Chapter 1

The Lost

A young man on a motorbike was racing along road near a secluded cul-de-sac in Miami Florida. Over head black churning clouds speckled with flashes of lightning threatened to turn loose their torrents. The young man was trying to get home before that happened.

Suddenly a few feet a head of him in a stand of trees next to the road, was a bright flash of light a lot closer to the ground. The flash was as bright as a camera flash and the bang that followed rivaled the loudest claps of thunder. The boy skidded to a halt, jumped off his bike and ran into the stand of trees and began to kick sand over the small fires that the explosion, or whatever it was, had started.

Then he saw the prostrate form of a girl. She was lying unconscious in the middle of what appeared to be a blast ring. he stooped down to look closer. She had long brown hair in two braids and she appeared to be wearing some sort of school uniform, with a red sash, that he had never seen before. She appeared to be close to his own age.

Next to her on the ground were the two pieces of a broken staff that was topped by a crescent moon. The most unusual thing about her was that though she seemed to have been in the middle of this explosion she didn't appear to have any external injuries. Just then the rain started.

"Well Miss," he said, "I can't leave, you, here can I?!" he picked her up and carried her to the bike. Then he ran back and got that strange staff. Strapping the pieces of the staff to his backpack which was on the back of the bike. He climbed onto the bike holding the girl more or less on his lap in front of him with her head resting on his shoulder. She started the bike and eased on down the road having to go slower now. The rain kept getting harder. He knew he was gonna be soaked before he got home.

A few minutes later, he reached his home. It was nice three-story home up next to a local country club. Pulling into the garage, he shut off the bike and carried the girl inside.

His mother met him just inside the door.

"Jason," she said, "Are you okay? I heard the storm …," she trailed off when she saw the girl.

"Where did you find her?" said His Mother motioning for him to put her on the couch.

"I found her in the aftermath of what looked like an explosion down by the Cul-de-sac just past the turn off." He explained as he placed her on the couch and went over to the coat rack to shed his jacket.

He had barely gotten back over to the couch when the girl moved and started to wake up. She twitched, took a deep breath and opened her eyes.

She gave a start and set up fast.

"Easy, Easy," Said his Mother gently, "You're among friends."

"Where am I?" she asked

"Miami, Florida," Replied Jason, "By the way, I'm Jason Steele and this is my mother Toni."

"Hi," said the girl, "I'm….," she stopped short, fear creeping back into her face.

"I can't remember who I am," she gasped, "I-I can't remember a-anything!" her eyes welled up.

"Shhh," said Toni, hugging her gently, "It's okay, It's Okay, Jason said it looked like you'd been caught in the middle of an explosion when he found you. you probably just have amnesia. Your memory will come back in time."

The girl nodded.

"Come on," said Toni, "Let's get you out of those wet clothes." She led the up the stairs to the guest bedroom. Jason went to change out of his own wet clothes. A few minutes later he emerged from his room and met his mother in the hallway. She was carrying the uniform the girl had been wearing.

"Jason," she said, "I found something out!"

"What?" asked Jason

"Her name is Millie," Replied his mother

"Oh, is she starting to remember?" said Jason

"No, she's still drawing a blank on everything," replied his mother, "I found the name Millie H. sewed into the inside collar of this uniform."

###############

One hour earlier….

Smoke cleared in the Potions Laboratory of Cackles Academy. Miss Hardbroom pulled herself up off the floor and brushed herself off.

"Mildred Hubble!" she growled exasperated, but Mildred was nowhere to be seen.

"That explosion must have transported her somewhere." Said Enid

"Yes, but where?" asked Maud

Before Enid could answer one way or the other, Ada Cackle came hurrying in.

"Dear me," she said, "What happened, Hecate?!"

"Mildred Hubble happened," replied Ms. Hardbroom. Neither one of them noticed Ethel Hallow slipping a vial back into her pocket with a self-satisfied smirk on her face.

TO BE CONTINUED….

What did Ethel do this time?

Will Millie ever remember who she is?