Changing Hearts

Chapter 1

Present Day...

Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange lay slumping against the door despondent as he had reached his destination of Kathmandu. Nepal, having spent his last pennies after his hands were permanently damaged and scarred in a terrible car crash on his way to talk to at an American Neurological Association (ANA) dinner that would sure have been the highlight of his night. Yet, the night had taken a terrible turn and now he found himself in a desolate, huge city in another country, homeless and heartbroken. A few eyes turned his way, but they did not see the once successful neurosurgeon he was, just a homeless man with a sack of things tossed against the door. They continued to walk on without giving him a second glance. Stephen looked around at the hustle and bustle of the city and began to feel even more hopeless.

It had been five hours since he had spoken to the Ancient One, a bald woman dressed in fine white robes, who had shown him this colorful, kaleidoscope-like world filled with colors that could have left him with severe shock and trauma, but surprisingly, it had no effect on him. When his request for her to teach him the Mystic Arts had been denied, two strong men wearing red oriented robes like hers had grabbed him by the arms and tossed him out the door, throwing his sack of things towards him like garbage. He had banged, kicked, and screamed at the top of his lungs at the door to let him back in, but the Ancient One never came back to answer his pleas.

"Don't shut me out," he said to himself, a solemn and heartbreaking look spread across his facial features. "I spent my last dollar getting here. I have nowhere else to go."

Suddenly, about a second later, the door to Kamar-Taj suddenly burst open, sending Strange flying backwards into the building. Stephen groaned as he felt himself tumbled over, his knees over his head and his back straight in the air. "Thank you."

Back inside Kamar-Taj, a man with dark skin and black hair around Stephen's age came plodding towards him. He wore the same looking oriented robes, but this time they were a green color. He stopped right in front of him and his look turned from concern into amusement. His deep enticing brown eyes stared at Stephen's funky looking position and he chuckled in front of him. Stephen was less amused and quickly got to his feet.

"Took you long enough," he sneered.

"You should be thankful the Ancient One has changed her mind, though it took me to convince her. She has agreed that you will start your training in two days' time. In the meantime, I will show you to your room," the man instructed Strange to follow him as a random man handed him his backpack. Stephen grabbed it and followed him down a long hallway.

As Stephen followed the man, Karl Mordo he remembered was his name, he looked around himself. He saw various people dressed in oriented robes of random colors, some grey, dark red, navy blue and black. Some shot up from the books they were reading and stared at the passing Mordo and Stephen, observing them intently but only for a mere moment before going back to their studies. Stephen looked at them confusingly before Mordo suddenly stopped in front of him, causing the neurosurgeon to bump into his back.

"I see the Sorcerer Supreme has decided to let the dog in," a woman's voice interrupted the silence. Stephen stepped from behind Mordo and noticed the young woman.

"Remi, please be kind. He is going to be one of the new students here in a short time," Mordo scolded her.

Stephen eyed the girl with narrowed eyes. He noticed she was of Hispanic origin, medium-length black hair tied behind her shoulders up in a high bun, ringlets framing both sides of her circular face. Her skin tone was a dark tan color, and her thin eyebrows matched her hair color. She was wearing simpler robes than the others around them, a sleeveless dark sangria color with matching colored pants. She had on grey sandals, ropes tied over ankles all the way around her knees. Stephen could see orange leather arm guards tied around her forearms. What really distinguished her from the others was her eyes. They were a light amber color surrounded by a golden tint, eyes that could burn right through your soul into your very heart.

"Excuse me, but what are you staring at?" Stephen caught a Spanish accent. He was at a loss for words but Mordo stepped in.

"Stephen Strange, this is one of our students, Remi Ramirez. Remi, this is Doctor Stephen Vincent Strange. He comes from New York City," Mordo introduced the doctor.

"A pleasure to meet you," Stephen disregarded his disrespectful attitude and held out his hand for her to shake. Remi just stared down at it, unamused and uninterested.

"I hope the Ancient One has mercy on your soul, because for arrogant trash like you, she will not go easy," Remi warned Stephen in a dangerous matter. With those words, she strolled passed Mordo and Stephen, who stared at her with bewildered and surprised looks on their faces.

"What's her problem?" Stephen turned to Mordo, immediately turned off by the rude woman.

"She is usually never like this, but do not worry about her. Remi…she's going through some things right now," Mordo tried to find the right words, but even he himself was having a difficult time explaining a woman like Remi Ramirez.

"I hope it's anger management classes, because her attitude sucks," Stephen took note that the next time he met this Remi Ramirez, he would be giving her the cold shoulder.

"Why did you have to invite him into Kamar-Taj?!" Remi snapped at the Ancient One, who sat on a folded blanket surrounded by candles in her private chambers. After she had been informed of the arrogant doctor's arrival, she was displeased that someone so disrespectful and vain was going to be allowed into Kamar-Taj. The last thing the Ancient One needed was someone who was just like Kaecilius running on her shoulders. The Ancient One was a woman of knowledge and stance, someone who deserved respect and full attention. They way Doctor Stephen Strange had presented himself to her was something that made her blood boil. The Ancient One looked up at her from her meditation session and rose to her feet.

"I know you are not pleased with this new student's arrival, but I believe I can bend Doctor Strange into someone he truly is," she assured her.

"But he disrespected you, right in front of Mordo and Master Hamir! Someone like him has no place in Kamar-Taj," Remi sneered.

"Everyone has a place at Kamar-Taj, arrogant or not. Remember Remi, not everyone can be gentle and sweet as you," the Ancient One smiled at her.

