Fate is a funny thing.

Some people say it’s destiny, bound to happen, unchangeable. Some people believe they can decide their own. Some people are just curious about fate itself.

Yet, it never turns out the way people think.

Sometimes, it’s a happily-ever-after. Sometimes, it’s a tragically-never-before. Sometimes, like they say, everybody just ends up straight vibin’.

So,

What’s the one question?

Ah, whoops. I didn’t mean that to be the one question.

I think the question is, are you happy?

Are you content with what fate has thrown your way? Did you make lemonade out of those lemons life gave you? If today was your last day, are you still able to hold your head high?

Oh, and all the things that went wrong.

How did you recover, if you ever did? What were the sacrifices? And, were they worth the happiness that you have today? Were they worth...

Your fate?

Ha! Who cares about that, anyway? This isn’t some philosophy class. This, my dear readers, is an adventure!

Oh, by the way, my name is Mackenzie Jade Lillian Buckley.

Okay, you’re allowed to cringe. Feel free to call me Mackie Jade.

Let’s rock the skies, shall we?

Bleep! Bleep! Bleep!

I hated alarms with every inch of my being. Not many inches, but still. Any thought of sleep I had was sent to another zip code.

You’ve gotta be kidding me, I thought, shoving the covers off. Teresa was actually serious about setting an alarm. I almost tripped over a pillow I must have kicked off of the bed in my sleep.

I surveyed my small, messy room. In a few hours or so, I’d be aboard the train headed to Parker Boarding School. Fantastic.

I felt like the protagonist of a novel. I was finally about to escape my oh-so-dreadful life and start elsewhere, even if it’s some boring, crusty school.

My gaze drifted to the corner of the room. How nice. She packed my things for me. Just kidding. Teresa would never do that. But she did dump all of my clothes in the general proximity of my brown leather suitcase. It was very gracious of her to do that.

Haha.

I sailed over the clutter of books, pencils, papers, and clothes scattered over the ground on my toes. I personally didn’t like my living space looking like a landfill, but I kept it this way to irritate Teresa.

By the way, Teresa is my older cousin. I’m not talking late teens or early twenties. I’m talking fifties. Envision an elderly, stout woman who was always frowning and had wrinkles all over her face, tangled locks of hair sticking out in all directions. That was Teresa. Actually, my hair was always tangled, too, I’ll give her that. To add insult to injury, her attitude was about as nasty as her appearance. Why my parents left me with this monstrosity, I’ll never know.

At least there’s one thing that’ll be good about this boarding school: I’ll be away from Teresa for 9 months a year!

I paused at my suitcase. Hey, what if I act extra annoying today? It’s my last day, after all.

I checked the time as I stood up. I might not be late if I hustle.

“MACKENZIE JADE LILLIAN BUCKLEY!!!!!!” Teresa squawked from the kitchen.

One moment, my dear readers. I need to jump out a window.

Teresa’s voice was like someone scratching a chalkboard with a knife and sawing metal with a chainsaw at the same time. Every time I heard it, I had the distinct urge of being thrown to the dogs while listening to Nickelback. That would be a much more pleasant experience than listening to that old, mean demon.

“In a minute!” I snarled back.

I quickly checked my reflection in a mirror on my dresser. Wild blonde hair with an orange streak, tucked into a simple ponytail. Blue eyes that usually glowed seemed dull in the dusty light. The round, lightly tanned face of a sleep-deprived teenager. Yes.

I sighed and slipped downstairs, brushing past peculiar framed photographs of people I didn’t recognize.

“Be a dear and wash the dishes,” Teresa commanded as soon as I appeared in the doorway.

Wow, good morning to you, too!

“I could miss the train!” I said, indignant. “I haven’t even eaten breakfast! Plus, if you looked at the clock-”

Teresa dismissed me with a wave.“Tut, tut. ”

I gave her the classic teenage eye-roll.

“You need to do your chores! Now be a good girl!”

Teresa had left me alone for most of the summer, until last week, when she informed me she was shipping me away. Now she’s trying to wring as much work out of me as possible.

I dropped my suitcase with a huge thud, and stormed over to the sink. Teresa opened her mouth to yell at me, but I shot her a glare that could burn through walls. This slight bout of revenge earned me a sharp whack on the head with a roll of newspaper.

