Well, here you have it, people: The next chapter!

Diamond and Basil: *plays a pathetic fanfare of kazoos*

I own mostly nothing.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 7: A Normal Sunday of Magic and Near-death

Josephine, as the kettle started whistling, quickly picked it up of the stove and turn the dial to OFF. She strode over to the other table and poured the boiling hot water into several mugs of Hot Cocoa powder. As she picked the cups up to carry, her ring gently clinked against the edge of one, reminding Josephine of its presence. She sighed. It had only been about a few days since she was told about this "power-destiny-save-the-world" shenanigan, and she still wasn't used to it. And it started out like such a normal day…

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Josephine sipped jadedly ay her smoothie, as she turned the page of one of her fat textbooks, half-listening to Lucy and her older sister's gabbing about… well, whatever it was they were talking about. The two apparently didn't like staying on topic…

"Not funny, Luce. This is serious. It was even on the news! A boy from the island disappeared!" Skye insisted. Josephine cringed. This was big news. And she knew all about it about it. Josephine always loved when she had the news. But, this was different. Her reason for knowing… wasn't much to be proud of. "His name is…"

"Jacobo Strife." Josephine finished. Lucy squeaked.

"Ya me'n that gorgeous blon' from the Coll'ge o' Ex'ellency?" She squealed, getting a dreamy look on her face. Skye rolled her eyes.

"Whacko. The police are-"

FLASH!

Josephine eye burst wide. The dorm room she shared with Lucy, Lucy and Skye themselves, and the entire scene had just disappeared! Now, she was in… well, some sort of limbo between Mushroom Hill and heaven.

And, approaching her now was some sort of, err, anteater, maybe. Josephine was sure. But… she did recognize his companion. It was Clarity, that cute new girl she had met at Blue Café the other day!

Then, Josephine noticed something else. There was a ring on her finger, a thin gold ring. She was sure it hadn't been there when she was in her room.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Josephine sighed as she exit the back door of the house she and her parents stay in while on Floating Isle-which was most of the time-and climbed through a hole in the fence to the vast, empty lot behind the little house. I wonder if I'll ever get used to this, she pondered mentally as she set the cups of cocoa and a plate of cookies down on one of the seemingly randomly-placed blocks of cement scattered here and there around the empty space of land. Maybe not.

And Josephine's reasons? There was the fact that Aleena-skinny, shorty, little Aleena-had just raised a cement block about twice her size of the ground, high into the air, before letting it snap and the two chunks fall to the ground on either side of herself, all without even touching it; that may have had something to do with it. Now, how had Aleena done it?

Simple, magic.

Yep, magic. Josephine told herself, glancing from intelligent school-prep Diamond's sulky, steely eyes; to proud pop singer Monica's slight smirk and crossed arms; to sheepish Aleena's childish grin and flushed cheeks; and finally to Oracle-to-be Clarity's calm, "seen-in-before" expression and posture. Every last one of us. Magic-mystic whatnot. Going to save the world. Yep. She stopped, and shot a sidelong glance at tactless best-friend-of-Diamond, Basil; cheery Christian medic Willow; and sweet and girl-crazy drummer Arthur. Well, not every last one of us…

"Snack!" Josephine called. That got everyone's attention pretty quick.

Now, it had been a few days since Josephine and her cousins had been told that, yep, they were magic. Their parents had been, their grandparents had been, and now they were. All because, a long time ago, some 'guardian god' or something Josie wasn't aware existed had said so.

Clarity didn't have that whole "got-to-save-the-world-thing", but, per "Orc's orders", she was stuck helping them anyway. Josie's cousin's friends had insisted that they help out, too. So, eight high school-age kids are against an uber-powered witch and her pet dog.

Oddly, Josephine noticed that Aleena hadn't come over to get some food, and had stayed right where she was. Josephine was about to shout to her again, but then Aleena raised her hands forward and closed her eyes. One of the cocoa cups, and two cookies, one of which Monica was about to grab, lifted right off the cement block, and zoomed right into Aleena's hands.

"Hey!" Monica snapped, trying to snatch the cookie out of the air as it flew by. Josephine smiled a little. "Hmph, little show-off." Aleena just shrugged, bit into of her cookies, and strode over to where the others were.

