The Book of Magic

I’ve always felt like there was something missing from my life, I don’t know why though, my life is pretty good. I’ve got a few friends, my family is moderately wealthy so I live a good life, and my dad has a pretty cool job. He’s a detective of the police department, and he’s one of the strongest people I know. It might be that my mom died when I was younger, but I don’t think it’s that either. My mom was a mage, and she taught me how to use magic which is pretty cool in today’s society.

Actually using magic in my world is a dying art. Nowadays people prefer to use magic in weapons, instead of casting spells. My mother taught me how to cast spells and use magic in weapons before she passed away, and she left me her spell books after she died. I miss her terribly, but I don’t think she’s why I have this empty feeling in my soul, like something is missing.

I continued to stare up at the sky, as I pondered this mystery in my life, until a face popped into my vision.

“Whatcha doin?” The red head, freckled face said.

“Thinking. Now move, you’re blocking my view of the sky.” I said, shoving the face to the side.

“What are you thinking about? And why do you want to look at the sky so much?”

“What I’m thinking about is none of your business. And I’d rather stare at the sky than your stupid.”

“You’re so mean” He whined. “Is that any way to talk to your beloved.”

“Hmph, and who says that you’re my beloved.”

“Oh come on, you’re still mad at me. How many times do I have to say I’m sorry?”

“Until I know you actually mean it.”

“I’m your boyfriend, you can’t stay mad at me forever, and you know it.”

I sat up and looked at him. “Derick you insulted my mother, boyfriend or not, I’m still mad at you and that’s not going to change.”

“Lily, baby I’m sorry. I honestly didn’t know that she was you mother. I know that she means a lot to you, and I really am truly sorry. What can I do to make it up to you?”

“Why should I forgive you when you insulted me too.”

“Baby I’m so sorry, I should have never said any of that. And you know I don’t actually believe any of that, I only said it to fit with my friends can you ever forgive me?”

I let out a sigh as I flopped back onto the grass. He lay down next to me, head resting on his hand, watching me stare at the sky.

“So is that your way of saying you’ve forgiven me?”

“Fine, yes, you’re forgiven you dork.”

He hugged me, giving me a kiss on the cheek. “I love you my little grouchy kitten.” He said.

“Yah yah, I love you too.”

But did I love him? Derick and I have been together for two years, and he was never able to fill the empty feeling that I have. He’s my friend, and I love spending time with him, but I’m not sure that I love him.

“I don’t understand why everyone thinks knowing magic is dumb.”

“Everyone says it’s impractical” He said.

“But it’s not, there’s so much more things that we can do with magic, but instead they’d rather use it in things that hurt people.”

“I know, but Lily there’s a mana shortage, so they want us to use magic as little as possible. Weapons are the things that we don’t use that much, and it’s much more efficient and less costly to use magic bullets then real ones. I know that you don’t like it, but that’s just how the world works.”

“You and I both know that the magic shortage is bullshit.”

“Sweetie you can’t go around saying stuff like that. It’ll get you in trouble, and as a general I don’t want to arrest my sweet little girlfriend.”

“I only say that stuff around you.”

“Yes I know that, but you never know when someone’s listening. Now with that, I have to get going.” He said as he stood up. “I’ll see you later, okay. Try to stay out of trouble, please.” He leaned over, kissing me on the head before walking away.

“I should probably get going to” I said to myself. “I still have to bring papa his lunch.”

I headed back into the house, grabbing the bag with the bento boxes in it off of the counter before heading out the front door.

My father’s work wasn’t that far from our house, it wasn’t a short walk but it wasn’t far either. It gave me a chance to see the city, maybe do some window shopping. I was scanning the buildings as I walked when I noticed some movement in a back alley between two abandoned buildings.

There were three men, and two of them were wearing dark trench coats, and both had knives, clearly ganging up on the third man. He was wearing a business suit, his hair was slicked back, and he had a briefcase. He must be a businessman on his way back to work after a lunch break, and it looked like the two men were trying to rob him.

As the daughter of a detective, I felt kinda obligated to help people in need when there weren;t any officers around. So I ran across the street, and when I got closer to the alley I shouted “Hey! Leave him alone!”

Their heads all turned to look at me, and I stopped two feet into the entrance.

“Why should we listen to you little girl?” One of them growled.

They both looked at me with smug expressions as they pointed their knives at me.

“Hey you’re pretty cute” One of them said, grinning. “Wanna come have some fun with us.”

“Sure” I said, reaching into my jackets inside pocket, and pulling out my gun. “It’s been awhile since my gun and I have had some fun, so you two run and I’ll count to three. One… two…”

They started running before I got to three. I rushed over to the third person, who was sitting on the ground, slumped against the wall. There was a large gash across his stomach, and it was bleeding heavily.

