'Welcome to the Enchanter's Manual, a beginners guide to the world of magic for those who are beginning to discover their powers. Witches and Warlocks have lived in peace with humans for thousands of years and it is for an Enchanter to decide whether he/she will work amongst humans and never reveal themselves, or whether they will take a part in protecting their heritage. As written into law by the High Chamber in 1956, it is compulsory for a Witch or Warlock to spend at least five years in sorcery education to give them the opportunity to mature and understand their abilities, develop a speciality and to fully grasp the Enchanter's world, it's laws and it's many races. This will be your guide throughout your education and will help you to make your most important life decisions.' – The Enchanter's Manual, Introduction.

Amelia had been in the fourth floor bathroom for over an hour. She was alone, given that it was the middle of the night most of the school was sleeping. But most importantly, Nate wasn't there. The scalding water was starting to cool as she dipped her head underwater. She'd been staring blankly at the ceiling as she soaked for quite some time, her face expressionless. She felt dirty, though not for a reason she could put her finger on. She felt as if she'd done something wrong and now her identity, who she was and what she believed in, was beginning to blur. She didn't have a problem with it. That was wrong – right? And surely if she could recognise that it was wrong not to have a problem with it then some part of her was still who she thought she was. But a part of her wasn't.

She came up for air, gasping. She hadn't noticed that she'd been holding her breath for a long time. Spluttering and shaking, she reached for her towel and wrapped it around herself, and then walked over to the mucky mirrors on the other side of the room.

She looked pale, she thought – the dark rings under her eyes the only thing that gave her some colour. She wasn't much of a blusher: rosy cheeks didn't usually appear on her cheeks and she wasn't one to apply make-up to change that. She ran a hair through her damp hair and turned away; breathing deep and she scooped up her clothes, and thought about returning to reality.

As October turned to November and November to December without any Missions, Floria had set herself into a rhythm. Training her body harder and harder, she could now train longer without having to take any breaks. It was deep in the night, dawning was breaking which meant she'd still have some time to sleep before the school day. The school gym was pitch dark and she left it that way, helping to train her eyes to adjust. She kicked forwards, alternating her punching arms as she did so. Her sore muscles screamed, but she continued anyway.

"Here again?"

Floria rolled her eyes and swivelled round to the direction where Jake's voice had come from. She could just make out his face swaggering towards her in the darkness. "Of course," he nodded; "this was my spot before it was yours, Marty."

"'Marty'?" Floria frowned at him, even though he wouldn't be able to see it.

Jake grinned, "Yeah, that guy from Back to the Future;" he explained; "Fitting, don't you think?"

"No," Floria snorted; "It's not very imaginative."

Jake waved his hand dismissively; "Whatever you say, Marty." He moved closer and threw himself on the ground somewhere not far from Floria's feet and crossed his legs.

"So," he said, still smiling; "you're training hard."

She shrugged; "We all should be. We've got a Mission before Christmas."

"And-" Jake waved his hand in her general direction; "You think this is going to help?"

"Don't you?"

Jake shook his head; "No Marty, I don't." There was a pause. Jake leant back on his hands casually and squinted up at Floria, who had now stopped working out. "You should really be focusing on your power;" he suggested, "you have one of the big three, that's a big deal."

Floria let out a frustrated sigh; "And how exactly does one practice time travel?"

"Keep going back until you've got a hold on it;" he said seriously.

"Well, don't you have all the answers?" she laughed sarcastically.

Jake cleared his throat; "I am better trained than you."

"And modest too."

Jake folded his arms. "Modesty is for heroes and ugly people," he grinned; "And I like to think of myself as a winner."

Floria spluttered, allowing herself to laugh, warmly this time.

Jake smirked; "So," he said; "Are you going to practice your power?"

In the dark, Floria turned away; her face fell, the funny moment gone. She frowned to herself. She'd only been back twice and both times it was pure luck she'd got back to normal time safely. She knew Jake was right about her power, she just didn't know if she could control it and that could land her in trouble.

The school cafeteria was a buzz at breakfast, the date for the next Mission having been set for a week before Christmas. Scarlett picked up her milky tea from the counter and made her way to the far left wall, where Samuel, Mark and Daniel sat in their usual spaces, nattering as they shovelled food into their mouths. Samuel was lent over a book and nursing a cup of coffee when Scarlett sat down next to him. "What you reading?" she asked, hopping her leg over the bench.

