Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own this stuff.
Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who's read my story, and a special thanks to Camilla Richard for being my first reviewer! I love all your stories! Well, yeah I updated pretty fast, but don't expect me to in the near future. I mean, I'll try to update this fast as I can, but I didn't have a lot of homework tonight (pretty rare) and I decided to update while I could. I'm pretty much saying not to slap me with a wet baboon if it takes me a few days to update. It may sound surprising, but I don't spend my day locked in my room with a computer for a friend (well, I don't spend most of my day like that). Please enjoy my chapter!
Magyk in a Box
Chapter 2
Septimus had made it to the Palace and was now looking for Jenna. The Palace was very large, so he didn't want to think about how long it was going to take to find her, and what would happen if he got lost in the Palace corridors that pretty much looked the exact same…
"Jen?" he called out as loud as he dared. "You there?"
"In here, Sep!" Jenna's muffled reply sounded like music to Septimus. He followed her voice until he found himself at… his parents' door? What was Jenna doing in there?
As soon as he looked inside, he wanted to run away. Jenna was ordering servants this way and that and the room was trashed. Near the area where Jenna was pacing, the floor was stained with blood.
"Um, Jen?" Septimus asked faintly. "What happened?" He could swear he was going to be sick. "Somebody didn't…"
"No, Sep. Nobody was murdered. But what happened is pretty bad, too. So I heard some weird noises coming from Mum and Dad's room, right? I walked inside… and Mum was vomiting blood. So, I called for some servants to take her to the Infirmary and Dad went with her. Oh Sep, it's horrible. The nurse doesn't know what's wrong with her. She said she's never seen anything like it before…" Jenna's voice trailed off as it began to break.
"Oh, Jen! Don't cry. It'll be all right. Mum's strong, she'll get through this," Septimus replied sympathetically, enveloping Jenna in a big hug. Although it sounded like Septimus was reassuring Jenna, he was truly reassuring himself. By the stain on the floor, he doubted his mother had just caught the flu.
"Hey… what's that?" Jenna asked, pointing to a scrap of parchment on her parents' bed.
Septimus lifted it up. For some strange reason, there was writing on it.
"And so it begins", Septimus said, reading the paper aloud. "That's weird. It doesn't look anything like Dad's handwriting."
"Mum's either. Do you think…?"
"No, Jen. It can't have anything to do with this. Just in case, we should still hold onto it", Septimus replied calmly, handing the scrap of parchment to Jenna, who stuffed it in her tunic pocket.
"The writing looks familiar, though. I just can't put my finger on it", Jenna said mysteriously, looking around the room.
"It does, doesn't it? Hold onto that paper, Jenna."
"Okay."
With that, Septimus led Jenna out of the Palace and into the fresh air. She looked rather pale from the recent adventure and he assumed he looked the same. He decided to take his sister to the Wizard Tower, wait for Marcia to get back, and tell her what happened. She might be able to make sense of it all.
Meanwhile, Marcia was staring at Marcellus, waiting for him to reply. It was a simple question- she had only asked him why the flowers were addressed to her and not to Septimus. She didn't understand why it was taking Marcellus so long to answer.
"Well?" Marcia replied briskly. "Mr. Pye, I hope you know that I don't have all day and that staring at you isn't how I intended on spending it."
"I am sorry to keep you waiting, Marcia. It's just… well you know how the yearly Palace Ball is coming up?"
"Of course I do. I haven't gone in years. Too many more important things to do with my life", Marcia said to him, her tone slightly lightening up. She refused to tell him, but the only reason she hadn't gone to the Ball in such a long time is because no one had ever asked her to go. But of course, Marcia didn't even admit that to herself.
"Well… I um… had intentions of going this year, and…"
"And what?"
"And… I was wondering if you would like to come with me. To the Ball. As my… date?'
"You could've just said so", Marcia replied sweetly.
"So… that's a YES? Really?"
"Yes, Marcellus. I would like to go with you to the Ball. Very much", Marcia finished with a small smile.
With that, Marcellus bent down and picked up the flowers and smiled as well.
"Then these are for you", Marcellus said, handing her the flowers. "Now I must be on my way…" Marcellus was truly reluctant to leave.
"Oh… okay." With that, Marcellus kissed Marcia's hand and began to walk towards the stairs.
"And Marcellus?"
"Yes?"
"The stairs aren't working. Brace yourself."
"Oh… all right. I hate stairs."
"Me, too", Marcia said laughing.
"Well, goodbye Marcia. I shall see you soon."
"You too, Marcellus." And with that, Marcellus Pye began to walk down twenty flights of stairs.
Marcia leaned against the door for support. Was this really happening? To her? She felt weak in the knees, which she automatically assumed was love. But that wasn't exactly true…
About twenty minutes later, Marcia was having lunch when Septimus and Jenna burst through the door.
"Hello, Septimus. How are you-"
"Marcia!" Septimus yelled. "You would not believe what just happened!"
Far away in a distant world, a young girl named Christina tossed and turned in her bed. Around her, she heard the other girls of the orphanage snoring softly and the sound of cars zooming by. If she knew about the adventure that was about to take her life by storm…