Chapter 1

Hi. My name is Cassandra. You may not belive me when i say this but i am a witch. Not those scary witches you see in books. I look completely normal. The only thing that isn't normal about me is that I can do magic and that this has fact has allowed me to help more than one person on numerous occassions. I remember a young girl from way back in the year 2004. Now that was really a story. So...you say you'd like to hear that story, eh? Well, of course! But do sit, dears, as this story of mine is a long one, but well worth the time to hear...

The Year is 2004. This particular story starts in the lovely country of Norway. Have you ever been there? No. Ah, well...it's not nearly as snowy as everybody thinks it to be, and despite the rumors to the contrary, there has never been a polar bear sighted in Norway. But enough about that for the moment...

The center of my story is a fine young girl named Kitty. Now, Kitty's a girl...a sixteen year old girl to be specific. However, she was anything but ordinary. Needless to say, this teen age girl was about to be changed---for the better we hope---after this adventure she was about to embark upon.

Kitty had led a rather horrible life up until we met, poor thing. Despite the fact that she was a rather nice and kindly girl, she was treated as if she didn't fit in at school, mostly because she didn't wear the coolest clothes or chose not to wear makeup. Of course, the situation at home wasn't much better, what with her older brother being lazing about the house all day, drunk and slovenly, forcing Kitty to clean up after him as well as herself. And, yet...despite all this, it was Kitty that received all the abuse from her continually bickering mother and father, who waged a war of verbal abuse back and forth with one another, day after day.

Now, while Kitty might of gotten used to the her parents' complaining and cutting remarks, that didn't mean that their disapproval and harsh words didn't hurt her. Oh no, quite the contrary, in fact. Most unfairly, they blamed her for her brother's bad behavior, shouted at her if she should receive any grade lower than a 'B' when they saw on her school report card. In fact, the last semester, they informed her rather visciously that if this trend continued any further, she could just pack her bags and move out. Kitty felt her whole life was markedly unfair. How was it that she was responsible for her brother the bum? How was she supposed to get superior grades at school when she did all the cleaning, cooking, as well as the wash each week?

Needless to say, Kitty was tired of it all...the whole situation. She felt boxed in, having no control of her life whatsoever. More than anything, she simply wanted to get away from here. Right now, right away! It was then she maded a momentous decision...even though she probably didn't realize it quite that way at the time. She was leaving, and that was that! But, a part of her agonized over this...for if she left, she'd have nothing...no home, no family, no possession but for what she had on her back and in her bags. Overcome with everything, she dashed into her room, threw herself upon her bed and began crying. Now...now, my dears, was that momentous moment I spoke about...so pay attention...

Kitty rolled over and grunted when she rolled over upon her one and only treasure, her DVD of the movie 'Treasure Planet'. Kitty smiled then, as this was the only movie Kitty had ever seen that made her feel good. She liked the character of Captain Amelia, and often wondered to herself about what sort of a person she was, instead of being the heroic Captain. Kitty sighed and rolled over on to her back. She idly thought of her favorite movie, and her favorite character, telling herself that if Amelia had been treated this way, she would of left ages ago. Kitty nodded to herself, feeling more confident with her life-changing decision. That was that, she told herself, she was leaving. She wasn't taking the abuse from her parents one day longer, and she wasn't covering for and caring for her loser of a brother either!

She hurriedly packed a what few clothes she owned, and her cherised Treasure Planet DVD. Then, she turned and saw the red and yellow striped cuddly cat toy that she had loved since receiving it at the time of her baptism. She turned to go, shaking her head wearily as her parents began their nightly row at each other again. She slipped out the back door, glad---and yet, somewhat sad---that not one member of her family even noticed her leaving. She closed the door soundlessly, and then took a deep cleansing breath. Then, she looked once to either side of herself where she stood in the street. She knew that the nearest town was miles away, but frankly at that moment, didn't really care. With a sense of purpose, Kitty started walking toward the nearest town, on her first steps of her long road to freedom.

It wasn't too long, no more than a couple of hours, that she came upon a house. A rather nice, if older house. One that was well-maintained, and had a rather cheery air to it somehow. An older woman was moving her things in from the back of her moving van, and Kitty realized nearly at once, that she was doing it all by herself. Kitty was above all else a firm believer in fairness, and this didn't strike her as fair at all. Without really having to think about it, she decided to lend a helping hand if she could.

"Hello," Kitty called out. "You look like you could use some help. I can help if you like?"