He looked up startled; "Erm-"

"Some old book about the Bound curse-" Mark interrupted with his mouth full of food.

"I don't know why;" Daniel finished, "It's just some creepy myth."

Scarlett met Samuel's eyes, a quizzical expression on her face.

"It's just what you said about-" he began, his voice low.

Scarlett nodded, cutting him off; "I know," she glanced at the book; "Anything good?"

He shrugged; "Nothing we didn't already know. Apparently, they're not like ghosts or spirits-" he pushed the book towards her; "they're like living beings, their hearts beat and everything."

Mark quirked an eyebrow; "How is that even possible?"

"It is a curse," Samuel said; "So maybe they're like ghosts personified or something."

"Guys, can we not?" Daniel requested, running a hand through his honey coloured hair; "we should be talking about the Missions or anything."

Out of the corner of her eye, Scarlett saw Amelia Darkenholme enter the cafeteria. As usual, she was dressed in black and was alone. Differently though, she wore jeans and an oversized jumper, her hair shoved up in a messy bun and showing off her pixie ears. Scarlett watched as she picked up a large mug of coffee, then started making her way back out to the corridor. It occurred to her then what Floria had said to her two months ago on their first Mission: that for reasons they were not yet sure, Amelia might know Nate. With classes and trying to deal with her own emotions over Nate, Scarlett hadn't spoken to Amelia once. It had been hard enough dragging herself to classes every day. Now, almost falling flat on her face trying to get out from under the bench, she followed her out into the corridor. Amelia was at the foot of the stairs when Scarlett called out to her. She whipped round immediately.

"What?" Amelia said coldly, looking unhappy to be disturbed.

"I just;" Scarlett began, breathless; "I was just hoping I could talk to you about my brother."

Amelia examined her nails cooly; "The guy who died here?"

Scarlett narrowed her eyes and grabbed Amelia's arm, pulling her to the side where they wouldn't be overheard. "Don't play dumb;" she hissed; "you see him right?"

Amelia froze; "He's dead, how would I see him?"

"The Bound curse;" Scarlett tightened her grip, "you know how."

"That's just a myth;" Amelia laughed and pulled her arm free.

Scarlett was getting both desperate and frustrated; "Please he's my brother, you're the only one who sees him;" her voice rose; "I already feel like I'm going mad, like I'm clutching at straws."

Amelia shook her head and stepped away; "I have no idea what you're talking about." She made for the stairs and slunk away, coffee in hand. Scarlett skidded to the foot of the stairs and shouted; "Watch yourself Amelia."

Several students passing by paused and looked. Amelia stopped walking, but she didn't turn around. Scarlett saw this as a sign of encouragement. "You don't know what he's capable of." Amelia shook her head slightly and carried on walking away, but Scarlett still yelled; "He's sick, Amelia! You're going to get yourself hurt! He's not even really here!"

Amelia smiled as she turned to the next staircase to her left; "Oh yes he is;" she muttered, low enough that only she could hear.

When Amelia arrived back at her bedroom, Nate was standing next to her bed, gazing out the window.

"What ya doin'?" she asked, throwing herself down onto her bed lazily and gulping her coffee.

"Watching that Deal guy;" he said his voice monotone.

"Lucia's friend?" Amelia responded, quirking an eyebrow; "Why?"

Nate pulled the curtain back further to get a better view, the sunset bouncing off his blonde hair. "He and her other friends are planting a tree for her;" he explained, looking amused; "why would you plant a tree for a dead person?"

Amelia giggled and watched him with fascination; "Some people see it as a gesture."

"Well I think it's stupid;" he said, turning away from the window and lying on the bed on his front. "I mean, the dead person isn't here to appreciate it. They're doing it to make themselves feel better – it's not for the dead person at all." He rested his cheek in his palm and looked up at her.

Amelia bopped him on the nose playfully; "you're just jealous because nobody planted you a tree."

"Nobody held me a memorial either;" he added, smiling now; "I'm like an underdog – everybody loves an underdog."

She waved her hand dismissively, but she was smiling; "Yeah, yeah."

And then they were laughing. And Nate was reaching across the bed. His kissed her then. For the first time.

