uh, are you ready to go down to dinner?" the girl asked, sweeping her burgundy hair out of her eyes.

"You missed it Lan. Its already ten o'clock."

"What? That can't be." She glanced at the timepiece on the fireplace mantle. It was ten fifteen. "Great." she muttered, slouching back on the bed and crossing her arms like a five year old having a minor temper tantrum.

"Do you really think I would forget my best friend?" Maggie pulled out a large emerald napkin full of food. Alana thanked her roommate and began to eat.

"So" she asked "Are you ready to go back home?"

"Am I ever!" Maggie responded "I never thought I'd be spending the whole summer here. Just for the record- Whitehall Summer Academy for Girls is terrible. Almost as terrible as Whitehall Academy for Proper Girls of Stature "

"Be happy you don't have to stay."

"You're staying?!"

"Yeah, my aunt thinks its best that I don't rejoin them just yet. Something about my being too weak and everything back home still being too dangerous."

"Well isn't it her fault that you're not as strong as normal at the moment?"

"I suppose." She said tentatively "But I'm only here because Cliona's little vision of death and destruction in the manor. She said she saw me die or something like that. 'It was you! I swear it was! She had your long hair and they were definitely your eyes! Not many people have your eyes you know...' She was really scared the poor dear. She really shouldn't be having visions so young. She's only six." Alana's voice cracked. They may be cousins but as far as she was concerned, Cliona was her little sister.

"We haven't had a vision child since my great-great grandmother. People are starting to get worried. My mother was supposed to be one and when she wasn't, everyone expected me to be. That was a severe disappointment." She rolled her eyes "Our Elders can be way harsh sometimes. They were going to 'shun' my mother and I but my grandmother convinced them to keep us just in case I was to have one."

"You're joking! That's just not right. Families are supposed to stick together."

"Yeah well, we're the only vision family in our-" A loud BANG, followed by multiple screams interrupted her, mid-sentence. "What was that?" she whispered

"I don't know, but it didn't sound like anything what I would expect to hear in a place like this." Alana glanced at Maggie who smirked at the more than obvious comment.

"Lets go see what dares disturb our quiet imprisonment." She replied, with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. They grabbed each others hands as they opened their door and headed down the stairs.

When the two reached the Academy's grand staircase, a scene of complete chaos reached their eyes. The front doors had been blasted open and now hung half off their hinges. Everyone was screaming and running as far away from the entrance hall as possible. Alana and Maggie were the only ones heading toward the danger instead of away from it.

They both had their attention fixed on the door. Something seemed to be moving out there but neither could see what it was. A small light then flicked to life in the darkness. As it bobbed closer and closer, the two girls moved farther away.

"What do you think it is?" Maggie whispered to Alana

"I don't-" she stopped. The light went out but the thing was still moving just outside the pool of light. "Whatever it is, I don't like the looks of it." she whispered in return.

A troop of black robed men stepped out of the shadows and stop at the foot of the staircase on which Maggie and Alana still stood. The man at the head of the group raised what looked like a stick and whispered a few words. There was a flash of green light and Maggie fell to the floor.

"Maggie!" Alana knelt next to her friend and tried to wake her. She can't be dead! It just can't be! But she was.

"What did you do to her?" She shouted at the man. He only laughed a cruel, heartless laugh.

"ANSWER ME!" she screamed. More laughter followed by and equally cold voice.

"Is it not obvious?" He taunted "I killed her." More laughter escaped his mouth.

"How? you didn't-" she stopped. The stick he had been holding, it wasn't just any stick, it was a wand. "You're a wizard." Her heart went cold. Wizards weren't exactly allies to her kind. In fact, the groups were extremely hostile towards each other.

"Clever, aren't you?" the wizard said "But then again, I would suspect no less from a Lamont."

"How dare you speak that name!" she shouted "You, a wizard, A suppressor of my kind! Don't speak the name! You are filth compared to us! Filth compared to even your own kind!"

"You reflect my master's thoughts. Only his are towards those disgusting Mudbloods"

"Those 'Mudbloods' as you call them, are considered equals as are the untainted wizards. Its just you and your sordid leader. I know what you are, Deatheaters. Creatures tainted by Voldemort's screwed up views of purity."

She was only stalling. She only needed him to get angry enough to pay less attention to her. Then she take care of the whole lot of them.

"How dare you..." He said dully. "How- you-I." He stopped. He was remarkably flustered. He couldn't make sense of her. She was too brave. No one ever stood against Voldemort. His next move was less than intelligent. He stepped right up to her and slapped her straight across the face.

Well that's reason enough! They can't not expect that I'll retaliate. She took that moment to cat out her own bit of magic. The whole group was slammed against the wall behind them. Alana spun on her heel and dashed back to her dorm at top speed, Deatheaters in close pursuit.

When she reached her room, she threw the door open and ran to the fireplace. She waved her hand across it and with an eerie white glow, a just barely large enough opening appeared to her right. She scrambled through it just in time because as it sealed itself up, the head Deatheater ran into the room.

Alana had entered a secret room she and Maggie had made for protection when they first discovered how special they both were. It was a truly beautiful place, completely furnished in mahogany. There was a huge fireplace on one wall, and a writing desk in front of it. In the corner there was a large canopy bed and opposite that, a very small library with a very comfortable couch and a small table.

She walked deeper into the room and very slowly sank onto the fleecy comforter of the bed, numb with the reality of her situation that still hadn't sunk in completely. When it finally had, she cried for the many hours that it took for exhaustion to overcome her. She drifted into a fitful sleep full of nightmares and pain. Her best friend, and distant cousin, was dead, murdered by the hand of young man, who reeked of death although he was barely mature.