Day is hot, Night is cold. As the sun rises, we biol, As it sets, we freeze. There is no shelter, There is no warmth. Not a moment of safe will we get, Every second filled with danger. They heat of the day may kill us, But so will the cold of the night. I tell you, friend, I always fear, Except when it’s dusk and dawn. My home is trying to kill me, But I cannot leave all I know. As much as I hate the cold of the night, I must survive the heat of the day.

I stepped forwards, a pathetic sword in my hand and no armour whatsoever. My opponent, however, was coated in heavy, iron armour with a sword of the strongest metal with a blade so sharp it could cut through rock. I was a scrawny little girl and he was a muscular man who must have been twice the height of me. It was an unfair fight, I would surely lose, he would slice me in two like it was nothing, right? Wrong! I had a trick or two up my sleeve. The gong rang and the fight began! He ran at me but I kept my stance strong. He raised his sword and slammed it down but I was quick to raise my own. The swords clashed together and mine shattered into a thousand pieces, my opponent smiled, he thought I was completely defenceless. But I wasn’t . He hit me with his sword but the sword didn’t even pierce my skin, my skin had turned grey and metallic, this metallic surface had coated me in it and it was indestructible. He stepped back and a look of shock and horror appeared on his face. I drew my own sword (it more appeared in my hand) and rose it. My sword was as indestructible as my skin. My opponent stepped away again. I made as though I was throwing the sword but I didn’t let go of the handle, the blade flew from the sword and he dived, narrowly missing the sword. The blade came back to me a slotted itself into the handle again. I ran towards my opponent, he looked so pathetic lying there on the ground, reaching for his sword. I sliced my sword down on his neck, decapitating him. I had won the battle, and no one else would ever dare challenge me again. 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐃

As king I have an important role to play. Every word I say could be used against me at some point in the future. I don’t know if I can trust all those around me. I don’t know who might betray me. One mistake and I could put my entire kingdom at risk. It’s like playing chess, knowing that whatever move you make your opponent might use that against you. I’m the king but it’s not just me the enemy wants, it’s everyone. My life is like a game of chess, a deadly, real life game of chess. The stakes are high, I can’t lose.

It went on for about ten years before they decided to address the situation. Amy and Ronald were both in their thirties and liked to travel. Amy lives in London and Ronald lives in Washington DC. They don’t have much in common, but somehow over the last ten years every time they go on holiday - no matter where or when - they always bump into each other. The first few times they just laughed, had a short chat and dismissed it as a coincidence. But after countless times they got rather suspicious and started to completely ignore it no matter how much they want to talk to each other. Amy had booked a trip to Madrid, this was where she went last time so why would Ronald go to Madrid again. Unfortunately on her second day in Madrid she met him. She was pressing the button for the lift, getting very agitated as it was taking forever. Finally she heard the ding and the doors opened she shoved in. But the second she was in she saw him. Ronald was standing there, looking just as disappointed as she did. “You thought I wouldn’t go to the same place again, didn’t you?” Amy says to Ronald. He simply nods. “Look,” Amy said, “We can’t ignore this anymore. Everywhere I go, anytime I go you’re there. What is going on?” “I have no more idea than you.” Ronald said. “Well… this is weird. And I want to figure this out.” Said Amy. “I agree.” Ronald replied. The ding of the lift reaching the ground floor brakes their conversation. “Dinner at six.” Amy says. The lift doors open and they step out but they aren’t on the ground floor of the hotel. A cave stretched out in front of them, at first they thought that they went a floor too low but the lift’s floor counter still said ground floor. They both stepped out and heard their footsteps echo as they walk. “What on earth!?” Ronald cried. They walked deeper into the cave and came to a dead end. “Huh,” Amy said. The floor gave way beneath them, they fell further in to the ground. They picked themselves up and dusted themselves off. In front of them was a huge fountain. A figure came out of the water and looked as though the water made them. “Amy and Ronald?” The man’s voice boomed from the centre of the fountain. “Yes?” They said shakily. “We have been waiting a long time for you!” Said the man. “What the heck is going on!?” Amy cried. “What is going on is that you two have been chosen!” Said the man. “Chosen for what?” Asked Ronald. “That doesn’t matter right now, but now you should get settled, you’re going to be here a while.” “How long are we going to be here?” Asked Amy. The man paused and looked at her. “Forever.”

He didn’t know the shadows were about to overtake him, I mean, who was to tell him what happens when you get caught in the darkness, anyone who had turned to the dark side long ago. Edward was terrified. He was only ten after all. Life had been very unkind to him in the first place - little food, no friends and the constant fear of war breaking out between the light and the dark - but now he was in the worst place possible, stuck between the light and the dark. The dark would overtake him and he would become a shadow warrior, perhaps he wouldn’t have to fight as he is so young but then again perhaps he would. Edwards breathing was so intense you could see his chest rising and falling, if you could see through the surrounding darkness, that is. The darkness grabbed at his skin, freezing him. The shadows were cold but at the same time warm. They crawled around his skin, he wanted to scream but he couldn’t. The shadows traveled up to his head and went straight into his eyes. This time he could scream, and he did. The shadows burned as they went into his eyes. Edwards veins turned black as the shadows made their way to his heart. Markings of the shadow warrior appeared on his scrawny arms like tattoos. He had become a shadow warrior of the dark tribe. In a few years he would go to war against the sun warriors of the light tribe, against his own family. One tribe would be banished from the land, who would it be, the dark or the light, the shadows or the sun?

