Hi, sorry about not updating. I was reeealy busy with Karate and then I got sick. Woohoo :( (please note sarcasm, I don't actually like being sick). I also apologise for the cliffie, see I was planning on updating the next day, but, as we all know, that didn't work out. Anyhow, here's the next chapter, ENJOY!!

Chapter 6

Alanna gasped. That was no ordinary scar.

"Where'd you get that?" she asked.

"I'd rather not talk about it." Mara whispered. Alanna grabbed he shoulder, turning the young woman to face her.

"Mara, that scar tells me about the wound, and let me tell you, it wasn't a wound that you should have lived from."

"I know, okay. I know!"

"Then tell me the story." Alanna persisted.

"Fine! It it will get you off me back!" she took a breath, cooling down her temper "I was fourteen when it happened. I had gotten into a fight with a girl from Ninth Street. I was winning, then a couple of her chicas jumped in. I forget how the fight went, but I know one of them grabbed her knife and slashed me. I only remember the pain. It took me deep inside my mind, so that I knew what was happening and what was going on, but basically, I was in a coma like state. The doctors fought to save my life, but no matter what they did, I kept falling, deeper and deeper, into the darkness.

I could hear the heart monitor, and the doctor's voices, so I knew when the continuous beeping of the monitor started to slow. It stopped, and I fell faster than ever. I screamed and I cried, not that they knew; I was dead to them. I screamed, "I don't want to die! I want to live! I don't want to die!".

Then, everything stopped. I stopped falling, I just floated in place, then I began to drift upwards. Everything now was a sparkly deep blue, no longer an empty black void. As I continued my ascent, I heard the monitor start again, that was the last thing I heard, before I fell into an unconscious sleep.

When I woke up a few days later, I was treated like royalty. I was the miracle child. The girl who had died and come back to life. Since then, I've carried this scar, and it's never failed to remind me of my death." she told the story. Baird and Alanna gaped at her, astonished. It was the elderly duke who finally broke the silence.

"You mentioned a sparkly blue." he looked over to Alanna "Is it possible that she might have the Gift?" he asked.

"Maybe, let me see. Mara give me your hand." The gang leader obeyed, holding out her hand for the knight to take. Closing her eyes, Alanna seeking out any magic. She let go with a gasp.

"What is it, Alanna?" Baird asked. She ignored him, instead she searched Mara's dark chocolate eyes with her own violet ones.

"You," she whispered "you're the Water Mage." she got up "I need to speak with Jonathan." She left, a slight smile on her face. They'd finally found her.

Mara paced her room nervously. She didn't get it. What was a water mage? And more importantly, how could she be one? She groaned and sat down on her bed.

"Nothing makes sense here." she whispered to herself. There was a knock on the door, she got begrudgingly got up to open it. There stood Jon, Alanna, Thayet, Gary, Raoul and two people whom she did not know.

"May we come in, Mara?" Jon asked hastily. He didn't want people to see their large group and suspect things. Though what they would suspect, he had no idea.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure." she opened the door to all of them. Once all were inside, she pointed to the strangers "Who are they?" she asked, blatantly, not bothering to be polite.

"Mara," Jon started "This is Numair, a black robe mage. And this is Daine, an animal mage."

Mara studied the two.

"You're together, aren't ya?" she asked. They spluttered, which only caused her to know her suspicions were true.

Thayet sighed. "Yes, they're together."

"Yeah, I kinda figured that one out. Soo, why are you all here?" Mara said.

"Remember, when I mentioned a water mage?" Alanna asked. Mara nodded "Well, you see, there was a prophecy made a long time ago. It tell of Tortall's downfall, unless we find the one thing that can help us; the Water Mage. And we believe that's you."

"Me?" The group nodded "I don't get it. What is a water mage? Why do you think it me?" Numair stepped towards the panicked girl.

"A water mage, is a person who had control over water. They can move it and shape it to their will. They can also turn ordinary water into ice. Basically, they can control anything that has water. And based on what your magic did for you and what color it was, you are one of those people." he told her. Mara shook her head violently. She wasn't believing any of it. She wasn't a water mage. She wasn't part of a prophecy. She was just a wanted gang leader, and she wasn't going to listen to some wierd guy tell her who she was.

"I am not a water mage." she whispered coldly, her temper starting to go. The room got cold, the water in the pitcher started to freeze, then exploded.

"Numair! Numair, what's going on?!" Daine half screamed, her breath turning into frost in front of her.

"She's reached maturity. Her powers have reached their full power. Her natural defense against magic crumbled when she came to our world. She no longer has control over what she does, at least not when she gets angry.

Alanna! Jon! Use your magic, try to distract her with your magic, I'll see what I can do with her power restraint." Numair told them. The room was now freezing and the cold was starting to enter the rest of the palace.

Mara shaped herself ice daggers and hurled them at Alanna and Numair. Alanna blocked them with her sword and the mage stopped them in midair with magic.

"Mara! Stop, please stop! You don't know what you're doing." Raoul said, coming up behind her. Taking a risk, he wrapped his arms around her. Because of the contact, she could have easily frozen him, instead she dropped the next round of ice she was going to throw "Mara, you have to stop. You're trying to hurt your own friends. Please stop."

Slowly the air turned warmer and the ice melted. She turned in Raoul's arms and hung her head on his shoulder as the tears started flow. Raoul's response was only to hold her tightly.

Sensing that this wasn't the best time to get Mara to understand what she was, the rest of the group left the two alone.

Okay, next chappie is coming up reeeeal soon. Well, as soon as I'm done. Don't forget to review. PureElement