19:39

Have you ever snuck out at night, stolen your parents car, and when for a drive around town? I'll have you know, I never did. That was my sister (and her boyfriend). Just because I happened to leave the house when I was supposed to be sleeping and happened to help her push the car out of the driveway so the engine noise wouldn't wake up Mom and Dad and I happened to be sitting in the back seat when Madison and Burkley took off towards the town square, frankly, doesn't mean a thing.

Oh, right. I should rewind a bit and explain a little. First of all, my name is Bianca. Second of all, this was so not my fault. Honestly. Just because I asked my parents if we to go to the awesomely awesome candy store downtown and get some sweet stuff with my own money, and just because they said no even though they were going out on errands and invited me along, and just because my sister got this crooked, malicious-looking grin on her face when I complained to her about it doesn't mean a thing.

Are we clear on that? Yes? Good.

Anyhow, me, perfectly innocent 12-year-old Bianca, Madison, the 17-year-old evil mastermind behind this mess who I could technically blame for how topsy-turvy my life became after that ride, and Burkley were piled in my family's banged-up Malibu and cruising down the street. The car's pretty old, slightly rusted around the edges, constantly covered it dirt, and does work as well as it used to, but I wouldn't ever want to sell it and get a new one. It was like part of the family.

"So, Anca, how much money 'you got?" Burkley asked me in that flippant way of his. I scowl and stuck my tongue out at him, even though he could see because I was sitting behind him. He knows I don't let anyone call me Anca. Except sometimes Mom.

"I've got twenty-eight dollars, three cents, and maple syrup. I've been saving." I told him matter-of-factly, holding up the tiny bottle of medium-light Vermont maple syrup that I had stuck into my purse two weeks ago when my family and I went to a pancake dinner served at my school. Burkley twisted his head around to see. "What can I get with that?"

Madison spoke up. "A lot. Especially if the guy at the counter really likes maple syrup." She turned onto the next street over. "Where do what to hit?" I put my bottle back in my purse, and tucked it back into my winter jacket pocket.

"Life is Sweet," I told her, although she probably already knew that. "And GameStop and Borders."

"We'll probably gonna stop downtown first. The Borders area is a bit far, though." My sister pondered.

"We could stop for gas." I suggested. Madison looked unsure. She looked at Burkley, who shrugged and crossed his hands behind his head, as if to say "Sure, why not?"

"So, I've got fifty." Burkley started. "And Maddy's got forty-two. All-in-all, we've got about a hundred-twenty." I grinned. You can get a lot of candy with that.

Madison pulled the car to the side of the road, and parked it in front of the theater. I stepped into my shoes, and zipped up my jacket before I gently pushed open the car door and enter the chilled night air. People get slightly suspicious if a girl in a nightgown and slippers walks into their store.

What I really like about Life is Sweet, beside it having every awesome candy that there is, is that it's underground. There's a little staircase set into the sidewalk, right up next to the building it's under. It's way cool. The only drawback is that it's kind of narrow, but it's usually not a problem.

As I gently slipped into the underground candy store, holding the door for Burkley, who was behind me, I stop a minute to take in the scent that lingered as delicate as lace in the air. I love the way the place smells, like chocolate edged with fruit and sugar, softly mixed with Pixie stick scent. It's a masterpiece.

I happily grabbed a clear plastic bag from a small basket full of them up front, and grabbed a clear plastic glove form the box beside it, making small talk with the lady at the counter as I scooped handfuls of candy from the bid glass jars that covered the table set up in the center of the tiny place, and took up most of it. I gawked and drooled at the fancy, expensive fudge in the glass cases in the counter, weighed my bag on the counter scale, and happily drew out my money and handed it to the woman.

"That place is the best." I said between bites of chocolate-covered-raisins as we walked back to the car with our bags of candy. Burkley grinned and offered me a handful of Mike & Ike's in exchange for a chocolate covered pretzel. I gave Maddy a couple of Swedish fish.

"So, where to next?"

"The Borders plaza." I snapped back almost immediately. I always liked Borders. You can find any book there. Me? I'm a bit of a bookworm, almost as much as I am a sugar junkie. Borders also has CDs galore. Oh, and it's right by GameStop, my eternal source of entertainment. Where would I be without my video games?

