All Things Magical

Chapter 1

   Magic. Some people believe in it; others don't. It takes a special kind of person to put faith in something they know nothing about and have no assurance that it even exists. I am not one of those people, because unlike them, I know a lot about magic. I know with every fiber of my being that it's real. It's all around us. Witches, vampires, werewolves.... They're all very real. I should know, I am one.

   I rolled out of the way of her snapping jaws. She rounded on me, snarling. I got to my feet and growled my own challenge. She lunged at me, white fangs gleaming. I pulled my limbs in close, ducking low to the the floor. Her brown furred form flew over my head.
   I jumped up and threw myself at her. She bucked as I landed on her back. My jaws clamped down on her ruff as I pinned her beneath me. She squirmed in my grasp, only giving up when she realized she was trapped. I let go and hopped in front of her.
   'Since when did you get so good?' Her voice sounded in my mind.
   'Come on, Mom.' I nipped at her shoulder. 'You've been training me to fight as a wolf since I was a kid.'
   She nuzzled me affectionately. 'I know. I'm just proud of you. You've come a long way.'
   I yipped and wagged my tail. 'I had a good teacher.'
   A clearing of someone's throat drew my attention to the door. A man with dark brown hair and eyes to match smiled down at us. I shifted into human form and caught him in a hug. "Dad, you should've seen me. I totally beat Mom's butt."
   My father raised an eyebrow. "Really?" He looked behind me. "You weren't going easy on her, were you?"
    Mom came up behind me and put a hand on my shoulder. "No, she really did beat me, fair and square."
   "In that case," Dad grinned at me, "I'll make your favorite for supper."
    I hooted, "Sweet! Spaghetti!" Dad nodded then walked off to the kitchen.
   My mother kissed me on the cheek. "Good job today, Katie."
   I gave her a broad smile. "Let's go get something to eat." I trotted off after Dad.

   My plate sat empty in front of me. With my stomach full I leaned back in my chair and heaved a blissful sigh. "Dinner was great, Dad. Thanks."
   "It was my pleasure," he smiled. "Don't forget about Saturday."
   I lifted my head and looked at him. "Don't worry, I wouldn't miss it for the world."
   "I bet you're happy, it's the last one," Mom chimed in, still eating her spaghetti.
   I nodded. "Definitely. Nearly seventeen years of these examinations. In my opinion they shoulda dropped this stuff years ago. None of our powers have changed since we hit puberty. That's when the normal magical creatures powers really kick in so it seems like we're right on schedule."
   "You can't blame the count for being cautious," Dad said, "You and your friends are some of the most powerful teens in the country. The least you can do is attend a check-up every couple of months."
   For the past seventeen years of my life I've lived here. A no name town on the east side of Tennessee. And for the past seventeen years I've had to go into the city to the magic council's headquarters and let them run all sorts of tests on me. None have ever been painful but they could be quite invasive.
   Think of these 'check-ups' as a physical you'd get done so you can sign up for sports except every three months for your entire life. And each test comes with a long list of personal questions that boarder on inappropriate. 'How much did you eat for breakfast?' 'When was the last time you had a regular bowel movement?' 'Have you recently been involved with anyone sexually?'.
   They can get pretty weird. Lucky for my a few years ago they assigned me a new doctor. Dr.Flynn, a necromancer and a really great person overall. She's been very understanding and helpful in the past. She always makes light of the invasive questions and doesn't put a lot of pressure on me to answer them. The guy before her always sounded like he was reading from a drilling manual when he spoke to me. Safe to say Dr.Flynn is my favorite, mostly because she actually has a personality.
   "Yeah, I know. I'm just really happy this is the last one." I stood up, grabbing my plate. "I'm going to bed early. I've got a chemistry test in the morning." My dad kissed my forehead when he got up.
   "Goodnight, sweetie," Mom chirped from her seat. I said my good nights and went up to my room.