Author's Note: Sorry peoples, if this chapter is freakishly long! Actually, it's about double the length of my former chapters. From here on, my chapters will be about this long. But this is also where some ideas of mine started to kick in (I rarely have ideas, so this is good!) In my opinion, it's a bit more exciting that the last two. Anyways, be prepared to read! A lot!

P.S. Don't forget to review!! Or else!

Harlington Academy: Beginnings and Endings

Chapter 4: School Supply Shopping?

Really, if I tried, I could never really describe what the Witch's Realm was like. Now, I knew what my mom had meant about it being "magical." Even that was an understatement. For one, there was just the variety of different CREATURES there.

I didn't actually know any of their names, since I never really listened during my teacher's Greek Mythology lectures about the different who's-its and what's-its. Some of them I already knew just from fairy tales and myths and stories. You name the creature or monster, it was there! I didn't even know there were so many. There were some that were half animal/half human, or half animal/half other animal, or half something/half something else I couldn't figure out. It was all REALLY confusing. Even as I moved out of the way for a disgruntled half human/half horse (I think it's called a centaur, right?), I nearly tripped over a tiny fairy, who flew away, glaring after me indignantly. And as we passed the water fountain in the middle of the plaza, a couple of mermaids smiled and waved at me. I thought I was hallucinating.

Then, there was the place itself. The plaza was shaped in a large ring, surrounding all around us until it got to the sidewalks by the street. In the gaps between the buildings, I could see another path that led through to more shops. It sort of reminded me of an oversized flee market, swarming with the different people and creatures bustling around. Even the sun cast itself down onto the pavement, its rays reaching every corner, making the setting glimmer invitingly. Every building, some small and large, stood over our heads, beaming down at us. The whole plaza seemed ancient, kind of like when you enter some old ruins or something, but grander, and complete. At the same time, though, it seemed brand new. Even though it seemed like a regular shopping plaza, it was…different, somehow. I never knew exactly how.

As I was just getting over my daze, my parents were chatting to each other, looking down at something in my father's hands. It was a paper. Just a regular, old white paper. I couldn't believe they were focusing on THAT thing rather than the dream spread out before us. "Um…Mom? Dad?"

At the sound of my voice, my parents' heads snapped up from the sheet, staring at me questioningly, like they'd forgotten I was even there. My mom recovered first. "Yes?"

"Not that I want to be nosy, but…what's that?" I pointed to the paper, and stood on my tiptoes, trying to get a better look.

"Oh…this?" My mom took the paper from my father's hands, and dangled it loosely between her thumb and forefinger. "This is just your school supplies."

My dad, after yanking the paper back from my mom's possession, smiled back at me. "This is all the books and…other things…you'll need."

I cocked my head curiously. "Other things?" What other things? What could they be? Wands? Brooms? Owls? Cauldrons? Robes? The basic Harry Potter stuff?

It took a while for either of my parents to answer. "Mhmm. Other things."

Obviously, they weren't going to budge…for now. "Oh…ok." I tried to look cheerful, without much luck.

After another long while, my mom sighed. "Might as well get this over with. Samantha, you'll need to come with me to get you fitted into your new uniforms, and then…we'll have to go on to your wand—and amulet."

Ok, uniform…of course. Wand…I was expecting. But what was an amulet? By dictionary definition, I'd heard it was supposed to be a protecting charm you wore or something, like a necklace. I decided to wait to find out the answer.

My parents had decided that we split up, with my mom and I shopping for my uniform, wand, and "amulet," while my dad would look for my "other supplies," which he still wouldn't tell me about. We were about to head in opposite directions, when a figure suddenly came out of nowhere. I ended up walking right into it. I could just barely make out the shape of a man when I slammed into him and fell backwards on my butt. Major ouch!

The man, on the other hand, just blinked at me curiously as though he hadn't felt a thing and was wondering why I was sitting on the ground, rubbing my back.

He was still standing there with a puzzled expression when my father spoke up behind me, "William! It's nice to see you here."

