Chapter - 1 Magic(O.R.S: Magic)
Note: This is only draft 3. There is a slight mention of sexual items and a tiny bit of strong language. Enjoy!
Matt Mennor had always felt different from everyone else. He wasnāt sure why, he just never seemed to fit in and had been bullied for years because of it. Perhaps it was because he had an active imagination that others couldnāt quite understand. He had always believed himself to be a little different, but little did his younger self know, he was destined to save a hidden world. Not with a knife or gun, but with the magic that coursed through his veins. But back when our story begins, he had no idea of what lay ahead of him. In his eyes, he was just a lonely boy fresh out of primary school who was waiting out his holidays until his first day of year 7.
The hot and vibrant summers of Australia were loved by everyone. Well, almost everyone that is. Matt hated hot summer days, which gave him a headache and made him feel lethargic. He loved to cuddle up in bed with a book and a hot cup of tea on days of rain and storms. He averted his eyes from his novel and flicked his hand towards the sun in a joking attempt to change the weather. Of course, he knew he possessed no magic. Magic was just a tool used in fiction, not reality. He often daydreamed about having magical powers and going on adventures, but knew it was just a fantasy.
āMatt itās 10 am!ā His mother yelled from down the hall. āGo do something.ā
Mattās mother just didnāt understand. He enjoyed his holidays by reading away reality, not playing outside. It wasnāt as if he had friends to meet up with or parties to attend. Everyone hated him. They all thought he was strange and depressed. He longed for someone to talk to who would understand him, but it seemed like an impossible dream.
āMum please-ā He begged
āDonāt argue with me young man.ā
He knew thatād be the answer, he wasnāt sure why he even attempted to argue. Reluctantly, Matt got up from his cosy bed; his many books fell off the sheets as he did. Even though he knew he had an addiction. But he didnāt really care. It was a lot better than real life. Heād much rather battle dragons and study magic within his own mind through books than do maths and pointlessly walk around until his mum was happy, but he knew there was no point in arguing. Like with the weather, heād just have to deal with it.
Despite it being mid-morning, he was still in his pajamas. Matt changed into his typical clothing style. He almost always wore dark academia style clothing; not just because he liked the aesthetic but also because it made him look smart. On this particularly warm day he made the odd decision to wear a dark orange jumper with business pants and a belt. Unlike most Aussies, in the summer, he wore leather academic shoes, not the traditional thongs. He completed the look by styling his extremely fluffy brown hair which he wore to hide his eyes leaving only a small strip of his face visible upon wearing his mask.
He didnāt wear the mask to protect from illness, instead it shielded the face that his classmates had mocked since prep. There wasnāt anything wrong with it, to someone who didnāt know him he looked quite normal. But some certain people who got a kick out of bullying him. Theyād eaten away at his self-esteem until there wasnāt anything left. Due to his mask, he became known as āThe Faceless Boyā.
As he walked out the front door, his book hidden in his messenger bag, he noticed his motherās sigh as she saw his outfit. She had every right to question her sonās sanity as it was over 30 degrees.
Outside the wind was calm, trees softly swayed to the earthās melodies. Mere minutes after leaving the house Mattās legs began to hurt. As he slowly wandered down the sunny suburban street, something drifted down and landed softly on his head, getting caught in his ocean of curls. If it wasnāt for the odd warmth that came off the flower, he wouldnāt have noticed.
The flower looked like that of a purple and blue rose, something heād never known existed. Upon touching the warm petals, Matt felt a powerful dose of energy enter his body. It wasnāt the kind of energy that helps you run fast but instead it was more of a magical one. One that made him feel as if he could really perform magic for a split second. But moments later the flower lost its glow and warmth as the feeling went away. A sharp pain suddenly overwhelmed his head, as if it was being crushed. He fell onto the pavement, clinging his head like it was about to fall off. Due to the heat not, many people were outside so nobody came to his aid.
