A light. A very bright white light.

 It was the only thing I could see. I can hear it calling out a name.

“Alena.”

But, that is not my name. Yet it feels like it was pertaining to me.

It was an almost soundless whisper of a sound so familiar yet it was my first time to hear such a cold calming voice. I can feel my entire body being pulled by an invisible string toward that glaring light. I can feel the power it was radiating toward me. The power so strong yet I felt nothing but warmth and comfort like it was just there, waiting for me.

I was curious beyond words that I lifted my hand to just feel its seeping energy crawl toward my fingertips. My arm that was surprising covered with a white silk, and that’s when I noticed I was wearing a majestic white satin flowing gown that was enamored with glittery white diamonds on its floor-length hem, making me look like I was floating on clouds. My long ash-blonde tendrils cascading down my back and front—even from there I can feel the strong surge of energy as I took another step toward that enchanted light source.

 I can feel the familiarity. I can sense it in every fiber of my skin. I can—

Kriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggg~

“Gaaaaah!” I jolt upright in my bed, with that freaking ear-shattering alarm clock that in reflex made me lift my hand and with an unconscious measure of energy—I released a silent spell toward the direction of the goddamned alarm clock that in an instant became a poor mint gum.

With one eye open because I was still really sleepy, I glared at my bedside table to actually see what time it is. But my eyes snapped open when yes—all I can see was a blue plastic wrapped mint gum and a fish bowl beside that was half-full with the likes of it. I groaned out of frustration as I buried my face to my comforter, because my aunt will kill me if she finds out that I turned my newest alarm clock into a piece of candy again.

“Urgh! Why can’t I just make you shut up, instead of turning you into a gum! Stupid, stupid useless freak. Gah!” I grumbled that made my whole room shake—a few books on my shelf fell, my pencil case on the table lost its balance scattered its insides on the floor, the picture frame on my other bedside table fell facedown and my dog Byul whimpered upright and dashed out of my room in fear. I didn’t even noticed those things happening when I snapped out of it and sat up straight and looked around. I grunted and released a heavy sigh, trying hard to calm my nerves and will to just stop releasing unnecessary energy and power this early in the freaking morning!

I was on my fifth inhaling and exhaling breathing exercise when my Aunt Janhee peaked her head on my door, making me reach and grab the newly turned mint gum and hide it behind my back with wide eyes.

But of course, who am I kidding? The moment I woke up and did the crime—my aunt already knew. She heaved a disappointed sigh toward me but at least she was smiling. “That was your one-hundred ninth alarm clock, young lady. How many times have I told you that—“

“I can’t help it! It’s a reflex—“

“—habit of yours can someday get us into trouble this early in the morning?”

I stopped. “Wait—what?”

The petite woman with the sophisticated bob-haircut just smiled at her understandingly. “It wasn’t just your room, honey. The entire first floor shook—I think our entire house did. I’m just praying that nobody in our new neighborhood saw that.” She murmurs the last sentence and turned to look at me again. “You’re getting stronger. Please learn to tone it down a bit, sweetheart.”

I looked down on my hands with the guiltily. “I know. I’ve been reading the book, don’t worry.”

I heard aunt Janhee let out a sigh again. “Okay. We’ll practice this weekend. Oh, I found a new job, too.”

“Really? That’s great!”

“Yes. So… get up now and clean this mess up.” She looked around my room. “You’ve got thirty minutes before your new school and year starts.”

Looking up with a smile, I replied. “Okay.”

With a final warm smile from my aunt she retreats from my door, but I still heard her grumbling along the hallway. “I’m really never gonna buy you alarm clocks. I’ll wake you up myself.”

I chuckled and shouted. “Please do! Thank you!” Shooting the poor gum on the fish bowl, I got up from bed and with my hands on my hips I looked around my morning bedroom mess. I knew just what I had to do.

Exhaling, I closed my eyes. I gathered an exact amount of energy toward my center before I started to chant a spell.

 “See the mess around my room; make it tidy clean, now with groom.”

With a clap, I released that energy the way I feel like I just broke away something out of my body that is so light and warm—and I can feel the effect it did in my surrounding and I knew I perfected it the way it should be when I opened my eyes and see my entire room perfectly clean, everything back to place and not a spec to be seen around.

A broad smile seeped through my lips as I dusted my hands, satisfied with my work. “Just the way I like it.” I stopped and turn to pick up my iphone beside my pillow, to see what time it was and saw that I have twenty-eight minutes left.

“Shoot!” In a hurry, I threw it back on my bed before I dashed inside my bathroom.

After doing shower and everything, now in my new school uniform (I chose to wear type B uniform today since it was really hot to wear type A with the jacket): a brown sleeveless waist jacket with the school seal S.A. (Smart Academy, which everybody refers it to S.M. Academy) over a white polo blouse , and a white plaid skit that rests midthigh. I had two choices, do it with the knee length white socks or just foot socks to go along with my 2 inches black heeled shoes. I chose the latter, I think I had enough fashion sense to consider that, maybe I’ll do the former when I feel like it the future. It really didn’t bother me, I was never the conservative type, anyway—I’ve been to other schools that are much more liberated.

I stood in my body length mirror and surveyed how I look. I can say, I look good. I always looked good—I have to say that, because I needed the confidence right now. So to anybody in my brain who can hear, please bear with me. I’ve been to many schools before—we always move every year to a new place, for a certain fact that my aunt says that it was never safe for our kind to stay in a single place for a long time—and I need any kind of confidence and mood-boosting to face this brand new day in my brand new school.

 Now, that we settled here in Seoul, Korea—I have to match and compliment my looks with a more  Asiany look.

I had Asian features. The only thing that was different about me was, I had long white-blonde hair in its natural loose curls that ends at the bottom of my waist—that seem to make a cascading halo around my entire torso. But really, it just glows like gold-light when I get to get under the sun and I don’t want to freak people around when they see me, so in every place we go—I get to change my hair color and style just to make me look—less freaky.

Then there’s my eyes. I had Asian looks but with the lightest aqua blue color of my irises—making me look like a mutant from ­­­­­­ X-Men.

With a deep breath, I cracked my knuckles to do just another trick this morning. I had a particular picture in my head on what I wanted my self to look like in this new place.

“Here it goes…” Doing another silent mantra to gather energy inside my body, my tongue started to form another spell. “The golden look and bluest of pure; change the looks to other, for me to endure. In the silkiest black and brown so fine, grant these image, to be mine.”

With a double snap of my fingers, I can feel the surge of energy release in my own body. A tickling feeling in my head and eyes—that made me close them. I felt the cold ending of the spell and when I opened my eyes, a broad smile slowly bursts in my lips when I saw my fine work.

Gone was my curly blonde hair, now in straight black as ebony in color—with the same length and my eyes were no longer in the purest of light blue, now in the prettiest shade of light brown. “Damn, my powers have really gotten better.” I murmured in awe.

Yes, even me. I still get amazed with my too odd and out of this world capacity for the past seventeen years.

Oh, wait. Have I already told you what I am?

No?

Oh. Hi, I’m Nana. And… I’m a witch.