Chapter One
**Carter's POV**
Sadie and I set in the large library studying. Correction; I was studying, Sadie on the other hand was texting one of her friends from London. The click of her nails against the screen was growing more irritating by the minute. "Will you stop I'm trying to read here" I barked looking up from my book. "Oh come on Carter I haven't seen my friends in ages." Sadie whined not even looking up from her phone. "Well can you not do that somewhere else?" Sadie was about to reply but the ring of the door bell cut her off.
I barely had time to put down my book before Sadie was dragging me towards the front door. "Sadie will you stop someone else will get it. What are you so excited about?" I asked letting her drag me behind her. "Everyone's in for the night Carter." She replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. I just looked at her hoping she'd get to the point. "Which means it's someone new." she explained shaking her head at me. It was rare that we got any new magicians anymore and I could understand why Sadie was excited. So I picked up my pace, matching hers as we made our way towards the front door.
By the time we got to the door one of the others had opened it already. Little Felix stood in the archway holding the door open looking up with big eyes at the new arrival. "Felix who is it?" Sadie asked as we both walked up to him. The stranger had a hood up shadowing their face and it was so dark out that I couldn't make out much of their appearance. Felix stepped aside eyes still on the shadowed figure allowing Sadie and I to get a better look.
She was wearing a pair of studded black boots, that Sadie was sure to love, dark gray jeans and a maroon hoodie with a leather jacket thrown over it. She also had a studded gray bag hanging loosely from her shoulder. She raised her hand gently pushing down her hood. Her messy black hair, the end of which here dyed blue, tumbled down in lazy curls across her shoulders. She had beautifully tanned skin and an almost mischievous smirk playing on her poison painted lips.
There was no denying that she was beautiful but what struck me the most about her were her eyes. Around the edges of the eyes where jet black but around the center was a bright piercing golden colour. Her eyes were almost like that of a wild wolf.
I just stood there stupidly, looking at her but not saying a word. I probably would have stayed there all night looking into those mesmerizing eyes if it hadn't been for Sadie. "Em…. Hi?" she said standing next to me also looking into the strangers eyes. The strangers smirk lifted "I take it Amos didn't tell you I was coming then" she stated tilting her head looking at us with curiosity. At the mention of our uncle's name Sadie and I suddenly snapped out of the trance those fierce eyes had put us in.
"You know our uncle?" I asked as the girl brushed passed me into the house. Now that she was in the light I could tell that she wasn't much older then me. Maybe sixteen or seventeen. "Everyone who's anyone knows Amos Kane, he's the Chief Lector of the House of Life. But you're asking me if I know him personally and the answer to that is: kinda." the girl stated as she walked around the room with confidence, as if she had been here before.
"Who are you?" Sadie asked watching every move the stranger made like a hawk, unnerved by her familiarity with our home. "Sadie, right?" the girl asked turning to face us. "And you're Carter. You know the last time I saw the both of you you couldn't have been more than, what seven or eight?" She asked glancing at me. "Sadie was turning six and the two of you blew up her birthday cake. I think I was only nine then." I couldn't believe what this girl was saying. The only people at that party were myself. Sadie, our parents and uncle Amos. But for some reason I believed her. She spoke with such confidence and a little nostalgia, like someone recalling a happy memory. And how else could she have known about the birthday cake.
"Who are you?" Sadie asked again this time with more force taking a step towards the mysterious girl. "And what the hell are you doing in our house?" The girl didn't look taken aback by Sadie's tone if anything it caused her cheshire smile to widen, as though she was in on some big secret that neither Sadie nore I knew anything about. Which I suppose was true. "My name is Gaza. Gaza Kane. And I am Amos's daughter, I'm your cousin."