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Description
Al looked up from her comic book as Gerry climbed into the tree house. "How'd it go?"

He flattened himself out on the floor. "Give Peirce a cookie, I'm a Mystic."

"That's not so bad. I'm only one level above you." She said putting the book away.

"I can't really do anything. It took everything I had to get that crystal to even flicker. Do you know how embarrassing it is to have blood pouring out of your nose and you still can't get the first stupid rock to light up?"

"If you don't believe in yourself your magic will never flow right."

He looked up at her from under his hair. "Says you. I heard that you nearly scored the next level- was that belief?"

Al leaned back on her hands. "Okay, so, we are what we are. Even cheating I couldn't boost myself up a full level. Still made Peirce real happy."

He pushed himself up. "Wait. What do you mean 'cheated' ?"

She shrugged. "I just used a booster spell."

"How?"

"You can't tell no body."

"Who would I tell?"

She sighed and pushed the chest of snacks off to the side revealing a large book. She slid it out with some difficulty. "It was in this book. There are like a ba-jillion spells in here."

Gerry stared wide eyes at the leather bound monstrosity. "That's not one of Peirce's books is it? He'll flip!"

Al shook her head. "No, no! I found this."

"Found it where?" He pressed.

She pouted her lips. "Fine, I'll show you, but you can't tell anybody-ever." She tucked the book back into its hiding place and climbed out of the thee house. Gerry got to his feet and followed.

She lead him deeper into the forest past the over grown charred skeletons of old homes and businesses.

"You know what happened out here right? Why there is all this abandoned stuff." Al asked.

Gerry looked over all the blackened lumber. "Mom said that this used to be part of down, but that there was a gas leak and it all burned down."

Al rubbed her nose. "That's just what they tell outsiders. Way, way, back in the day, even before cars and stuff this was a pretty major haven for Magic-touched. It was also the time when it was getting just as dangerous to be a witch in America as it was in Europe. Everything had to be super secret, even in town. Well, this sorceress suddenly went off the deep end and started casting all sorts of black magic. Since she was at such a high level there wasn't much the council could do. So, they just trapped her and burned the town to the ground."

"That's terrible! She didn't get a trial or anything? That's not fair."

"She was hurting people." Al said softly pushing back some brush to reveal a hidden pathway that was already being reclaimed by nature. "I guess they got scared."

Gerry frowned. "If you're afraid, you hide or cry. You don't set people on fire."

Al shook her head. "I don't know what to tell you, it's history." She nodded up ahead then. "This is where I found the book."

Gerry stepped around her and the gapping mouth of a cave came into view. The wind created haunting howls as it crossed the opening. The sunlight only illuminated a few feet inside, but it was enough to reveal innumerous mystical scrawlings on the walls. Al fished a flashlight from her pocket and hopped closer. She shined the beam inside onto an alter made of bone and leather it was decorated with feathers, furry tails, and what might have been blood. Gerry lingered outside the cave, unwilling to step into the shadows.

"I don't think this is a good place. Why would you even go in there?"

Al shrugged. "The cave's stable. It's just a place."

Gerry shook his head. "I don't think you should keep that book. This place feels... evil."

Al rolled her eyes and stepped back into the light. "It's not the magic, Ger, it's what you do with it."

Spite grinned and picked himself up off the floor. "Learned a little human magic did you? That's adorable."

"More than a little." Al said leveling her eyes on his. "Clear this building and I'll show you exactly what I know."

Spite licked his lips. "Certainly." He looked back at the dance floor. "Scram!" He bellowed. The crowd froze looking dazed for a moment before they simply left taking whatever belongings they had with them. He looked back at Al. "Better?"

She nodded. "Much."

He smirked and kicked off his shoes. "Now," He unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it aside. "let's see how you fare when I'm prepared." He left his pants riding low on his hips.

Al frowned wondering what he hopped to accomplish by stripping. She'd seen far more attractive and interesting people in far less. He wouldn't be much of a distraction. She held open her palm and let the spell flow. Spite frowned slightly, no doubt feeling the energy in the room being drawn toward her. The spell ended and a fireball flashed to life in her hand. She wasted no time, hurtling it at her opponent. She saw him move to brace himself, but once the ball hit home the room was filled with light and smoke. Al squinted and waited to see the result of her attack, she had never had cause to use such a spell before.

Slowly the smoke cleared and her heart skipped a beat. Spite was still crouched in the same exact spot . He twitched his huge leathery wings that had shielded him from the blast, sending a layer of soot to the floor. He chuckled as he rose to his feet and beat his wings once to further clear the air. "Eh, that stung a little."

Al snorted. "And here I thought you were trying to entice me."

