Alrighty, this is my first—and probably my only—fic on this fandom. If you're a little bit patient, the plot will start to really show itself after a few chapters. If you're curious, I will provide a full summary in my bio, but it probably won't be up until tomorrow. Either way, I hope this is to your satisfaction.
"Mommy, why is Wizard City called Wizard City?" she'd asked once at the age of seven. "Why wizards?"
And her mother had just smiled and replied, "Oh, because people say that wizards used to live here, of course! How about I tell you the story of your ancestor Moira DragonHeart, the savior of—"
"Mommy, did she have a dragon heart? Jeremy StarCatcher said he can catch stars because his last name is StarCatcher. Is that true? Did Moira have a dragon heart? Am I a soul thief?" she'd interrupted. Her mother had simply rolled her eyes and laughed.
"Of course not, sweetie. Don't be silly."
That was as straight an answer as the woman had ever given. So at age ten, the questions had stopped.
Calamity pulled herself out of her reverie and continued to feel around her nightstand.
Candlestick, she thought. Where is that candlestick?
"Ha!" she exclaimed, grinning victoriously as her fingertips brushed against the hardened cylinder of yellow-white wax. Clumsily she struck a match, gritting her teeth as she burned her fingers along with the candle wick. "Damn," she muttered.
Clutching the candle tightly in her hand, Calamity searched through her clothing drawers, slipping into gray skinny jeans, a long and stretchy pale green tank top, and a long-sleeved black shirt. She grimaced as she dropped the candle burned a hole in her favorite pair of bright blue skinny jeans. "I'm really starting to miss electricity."
She ran down the stairs to get a bite of breakfast before meeting her friends by the waterfall in The Commons. Calamity hastily threw open cupboard after cupboard, finding only a small package of crackers and a mound of gently rotting fruit. Or at least, she thought it was fruit.
"No breakfast, then," she decided wistfully. She sighed, pushed open the heavy wooden door, and started off through the chilly streets of Colossus Boulevard. Calamity hurried through the Shopping District, passing by the grocery store in slight hopes that it was open. It wasn't.
"Onna!" she called as she spied her best friend jogging through the arched stone tunnel that led to The Commons. Said best friend turned around and offered a forced smile as Calamity ran over and hooked arms with her.
"This is insanity," declared Onna agitatedly. "All the technology in all of Wizard City stops working, the animals are acting weird, the plants are looking and tasting strange, and all in all everything seems to be regressing back into the Dark Ages. And of course, our so-called 'Honorable Members of Society' have no idea what to do! I don't know who came up with this political system, but whoever it was deserves a kick in the arse."
"Why don't you just say ass?"
"Because I don't like the way it sounds. Oh, and happy birthday by the way."
Calamity frowned. "My birthday was two months ago."
Onna pulled an apple out of her pocket and held it out. "Yes, but I brought you the gift of breakfast, seeing as you probably skipped again."
A sheepish smile formed on Calamity's face. "Thanks, Onna. You're an angel," she said, taking the apple and biting into it.
"Aren't I?" Onna laughed. "C'mon, we should probably get going. You know the crazy things Kael does when he's been forced to wait too long."
"I'll bet you your favorite pair of boots that by the time we get there he'll be jumping off one of the highest branches on the tree next to Rainbow Bridge," challenged Calamity, her eyes gleaming. Onna grinned.
"You're on. But when I win, you have to get us all past the door behind the waterfall, plus the one that's boarded up in The Commons."
"Challenge accepted. Let's go!" Calamity said excitedly, pulling her friend along behind her as she raced out of the tunnel and through The Commons until they reached Rainbow Bridge. Kael was just hauling himself up onto the first branches of the tree.
Onna clapped her hands. "Ha! He's not even high enough up to make a good jump yet! I win, I get to keep my boots, and you have to take us to see what's behind those doors."
Calamity sighed and twisted a handful of thick black hair around her fingers and tugged. Actually having to get them through the doors was not something she had been counting on. She jerked her head up at the sound of a crazed battle cry, just in time to see Kael leap from high in the tree and land in the river with a splash.
"Oh, sure, now you jump," she muttered. The boy swam over to the bridge and hauled himself up.
"So what's this I hear about doors?" he asked, pushing his sopping brown hair out of his face as he and the others crowded around Onna and Calamity to hear the news.
"Calamity has to take us all to see what's behind the door in the waterfall, and that door that's boarded up around here," Onna squealed. Calamity rolled her eyes and picked at a scab on her thumb.
The girls chattered on excitedly. Kael pumped his fist in the air.
"Yes! I've wanted to go past those doors ever since I was a little kid."
Astra nodded. "Yeah, Cal, let's go now!" she urged. Amalida frowned and shook her head, her slightly frizzy brown hair flying around her face.
"I want to see it, too," said Amalida, "but don't think that it's a very good idea."
Levvy grabbed her friend by the shoulders. "C'mon, 'Lida!" she exclaimed, gently shaking Amalida with her skinny arms. "Live a little! Geez, you know we love you, but you can be so anti-excitement sometimes."
Calamity crossed her arms. "I, for one, agree with Amalida," she decided.
Jacynth pulled her waist-length black hair into a ponytail and grinned. "You just don't want to take us, huh? I bet you're scared, aren't you?" she teased. Calamity's face flushed.
"No! I just don't see the point in it all. I mean, for all we know, there could be absolutely nothing at all behind those doors."
"And what if there is? What if there's some incredible secret just waiting for us to find it?" demanded Kael. "What if the answer to the universe lies beyond those doors? Or what if there's some amazing adventure that we're destined to go on? There may be nothing, but Cal, if we don't at least try, we'll never know!"
The corners of Calamity's lips curled into a devilish smile. She had always wanted to go on an amazing, life-changing adventure. She'd never wanted such a boring existence as being born, living an ordinary life, and then dying. She wanted excitement, like in books and movies and fairytales. She wanted to save the world. Small world as it may be, but a world all the same.
"Alright," she decided finally. "Let's do it."
Amalida groaned as the others whooped and hollered and squealed with excitement. "You know this can only end in tears?" she pointed out, turning to Calamity. The raven-haired girl shrugged her shoulders and nodded.
"Of course. But why not have fun with it while we can? I mean, for all we know, Kael could be right. Maybe we'll find an adventure, 'Lida! What's the harm?"
So how was it? Do you like it, do you love it, do you hate it, did it suck? Let me know so that I may improve upon my writing skills! Reviews are love. Flames… well, I don't really care. Flame all you want, for I shall use them to roast marshmallows and make s'mores!