The woman looked over at her and smiled gratefully. "Oh hello, my dear child," the woman said by way of greeting. "And, oh my yes, I could indeed use your help," the woman added, smiling again.

Kitty felt a nice sort of warmth from that older woman's smile, and moved to the rear of the moving van and hefted the first box she saw. "Okay...where do you want this, ma'am?" she asked politely.

"Just take that one upstairs, dear," the woman instructed her. Kitty did so, and thus began the work of the morning and well into the afternoon.

Kitty and the woman soon finished with unloading the boxes into the house, and then both of them stood there, looking at the house and what they had just accomplished.

"Thank you so much, dear," the woman told her warmly.

Kitty smiled. "My pleasure, ma'am," she said, then looked upon her watch. "Oh! I really should get going," she commented, losing her smile---which was quite lovely, by the way--- and turned away to continue on her journey.

"Oh, do wait a moment!" the woman said urgently. "You were so kind to help me, my friend. Are you sure there isn't anything I can do for you in return?"

Kitty just shook her head, smiling again. "No, thanks," Kitty told her. "Really."

The woman put her fists on her hips, her lips thinning. "None of that. I going to have to insist, young lady," the woman told her firmly, having the look she just wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. The woman then smiled a bit mysterious, and dug into one of her pockets. "Ah, I've got the very thing. Do come over her, my young friend..."

Kitty did so...a bit reluctantly maybe, but she did. She saw the woman open her hand, and upon her palm rested a ring.

"I want you to have this, my dear," she declared.

Kitty was stunned, but pleasantly. "Oh no, that's much to generous a gift for what I did!" Kitty protested.

"Tish tosh, girl," the woman countered, smiling. "It's just what a girl like you might need, in fact." The woman slipped the ring over Kitty's ring finger, and then clasped both of her hands about Kitty's. She then added, "Now, about this ring...there's one thing you shoud be aware of, and that this ring is magic. It holds the power to fulfill any wish you might wish for."

Kitty was skeptical, yet hopeful. "It grants wishes? How many?" Kitty asked, intrigued but still doubting a bit. Quite different from most of her countrymen, she believed in magic. That was why she did´nt even consider what the woman was stating a joke. Kitty had read every Harry Potter book she could lay her hands upon, in both Norwegian and in English, and those wonderful book only reaffirmed her beliefs.

"Oh, there's no limit, dear heart. Just as many as you might want," the woman answered smiling.

"The ring itself decides if you are worthy of its power, dear. Now, should this ring falls into unscrupulous hands, it will be nothing more than a normal golden ring. So, don't you worry about bad things happening. Now, do take good care of it, most worthy child."

Kitty was dumbstruck, and gazed down upon the slim gold ring upon her finger. The older woman smiled a knowing smile at her reaction, much as if she had experienced such a thing once in her life.

"Now, should you continue to use this faithfully over a five year period, the ring's magic will transfer itself to you, surrendering it's power. But that's a good thing, as then you don´t have to have the ring to make your dreams come true; you can do it yourself," the woman explained.

"Wow!" Kitty said, nearly beside herself with happiness. "Oh, thank you so much!" she said and hugged the lady gladly. "Thank you, Ms... Um, I never did catch your name."

"Oh, that," the woman returned, laughing. She had a warm wonderful laugh. "I am Cassandra," she said, grinning. "Now, my dear, you had best be on your way home."

Kitty smiled, waved, and turned to go. She slipped the ring on to her finger, and it glowed for a few seconds. She walked along for a while, then found a convenient bench. She sighed and sat down, thinking hard. So...just where should she go? she questioned herself. She wouldn't wgo back and that was for certain! She looked down at the ring upon her finger once more. Hmm, she thought, maybe that was the answer.

"I wish... I wish I knew some place where I could be happy," she wished aloud. The ring glowed briefly again, and Kitty's back pack opened. She frowned, then looked down to the now open bag. There, she saw her 'Treasure Planet' DVD, it's beautiful jacket showing the principals of her favorite movie. Then, it came to her and she smiled a happy smile. She finally knew just what to wish for. She would love to meet Captain Amelia. And perhaps---if the fates were kind to her---they would meet, and maybe Captain Amelia might possibly adopt her. That would be just too cool! Kitty smiled, nodding, and closed and hefted her bag on to her shoulder. She then said loud and clear. "I wish I was aboard the RLS Legacy, just a few years before 'Treasure Planet' took place."

Kitty suddenly vanished...leaving behind a faint tinge of warm golden light that slowly faded away after a few moments time. It was if Kitty had never been there...