Hello, my name is Alice Moore, and I'm going to tell you story about a girl, a wizard, and a secret. It all started a long time ago in a place far away…

"Alice Moore," said my first period English teacher, Mrs. Cassidy. "Here," I answered. I can't believe it's the first day of 11th grade already!" I whispered to my friend Rose. "Yeah, I know! 10th grade flew by so fast," she answered back. By the time we had finished our whispered conversation, Mrs. Cassidy had gotten to the W's. "Jake Williams," she said. "Present," he said back. And that's when I saw him. Jake, what an amazing name! It sounded like bells ringing and birds singing!

"Ok class, I'm going to assign seats for you all." Oh boy. "Jamie and Matt, you sit there. Lanie and Robert, you sit there. Rose and Nick, you sit there. Alice and-" Here it comes! "Jake, you sit there." Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! Breathe Alice, breathe! But seriously, I can't believe she put me with Jake! This is like one of those fantasies in fairy-tales! I'm so excited! After Mrs. Cassidy got through with seating all of the kids, I thought about what I should do while she gave us a lecture on the rules of grammar. Ok, should I say hi? Maybe he'd think I'm weird. Should I introduce myself? Maybe he'd think I'm coming on too fast. Should I drop my pencil so that he will pick it up? Ok, now I've officially gone crazy. I wish I could just get the nerve to talk to him!

"Hello, my name is Jake Williams. You must Alice Moore. It's nice to meet you." Oh my golly-goodness! He's talking to me! "It's nice to meet you too Jake," eep! "Hey, do you get this stuff?" he asked me. "You mean the grammar rules?" "Yeah." "Oh, well then yes, I do." "Good, cause I could use some help." "What don't you get?" "Pretty much everything," he answered. "Oh, well in that case, you can come home with me today and I'll help you." "Great, I'll meet you by the gym after school." "I'll be there!"

The rest of the day was as boring as a cow pie, though not quite as gross. Jake was in my science and Drama classes too, and Rose was in every single one except gym. And of course, Jamie, my arch nemesis since the fourth grade, was in my gym class. This is going to be an exciting year.

After school, I met Jake by the gym like he said, and we walked to my house to work on grammar. Turns out that I needed some help in science, which just happens to be one of his strong points. "It's a piece of cake once you get it," Jake told me. "That's the thing, I don't get it!" As we worked, I ended up not listening to half of what he said. Instead, I kept staring up at his gorgeous sea-blue eyes and light-brown hair. I tried to stop, but I just couldn't make myself look away. "Ok, that's it. Do you get it now?" Jake asked me after he had finished explaining the science problems. "Uh, what?" I asked very maturely… not. "Do you understand the problems, or would you like me to talk them through again?" "Oh, no, I think I get it now." "Good. Well, I better be getting home. My mom must be worried by now." "Ok, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?" "Definitely."

Over the next few weeks, Jake and I started to hang out a lot. Eventually, he asked me out and we went to the movies. Right after the movie we saw was over, he put his hand behind his back and told me to close my eyes. I did, and when I opened them again there was a bright, red rose as beautiful as a red rainbow in Jake's hand. It was amazing. But how did he make it appear like that? "Here," he said as he handed it to me.

Soon enough, August turned into September, which turned into October.

As soon as I walked into English on October first, I noticed that Jake looked and acted differently. "Are you ok?" I asked him as we sat down in our seats. "Yeah, why?" he said glumly. "Because you look like a run-down dog that hasn't been given any real care for days." "What?" "You look bad Jake." "Oh."

It went on like that for days. Jake looked worse and worse every day. He stopped coming over and eventually stopped talking to me. One day, I decided to go and talk to him, but he wasn't even at school. By this time, I was extremely worried.

