Jeff's voice was rising steadily. He was a very short Irishman but could be incredibly intimidating when he was angry. "Well, I'm sorry if I couldn't keep her completely naive! Excuse me if people get smart and grow up!"

The young woman standing in the kitchen leaned against the counter and sighed. "Can you please wake her up for us? We have things we need to discuss." The young Spanish-looking man standing next to her remained silent for the time being.

"No! I'm not going to go and wake her up as a matter of fact. I think I'll just make you wait." Jeff usually wouldn't act like this but he was tired, stressed, and just wanted to spend a nice Sunday with his children and his wife who had the day off. Although his family knew he was a wizard (there was no way he could have gotten married without telling his wife) and understood when he had to do wizardly business he didn't want to cancel his family's plans of going paint-balling, something he and his wife both enjoyed despite the fact that they were adults, that day. He didn't like that these two young upstarts were disturbing the peace in his house.

Beatrice woke to the sound of Adam and Natalie in an argument on the floor below her. Abdal, was the first word that came to her mind. She tried to make it go away. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she put on a clean pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, and pulled on her gray converse sneakers without socks. She would see what the fuss was about downstairs (It was always entertaining to watch the two) and then she thought she'd go for a walk over to Nathanael's house. "What are you guys doing?" She asked skeptically when she found Natalie holding Adam in a headlock.

"Wrestling." The two replied at the same time. Beatrice smiled and left them. This was not uncommon for them to do. They never even tried to hurt each other in these little spats and always seemed to have ended their argument by the time they were done. Beatrice had never had that kind of relationship with her younger brother. When they had fought they tried to hurt each other. Her brother had often said he hated her but despite that, she missed him.

She got halfway down the stairs before she stopped to listen to the conversation Jeff was having in the kitchen with two people she didn't know. His wife Anne sat on the couch in the living room trying to watch the news and ignore the disturbance in the kitchen.

"We really must talk to her." A woman said. She had a rowan wand in the pocket of her jeans.

"That has to be the fourth time you've said that," Jeff replied bitterly. "She'll be up soon enough."

What's going on? Beatrice mind-spoke to her partner timidly.

Jeff sipped his coffee and acted like he hadn't heard anyone say anything. These two are here about the 'independent research' (I suppose we could call it that) that you did last night.

So I really am...

Yes. The way he had said that... Beatrice shivered. Will you please come down?

Jeff, is it bad that I'm a little scared?

No. Please come down Bee.

She slowly made her way down the stairs. Anne turned her head and gave the Wizard girl a half smile as she passed the couch and walked into the kitchen.

"Good morning Bee." Jeff said, refilling his coffee cup. It was very clear he hadn't offered any to his visitors. That's what they got for disrupting his Sunday, no coffee.

In a very professional tone, the woman greeted her. "Hello. You must be Beatrice." She put her hand out for her to shake. Beatrice took it but only because it was proper etiquette, not because she was particularly pleased the meet the woman. "My name is Nita Callahan and this is my partner," She motioned to the man next to her, "Christopher Rodriguez." He nodded respectfully. "We're Advisories from New York. We were sent here because we have done some extensive research on Abdals and... well, I assume you know the rest of the reason why we're here.

"This is Washington state though, what are two of New York's Wizards doing all the way over here?" Beatrice stood close to Jeff for comfort as his children would.

"Abdal specialists in the United States are few and far between." Christopher said. "We were the only ones available."

Nita turned to her partner. "Do you want to tell her the Powers' decision or do you want me to do it?"

"You can do it." Christopher turned to Beatrice and Jeff. "You are lucky in a way, the Powers have been a little lenient with you."

"As you most likely know, if an Abdal discovers what they are their power is lost. With you though," Nita said, "As Kit (Sorry, Christopher) already said, the Powers have been lenient with you. You have a choice, I suggest you make the right decision-"

"What is the right decision?"

"You'll have to decide that yourself. As I was saying though, your choices are, let your power be lost or pass your power onto another Wizard?"

Jeff looked at his young partner. He noticed for the first time she was catching up to him in height.

"Will I still be able to be a Wizard or will I lose everything?"

"You'll still be a wizard, but you just won't be an Abdal. What's your choice?" Christopher had spoken this time.

"Well then... I ass my power onto... Jeff!"

"Can't do that." He said.

"Why?"

"Because I would know I was an Abdal."

Nita took her manual out of a personal claudication in her pocket. "It's best if you pass your power to a newer Wizard. Preferably a per-Ordeal Wizard. Let's look at some new additions to the Wizardly family in your area..." She opened her manual and traced her finger down a page. "Well isn't this convenient? A boy became a wizard just a couple days ago. A 'Nathanael Marshall.' Hmm... He seems to be entering wizardry later in his life than most.

"He'll do..." Beatrice croaked.

On Friday afternoon of the week Beatrice had been kicked out of her house (Although he was oblivious to that fact) Nathanael walked the five blocks home from his high school, hands in his pockets, eyes on his feet. He sighed, frustrated with himself. He was a senior in high school and would be 18 soon. He was, in society's opinion, too old to believe in magic. That book though... That book that Beatrice had lent him (He smiled at the thought of her) made it all seem so real and he couldn't have imagined the tingling sensation that came with touching the book. It almost felt as if it longed to be read. His logical mind told him he was silly but then again, what would it hurt if he read the supposed Wizard's Oath and it was just a story? It wouldn't hurt.

He lost himself in a daydream. What if Bee was a Wizard? They could be Wizards together. Visions of the two of them traipsing across the universe to fight unknown evil forces danced through his mind for a moment. He was brought back to earth when he almost stepped off the curb into the street.

They (whoever 'They' were) had made it very clear in the book though, that Wizard's were recognized for being different. This might draw attention to himself but that was a minor consequence of Wizardry. He was already thought of as weird at his school, no one ever bothered him though. Nathanael disregarded this consequence. The ordeal They had spoken of though... That would certainly be a bigger problem. He could get through it though. But what if the Oath rejected him because of his age? He was a little old to be starting Wizardry, but maybe that would mean he'd be wiser in his choices. He laughed at himself for a minute because he had blamed these negative thoughts on the Lone Power for a moment without even thinking about it. He had made his choice. Even if the Lone Power was trying to corrupt him, it wouldn't work. He could be stubborn when he wanted to be.

After leaping up the porch steps, Nathanael unlocked his front door and went into his house. The dogs greeted him with licks and enthusiastic barking until he sent them into the backyard. The two cats slept on the couch. They opened one uninterested eye when he walked in and flicked their tales almost simultaneously before going back to sleep. Besides the animals no one else was home. His parents wouldn't be home until five and his younger brother would be home in a little less than an hour. Nathanael would take this time for himself.

After getting a quick drink of water he tried to call Bee but when he called her house and asked for her he was answered with a click and a dial-tone. Maybe she's grounded, he thought. With a tired sigh, he sat at the kitchen table and retrieved 'So You Want to be a Wizard' from his backpack. Carefully opening it to the page with the Oath on it, he carefully read it over one last time. "If it works... What will I tell mom and dad?" Nathanael was an honest boy, he hid nothing from Beatrice, and he thought that something this big (supposing the Oath worked) he would have to tell his parents about being a wizard eventually. What if he had to leave to some other planet while he still lived in their house? How would he hide things from them if he did wizardry in his bedroom? He sighed again and decided he'd figure that out later. "In Life's name and for Life's sake..."