He looked up and flashed a smile at my father. "Oh, morning, Mr. Brooks. Nice to see you too. What are you doing here in Caells?" His voice had a polite, light, and cheerful tone to it. I finally lifted my head up to get a better look at him. And, I got the breath knocked out of me, but for a totally different reason than the first time.

Ends up that he didn't look much older than me. Maybe by two or three years, tops. But that wasn't the reason why I almost gasped. Simply, it was because of his looks.

He wasn't a half-animal or anything, in fact, he looked almost completely human. Almost. My eyes outlined his white, almost transparent skin, the sleek, jet black hair, his cold smile, even the way he held himself, like a frozen marble statue. He seemed too strange, too beautiful in fact, to be human. What stood out most, though, and scared me half to death, were his eyes, completely black and depthless, with dark, shadowy rings encircling the rim of his eyelids. Almost exactly like the stalker from the night before.

No, of course they weren't the same person. The stalker had looked much more threatening than William, not to mention a lot older. His voice was slightly different as well. Now that I think about it, though, the other stranger might have been handsome, too; I just hadn't noticed it. But what if—

"Actually, Laura and I are here with our daughter, Samantha," my father said, breaking through my train of thought. "She's attending Harlington Academy."

"Oh, really?" he looked mildly interested. "For sorceresses?"

"Yes."

"Well," William said. "Good for you, then." He smiled at me.

I gulped. The light just caught his dazzling smile, enough for me to notice that two of his teeth (his two top canines, actually) were much sharper than the rest. My heart started to race as I realized I really HADN'T been over exaggerating. He really was a…a…a…

Suddenly, William's smile widened and he finished for me, "Vampire?"

My mouth gaped open. Wait, I didn't say that aloud, did I? Oh my gosh, if I had, I was so totally—

"No, you were saying it in your head," William answered my unfinished thought, again.

I looked to my mom and dad desperately for help. Strangely, they weren't surprised. More like annoyed. My dad was staring off into space, narrowing his eyes, while my mother was pursing her lips in irritation. I reluctantly turned my head again to face William. Then, how did he…?

"You really don't know?" He smiled at me all-knowingly, making me feel like a four year old. "I can read people's minds."

This took a moment to register. Mind. Reading. Again, it was something I thought was only true in books. Guess not. "H-how?" was all I could stutter.

"It runs in the family," William replied, as though that made any more sense.

"Oh."

He nodded. "Well, I better be off now." He turned to my parents. "It really was good to see you again. But I have to…you know, hunt." And before my parents could utter a reply, he was gone. Just like that.

I let a breath I had no idea I'd been holding. I wanted to know who the heck he was, why he could read my mind, and what exactly he meant by "hunting." But apparently, my parents didn't want to answer.

"Well…" my mother said slowly. "That was just…wonderful. It's only been, what, a day, and you've already met two vampires?" Wait, two? So the stranger was a vampire? "We should head off before we run into anyone else. Right, Tom?"

"Right," my father said. "I'll see you both later." Then, he left too, leaving me and my mom behind.

An awkward silence fell between my mom and me as we headed through the path between the buildings to the other side, where another half ring of smaller shops and stores stood. For a while, the only thing I could do was watch my mother as she checked and rechecked the shops, frowning as she did so. A few times, I even heard her mutter, "I was SURE it was right here." Every once in a while, she'd stop in front of a building, shake her head, and walk away.

After almost ten minutes had passed, I couldn't help but tap my mom on her shoulder and suggest, "You know, maybe you could tell me which store you're looking for, so I could help too."

"I'm fine," she snapped back. I stayed quiet.

But, after another five minutes passed, I had gotten impatient of waiting. "Mom, really, I CAN help. You just have to tell me which one it is!"

My mom opened her mouth, as though to argue, but then she closed it again. "Maybe it is best." She peered at the buildings again. "I'm looking for an amulet shop. I believe there's only one."

It only took me two seconds to find it, considering we were standing right in front of the sign. "Uhh…Mom?" I pointed at the small, squat and faded brownish-orange building, with the old, worn letters hanging lopsided above the door. It must have been a lot older than I thought, because the sign was written both in English and some other foreign language I couldn't decipher.