I think I made a world record for “Most Angry Dishwashing.” Someone get me a trophy. No joke, I almost ripped apart every plate and bowl that were swimming in the sink.

Glancing back, I flicked a yogurt spoon. Droplets of yogurt-water fluttered into Teresa’s hair.

Hah.

Without another word, I slammed the last plate into its place with its medieval-style buddies and picked up my suitcase. I kicked open the front door. Forget breakfast. Hopefully, the train to school would have a nice snack bar. Teresa made a loud, angry grumble, and followed me out.

We rushed to the ancient piece of machinery that Teresa called a car and left as soon as my suitcase was thrown into the trunk.

Teresa’s house looked like an old doll-house. Wilted flowers and struggling weeds overflowed the termite-drilled fences of the front yard. It shrank until it was nothing more than an ant-sized dot as we drove down the cracked concrete street.

Why am I looking back? I hate this place.

I pulled my attention back and glared at the back roof of the car instead. Teresa stared at me with obvious distaste through the rear-view mirror.

Saying nothing to her, I rolled down the window and let the wild wind fill our car. A void of words.

Although a world without Teresa’s angry grunting would be absolute heaven, I disliked silence. I know, I barely talk to anyone else other than Teresa, but I’ve picked up enough conversation and gossip from rare trips to the mall to realize that I actually liked and needed a small dose of talking to other human beings.

I flicked on the ancient radio, my finger collecting a painting of dust. Cyndi Lauper flowed out through the speakers. I cranked it up to full volume, the radio blasting to the open window. After a few milliseconds of me belting “GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUUUN!” to the world and pretending nothing else existed, Teresa flicked off the radio, almost taking the switch with her.

I sank back into my seat, pouting.

“You should be glad,” Teresa squawked when we were about halfway there. “Parker Boarding School will open you to new opportunities. Opportunities your mother and father never had.”

“My parents did great with whatever they had.” My voice came out a lot colder and harsher than I expected. Good.

The car stopped at a red light, and Teresa twisted around in her seat to sneer at me. “Sure they did. They did great.”

I raised my voice. “What are you implying?”

“You speak fluent sarcasm, you know exactly what it means,” Teresa shot back, her voice just as loud and scathing.

The guy in the car next to us glared at me and Teresa. I glared daggers right back at him until he looked away to roll up his window, and focused my gaze back on Teresa.

“Well, maybe you can go to college and get a degree, like a doctorate, or do something that will actually make you successful.” Teresa focused her eyes on the road again as the light turned green and I sat back down, hurriedly buckling my seatbelt again.

“Also, since I pretty much raised you, you’ll have to pay me back at some point.” She continued with no shame.

I bursted into laughter. “HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. That’s the funniest thing that I’ve heard all DAY!”

Teresa glared, her tiny, mole-like eyes burning like hot coals.

She did the bare minimum to keep me alive, that’s what she did. Teresa never cared about anything; I could do anything, burn down the entire school, and she wouldn’t lift an eyelid. Some people called it freedom, but I didn’t think so.

Teresa didn’t seem to notice that I had gone completely still. She wouldn’t have cared anyway. “No matter how hard you screw up, this school is gonna turn you into something. At least you’ll be better than what your parents were.”

My next words were a drawl. “Better than you, too.”

Teresa snickered. The silence was thunderous as I recounted the millions of reasons to hate Teresa and envisioned her demise for every reason I could think of.

I flung open the car door before the vehicle even came to a complete stop.

Gate 67, I’ll be right there.

I sprinted away, pumping my legs as fast as I could without colliding with anyone or anything. I barely stopped to even glance at the signs.

The bright blue paint of Gate 67 winked at me as I stormed onto the station and onto the platform. I wanted to be as far away from Teresa as possible.

Closing my eyes, I finally came to a halt inside the train. My hands clung onto the doorway, taking several raspy breaths, legs filled with lead from my mad dash through the station. A thin lightheadedness enveloped my mind as I refilled my lungs with gallons of air.

Fwoosh.

Without warning, my breath was suddenly pressed out of me. My eyes snapped open, but there was only an endless abyss of black all around. Panic clogged any sense of logic. I couldn’t breathe as my feet lifted off the ground. I felt a hysterical scream rushing up my throat, even though there was no air in my lungs.

