The Girl with an Owl

Chapter 2

The Magic Within

In the following days, Ajana became the owl's nurse, and she did an excellent job. She fed him chopped meat regularly, took care not to manhandle him too much since the wildlife was pretty sensitive to that.

Also, she was great at calming the owl down when it got upset about the confined space. In consequence, a friendship formed between the girl and the owl. It was an unusual but great friendship.

Although Ajana didn't understand the owl's feelings completely, she could sense how good it reacted to her. Especially in contrast to everyone else. Even the vet who occasionally came to see if Ajana was taking good care of his patient, didn't receive the same level of trust from the owl.

Life went on, and Ajana's mother started worrying about the impending separation and how her daughter would handle it. It was a justified feeling since she had never before seen her daughter so utterly happy as she was when she was with her owl friend.

As a mother, Jessica was both sad and happy to see that. Happy because her daughter was finally able to make a connection, but also sad because it was an impossible friendship to keep.

Still, she decided not to say anything and let her daughter enjoy the happiness while it lasted.

When the time was up, Ajana wanted to make sure that the owl's wing was healthy again, so she took it to the woods by herself. She did not want anyone else to intrude on their precious moment.

That was when her life changed, drastically. It went from reality to fantasy so fast that she didn't know what was happening.

The moment she opened the box, she saw the owl looking at her, looking straight into her eyes, those big and wise orbs even more focused than usual.

Then, she heard a strange screeching voice calling her name.

She was terrified since that didn't sound like a human voice. It was something else, something the humans weren't ready to hear.

As she tried to figure out where the voice was coming from, the owl flew out of the open box and to the nearby tree branch, and that was when Ajana heard the unusual voice again.

This time, she wasn't afraid because she started realizing that the voice was her owl's. She could hear it inside her head, which made her feel utterly stunned.

Ajana wasn't sure how she knew that, but she could tell with absolute certainty that she was right.

Was she going crazy? What was happening? Was she hallucinating? Those were just some thoughts that immediately went through her head.

"Don't be afraid. You aren't going crazy. You are just starting to realize your true potential," the voice said.

"My name is Wallace, by the way," the owl said.

"It's nice to meet you," Ajana said on reflex.

Surprised as Ajana was by the turn of events, and, although she didn't understand what was happening, she wasn't afraid anymore. Her fear vanished as soon as she realized that her friend was the one talking.

"Whether you know it or not, you are special, Ajana, you are a witch. It was no accident that you were the one to find me. It was our destiny to meet. You have magic residing deep inside of you that has only started to manifest itself." Wallace said.

As Ajana only stood, with her mouth hanging wide open, Wallace went on talking.

"Your magic started manifesting slowly and not in an obvious way, but I have a special gift of sensing magic brewing in others," Wallace said.

"That's impossible." Ajana managed to say in a whisper.

"Nothing is impossible. I think we met because your magic is trying to burst out, to be free." Wallace said.

"If I have magic, why didn't I realize it sooner?" Ajana asked, regaining her normal voice.

"You must be a late bloomer. Most children develop their magic powers at the age of seven, at the latest. Getting magic in your twelfth year is not common, but it happens from time to time." Wallace said.

"What am I supposed to do now?" Ajana asked, thoroughly frightened.

"It's nothing to be afraid of, I am here to help you," Wallace said.

As an owl, Wallace was very wise, so he let all the information sink in before he moved on to other details.

Ajana just sat down on the ground, not knowing anything, who she was, where she was. Nothing she thought she knew about herself was real.

Just the day before, she was a normal girl living a relatively regular life... although people did find her a bit weird. She believed in a lot of strange things, but still, she never dreamed that she could be a magical being, a witch.

At the same time, it was a dream come true but also a terrible nightmare. Ajana loved magic, but she knew that her life would get a lot more complicated, and she wasn't sure she was ready for the change.

One of her biggest problems has always been accepting change and immersing herself in a new situation, in a new adventure. Reading about adventures was her favorite thing to do, but that was safe. Having adventures was much more dangerous and scarier.

Even if being a magical being was safe, Ajana would still have to change her whole style of living, her habits, everything. For her, that was an enormous challenge that she wasn't sure she was ready to face.

Ajana felt safe in her little bubble, and everything outside that bubble of protection was making her anxious.

She was preoccupied with many contradicting thoughts, while Wallace tried to figure out how to make it easier for her. He landed near Ajana's left hand and gently touched his, now cured wing, to her hand.

Ajana jumped, startled, but then she quickly recovered.

"I am sorry," she said.

"It's okay. It must all be so new to you and difficult to accept." Wallace said.

"Yes, it is a bit too much to understand," Ajana said honestly.

"I am very grateful for all the help you gave me and I will do anything I can to help you through this transition," Wallace said.

It felt good for Ajana to hear that she would at least not be alone through the whole process.

As she sifted through her knowledge of witches, she was sure that she wasn't an evil witch. However, she had many questions, mostly about the things she saw in the movies and heard about the witches.

Were they truth or fiction? Who was she now? Where would her life go from that point on?

The only thing she knew for sure was that there was no turning back. That brought her a sliver of excitement and a lot of fear at the same time. Dread managed to overpower the enthusiasm, but she was determined to push her fear aside and embrace what awaited her.

In her heart, Ajana knew that Wallace would be there for her and would help her get used to the new reality that lay before her. The one in which she wasn't just a regular girl, but one that had magical powers and an owl friend.

Ajana couldn't help but wonder what her next step should be and whether she was ready to take it.