At first it was just tingly and uncomfortable. She shoved her coffee onto the bedside table and Nate shuffled closer, his lips still on hers. Then it was warm and safe and Amelia felt as if she was sinking into him, into a deep dark hole that she didn't ever want to crawl out of. She put a hand on his chest and felt his heart beating and the warmth of his body. He was really here. She felt him smile into the kiss and cup her cheek in his hand gently. His lips were soft and a comfort and had no specific taste, which she liked. It was slow, like they had all the time in the world. Yet it didn't last long enough. She pouted childishly as he pulled away. Nate looked at her expression and then laughed, bopping her nose like she had done moments before. "Come on;" he grinned, hoping off the bed and offering her his hand; "I need to see this magical dead people tree."

She took his hand. "Idiot," she laughed affectionately.

"Oh here she is;" Samuel called; "Skiver." He half-walked half-skipped across the grass outside the front of the school to where Scarlett was sitting under an old oak tree. It was independent study, half way through the day. "We have these things called lessons, you know."

Scarlett was sitting cross legged, staring at her hands in her lap. She only looked up when Samuel sat beside her, his shoulder nudging hers. "Well?" he demanded. He tightened his blazer around his chest against the cool air.

She shrugged; "I feel like I'm losing it."

"Because of your brother?" he asked, not unkindly.

Scarlett bit her lip and looked up, fixating her gaze on the newly planted tree to her left. "I don't know;" she sighed; "Before I was just grieving and that was easier. Now I'm convincing myself he's still here – which is ridiculous – and it's driving me crazy." She sunk into her friend's side deflated. He circled an arm around her and didn't speak for a while. After a few minutes of listening to the wind and the droplets of the frozen water fountain, Samuel turned and used his index finger to lift Scarlett's chin, forcing her to look at him. "Right, here's what you're going to do;" he instructed firmly; "You're not going to pursue this anymore. I've been reading about the Bound curse and it just seems illogical. I know you thought you saw Nate that time, but it was dark and you were scared. You need to move on with your life, okay? Focus on school, focus on your friends."

Scarlett smiled at him weakly and all she said was; "I don't really have any friends."

"I'm your friend," Samuel said, somewhat defensively; "I thought me, you, Mark and Daniel were like the fantastic four."

"If you say so;" Scarlett snorted, "But you're right – let's stick to your plan."

Samuel clapped his hands together, both warming his hands up and getting the attention of Scarlett, Floria and Jake. "Right team;" his was breath visible in front of him, "we all ready?"

"Well;" Jake countered, pausing for affect; "I'm ready and you're all on my team so…we'll be fine."

Scarlett scowled in the cold weather; "Wow;" she said blankly, "just wow."

They stood in front of the portal, waiting for Arthia to come and start the stop watch. It was morning and the weather was calm but bitter, a sharp cold cutting through the clothes of the students waiting on the lawn.

Floria wrapped her scarf around her neck; "Wherever we go, I hope it's warmer than here."

Arthia approached across the lawn, her boots crunching across the frosted grass. "Right," she drawled; "Team seven. You know the drill." She clasped the stopwatch marked 'seven' and gave Floria an encouraging nod. Her voice was collective and calm; "Set...go."

"I don't get it;" Scarlett said immediately. She practically jumped off the ground and surveyed their surroundings. It was night time as usual, and as far as she could tell, the same time as it was when they went through the Portal.

Samuel was beside her, an equal look of confusion on his face; "It's-"

"The school;" Scarlett's voice was a whisper, all her energy in trying to figure out what had happened. They were on the driveway of the school, Floria and Jake still lying face down on the gravel.

Groaning, Jake rolled over and sat up; "So what," he said; "We moved a couple of feet?"

At that, Scarlett snapped her head to her right, where most of the two year groups had been standing and waiting to go on their Missions. There was no one there. Instinctively, she looked to her left. A few students were milling around, no one she recognised.

"I don't get it;" she scratched her head; "If we just moved, where is everyone?"

All four of them were on their feet now, looking at the school with an uneasy feeling in their stomachs.

"Maybe we should just ask someone;" Samuel suggested and without waiting for approval, started approaching two girls practicing a simple adaptation spell. Shortly after they'd landed, Samuel had taken Scarlett's hand. Or perhaps Scarlett had taken Samuel's hand. Either way it had been okay because of where they were and how confusing it all was. Sometimes, you just held somebody's hand because they were there and it was comforting and it reminded you that you were alive. They were still holding hands when they approached the girls and it would've been okay if one of them had just let go. But they hadn't. And now it meant something else. As if sensing this, Scarlett dropped his hand quickly and waved awkwardly at the shorter of the two girls. The girl looked up and gave Scarlett a quizzical look.

