This story starts, not with some glamorous display or horrible tragedy, this story starts with me spilling smoothie on some girl. I should have been able to prevent this, I mean, I am a wizard after all I should have been able to, like stop time or something right? Apparently not considering the strawberry Jamba Juice splashed all over her, making her makeup run and her white shirt turn pink.
"Watch were you're going, jerk!" She shouts, causing everyone (and yes I do mean everyone, teachers, students, volunteers... you get the idea) to stare. I felt my face flush.
"I-I'm sorry!" I whimper, holding the cracked lid and orange straw helplessly.
"Yeah, you had better be! Now go get some paper towels or-" She cocks her head and stares at me, "uh, do I... Know you from somewhere?" she asks slowly.
"Uh I-I don't know..." Then it dawns on me: could she possibly be...
"Uh Alastor, where did you say you saw that aconite (a magical herb) again?" I ask my familiar, and best friend (who just so happens to be a pigmy owl.)
"I told you, I saw it right here." He replies in an exasperated voice. We were in the middle of a forest close to a farm in one of the few rural areas in Japan(this was about seven years ago, when I was nine.)
"Hey don't get all huffy with me! I was just asking a simple question!" I say, pouting slightly.
"And I was simply answering, so there's no need to start crying over it"
"Hmp! I was NOT crying!" I say indignantly.
I may not have been crying, but there was defiantly someone who was. I look around, whilst hiding my staff of coarse (no one's really supposed to know I'm a wizard.) I spot a little girl, probably about my age if not a bit younger, lying face down in the dirt and wailing. I walk over to her and hold out my hand, "are you alright?" I ask.
She looks at me with tearful amber eyes. She takes my hand and I help her up."I'm Arashi Hikami. What's your name?" I ask her.
"U-um" she says awkwardly. Then her eyes widen, "there's a bird on your shoulder!" she exclaims, gawking at Alastor.
"Hmp! I am not just any old bird!" He huffs, causing the girl to gasp.
"Wow! He can talk too?" she asks, her jaw dropped in amazement.
"Well I guess the secret's out now..." Sighs Alastor "Now Arashi, you should probably erase her memory."
"Why must I do it?" I question, "you're the one who had to open your fat beak, and besides, she's just a little girl what's the harm in her knowing? I mean she probably isn't gonna tell anyone. You won't tell anyone right?" I ask the girl.
"Tell anyone what?" she says looking confused "that you have a talking birdie?"
"No" I say hushing Alastor's indignant cry of 'I'm not just any old bird!' before it could escape his beak (I swear, he's too proud for his own good) "I don't want you to tell anyone that I'm a wizard" I say figuring that I might as well tell her because she would most likely figure it out for herself eventually anyways.
"That really wasn't the best move Arashi," sighs Alastor looking exasperated again.
"Aw c'mon Alastor. Why not?" I ask, pouting again, "It's been so long since I've told someone my secret, so just this once can we let it slide?"
Before Alastor can respond however, the girl interrupts: "Um is that the birdie's name?" she asks innocently.
That did it. Being called 'birdie' twice obviously set Alastor off, "I told you I am NOT ANY OLD BIRD!" Alastor nearly shouts, sounding very angry.
"S-sorry Alastor-kun" she says
"Alastor! Why are you being so rude?" I scold. "Sorry about him, he's pretty er proud," I tell the girl "too proud for his own good if you ask me. Hey wait a minute, you never told me your name."
"O-oh um I'm Yuumi Tanaka" she says
"Yuumi huh? It's nice to meet you." I say, grinning at her.
"I hate to break up the warm introductions," says Alastor, "but we really should be going."
"W-wait! You're leaving me?!" Says Yuumi sounding panic stricken, "p-please don't go yet!"
"W-what's wrong?" I ask, startled by her sudden change in attitude.
"I-I think I'm lost. I can't find Sissy anywhere." She says tearing up again.
"Uh okay," I say,feeling a bit lost myself, "um where did you last see your sister?"
"At our counting tree," Yuumi replies "We were playing hide and seek and I ran to go find a hiding spot and now I can't find my way back." She wails.
"H-hey don't cry, I'll help you find your way back. What's your sister's name?" I ask.
"Akira. Why?"
"Because, I need to know her name in order to cast a tracking spell" I reply.
"This really isn't a good idea Arashi" says Alastor.
"Oh shush Alastor. We can't just leave her here. We'll leave right afterwards. Now-" I mutter the spell, and slowly an image pops into my head: a girl that is probably a few years older than me, maybe thirteen, is walking around among a lot of trees calling out her younger sister's name. I know exactly where she is. "C'mon," I say to Yuumi, "she's this way."
We walk for a little while before I heard a gasp from Yuumi: "I know were this is!" she exclaimed.
"Alright," I say, "so you think you can find your way back from here?"
"Yeah my house is right over there," she points east of the clearing we're in. "But wait..." She slowly lowers her arm, "you're leaving now aren't you?" She asks, frowning.
"Yes, we will be going now" says Alastor.
"B-but will I ever get to see you again?" asks Yuumi
"Probably not..." Replies Alastor.
"Hush Alastor. Yeah I'm sure we'll see each other again." I say, grinning.
"Really? Okay but you gotta pinkie swear" she says, suddenly serious. She holds out her smallest finger on her right hand.
"Um... Okay" I reply, unused to this er... ritual and unaware of what I was supposed to do. I decide to copy what she did, and hold out my pinkie as well. She grabs it with hers and shakes.
"There, it's a promise. Now we have to meet again someday. Alright see you soon!" And then she was gone, engulfed by the trees surrounding the clearing.
Could this girl, who was staring at me with confused amber eyes, really be that girl named Yuumi from all those years ago?
Her eyes suddenly widen, and she gasps. "I know who you are! you're Arashi! You're that wiz-" I clamp my hand over her mouth (like I said, no one is supposed to know I'm a wizard...)
"Nothing to see here! Just move along." I say to the onlookers. I then quickly drag Yuumi off to the nearest empty classroom.
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