chapter one-a beautiful flame

Sika and Aleda looked at eachother, and Sika replied "err...I have some
bank stuff to uh take care of, see ya later!" and she ran off. Aleda
followed after Sika into the bank, leaving Callisto awe struck for a
second. Finally Callisto ran into the bank as well. "What did she mean by
'your niece doesn't know I'm a vampire'?" she asked as she caught up with
Aleda. Aleda looked around for an open teller and said "You know, she's a
vampire silly. We already went through this."

Callisto caught Aleda in her hands "You know what I'm talking about. Why
did she call me your niece?" Aleda let out a long sigh. "Alright, alright,
alright, I didn't want to give you so much information in one day, but.
Yes, I am your father's half-sister. He is part Fairy." she whispered.
"Well, why couldn't you tell me that?"
"Because it's a secret. The queen ordered it to stay secret because fairies
and mystics are not supposed to date, much less have children. It worries
the other mystics, because when you put two different types of magical
beings together and they procreate, well, the child could end up with
ultimate power."

Aleda cleared her throat, and she led Callisto to some benches far away
from the people waiting in the teller lines. "Now, your father's power
wasn't so powerful because of that, he was really just that talented, but
at the time the queen wanted to protect Phoenix. Plus, the mystics were
already starting to worry about him being so powerful, and mortals,
mystics, vampires, fairies, trolls, and furies alike all creatures that is.
They tend to fear or even sometimes hate what they have no understanding
of. The mystics worry that if a child of two magical beings is born, that
it may become evil, and that it will destroy this realm and take it over."

Callisto leaned back and let out a deep sigh. "Don't worry though, we just
need to keep that our little secret, as to keep you safe. I mean, you
already have enough of a reputation due to the visions your father had.
Now, let's go get some money so we can get our supplies!" Callisto smiled
and as Aleda made her way back into the lines, Callisto followed her.
Though she was not with one of her parents, a blood aunt was good enough
for her, and she felt as though everything was going to work out, for the
first time.

The line seemed to go much faster in this world than any line Callisto had
ever been to. It took only a few minutes to get to the front of the long
line, and when they stood before the bank teller, some kind of sack was
already sitting on the desk waiting, as though the teller somehow had read
Aleda's mind. The woman behind the desk suddenly spoke up and said "Yes, I
can read your thoughts" and she smiled and gave a wink as Aleda pushed
Callisto out of the way. "Vampire tellers" she said as though it were a
natural thing to be elbow to elbow with vampires.
Callisto followed Aleda outside where a stone statue now stood where she
had first seen Sika. She shook her head and continued following Aleda.

Aleda led Callisto to what looked like a tavern out of some kind of
Princess and knight type of movie on the outside. As they walked into the
building, which seemed bigger on the inside than it had been on the
outside. Callisto asked Aleda about it, and Aleda just replied with "That's
how we save space in Ariland." The inside was gorgeous, and looked like the
inside of a fancy resturant. The only difference from the mortal world
fancy looking resturants, seemed to be the people and the food. It was if
they served anything you could ever dream of.

A short older woman with a flowery robe on walked up to them, wand in hand.
"Just the two of you eating tonight?" She said with a sickeningly sweet
voice. "Unfortunately yes Elda" Aleda replied. The older woman looked
confused, but she led them to a table. "How did you know my name young
lady?" Aleda laughed "I can't believe you don't remember your favorite
employee ever!" "Orabella Sona?" replied Elda. Aleda raised an eyebrow and
said "Err...No, I'm talking about 25 years ago." Elda laughed "I'm just
kidding with ya Aleda, of course I know who you are. I'd have to be some
kind of nut to not remember the singer who brought in all my business in
the good ole days!"

Elda and Aleda seemed to go on for hours talking about the old days.
Finally, Callisto cleared her throat. She had not meant to seem rude, she
did not even realize she had done it, and even looked around thinking
someone else had joined into the conversation. The two women looked up, and
Elda seemed to look a bit annoyed, but she cleared her throat too and took
their orders and went off to the back.

Aleda brought the bag out. "This is some money from your personal account
in the 'Blodd Bank.' Your father had started it five years before you were
born. He and your mother were not even together yet, but he foresaw your
birth. Anywho, you have access to it now, unlike in the mortal world. The
mortal world seems to think they have to put an age on adulthood, but we
here in Ariland have decided that adults are made not aged. Since some
people grow up young, and others never grow up, we just pretty much erase
the whole age limit thing."

Things got quiet for a while as they waited on their dinner. They sat
listening to the musician on the stage. A harp stood next to the woman, the
strings vibrating without being touched, and the woman sang a beautiful but
somewhat sad song.