Suddenly, a back-breaking force sent me jolting through the darkness. I twisted around frantically but saw nothing except the tendrils of black.

Fwoosh.

I could breathe again.

What…?

The darkness disappeared as quickly as it had come and was replaced with light once more, except that I was at a new station. My feet were planted firmly on the ground, and not suspended in midair, like I was merely three seconds ago.

Fear frosted in my veins. My heart thundered like a hammer, and I stood, glued to my spot on the ground.

I turned my head ever so slightly to the left, a huge sign immediately grabbing my attention: Gate 3.14.

Did I forget to wake up this morning?

Gate 3.14? That’s impossible. Platform 9 ¾ but now it's 3.14? I wonder if they serve pie at this station. Haha. I’m so funny. Now, where are the wizards?

The station’s train perched, old and rusted, on tracks layered with years of neglect, and I felt more cold blossoming on my back.

A metal bench sat underneath a roof made of white-painted wood. No other human being, or any other organism, was around. Spiderwebs laced the abandoned corners of the station and dust blanketed the ground. It looked like something out of a horror movie.

It could end up taking me to the underworld or something like that, but honestly, that wouldn’t be half bad.

The train station was completely empty. There was no one here, the train and its tracks were the only things in sight. I also had no phone, since Teresa didn’t allow it. Even if I could call someone, how do I explain that I was... thrown through a train?

I walked up slowly to the train, my suitcase drawing lines through the dusty ground. The doors opened with a shower of dust and a loud creak as soon as I got closer.

I shook my head and waved my hands in an attempt to clear out the cascade of dirt and grime. Shaking like a brittle leaf, the train groaned as I took a step inside.

Before I could take a look around, a girl with a long brown braid and sharp golden eyes was behind me. “Hi.” she chirped.

A strangled screech ripped itself from my throat as I whirled around. The inhuman sound tore across the entire train of… People. Filled with people staring at me. I turned around.

A brown-haired girl stood towering before me. Her golden eyes frowned as she checked me over.

“Sorry about that.”

She seemed good-natured. She was a bit taller than me, which was a surprise because I am very tall (in my opinion), and she was wearing a bright green sweatshirt that said “GDA.” Black leggings extended over her legs and into a pair of sage green sneakers. Her light brown complexion had a healthy glow to it, which really brought out the gold in her eyes.

Seeing nothing amiss, the other people on the train slowly dropped their gazes back to whatever they were doing before I had disturbed the peace.

Although my heart still thundered with fear, I felt an urge of unexplained anger.

“EXPLAIN!” I yelled, thinking that was the best way to communicate my confusion.

Multiple heads turned toward me, again. I turned neon red as I fumbled with my suitcase. Man, I wish I had more than three brain cells.

“Sit down. This isn’t a kidnapping. It’s to protect you.”

What.

This girl looked dead serious. She could literally be telling me that “cucumbers will one day eat every science book in the world” and I would be less confused.

I shot her my most bewildered look. This girl with molten gold eyes somehow managed to astral project me into a different plane of existence. She then proceeds to tell me that I’m not being abducted.

Well golly gee darn, I thought, I suppose I haven’t been kidnapped. I’m actually just going on a lovely, free, vacation cruise to the Caribbean.

I opened my mouth to speak, then closed it again.

The girl sensed my genuine bewilderment and said: “I’m Brianna, your current guide to the school. I don’t have the time to explain things to you right now, but trust me, you’re safe here. Now, go sit down. We’re way behind schedule. The other kids should explain things to you.”

“‘Trust me, you’re safe here!’ Sounds like what a serial killer would say before turning around and murdering the four kids in his white van,” I mocked quietly under my breath as I looked for a place to sit.

Yes, I see the irony. But what else can I possibly do?

She pointed to a seat near a girl with hair that was the color of burning wood, and eyes the color of spring grass. This girl had a lovely heart-shaped face, and her skin was a pale, sandy color. She was wearing a light-brown coat, and her legs were wrapped with gray leggings. Her neck was cloaked with a green scarf that brought out her green eyes.

I liked her sense of fashion way more than Teresa’s.

I carried my suitcase to the seat and awkwardly sat down in the window seat next to her.

Help.