"What? Did you see it?" She squinted in the direction. "What about it?"

"There it is!" I shouted. "The Seeing Eye Amulets and Antiques Shop. See it?"

I expected my mom to say, "Oh, I can't believe I didn't see that!" or at least lead me to it, but she didn't anything, except blink. "What?"

Maybe I hadn't been clear enough. "Look," I said. "Right there in front of your eyes! Are you blind?"

I thought she was kidding when she answered, "Are you sure, honey? I can't see anything next to the bookstore."

"It's on the left of that."

My mother just frowned at me like I was crazy. "There's nothing there."

"What do you mean, there's nothing there?"

"It's just a blank wall."

I shook my head. "No, it isn't."

"Samantha," my mother said slowly, "there is no shop there. Nothing. We should just search somewhere else."

"So you're saying I'm just seeing things? How, then, could I've known the shop's name?"

She didn't say anything else.

After a long pause, I sighed. "Fine, then. But I'm going in, and I'm SHOWING you that there is a shop, after all." I started to walk forward.

But just as I was mid-step, my mom grabbed me by my arm and held me back, twirling me around to face her. "Samantha, don't you find it…odd…that you can see it and I can't?"

I thought over this. "I don't know, maybe you just need glasses."

Thankfully, she ignored that. "Well, I just remembered something…from when I was your age and I was going to the shop, like you. I went inside alone."

"Why? Your parents left you?"

She shook her head. "No. It was because they weren't…allowed inside."

"Why not?"

"You can only go inside that store once," she said. "You go in, get your amulet, get out, and never come back."

"And the reason for that is…?"

My mother hesitated before answering, "It's complicated. The Seer will explain it to you once you get your amulet." Her head turned to glance behind me at the building. "Maybe you should go now, just in case."

I seriously doubted it would disappear on me too, and I still had questions. "But Mom, what's an amulet?"

"I told you the Seer will explain. Now go."

"But—"

"GO," she said, more firmly this time. My mom pushed me towards the general direction of the shop.

And, after a moment's hesitation, I stumbled to the door. It creaked open before I could even place my hand on the doorknob.

. . .

The first thing that struck me was the chill, icy temperature of the room. A draft drifted and coiled uncomfortably around me, raising goose bumps on my bare arms. I shivered as I plodded a few steps forward.

The building was nothing like the exterior. In the brilliant sunlight, it looked like nothing more than an old, crumbly shop, gradually deteriorating in the scorching summer heat. Inside, though, was hidden in shadows, and the only light I could see was coming from a slit through one of the covered windows.

"H-hello?" I stammered out to the darkness.

I could just barely see the silhouette of a person stir around in the shadows in front of me. It moved about an inch, then became still again.

"H-Hello?" I repeated. "I-Is anyone there?"

A dry, raspy voice seemed to call out from every direction, "Samantha Brooks."

I winced. The sound of the voice was like nails scraping against chalkboard. And how did she know my name? "Yes?"

The voice got louder. "What is your business here?"

I winced again involuntarily. "I-I'm here for my a-amulet," I replied shakily.

Footsteps came from nearby. "Tell me, child, are you certain you are ready?"

"Ready…for what?"

"Are you ready for a life of sorcery? To leave behind your normal life? When you've only been told your true identity yesterday, on your fourteenth birthday, no less?" it hissed.

I gulped, my fingers twitching. How could she know so much? Was she like William, where she could read my thoughts? Because she seemed to be repeating the exact same thing I kept asking myself. Could I just leave? No, it was too late now. If I turned back, I could never come here again. "Yes. I-I am."

There was a pause. "I hope you are certain of your choice, Samantha Brooks. For if you change your mind later, it will be too late to give up your decision. So for the last time, are you ready?"

I exhaled. "I am ready," I said more confidently than I felt.

A torturous silence followed. I was just thinking about breaking it, when someone…or something…stepped forward into a weak stream of sunlight coming through the window.