A few minutes passed and the pain began to fade. He felt dizzy getting up, like he was about to faint. A static sensation washed over him, and his vision went black. His stomach felt like it was about to eject all of its contents. Though just as the pain did, the weird sensations disappeared, and his vision was restored. He contemplated heading back but decided against it as he was heavily craving tea. There was a cosy little cafe not too far by in The Block Arcade. He used to go there after school sometimes, not to do homework but to read. He rarely did homework.
āAh hello again Mr. Mennor.ā The waiter greeted upon seeing the familiar curls and mask. āTable for 1?ā
He nodded as the waiter had already begun to lead him to his usual spot. A nice little booth by the display window. Matt pulled out his book to get lost within its words once more, but a strange store caught his eye. Despite having gone there only a few weeks before, heād never seen it. It looked old, almost like an antique store. He could smell the strong scent of floral perfumes from his booth. But upon closer inspection he realised it was in fact an occult store. He became lost in its windows; his trance being broken only by the waiter serving him his tea. Before he could get hypnotized by the store once more, he opened his book and began to get lost in that instead. He became so focused on his book that heād completely forgotten where he was. In his eyes he was standing at the edge of a cliff, wielding an ancient magical sword at a fierce dragon the size of a building. Slowly, his mind began to distance itself from the world created by words and back into the one of cells and atoms. The steam of the tea had made Mattās hair damp; he only realised once a drop of water fell on his nose (catching him off guard and slightly scaring him). He instantly remembered he was yet to stir it just as he went to take a sip. As soon as he looked down, he froze. A wave of shock and horror washed over him. He felt his heart skip a beat as he saw what could only be described as magic.
The tea had turned into a whirlpool as if something was stirring it intensely. The milk and sugar packages were open beside it. With the deep translucent red colour of the tea it almost looked like a pool of blood. Heād never seen such a beautiful colour in his tea. At first, he was scared but now he was almost fascinated by it. Eventually it stopped, steam still rose from the cup but as Matt took a sip, it turned out to be the perfect temperature. It wasnāt just the temperature but also the taste, which was not too sweet or bitter, it was right in the middle.
Heād never felt better. Sipping the perfect cup of tea while reading the climax of his newest book. The slow classical music which filled the cafe was the cherry on top. It turned out a lot fucking better than staying in bed and reading.
He handed back his mug as he was never the one to just leave his dishes on the table, packed his book and paid. Heād decided he would go straight back home, not stopping at all. But the occult store seemed to call his name. Every time he stepped further away; the call got louder. It wasnāt a verbal call but instead an energy-like call. As if he was destined to enter. Eventually, he gave in.
As Matt stood at the front of the door, he could finally make out the name of the store which had been covered in a thick layer of dust.
An odd name he thought. Heād never heard such a word but assumed it was just a fancy word or a foreign name. The sign read āOpenā, but he hadnāt seen one person come in or out. The creek of the door filled the entire arcade; he wondered if it was the same door that had been there originally, it certainly looked like it. Unlike the rest of the doors, this one was wooden and bulky with a small window looking into the dimly lit store.
The perfume smell was sickeningly strong from inside; Mattās head began to ache as he went further into the store. It was lit only by a few tall thin candles on each table. A shelf full of small crystals caught Mattās eye.
āHello?ā Said a voice behind him as he began to admire the crystals.
It was clear it wasnāt the voice of an employee as it was far too young, plus he hadnāt seen anyone in the store at all. Matt turned to see a ghastly sight. For a moment he thought heād seen a ghost but as his heart stopped racing, his mind processed the sight.
A tall and pale young boy, no older than Matt, was standing behind him. The first thing Matt noticed about the boy was his eyes; his left eye was light blue while his right was grey. It wasnāt just the odd colour which sparked his interest, it was the fact they looked to glow. His skin was almost as white as snow which is what made him appear to be a ghost at first glance. Despite looking like an ancient vampire, he was dressed very casually in a horror-movie shirt and dark jeans.