"this is the Tale of the beautiful flame
the most beautiful flame in Ariland
and though the evil breeze came
It only made the fire expand

The most beautiful flame set out on a quest
to sabotage the hard blowing wind
though power and strength it possessed
The evil one was quite chagrined

Most beautiful flame has quite a chance
Against the strong opressing air
All could be disordered by a secret romance
leaving all of ariland in dispair

The sisters of foresight seem to disagree
About that most beautiful flames fate
But all will know the glorious story
Of the Ariland fire the wind seemed to hate"

Aleda laughed as the people around them applauded. "What's so funny?" said
Callisto, who clapped along with the others in the crowd. Aleda stopped
laughing and looked at her, as she realized Callisto seemed to like the
song. "Well, it was a beautiful story, it's just...well, it was terribly
written. And it was more like that woman tried harder to rhyme it than to
actually tell the story!" she replied finally.

"Well, I liked it! So" said Callisto sticking out her tongue at Aleda. They
both ended up laughing as Elda walked up giving them strange looks. Elda
tapped the table and for the first time Callisto realized there had been
plates floating behind her. The plates set themselves down onto the table
in front of them. Aleda and Callisto both thanked Elda and she went back to
serving plates at other tables.

"Besides, you really should be getting some of those tips she is getting."
said Aleda after taking a drink from a cup of some mysterious foaming
beverage. "Why's that?" replied Callisto, taking a bite of her food. "The
song is about your father's prophecy. It is what your name means in this
world. 'Most beautiful flame'."

chapter one-family in our midst?

Aleda flicked her wand and Callisto's shirt was dry again. "Don't cry, maybe if we can get your powers toned a bit better, you will have your fathers gift and be able to control it. We could find out who is responsible for your parents death!" Callisto stood up. "Yes!" she replied and she put her hands on her hips as though she were superman. "I will work hard and avenge my parents!"

Aleda could not help but laugh. "What's so funny?! This is serious!" Callisto said angrily. Aleda covered her mouth and replied "It's just...well, who are you supposed to be? Superman?" Aleda laughed again. Callisto looked confused for a second. She looked down at the ground. Seeing her arms she put them down and turned bright red.

It was still daylight, in fact it was early afternoon, so Aleda got rid of the invisible bubble and they continued walking. Aleda had informed Callisto that they needed to get to the city as soon as possible. For if they were to begin training, Callisto would need a few important items. They traveled for what seemed like hours, though it really only was a little over an hour, until finally hitting the gates of Demi Medina, a small, but greatly traveled city.

Callisto was in awe of the city. The buildings were small as well, but they looked a lot like miniature castles, only with modern looking doors and windows. Aleda led Callisto down the main street where there were shops that had windows larger than any front window of any mortal store. In one of the shops to her right was a magical candy shop. In the window the glowing sign said "Le Olde Candy Shoppe!" Though it seemed like something a mortal candy shop owner would have named his store, at some kind of old fashioned tourist town, as they moved closer, Callisto realized the name of the shop was made of floating, glowing, candy.

To the right was a clothes shop, with what looked like mannequins in the window with some kind of thin robe on. As they walked up to it, the mannequins turned into perfect copies of Aleda and Callisto. "Now they know how to advertise! I'd look so good in that!" said Callisto excitedly. Aleda smiled, "Come on, we'll come back after we hit the Blodd Bank!" "The blood bank? Are we going to sell our blood for money? Do they use needles like in the mortal world?" Callisto replied. Aleda laughed "No, the B-L-O-D-D Bank. It's the Sika Blodd Bank and trust!" "Oh," replied Callisto although she still looked kinda confused.

Down the roadway was a large sign that said "Flea Market!" "Hey! Now that's somewhere I'd really love going! I used to go to the flea market every weekend with my err mortal mom and dad!" This time Aleda looked confused. "I was always with you, watching over you, but I don't remember ever going to a flea market. Honestly, I can see why some wizards would...but why in the world would mortals...Why would anyone really want to buy fleas?" Aleda shrugged then started flying on. Callisto following. Finally Callisto realized "They sell actual fleas in there?" Aleda laughed "What else would they sell at a flea market?" Callisto just shrugged, thinking it best just not to continue with the conversation.

Finally they were in front of the "Sika Blodd Bank & Trust!" Out front on a pedestal was a woman that looked quite real, but Callisto knew it had to be just a statue with the likeness of the owner of the bank. The woman looked just like the story book kind of vampire. The one that was very beautiful, but also very pale with bright red lips and a smile that looked like she could charm you into sucking your blood. However, as they walked closer the woman moved and called towards them "Well Aleda Phyre! I haven't seen you in...Well in 16 almost 17 years! That's like a small amount of time for me, but still! It's been quiet for way too long around here without Demi Medina's number one music act, and biggest partier!" She turned towards Callisto, not giving Aleda a chance to speak, "And who is this lovely lady! I didn't know you had a daughter!"

Aleda laughed "No, this is Callisto!" she moved in closer and whispered "Phoenix and Sunila's daughter. We've been in the mortal world for the past 17 years, but that's just between us" Aleda moved back next to Callisto and said still somewhat quietly "Sika is a good old friend of mine, and your parents, we trust her with our lives, our money, and our blood!" Aleda and Sika laughed, but Callisto, who was pretty confused by the blood remark just kind of shifted akwardly. Sika smiled "I take it your niece doesn't know that I'm a vampire?"

