Meanwhile in the Mortal Realm, at the corner of Magnolia Street there stood an old Victorian House. Fifteen different sorts of wood had been used for the window seats and the mantels, including golden oak, silver ash, and a peculiarly fragrant cherrywood that gave off the scent of ripe fruit even in the dead of winter, when every tree outside was nothing more than a leafless black stick. The windows were all stained glass and extremly antique, with lovely images in edged in the lenses and glass so thick that everything on the other side seemed like a dream. Behind the house was a garden where a variety of plants grew wild. Plants such as Ivy, Witch-Hazel, Primroses, Vervain, Bella-Donna, Wolfsbane, and Lilac. Inside the house were a large number of clocks hanging one wall, a massive brick-chimney, a drawing room, a small kitchen, a book-lined study, a pretty dinning room, and a carefully sculpted stairway that led upward and to many rooms.

At the stroke of twelve, midnight, a woman who looked as though she had not aged past forty quietly stepped out of her bedroom, draping a shawl over her shoulders and wearing an olive nightgown and slippers. She quietly tiptoed over to the bedroom that lay at the end of the hall and opened the door without making even a creaking noise. It was a bay-windowed room that combined Victorian style with touches of modern color and fabric. The light from the full moon had shined through the windows and allowed the woman to see a young girl sleeping in the center of the room. But she was not sleeping in her bed.

Her hair was sweeping back from her head and to hang down, just as her white nightgown did. Her feet, her legs, her arms, and her head were not touching the mattress in the slightest. Her entire body was floating in the air and she did not notice. The girl just slept on. But the woman watching her noticed and her eyes were glittering with enthusiasm.

"Levitating, right on schedule." She thought.

"Anna?" Came the whisper of a middle-aged man with greying-brown locks and an average build. "What are you doing up at this hour?"

"Oh I'm terribly sorry for waking you Derek." Anna whispered back. "But I couldn't miss this."

When his sleepy vision finally adjusted to what he was looking at, he almost appeared horror-stricken.

"Oh no." He quietly said.

"Oh yes." Anna said in the same tone. "I knew it. I just knew it. I knew she was going to be a witch."

"Great." Derek said unenthusiastically. "For most men, when their daughters turn sixteen all they have to worry about is driving cars and boys. But not me. No I have to worry about flying broomsticks and boys getting turned into frogs or something. On second thought that last part might not be so bad."

"Shhh." Anna hushed him softly. "We best not wake her up. She has a big day tomorrow."

"I know, but remember the plan. We're not telling her anything until after school."

"I know. I know."

Quietly they backed out of the bedroom and closed the door without making a sound.


Juvia Lockser woke up that morning thinking that it was just going to be another day. Another day of going to school, getting her work done, and then coming home. Nothing special or exciting. Just an average, ordinary day.

She slid out of bed and began her usual routine of getting ready. First she took a quick morning shower, washing herself with the special black soap her Nanny Anna always gave her to bathe with. Then after drying herself off, she changed into an outfit consisting of a long-sleeved white blouse and a blue skirt that stopped at her knees. Next she dried her hair and brushed it out. She was just getting to the styling part when a cat as black as midnight came into her room and jumped up to perched himself on to her desk.

"What do you think Gajeel?" She addressed the cat's reflection in her mirror. "Should I wear my hair up or down today?"

The cat only yawned, completely uninterested.

"You're right. What's the point?" She said choosing to wear her hair down. "It's not like either style will imporve my looks. I'll still be plain Juvia. Then again, maybe I should be grateful that I'm plain looking. It draws less attention."

Truthfully, Juvia was a very beautiful girl. Her hair was like the petals of Morning Glories and her skin was as fair as moonlight. Her eyes were blue and so eloquent that they could convey her feelings better than her words could. But her beauty could only seen by those willing to take the time to stop and look at her. If anyone ever took the time to get to know her, they would say that she was the most tender-hearted and gentle girl who ever lived. But no one did. In case it wasn't already obvious enough, she never had a boyfriend. She never had friends. Yet ironically, she knew more about true love and friendship than most people her age would.

She had chosen to be a rather conscientious girl. Wanting to be as unnoticeable as possible to the world. She wore clothes that were modest and kept her face covered by her hair. She pretended she wasn't smart and never raised her hand in class. She disguised her own nature so well that after a while she grew uncertain of her own abilities. By now, she was as quiet as a mouse and very few could acknowledge her existence if she went through the entire day without uttering a word.

This was because, for as long as she could remember, she had been an out cast. As a child, the other children in town avoided her. No one would dare to play with her, and most girls and boys crossed their fingers when Juvia drew near, as if that sort of thing was any protection. No child would use a pencil or a crayon directly after it had been touched by the girl. No one would sit next to her in the cafeteria or during assemblies, and some girls actually shrieked when they wandered into the girls' room, to pee or gossip or brush their hair, and found they'd stumbled upon her. Juvia was never chosen for teams during sports, she was never invited to parties or Girl Scout meetings, or asked to join in and play hopscotch or climb a tree.

What was most frustrating about the whole thing, was the fact that Juvia didn't have the slightest idea why her peers felt so annoyed or threatened by her. As far as she was concerned, she was no different from anyone else her age. But for some reason everyone acted like she was different. Truth be told though, these children were only being influenced by their gossiping mothers. Those hens would just click and click about her shamelessly, and before today, she never knew what exact words they were clucking.

"This will do." She said looking at her reflection in the mirror. "Decent but not noticeable."