āI didnāt actually think Iād find another one of us here, especially a kid.ā He laughed. āYouāre so lucky to have grown up IS.ā
āUmā¦ you must be mistaken. I donāt know what āusā is nor what āISā means.ā Matt murmured nervously.
āSo, you just came here, not knowing what it means?ā
Matt nodded, a cold chill going down his back. He feared heād just walked into a cult or something worse.
āIām Rei by the way, Rei Orlin. See you soon.ā He smiled as he slipped something into Mattās hand.
Rei bolted up the stairs. Matt followed but found nothing but a glowing door behind beaded curtains. He considered going through it but the text from his mother telling him to come home due to the raging storm pulled him away.
Sure enough, rain had begun to drown the streets in puddles and the thunder shook the city. Of course, having left on a seemingly different day which was hot and sunny, he hadnāt thought of bringing an umbrella. As much as he hated being cold and wet, he couldnāt help but admire the beautiful city under the blanket of grey clouds and misty rain. In his mind, it was a sight which belonged in heaven.
Originally, heād planned to go back home but as soon as he left the city, a flyer for a new bookstore caught his eye. It looked like heaven, he might as well. Matt texted his mum heād found shelter and would return when the rain stopped before walking all the way to the other side of the city without an umbrella or anything. Hours had passed. When he was ready to leave, it was almost evening by the time he got out of the city alone, but the rain was still pouring. He actually feared there being a small flood, but it never got that bad. By the time he reached home he was drenched from head to toe.
āMatt! Go take a bath!ā His father yelled as soon as he entered the home, dripping water everywhere.
He had no reason not to, he was freezing cold and completely soaked. Matt could see the deathly glare his father gave as he walked down the hall and up the stairs, giving the floors an unscheduled wash.
He chose to keep the lights off as the atmosphere the storm outside created could only be described as a gift from the skies. As he waited for the bath to fill with water, he inspected the strange object heād been given. After receiving it, Matt had been too afraid to look at it until he was somewhere safe. Heād hidden it in his pocket which surprisingly, his father hadnāt noticed. Upon finally looking at it he couldnāt help but laugh at himself. Heād been so afraid of a cute necklace with a charm made of what looked to be rose quartz. Being grateful for the first gift someone outside his family had ever given him, he slipped the necklace over his head without fear.
Soon enough the bath was full, Matt placed his hand into the water for a test. It wasnāt super cold, but still quite cold. Having been taught never to waste water, Matt sucked it up and slid in. As he sat there, blissfully daydreaming, he noticed the water start to change. It was only a little at first, then it got warmer and warmer until it was just right. In that moment, he was too relaxed to care. He was happy just being in a nice warm bath, on a perfect day, after the perfect tea; in that moment he didnāt care how it happened. Suddenly his necklace began to glow.
āVen destinea veniceā A muffled voice spoke.
Heād never heard such a language, it was beautiful. Matt opened his eyes but there wasnāt a person, radio or anything off in sight. It hadnāt been the strangest thing thatād happened that day. Whatever the voice said, it brought him comfort. Almost as if he knew what it meant subconsciously.
Mattās relaxation was broken by his little sister Lilyās cries from beyond the door. Somehow, heād completely forgotten about her complex hair schedule.
āMatt itās 5 pm!ā She yelled.
After knocking as hard as her hands could for several minutes straight their mother came and dragged the demon away, he was forever grateful. Eventually he did get out as he could feel his motherās pain; Lily was crazy about her ābeauty routineā. As he dried himself, staring out the window onto the stormy streets below, he couldnāt help but feel as if there was a hole in his heart. Ever since heād heard that voice, heād felt as if he was missing something. Suddenly a name began to come to him.
āEhhnnnā He began. āDerr?ā It felt like remembering a very old memory, it came to him in sections. āRei-cove-aide?ā
āEnderaecovade!ā He figured out.