"Hi;" Scarlett said uncomfortably; "Erm, I don't suppose you could... Erm-"

Without looking at him, she knew Jake was rolling his eyes. His hands clasped her shoulders. "What my socially awkward friend here is trying to say;" he half laughed; "Is could you tell us what the date is?"

The girl's face softened slightly when Jake spoke to her; "You don't know?" she questioned.

Jake laughed louder; "We had a wild night."

"Clearly;" she said, pausing for a moment; "It's December 12th 2013."

Next to Jake, Floria spluttered loudly. Still smiling, he thanked the girl and guided Floria away swiftly and waited for the other's the follow. They stomped back to the foundation on the gravel driveway.

Scarlett's face was a picture of horror; "What the fu-"

"How the hell did we end up exactly a year in the past?" Samuel exclaimed, breathing heavily.

Swivelling on her heels and connecting the dots; Scarlett stared at Floria; "What did you do?"

Regaining her voice after the shock, Floria glanced up, frowning; "What?"

Scarlett threw her arms up in exasperation; "Last time I checked, you're the only one here who can time travel."

"You think I did this?" Floria responded defensively.

"Well;" Samuel intercepted; "you can't travel in time through a Portal. It kinda had to be you."

Jake nodded; "A year to the day. That can't be a coincidence."

Floria remained quiet, glancing down at her hands. They were pale and small and had a silver ring on each finger. At that moment, they were also sparking purple electricity. Jake followed her eyeline; "Why are you doing that?"

"I'm...not;" she stuttered; "I mean, I am, but not deliberately. I can't control it."

"Oh that's just great;" Scarlett sighed; "She's lost control of her powers and zapped us a year into the past."

There was a moment of silence as the group let the information sink in. They stood clueless, absorbing the seriousness of the situation. Jake bit his lip; "We can get back, right?" he asked so only Floria could hear.

She looked up at him, giving him a pained look; "I don't know, maybe;" she said, "I'm not in control right now. But there'll still be a Portal right?"

"Why would there be a Portal a year in the past?" Scarlett pointed out, her tone annoyed.

"Because it follows us wherever we go?" Floria countered.

Irritation creeped into Scarlett's voice; "Even a year in the past?" she hissed; "Face it, you've trapped us here."

"Hey;" Floria snapped; "I didn't mean to do this-"

"You two;" Samuel interjected suddenly; "Shut up."

All three of them turned their attention to him. He was frowning as if he were concentrating, his thick eyebrows knotting together.

"What is it?" Scarlett whispered.

He shook his head; "I could've sworn I heard-" He started walking briskly, up towards the entrance of the building and to the right. He crunched across the frozen grass to the side of the building and stopped dead in his tracks. There, leaning against the wall, stood Amelia, Mark and Daniel.

At the sound of their footsteps; Daniel, who had his hands on his knees, looked up. "What are you doing here?"

Amelia quirked an eyebrow, her expression amused; "Well that explains the time travel;" she said, eyeing Floria.

"Excuse me;" Floria exclaimed; "Can we stopping blaming me for like, one second?"

"How the hell did you zap them here too?" Scarlett questioned.

"Guys!" Samuel shouted; "can we please think about the problem in hand?" For the second time in a few minutes, everybody stopped talking and listened to Samuel. "We're a year in the past;" he was saying now, "we need to see if we can find this bloody portal and if not, figure out a way to get back."

"And be careful not to bump into ourselves;" Mark added, clearly piecing everything together in his mind.

In just a few minutes, the seven of them had hatched a plan. For the sake of safety and uncertainty, they would stick together. They'd wait until lesson time and then take the school floor by floor, searching for the Portal. Then they'd search the grounds, just like they would if they were on a normal Mission. If they didn't find it, they'd find somewhere to hide out until Floria had worked out how to get them back to present day. It wasn't the best of plans, but it was the only one they had.

Floria shoved her hair up into a messy bun as she pushed the front door open and creeped into the hallway of the school. As usual it was deserted in an eerie way. Floria could never quite figure out why that was. There were around six hundred students at Raven's School, yet perhaps due to magic or the protection spells, it always looked scarily empty. It was almost as if nobody could be seen by the blind eye; like the magical world and everything inside it were that thing in the corner of your eye: you know it's there but you could never quite see it. At that moment she was thankful for it, hoping that quality would help them pass by unnoticed.

