Have we met?

I walked along the stony pavement below my rusty, old converse shoes. The dark blue of my dirt covered shoes seemed to match the gloomy and dark greyness of the path. Dark, grey clouds loomed overhead, a sense of uneasiness washed over me. Something was bugging me, something I couldn't place finger on. I slowly trudged along the bumpy path, dark green bushes covered with spiky green vines slowly passed me. I turned to my left and started walking towards a brown little house, the paint was slowly peeling off the walls, which revealed a layer of mustard yellow.

Twelve years ago...

"Raegan!" Someone called from behind me. I whipped my head around in surprise.

"Leila!" I yelled. A young girl with chocolate brown hair twisted into two braids, wearing a canary yellow dress rushed towards me, wrapping me into a hug.

After what seemed like forever, Leila let go. "Raegan, I know you will not believe me. But, I won the, 'Who will win it all' competition!" Leila squeals, while reaching something from the large pocket on her dress.

She punched her hand up into the air, in her hand, she held a huge, shiny, golden object in the shape of a trophy. On the large cup part of the trophy, the words, Who will win it all? 1st place, were

engraved on it.

"Oh my god! Your right, I don't believe you! A lifetime full of food, woah! Heaven, am I right?" I exclaim, my eyes widening, and a smile crept across my face.

We laughed together as we entered the little brown house. "Gran, guess what? Leila won the competition!" I yelled joyfully towards an old lady, with grey hair and some glasses, with see through frames.

She looked up from her knitting and glanced at me and Leila. "No need to shout, sweetheart. Well, anyways don't mind my granddaughter she can be a bit, you know. Wow, that's

wonderful Leila! Congratulations, ooh, a lifetime of food, all I could dream of. Right Leila?" She congratulated Leila, her voice slow and soothing as always.

"Yes, Ms Smith." Leila answered with a polite smile. I rolled my eyes at them and shook my head. Then Gran focused back towards her knitting.

Night fell, and morning came. I rubbed my eyes, and stretched my arms. I looked at the analogue clock hanged on the white wall, 11:11am. I gasped, and jumped out of bed.

"Oh damn it! I'm so late for school!" I cried, annoyed.

"Hey, you silly goose! It's Sunday! No school remember? Plus, it's the holidays anyway." A voice laughed from the bed. I turned around, and saw Leila sitting on the bed in her blue striped flannelette pyjamas. I was in such a hurry that I hadn't

noticed her. I slapped my forehead in the moment of realisation and sighed.

"Were you scared your crush aka. Jason would see you late?" Leila teased, laughing. I rolled my eyes at how hopeless she was. "Come here, join me!" She ushered me towards her making a spot next her on the bed.

I collapsed onto the bed and shoved my head under the covers, while regretting my decision of telling her my crush of two years.

"What should we talk about?" I asked while grabbing two packets of cereal and two Up and Go's, from the mini pantry in my room.

"Raegan's crush. Jason!" Leila suggested with a tinge of mischief in her voice.

"Fine," I said annoyed, while Leila jumps around giggling and chanting.

"Raegan and Jason sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Leila sings. I groaned and rolled my eyes again and again. "Alright, alright. Okay, but really tell me are you and Jason together? The other day, I saw Jason spilling some tea with his friends that he loooved you!" Leila says in babyish tone at the end.

"Ugh! Well, are you sure he even likes me?" I question her uncertainly.

"Okay, listen. You're going to go get Jason and invite him here okay? I have game planned!" Leila suggest and hurries me along to his house.

Back to the present day...

I entered the same old house from twelve years before. In that exact year, my best friend Leila went missing. I think she went to explore the world. Well, that was my theory anyways. I sighed, Gran had died the following year and I was now on my own.

Twenty three now, I was old enough. I walked slowly up to my room. The same room, me and Leila had our first and last sleepover.

I glanced out the window, the wind blowed as the leaves on the trees swayed with it. It was way more peaceful than it had been twelve years before. Suddenly, there was something rustling and I glimpsed a shape of a human outside my window.

My curiousity got the best of me and I ran out the house. I saw a dark shadow duck beneath the bushes and disappear. I circled the bush and couldn't find anything. I sighed, it was probably my eyes. As I was walking back towards the house, all hope of finding

Leila had seeped out of me way earlier then imagined. I rolled my eyes at how stupid I'd been thinking the shadow was Leila.

I hadn't seen where I was walking and bumped straight into a bush. Thump! Ouch! I groaned and rubbed my funny bone. I had closed my eyes as I fell and as I opened my eyes, I wasn't in a bush nor was I near my house.