“None of your business! I’ve got your payment, now help me!” I snap. Sine Nomine pulls the dagger out the bag, he had been waiting on this being returned to him for a very long time. “Fine! I’ll give you the spell.” He says. “WHAT! That wasn’t the deal! I get you the dagger and YOU cast the spell! I’m not even a witch so how could I do it!?” I can’t believe this! I got him what I knew he would want and he still doesn’t do what I asked! I should have listened to Sally, she told me never to trust Sine Nomine and I ignored her. But this was my only chance to get her back. “Listen! I have brought you the dagger and in return I want you to help me get my sister back! I don’t care how you help as long as I get her back!” “I have told you how I will help.” He says calmly. “I will give you a spell.” “But I’m not a witch or a wizard or a sorcerer or anything like that! I can’t cast a spell!” I’m getting frustrated now, why won’t he just help me!? “I see no reason why you can’t cast a spell, Cecile.” “I’m not a witch! I’m not magic! How could I cast a spell if I don’t have any magic!?” “You couldn’t,” “EXACTLY!” “but you do have magic” “I don’t!” “and since you have magic you can cast the spell, which is why me giving you the spell will help.” “But…” “I know you don’t think you have magic but you do. End of.” He said all this so calmly whilst I was yelling at him that it infuriated me even more. He slid a piece of paper across the table, stood up - the dagger in his hand - and walked away. “Where are you going!? This wasn’t the deal! Help me get my sister back! I can’t cast the spell! I’M NOT MAGIC!” I know I said otherwise but, they do say Sine Nomine knows all, I was stating to believe that maybe - if he gave me the spell - I might actually have magic. I took the paper in my hand, the spell was in the middle in small handwriting: Posuit in amicis meis epularer gratis I muttered it a few times in my head. I might as well give it a shot, what do I have to lose, Sally’s already been locked up. I stand up and walk out the pub. I walked towards the prison which was about five miles away. Shapeshifters are BANNED! And unfortunately my sister Sally was born with shapeshifting powers. Mum had always told Sally NEVER to use her powers but when mum passed - even though Sally was an adult by then - she used them whenever she wanted. That’s how she got herself arrested and thrown in the most horrible and secure prison ever! And now I have to break her out. I got to the huge iron gates, the sign on it told me that crossing the gates without permission made it legal for the guards to shoot me, I didn’t care, I needed Sally back. I climbed up the gate and jumped down the other side, before I jumped I felt a jolt on my leg. I didn’t think about the possibility that it would be an electric fence. Even though pain surged through my leg I ran towards the tall building where my sister was being held. The guards spotted me and began shooting. Lucky for me, they didn’t have very good aim. As I approached the prison I took the paper out my pocket, I knew I couldn’t stop otherwise the guards would have a still target. Staring at the paper I was having doubts that I really had magic, but if I didn’t try then I was pretty much admitting defeat - and that wasn’t something I was prepared to do. “POSUIT IN AMICIS MEIS EPULARER GRATIS!” Of course it didn’t work. Why did I trust Sine Nomine, he probably just tricked me into thinking I might be magic or that spell would work so he could get his dagger for doing nothing. And he cleverly arranged this so that I couldn’t take the dagger back when the spell didn’t work: because I’d be DEAD! I was getting closer to the building where two guards with rifles were standing. What could I do but try again. “POSUIS IN AMICIS MEIS EPULARER GRATIS!” I yelled through the tears, not only was I not going to get Sally back but I was going to be shot as well! The guards suddenly stopped shooting and turned around, they walked back to their stations. In front of me little specks formed and molded together forming the basic outline of a person. More detail formed and the figure shaped into my sister, Sally. The last specks landed on her, her eyes were closed and she instantly fell to the floor. She looked so week as she struggled to pull herself up. I ran and dropped to my knees, swooping Sally into a hug. “CECILE!” She cried. “Sally.” I say. “What are you doing here!?” “Breaking you out of prison.” I say as though it was the most natural thing in the world. “But what even happened, I was in my cell and next thing I know I’m lying on the ground with your arms around me!?” “Well, I might, maybe, possibly… have magic.” I say quietly, waiting for her reaction. “What!? Cecile, you don’t have magic. Now, actually how did I get out and how were you planning to break me out!?” “I used a spell!” Sometimes Sally could be so STUBBORN! “I still don’t understand!” “I’ll explain later. Now we’ve got to go home before the guards start shooting at us again!” Sally finally softened and rapped her arms around me before we got up and ran back to the iron gates.