He wondered if heād just made it up; but it felt too important?
Matt hadnāt ever heard such a peculiar name, nor such a long one but still, the name felt so familiar and important. Heād grown up in an area so bland, nobody had unique names. In his year level alone there had been 4 Chloes and 5 Joshs. Seeing such an odd name made him question if what he was missing was something new; something that isnāt perfect and pretty. He began to realise how boring his life was. Every home looked the same; so, did the people, schools, stores and days. Heād blinded himself by reading. His books gave him something new, something to fear that wasnāt bullying, a sense of adventure. Heād once read a book about a world where everything was the same, he couldnāt help but feel like the main character of it; trapped in a world of black and white.
āMatt! Get out!!!!ā Lily cried, having escaped their mumās grasp.
āGive me a second!ā He said as he collected his hairdryer.
The moment Matt opened the door he sprinted to his room, his legs becoming those of an athlete for that moment. He didnāt fear much within his own home, but his sisterās anger was equivalent to that of the devilās. He slammed his door so hard he could swear it shook the house.
The second he reached his desk he ripped out a page from one of his notebooks and wrote down the name which had come to him. He wrote in a āDā within the name, he didnāt know how to explain it. Thatās just how it was spelt. But he knew it was silent, like a fancy French name.
The note which heād stuck above his desk read.
He sighed in exhaustion. He had no idea what was happening to him. He began to worry he was going crazy. In an attempt to distract himself he plugged in his hairdryer and slowly averted his eyes away from his mirror over to the massive window by his bed. Nothing was better than enjoying the sight of the city in the rain from the comfort of his own bed. His eyes had only been on the city for a few minutes before he glanced back. The fluffy hair that usually took a good half an hour to dry had completely dried. To make sure the heat wasnāt just making him see things, he ran his hands through his hair. It was even fluffier and neater than ever. He poked his finger through his palm, believing he was dreaming, but it didnāt go through; proving this was real. Matt had read countless books about magic; he couldnāt help but wonder if heād entered his own. He had to test his powers immediately.
A thick book which he could barely lift caught his eye. It was sat firmly on his desk when he began to stare at it. He stared harder and harder until it hurt too much to keep his eyes open. He imagined the book lifting into the air, as if it were as light as a feather. Closing his eyes made it much easier to visualize but heād never had a problem with it even with his eyes open. He didnāt just imagine the book floating up, he felt the sense of power seeing that would give him, he heard the book softly hit the ceiling, he smelt the magic. By the time he felt ready to open his eyes, he could barely tell if his eyes were already open, he was that immersed in his visualisation. Despite how real it felt, Matt couldnāt help but secretly believe he was just going crazy. What if heād never seen anything odd at the arcade, and his hair did take half an hour, he just got distracted. He couldnāt help but fear he was delirious. He wasnāt religious but, in that moment, he prayed to God that his brother wouldnāt walk in, in fear of him seeing Matt intently focusing on a closed book. But his fears were short-lived as the moment he opened his eyes, he saw something that would change his life. The book was floating, it was a few centimeters away from the ceiling. A smile so big and bright it was painful crept across Mattās face. His heart pounded and his mind spiralled. It was far too overwhelming, but in a good way. Heād never felt more powerful, more important before. He felt like heād just begun a magical journey like heād always read about. Now he was the main character of his own story. As all these ideas rushed through his mind, he completely forgot to keep concentrating on the book which was floating right above his head. As he went to stand up, he was pushed right back down by the mighty force of the book. Only the corner had hit him, but it still throbbed. He held his head in pain as the book slid off the bed and onto the floor landing with a loud āthudā.
āKids, dinner!ā His father announced, making Mattās head feel even worse.
Moments after he finished his announcement, Mattās siblings bolted out of their rooms and down the stairs like starving wolves. Matt had always been the last one to the table. It wasnāt his fatherās cooking, he adored it; he just never got that hungry. He knew it was a good thing, he was grateful that he wasnāt starving on the streets. Because of this he made sure to always finish his meal, no matter how full he was. He couldnāt imagine throwing away perfectly good food.
