The evening was the time when the moderately busy streets of Curtlane town became noticeably restful. It was the time when the people of the town had returned to their homes, ready for a good home-cooked dinner. It was the perfect time for Leo to do what he did best; lie down and relax. Leo usually appreciated reading in complete silence, but that evening was the first of Autumn and the season was passionately revealing its nature from day one. It was raining heavily and the sky was on fire, but since Leo was still absorbed in reading yet another horror fiction, he didn’t mind the weather at all. He appreciated how it enhanced the mood. That kind of weather, on the other hand, was hardly enjoyed by Ursula, who crawled under her blanket and turned up the sound of the television to cover the startling sounds of thunder. As for Teresa, there was no weather bad enough for her to cancel her plans for shopping.                      

    ‘Dinner is in the fridge,’ said Teresa as she prepared herself to leave, walking to and from Ursula’s room, which was just next to her own, every time she remembered to tell Ursula more instructions. ‘Don’t stay up watching television. Sleep early, we don’t want any more problems with your teachers,’ said Teresa, putting on her shoes.

     Downstairs, in the dark living room, Leo was sitting on a cosy couch under a big, closed window when the front door was opened, and Mr Govad came in, dripping wet.

    ‘Good evening uncle,’ said Leo not looking up from his book.

    ‘Not so good, I’m afraid. Bad weather,’ said Mr Govad. ‘Where’s your mother? She’s not still planning to go out, is she?’

    ‘Yes of course I am,’ said Teresa, walking down the stairs.

    ‘But it’s the great flood outside,’ said Mr Govad as he flung the water off his wet coat.

    ‘No, it’s not.’ Teresa smiled coolly as she put on her coat. ‘Ready for another plunge?’

    ‘Always in a hurry.’ Mr Govad sighed yieldingly.  

    ‘Leo dear, as I told your sister, dinner is in the fridge, and don’t stay up, okay? We won’t be late.’

    ‘Okay,’ said Leo hardly looking up.

    ‘Take care of your sister and remind her to go to bed early, she has school tomorrow. Do you hear me, Leo?’

    ‘I hear you. Don’t worry about us.’

    ‘I’m not worried,’ said Teresa with a smile as she closed the door behind her. It was eight o’clock when they left, two hours later, Leo finished the book he was reading and Ursula was still upstairs.

    ‘It wasn’t so scary,’ Leo told himself as he walked confidently into the big, empty, partially dark house to the kitchen, but then, when the fridge’s door shut on its own, he jumped. Still daunted by the book, even though pretending he wasn’t, Leo remembered Ursula and that he hadn’t heard from her since their mother had left. So he ran out of the kitchen to check.

    ‘Ursula!’ he called from downstairs. Ursula answered from her room. Reassured that she was still peacefully watching television, he returned to the kitchen without giving her a reason why he called. Leo eyed the book lying on the kitchen table. ‘The Visitor,’ he read the title out loud. ‘The Witch’s Ghost Still Hunts the City.’ Leo admired the book one more time, but then, a chilling scream coming from upstairs interrupted his thoughts.

    ‘Ursula!’ Leo called in terror. On his way to the staircase, the lights went off. ‘What’s happening? Ursula!’ he called again, struggling to find his way in the darkness. Guided by the faint street light coming through the living room window, he found the stairs but almost tripped on the first few steps. As there was still no answer from Ursula, Leo called again.

    ‘Leo!’ he could finally hear her calling, and he could see her shadowy silhouette standing up the stairs.

    ‘I’m here. Come down.’ Leo extended his hand.

    ‘I can’t see you. Stay where you are,’ Ursula ordered, her voice uncertain as she extended her hands through the darkness. Once she was downstairs, she held onto Leo’s arm with both hands.

    ‘Why did you scream?’ asked Leo.

    ‘There is something moving,’ Ursula whispered.

    ‘Where?’

    ‘Behind the curtains of my room’s balcony, then the TV went off and then the lights.’

    ‘What did it look like?’

    ‘I don’t know. It? What do you mean it?’ asked Ursula. ‘Leo I’m scared; could it be a thief?’ she was shaking. Leo pulled Ursula to the kitchen where he reached for two torches and something else from a drawer.

    ‘What is this?’ asked Ursula. ‘What do you think you’re doing? Put that knife back.’

    ‘Don’t worry Ursula, it’s just a table knife. I wouldn’t want us to get hurt,’ said Leo. ‘If it’s a thief then this can look as scary as any knife in the dark, if it’s something else then I’m not sure a knife will do us any good.’

