The Legacy (Camren)

Chapter One

Seven years ago, Lauren Jauregui thought she was just like any other normal ten year old girl in the world. She had a beautiful home with her family in sunny Florida, friends to play with after school every day, and enough toys to last until her great, great grandchildren had great, great grandchildren of their own.

She never would have expected anything in her life to be out of the ordinary, except perhaps the few times when strange events occurred in her house hold, and no one could put their finger on why or how they'd happen.

There was one time when she'd come in from the park with her friends. Her father had just come home from a long day at work and was practically exhausted. Lauren could hear him shuffle into the living room and sit down on the couch. Seconds later, he mumbled something about not being able to reach the television remote. Lauren hurried to the scene to fetch the remote for her father, who she loved very much, but when she reached the living room he was already comfortable on the couch, the channels changing seemingly by themselves as he flicked his finger at the screen.

There was another incident where the youngest of the Jauregui children, Taylor, had a cat stuck in a tree. Lauren was the first to offer help, obviously, seeing as though she was the oldest and therefore in charge, but her mother refused and told all of the kids to stay in the house. She left in search of the cat and came back some moments later with the creature in her hand, but no ladder or step stool had been used to remove the animal from the tree in the front yard. Lauren's mother was instead clutching an old, dusty broomstick in her opposite hand.

"Do you think she flew up there on her broomstick to get Annabelle out of that tree?" The middle child, Chris, joked.

Lauren thought that perhaps, yes, her mother had done exactly that, but then she thought better of it. That was impossible.

The strangest memory that Lauren had of her parents' peculiar behavior was one night after she'd suddenly awoken in need of a glass of water. It was late, well past midnight, and everyone should have been in bed to prepare for school and work the next day, but as Lauren descended the staircase, she could see the faint glimmer of a light coming from the kitchen. She slowed her pace and pressed her tiny body to the wall, silently moving so she could overhear the conversation her parents were having.

"We have to tell them eventually," her father, Michael, was whispering. "Lauren is almost eleven. She should be receiving her letter of acceptance any day now."

"Oh, can't they just live normal lives?" her mother, Clara, pleaded desperately. "You know I want them to see what the other world is like, but it's so dangerous, especially since Lauren-"

"No," Mike interrupted. "We decided not to talk about it. Ever."

"But if she goes, she'll find out anyway. That's why I want them to stay here! Live normal lives, have normal kids, never have to worry about any kind of trouble except for getting to work on time in the mornings."

"And you think that's fair?" Mike snapped.

There was a pause and Lauren peered around the corner. Her mother was seated at the dining table while her father paced back and forth.

"Do you remember your childhood, Clara?" Mike asked quietly. "Living on the countryside in London, taking the train to school every year, learning spells and potions. It's every child's dream. We've kept it from them long enough."

"The train leaves from London, Michael. How do you expect we get there every year?" Clara added just as softly.

Mike turned and shook his head. He had determination written all over his face. It was a look Lauren had seen many times before when she'd gone into his study to take him coffee while he was in the midst of his work. Whatever they were discussing, Mike really wanted to win.