Of course, if I had known just how much my life would have changed during that game-and-book run, I think I'd probably had shied away from that place. Then again, maybe I would have been even more eager. Who knows?

My sister pulled up to the parking lot tuck neatly in front of the "Wall of Stores", as I had nicknamed it. I leaned in and knocked Burkley on the arm. "Punch buggy." I told him cheekily. I don't know why, but this lime green punch buggy is always parked over to the side of the side of the building, sort of near the Home Depot. Maybe the guy who owns it works there?

"Wa-hoo!" I cheered softly as I hopped out of the car. Madison set one hand on her hip, the way she does when she has to "be the adult".

"Okay, let's make this kind of quick, right guys? We don't want to be out to late." I yawned a little as she spoke, and opened on eye to look at her.

"Yeah, whatever. It's Friday. It's not like we have to wake up early next mornin'." I retorted. She sighed, and I dashed towards the store. Burkley quickly rush to follow me.

I pushed open the golden-orange-brown double doors, and the environment shifted from the dark starry night to a brightly lit busy bookstore. There was a stand with a display of new books out front. I glanced over it, but there was nothing that really caught my eye. There was a book by the author of a series I like, but I had read about the new non-series book, and it didn't sound that attention getting.

I quickly took off towards the kids' section. My quick, light steps pulled to a halt in front of a bookshelf that was about my height. It had four shelves on it, and had a curly-Q design carved into the edges of each shelf. It wasn't very noteworthy to look at, but it's always the first I check.

"Oooh, Percy Jackson. Huh, they have the new Warriors book… "Which cat will complete the prophecy?" Well, that's a lame tagline. There're the Vladimir Tod books… I wonder if they'll ever write a new one? Hmm, Keys to the Kingdom…" I was aware that I was mumbling out loud, and tried to make sure if was soft enough so no one heard me. I sometimes accidently start talking to myself.

I slinked off towards the back of the section. Most of the shelves looked like they needed restocking, but I could find something worthwhile. They had a few CDs, although nothing very promising. Well, except the over priced ones. Me, Maddy, and Burkley had totaled up our money and divided it evenly, but I had spent a lot on candy, and wanted to have some left for GameStop.

I hummed a little of a song I had had earlier today as I headed towards the manga section. Maybe I should get the first volume of Black Cat… I had never read the manga, but Burkley said it was great.

I shuffled between the shelves aimlessly… No new volume of Kingdom Hearts. I considered getting some Tokyo Mew Mew, but change my mind. I decided to get something new today.

Boy, if only I had known how new…

New girl. New new. Lost. It's lost. New. New girl. New wings. Not here. Not not. What?

I flinched, and grasped the shelf in front of me in surprise. I considered screaming. I glanced behind me, to the side, to the other side… No one. No one was there. Who had said that? Was I imagining things? Was someone trying to pull a trick on me?

Wings. No wings. Not here. Lost. Too lost. Not here. No wings. Who?

What? Wings? Something was lost? I was definitely imagining things.

Here. Not here! No wings. She can't. New girl. No. No way. Not a way. Stop! Where?

What in the world? Was I going crazy? I movies people who hear voices in there head are usually crazy. Or dealing with telepaths. And I, frankly, was sure that stuff didn't exist. And, yes, I was sure this voice was in my head, which really just made this all crazier. The sound seemed to resound, but it didn't come from anywhere, like when your wearing headphones.

Now! Here. Come here. Not her. New girl. No. No new girl. Back. Back. Back. Back back back back back backbackbackbackback! BACK! How?

Then, something strange, or rather, something else strange, happened. Something fell, and landed right in front of me. I look up. There was nothing it could've fallen off of. The ceiling was completely smooth. There was no one who could've dropped it. There was nothing sticking out for it to drop off. And beside, the thing didn't look like some piece of junk that chipped of a ceiling.

