An Enchanted Friendship

Chapter 5 - Gruequix

As I had gotten down from the attic I pulled up the stairs and closed the hatch before I threw myself onto my bed, still in disbelief of what I had just witnessed. What should I need help with from a witch like Zi. And how do I even call her? I laid down and pulled the duvet over me and decided I was going to take a nap. Maybe this was a dream after all...

—Eliza! I heard a distant voice shout my name.
—Eliza! Everything's purple, and the purple is turning darker and darker.
—Eliza! I now hear little disturbing whispers.
—Eliza! Mom shouted.
I woke up abruptly to see mom standing in my door.
—Eliza, did you fall asleep? I've been calling you so many times, dinner's ready.

Mom just made quick-noodles cause she was tired from work.
—So, still not made many new friends yet? Mom asked.
—No... I replied.
—Well if you want me to I could have a little talk with their parents or something-
—No! No, mom, please don't... I can make friends myself.
I looked through the window behind mom out of boredom. Suddenly, a head showed up from underneath the sill. Must be a some kind of animal... I was about to tell mom that there was an animal behind her. But I realized the head seemed strange. It didn't seem to be the head of an animal I knew of. The creature turned its head up... I jumped a little when I saw it's weird, creepy face.
—What is it..? Mom asked as she was about to turn her head and look.
I couldn't let mom see this!
—Uh- So, how was work today? Did anything special happen? I asked her.
—Oh, well... It was pretty normal today, except for that a college of mine...
I looked at the creature once in a while but mainly at mom so she wouldn't suspect anything.
The creature raised one of it's arms and I knew it was planning to knock on the window. Fortunately, a sudden glittery light-beam knocked it down! It was Zi!

I watched as Zi fought bravely with her magic skills. The creature's attacks were quick, but she managed to dodge every time. It was so much bigger than her. She aimed her wand at the creature and placed her feet solidly onto the ground before she attacked the creature with a big light-beam. Mom noticed the light behind her and turned around. Oh no! How's mom going to react to a little witch fighting a big creature outside our house! I got scared, so I closed my eyes.
—Hm! I think that was a lightning! Eliza, could you go unplug the TV?
I opened my eyes and saw that Zi and the creature was gone.
—Huh... Oh, yeah!...
I went to the living room to unplug the TV and I looked out the window to see if they could still be out there.
—Hey! Zi jumped up in front of me and scared me.
—Zi, what was that!? I whispered.
—Well, that was a Gruequix, a creature of my world. You see, every time the necklace gets worn, a portal to my world opens to get me through. But since the portal stays open, any other creature can also come through. So there might be more creatures than just that one... Zi explained.
—What!? I whispered loudly.
—Eliza, can you find the plug? Mom asked from the kitchen.
—What- oh yeah, it was just hidden behind the TV-stand, heh...
After dinner I went up to my room and locked the door to talk more with Zi about the situation.
—I will try my best to defeat all the creatures... Zi said.
—But I'll need some help from you too, I can't handle all those creatures alone!
I didn't know what to say...
—Look, I get that you're scared of those foreign, scary creatures like the Gruequix, but these things can take over your weak, magic-less world!
—Alright.. I said
—I'll try to help. But, how am I supposed to defeat them as a human being...?
—I'll train you! I can teach you some defense and attack spells!
—Wait, humans can learn magic spells? I asked.
—Well yes of course they can!
Zi pulled out a pile of cards out of her pocket.
—Pick a card out of this pile.
I was confused. Were we really going to play card-games now?
I picked out a card. On the card was an illustration of a mermaid manipulating water to go around and over her.
—Okay, now just say: Axio
I wasn't sure of what was going to happen, but I could at least try.
—Axio! I said loudly
The card dissolved into my hand and blasted out a beam of water that fell back onto me.
—Ahh! I screamed.
I was all soaked! Zi just laughed at me so I started laughing too.
—Maybe it's better to do this outside. She suggested.
—You don't say...

It's early Tuesday morning and I'm off to school. I haven't heard anything from Zi after the spell training yesterday.
—Alright class, so I have not been talking about this before cause I first heard this yesterday evening. But we will be having a new student with us today! The teacher said.
The door opened and a girl in a purple blazer and with red-ish brown, short hair came into the classroom.
—Everyone, this is Zarah. Will you all welcome her?
—Welcome Zarah.. Everyone said in choir, but they really didn't seem to mean it...
Zarah was seated right beside me and the class begun.
—Psst...Eliza.
—I turned to my right to see Zarah whispering to me. But wait, how did she know my name? And that voice seems so familiar... No... Could it really be...
—Zi!? I whispered in shock.
—Okay, then you can get your English books and turn up to page 74. Eliza if you could share your book with Zarah that would be really nice. The teacher said.
I got my English book and turned up the page to then continue the conversation with Zi.
—Why are you here? And why do you look like that!?
—So I've tracked some abnormal non-earthly activity here in the school... I think there could be a Gruequix somewhere here! Zi said.
—What!?
—I transformed into a human form so I could try and look for where the Gruequix could be hiding. She explained.
—Meet me outside at the end of the day, if we're gonna fight a Gruequix we can't do it with people around.