As soon as the age of fifteen, Zatanna Zatara, the daughter of famed magician Giovanni Zatara, had to come to discover not only her roots and ancestry, but also her gifted abilities and powers over magic, passed down from generation to generation. And so, she, along her cousin Zachary, had trained under her father and mentor, learning all there could be regarding the arts of sorcery and magic. She had worked hard to prove herself to not only be capable of such power, but to also use such magical abilities for good and to protect the innocent. She even worked with the likes of Young Justice, the Seven Soldiers, and the Sentinels of Magic.

And now, three years have passed, into the fourth year of her superheroic career. Upon reaching the age of eighteen, Zatanna may soon face her greatest challenge yet...

Chapter One

Location: San Francisco, California, United States

As the dusk broke and the blue hour of twilight had just begun, the city and many of its buildings were already lighting up like golden jewels, a reason why some called it "the Golden City". And even at a time as late as this, cars and people still carried on their ways as usual, the very air itself being filled with the sound of droning vehicles, murmuring crowds, and the clitter-clatter of their footsteps. Somewhere in this vast and busy city, just outside one of the finer restaurants, two young women sat opposite of each other around a small square table beneath a wide black umbrella.

One was fair-skinned with long wavy raven-black hair and bright-blue eyes, wearing a simple black silky dress that went down to her ankles and shimmered like stars or even the city lights themselves, along with evening gloves and a thin belt around her hips, both of which were in matching white. The other was more well-toned in skin, with dark-blue eyes and bright natural blonde hair tied back in a short ponytail. She wore a tight golden one-shoulder dress along with a few bracelets around each of her wrists, all of which nearly matched the colour of her hair. The two ladies continued to trade looks and smiles to each other, their plates having been emptied of their contents.

"I gotta tell ya", the blonde hummed in approval. "The place makes the best spag bol I ever had yet".

"No argument from me", the noirette agreed wholeheartedly.

"And on top of that, I really can't believe I've been dating a stage magician", the blonde blushed.

"You sure, Mikey?" The noirette questioned with a cocked brow and a subtle smirk. "I could probably do all sorts of magic tricks and illusions, and this is what you find hard to believe?"

"I mean, I must be very lucky to date someone like you, Zatanna", Mikey Dowling said. "You're like, what, sixteen or seventeen? Seventeen and a half? I forget".

"Just turned eighteen a while ago", Zatanna Zatara answered. "About two weeks to be exact".

"Oh yeah", Mikey quietly exclaimed as she snapped a few fingers, as if a memory was shot back into her brain. "I happen to be twenty anyway, but still. Had I known, I would've got ya something nice".

"Oh you wouldn't gave to, I didn't even ask for much anyway", Zatanna replied sincerely. "I wanted my eighteenth birthday to be a normal peaceful one".

Just then, a small yet dirty little idea snuck its way into Mikey's mind, causing her to grow a smile and gaze into Zatanna. "Well maybe, I could make it up for ya tonight; get ya something really nice". She quickly winked at the other girl.

Seeing that smile on her face and even catching the wink itself, Zatanna caught on to what Mikey might've had planned in store with her. "At your place?" She asked with a mix of curiosity and uncertainty.

"Yeah, my please, of course", Mikey nodded with assurance, even placing a warm hand on Zatanna's own and gently holding it. "So whaddya say?"

But before Zatanna could give an obvious answer, a faint buzzing sound went off, coming from within her small handbag laying by her right hip strapped around her left shoulder. Looking down, she unzipped the bag and pulled out her phone as its screen lit up and revealed a message:

Zach: Hey cousin, your dad wants to know if you're still busy

Recognising that Zach name and who he was referring to, Zatanna briefly huffed and rolled her eyes before she tapped away in response:

Zatanna: On a date, so yeah I kinda am

Not even another minute passed before another message popped up on screen:

Zach: He needs a bit of extra help with something

Of course he does, Zatanna thought silently to herself, rubbing her temple before leaving one last message:

Zatanna: Will be right there

"Sorry if I have to cut this date a little shorter than I would like", Zatanna said as she put her phone back in her handbag, zipped it shut, and got up from her chair. "Family business and all. Should we cut the bill between us?"

"Oh don't worry", Mikey assured. "I'll pay it all myself for ya. We can still go over to my place the next time you're available".

"Yeah sure, we can, deal", Zatanna said rapidly before leaving a light kiss on Mikey's cheek and heading off. As she carried on her way along the street, Zatanna's mind was infested with questions begging to be answered, even the ones that she could easily guess. "Ekat Em Emoh", she muttered to herself just before she disappeared in a bright silent flash and a blink of the eyes of anyone about.

To be continued...