Halloween is just around the corner now. It's already October 27th. At least Jake is here today. But he looks different than he did the last time I saw him. He looks happier and a lot healthier. "Where have you been?" I asked him during English. "Places." "Like where?" "Just places." "Oh, well you look great!" He did! He looked like a beautiful sunset with a smile to match. He smelled as if he had jumped into a pool of oranges and peaches and sprayed exuberant lavender cologne all over himself. "Thanks, and I'm sorry about what happened a few weeks ago." "Oh, it's alright. I was really worried though, and I missed you a lot!" "I know, and I missed you too, but I had to leave." "Why?" "It's a long story." "I've got time," I said, and just as he was about to spill the beans, the bell rang, signaling us to go to second period.

Second period Trigonometry was so hard today. I barely got it at all. Third period chorus wasn't too much better. Jamie was making fun of me like always, and I couldn't concentrate on singing. Science was ok. We had to work in groups of five on an in-class project, but I wasn't put into Jake's group, so it didn't make a big impact on my day. Finally lunch arrived. My time to get an explanation from Jake was here. But he was hanging out with a bunch of guy friends, and I know that that wouldn't be such a great time to talk to him. Fifth period gym stunk like always. I'm always stuck in the same team as miss-prissy, but even when I'm not, Jamie still succeeds in torturing me. Drama is sixth period, and we got to work on a play. So I quickly grabbed Jake's arm and called us one group. But of course, Mrs. Adams had to put one more kid into our group, giving us absolutely no time to talk. After Drama, and then Social Studies, I found Jake outside the gym waiting for me like he used to. A smile spread across my face, but it soon turned into a frown, because Jake looked like he had just seen death itself, and it must not have been pretty. "Hey," he said as I got to him. "What's wrong?" "Nothing." "Don't lie to me Jake." "That's the thing, I can't. I have to tell you the truth. I have to stop lying to you." "You've, you've been lying to me?" "Yes, but now I will tell you the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." "Ok then, we can talk at my house."

The whole way there was silent. It's not my fault though. It's not like I've been lying to him. But I can't hold a grudge. Some secrets aren't meant to be told. Hey, at least he's telling me now. When we walked through the door of my house, he immediately closed and locked the door behind me, grabble my arm, pulled me into the living room, sat us both on the couch, and hugged me. It looked like he was going to cry. I could feel his fast heartbeat thumping through his icy cold skin: Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Thump, thump. "Ok, what's going on?" His heart started to beat a little bit faster before he answered my question. "I… I… I'm not who you think I am." "What?" "It's complicated." "I think I will be able to understand."

"Ok. Well, for starters, I don't have any parents. They're dead." "Well where do you live then?" "I stay in a new place every night." "What do you mean?" "I move from place to place. I've stayed in the park a few times, and I've snuck into the school more than once. But I usually stay in the trees of someone's backyard." "Who's backyard Jake?" "Yours…" "Well, I sure didn't expect that." "Yeah, I should have told you earlier. Oh, and since I know that you're going to ask me about this month, then I will tell you that I have been away studying and practicing." "Studying and practicing what?" "Magic," he answered. "You mean like magic tricks?" "No, like spells and enchantments." "What, so you're a witch or something?" "Wizard, actually." "OK and how do you expect me to believe this?" "You don't have to believe me, but I'm telling you the truth; I swear." (He raised his arm and put his other hand across his chest.) Sigh. "Well, that's a lot to take on. Wait a minute, you mean that the flower you made appear out of nowhere after the movie we saw was magic?" "Precisely so." "Oh my goodness…" I don't know what to think, and that's the truth. "So, why were you out practicing?" "Well… let me start from the beginning." "The beginning of what?" "The beginning of my life."

"I was born on October 31st, 1753 in a world called Losecomplensitas (los-com-plen-si-tas), which in a special language we do not use anymore means, 'Peace and Love throughout the world'. My parents were Elizabeth and Marlin Ambrosius, and yes, my father is the brother of the famous wizard, Merlin. I went through special public schools and lived a pretty normal life until I turned 15. That's when my powers started kicking in. But as soon as I realized that I was more powerful than I knew, I was taken away to a huge place. There, lived a magical council made up of goblins, ghouls, trolls, elves, giants, gnomes, and of course, wizards."