Callisto tried to hold back her suprise, but was unable to. "You're a vampire!" she said. Aleda looked relieved as she and Sika laughed. "Yeah, but don't worry, I'm not anything like those mortal books, and portable Disque De Simras, what do you call them...ah yes 'DVDs!' We do drink blood, but we have ways of getting our blood without hurting others!" Callisto looked more relaxed. Then it finally hit her. "Wait, what do you mean niece?!"

chapter one-more to the story

The Aleda of the present day flicked her wand again. "If I had to guess, I'd say your parents were 2 of the most well known mystics in our world. Even including the queen. Though it was true that your parents were good friends with the queen, and myself, they weren't just known for being good friends to royalty. As you have seen, Your mother was a general of the queens army, and fearless to boot. Your father, was one of the very few mystics that had the gift of foresight. He was also the most powerful clairvoyant mystic. Most only could get visions once in a great while, and even the ones that saw visions every day could not make heads or tails of them without the help of a vision reader. Your father however, he could cause himself to get visions, and they were very clear visions. I was one of the few who he showed any of his visions."

Aleda stopped to allow Callisto some time to let this information sink in, then she swished her wand, and they were back in the bubble sitting around the table Aleda had conjured. "Was that it?" Callisto said with a let down kind of look. "No, there is more, but I'm not entirely sure about all of what I have been told, and it's late. I promise you, that we will talk more once I have found out all that even I do not know of what has occured." Aleda replied.

Both women were quiet for what seemed like hours, until finally Callisto said "But wait a minute! You told me you would tell me about that man back there, and what that was all about."

"Oh, right! Well, that's kind of one of the things I was talking about, but I guess I can tell you of my assumtions. See, I'm pretty sure that was the eldest son of the queen. You see, in the mystic world, the line of succession of royalty is a bit different then in the mortal world you have known for 17 years. In the mortal world, most countries royalty succeed with the men of the royal family. In Ariland, it is the women who are usually in power. The only way the men of the royal family have been able to be King, is if they are no daughters, or if they are the eldest and marry before the queen dies. Now I may be wrong, but I think he may want to take you as his bride, so he can be king whether his mother dies, or is murdered."

Callisto looked at Aleda as if she were crazy. "Ok, I understand needing to get married to become king, but why would he want me as his bride? And how does he know about me anyways? Wasn't he only a few years old when I was born? I mean from the memory you've shown me." Aleda hesitated, as if there were something she had not wanted to reveal. "Well, I am quite certain that all of Ariland have heard of you. I mean you are the daughter of the two greatest mystics ever known."

Callisto swallowed hard. "The two greatest mystics ever?" Aleda smiled, "Well, none could surpass the power they happened to possess." Callisto looked awe struck for a second, and then finally, with a frown she replied "If no one was more powerful than them, how did they die?" Aleda's smile faded, and she looked as if she was afraid to say, but reluctantly she replied, "Well, there are 3 reasons you will be well known in this world. The reason we have already discussed. However, there are two other reasons. You see somehow, word got out of your father's vision. As well as a vision he had before that. Both were about you. It's rumored that the last vision was about you too. I can't say for sure that the last vision was anything like the first two, but at least the first two showed that you would...Well, that you would be even more powerful than your parents."

Callisto laughed, "I don't believe those visions foretold the future. There is just no way I could be more powerful then them. I mean, I just recently found out I had power, and wouldn't I need to train. Or something like that?" Aleda replied "Well, yes, but the mystic powers is more of a birth rite, meaning that your power stems from your belief in your power more than anything."

Callisto played with the food left over on her plate. Her appetite had gone with the excitement of the story. Finally she broke what seemed like the hundredth silence of the night with "Well, what as the last reason?" Aleda looked even more serious now, and she sort of wiped her forehead, as though wiping invisible sweat beads. "Well, your father, when he died, he was having that last vision. It has been widely rumored that this vision of you was a reflection of your power, and that it had been so powerful that it ended up killing him. Now that is just the rumor, no one knows for sure just what happened to your father."

"What about my mother?" Callisto asked, almost unable to speak. Aleda cleared her throat, obviously to stall what she had to say and she continued, "Well, she died in childbirth. See she went into early labor with you. Something quite unnatural in this world, and it seemed you were not going to make it. She used her last bit of life to bring healing into you and she saved your life. That however, I happen to know to be very true. That is why you look so much like her. Not just because of genes"

Callisto closed her eyes, tears falling down her cheeks. "My dreams! They were memories then!" she cried. Aleda flicked her wand, and a box of tissues appeared before Callisto, and Callisto took one and blew her nose. "It was not natural the way she died. I've seen it in my dreams. Someone poisoned her." she said, the tears streaming down so excessively that her shirt was already soaked.