Chapter One:

A/N: Hey! Me again! No, no Tolkien belongingness here, go somewhere else (Like the funny farm) if you think Tolkien belongs to me!

Jen sat on her bed. Why did her parents think that she wanted to learn from some dumb guy? She hated burning things, though. Oh well. She was not going to take lessons from anybody. She could handle things perfectly well.

Just then the doorbell rang. She heard her mom opening it, and welcoming whoever was there. Then she heard an unfamiliar voice say, "And where is the girl? I was under the impression we could leave right away."

The voice wasn't unpleasant, she had to admit. It was deep and rumbly, although a bit hoarse-sounding, with a British accent that made everything it said sound important.

Her mother answered nervously, "Peter (Jen's dad) and I told her about you, and she didn't like the idea. She's upstairs in her room, and I think she's quite upset."

Jen peeked her head out through the door, far enough that she could see the person who had come. He was a fairly tall, rather ancient gentleman, dressed in a dark grey business suit and sporting a trim grey beard. His eyes twinkled with what looked like a good sense of humour, but they also held sternness. She closed the door quietly.

Then her mother came up the stairs. "Jen, I want you just to come meet Mr. Lorin. He's very nice. You don't have to go with him, just come meet him."

Jen sulkily went down to meet Mr. Lorin. "Hi, Mr. Lorin. I don't want to learn anything, and I don't need to learn anything. Bye now."

She started back up the stairs, but was called back down.

"Jennifer, I want you to try and accept me. I have been looking for someone to teach for a very long time, and you have a need for your wild talent to be controlled. I can give you that control and you can come back to your home if you wish."

"I'd have to leave? What are you trying to pull?"

Mr. Lorin sighed. "Jen, just try it. I give you my word that if you learn control over your talent you can come back here."

"I don't know if I can trust you."

"Jen, we trust him. Just try it, and then come back to us. Please, Jen, for the good of everyone."

"All right, but after I learn control I'm coming back. Trust me on that one."

Jen turned to go upstairs to pack, but Mr. Lorin said "You don't need to pack your own belongings. I have some friends who can supply whatever you need appropriately. Right now it is paramount that we leave immediately."

Jen followed him out of the door into an older, but still classy car that was in the driveway. She waved goodbye to her parents and got into the vehicle that would change her life forever.