In his own lab, Hexton was plotting something bad. My family and I didn't know that he had a grudge against us Shadowtons ever since my mother favored my father over him.

Hexton: I can't believe she dumped me for that monster. Those burned houses showed my anger and yet my message was not clear.

He had also heard of the alchemist's book and decided to use the formulas inside it to get rid of my father. But he also knew I had it, which explains why he was in my room earlier. He was looking for it! But since I hid it and locked it away, he couldn't get it.

Later that day, I setted off for the park. This gave Hexton a chance to try and search for the book. But when he reached my room, he saw that my bedside cabinet was open and the book was gone. That was because I had the book with me.

Meanwhile, I got to the park, but was surprised to see Tom.

Neil: Hey, Tom! What are you doing here? And where's your sister?

Tom: She's in the bushes and Mom told her to take me with her.

Neil: Cindy, what's the matter? Please come out from there.

Cindy: I can't! You'll laugh at me!

Neil: Don't worry, Cindy! I'm your friend! You can tell me anything.

Well, when Cindy came out, I was surprised to see her blonde hair had turned to sticks and her skin had changed to a tree bark color.

Neil: (gasps in shock) Holy rabies! What happened to you?

Tom: She tried to make an old tree better and this happened.

Cindy: I haven't been like this since I asked to be loved like a tree.

Hmm! This was strange, indeed! I took the alchemist's book out of my backpack and looked for a remedy for the problem. I didn't find a formula recipe, but I did find a word I never saw before: Disperse. The page said it can cancel any nearby spells. All I had to do is to spread my arms wide in the air and say the word. So, I did!

Neil: Disperse!

In a flash, Cindy's hair and skin color changed back to the way they were before. Cindy and Tom were surprised!

Tom: He can do magic! Cool!

Magic? I couldn't believe it! That's when I realized the book wasn't just an alchemist's book, it was a book of magic.

After that shocking surprise, I told my new friends about my past.

Tom: You're from Transylvania?

Cindy: But what about the monsters that people say lived there?

Neil: Oh, they aren't mean and scary like some people say. In fact, they were scared of humans just like humans are scared of them. But I'm sure it's all just a misunderstanding.

Cindy: They're scared of humans?

Neil: Yes! When I lived there, I had lots of monster friends but no human friends. No human ever wanted to be my friend. I felt like the odd one out.

To my surprise, Cindy and Tom felt sorry for me. In fact, they understood how I felt because, little did I know, they were from a different world.

Tom: You're not the only one, Neil! Cindy and I felt the same way too.

Well, what Tom said had me puzzled! I wondered how Tom and Cindy could feel out of place like me. I was still stumped about it when I got home from my day in the park with them, later in the evening.

But that wasn't the only thing I was puzzled about! If what Tom said about me doing magic was true, then there was only one thing to do: ask my parents if I inherited some magic from someone. I asked my dad about this and here's what he told me.

Mr. Shadowton: When a Shadowton becomes of age, he or she will develop his or her powers. I use to have powers too, but a wicked witch cast a wicked spell on me when you were still a kid and my powers were gone forever.

I felt sorry about my dad losing his powers! But knowing that I can do magic now was even more surprising. I knew I had to use my new found magic for good and I had to hide it from my schoolmates. You see, I had been told that if anyone found out about it, they might use the magic for selfishness.

This is going to be quite a challenge because I have to practice my magic and try to impress Cindy without letting anyone know that I can do magic.

But little did I know was that, somehow, Hexton had found out that I had the magic book with me throughout the day.

Hexton: If I can get my hands on the book, I would get my revenge on that Mr. Shadowton. But how can I get it if Neil is always attached to it?