He pouted his lips and scratched lightly at his chest. "Is it not working?"

Al shouted another spell, this time sending a ball of ice flying through the air. Spite dug in batting the projectile away, it bounced off the ceiling and came zinging back at Al. She dove to the floor, but not before the ice glanced off of her shoulder. She yelped and gripped the spot as frost spread across her skin for a few inches.

Spite winced sucking air in-between his teeth. "I thought you could dodge that..."

She glared at him whispering a healing incantation to herself. Solids weren't going to work and he seemed immune to flame. Her shoulder healed she barely pause between than spell and the next she thrust her finger in Spite's direction unleashing a charge of energy. He tucked and rolled out of the path of destruction as the energy licked scars across the walls and floor with loud electric crackles. She followed him closely, but he managed to keep just out of the beams reach. "Be still!" she yelled.

"No!" He snapped back scrambling away. He dug his claws into the wall and climbed out of her reach before she could redirect her attack. She trailed him up the wall, but as she did the stream of energy weakened and her head throbbed. The yellow glow sputtered out as the well of her energy ran dry.

Spite dangled from the ceiling , his clawed toes buried into a beam. "You done?" He asked.

Al cupped her hand over her nose to catch the blood pouring out. It had been a long time since her last burnout. She had asked Dark for a higher thresh hold; seemed she should have been more specific as it was clearly not enough.

Spite dropped down from his roost, fanning his wings to slow his decent, but the distance wasn't great enough and he still hit the floor with quite a thud. He didn't seem injured and only took a moment to steady himself. "Well, now that that mess is out of the way." He approached effortlessly holding his arms out. "Maybe now you see it's best to just give in. I'm not a bad guy, I'm as nice as you'll let me be."

Al reached up to the necklace she was wearing and wrapped her hand around it.
He knelt down in front of her and gave her a lopsided smile. "Come on, you are all out of magic. Be smart about this, it's just the way it is." He offered her his hand. "What do you say?"

"Go choke on a dick!" Al snapped yanking her necklace off and smashing it onto the floor. He reached out to nab her, but she vanished in a puff of smoke.

Al reappeared several feet in the air. Luckily, she had stashed the other amulet under her bed so her landing was a soft one. She bounced on the mattress a few times before settling into the comforter. She stared up at the fan and let out a long exhale.

"This is going to be a huge pain in my ass."

Description
Al looked up from her comic book as Gerry climbed into the tree house. "How'd it go?"

He flattened himself out on the floor. "Give Peirce a cookie, I'm a Mystic."

"That's not so bad. I'm only one level above you." She said putting the book away.

"I can't really do anything. It took everything I had to get that crystal to even flicker. Do you know how embarrassing it is to have blood pouring out of your nose and you still can't get the first stupid rock to light up?"

"If you don't believe in yourself your magic will never flow right."

He looked up at her from under his hair. "Says you. I heard that you nearly scored the next level- was that belief?"

Al leaned back on her hands. "Okay, so, we are what we are. Even cheating I couldn't boost myself up a full level. Still made Peirce real happy."

He pushed himself up. "Wait. What do you mean 'cheated' ?"

She shrugged. "I just used a booster spell."

"How?"

"You can't tell no body."

"Who would I tell?"

She sighed and pushed the chest of snacks off to the side revealing a large book. She slid it out with some difficulty. "It was in this book. There are like a ba-jillion spells in here."

Gerry stared wide eyes at the leather bound monstrosity. "That's not one of Peirce's books is it? He'll flip!"

Al shook her head. "No, no! I found this."

"Found it where?" He pressed.

She pouted her lips. "Fine, I'll show you, but you can't tell anybody-ever." She tucked the book back into its hiding place and climbed out of the thee house. Gerry got to his feet and followed.

She lead him deeper into the forest past the over grown charred skeletons of old homes and businesses.

"You know what happened out here right? Why there is all this abandoned stuff." Al asked.

Gerry looked over all the blackened lumber. "Mom said that this used to be part of down, but that there was a gas leak and it all burned down."

Al rubbed her nose. "That's just what they tell outsiders. Way, way, back in the day, even before cars and stuff this was a pretty major haven for Magic-touched. It was also the time when it was getting just as dangerous to be a witch in America as it was in Europe. Everything had to be super secret, even in town. Well, this sorceress suddenly went off the deep end and started casting all sorts of black magic. Since she was at such a high level there wasn't much the council could do. So, they just trapped her and burned the town to the ground."

"That's terrible! She didn't get a trial or anything? That's not fair."

"She was hurting people." Al said softly pushing back some brush to reveal a hidden pathway that was already being reclaimed by nature. "I guess they got scared."