Like always, Matt took his seat beside his brother who was already 3 chicken wings into dinner. His head still hurt but not nearly as much as it did at first. Matt went for the tongs, but his hand was slapped away by his brother, Miltonās. He picked up two wings off the serving plate and dropped them messily on Mattās plate.
āI think thatāll be enough for ya, paper-boy.ā Milton laughed, bits of chicken falling from his uncleaned mouth.
Matt dealt with this on a daily basis, he was no stranger to mockery from others either; but this evening was different. He no longer felt like the invisible bookworm heād always been, now he felt powerful, like the people whoād always teased him. It was only him and Milton at the table as his parents were finishing up the salad while Lily ate the spare cheese. As soon as he was sure no one could see them, he began to concentrate on all the anger in his mind. He slowly focused his anger on Miltonās ever so precious hair. As he did, he felt the necklace begin to warm up as if absorbing some of his anger. The anger built up and up, growing stronger than ever; he focused on every comment his brother had made, every joke, every laugh. Then it was goneā¦ his anger had disappeared. For a moment Matt wondered what had happened until he noticed Miltonās hair begin to move. It started off slowly with small strands struggling to stand; of course, his brother was far too distracted stuffing his face to notice. But when it began to look like someone was holding him from his hair, he noticed. He ran his hands through his hair, as he realised his ugly unbrushed mullet had turned into more of a tree stump, his breathing stopped. Nothing was more important to him than his hair. Matt giggled as he watched him run off to the bathroom, holding his electric-clown hair. Mere seconds later, the rest of the family returned. When they asked about Milton, Matt just smiled innocently as he said:
āHe ruined his hair.ā
By the time Lily and Matt had begun the dishes, Milton still hadnāt returned. Their parents had now gone to deal with his latest fit of melodrama. As soon as they were alone, Lily asked Matt what had really happened before to Milton.
āWell.ā Matt began, barely able to hold back his laughs. āHis hair just began to stick up, Iām not too sure why, it was probably karma.ā
āDid he look electrocuted?ā
Matt nodded, causing the young girl to burst out laughing. Milton didnāt just tease Matt. Lily had been a long-time victim too. When they finally caught their breath after minutes of pure laughter and jokes, Lilyās face went from her usual smiley and giggling expression to a sadder and more serious one.
āYou know a lot about weird magical things, right?ā She asked.
Mattās heart skipped a beat. Did Lily know about his magic? Or perhaps she had magic of her own? If so, how did she find out?
āHave you seen my bookshelf? Itās all weird magical stuff.ā
Lily smiled at his comment before becoming serious again. Matt feared something worse. In all of his books with heroic magical main characters, there was always a cast of evil characters. He wasnāt sure what heād do if any villains harmed his sister, but he knew they wouldnāt come out of it unharmed. Sure, she had her flaws, in primary sheād spread multiple rumors about him but that didnāt mean he loved her any less. Milton, on the other hand, was a lot more controversial.
Lily was having trouble figuring out how to word her question. As he waited, Mattās palms began to sweat so much the freshly dried mug he held fell from his hand, landing safely in the sink. His heart raced faster than the ideas in his mind, he felt like he was going insane. His mind spiralled so much that some of the theories heād created caused tears to fall from his eyes. He quickly hid it as Lily finally started her question.
āI hadā¦ a strange dream.ā
Matt put his towel down and turned to face her with a comforting smile.
āWhat happened in this dream?ā He asked.
āI was with this girl.ā She explained, recalling the dream as best she could. āShe was dressed like a normal girl except for her witchās hat. She sat me down and told me to tell you to āNot to trust the pigtails. Whatever that means.ā
āHm. Well Iād donāt know anyone with pigtails. Do you know her name?ā He asked.
