Chapter 2

The Girl Who Saves the World

ATHENA AMETHYST PHOENIXCLAW

She was there. She was where she was meant to be when someone was in trouble; but now she was on top of a rooftop in Brickabon Alley, hiding stealthily in the shadows, her eyes fixed on Madam Wandwick's wand shop, her long knife, the hilt of which was made from cedar wood and had a large amethyst in the middle held tightly in her hand, waiting ... waiting ...

She had been suspicious about the Love Destroyers attacking here ever since she got a tip-off from a friend of hers a few days ago, and since then she would grab a fast helicopter that would take her from America to Southport, where she stood in Brickabon Alley alone, where she would sit and watch for twelve hours straight, and every day she left, feeling disappointed, but something about this day felt different. Athena could feel it. She was a one-woman army, who stood alone - always - in times like these. She needed no one to have her back, for she could fight as well as ten men ever could -

Movement caught her eye below; red-hooded figures were flying in and were surrounding the wand shop, sending the people around it panicking and scrambling for cover. Athena tightened her grip on the knife, and as one red-hooded figure stepped forward with their wand pointed at the door, Athena knew it was time. She threw the knife, which spun through the air, and landed loudly in the middle of the group of red-hooded figures, who all darted away from the knife, alarmed.

"What the - ?" growled the figure whose wand was pointing at the door, glancing around wildly. Then he saw the knife and, glaring up at the place where he thought Athena would be, growled, "Athena Amethyst Phoenixclaw!"

Athena narrowed her eyes and the left side of her mouth was raised in a smirk.

Showtime!

She jumped off the roof, curled into a ball and unfurled herself just before she landed, with her legs split apart, her left hand touching the floor and her right hand behind her back. She stood up quickly, revealing herself to the red-hooded figures.

She wore black combo boots, long black leggings that clung tightly to her legs and a purple T-shirt. Black gloves covered her hands. She was fair skinned, had freckles, long ginger hair that flowed down her back and had aqua-blue eyes. She was an impressive figure, and someone who was not to be messed with.

This was Athena Amethyst Phoenixclaw: The Girl Who Saves the World.

"Someone call?" she said sleekly, her smirk growing wider.

"Get her!" growled the red-hooded figures' leader, and they all raised their wands at her, which is exactly what Athena had been waiting for.

She leapt into action immediately: her mind seemed to calculate where the spells were going to be coming from before they hit her, which enabled Athena to dodge them quickly. Her body bended and flexed in ways no one had ever seen before; her body moved so fast that it looked like she was on a live wire, and so quickly that none of them knew what she was going to do next, or where she was going to move to -

BAM! Her first strike. Her fist hit one of the red-hooded figures' noses, before she kicked him hard in the gut, which sent him flying backwards. Athena didn't look where he went; she was too focused on her next victim. Her arms and legs were her wand, and her hands and feet her spells, which acted as effectively as any curse, hex or jinx the red ones threw at her. The more times they got up, the harder she struck back, that determined was she to stop them - and not once did she get hit with any spells.

As the red ones lay on the ground, groaning and moaning, Athena turned to their leader, who was glaring at her as she looked at him smugly. Growling, he removed his hood. Athena's smug look quickly turned into shock when she saw who she was dealing with, who smiled with pleasure at her surprise, which Athena covered quickly, and before his wand was raised, she charged at him, striking him hard in the face with her right fist, which he quickly recovered from.

Their fight was ruthless; as each spell he aimed missed her, and every aim Athena made with her hands and feet succeeded, he became angrier; the highest moment was when Athena broke his nose and he stumbled backwards, his nose drawling blood. No one had ever made this werewolf draw blood before; he threw his wand aside and charged at her; Athena tried to defend herself, but the werewolf trapped her, her back to his front, his nose sniffing her neck greedily.

"Ah," he breathed in ecstasy. "I do love the smell of rushing blood ... I bet you taste delicious ..."

Something snapped in Athena then. She was not a werewolf's chew toy; she was a human being, and therefore she had the right to choose how she lived her life; so before the werewolf dared to bite her, she whispered viciously in his ear, "I'm afraid you'll have to wait for that ... because I have no intention of dying today!" And with that, she elbowed him in the face and, with his head thrown back, she ducked under the arm that was around her neck and, still holding it, she kicked him in the gut, then the chin, before she flung him over her shoulder and away from her - using only one hand.