"Hold on a second, if you were born in 1753, then how are you only 17?" "I'm getting to that. Once you join the council, you don't age unless you leave. You see, about two years ago I requested to leave the council, but they declined me. I wanted to see the world, but they needed me in the council. Wizards are the most important members."

"What does the council do exactly?" "Well, they pretty much control the Earth. They make all of the big decisions, like what to invent and other things like that. The president thinks he rules the US, but actually, the council decides stuff, and then puts it into his head. Same thing with scientists and teachers. Not to mention every single job dealing with law. They are God… so to speak. "That's really interesting and unexpected." "Yeah, but back to my story… I was extremely upset at the council at this point. So I planned an escape to Earth. But I knew that the only way to get there was if I waited until Halloween." "Why Halloween?"

"Well, every Hollow's Eve, the council travels to Earth to watch over the humans like they usually do, just more closely." "How does the council get to Earth?" "The wizards transport them to Earth. But they can only transport on Halloween because their powers, which are 10 times more powerful than normal, will only stay that powerful until midnight. If they do not go back to their world before then, then they will be stuck on Earth until the next Halloween." "Oh. So what happened when you snuck away? Did they see you?" "No, I got away safely without anyone noticing. And after that Halloween, I had to keep on running from place to place, because I knew that they could see me. They can see everything. Then, last Halloween, I had to poof myself all around the world until midnight, so that they wouldn't catch me. They went back to their world the past two Halloweens, but I don't think they will take that chance this time. They will probably stay and chase me all year long."

"Why?" "Because the last two times, all they wanted was for me to come back. Now they want to…to…to execute me. Once they want something like that, they won't stop, even if it risks staying on Earth for a whole year." "Why do they want to kill you?" "Because I have broken too many rules, not to mention the most important rule." "What rules have you broken?" "Well for starters, we are not supposed to come in contact with humans, or get into any type of relationship with a human. But the worst of them all that I have broken is the rule that says that we can never, ever, ever give away our secret…the secret of our council, the secret of our being. It is the most important rule to keep, and I have broken it by telling you what I have told you today. But I couldn't keep lying to you. A bolder has been lifted off of my back. That is what it feels like…telling you this." "I understand. And I believe you. What can I do to help?" "Absolutely nothing." "What? Why?" "Because I can't risk your life. I can't let them hurt you, or worse, kill you. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you." "I feel the exact same way, but I must help." "Alice-" "No Jake, I will do whatever you want me to do, but I will not leave your side, no matter what." "You sure are persistent." "I get that from my mother." "OK, you can come, but you must stay behind me and use your brain, alright?" "If I was using my brain right now, I'd be in Utah, but I have decided to follow my heart, and my heart tells me not to leave you." "Now I know why you're failing science." "Shut up Jake!" "I'm just kidding! But seriously, I must get ready. There is still much to be done. You just go on and live your normal life like always. I may not be in school the next couple of days, just to warn you. I will meet you in your backyard at 4:30 on October 31st." "Ok, until then." "Until then."

It felt like forever; those few days between the 27th and 31st. But finally Halloween has arrived, and I have just gotten home from an extremely long day of school. Ok, it's 4:29 and I'm waiting by the big tree in my backyard. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0: It's 4:30. I wonder where Jake- "You're here," he said. Right on cue. "Just like I said I would." "Yeah, I know. It's just… I thought that you weren't going to come. I thought your brain might have kicked in while I was gone. I was sad, but I knew that it would have been best for you." "Are you glad I came at all?" "Oh yes. But I still wish I could be with you and keep you safe at the same time. But I can't have everything I want." "Ok, if you're finished, then we should probably go." "I know, and I'm ready."

We went down to the costume shop in town to get some last minute costumes so that we can, "fit in". Jake, of course, was a wizard with a pointy blue hat and a blue robe with silver stars. I on the other hand, was a vampire. You'll see why very soon. I have a few tricks up my sleeve too. After that, we went to Jake's secret lair. At least it was like a secret lair. It had all of his belongings and equipment there. He had wand after wand lined up by length in a locked case in a locked closet. It was so cool. He took out one from the middle, and then one from a secret compartment.