Dark cave-like walls were on my left and right, and behind me. In front of me was a narrow passageway. I crawled up, and brushed the dust off of my arms. Curious I walked along the passageway.

When I reached the end, there was a large opening it seemed like a stadium except without the rows of seats, there were rows except not as much and they were just limestone benches. With a stony limestone ground.

Five dark figures in cloaks sat in the middle of the stadium in a circle. One of them spoke up, "Raegan Smith, I, Senior Parkinson have been watching you for the past twelve years. Whether you are suitable or not to join the wizards of Allentasia that is for me to decide. The fact that you, have stumbled upon us today is no

surprise."

Dumbstruck, I stand frozen with confusion. Huh? Wizards of Allentasia? Senior Parkinson? What?

The name Parkinson seemed somehow so familiar. I blinked my eyes and pinched myself. A pain shot through my arm where I had pinched myself and I grabbed my arm to ease the pain. "Yep, definitely real," I muttered.

I stared with interest at the five strange figures. They held their hands together, a yellowish orb surrounded them, they seemed to be somehow rising up into the air. I scratched my head, I must be imagining this, I thought, no, it couldn't be, it hurt to pinch myself.

The five cloaked figures, seemed to be giving off some sort of power. I felt an invisible force drag me towards the cloaked figures, my baggy jeans dragged across the gravelly ground as they collected some dirt and dust, staining them brown with dirt.

Something suddenly pushed me upwards and towards the five figures. As I rose, I noticed two of the cloaked figures wore a silver necklace with a ruby attached to it that was placed int the centre of their somehow vaguely visible collarbone.

I couldn't see their faces, as they were covered with their dark black cloak. I flew higher as I got around eye level with the cloaked figures I stopped and I was swiftly pushed towards the orb. I entered the orb with the force pushing me along.

Awkward silence enveloped us. Suddenly one of the cloaked figures with the ruby necklace spoke up.

"Raegan Smith. You have entered the Orb of Allentasia. You are to sit down. I have already introduced myself, as Senior Parkinson or you can call me L.P. These are my fellow wizards," the figure spoke with a sense of power in the figures voice.

Another wizard with the ruby necklace spoke up, "Please sit Miss Smith. I am Senior Smith. Please feel welcome. You are in centre of Allentasia, you can also call me Anna."

I floated frozen in shock, Anna, the name was so familiar. Smith? Like me, another Smith. And L.P, like Leila Parkinson? I ignored the thought. What? I'm being stupid. What the hell? I thought.

I sat somehow, not knowing how, in the centre of the five wizards.

How did these people know my name? Suddenly as I was lost in thought, we dropped towards the floor, I panicked, "Help!" I screamed.

We abruptly landed, as I stood, I glance upwards, the wizards had already stood up. The two wizards with ruby necklaces, pulled there hoods off. The one on the left seemed to look like me, but seemed older and more mature. The one on the right, seemed like..."Leila? I mean L.P, do I know you?" I blurted out before I even realised.

L.P didn't seem surprised or shocked. She just stood there smiling warmly at me. Anna, I remembered now, my mum was called Anna Smith. I had the urge to hug them as tight as I could, but I resisted the urge to.

"Raegan, so you do remember me," L.P said calmly, but still in a friendly tone. "Are you worthy to become of us? What do you think?" She asked me.

"Um, me? Oh um, I don't , yes?" I stuttered. Both happy and confused at the same time.

"Throughout the years, you have proved to us all that you are worthy enough. And turns out you do think you're worthy. Which shows that you do want to become a wizard of Allentasia. I can tell you are quite confused. Allentasia is a world of wizards, nice wizards of course. Full of young and old wizards. If you join us you will become a wizard of the council. Now what do you think?" L.P asks me.

"Um, yeah. Sure why not? Cool!" I mumble.

"Ah, the same old Raegan hey?" Anna laughs, her voice soft but strong. I stare at her. It's mum isn't it, I think. They smile at me and using their left hand they click their fingers. Click! I feel a rush of happiness throughout me. On top of my jeans and white t-shirt, a black cloak appeared.

"Woah! Cool! Thank you Leila, thank you mum!" I gasp, a grin spreading across my face.

L.P and Anna smile and correct me with their names. I rolled my eyes. "Well Raegan you've still got some magic to learn. And I'll show you around Allentasia!" L.P laughs and walks towards a large stone door. "Come on, hurry!" She hurries me towards the door with her and the other wizards. I run towards her and smile, always a new day with new things to learn, I thought happily.