She pulled a pair of long, white stockings over her legs and then slipped on a pair of grey boots. After that she grabbed her book bag and hurried downstairs with cat following close behind. By the time she reached the kitchen, her nanny had just finished making Juvia's favorite breakfast. Anna's double midnight fudge cake with a cherry filing. Anna had wanted to serve it to Juvia every morning but her father insisted that such a sweet and unhealthy treat in the morning would be more appropriate on special occasions. So Anna compromised, she would the cake for breakfast ever Birthday and Christmas morning.

"Good monring Nanny." Juvia greeted.

"Good morning dear." She smiled. "Happy Sweet Sixteen. Oh I still can't believe how quickly this day has arrived. Seems like only yesterday, you were that tiny little angel helping me plant Primroses in my garden. Now look at you, almost a fully grown woman. So lovely."

"Not as lovely as you Nanny."

Anna giggled at the flattery and then kissed Juvia's forehead.

"Sweet girl."

"Where's Dad?"

"Getting your birthday present ready. I have two for you, one you can have now and one that I'm saving for later."

Anna then proceeded to place three things on the table. A glass of milk, a plate with a big slice of chocolate cake on it, and a medium-sized wrapped box with a blue ribbon tied on top. Soon Derek arrived at the table and he too placed a box wrapped in blue ribbon on the table, though this box was much smaller.

"I've been waiting to give you this for years." He said to his daughter. "I really hope you like it."

Derek Lockser was quite the interesting man. He was clumsy and nervous yet sentimental and dear, possesing a knack for gears and mechanics. He owned the local clock shop just across from Magnolia Street and Juvia always thought that he made the most beautiful clocks in all the world, and it was no wonder why. His clocks were always crafted from the finest and prettiest wood, with gears that he always made were in terrific condition before using them. When Juvia was younger, she liked to visit the shop and try to count all the clocks or try to figure out how they work just by looking at them.

Derek postively adored Juvia. From the moment she was born, he had devoted his life to her. He hugged her, he kissed her rosy cheeks, he cleaned every boo-boo, he soothed every fever, he wiped away every tear she shed, he made holidays magical for her, and he was strict with her when he needed to be. He loved his little girl more than anything in all the world and for her sake, there was no sacrifice too great for him.

"It's small." Juvia observed. "Any chance there are car keys in here?"

"No." He told her. "But in my opinion this is more valuable than a car."

Juvia still opened her gift excitedly. Once the ribbon and wrapping paper was torn away, she lifted the lid of the box and carefully slid out what was inside. It was a circular shaped, wooden pedestal and at the center was a mechanical and glass flower.

"Turn the key." He instructed.

Juvia turned the key attached to the pedestal, a sweet melody was played and the pink glass petals slowly opened to reveal two white doves made of porcelain.

"Oh Daddy." Juvia awed at the sight. "It's beautiful."

"I made this for your mother. She loved it so much and she kept it on her bedside every night. She said whenever she was sad, the music would make her happy again. I hope that it'll do the same for you."

"I love it. Thank you Daddy."

She hugged her father and kissed him.

"Now for my gift." Anna said.

Anna's gift was a little unexpected and unorthodox, but welocmed just the same. It was a light blue, hooded cloak. Blue had always been apart of Juvia's wardrobe, this being because one time when she was six years old and visiting her father's shop, she saw two beautiful women come in, one of which was dressed almost head to toe in green. When her friend asked her why she wore green all the time, she replied that it was because her green eyes were her best feature and the best way to your best feature glow was to wear something the same color. From then on Juvia never left the house without wearing something blue because at that age she was very proud of her blue eyes, viewing them as her best feature.

Blue shoes or a blue dress. A sweater the color of a robin's egg or a scarf the shade of heaven. A thin satin ribbon, carefully threaded through the white lace hem of a slip. It was her trademark color. Over time though, it became less of an attempt to make her eyes noticeable and more of a habit. Still, she wasn't sure if she would ever wear this cloak. She liked it, it was very pretty and the material felt comfortable but she worried that it would make her look strange or draw a lot of unwanted attention. Nevertheless, she wouldn't hurt Anna's feelings.

"Thank you Nanny." She said hugging her.

"You can try it on later." Anna replied. "For now eat your birthday breakfast and hurry on to school. The sooner you get through school, the sooner you can come home for more birthday surprises."

Derek made an uneasy look before sipping his coffee. Juvia only shrugged and happily enjoyed her cake and milk. When her treat was finished, she grabbed her blue scarf, jacket, and beret from the coat rack and put them on.

"Bye, I love you." Juvia said as she crossed the back porch.

"Love you too!" She heard two voices call back.

Before officially leaving the porch, she stopped to put on her white gloves. Gajeel, slipped through the cracked door and jumped up on to the railing, curiously watching her. Juvia smiled and scratched his head.

Technically, Gajeel belonged to Anna but he was more attached to Juvia. Most of the time, he could be a very ill-tempted thing. Hissing and clawing at nearly every person who came near, but to Juvia he was as gentle as a kitten. He would sleep at the foot of her bed and crawl up into her lap. He always purred whenever she petted him, and he would never hiss or raise a claw to her. She thought that he was the sweetest thing on four legs, though she sometimes wondered if maybe he was smarter than most cats because on more than one occasion, she could have sworn that she had seen him reading a book or watching the television as intently as a person would.

"I wonder why Nanny Anna would give me a cloak." Juvia said to the cat. "You know Gajeel, I love her to pieces but she can be a little strange sometimes."

Juvia was around the corner and out of earshot when the cat commented on a gruff voice,

"You have no idea kid."