Chapter 1 : An Unwanted Mandatory Invitation STAY HIDDEN. That’s what Arcadia Sillabare was always told every day for as long as she could remember. She had lived by that rule her entire life. Her whole family did too. A long line of magic users dating back hundreds of years. Witches had to stay hidden no matter what. That was the only way to stay safe. Long, long ago, humans and witches lived with one another in peace. That was before the witch hunts. That was before the practice of witchcraft was considered sinful. After the witch hunts people did not come to their senses. They claimed that magic wasn’t real. Little did they know that forgetting magic would be one of the worst decisions mankind has ever made. Though a few attempted to keep the spark alive, telling stories of wondrous beasts and people with powers beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. But those tales are only a fragment of magic’s true power. It is impossible for anyone to understand the extent of magic. Arcadia knew that even though she was a magical being, she too would never understand magic. She’d only understand the portion of magic she could control. And that night she’d be assigned her own part of witchcraft. And be placed in a coven with people like her. She looked at the clock on the wall and smiled. 10:32. Only a few hours until the Starlight Ceremony began. A few hours until she’d be a real witch. Arcadia took a seat on her bed and decided to read, take her mind off the events coming up later that night. She flipped open a book by a human author about a girl who had to take care of her family during WW2 and eventually got ill with polio. It was something she had to read for her human school. The school she’d be dropping out of tomorrow morning. She glanced at the clock again. Only three minutes had passed. And they had been the longest three minutes of her life. Arcadia picked up the lavender envelope that sat atop her nightstand, and opened it for what was possibly the fiftieth time that night. She read the letter inside and smiled. /Dear Arcadia Sillabare, It is with great pleasure, that I, Madame Clove, shall bestow a coven and wichcraft category upon you. Bestow a place where you can be yourself. A sisterhood that cannot be broken. By life, or death. Sincerely, Madame Clove/ Arcadia flopped back on her bed, and closed her eyes, imagining what having an unbreakable bond with three other girls would be like. A bond that cannot be broken. That sounded nice. Living freely with others who were like her didn’t sound half bad. She hoped she was placed in a Healing Coven. Traveling the world and healing the sick and ill fated with magic had always been her dream. Maybe her and her soon-to-be ‘sisters’ would discover a new type of witchcraft or become famous for finding a new beast. Her black cat, Phantom, jumped on her lap and growled. Arcadia frowned. “What’s wrong Phan?” she asked, gently stroking her silky fur. Phantom sniffed the air and climbed up Arcadia’s arm, digging her nails into her owner’s skin, and sat on her shoulder. Phantom’s eyes narrowed. Arcadia stiffened. Phantom was no normal cat. She was enchanted, cursed one could say. Phantom could sense when danger was near. She only acted this on edge when something bad was about to happen… Arcadia set down the letter and cradled Phantom in her arms, rocking back and forth. Her eyes darted around the room, looking for something–anything, that was out of place. Then she let out a weak laugh. “Nothing’s here, silly.” she said, setting the cat on the floor. But Phantom’s fur was still spiked and her eyes wide. A cold winter breeze ruffled Arcadia’s dark curls and she shivered. She turned to face her window and frowned. It was wide open, though she could’ve sworn her mom had come in less than an hour before to close it… Maybe something was wrong. Arcadia gulped and stood up and went to her desk. She picked up a chain necklace with an opal and bundle of dried sage connected to it. She gripped the chain tightly and held it close to her chest. As she did, Phantom arched her back and hissed at the window. Goosebumps ran down Arcadia’s arms. Something was happening. And whatever it was, it couldn’t have been good. Then she saw something in the distance. A fiery glow coming closer and closer to her window. As the light drew near, Arcadia noticed that it wasn’t a ball of light, but instead a phoenix. Her eyes widened in awe. Never in her life had she expected to see one in person. Although she was still in shock, she couldn’t help tilting her head in confusion. Why was a phoenix coming to her house of all places? Why not a more rich or more powerful witch’s house? When the phoenix flew through the window, its light began to dim, like dying embers in a fire. Its wings shook as it flew, and the moment it reached her bed, the(+)