It was like stone. Or metal. Its surfaces were perfectly smooth. It was shaped like a heart, colored a nice rose red color. There was an indent on the front that had the shape of a keyhole. There were creamy off-white-colored pieces jutting out of one side, curving and coming to perfect tips. They looked a set of extravagant angel wings, except they were only on one side. All-in-all, it was a little smaller than my hand.

As I studied it, I could help but get this creepy prickle on the back of my neck, like someone was watching me. I turned slowly, and, sure enough, someone was there, his eyes lock on me. He has older than me, but still a bit under Madison and Burkley's age. He had long, deep black hair that look a little unruly. He kept in a long, trailing ponytail, and his pale green eyes look soft and confident, like they were trying to say "So there" to that nasty crooked smirk of his.

I wasn't sure whether I like the look of this guy or not.

"So, now, look what you've down." Oddly, the busy, bustling store suddenly seemed very empty, and there was no one even generally near the two of us. So, of course, I found it weird that the flick of his eyes made it seemed like he wasn't talking to me.

Sorry sorry. No good. New girl. Not. New girl. No. Needless. Tried. Didn't. Bad. New girl-girl. Charm. On own. When?

That was when, just when you thought it was safe to go back to bookstore, something else unexplainable happened. The airs by the mystery boy's shoulder shimmered, shifted, and suddenly something appeared. It coiled gently and rested on the boy shoulders, curling a bit, like a scarf.

Describing it would be… difficult. It was sort like a fox or ferret. Even though it seemed solid, it still had a faint translucency about it when it shifted in the light. Its fur, if that's what it was, was soft, whitish sky blue. It had – and I am not making this up – a pair of tiny tinted goggles strapped on his head.

"Sorry. Sorry. Didn't! Didn't mean. Want to. It was… Charm. Not good at all. No. Acted. It acted on it's own. I told it to stop, but I didn't. I'm sorry, boss." I don't know why, but as the fox-ferret-thing talked – yes, talked – its word's seemed to start choppy and jumbled, but sorted they out as he went on. It occurred to me, just then, that it sounded a lot like the voice in my head.

The boy's peridot gaze, which was starting to make me feel mildly awkward, shifted towards his companion, and he patted it gently on the head. "S'okay, Alessio. If the Charm wanted her, then maybe it'll work out." I got the awkward feeling that "her" was me. "You! Girl! Your name?"

It took me a second to realize he was talking to me. I flinched slightly at the way he talked. It was like I was inferior. Then again, as far as I knew, I was. "First, don't call me "Girl"." I told him firmly. He was certainly not the only one with an attitude. "My name is Bianca."

"'Kay, mouse girl." He said. "No need to get huffy." He muttered something I couldn't catch, and then kept talking. "ViVid. That's my name." It was probably spelled like "vivid", but he pronounced it oddly, like "vee-vid". Not that I care much.

"Mouse girl?" I spat out angrily. ViVid smirk.

"Yeah, 'mouse girl'. Bianca, like the girl in "The Taming of the Shrew". You look kind of mousy, too, so it works."

ViVid. I'd have to remember that name. "ViVid"; perhaps the first person I could hate. And that was saying a lot, what with the kids at my school and all.

"So, Mr. Smart Guy, tell me." I thrust the angel-heart-key thing out it front of me. "What's this dohickey?" I swear his pet smirked a little.

ViVid, on the other hand, scowled deeply and his eyes flashed. "The Magician is not a 'dohickey'!" He snapped. "If you knew anything of that and what you've—" He quieted embarrassedly as Alessio swished his tails fur gently over ViVid's mouth, breaking his momentum.

"What he means is that's the Magician, on of the twenty-one Arcana Charms. The second crafted, to be exact. The Arcana Charms are special talismans that Mother made…" he paused, and tipped his head slightly to one side. "…Oh, it was many years. They're Intelligent Devices, and quite powerful. When one is issued, it bonds to its holder, and gives them…" he stopped again. "…Certain…powers. Yes, that's a good word for it. Each one also starts to draw power from a certain element; one that best suits the holder. As fate would have it, you have been issued the Magician."

I think the world stopped turning for a few fractions of a second there. I think my mouth was open, and a sputtered as I tried to wrap my mind around what I had just been told – by a talking fox-ferret in goggles, at that.

