"Wait! Where are you going? Class is about to start."

"So? Nothing I learn in school is really that helpful, so why should I care?" I was in the middle of skipping class when Eden (the teacher's pet) noticed my sneaking out the back way.

"You're going to get into trouble if a teacher sees you skipping class!," Eden crossed her arms and sighed," And anyways, you've already been caught multiple times skipping!"

"Yeah, but they won't find out if you don't say anything," I said. Eden hesitated, obviously thinking about it. "Please, just this one time vouch for me, after this I'll quit skipping for a while" I pleaded. Eden looked away.

"Fine! Just don't do it again," Eden ordered. Eden cleared her throat to signal that this conversation was over, and she never wanted to mention it again. "Anyways, I have to go to class, I'll tell Mrs. Figgins that you were sick or something," Eden turned around and trekked back to class, leaving me all alone. Which was my plan all along. I slipped out the back door with their notebook and backpack. I raced through the forest and headed to a meadow behind the supermarket. I began unpacking their backpack. Instead of school supplies you would expect to see in there, there were candles, herbs, and old hard cover books describing magical creatures and how to summon them. I was determined to see something mystical, like a fairy or elf, or anything honestly.

I set down the candles and opened the book to page 34, the page required to see traces of magic. If any creatures were here in the past hour, I would leave a trail of magic (that's what the book said, let's hope it's right) 

I read through the book and followed all instructions extremely carefully.

And for a moment, nothing happened. Puzzled, I skimmed the page to check if I had messed up anything. Suddenly, bursts of color shone in the sky. Blue, gold, violet, and all the colors of the rainbow lit up the sky. Ari looked onward in awe, but then it stopped.

Sitting there, disappointed and disoriented, I stared at where the lights took place, wondering what made them stop. 

"There's that little she-devil!" I looked up to see Ms. Kahl putting her hands on her hips.

'God why did they have to be here now?'  I thought to themselves

"It's actually they-devil," I glared at Ms. Kahl until my mother interrupted.

"Hey kid, what did you learn at school today?" Which was code for,"Why did you skip again?"

She knew I skipped. She used to do the same, but instead of summoning monsters (or, trying to), she was going to parties and drinking.

"Hey Celeste, today at school we learned how become mindless slaves to an unfair society," I said, innocently. Which was code for, well, nothing.

"Great! That'll come in handy." Then, my mother turned to Ms. Kahl, "Thanks for helping me find Ari, Susan"

"Yeah Susan, thanks," I stuck my tongue out at her a ran away.

"Hey wait up!" Celeste chased after me, and soon we were racing each other to the main street. I soon stopped running and threw my hands up in the air and cheered.

"Ha! I won!" 

"Hey wait a minute Ari! I didn't know we were racing!" Celeste pretended to pout and failed to suppress a smile

"We should do this more often," I said.

"Definitely" My mom smiled.

About 4 hours later, I was in my room reading a book I picked up out of the library, when I noticed a car pull up in the drive way to our "house", which was more like a pitiful hut. The car was playing loud music, and had people piled into it. I saw my mother walk out side to greet them, and she kissed one of them, and my heart sank. Celeste had a Terrible taste in men. Especially the last one she dated, I cringed just thinking of him. He never treated us well. But before I could relive those memories, a knock from my door dragged me out of my thoughts.

"Hey, Ari, I'm going to go out with some friends, so you're going to have to make your own dinner," again," I'll be back by 10" She turned to leave.

"Who was he?"

"Just a friend, and remember I'll be back by 10." 

Even though she left me alone to join her friends, and I felt so betrayed and hopeless, I just waited at my window waiting for her to come back.

But when it hit 10:30 on the clock,

she was nowhere to be seen.