Immediately, I had to cover my mouth to stifle a scream. It looked like an ancient, frail lady, her skin wrinkled and leathery, back hunched over, bony fingers sticking out of her hands like deformed twigs. But she had no eyes. Not even empty sockets to prove she had ever did have eyes. Just blank spaces of skin. The sharp, beaklike nose was still there, along with the thin-lipped mouth, but no eyes. It was like she'd been born without any.

Her mouth curved into a toothless smile. "Surprised?"

"W-what…?" I began, but couldn't find any words.

"What happened? What am I?" she finished. "I am the Seer, also known as the Oracle. I am older than you can even imagine. Long ago, eons ago, two of my eyes were taken away, for people were jealous of my Sight." She pressed one hand over the other. "I can see many things, Samantha Brooks. Many people used to come to me to ask about the future, what I could see about them. That was before they considered me dangerous. Now, I am locked up in this place, where I hand over my precious gems for sorcerers to use as their amulets."

I didn't say anything.

"But you're not here to learn about my history, are you?" she questioned, her eyeless face turning to me. "You're here to receive your amulet."

I bit my lip. "Excuse me, Seer, but I was just wondering…what is an amulet, anyways?"

Her eyebrows knitted together. "You do not know?"

"My mother said you could tell me."

The head nodded, slowly. "Of course. Dear Laura…I remember her. Her amulet was an amethyst, after her birthday."

My mother's birthday was in February. An amethyst…wasn't that her birthstone? I'd seen her carrying one around in her necklace. She never took that thing off…wait a minute! "Seer, do sorcerers and sorceresses wear amulets…like necklaces?"

"Sometimes," she answered. "That's how the whole concept of amulets came along."

"Oh." I squinted. "Wait, what if you ever lost it?"

The Seer let out a low laugh. "Impossible. Wherever you go, your amulet follows. It's connected to you, your power source. Every amulet is different. They may be the same kind of gem, but they each hold the individual's power, even the very presence of the sorcerer or sorceress. It becomes a part of you."

"But does it ever…break?"

Her thin lips pursed. "You must gain much power to break an amulet when the possessor's alive. Otherwise, it shatters instantly once you die."

I swallowed. "What happens if someone breaks it while the owner's still alive?"

"You lose all your power, but you live on. You become a normal human. But if you die…so does the amulet."

I shivered, but not from the cold. "If you break it, can you ever get another one?"

"No," the Seer answered sharply. "You can only come here once. Once you get your amulet, it's your only one for the rest of your life."

I gazed down at the floor. "Oh." That's a little harsh.

Everything was quiet for a few minutes. I just stood there and waited for something to happen. Finally, when I couldn't take it anymore, I asked, "Seer…may I get my amulet now?"

She nodded. "All I ask is for you to stand still until I say you may move."

Instantly, I froze. "O-Ok."

The Seer slowly separated her hands, and held them out in front of her, palms forward. My eyes widened in horror. I figured out what she meant by "two of my eyes," because…there were two extra on her hands, one on each. They darted from side to side, until they finally rested upon me, blinking. I couldn't find any voice to scream.

I was still too terrified to move even when the Seer stepped forward and placed one eye to my forehead and the other to my chest, where my heart was beating erratically. I could feel the iciness of her hands, and I shivered again. She kept them there for a second…two…

Then, all of a sudden, I could see some of my memories and thoughts flashing before my eyes. Was I dying? No, I felt perfectly fine, but then what…?

The Seer stepped backward, her hands dropping to her sides. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly as I wobbled precariously and tried to regain my balance. It was as if all my energy had been drained, and it took a lot of effort just to remain standing. When I could finally stand still again, the Seer cleared her throat. "Strange…very strange…"

I blinked incomprehensibly. "What?"

She shook her head. "There's more to your future than I thought, Samantha Brooks. It's very…complicated. Love, power, war..." She trailed off. "You're different from most sorceresses."

There were a lot of things she said that made me nervous. 1. Did she just say love? 2. It's one thing to be told your different from the average human, but finding out that I was different from the totally not average sorceress really made my day. 3. It's great to hear the Seer (who can see everything, obviously) tell you that you have a very complicated future. Just great.