"Wait… I've been 'issued' this…" I told myself to refrain from calling it a dohickey. "…Charm. And it gives me powers?" I looked down at the Magician. "And it's 'intelligent'? Why did I get, though? Why is it called 'the Magician'? What's this all about?" I was faintly aware that my voice was rising, but since Borders was now entirely deserted, I didn't care.

Alessio nodded quietly. "The Arcana Charms are all semi-sentient. They sense, react, and bond. They were named by Mother back when they were first created, and I don't know why she named them what she did." He smiled, both warmly and evilly. "And, yes, you've got power. Have you noticed that you're hearing and understanding me? You wouldn't be able without the Magician. That's one of them.

As for, 'what's going on', you see—"

You know what's really good at cutting people off? Explosions. Oh, and, no, this isn't something that just happened to occur to me at the time. Just then, there was an explosion over by the front of the store. And then it got freaky. Something burst out of the smoke and rubble, and smash right across the building towards us.

In one swift movement, ViVid dash across the bookshelfed-in area, scooping me up, and leap over the shelves to the other side of the building. Now, describing things is getting a little tiring, but I'll obliged for you guys. The thing that had destroyed a chunk of the Borders? It was, I saw as it shoved aside ruins and started towards ViVid, and me surprisingly about the size of a person.

It looked a little like a human, too, aside from the pure black skin, which was completely featureless except for the eyes, and had white-marked tentacles that fell behind it's head like hair. I really didn't like it.

"Okay, handsome, what the hell is that thing?" I demanded as ViVid landed gracefully on the top of a shelf of new releases. "And," I added as he less-than-gently set me down "if you try to carry me like that again, I will slap you."

ViVid huffed. "That's a Remnant." He explained coolly. "A malicious soul in a weak mind and unstable body. It lost itself, and now it's a monster."

I gaped as what that entailed sank it. "You mean… That things a person?" ViVid nodded.

"Uh-huh. It was." He had a faraway look in his eyes. "But not anymore." He shot me a look, and, with a brief burst of light, something landed gently in his palm. "I hope you're up for a fight." Just like that, he leap up, barreling towards the 'Remnant' and whipping the hand that held that object he conjured as it started to glow.

I lost sight of ViVid and the Remnant as they made contact and the resulting smoke and explosion obscured the scene. Alessio curled gently on the ground and looked up at me. "He's always so ready to prove." He muttered to himself. Then he glanced up at me.

My attention turned back to the CD section of Borders, where ViVid and the Remnant were fighting. As the smoke started to clear, ViVid back flipped out of the space it covered, landing nicely on his feet. He was, I noticed, holding twin blades, one in each hand, something he didn't have before. I wondered if it had something to do with the glowing thing.

The Remnant burst out of the smoke, plowing right into ViVid, who held up his blades in defense. His feet skid backwards, but he growled and held his ground firmly.

"He needs help." I flinched. I was so busy watching the fight; it had almost escaped my mind that Alessio was still there. He twitched his nose and shifted his position. "I'd be happy to assist him, but this Remnant is quite… different. Perhaps… two Charms would do the trick." He spoke in a tone one would use when they were trying to tell you something, but didn't wanted to outright state it.

"Wait… t-two? Then… Magician and… ViVid has an Arcana Charm?" I blinked confused, and Alessio nodded tiredly, and curled up around himself.

In a grim tone of voice, he added. "Poor boss…" Alessio tensed and his head shot up immediately. "ViVid!" I whipped around, just in time to see the boy in question be knocked across the very-destroyed room, smashing… painfully-lookingly on the floor. I winced sympathetically. He looked hurt, and the Remnant was still approaching. ViVid raised his blades and rose to his feet again, though he looked quite wobbly.

"Boss…" Alessio looked pleadingly up at me. "Help him." He said firmly. He slithered over the floor, hopping up leg. Alessio nudged the hand that I still clutched the Magician in, and I gently unfolded my fingers. I had been clutching it so hard; the tips of the wings had drawn blood.

