"You can't hide in the toilet forever." Emerald turned around to face me "What did you think was going to happen? We've been through this before Casey, you can't pretend like this!" As much as I hated to admit it, Emerald, Em for short, was normally right. She had a lot more experience with all this than I did.

"I'm just going to do it Em, why can't I?" Em gave me the disapproving look that she'd been giving me a lot recently, it had almost become second nature to her.

"Do you need me to give you a list of reasons? Or are you going to stop living in denial? Casey stop!" I snapped my head back towards her at the sound of her alarmed tone, and realised she was looking at the symbols which had started glowing on the wall behind me which had started to get brighter and brighter along with my anger. "This is why Cas." Em looked at me apologetically. That was another look I had been getting a lot recently.

I hated that look. Everyone that knew me and knew our secret had been giving me that look. My anger flared slightly. It wasn't Em's fault. But that didn't make it any easier. I took a deep breath and focused on controlling my emotions. I had been blessed, I was a lucky one, I couldn't complain. I wasn't allowed to complain. That's all I had been told when I first started showing my powers.

Emerald was my guardian. My angel. I don't just mean that in the sense that she's a great friend and she's always there for me. Emerald had been assigned to me when I was born, unbeknown to my family or to me. We had become fast friends when we were younger and had been practically inseparable since then. Now that I had started to show my powers, Em would be key in helping me train and control them, while helping me adapt to all the new rules that I had to follow, which is why I was currently hiding in a toilet stall at school.

"Em, you know I've been building myself up to this for months! I finally got the courage to ask Alfie out, and now you're telling me that I'm not allowed to?" I turned to face my best friend. "Explain this to me again, why do I end things with Alfie?"

"Magus are allocated a soulmate at birth, trying to avoid that fate will only lead to harder times for you later on Cas, you know this already." Em moved past me to lean against the row of sinks. "Someone is about to come in, I can't stop you carrying on with Alfie, Cas, but just know that it will be hard for you, and for Alfie when you inevitably have to break his heart." Em finished just as another girl wandered into the bathroom. As an angel, Em was older than she appeared. Even though she was in the body of a 17 year old, angels wouldn't be assigned their first Magus until they had completed their 100 years of training at least. I was Em's first Magus, and Em had told me that she was around 110 years old, which was relatively young for angels. Em had complete control over her powers, some of which I shared with her. For example, I should have been able to sense that girl approaching the bathroom, but I was too distracted in my own head to be looking.

While I was thinking of this, Em had turned to look in the mirror as the girl had walked in, and fixed her long golden brown hair which had just started to reach the middle of her back. Her eyes were watching me in the reflection as if warning me not to say anything which would give my secret away to anyone else. I had a year left of school and couldn't mention any of my newfound powers to anyone outside the sect. I sighed as I pretended to look busy, looking at myself. My auburn hair once again caught me off-guard. As part of my introduction, when I first accessed my powers, my appearance had changed. My original mousey brown, frizzy hair had transformed into the new copper colour which still caught me off guard each time I saw it. My green eyes had changed to the golden brown that luckily no one had questioned me on. The hair could be explained by dye, the eyes, not so much. My skin had become flawless. As I found myself staring at the mirror again, the thought that maybe all this wasn't so bad went around my head again. Until Em's voice cut through my thoughts.

"You're doing it again"

"I can't help it" I turned to face her "How does everyone else explain the physical changes that come with being a you know what" I whispered as I was conscious that there were a lot more people moving out in the hallway now than before

"Most changes aren't as dramatic as yours. Some change hair colour slightly, some eye colours change, but it's never normally that noticeable. You're different." I rolled my eyes and started walking out of the toilets towards my next class for the day.

The rest of the day carried on uneventfully, until my last period, which I had been dreading all day.

"Hey! There's my little copper star!" And this was why. I sighed slightly as I felt Alfie drop his arm over my shoulder. I could feel Em's eyes burning into the back of my head without even turning to look behind me.

"Hiya Alfie," I felt my cheeks warm up slightly at his touch.

"Are we still on for next weekend?" Alfie asked, looking at me. I turned on the spot quickly so that I could see Alfie, but also so I caught Em's eye behind him.

"Yes," I said defiantly, snatching a quick glance over Alfie's shoulder to make brief eye contact with Em. "Next weekend is still good for me" I smiled back at Alfie as I finished.

I wasn't sure how much I believed Em about the soulmates thing. I found it hard enough to believe in all the magic, runes, and everything else I'd seen over the last few weeks. Soulmates just seemed to be pushing things a bit too far. Even so, who was to say that Alfie wouldn't be my soul mate?

The rest of the day finished slowly. I had a slight break as the last class I wasn't sitting next to Em so she couldn't lecture me about my choice to continue with my plans to see Alfie. As soon as I left the classroom I felt Em join me.

"Please don't start Em."