I may sound like an absolute extrovert inside my head, but I’m not as charming as I may have allowed you to believe. I have the charisma of a turkey trying to convince hunters not to kill it the day before Thanksgiving.

“Hello.” I said with a circular wave.

She jumped back in surprise, and I jolted back, unsettled.

It appeared the strange ritual we had just performed was some sort of truce-signal, because...

“What’s going on here? Where am I? Who are all these people? You seem confused too? Do you know what’s happening? Because I don’t know! I was kidnapped. But the girl said I wasn’t. You look like you were kidnapped. Were you?”

I sat like a rock for two solid seconds.

“U-uh… I was hoping you would know,” I peeped. The train jerked as it started to move.

“I’m Mackenzie Jade. But people call me Mackie Jade. Y’know, because it cuts down about three letters and a syllable.”

“I’m Amber. Amber Wilson.” She was suddenly shy. Her eyes flicked to the window, downcast.

Amber obviously was disappointed with my answer. I would’ve been disappointed too, but that was the best answer I could give.

We both averted our gazes, and that uncomfortable silence settled in. The silence lasted for about 3 seconds.

“WHOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOO!!!!” A boy crammed onto our seat row, squashing both me and Amber. He had playful brown eyes and brownish-blackish hair. His skin was a light, tannish color. He was wearing a red t-shirt that was so bright it blinded me, and I had a similar impression of his personality.

“GLOWING DRAGON ACADEMY, HERE I COME!!!!!!” He yodeled as he landed in the seat next to me.

Glowing who? Huh, interrogation time.

I stared him down, lengthening my torso so I could tower over him.

“You obviously know where we're going. So tell me, what’s going on? Where are we going? Why are we going there? I want answers, NOW.” I demanded. “You just jumped right onto us, so you better answer me.” Hopefully, I wouldn’t have to resort to shaking the answers out of him.

“So do I.” Amber joined me in glaring at him. “You better give a good explanation or else I won’t be forgiving you for yelling like that.” Her voice conveyed a poorly-disguised annoyance.

“Okay, okay,” he silently searched for a reasonable explanation to give. “Okay, you guys are probably normal people. So, long story short, magic exists, fiction is real.”

I would’ve laughed at him if he wasn’t being so serious.

“Think of this as a video game. Every player has stats that allow them to cast spells, use weapons, make potions, and blah. However, everyone each has an individual ability, unique to one person and one person only. Glowing Dragon Academy is a school that trains children who have these special powers.”

I thought my only ability was to eat yogurt at unimaginable speeds.

“So you’re saying we were kidnapped to go to a magical school against our will?” Amber asked.

“Of course not. Your parents sign you up for it when you’re born. They don’t tell their kids when they’re young, because the kids might spill secrets to normal humans. The thing is, they usually tell their kids sooner or later… which means that you two must be orphans.”

A look of panic twisted his face as he realized what he said, but it was too late.

I slipped into a position that put the boy within punching distance. But before I could give him a piece of my mind, Amber spoke first.

“I’m sorry that orphans are funny,” she said in a low, tight voice. “But that’s just the way we ended up. Some people wouldn’t understand, but I guess that’s not a big deal.” That girl’s voice could be as soft as a butterfly, or sharper than a knife.

I’m starting to like her.

“Oh, um…” The boy stammered. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. It was really insensitive of me. I usually don’t think before I speak.” His apology was sincere enough, and his face held a look of shame.

I loosened up, and put myself back into a relaxed position.

We all sat quietly for a moment.

And then he spoke again, “I’m Max Pendleton by the way.” He was evidently trying to make up for his mistake by making small talk.

“Mackenzie Jade,” I said.

His face lit up with a sheepish smile. “Can I call you Mackie?”

“Sure. That’s what most people call me anyway.”

“Oh, and I’m Amber.” Amber said sullenly, her face a stone wall as she pointedly looked away from Max. She was obviously still upset.

“Nice to meet you, Amber!” Max greeted with as much warmth as he could muster.

All of a sudden, the train shook with sharp violence.

It was quickly followed by another jerking shake.

“What-” I started, but clammed up when the train rattled again.

“Ooop, looks like we're lifting off!” Max said, still trying to smile awkwardly at Amber.

Amber clutched her stomach. “We’re what now?!”

The train lifted off the ground. I was thrown back against my seat as we sailed into the crisp morning air.