"If you accept her, she is yours…" He spoke softly, but with a hard-to-define power in his voice. He lifted his head and looked at me. "You accept its path, laid out before?" I nodded slowly. Somehow, I knew this meant a whole lot to him, so I complied. "Until three hearts shall open six doors… Feel her soul is you heart, her life is your lore…" Alessio finished speaking, and leaped back to the ground at once.

The Magician pulsed and glowed faintly, and then grew brighter and brighter, until I had to cover my eyes with one hand. "It has begun!" I heard Alessio's voice, but I couldn't see a thing through the great light.

And then, the glow explode, and… a faint sound of music echoing…

I felt as light as a feather, and like I was alive for the first time. Like the world didn't exist, but it existed to its fullest. It was impossible to describe.

And then it was over, as soon as it had been. I was a scared 12-year-old in pajamas in a deserted bookstore again.

But then again, I wasn't.

For one thing, the Magician was gone. In its place, there was a sort of staff. It was about as tall as me, and carved from some sort of wood and was perfectly smooth, not at all rough like wood usually is expected to be. There was line of tiny light blue jewels spiraling down the handle, and two short, white, wing shaped blades jutted out of the top.

"Cool." Was all I could say. And believe me, it was.

With newfound strength, I leapt from where I stood, plowing right in the Remnant. It roared, and whipped around to strike me. I managed to dodge most of it, but she – and I had decided it was a she – slashed at my leg, and I stumbled. What the heck was I thinking? This was harder than I thought.

ViVid managed to jump over and landed a pretty good hit on her back, and she lashed out at knocked him back again. Except, this time, he whipped around in the air, and a sphere of wind suddenly formed around him, lowering him gently onto the floor again. "Ow…"

The Remnant turned her attention back to me, and, I'll admit, I freaked out a little and screamed as she charged at me. I held up my staff defensively, and it recoiled back it a sudden burst of energy. A bright blue energy surge arced from the staff, striking her with a blast point-blank. I faint chill lingered in the air, and I soon saw why: the energy had frozen the Remnant's leg, firmly securing her in place on the ground.

"N-nice…" ViVid muttered, clutching his side in pain. He managed to gain a more stable balance, and slowly approached the shrieking Remnant, who twisted in her leg's ice casing, trying to attack one of us from where she was stuck. I bit the edge of my lip.

"Are you okay?" I asked quietly. "That's looks, uh, painful." ViVid smirked a little.

"Ah, I'll live, Mouse." He raised his twin blades, pointing them both at the trapped Remnant. Alessio slinked up beside me. "Now, let's get rid of this thing. Alessio will tell you the words."

Alessio nodded, and ViVid began to speak. "Charm of the Lovers…"

"Charm of the Magician…" I repeated as Alessio whispered to me.

"This soul, this body…"

"This heart, this mind…"

"Tainted, corrupted, and led astray…"

"Let it try again and find its way…"

"MAJOR ARCANA, SOUL RELEASE!" We shouted it as one, and the sudden cold and burst of wind almost knocked me over, but Alessio wrapped around my ankle firmly and steadied me. It was blinded for a few seconds, and when everything cleared, the screeching Remnant was gone, and that was left were a few cracked shards of ice. My staff was gone, and the Magician was back in my hand. ViVid's twin blades had disappeared.

I blinked softly, and fell onto my knees. "Wha-what just happened?" ViVid yawned and tossed his Arcana Charm to himself, then slid it into his pocket.

"The Remnant's soul was released. Her body, mind, and heart will reform, and she'll return. No one will ever remember she was gone." He glanced wearily around the bookstore, and gingerly touched his scrapes. "Um, this we can't fix to easily."

Reality suddenly shifted and snapped back into place. "Wait a minute! Where are Madison and Burkley? And everyone else in the store?" Alessio smiled and uncoiled himself from my ankle.

"Why, they're back home, sleeping and dreaming. As is everyone else close enough to notice this. As are you!"

I shook my head. "What?" I said plainly. And then I passed out.

(A/N: Ugh… I should probably put this up on FictionPress, but I'm still working out the detail with my FP account, so I decided to stick this here. I hope you don't mind. By the way, this is the longest single-chapter I have ever written. And I'm very proud of myself.)