The story was told to certain few the day after it happened.

    Dr. Gwen was in the Healing Ward where the doctors were about to put him to sleep for attacking one of the chosen. Just when they were about to give him the first shot, Madame Lee slammed into the room, making the double doors slam against the rust colored walls as if to create a dramatic entrance. "You can't waste innocent lives," she had announced.

    "But he attempted to murder one of the chosen," remarked the head doctor.

    "It wasn't his fault," retorted Madame Lee, "Take an x-ray of his brain. You will find a brain chip implanted there by the Rosary Kingdom. Marigold's scientists have been feeding him instructions and have been controlling his every move since yesterday. Remove it and he will become the innocent man that he is."

    "How do you know this?" one of the nurses had questioned.

    Madame Lee glared at her. "My reflection never lies," she stated coldly and with that, she had exited, the doors swinging shut behind her. The Healing Team was smart and followed her instructions. Sure enough, they found a brain chip and immediately removed it. They gave the computer scientists the chip for further investigation. Meanwhile, Dr. Gwen was left to recover, a huge bald spot and scar on the side of his head. He was lucky to be alive and owed Madame Lee his life. "Don't waist it on me," she had told him, "Use it for someone worthwhile." Later in our story, he did, in fact, use it on someone worthwhile, but now we're just ahead of ourselves.

    Now, a day later, I stood by his bedside.

    "Lilliana, I am so, so sorry," he told me sincerely, "I feel terrible."

    "But it wasn't your fault," I protested.

    "Doesn't mean I don't feel awful about it," Dr. Gwen remarked, taking one of my hands in both of his own.

    Crowose entered the room just then to check on her fiancé's recovery and wellbeing. She sat on the foot of his bed, tickling Dr. Gwen's feet. Dr. Gwen squirmed, trying to hold his laughter in. "How are you feeling, honey?" she asked, now massaging his feet instead of tickling.

    "I feel horrible about what happened," answered Dr. Gwen. The couple acted like I wasn't there, though I didn't mind, even though it was kind of awkward.

    Crowose smiled, her eyes full of sympathy, in response.

    I had gotten no injuries from the incident unless you count a small headache and a mouth full of dirt. At least this attempted murder had brought Taylor and me together again; she realized that she had been acting stupid and didn't want me to die with our last conversation an argument. At least, that's what I picked up from her apology.

    Andy had also come to me to say that the next day would be our test to figure out what weapon we would have for the war. That had been yesterday.

    Now I left the Healing Ward, leaving the two in privacy, and headed to the Training Dome. When I arrived, Taylor had come a minute before.

    "Good morning, girls," began Andy, "As you know, today you will be taking a test to figure out what your ideal weapon is. Now, all you have to do is follow a series of instructions until you solve one. The weapon that you will be assigned will be based on your power, which test you pass, and it will be yours forever. Are you ready?"

    "As ready as ever," said Taylor.

    "Ready," I said.

    "Okay, I have hidden a small blue ball in this room. Find it; it could be anywhere, enchanted or bewitched," demanded Andy.

    There weren't any hiding places that weren't obvious in the room; there were no corners and the equipment racks were made of clear plastic. That meant the ball had to bewitched, so I hovered in the air and searched for a moment with just my eyesight. Taylor was crawling around like a dog, feeling the floor, thinking that the ball could be lying around, invisible. Andy just smirked, his arms folded, tapping his foot.

    But then, something hit me. No, not a thought, but literally. Then I realized; the ball had to be invisible and enchanted to fly. It was as if Andy had set this up especially for me.

    Now I was able to hear it buzz, inches from the wall. Taylor was too low to notice anything; this was too easy. I took off, curving my body as I flew around the room, in pursuit of the buzz. I did not stop to see the others' reactions but kept flying at speeds so fast I must've looked like a blur. That ball was on a roll.

    Soon, the buzz was next to me; the ball, having felt my presence I assume, was throwing me off course. This was a pretty smart ball. I reached out my arm slowly and as I wrapped my fingers around it, the ball became visible and stopped struggling. I landed, holding the now visible sky blue sphere above my head. I would be smiling but I was panting too hard. Andy was clapping slowly as Taylor stood in disbelief. Finally, she spoke.

    "That was not fair!" she objected.

    "Life's not fair," Andy mocked, not looking at her, but at me, "Nice work, Lilliana!"

