Ch. 1 It's all fun and games until...

"Quick Stephanie, get the bandages. Wittorf's bleeding bad!" Quinn held his friend in his arms. Wittorf's blue hair was matted with blood and stuck to his forehead, a grin decorated his face.

Stephanie rushed towards the orphanage panting as she went. She quickly ran into the house and made her way into the bathroom, shuffling through the drawers looking for anything she could use for bandages. She feared that she might be too late.

Time was running out for her, she knew the longer she took the higher her chance of being caught by Lana would be. Stephanie kept digging until she came across something useful. It was some cloth strips from an old shirt. She made her way back out the front door as quickly and as quietly as she could, but just before she made it out she was stopped by a voice.

"Where are you going in such a rush?" Lana asked from the kitchen, cutting up some potatoes for dinner. Stephanie knew she would have to come up with an excuse, she knew if Lana found out what had happened to Wittorf that she would be furious again.

"I uh, well, Wittorf and Quinn are outside, and I didn't want to make them wait on me." Stephanie said nervously. Lana could tell something was up. Stephanie was hiding something behind her back and trying hard to act casual but Lana was not fooled. She decided to play along with the young girl. "I was just about to go grab a few more things from the market; maybe we can see them together?"

Stephanie's eyes widened as she tried quickly to come up with an excuse to get away from her clever Foster Mother. "I don't want to bother you too much with kid stuff; I'll just go on ahead."

Cleaning off her knife and setting it down, Lana walked over to Stephanie and bent down to place a hand on her shoulder. Peering over the girls back Lana noticed the rags. "Don't be silly Steph, I would love to hang out with you all before I get my shopping done. You are my world after all."

She was cornered with nowhere to go and Lana was determined to see them. Stephanie had no other choice but to make a mad dash for it and try to slip away from Lana's sight. Lana was startled by the sudden twist Stephanie made but decided to let her escape. Stephanie did not look behind her she just kept running. From behind Lana called out. "If you guys aren't back before dinner you're all doing the dishes!"

Stephanie ran back as fast as she could. It was a close call but Lana did not suspect a thing. All that mattered now was getting to Wittorf and making sure he was alright. Her breath was quick and dry as she sprinted back into the forest, she was not sure how much blood he had lost by now but it looked really bad when she left.

Stephanie saw Wittorf sitting up by a tree and Quinn stood there watching him. Wittorf noticed Stephanie and gave a faint laugh. "Hey look you made it just in time." He coughed a little as he said that. His head was pounding now and his vision was starting to give out.

Stephanie rushed over to him and knelt down beside him. Holding the now slightly damp cloth from her sweaty hands she placed them around Wittorfs wound. The salt from the sweat stung him as she wrapped it around his forehead. "H-how are you feeling, Wittorf?" worry in Stephanie's voice.

"It's no big deal now that you're here." Wittorf said, winking at her.

She shook her head and gently pushed him way. "It's not funny; you're bleeding more than usual. Why do you guys have to be so rough all the time?"

Quinn walked up beside them and extended his hand to Wittorf who smiled and took it. Lifting himself up Wittorf dusted off his clothes paying extra attention to his small red cape, he then grabbed a small stick from his belt. "I'm ready for round two Quinn!"

Shrugging Quinn walked over and grabbed a long smooth stick off the ground. He looked it over to make sure it was still intact and sighed. "Your head is hard alright, you cracked my good stick."

Wittorf smirked and wiped some blood that was dripping from the cloth off his face. He knew the process was going to hurt and he was prepared for it. "Get another one then so we can try again."

Stephanie got in between the two and crossed her arms. Looking at Wittorf, her brow furrowed with worry. "I know you want your magic to manifest, but if you keep this up you're going to end up seriously hurt."

Picking up a new stick and breaking the branches off of it, Quinn responded without looking. "I think he's already damaged. He's 16 and still thinks he has the aptitude for magic."

Waving their worry away Wittorf responds. "Just because my aptitude didn't show up when I was ten doesn't mean I don't have it. I just have to try harder."

Quinn shrugged and readied his stick. He acted as if he were a trained soldier preparing for war. Wittorf on the other hand was whisking his stick around pretending to cast a spell. The two continued to practice until dinner was ready. By the time they were done there was not a scratch on Quinn but Wittorf on the other hand was covered in bruises and cuts. He didn't care though. It was just a sign that he was not trying hard enough. They made their way back to the orphanage hungry and ready for a good meal.

When they arrived though they noticed there were people outside talking to Lana. The kids knew exactly who they were. The symbols covering their clothing were a dead give-away. A burning book, the symbol of the Eye of Bosoto.