I looked around, feeling the walls, and I looked up at the floor. The room I was in was upside down. There was nothing else in the room besides the contrivance, and I. How am I upside down...yet I can touch the floor...?? I tried to look around for a door, but I couldn't find one. I can't tell whether I'm dreaming, or I'm in a parallel dimension...

I opened my right hand and the sphere floated just above my palm. "Now what am I supposed to do?" I wondered. The sphere twinkled, and turned pink and orange, like a starry evening sky. I tilted my head. What was this trying to tell me?

Magic did hear me. It floated from my hand and landed on the wall. A small click was heard and an archway appeared out of nowhere. The dark tunnel did seem a bit misleading... but I swallowed my nerves, and walked forward, the sphere following me, and it landed on my neck, a black string appearing on it like a necklace.

The crystal floated in front of me, giving me light as I walked along the path. Feeling foolish, I asked it. "Where are we going?" It blinked twice and tugged at my neck as if telling me to just keep following. I raised an eyebrow, holding it in my hand, and then all of a sudden, the crystal suddenly removed itself from my neck and hurried along. I ran as fast as I could to keep up with it.

"Wait!" I yelled, speeding after it. "I can't believe this! I finally acquired something, that may or may not be the answer to my questions, and I'm going to lose it! Can anything else go wrong?!" That was the wrong question to ask. The floor slid out from underneath me, turning itself into a slide, and I let out a scream as the slide plummeted me faster, and faster into nothingness.

My heart got stuck in my throat, then the crystal shone so bright, that I had to cover my eyes. When I opened them, I was surrounded by a bubble, floating in a chasm. I looked around. Scriptures in a language that I couldn't understand marked the wall, gleaming with magic. What is this place? My mind was spinning, and giving me a headache.

I placed my hands along the walls of the bubble, and it floated forward, before coming to a stop. Glancing down, I saw a group of hooded figures. They were surrounding a table, with a pink drawing on it, shining brilliantly. Looking closer, I saw that the drawing resembled the same crystal that was around my neck. I clasped my hand around it.

The crystal... those people... what are they after? A manicured hand with red polished nails hovered over the drawing. "Let the chosen one be revealed!" The crystal shone with bright light, and the bubble popped, yet I floated down to the ground, light as a feather. I heard meticulous gasps all around.

"This human girl is the chosen one??"
"What trickery is this??"
"Enough of these lies!"

"Stop." A female voice interrupted the banter. The hooded female walked closer to me and pointed to my neck. "You are wearing one of the most powerful magic gemstones. If evil entraps the jewels, magic will be lost forever. Do you agree to ensure that evil must not obtain the crystal around your neck, to protect and maintain peace and goodwill throughout the universe?"

I nodded. "Yes, I will protect magic with my life." I clasped my hand around the pink crystal, feeling inner strength and power surging through me... then I blacked out, falling to my knees with a soft groan. The female held me up. "Are you alright?" I nodded, weakly. "Just dizzy..." She placed her hand on my forehead. "You need rest. I will send you back home, Mage." I closed my eyes as her magic activated, and I was back home, in bed. Sitting up with a groan, I softly touched my head, and slowly looked around my room.

"Well, that wasn't a dream." I opened my right hand and the crystal floated just above my palm. "Magic... creatures wanting power..." I closed my hand. "Well, I know one thing. If I'm ever going to prevent whoever is out there from stealing all the good in the world, I'm going to need some practice... but first, I need to get some sleep."

I lifted the covers under my neck, and curled up in bed, staying awake, yet thoughtful. I gazed at the crystal, in amazement, the pink glow of magic shining under the covers.

The next morning, I awoke to the smell of coffee brewing. I sniffed the air. Mmm... I walked downstairs, the smell of vanilla bean coffee filling my nose. I wasn't an avid caffeine addict, but once in a while, I liked a good vanilla bean.

I opened my palm, and the sphere floated just above it. I smiled, marveling at my power, and I was so distracted by its beautiful glow, that I didn't notice Bryan standing in the kitchen wearing my apron, and cooking at the stove. I quickly lowered my hand, and the sphere disappeared inside my palm.

I giggled a little. "That apron doesn't suit you." I joked. He turned to me with a laugh. "Good morning, to you too, sleeping beauty." The smell of eggs and bacon wafted into my nostrils and made my mouth water. "Mmm, that smells delicious." I paused for a moment and stared at Bryan. "Hey, how did you get into my apartment?" He laughed. "If I told you, I'd be in trouble." I stared at him. Oh boy, here we go... I raised an eyebrow. "Try me," I smirked. What is this guy getting to?

He shook his head. "I'm serious. I can't divulge any information. My secrets are my secrets and no offense, but I'm not entirely sure whether or not I can trust you with a secret this powerful." I gaped at him. "Okay then... suit yourself, I guess..." Taking out some plates from the cupboards, I set them down on the coffee table in front of the television. Bryan sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You're not going to let this go, are you?" He told me, setting down a vanilla bean coffee mug in front of me, and a black coffee for himself.

I shrugged. "No, I honestly don't mind. Besides, if I would mind, I would be prodding more. It's not a problem." I smiled at him. "Thanks for the coffee. How did you know vanilla bean is my favorite?" He shrugged. "Lucky guess?" I side-eyed him, as he piled the plates with bacon and sunny side eggs. Hmm... there's definitely something strange going on... I mused mentally.