Gerry frowned. "If you're afraid, you hide or cry. You don't set people on fire."

Al shook her head. "I don't know what to tell you, it's history." She nodded up ahead then. "This is where I found the book."

Gerry stepped around her and the gapping mouth of a cave came into view. The wind created haunting howls as it crossed the opening. The sunlight only illuminated a few feet inside, but it was enough to reveal innumerous mystical scrawlings on the walls. Al fished a flashlight from her pocket and hopped closer. She shined the beam inside onto an alter made of bone and leather it was decorated with feathers, furry tails, and what might have been blood. Gerry lingered outside the cave, unwilling to step into the shadows.

"I don't think this is a good place. Why would you even go in there?"

Al shrugged. "The cave's stable. It's just a place."

Gerry shook his head. "I don't think you should keep that book. This place feels... evil."

Al rolled her eyes and stepped back into the light. "It's not the magic, Ger, it's what you do with it."

Spite grinned and picked himself up off the floor. "Learned a little human magic did you? That's adorable."

"More than a little." Al said leveling her eyes on his. "Clear this building and I'll show you exactly what I know."

Spite licked his lips. "Certainly." He looked back at the dance floor. "Scram!" He bellowed. The crowd froze looking dazed for a moment before they simply left taking whatever belongings they had with them. He looked back at Al. "Better?"

She nodded. "Much."

He smirked and kicked off his shoes. "Now," He unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it aside. "let's see how you fare when I'm prepared." He left his pants riding low on his hips.

Al frowned wondering what he hopped to accomplish by stripping. She'd seen far more attractive and interesting people in far less. He wouldn't be much of a distraction. She held open her palm and let the spell flow. Spite frowned slightly, no doubt feeling the energy in the room being drawn toward her. The spell ended and a fireball flashed to life in her hand. She wasted no time, hurtling it at her opponent. She saw him move to brace himself, but once the ball hit home the room was filled with light and smoke. Al squinted and waited to see the result of her attack, she had never had cause to use such a spell before.

Slowly the smoke cleared and her heart skipped a beat. Spite was still crouched in the same exact spot . He twitched his huge leathery wings that had shielded him from the blast, sending a layer of soot to the floor. He chuckled as he rose to his feet and beat his wings once to further clear the air. "Eh, that stung a little."

Al snorted. "And here I thought you were trying to entice me."

He pouted his lips and scratched lightly at his chest. "Is it not working?"

Al shouted another spell, this time sending a ball of ice flying through the air. Spite dug in batting the projectile away, it bounced off the ceiling and came zinging back at Al. She dove to the floor, but not before the ice glanced off of her shoulder. She yelped and gripped the spot as frost spread across her skin for a few inches.

Spite winced sucking air in-between his teeth. "I thought you could dodge that..."

She glared at him whispering a healing incantation to herself. Solids weren't going to work and he seemed immune to flame. Her shoulder healed she barely pause between than spell and the next she thrust her finger in Spite's direction unleashing a charge of energy. He tucked and rolled out of the path of destruction as the energy licked scars across the walls and floor with loud electric crackles. She followed him closely, but he managed to keep just out of the beams reach. "Be still!" she yelled.

"No!" He snapped back scrambling away. He dug his claws into the wall and climbed out of her reach before she could redirect her attack. She trailed him up the wall, but as she did the stream of energy weakened and her head throbbed. The yellow glow sputtered out as the well of her energy ran dry.

Spite dangled from the ceiling , his clawed toes buried into a beam. "You done?" He asked.

Al cupped her hand over her nose to catch the blood pouring out. It had been a long time since her last burnout. She had asked Dark for a higher thresh hold; seemed she should have been more specific as it was clearly not enough.

Spite dropped down from his roost, fanning his wings to slow his decent, but the distance wasn't great enough and he still hit the floor with quite a thud. He didn't seem injured and only took a moment to steady himself. "Well, now that that mess is out of the way." He approached effortlessly holding his arms out. "Maybe now you see it's best to just give in. I'm not a bad guy, I'm as nice as you'll let me be."

Al reached up to the necklace she was wearing and wrapped her hand around it.
He knelt down in front of her and gave her a lopsided smile. "Come on, you are all out of magic. Be smart about this, it's just the way it is." He offered her his hand. "What do you say?"

"Go choke on a dick!" Al snapped yanking her necklace off and smashing it onto the floor. He reached out to nab her, but she vanished in a puff of smoke.

Al reappeared several feet in the air. Luckily, she had stashed the other amulet under her bed so her landing was a soft one. She bounced on the mattress a few times before settling into the comforter. She stared up at the fan and let out a long exhale.

"This is going to be a huge pain in my ass."