“Are you alright?” I asked as I set my bag down, kneeling in the dirt next to him.

“I didn’t need your help, and I certainly don’t need it now.” He growled.

“Yes you do. But if you don’t want my help then I’ll leave you here to bleed out, is that what you want?”

“No Ma’am” He said looking away from me.

“Then let me help me”

“Fine, but make it quick I have somewhere to be” He huffed.

“Welp, guess I’m gonna leave” I said, starting to stand up.

“No, wait!” He said, grabbing my arm. “I’m sorry, p… please s-stay and h… help me.”

“Fine” I said, sitting back down. I could tell that he struggled to ask for help, but he managed it nonetheless.

The quickest way to help was to heal him using magic. So I started to lean towards him, placing my hand on the wall to keep me from falling over.

“Woah woah woah” He said, holding his hands up. “What are you doing?”

“I’m trying to heal you.”

“Um it looks like you’re trying to kiss me.”

“That’s how I’m going to heal you.”

“I’m not sure that I’m comfortable with that.”

“Neither am I, you think I want to kiss a random stranger. But this is the only way I can help, I don’t have anything that I can use to help you. So hold still, and I’ll make it quick.”

Before he could protest, I leaned down and kissed him. As soon as my lips touched him I felt a strange feeling, so I quickly pulled away. His face looked stunned that I had actually kissed him, then shocked when he realized that his wound was gone.

I studied his face as he inspected his stomach. He had reddish brown hair that looked darker since it was slicked back. His piercing brown eyes were the color of burnt amber. Though he was sitting on the ground, I could still tell that he was quite tall, I’d say that he’s about 6ft tall.

“H-how did you do that?” He said, looking like a boy who had just seen a magic trick for the first time.

“Magic” I said, standing up and brushing the dirt off of my legs. I offered my hand to him, and he took it. He was quite heavy as I tried to help him to his feet.

“You know magic?” He said, raising an eyebrow as he dusted himself off.

“Well obviously” I said, poking the spot on his stomach where the cut was. “There’s no indication that you were cut, and even the shirt is healed, so clearly I know magic.”

“Sorry its just that it’s rare to meet a true mage nowadays.”

“I did heal everything, right? Cause if you had any other injuries that I don’t know of, then I wasn’t able to heal those.”

“No, that was the only one. I’m not that weak as to receive multiple wounds from a mere knife.”

“Men and their stupid pride” I whispered to myself. “I didn’t say that you were weak, I just simply asked you a question.”

He walked past me, leaning over and picking up my gun.

“Nice gun” He said as he inspected it. “Sturdy frame, good mana absorption system, large storage for mana, this baby is top of the line.”

I reached for it, but he raised it out of my reach. His wide frame looming over me, which was kind of intimidating. And with his arm raised it pulled his suit tight against his chest, somewhat revealing the muscles underneath.

“Now I wonder, what’s a mage doing with a weapon like this? And I especially wonder what a pedestrian is doing with a gun like this, a gun that was made for only officers of the military.” He said as I jumped, trying to grab the gun out of his hand, but failing miserably.

“Give me my gun back!” I said, jumping again.

“Are you a cop?” He said.

“No, and so what if I was. It’s none of your business why I have this particular type of gun. Now give it back.”

“Did you steal it? I wouldn’t peg you as the type to steal, but you never know.”

“And I wouldn’t peg you as the type to be such a jerk to a lady, especially one who just saved your life. And I’m not a thief, you wanna see my business card.” I said.

“Business card?” He said, laughing. “No one would say that they’re a thief on a business card, let alone have a business card if they were one. So clearly you’re not a thief.” He said, still chuckling

“Here” I said pulling a card out of my pocket, and handing it to him.

“So your name is Lily then, huh.”

“Yah, and what’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing, just that it’s an uncommon name, but it also sounds familiar. I also see that it says you are in fact an officer.”

“I told you I’m not an officer, if you had read the smaller print, then you would’ve seen that I work for the medical department. Therefore I’m not an officer, I’m somewhere between a nurse and a doctor. So if you need anything else healed then you can call the number on the back.”

“If you’re going to give me your card, then it’s only fair that I give you mine.” He said, pulling out a black card with white text. “If you’re ever in danger give me a call, and if you’re really in a pickle, give them the number on the back and they might back off.”

I stared at him confused about what he meant. “Aren’t you a businessman-”

“Lily deary is that you” A voice called from outside the alley.

I turned to see Mrs. Peters standing at the edge of the alley.

“What are you doing in this musty alley?” She called.

“I could ask you the same thing Mrs.Peters.” I said, walking towards her, guiding her away from the alley.

I looked over my shoulder, and saw that the man was gone. My gun sat in the place he was standing at, the card sitting neatly on top. I quickly grabbed them and my bag, and then escorted Mrs. Peters to my dads work (which was also my workplace).