*Hatchet's P.O.V.*

"Majesty!" The man yelled, sliding out from under the old 1957 corvette.

He was a big man, tall and lean. His voice was deep. He had short cut light brown hair. He was wearing jeans smudged with oil and grease. His shoes, I don't even know what type they are or what color they originally were. He was wearing a white shirt, stupid choice, also stained with grease. He looked like he just climbed out of a mud pit.

He brought his arms around Hecate, pulling the magical queen into a hug that looked more like a gorilla strangling a butterfly but- Not that Hecate's pretty or anything but- No! I'm not saying that she's ugly either but, you know... Analogies.

When he finally let go of her, he rested his hands on her thin shoulders. He looked excited to see her.

"You're back, Majesty!" He yelled, his eyes round with excitement. "We were so worried when they said they executed you."

"Didn't Niquie tell you that I got out?" Hecate asked, keeping her arms inside of his and resting them on his shoulders. It'd be awkward for anyone but awkward looked normal on her.

"Of course she did, but we were still worried. You're not exactly careful when it comes to breakouts, you know. And breaking into a camp, too! That's really something only you could pull off."

"Well, actually, I almost broke my limiter and almost got shot. But, hey! I'm alive!"

The man scowled at her before turning to me.

"Who's your friend?" He asked, purely curious.

"Right," Hecate said. "This is Jacin. Jacin, this is Hatchet."

"Nice to meet you," I said, holding out my hand.

He smiled, finally letting go of Hecate's shoulders to take my hand.

"You too." He let go an turned back to Hecate. "Is he..."

"Yep," she said, bobbing her head twice. "He is."

"Is what?" I asked.

Hecate rubbed the back of her neck. "You're not gonna like it."

"Like what?"

She sighed. "You're um... They check you for magic when you sign up to become a Black Hand, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Christ," she mumbled under her breath. "Well, I hate to be the only one to tell you this, Hatchet, but you're a...you're a magician."

I looked at her, waiting for her to crack a smile bigger than the one that was her neutral expression. She didn't.

"I...I have magic?"

She nodded.

"But...I didn't when they checked me. And that was only two years ago. I can't suddenly have magic in two years, can I?"

"Well, you shouldn't. But, you do. You're a reaaally late bloomer. Like, this is a miracle, late bloomer. You having magic shouldn't have happened if you didn't have it by the time you were ten."

"Wait, there's no way you could tell, right?" I said, running my hand through my long hair. "There's no way you could tell with one of those huge ass machines they have at the Academy, right? Maybe you're crazy. Well, you are crazy, but there's no way I could have magic. And there's no way you could tell if I did."

"Actually, there is. When I pushed my limiter so far that I couldn't use magic, I was so sensitive to magic that I could feel it when you caught me. It's like...my body's so used to magic, that it becomes super sensitive to it when I don't have it."

"No, that's... It's not possible."

The other two didn't reply. Jacin was giving me a sympathetic look, like he knew what I was going through. I hated it, especially since he was a stranger.

"I...I need to sit down."

"There's the floor," Hecate offered.

"Right, floor."

I plopped down and so did she. The mechanic wasn't far behind.

I rested my elbows on my knees and buried my head in my hand.

"I'm a magician," I mumbled. "I have magic and I'm a magician. I am...everything I'm supposed to hate."

"Hatchet," Hecate said, drawing my attention, "listen. Since you have magic, I think it'd be best for you if you...used it. Of course, that's if you want to. You don't have to."

"What happens if I don't?"

"I cant say it'll be easy. There's a chance you might go off if you don't figure out how to control it. You might get too mad and set someone on fire. But, it won't kill you if you don't. You can't kill yourself with your own magic. Well, not that way. You'd have to, like, purposely crush yourself or something. Even then- Right, getting off track. You don't have to if you don't want to, but it'd be best if you did."

I glanced at the man who was watching me. "What's he here for?"

"Jay isn't a strong magician. His magic's...kinda special, too. I figured we could use him to jumpstart your magic, since you've never used it yet. Normally, people randomly find out they have magic by, maybe, starting a fire or freezing a bird or something. It's normally really random. But, if you let him, Jay can jumpstart it."

"Why can't you?"

She smiled and let out a little laugh. "My magic doesn't play well with others. Except for healing, which it works extraordinarily well for me because I don't have to touch your magic to do that and-"

"She means it, too," Jacin said. "For some reason, most magic can't mix with other magic. Her Majesty's the worst I've seen. She could, maybe, blow you up. I mean, there's still a one in a hundred chance she could work. But, you know, one."

Hecate gave me a lopsided smile. "I know it's a lot to take in, but you don't have to decide right now. I wanted to introduce you to Jacin before I left so you'd know he was here. Why don't we start heading back? Huh?"

She started standing up.

A lot to take in? This is changing my entire life. She just sat me down and told me I'm everything I'm supposed to hate. Actually we were sitting but that's not the point. I guess it's better than finding out in Black Hand territory or in public but- Can I even believe her? She could be lying. No, Hecate isn't the type to lie about stuff like that. Even I know that.

"Wait," I said, while she wiped the dirt off her shorts.

She looked down at me, chocolate eyes glistening in the reflection of the of the light.

"I wanna use my magic." I looked to Jacin. "Jumpstart me."

He smiled. "Course, if you're sure about in."

I nodded.

"I don't wanna get mad at someone and set them on fire. I wanna be in control."

"Control's not just starting. If you really wanna control it, you're gonna have to learn."

"Then teach me. I dont care where you go, take me with you and teach me about magic. Teach me how to use it."

She looked at me for a second, almost shocked that I suggested her teaching me. Then, there it was, that signature smile of hers. "If you really want me to, I'll teach you." She turned to the mechanic. "Jumpstart him."

Jacin held his hands out towards me, like he wanted to hold hands or something.

"It's not a joyride for me either," he said, laughing. "But it's the only way. My magic isn't strong enough to reach you. It's gotta be through contact."

Scowling, I rested my hands in his.

"This is gonna feel weird," he warned.

How bad could it really be?

Yeah, it was weird. Really weird.

It was like something was crawling up my arms. Like-like a thousand spider scrapping their long legs all up my arm. I could feel each and every leg brushing against my hairs. They crawled over my whole body, sending goosebumps all over my skin. It felt like ten minutes, then twenty, then thirty, but nothing was happening.

Then something did. A warmth, seeping from the middle of my chest and slowly replacing the spiders with a burning warmth that was almost comforting. It covered my entire body.

And then I blacked out.

-Authors Note-

Sorry for the short chapter.

I'm expecting editing and advice