The werewolf rose from the floor, panting and grumbling, like the others around him. Watching him get up, Athena knew that he knew that she had won, as had the others she had thrown to the ground. The red ones walked slowly past her, some of them nursing bruised ribs, others limping, and as the werewolf passed her he stopped behind her and hissed, "We will be back, Phoenixclaw ... and when we return ... it will be at a time when you are not her to stop us ... or save anyone worth saving ..."

He turned away. Athena whispered to his back, so low that he did not hear her, "You think that will stop me? Me? Athena Amethyst Phoenixclaw? The Girl Who Saves the World? No. I'll be back. I'll be back before you know I'll be here ... because I always know where people like you go to cause havoc. Whether it be day or night, I'll be here, defending these people. Just you watch."

And before anyone could come forward to speak to her, Athena picked up her knife, and summoned her helicopter beam to beam her up. Once there, she was informed of her next mission.

"The world never rests, and neither does its saviour," said Athena, looking out at the glorious world below her, the world she had sworn to protect ...

SIAN

Sian was sat at her computer by the front door at Dawson Manor. She wasn't really doing anything, she was just consumed in her thoughts, for a lot had happened since Sian had left school: the Love Destroyers were out in the open, and had recently destroyed the Millennium Bridge; the Evil Scary Lady (as Sian liked to call Zira in her head) had been "spotted" left, right and centre, and had made the giants tear through the West Country (although the Muggles didn't know that, they thought it was just a hurricane); and Keziah Rea-Bradley had moved in with the Dawsons, after her aunt had declared that she wanted nothing more to do with her, and the Dawsons had been nothing more than good and gracious hosts to Keziah, welcoming her with open arms and allowing her a room above their siblings' rooms floor, rather than a guest room, and she wasn't the only one the Dawsons had welcomed greatly.

Simba and Nala Pride-Lander had arrived that Monday, and they were good to have around; not only did they help around the house (along with Keziah, who, after living being served on hand and foot for most of her life, had had decided to be more helpful, especially with the cooking and the laundry), but they also told interesting - and entertaining - stories of their time at school, and Sian greatly needed that distraction, for even though she was calm and collected on the outside, on the inside she was all over the place.

About a week ago, Sian had been called to the school late one night by Triphorm of all people. She went there, and found that her mother was ill - very ill. And the most distressing thing about it was how long her mother had, for it was not long at all. Even worse than that was the fact that not only did Sian know who had to do it to her mother, but also the fact that she was sworn to secrecy from telling anyone. Sian knew that the reason for this was because her mother did not want anyone to worry, but Sian did not see why her mother would not tell her father. She and her mother had argued about this point once Triphorm had left, and in the end they had come to a compromise: Crighton would tell her husband about it, but keep the person who was to do it to her.

Naturally, Mr Dawson was angry and upset, but once he had calmed down he swore that he would do what he could to help. This secret made the bond between father and daughter grow stronger. It drew them closer together. They comforted each other when they had a moment to spare - for Mr Dawson was head of a new department the Ministry had made in light of recent events which, as you can imagine, kept him on his toes, and Sian, well -

No, Sian told herself sternly, I am not going there now.

It was late on a Friday night. Todd was sat with Simba and Nala in the kitchen, but Sian wanted to be alone. Sian had to stay up late most nights anyway, for her father's home times were unpredictable, but this night was different, for her mother had gone to collect Kiara from her grandmothers to help her with something. She didn't say what it was, but Sian knew from her mother's tone that it was important. When Sian requested that she would go with her mother to help her, her mother firmly stated that it was something that only Kiara could help her with, and that she should stay there. Sian was slightly disappointed that she couldn't go with her mother, but she knew better than to mess with her mother's tone. So there she was, sat all alone, with no one but her thoughts for company, waiting for her mother to come home ...

AN: OK, so do you all remember in my last book that I mentioned Athena Amethyst Phoenixclaw? Well, this is her. If any of you have forgotten, please go back and read it; it's when Kiara goes to the Ministry for the first time for her hearing. I also added Sian at the end because it's important for us to know what's going on inside her head, which will be important for later chapters, so don't worry if you don't understand most of what happened here for now, it will be explained later. Sorry for the short chapter, but the next one will be longer, I assure you. The next chapter will be posted next Wednesday. See you then.