• Every moment hesitating is a moment lost. A moment one could never again gain. Hesitating is like choosing between life and death and Amy Heart chose life every time. Although her heart pounded in her ears, and the blood raced through her veins she refused to succumb to him. With her back against the wall she was bound from doing anything; from grabbing the only protection she had. A single, carved wooden wand. Her source of life, power and strength. Anthoni, her capturer had her hands raised above her head, a death grip holding them to the wall. She was a threat and he, like she, refused to die.

    Amy looked away, a sneer on her lips, as he pressed his gently along her neck. “What do you want from me, Toni? Besides that of which you can't have.” She felt him smile, his mouth opening ever so slightly, the tip of a single venomous fang brushing her skin. It made her entire body shudder as though she'd already been bitten.

    “I,” he started, his voice like nails on a chalkboard to her ears, “want everything you have. You power, your beauty,” he paused, “but most of all your potential.” That was a first for him. It took all she had not to laugh, to scoff, at his plans.

    “Do you truly believe that draining thee of thy blood will make thee one with thous prey?” Hearing herself speak like that for the first time made her throat tighten. New wizards weren't supposed to speak in the old tongue unless conducting a spell this of which she was not. “Thou is a fool.” She spit. It landed square in his eye and he hissed, shaking it from the pale ruby eyes.

    He leaned back away from her and hissed, “If thou shall not hinder thy movement, I will be forced to act. Does thee surrender?” Amy prepared to spit again but he stopped her, using his free hand to dig razor sharp fingers into her side. “Does thee surrender?” He asked more forcefully, more slowly.

    “Thou does not surrender! If thee wishes to kill then he may do so but never will he hear thous cry of surrender!” With every last ounce of strength she had she tore her arms from his grip, sending him flying clear across the room into the still fireplace. Quickly recovering he stood and stared at her, his eyes narrowed to slits that would make a snake cringe. He was dangerous and he meant business. Before he could make a move though Amy had drawn her wand, aiming it directly at his chest. Under her breath she began to chant, “If thou not live today, thou shall be buried in thous grave. If thou lives to tell its tale live shall they until the rightful day!” In the single blink of an eye Antoni evaporated into thin air, taken by a blinding red light.

    Positive he was gone Amy slid against the wall and slumped to the floor. The last thing she remembered was blacking out, watching as the world turned from solid objects, to shapes, to fuzz and then to darkness. Next thing she knew she was waking up, blinking into a blinding fluorescent light. Looking around her she could tell that she'd been brought not home but to a hospital. Feeling around she could not find her wand and it took all she had not to spazz. My wand. Where be my wand? I need it or I'll die! Struggling she tried to sit up but found she could not. She had been bound to the forsaken bed with restraints and one hand was handcuffed to the railing.

    Struggling she didn't noticed as a man stepped into the room, dressed in black from head to toe. His hair was black, his sunglasses were black and his skin if it were any darker would have been black. He spoke with a heavy African accent. “Amy Heart, I hear-by suspend you from Glorivilles Wizard Academy. You are to exit immediately and take everything.” Without another word he disappeared from the room.

    Amy had stopped struggling only long enough to hear him. Suspended? How could she possibly be suspended? She was a top student and a hard worker to boot! She'd talk to Headmaster Lavian immediately. Angry now she muttered a spell under her breath and broke both the handcuffs and the restraints. Quietly she slipped from the white sheets of the bed and into the bathroom located closest to her. As she'd forgotten about the IV it tore from her arm. Rolling her eyes she threw the dripping IV cord the floor and closed the bathroom door, making sure to lock it. Taking a deep breath she said a single word and vanished soundlessly.

    ---

    Amy slammed her hands on her Headmaster's desk, her eyes like daggers to the heart. “Headmaster I demand to have a reason for you suspending me! I haven't done anything wrong or to be ashamed of.” A wispy piece of stray blue hair fell into her eyes, but she didn't bother to wipe it away. She was much too aggravated.

    The headmaster, a short, round man, stared back at her with piercing sepia eyes. It was as if they could see past everything. The lies, the hatred and the motives. Everything. What annoyed Amy right now though was the way he stared at her with his fingers templed in front of him like an old coot who was too serious. When he spoke it made the girl's chalk white skin crawl. “Miss Heart, if you would refrain from yelling I'm sure my friends and I would appreciate it.” These friends he spoke of made Amy want to strangle him. His friends were literally imaginary friends whom had come to life and now mocked everyone from behind the scenes. Taking a deep breath she backed away slightly and looked back at him again. “Thank you. Now you know very well what you've done. Using the old tongue even though you weren't using a spell. You know very well that's against the rules! When you first came here you were but a baby and against my better instincts I took you in. Raising you was a hassle you know since you live in an all males wizarding school. It was also very apparent that I couldn't send you to witching school because that meant separating us and that was, that is, very dangerous. Amy don't you realize what a threat you are?”