(+)phoenix collapsed on its side and panted heavily. Arcadia took a cautious step towards it and Phantom jumped in front of her and hissed. Arcadia rolled her eyes. “Calm down,” she said, “it’s too weak to hurt me.” The cat didn’t look that convinced, and Arcadia didn’t feel that convinced. Arcadia reached out and gently stroked the phoenix’s head. It was cold. Too cold. She drew back and whispered, “You’re not okay, are you?” She picked up a box filled with herbs and quickly rummaged through it. When she found the herb she was looking for, it was too late. The phoenix was dead. Nothing more than a pile of ashes. In the pile was a cream envelope with a blood red wax seal. Arcadia placed the envelope to the side and scooped up the pile of ashes. She blew the dark ashes into the night and said, “Be at peace.” She picked up the envelope and read the back. As she did, her face grew pale. /For Arcadia Sillabare, eldest daughter of the Sillabare House./ Oh no… /From Sir Elmondo./ “No no, no, no, this can’t be happening.” Arcadia said. The letter fell from her hands and she took a step back. Phantom padded up to her, let out a noise that probably meant, told ya so. Arcadia leaned against the wall and took deep breaths, willing that it was all a nightmare or a hallucination. Though, that was unlikely. Witches typically couldn’t hallucinate and she had been too excited for the starlight ceremony to sleep. She knew what the letter meant. She knew she was getting recruited. By the Warriors. across her room. Arcadia slid down the wall and buried her face in her hands. This isn’t real, this isn’t real, this isn’t real, she told herself over and over again. But every time she glanced up and looked at the trash, the letter was there, for all to see. The reality of it seemed fake. She was supposed to become a witch. She had trained her whole life to become a witch. And witches never got recruited. No matter what. She didn’t notice when she started crying, but soon she noticed her cheeks were sticky and wet and her throat ached. Arcadia whipped away the tears and sighed. Phantom suddenly started meowing and hissing. Arcadia glanced up and gasped. The envelope was levitating in front of her, the seal opened. It zoomed into her hands and the letter floated out of it. /Dear Arcadia Sillabare, You have been recruited to become a part of the next generation of Great Warriors. You are one of four children selected for this duty, selected to protect the world. You and three other children of the age of 13 shall begin training on December 21. The Solstice. With regards, Sir. Elmondo./ Arcadia threw the letter aside and slouched. She would never accept. She couldn’t. Not even if they took her away from her family. Not even if they took her away from Phantom. Okay, maybe if they took her away from Phantom. She knew that there was no chance of going to the Starlight Ceremony. She was just worried about her parents' reactions to the news… When Arcadia had told her parents it went both better and worse than she had expected. Her mom’s reaction was a simple, “Oh,” whilst her step dad frowned. “You got recruited by the…Warriors?” Arcadia nodded. “Er, yes. I got recruited.” “...On the night of your Starlight Ceremony?” “Correct.” Her parents exchanged a look of concern and Arcadia attempted to lighten the mood. Keyword there: attempted. “At least it wasn’t after the ceremony.” she said with a forced chuckle. Her mom frowned. “Arc, this is no time for jokes.” “I know. I thought things were a bit tense though.” “That’s because they are.” her step dad told her. “You were supposed to be placed into a coven today, not taken to a place where witchcraft is unacceptable, and they’ll force you to be something that you're not.” “I understand that, and I’m not gonna go.” Arcadia said. “Honey, I wasn’t done talking. You can’t decline. They’ll make you go there one way or another.” “Some dumb Warrior’s can’t make me do anything.” “You underestimate them. They’re smarter than you think. More manipulative. They’ll do anything to make you go, even if it’s by brutal force.” explained her mom. “See? Brutal force is dumb.” “It’s not though. They have strategies that even Einstein or DaVinchi would have never been able to come up with.” “I’m sure a few people who are only trained to fight can’t come up with things smarter than those guys.” Her step dad shook his head sadly. “Arc, could you go to your room for a second? Your mom and I need to talk.” Arcadia rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” she said, going to her room. Phantom lay curled up asleep on her bed, purring softly. Arcadia smiled and ran her fingers through the cat’s fluffy fur. Soon there was a knock on her door and she said, “Come in!”(+) Chapter continuation: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1046156490/ Previous: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1045780500/ First: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1045780500/