"I've warned you, there's not much else I can do. But" Em started as she could see that I was about to start complaining. "I am still your best friend. As your angel I have warned you that this is a bad idea, but as your best friend, of course I'll be there to support you." I jumped around slightly and gave Em a hug, squealing slightly as I did.

"YES! Thank you Em!" I just wanted to have one thing that seemed normal in my life, and Alfie was that for me. I had liked him for years, but we had never been more than friends, hopefully that would change this weekend. "Wait, how do you know that Alfie isn't my soulmate, you said that it wouldn't be obvious, maybe it's him!" I ended excitedly, there was no reason that Alfie and I wouldn't work!

"A soulmate connection is one that is deep and unwavering. It's only the extremely powerful Magus who experience the connection almost never talk about it. It's a deeply personal and rare experience. The fact that you're destined to have that is unreal! I'm still so excited that my first charge is someone as powerful as you will be one day!"

"You're freaking out again, don't start fangirling on me again. You know it weirds me out!"

Em told me that I was her first Magus and that she was a relatively young angel when she first explained to me all about my magic, the runes and angels. She had started getting so excited, even going as far as to hover off of the floor slightly, because she said she could 'feel how powerful I would become.' I personally think that was more wishful thinking on her behalf than anything else. I'm sure there are lots of powerful Magus or whatever, but I was also pretty sure that I would not be becoming one of them.

It had taken me longer to get over the fact that my parents had known about this my whole life. They were both minor Magus, but neither were powerful enough to do more than parlour tricks. They had believed that I would be the same and that they would never really have to tell me about it so that I could live a normal life. Then I woke up one morning with different coloured eyes and hair, clear skin and more muscle than I had ever had in my life. That was an awkward breakfast conversation. How I wished my life was as simple as they had thought it would be.

They explained that the magic came through our bloodline, that ours had been particularly powerful, but that power had died down centuries ago. Our magic came specifically in the form of runes, but that we could practise other forms of magic as well. The Magus who could complete rune magic also normally had an affliction to spells, both written and verbal. Em had turned up during the explanation, at which point she had to re-introduce herself to my parents and I as my guardian angel. Someone somewhere thought I was powerful enough to need some protection and guidance. I'm still sceptical. Em knew more information, but couldn't tell me everything. There was a certain amount that I was allowed to learn each time, and Em could update me with more, but until the information was needed, Em wasn't told. Some form of angel communication. I'm still not sure about all the details. So that was how I found out about the runes and the magic. A couple of days later Em taught me about the soulmates, and that I would need to start lessons on learning how to control my magic. My magic was tied closely to my emotions, hence the dramatic scene in the bathroom when I got upset earlier.

I was trying to think through all the information which had been given to me over the last week as Em and I walked home. So I didn't notice the side glances that Em was giving me, nor the unusual amount of cars around my house. It wasn't until I walked through the front door and saw my mum standing in the kitchen with several other people that I noticed that anything was happening.

"C-Casey! Emerald! I'm glad you're both here. W-we have some p-people you need to meet." my mum stuttered as we walked in.

My parents were both very confident people. I don't think I can remember any situation where I've seen them nervous. Even when I came downstairs losing my mind over my change of appearance. To see mum stuttering in such a nervous way, as well as dad, who was peering at the floor trying not to make eye contact with anyone, really freaked me out. What made it worse was Em next to me, who tapped me on the shoulder, before directing me to copy her in a low bow. In quite typical Casey fashion, I was too shocked to do much more than stare slightly open mouthed at the slowly developing situation that I had found myself in.

Em was still in her low bow as she spoke. "Your highnesses, it is a pleasure to meet you once again." The first man, who I believed to be the leader of the small group standing in front of me, smiled softly at my friend.

"Rise angel Emerald. It is indeed nice to see you again." Em slowly rose with his words, while I was still stuck trying to understand what was happening in front of me.

"Sorry, but who are you all?" The words slipped out of my mouth before I could help them, but to the astonishment of both my parents and Em. The smile on the first man remained, while the man to the left grunted slightly.

"That girl needs to be taught some manners. We should banish her on the spot, she's dangerous." the second man spoke distastefully. The woman behind him bristled slightly.

"Give the girl a chance, she has no idea who we are." She spoke softly as she came to my aid from the seemingly aggressive man. The first man stepped forward again.

"Relax Casey. We are here to help. We have been travelling for quite some time now and some of us," he sent a pointed look to the second man, "do not travel too well. My name is Declan Braddock, this lovely lady behind me is Esme Cawford, and this grumpy man here is Layton Huff. We are the Council. We overlook and run all the sects across the world."

Em whispered quietly into my ear, "They're the closest that the magical kind have to royalty!" With my head still spinning slightly, I turned my attention back to the first man, Declan, to ask "If you're the leaders, why are you here?" He smiled at my question.

"We are here for you Casey. You're far more powerful than you may yet realise."