    She huffed and turned around, wiping the hair from her eyes finally. “I'm no threat, Headmaster. Never have been never will be. What difference does it make that I'm you best student? You as my adoptive father insured I'd be a smart student.” She held her hand out in front of her and a small hair-binder materialized in her palm. Quickly she pulled her hair into a make-shift pony before turning around again. “Even if I was I wouldn't know what to do with the power.” A pair of glasses suddenly popped onto her face, her hair shortened and her breasts shrunk to nothing but flatness. Her face became a little more plump and her eyes less wide. When she spoke her voices and deepened by a few notes. “Anyway, I have classes to attend. Forget about suspending me.”

    It was the headmasters turn to stand and slam his hands on the desk, “Amy my jurisdiction is absolute! Do NOT go trying to change my rules. I said you were hear-by suspended and I mean it! I have a family in a local town who is willing to take you in. You'll live a normal life, but because I'm feeling generous, I won't revoke your wizarding power. But, it's on one condition. If you begin to abuse it your power will be stripped and you will have a year left to live before you are killed.”

    Ashi (Amy's male name) stared blankly at Lavian. “You're kidding right? You can't seriously mean that. My whole life is here! My friends, my family my teachers and my memories!”

    “After you leave all memories of here will be removed with the exception of spells.” Lavian stared with his sepia eyes, boring deep into his sole and his mind, rearranging thoughts until he was satisfied. “No go gather your things. Your new family, and life, awaits you.”

    Slightly disoriented Ashi nodded and headed away from the office and through the hallways of the massive school. It took nearly ten minutes for him to reach his dorm room. Slipping through the door he began to cry. What was he supposed to do with this new family and no memories of his old one? He was surprised when someone behind him asked, “Ashi, are you okay, dude? You're crying.” Wiping them away Ashi nodded. It was his roommate Adrona. He'd also been an orphan, and was also the only one who knew he was really a chick. A year or two previous Adrona had come out to Ashi about being gay and Ashi has admitted he was really a girl posing as a boy so he could stay in the wizarding school. They'd both sworn to secrecy although most of the school thought 'Ashi' was gay anyway. Little to their knowledge.... “Aw baby you're obviously not. Come on tell me what's wrong.” Adrona wrapped his arm around Ashi's neck and guided him to the couch. There they sat down, Adrona leaning against the armrest and Ashi's head in his lap.

    “That b*****d Lavian suspended me, Adrona. I'm leaving. Tonight.” A chocked sob escaped him and he had to clear his throat to continue. “My memories of all my friends and family are going to be swept clean so I can lead a mostly normal life on the outside. I'm supposing they're going to replace my memories with false ones or are going to claim that I have amnesia and remember nothing from the last sixteen years. And because I'm not going to graduate from here I won't be granted immortality and will age like a normal human. It's horrible Adrona. I don't want to forget you.” He reached back with his arm and cupped the smooth skin in his hand. “You're like the sister I never had. Whoops. Did I say sister? I meant brother.”

    Adrona let out a tiny laugh. He could hear the underlining tears beneath the laugh and it tore Ashi's heart to pieces. “So do you need help packing? Not like I have a date or anything tonight.” Ashi turned slightly to look directly up at him.

    “Yesterday you said you had a date with Mera. What happened?” Mera was Adrona's unofficial boyfriend. Unofficial as in no one else but Ashi knew. They were all very secretive about their relationship and thus for it was hard to find date time. Adrona let out a long, tired sigh.

    “Well, while you were gone doing your thing Miss Perfect, Mera and I had an argument about God knows who what and he got tired of it and said, 'ya know what? I think we need to take a break for a week or so, okay? Go help your roommate pack. I'm pretty sure he'll get suspended or something.'. I was so mad I just wanted to strangle him! But we're breaking for now to cool ourselves down. Anyway, let's pack.”

    Slowly he sat up and sighed as well. “Hey Adrona, after I've left and all will you come and visit me, even though I won't remember you and start things over? We'll becomes friends again?” Sadly Adrona smiled.

    “I'll see what I can do. You know how Headmaster Lavian is about visiting non-magic folks. I haven't seen my parents since I was abandoned on the doorstep here. He knew who they were but wouldn't tell me because he didn't want us associating with regular human beings.”

    (c) S. Streck (c) Ichis-Strawberry