I nervously take a bite of steak.

Glancing around, i want to cry. All I ever wanted to do was chart the woods that were in the corner of Australia! But then I got lost and fell down a waterfall, discovering… THIS place.

I nervously turn my attention to my food. A neat steak garnished with spices, roasted potatoes, and a salad on the side. It tasteas okay.

The Magi at the head of the table is making a toast.

“Thank you, my friends, thank you for being here tonight. Now…” he leans close. “I understand that all of you are wanted alive or dead, due to the fact we are all magic, and i thank you for making the journey and making it alive. You may not make the trip back though, so I have a proposal…” he smirks. “What if we all join together here, in my beautiful cavern mansion behind this gourgeous waterfall?”

A buzz sweeps through the room. Some agree and some don’t. I don’t know what to think. I’m not even magic!! And now I might be trapped here forever?!

The person up front quiets us all with his hands. “Now now, i am sure many of you don’t know what to do. How about this: spend a few days here. Get to know the place. If you have a band or something, send a message and get them here as well! I assure you, this place has never been found, not in the thousand years magic has been hated.”

People are definitely excited now. I am just plain terrified.

Once everyone has definitely agreed, even me, unfourtunatly, he claps his hands and says: “well! Then, if we are all to live here together, I’d like to be on first name terms. Please, lets go around and say all our names and our living place!”

I am panicking now. This is a plot to get me, I know it. He has discovered me. He just wants to be sure.

“I shall go first. I am Gabriel Jasonne, and i live, well, here,” says the person at the head of the table. He turns to the person on the left side of him, a 12 year old girl, for some reason. Why would a child Magi be here? I had gathered this was for infamous, well known Magi. “And you are?” He asks.

“Mirachi Garbudo, and I live nowhere!” She declares.

I gasp inwardly. THAT was Mirachi Garbudo? The all-famous magic thief and outlaw? She was that little girl? I’m not the only one surprised, although I was the only one who didn’t believe she was amazing even more. All the others gasped, looking impressed that their idol, who had never been photographed, was a young child.

After that, there were others. Some I knew well through the news and others not so much, but all were wanted Magi— people born with magic.

Finally it was my turn. I took a shaky breath.

“I am… Maohando Jakarti, and i live…in Japan,” i said.

I was neither. My name is jasper havana and i live right here in Australia. But I tried to mask my accent.

When all the names had been told, Gabriel leaned back in his chair.

“Now that that is through… i must tell you something. There is an imposter here.” Several people gasped. I was hyperventilating, sweating frantically. I was doomed.

“Now—“ here he paused and took a moment for the effect. “I have realized this from the beggining. So when they arrived, I told my butler to make a magical drink.”

I blessed whoever was up there weaving fate of the fact I had not drunken any of the juice.

“It is nothing special,” Gabriel was saying. “Just something that would immediately transfer the imposter immediately to the wanted magi list and make them become one of us.”

Ok. So I won’t drink it, i thought. Simple.

“Now,” said Gabriel, inclining his head and raising his goblet, “i propose, to flush out this imposter.”

“We shall all drink the potion at the same time. If the imposter does—welcome to the community, and they are no longer an imposter. If they don’t, they may have to run, though they will not make it. If I was wrong and we are all true magic, then—nothing happens. It simply has a bitter taste.”

People are smiling and nodding at this plan. I, meanwhile, am about to faint.

“So.” Gabriel hoists his globlet. “To catching imposters.” He lowers the goblet to his mouth and swallows it all.

People shout this back and reach to drain their drinks.

I have no choice. I’d rather be Magic than dead.

With trembling fingers, i raise the goblet to my lips.

Sealing my fate, i drink to making me magic…and wanted.