    "So, what other tests will we take?" I panted, blushing out of madness at my sister and embarrassment by Andy.

    "Well, you are only the second to pass the first test. Taylor here will keep on taking more tests until she passes," Andy informed.

    I did not look to see Taylor's expression. "Okay, then what is my weapon? When do I get it?" I continued.

    "Go find Crowose in the Spy Lab and tell her you passed the first test," Andy instructed.  I left the training dome as Andy began to give an annoyed Taylor further instructions. Sure enough, Crowose was studying blue prints in the center of the Spy Lab.

    "Lilliana," she greeted at my approach, "I didn't expect you so soon."

    "Well, I passed the first test," I said.

    "Excellent!" praised Crowose, "With your ability to fly I would've figured you passed one of the first tests. Some people have to take twenty before they pass. The fact that you aced the first one with such little skill is just . . . wow."

    I smiled. "So, what do you think my weapon should be?" I asked eagerly.

    "Hmm, let's see," Crowose said, deep in thought, "I think the TurboWind would suit you well."

    "A Turbo-what?" I repeated.

    "A TurboWind. It looks like a lacrosse stick but if you gather enough wind in it, when you aim it at someone, the force of the wind could knock them out. Just think of it like throwing a lacrosse ball," Crowose explained, "Since you can fly at such great speeds, you'll be able to gather a ton of wind in an instant."

    "Do you have any 'TurboWinds'?" I questioned.

    "Each weapon is specially crafted for its owner," Crowose explained further, "The advanced engineering team will have to make yours because only one other person has a TurboWind. How do you feel about the color sky blue?"

    "I guess I like it," I replied.

    "Then your TurboWind will be painted sky blue. Tomorrow morning, I can take you to get the measurements of your arms and you can take a test to see how much weight you can lift so that your TurboWind can be constructed as quickly as possible. Now, I've got to go up to the Healing Ward. Go enjoy yourself," Crowose instructed.

    "I will," I said and I left the lab right after Crowose.

    I found Katie sneaking into a Dining Hall kitchen, eating all the sweets she could. I snuck up behind her.

    "Don't do that!" she complained, "I almost wet my pants!"

    I couldn't stop laughing.

    Katie gave way and smiled. "Now, shh," she said, "We have to be quiet. We're technically not supposed to be here," she said.

    I snickered. "So, I discovered my weapon today!" I continued.

    "Cool!" replied Katie, spooning icing from a container with her finger. "Only the soldiers get weapons. I'm stuck with building them for other people, though it is what I love to do. So, what'd you get? Will my team be building it?"

    "No, the advanced engineering team with be making it," I said, "I passed the first test and my weapon is a TurboWind. I'm being taken to the advanced engineering team tomorrow so that they can begin to construct it."

    Katie's jaw dropped and I could see all the plastered chocolate icing coating her tongue and teeth. "No way!" she objected.

    I nodded eagerly with a smile.

    "You don't know how lucky you are," Katie explained, still not having swallowed the icing, "There is only one other person in the order who has a TurboWind."

    "Really? Who?" I asked.

    "Godwin Abington."

    "Who's that?"

    "You don't know?" Katie exclaimed, finally swallowing the icing, "He's a legend! He was actually best friends with your parents! He's the third most powerful person in the Order of the Wicked, right after Madame Lee and Crowose!"

    "Then how come I haven't met him?" I questioned.

    "Well, no body's heard from him in a while. He's somewhere in the Pine Jungle, on a secret mission," explained Katie.

    "Oh," I said, "No one knows what the mission is for or when he'll be back?"

    Katie shook her head. "He assigned it to himself and wouldn't tell Crowose. Madame Lee might know, though, because of all her magical ways."

    "Yeah, her reflection has been busy lately," I mumbled.

    "What?" asked Katie.

    "Nothing," I responded.

    Katie glanced at her watch and swallowed another blob of icing. "We've got to get to the Dining Hall!" she exclaimed suddenly, "Or we'll be late for Madame Lee's lecture! Very few people are allowed not to attend, like if they're in the middle of training or in the Healing Ward or something, and we're not one of them!" Not knowing a thing about what she was talking about, I followed my best friend anyway. As we wove our way through the kitchen, hoping not to be caught, she explained, "Madame Lee constantly gathers everyone to give them tips and strategies for the war. Today is supposed to be the most important one yet, like the others," she muttered.

    "Oh," I replied.