"I did not come off that way to our new guest. Something tells me we should just throw him back into the street where he belongs," Remi crossed her arms.

The Ancient One should have been surprised by her attitude towards Stephen Strange, but she only looked at her with a sympathetic look. She partly understood why she was acting this way, but at the same time, a Sorcerer Supreme knew better than to judge a character by first looks. Blowing out the candles around her, she walked towards Remi and gave her a pat on the shoulder, reminding her that she needed to remember her place and not come off so brash.

"You've been by my side for a long time, yet you are still learning like the rest of them. Be patient Remi, do not judge Stephen Strange because of his background."

Remi stayed silent but nodded her head. The Ancient One smiled at her again before walking passed her out of her chambers. Alone in the Sorcerer Supreme's room, she stared around her. She had a vast collection of books that even a master student had a hard time deciphering. She had always thought of her as a mother, as she had always looked after her ever since it happened. Looking down at the blanket the Ancient One sat upon, she walked towards it and took a seat herself, crossing her legs. Perhaps a young woman like her needed some meditation after all. Making two circles with her thumb and forefinger, she began to pray aloud. Please let me have more patience and stamina, a better understanding of others…

Kaecilius opened his eyes as he stared at the pages in front of him on the podium. He read the pages repeatedly each day, practicing the magic of Dormammu until he could decipher the ritual's meanings. However, it was the same outcome, he would always come to a paragraph he had a hard time understanding. Balling his hands into tight fists, he screamed in anger and kicked the podium hard, sending it toppling with the two pages scattering. He pinched the bridge of his nose and shut his eyes tightly.

"Master!" a voice interrupted him. His head turning, he saw his most devoted zealot, Lucian, come running towards him. "What is it, Lucian?" he inquired.

"Please sir, let me go after the girl for you. If we have her with us, we could get her to decipher the ritual so our plan will go along without delay!" Lucian proposed.

"No. I must do it myself. She may be able to do it herself, but she cannot muster the magic I can. Once we are ready, then we will go after the girl," Kaecilius told him.

"But Master Kaecilius-" Lucian's words were cut off. Kaecilius ordered him to leave his sight, and Lucian dutifully obeyed. Turning his attention towards the podium, he bent down and stood it back in place, picking up the pages. Returning to his position, he started all over again.

Stephen Strange had gotten settled into his room rather quickly. His bedroom was quite nice and average size, a comfortable bed set along the wall with a window overlooking the training grounds, a desk in the corner next to his bedroom door with a single chair. His closet was to his left and he could see there were already garments and shoes placed neatly inside it. He quickly disrobed himself and dressed into a nice pair of comfortable pajamas. He sat his Microsoft Windows tablet on the desk and took off his watch, looking down at it and reading the encryption on the back of the silver metal.

Time will tell how much I love you. ~Christine

A small sad smile crossing his lips, he set the watch on the windowsill and stared outside. He could see students training hard, performing various spells and orders being shouted by a teacher. He wondered when exactly he would start his training in two days, but he was never informed of the time and hour to meet. Lost in thought again, his mind went back to the young woman who had stopped him and Mordo. For a young thing, he remembered the muscles in her arms stood out, meaning she was quite built for any fight that would be thrown at her. He got the impression that she was not the nicest on the block, but her looks made a lot of young male eyes wander their way over, his included.

Knock-knock! Stephen's mind snapped back into place when he heard his bedroom door slightly open. Turning around, he was shocked to discover the face of the young woman herself striding in as if she had forgotten their meeting earlier in the day. Instead of the sangria robes she had on, she had on a white night gown and matching slippers, her hair down and fanned out. Her amber eyes followed his as she walked inside. She informed him that she was only dropping off a few things for him.

Stephen looked down at the contents she had brought. A simple towel, a tube of toothpaste, and a plain old toothbrush, along with some supplies used to bath one's self. She walked to the right side of his bed and sat it all down before she excused herself and made to leave.

"Hey, wait," Stephen stopped her from leaving. Remi turned her head and met his eyes once more. "You know, your attitude was not the nicest when we met. What's with this abrasive, rudeness?"

"Excuse me?" Remi shot him the same nasty look. "I only came to drop some things off the Ancient One told me to bring you. I have no interest in conversation."

"You owe me an apology," Stephen snapped.

"I owe you nothing, Stephen Vincent Strange. You may have earned Mordo and the Sorcerer Supreme's respect, but I am not so easily moved. Even though it is your first night, I can read you like a book! If you get any funny ideas of disrespecting my master's rules, then I will not hesitate to strike you down and kick you to the curb just like she did. Now goodnight, Mr. Strange!"

"It's Doctor, Doctor Strange!" Stephen angrily corrected. Remi rolled her eyes and harrumphed, slamming the door behind her, causing the lights hanging from the walls to rattle. Stephen could hear her footsteps echoing down the hallway until only silence remained. Looking down at the ground, he walked towards his bed and saw the stuff she had dropped off for him. Scoffing, he shoved it all onto the floor and tucked himself in, pulling the covers over himself and turning off the lights.

To Be Continued

Here it is, chapter one is complete! I had so much fun writing Stephen and Remi's first meeting that I forgot to track my word count. I hope you all like it!

And on another note, please please leave reviews. I would love for new readers and the ones who favored and followed this story so far to leave a few words. If you all loved it, did not like or it could use some work, please let me know! I'm open to all suggestions of every kind.

Thank you for your time and see ya next chapter! :)