āManiaā¦ā She recalled. āMania Orlin.ā
His heart stopped. Getting suspicious and a little scared, Matt pulled out his phone and looked up the store, but the results seemed to disprove its existence as nothing had come up at all.
āI-I met a boy named Rei Orlin at this store today. Where Lexi was before it shut down, itād this occult store now.ā
āMaybe you fell asleep again? Everyone Knowās youāve fallen asleep at that cafe hundreds of times.ā
āHowād you know I was-ā
āCause thatās the only place you go other than here and school.ā
He pulled out the necklace, explaining that Rei had given it to him meaning he definitely was real. Lily only seemed to half believe him, the only thing which made her question the validity of her brotherās story was the name. There was no way he could know.
āTodayās been a bit strange for me to.ā He smiled, hugging Lily. āIāll finish up by myself. You donāt need to worry about this weird magic stuff, ok?ā
He could tell itād clearly scared her. She hugged him even tighter before running up the stairs to her room, leaving Matt with a pile of dishes but he didnāt mind, it wasnāt a lot. To distract himself from the tiresome task, he imagined all the things he would do with his magic. The bubbles in the sink turned into vast mountains which he could Mould any way he felt necessary. The cutlery became fierce dragons in need of slaying; and his sponge had become himself, defending and molding the world within his mind (and sink). Before he knew it, everything was clean, and the sink was empty. Matt couldnāt help but laugh under his breath upon fully realising how heād āsurvivedā such a task. It was a very Matt Mennor way to pass such a task.
Heād intended to just go back up to his room and read but when he saw his parents out on the porch with a drink, he realised his legs had turned to the door of his parentsā room. With his newly found abilities, he had one last major thing he wanted to do that night. It wasnāt anything fun, not like the book. It was something that had always entered his thoughts late at night, something that heād always been strictly banned from all his life. He made sure his parents were still outside as he softly opened the door so as not to attract the attention of his big-mouthed brother.
His parentsā room was probably the least conspicuous room in the house. It was your basic mundane modern bedroom, decorated with dull shades of white and beige. It wasnāt the boring design of the room which sparked his curiosity but instead the built-in closet at the other end of the room. He wouldnāt have ever really cared about it if his parents hadnāt strictly prohibited him and his siblings from even going near it. Milton had often joked about it being their parentās sex toy collection, but Matt had never believed it. He felt there was something more than that.
He held the lock in his hands, shutting his eyes and imagining it unlocked. Suddenly he felt the pop of it unlocking and slid it off the handles. Before opening the door, he took a deep breath. He had no idea what heād see on the other side, it could be anything from clothes to a secret that would change his life. The door was surprisingly heavy, the thick carpet probably wasnāt helping. When he managed to finally get it open, he couldnāt help but feel underwhelmed. Below his parentsā hanging clothes was a safe. It made sense for his parents to keep some spare money in a safe, they were prepared for everything. It explained why theyād been banned; his parents knew theyād try steal it. Well, Milton and Lily would, he had no interest in money. As he sat down to inspect the safe, he noticed a photo on the safe. He picked it up to see it was nothing but a family photo. He almost placed it back when he realised he didnāt know anyone in the photo. At first, heād assumed it was his fatherās old family, back before heās previous wife died; but no one in the photo looked familiar. It was of a woman and a man he assumed to be her husband, between the two was a baby who didnāt look a day over 1. Unlike his father, the man was tall with long fluffy brown hair while his father had short straight blonde hair. It wasnāt just the hair, the longer he studied the photo, the more different the man looked. There was no way it was the same person. He wondered if perhaps it was his mother with his biological father, but it made no sense as the woman didnāt have his motherās famous birthmark on her neck. He compared the people in the photo to his parents as best he could but that just caused him to see even more differences. That when he turned the photo to see a caption written in fancy handwriting. The last name had been scribbled out.
Eva, Justin and little āā
