First, I'm going to tell you a bit of shocking news. There is magic. I didn't discover this on my own. I didn't wake up floating one day. I didn't get mysterious messages sent to me day after day (yes, I have read Harry Potter). I didn't see suspicious activity and investigate only to find an EVIL WITCH! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! In reality, most witches are offended by that, as they're quite nice.

I was told there was magic.

It was lunch. I was devouring some sort of school food. I don't know what, I preferred not to look at it. My friend Vassili sat down and laughed. "Breathe," he instructed.

"But then I'll have to taste it!" I told him. Quickly, though. I didn't want to taste it.

"All right," he said, taking a forkful (plastic, mind you. We mustn't get violent!) of his own food. "But mine tastes fine. Not my problem if you die."

I scowled, pushing my empty tray to one side. "Yeah, but you're weird." It was a jest! I didn't mean it! Fate! Why do you hate me?!

He smiled mysteriously. "More than you know."

"Uh huh," I grunted. The aftertaste of my lunch was hitting me then. Not fun.

There was a short pause before Vass said, "You're better than Merlin, we think." He didn't look up from his food. Actually, he was rather nonchalant. That's why I should have run. That one line… it started everything. That is the only reason I won't take full blame for the Incident.

"What?" Why didn't I walk away, or say he was crazy? I bemoan the stupidity of my uneducated mind.

"Merlin. The court wizard of Kind Arthur."

"I know that!" Good for you, RUN!

"You could be stronger than him," Vass crooned, acting all knowing. He was smart, but Merlin and me? The bell rang. "Meet me at That Spot after school." He stood up with his half empty tray and left.

That Spot. You're going to ask about That Spot, aren't you? We had a secret spot in the park woods. It was a huge clearing, complete with flowers and a crystal-clear stream. Come to thing of it, it was quite fairy-taleish. The weird thing was, no one else could ever find it. I tried to bring my first girlfriend there, but she couldn't go in. She kept turning every time we came to the edge of the clearing where the trees stopped growing. She's now a friend, just a friend. She thought I was insane, so she dumped me. Anyway, it wasn't on a satellite picture I had seen of the forest, either. We only called the clearing 'That Spot' because 'The Spot' was overused.

The rest of that day was average, except that I wouldn't pay attention in class. Wait, no, that was normal too. I just thought of what he had said. I could be greater than Merlin? Huh? Merlin was fictional, wasn't he?

I do recall falling asleep at one point, but I luckily woke up before the teacher saw. I won't say which class, just in case they read this.

By the time the final bell rang at three I was driving myself crazy! I was the first one out of the building. For once I didn't even stop at home to change. We don't have uniforms, but we have to wear 'nice' clothes to school.

I ran to the park and into the woods. I leapt over obstacles on an old path that led almost straight to That Spot. I could have gone through the woods, Vass and me had explored nearly all of it as younger children, but there were more brambles and debris to deal with in there. I turned off the path and ran through a dry streambed. I don't know why I was running; Vass hadn't gotten ahead of me, I would have seen him.

I finally saw the break in the trees. Pushing a branch aside, I burst into the clearing. I was greeted with aromatic wildflowers of every hue, bright sunlight, and the tinkling of a cold, crystal-clear stream.

And Vass, sitting serenely on a rock while dangling his bare feet in the water.

He couldn't have gotten ahead of me.

That rock hadn't been there before.

A/N: Look! I updated! ^_^ I can't wait to finish this, it's gonna be fun. And I know, my narrator doesn't have a name yet. He'll get one. They are in high school; I'm not sure what grade. I'd say tenth or eleventh because they're not incredibly immature like a lot of kids tend to be in the younger grades. ~L~ Okay, enough of this note. Review please? If I don't get any I'll have to abandon this one so I can update another one of my incomplete stories. Or to write my book, that'd be a good idea…