Young Writers Society

"Self-proclaimed wizard Florian Vogel has been announced missing and presumed dead today. A resident of the outskirts of Riverstone, Illinois, Vogel has not been seen for a fortnight. We speak now to his adoptive son, Christopher Ferric, who is obviously devastated." The sound of the nightly news reached Ella Auralis's ears, and she sat down with her mother, Bea, to hear more. An auburn haired boy who looked to be about seventeen, Ella's age, appeared on the screen, looking less devastated than the reporter had described. His face was straight and emotionless, and he spoke as if he had rehearsed his dialogue many times over.

"I have no idea where he's gone. He just vanished, like - " Christopher snapped his fingers. " - that. I haven't seen him for two weeks. There's really nothing else to say about it." He shrugged.

"What are you going to do, Christopher, now that he's gone?" the reporter inquired, shoving the microphone into Christopher's face. A muscle in the boy's neck twitched slightly, but his blank expression did not change.

"I've always tended the garden where we grow our food, and I'll do the same now," Christopher said tersely. "And I'm done commenting, thank you." He pushed the microphone away and stalked off camera. Ella's mother stood up and switched the television off.

"Ella, it's time for dinner," Bea said, but Ella ignored her.

"I think I know him. He goes to Riverstone High School with me," Ella mused, still wondering about Florian Vogel's disappearance. She had heard many rumors about the strange man, most of which stated that he was a crazy old dingbat who claimed to perform scientific "experiments" on magic. That is, if magic even existed. Ella deduced that the man was probably just addicted to some sort of hallucinogens. Still, it was something interesting, and interesting things hardly happened in the sleepy town of Riverstone.

"Ella, time for dinner. Now," Bea said, more forcibly this time. "Come now or you won't eat."

"All right, all right, Mom," Ella sighed, pushing all thoughts of Florian, magic, and Christopher out of her mind. She made a mental note to investigate about them later.

She sat down at the dinner table, noticing that her mother was smiling strangely and bouncing with anticipation about something.

"Mom, what's up? You look...different," Ella said cautiously, unsure what she was getting herself into. Bea's smile grew even more.

"Ella, sweetie, I...I..." Bea bounced up and down slightly.

"What, Mom?!" Ella said, more tersely than she had meant to.

"Ella, I...I...I have a suitor!" Bea squealed, and Ella's eyes widened.

"You have a-a boyfriend?!" Ella said, shocked. Ella's father had left Bea when Ella was born, which had forced Ella and Bea to move from London to Riverstone. Bea's parents lived in Riverstone, so they were able to stay with them until they got their own home.

"What's his name?" Ella asked, slightly alarmed but happy for her mother all the same.

"Rodrigo Argentia," Bea said, rolling the r's. "He's very Spanish!"

"Rodrigo...Argentia? Meg Argentia's dad?" Ella said slowly, hoping she was wrong. Meg Argentia happened to be her arch enemy at the high school, a person she couldn't even fathom possibly becoming sisters with.

"The very same! I'm sure you two will become the best of friends!" Bea smiled at Ella, who couldn't find it in her heart to tell Bea that she hated Meg like the plague.

"That's great, Mom. I'm so happy for you," Ella said flatly, trying to feign sincerity.

"I'm glad, Ella. Maybe you can finally have a father again," Bea said softly.

"Yeah," Ella said. Or maybe pigs would fly.