We were out the door, armed and in costume, by 8:35 pm. "Ok, let's go do some trick-or-treating while we still have some time. The council won't be here until 10:00 sharp." "I guess, since we are in costumes we might as well." And that's exactly what we did for the next hour. Most of the people in the houses we went to asked if were too old to trick-or-treat, and we told them our friends dared us to. So they gave us candy. We were sitting in the park sorting our candy like I used to when I was younger, when Jake asked me a very random question: "Will you trade you tootsie-pop for my nerds?" "Sure, I guess." So we did. The nerds tasted like sweet strawberry and tart lemon when I ate a bunch at once.They were good, but we had bigger problems on our hands. It was 9:45.

Oh no! "Jake, I have to go, I'll be right back!" "Wait, where are you going? You said you weren't going to leave me!" "No time to explain! I promise I won't be gone long!" I was out of the park so fast that I couldn't even hear Jake's reply. I was a cheetah. A very scared cheetah who just wants to help the ones she cares about. I ran all the way to my house in a matter of minutes. Good thing my parents are gone tonight. I knocked three times on the back door and then it opened. "Thank you for meeting me here Thaddeus. Have you brought them?" "Yes." "Good. I must leave right away. Can you get them for me?" "Of course… Shomaycotabalay! (Sho-may-co-ta-ba-lay)," he yelled, and then an army of creatures appeared in front of me. "Very good. Let's go!" And then we set off running back to the park where Jake awaited my return.

"There you are! I've been worried sick! They'll be here any minute. Where have you been?" "Getting reinforcements." "Why did you have to bring others into this? This is my battle." "Well, I couldn't just sit there and let you die!" "Where did you get reinforcements?" "I have a friend…" "Wait, what type of reinforcements did you bring?" "Vampires and werewolves." "Where in wizards name did you get vampires and werewolves?" "Like I said, I have a friend…" "It's 10:00." "Get ready everyone!" By this time, the vampires and werewolves had appeared out of the darkness and gotten into their positions for battle.

It all happened so quickly after that. I was waiting in the back when the council, all in long, black capes, appeared out of nowhere right in front of our waiting attack party. And as soon as they appeared they started to fight. The sound of screaming and ripping cloth was all around us. At first glance, you would think that we were losing. But that's only because everywhere you looked there were monsters, and you couldn't always tell who was on what side. But if you watched as closely as I did, then you would know right away that we were succeeding in defeating them. By the end of the battle, some had surrendered, but most were lost to the darkness. Jake has won. He can now live his life in peace.

"Alice, I must go." "What? Where?" "Back to my world. I have to start a new council. The Earth can't live without one." "I see, and I'm coming with you." "What! No Alice, I don't think that's-" "Oh shush up. If I can help you defeat a group of angry monsters, don't you think that I'm capable of helping to keep the Earth in order?" "Of course Alice, it's just-" "Great! Then it's settled. I'll come with you to your world, and join the new and improved council!" "What about your family?" "Can't you put a spell on them to make them think that I left early for a far away collage or something?" "Well, yes, but-" "Awesome! I'll go pack!" After that, I set off for home to pack my things, but still caught the last thing that Jake said: "Yep, she's definitely persistent." Ah yes, I sure am!

And so Jake started a new council. Containing himself, the vampires and werewolves that helped him in victory, the surrendered group of members from the old council that swore loyalty to Jake, my friend Thaddeus who turns out to be a magical dwarf (so that's why he's so short!), and yours truly, me…who not only stopped aging once I joined the council, but also kissed Jake and turned into a wizard myself! Now that was unexpected! That's where I am now…living happily-ever-after in another world that I now call home, with the one person that I care more about than anything…not to mention some great new friends and magical powers. Life is good.

The End