Chapter 1
Annie stared blankly out of the sixteenth story window in New York, New York, watching the cars race below her. Worry knotted her stomach, making her unable to eat, though her last meal had been at least 24 hours ago.
She was sixteen, unusually pretty, with shoulder-length blond hair and sparkling blue eyes. Annie was also living in unimaginably odd circumstances. She lived in a family of Wizards, and she could fly and heal. They had too keep their magic secret, otherwise non-magical people would be lining up at their door for help with every woe in their lives.
The apartment was rather bare, and had a neglected look to it. There weren't any portraits on the walls, and the gray wallpaper was peeling. The floors were a brown carpet, coated with dust. There was an unused fireplace on the left, its ashes decades old. Annie was sitting on one of the only pieces of furniture in the room, a stool next to the window.
He brother, Mark, was due home any minute. In fact, he said he would be home ten minutes ago. Where could he be? Had something happened to him? Had he not passed the dreaded Test, a mystery to all who had not experience it? Worse, could the Test have killed him?
Mark would pass. He was more capable than her parents, who were both well known to Wizards across the country.
Annie sighed. She had to stop thinking about her brother as "Mark". That wouldn't be his name now that he had passed the test. He would recieve a knew name, probably a long one. The longer the name, the more powerful the Wizard. Annie's parents were Pericles and Ophellia. Mark would probably be something long and grand, like Xenocrates. He would be so disappointed if he got a short name, such as Ix.
Something cold and wet brushed Annie's hand, disturbing her train of thought. She looked down and smiled for the first time in hours. It was her yellow lab puppy, called Max, who was barely eight weeks old, and absolutely adorable. Annie picked him up and put him in her lap, where he curled into a soft ball and licked her fingers.
"Oh, Max," she whispered, "If only you knew."
Suddenly, the door banged open. Annie lept to her feet, hoping to see her brother, and in her haste, dropped Max on the floor. He looked reproachfully up at her.
Annie squinted. She could not tell whether it was Mark or her father, the figure was in shadow. As he came into the light, Annie was disappointed. It was her father, wearing his customary jacket and tie.
"Annie," he boomed "Where's Mark? I want to know what to call him now,"
"H-he's not here," Annie blinked back tears. Pericles, her father, blanched.
"What do you mean he's not here? He was due back half an hour ago!" Pericles' face turned from white to red. Annie nodded.
"I'm going to look for him. If he's run off with some girl, I'll-" his voice died away and he made for the door.
"There will be no need for such drastic measures, father." came a cool voice from nowhere. Out of thin air, Mark appeared. Annie ran to him and hugged him gladly.
"Mark! You passed!"
"What did you expect?"
"I dunno. What's your name? Where were you?"
Mark laughed. "My new name is Lemminkainen, but you will have to call me Kain. My full name is too much of a mouthful"
"How many letters?" asked Pericles.
"Twelve."
"You're going to be a wonderful Wizard, Lemminkainen."
