I didn't mean to do anything. It just happened that way.

My mom came home very late that night. I stayed up reading, waiting for her. When she came home, this is probably what she saw. Me hanging upside down on my floating broomstick, banana in my mouth, reading a book with my hair out of control below me.

"Aria Katheryn!" she yelled.

"Ah!" My legs released and I fell straight down on my head. I stood there rubbing my face as I got scolded.

"How many times have I told you? That's extremely dangerous! You could have fallen when I wasn't here! You could have gotten seriously hurt!"

"The only time I've ever fallen is when you yell at me," I muttered quietly.

"What was that?" she asked in an almost evil tone.

"N-Nothing!" I said quickly. Suddenly I thought of a way to get her back. "So Mom," I said, putting on a devious grin. "Why are you home so late? Maybe if you were home for your daughter she wouldn't do things like this." She laughed and grabbed me in a hug.

"Alright you got me, you win," she said. "Some things came up at the council. Someone has a very dangerous magic item and they're on the run. We've been trying to catch them for some time now. By the way, how's school going sweetie? Is everything alright? Should I have stayed home-schooling you after all?" She looked worried.

I didn't want her to stretch herself in so many different directions, so I put on my best smile. "Everything's great mom! I'm doing good!" I lied. I so lied. Nothing was good there. No one wanted to approach me because they were afraid I knew some crazy wicked spells from my mom. And even though no one approached me, I was still the center of attention. In a bad way.

"Oh that's good," my mother said, looking very relieved. She was carrying so much pain, so why shouldn't I? This was my weight to carry after having it taken away for so long.

That weight would come to be much bigger pretty soon.

The telephone rang. My mom looked concerned. "Hello?" she answered. "Yes this is she... It's my time off. I can't-" she stopped short. "I-Is that so? O-Okay. I'll be right over. Goodbye." She hung up and looked at me, scared. "I'm so sorry, Aria. I have to go. I-I'm so sorry."

"Take me with you," I said sternly.

"Oh, honey," she said. "I don't know."

"Please, mom. I promise I won't screw up."

"Alright... Get your broomstick. Let's go."

My mother was fast. She put an agility spell on our brooms and I mounted. I took off faster than I ever had before. She was right alongside me. We rushed to the council. I prayed. Praying I wouldn't mess up. Praying I wouldn't make the situation worse. When we had arrived, I realized I was still in my school uniform. Hat and all. The look on my mother's face told me I didn't have to worry about something like that right now. We ran inside and she quickly opened the door to the main hall. I walked in and felt the eyes again. They were all looking at me, I knew it. Ignoring them, my gaze fell to the middle of the room. There was a cage. In it, was a man. He was smiling. He seemed to be losing his mind, but I could tell that wasn't quite it. No. I thought he might be planning something.

"Give up the item, Julius!" A man who looked to be in his ninety's was speaking. I assumed the man behind the bars was Julius.

He snarled. "Not it your lifetime, gramps," he retorted, the grin still on his face.

My mother herself walked to the one in question. His face seemed to loosen when he saw her.

"Perhaps not in his," she said, a small smile playing across her lips. "But you can bet it will be in mine."

He regained his composure. "Very well. Here. It. IS!" He hurled the pot-like item.

"ARIA NO!" I heard her voice a moment too late. I was already rushing towards it. I would catch it. I wouldn't mess up. I couldn't. I dove for it. It fell into my arms but the cap to it flipped off and I saw a look of horror appear on everyone's face. I screamed as it sucked me in. I could feel myself losing conciousness as I fell into darkness. Before I blacked out, I looked up. It was my mother's face. She looked terrified. She quickly threw some things in that I recognized as my broom, a spellbook, and a whistle. After that, everything went blank.