"Your amulet is not what I expected," the Seer began again, "Being born in July, I thought your stone would be a ruby."

I raised an eyebrow. "Ok…so what is it?"

The Seer turned around and trudged towards the shadows. "Come." She gestured for me to follow.

I walked along behind her as we slid into the dark, away from the door and sunlight. I rubbed my arms as the temperature steadily dropped to an even more freezing degree. Cautiously, I continued to trace her steps as another old door creaked open ahead. When we stepped into the next room, I couldn't see a thing. The only thing I was aware of was the tiny trickling of water somewhere nearby. I froze on the spot when I also heard a low rumble from my left. It got louder and louder, until I realized it wasn't just a rumble; something was growling.

"Scruffy!" I nearly jumped at the raspy sound of the Seer's voice calling out to something. "Down, boy!" After a low whimper, that something large plunked down to the ground. In the dark, I could just barely make out the form of a dog. I must've been seeing things, but the dog looked like an overly large Rottweiler.

"Um…" I didn't know what to say.

"I had to have some sort of company, didn't I?" the Seer answered, and I could hear her mood shift; it was almost…cheerful. "He also makes a great guard dog."

"Hm," I nodded, though I couldn't help thinking how odd it was for a billion year old Seer to be saying that about a dog.

I heard the Seer shuffling forward again, and I followed suit. After a while, I noticed that the trickling of water had gotten louder. It sounded like we were next to a spring or some source of water. I finally saw it after my eyes had adjusted.

It was a large, circular fountain, filled up three quarters of the way with crystal clear water. It was simple, with water spurting out from the small statue of a mermaid, sitting in the middle of the fountain and smiling. A dim light seemed to be emanating from the bottom of the fountain. I tried to bend over and peek in.

"Samantha Brooks."

My head popped right back up to look at the Seer. "Yeah?"

"Do you or do you not want your amulet?" she asked, almost impatiently.

"Yes, ma'am," I said.

"Then, listen." She paused. "Close your eyes."

I obeyed.

"Without opening them, stand at the very edge of the fountain," she whispered.

As told, I edged the rim of the basin, my head tilted over the edge.

"Open them."

My eyelids fluttered open. Down at the bottom of the fountain, glittering and sparkling in the dim light, was a necklace. The pendant was a metal six-pointed star, and delicately placed in it was a smooth, deep blue gem, the color of the ocean on a clear night. It was strange the way light reflected off the surface in the shape of an asterism. I wondered what kind of gem it was… "What is it?"

"It is your amulet," the Seer stated. "A star sapphire."

"A star sapphire?" I repeated wonderingly. I reached into the water, wincing as my arm was engulfed in the cold water, and pulled out the sapphire. I fingered the glowing gem delicately, wondering where the Seer could have gotten it. I was just about to thank her, when—

"You are done here."

I blinked, and suddenly, she, the giant Rottweiler, and the fountain were gone. I was back outside, and the burning sunlight was blinding me.

"Samantha!" a voice yelled from behind me. I yelped in surprise as she grabbed me by my waist and pulled me into a bone-crushing hug. "Thank goodness, you're back! I was starting to worry!"

"Mom, please…let go!" I gasped for air.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Samantha," my mother backed away, beaming. "So, did you get your amulet?"

I gripped my sapphire tightly in the palm of my hand. "Yeah. It's a…star sapphire, I think the Seer said?"

My mother frowned slightly. "Star…sapphire? Never heard of it." She shrugged. "Ah, well. The good thing is that you're back. And you won't have to go back in there."

I half smiled, just before glancing over my shoulder. As expected, there was now a blank brick wall where the shop used to be. Like she'd told me, I would never be able to go back. And for some reason, I was relieved. Being inside that place had given me the creeps. Just thinking about it sent a chill down my spine.

"So," my mother interrupted the silence, "Are you ready to get the rest of your supplies? We don't have much time left."

Clutching the gem, I grinned at my mother. "Yeah," I said, putting the amulet around my neck, "let's go."