Amelia was the last one through the door and closed it silently behind her with a flick of her finger. Scarlett, who had been in front of her, eyed her in fascination; "I didn't realise telekinesis was your speciality;" she said.

Amelia shrugged, a mischievous look on her face; "I think we've established that there's a lot you don't know about me."

"Clearly," Scarlett responded, equally as coldly.

"You should probably tell me yours;" she said, looking bored; "so it's fair."

Scarlett's expression closed off immediately; "If I were to tell anyone, which I wouldn't, you'd be the last to know."

"Anyway," Floria coughed, drawing attention to the fact everybody had been watching them; "Lets split up and search this floor."

Jake shuffled uncomfortably; "I thought we were sticking together?"

"We are, but when we get to each floor we may as well split up. It'll be quicker."

The others nodded soundlessly and each took a door or corridor on the ground floor, silently agreeing to meet back in five minutes. Amelia slunk off on her own down the dark corridor to her left, her figure disappearing from sight the further she walked. Having attended the school for two years, she knew exactly where she was. She was in the corridor that led to the school gym, assembly hall and the ground floor bathrooms which were only ever used when everywhere else was full. The faint sound of a dripping tap grew louder as she entered the boy's bathroom. With a large gust of wind gathering in the centre of her palm, she tiptoed into the darkened room, which seemed surprisingly empty. More importantly, there seemed to be no dangers or portals to speak of. However, as she passed the toilets, she could hear a shower on in the next room. Had she possessed the normal spectrum of human emotion, she would probably be blushing or hesitating at the idea of entering the boy's showers. But as she did not, she pushed open the door with a kick. A wall of steam hit her and caused her blonde hair to stick to her face and left her revealing leather gear feeling too hot. In the cubicle furthest away from her and closest to the far wall, stood a boy facing away from her. His dirty blonde hair was wet and swept out of his face. Though she could only see his back, she knew who it was immediately. She'd recognise that pale skin anywhere, that body that was both skinny and heavy set and that wavy hair that seemed to have a mind of its own. She knew that the only reasonable thing to do would have been to turn around and walk away before he saw her, but her body had other ideas. Before we could stop herself, she was speaking; "Nate?"

The boy swivelled around immediately, Nate's face a picture of surprise.

Water dripped down his face; "How can you see me?" he demanded, accusingly. He didn't recognise her. Alarm bells sounded inside Amelia's mind, telling her that it was dangerous to mess with the past. She gulped, turning and running for the door. She stepped into the cold and dark bathroom, running past the sinks and towards the door. Nate had beaten her there, standing in the doorway, now clothed and dry. His arms were folded; "I asked you a question."

"I just can;" she spluttered, "you're dead, you tell me."

He narrowed his dark eyes; "Is it that obvious?"

"What?" she said, "Erm no, I just-" Amelia was tense and quite frankly feeling a little dizzy. In front of her was the boy who just a few hours ago was sitting at the foot of her bed, drinking hot chocolate (much to her amazement) and telling her the story of the time he'd set his teacher on fire. She'd choked on her drink and asked him why, in which he'd responded that it was a long story and he couldn't remember most of it. She laughed, purely because she still liked him anyway, which was as equally barbaric as setting your teacher on fire.

Now he was here and he had no idea who she was. "It's not obvious;" she replied finally, taking a deep breath; "I just know that you are dead and are Bound here."

Confused, he stepped back; "Do we..." he began slowly; "Do we know each other?"

She smiled knowingly; "No. But we will."

Unafraid, she pushed him to the side gently and opened the bathroom door, stepping out and leaving him behind.

The group met back in the hallway a few minutes later, none of whom had found the Portal.

"Let's take the second floor;" Scarlett suggested, eyeing Floria; "Unless genius over here has figured out how to get us back?" Floria shook her head. "I didn't think so."

Samuel was smirking next to her; "you know," he said as they climbed the steps, "you're so nice half the time and such a bitch the rest of time;" He paused; "I love it."

Scarlett pretended to flick her hair; "Well what can I say;" she winked and ripped her sword of its sheath as they rounded the corner.

"And totally kick ass;" Samuel added, with a certain 'unf' to his voice. Scarlett was smiling inwardly, but left her expression cool; "Get your hormones in check Alderwell."

He saluted her comically; "Yes Ma'am."

They led the group across the landing, turning down the history corridor.

They barely had time to duck before the bullets came flying towards them.