    When we exited the kitchen, no one noticed us. The Dining Hall was packed to the brim and as noisy as can be. Madame Lee stood on a table in the center of the very large room. Everyone sat on the benches that were connected to the tables, trying their best to face the witch. Some stood, deciding it to be easier. Once Madame Lee cleared her throat very loudly, the large room filled with all ages fell dead silent. I did not see Crowose but I knew that there was a tiny chance of even getting a glimpse of her with this many people. The witch began to speak in a loud, powerful voice as Katie and I hurriedly settled into two seats right in front of the kitchen. I was not surprised that even as far away as we were from the witch, we could still hear her loud and clear. The people right in front of her might become deaf at the end of the lecture.

    "Magic is the key to winning this war," stated the witch very slowly, cocking her head slightly and pinching her fingers with her right hand and moving them as if she were conducting an orchestra, "That's why the Rosary Kingdom does not stand a chance against us. First off, they don't have me. Second of all, they throw magic aside like garbage, believing that they are too good for it, while we cherish it! NO ONE is too good for magic! If anything, magic is too good for you. If you treat magic like a friend, it'll repay you in more ways than one, more ways than a hundred. Like I've told a certain few before, magic is not for the greedy. Magic will help all of those who are worthy. If you use your special power – you were given it for a reason, well, most of you – the outcome will be significant. Now, stand tall, stand strong, if you agree with me. And if not, let me guarantee you one thing; you may as well pack your bags now for you will not be sleeping in your dorm tonight."

    "She's kind of forcing us to agree," I whispered to Katie.

    "Yeah, and how am I supposed to us tsunamis in engineering?" she whispered in my ear.

    So far, I was the only one to stand. I stood proud and strong now, but I had come to this point very slowly. I shook so hard and so much that I swear I felt the floor vibrating. All eyes were on me, staring intently. Was Madame Lee smiling at me? I had set the example.

    One by one, very slowly and gradually, everyone else stood. There had to be over a thousand people standing, crammed, jam packed, and still a ton of others couldn't make it to the lecture, like those in the Healing Ward.

    All stood.

    But one.

    Madame Lee dragged him up by the collar of his shirt so that he stood, strong and tall, full of anything but fright (including stupidity), in front of the deadly looking witch. If he had at least looked frightened, she may have let him go. But he was confident, which made Madame Lee furious. When she got furious, she could do anything on any level of destruction. Had the man not been up front below the witch, she may not have noticed him.

    "How dare you!" she screamed in the man's face, spit flying into his eyes. He did not flinch or back down, but stared her evenly in the eye.

    "How dare you question the word of the Almighty and Powerful Madame Lee!" continued the witch just as loudly. Her shrill voice echoed throughout the headquarters, making everyone else back away but the victim. If I was shaking this much, halfway across the room from the witch, how on earth was he still standing tall?

    The man opened his mouth to object but Madame Lee had other ideas. Her eyes turned completely blood red as she opened her mouth and engulfed the man in flames. Everyone gasped, cringed, covered children's eyes, shuddered, or anything of the sort, as he incinerated and became a pile of ashes at the witch's feet. Madame Lee was fuming, her back hunched, which was so unlike her, staring down at what had once been a man.

    "And you have private sessions with her? I surely wouldn't want to go back now," Katie asked in a high pitched, squeaky voice. My eyes watered and I gulped as I nodded.

    Crowose stormed into the room just then; now all eyes were focused on her. She probably had heard Madame Lee's shrill voice when it had echoed. She stood in the doorway, her eyes ablaze with anger. "Madame Lee!" she scolded, her voice also echoing around the dead silent Dining Hall. She pushed and shoved her way through the crowd to stand before Madame Lee. Now the witch's eyes were back to normal and she was beginning to calm down, though her fists were still clenched. I couldn't tell who was more furious; Crowose or the witch. The ashes sat undisturbed at the witch's feet. I could hear a woman softly crying; she had probably been related to the man.

    "How many times –" Crowose continued her lecture, "We need to work a few things out." She reached up to grab the witch's elbow and yanked her down to the floor, Madame Lee sliding in the ashes. Crowose pulled her back through the crowd, fuming, as Madame Lee attempted to explain her case. "He didn't believe in magic – he even had a special power, teleportation, I tell you – no one disagrees with me –" Then the doors slammed shut behind them. No one knew what to do now, but stood and shifted each leg as we stood in an awkward and uncomfortable silence.