The Magic Pawn Series: The Discovery (Volume 1)

Chapter 3: Dream or reality?

I was already in bed dressed in some very short pink pyjama pants and a tight white tank top when someone knocked on my door. I opened it without even thinking to ask who it was and when I saw Eric my first reaction was to run my hand through my scruffy hair. How childish of me... as if he would pay any attention to me.

But he was. He scanned me from head to toe for a few seconds without saying anything.

'I have something for you', he said as he was pulling something out of his pocket. 'Meya wanted me to give you this. This belonged to your mother.'

A tone of questions flooded my mind when I heard about my mom. Why had she given me up for adoption? How did she look? What about my father?

I took the necklace and I sighed. I looked at the crystal locket in the shape of a half-moon. Eric offered to help me put it on. I turned my back at him and jumped out of my skin when I felt his fingers touching me. He brushed my hair aside and locked the necklace. That is when we both remained quiet but you could cut the tension in the air.

'Aaa...Thank you. But why didn't Meya bring it to me herself?'

'She was on her way to see you. Since my room is right next to yours, she gave it to me. Oh, and also...She hopes that your lessons can start next week.'

'Why so late?'

'She is pretty busy. She has many things to do.'

I sighed. Maybe this was just my impression – and a wrong one – but Meya seemed to be avoiding me as much as she could. Or perhaps she was really busy. Aaron always got her doing things.

'That's all. Sleep tight Katelyn.'

'Good night to you, too', I told him as I was trying to force a smile.

I was going to have to wait for at least another week before I would be initiated into the art of magic.

'And stop being sad! P.S.: nice pyjamas', he said and then left.

'I am not sad, I shouted behind him although I knew this was a lie.

I admit that Eric intrigued me. But it would have been superficial of me to stress out about him. So what if he looked incredibly hot? So what if he told me that I have nice pyjamas? He was probably just trying to be nice, just that...And then I let myself go to the world of dreams. A world created by my own feelings starting from the most hidden fears to the most powerful desires.

I woke up facing the half-moon. I pulled up in a seated position and felt the soft sand under my palms. The air was cold and my hair was blowing powerfully in the wind. As I was checking out the place I got frightened.

How did I get so close to the beach? Is this some incredibly stupid joke? No, it could not have been.

And yet I was not in my bed, in my room. I was on the beach. I got up on my feet and stared at the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. The sense of fear soon vanished and was replaced by a feeling of pleasure. The fear had turned into excitement. This combination of colours, this indescribable mixture where the lightning bolts took on different shapes and gave a fine shine to the veil stretching from one side of the beach to the other, was more than my eyes could stand.

It seemed to surround the entire island. It was striking how it seemed that the mixture of colours touched the sky turning it into a coloured glass city. I felt hypnotised by that surreal beauty. Unable to resist temptation, I came close to it. It was turning instantly from deep yellow to a strong red and had black-golden stripes imprinted on it which seemed to form some kind of a labyrinth. The lightning bolts that were crossing it from above made it come alive.