That was one thing Josie noticed. They had only found out about this "magic powers" gig a few weeks ago, but Josephine had already seeing how it was changing her cousins. Diamond had started out this whole thing sourly tolerance, then turned short-tempered and skeptical, and then turned cold and quiet. Thankfully, Aleena's transition had been more positive. Shy, sheepish, can't-keep-her-cool, timid Aleena had been the (most) terrified one about suddenly getting strange powers, but the first to settle into the idea. She had just confidence and determination that Josie hadn't expected from her. But, she was glad Aleena found something she could be confident about. She got okay grades in school, didn't have a whole lot of friends, and didn't have a particular hobby or talent. This "powers" thing seems to be helping her. A lot, in fact. Of course, it always could have something to do with…

Basil gently shoved Monica's arm, and kiss Aleena's cheek. "Eh, ignore her. She's just jealous, 'cause she can't get a hold of her power."

…Basil. Josephine completed the though with a little smile. Basil was Aleena's amoureux; her boyfriend, her sweetie, her… well, you get the picture.

And, Josie added worriedly, Basil's right. Aleena does have the best control. Josephine cringed as she recalled the first time she'd tried to use her powers… The end result was a broken window, several ruined textbooks, and a flooded dorm room. Then, she couldn't but smile a little, as she remembered Lucy's priceless reaction.

"So." Diamond said sharply. "When do we leave?" Clarity blinked, and glanced unsurely at Josephine, who shrugged. She also blushed the tiniest bit. The other's almost seemed to treat her like the leader, or something. The truth was, regardless of how the others acted, she didn't feel much like a leader, and it always felt awkward when the others expect her to know what to do.

"I guess… we should be leaving soon, if were gonna find the nine remaining gates before Moira does." Josie responded. "Maybe we should practice for a few more days…" she stood up, and took the last sip from her cup of hot chocolate. Clarity hopped up, too, and the two strode over to another part of the lot. "Right, then."

Clarity climbed up on to ne of the blocks and perched on the edge to watch. Josephine turned to an empty patch of grass, and narrowed her eyes to determined slits. She raised her hand forward and focused on the patch of ground as hard as she could. C'mon, girl. Josephine tried to reassure herself. It's just like the fire. Her eyes got even squintier and a faint glow shown around her hands, a glow that soon intensified. She closed her eyes, and faintly felt the ground begin to rumble. The rumbling intensified.

Josie vaguely heard Clarity 'ooh', and opened her eyes. Her eyes then opened wider in surprise and happiness. She had torn the earth right from ground and the rocks and dirt was now rapidly spinning around her. Josephine moved her arms out to her sides and her eyes narrowed again. The earth storm around her expanded and intensified. Then, Josie turned her focus to the ground, or, more specifically, the ground right beneath her. She opened her eyes and kick off for the dirt under her feet. She leaped in to the air, her earthy hurricane rising up with her and… she stayed. She stayed up in the air. Her hair was blown this way and that by the force of the wind her storm, and her powerful leap, had created. She smiled. And laughed out loud. This… this was fun!

She heard Clarity, and then, the others, applaud. And she let her eyes closed as her rock storm lifted her up again.

Then… Josie… well, you could say she sensed something. She slowly reached out her hands, and she eased them into the wind and earth whipped around her. She focused and willed her senses to extend. Through the storm, through the air, through the earth. And she just felt something. Something fast approaching. Something… well, she could see or hear it, but she felt something piercing the back of her mind; a sudden sense of danger, of evil.

And then, a force she couldn't identify… just suddenly plowed right through the storm that she had, since she first conjured it up, felt like it was protecting her. It pierced through her protection. And pain surged through her.

"Aaaah!" Josephine's earth hurricane dispelled itself. And, her vision blurring, Josephine fell. She hit the ground hard. She could feel blood seeping from her bruises as she bounced like a stone, and skidded against the ground. Clarity screamed her name and dashed to her side. Clarity, and the others, all turned to the sky again at the sound of a particularly creepy voice.

"Hmph, so your kids are the chosen? How pathetic… And to think m'lady was worried." There, floating in the air, was none other then Schatten himself, arms crossed over his chest, and a nasty smirk Clarity would love to smack right off.

Clarity rose to her feet, gave a repentant glance to Josephine's motionless form, and whipped back around to face Shatten.

"You're gonna pay for that…" And with an angry yell, Clarity leaped up, onto one of the higher up cement blocks. She kicked off as soon as she touch down on it, and, whispering the beginning of a spell, soared through the air, right at the smug wolf.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just goes to show, "hell hath no fury" like a ticked off Oracle.

Bonus point for who-ever figures out what Aleena's nickname for Basil means! ("Amoureux", if you forgot.)