    ‘Something else?’ asked Ursula.

    ‘A ghost or a dark spirit,’ Leo said casually. ‘They usually don’t prefer the light.’

    ‘What?’ Ursula almost screamed. Leo went back to the staircase and Ursula carefully followed him.

    ‘Don’t try to scare me. Now is not the time for your weird stories, okay?’ said Ursula. ‘There is no such thing as ghosts.’

    ‘I’m not trying to scare you,’ said Leo almost whispering, ‘just trying to—alert you. It can be a ghost. According to the book I was reading—’

    ‘I don’t want to know what you read in that stupid book,’ Ursula interrupted, she was angry but spoke quietly. ‘It can’t be a ghost, do you hear me?’

    ‘Well, it doesn’t hurt to be prepared,’ said Leo, a bit scared himself. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll deal with it. It’s good that I’ve read that book; they say it’s based on true stories, although it didn’t exactly say how to get rid of a ghost.’

    ‘Leo, you’re not serious, are you?’ asked Ursula still shaking. ‘Tell me you’re not serious.’ Leo was seriously still under the influence of the book, but as he noticed how scared she was, he thought that maybe he shouldn’t have spoken his mind. 

    ‘Well, perhaps I’m wrong. Maybe…’ Leo’s voice trailed off as he saw something descending the stairs behind Ursula and coming towards them. ‘Oh, God.’ Leo was quite frightened now and wasn’t about to hide it.

    ‘Leonardo, I’m warning you, if this is a trick, I will never forgive you,’  Ursula threatened, as she truly wanted to believe that her brother was only trying to scare her, but it was no trick. Leo was actually looking at something coming down towards them—two feet above the stairs. Ursula looked up, where Leo had his eyes fixed, and there she saw it too.

    ‘A ghost!’ Ursula muttered and hid behind Leo. The ghost had no defined figure, even in the light of Ursula’s torch that she turned on at once. It seemed draped in a wide sheet and from its high spot, the ghost looked bigger than what Leo had expected. In the darkness, it almost looked like a shadow moving on the wall.

    ‘Alright, brave Leo,’ said Ursula shaking with fear. ‘I believe you now. Deal with it.’

    ‘What?’ Ghosts were real—Leo was never more sure of that, but nothing he read in that book could’ve prepared him for such an encounter.   

    ‘Where is your knife, Leo?’ Leo found the knife on the ground where it fell from his hand at the sight of that flying creature. Seeing that the torch’s light wasn’t about to do them any good, and even though he knew it wouldn’t do much protection, the table knife was the only weapon they had. Leo reached for the knife and pointed it forward at the approaching being.

    ‘Get back!’ Leo ordered trying to sound confident, but the being extended an arm and the knife flew out of Leo’s grip.

    ‘How did it do that? What’re we going to do now?’ asked Ursula still hiding behind Leo risking a look now and then over his shoulder. The ghost kept moving forward and they kept retreating until they reached the edge of the couch under the window. They were trapped. They sat on the couch holding each other and watched the floating ghost as it moved forward into the living room, looking big and puffed like a parachute even though there was no air draft inside the room.

    ‘I can’t believe this is happening,’ Ursula was about to faint. ‘Could this be a nightmare?’

    ‘Whose nightmare is it?’ asked Leo, still watching the ghost as it stopped behind the coffee table and landed on the ground. Leo collected all the courage he could muster and spoke to it. ‘Who are you? What do you want?’ They waited but there was no answer. ‘Speak!’

    ‘Good evening,’ said the huge covered thing.

    ‘Leo, it spoke,’ Ursula whispered in shock as she held tighter to her brother’s shirt.

    ‘I know you’re scared but you shouldn’t be. I’m not going to harm you,’ said the being unconcernedly and removed the hood of the floating cloak, revealing a human face. The man was handsome and seemed in his early thirties. He had light blue eyes, light eyebrows, missy shoulder-length brown hair and a thin line of a moustache under a perfectly carved nose.

    ‘You’re not a ghost,’ Leo breathed, feeling his heart.

    ‘Sorry for the way I entered your house but that was for your security. I think there is no need for the lights to be off now.’ The man raised his hand towards the far switch of the living room’s chandelier. His palm, now clear in the light of the torches, was noticeably marked. The switch turned on without anyone touching it, and there was light in the living room once again.

    ‘I think you got the wrong address,’ Leo stood in disbelief.

    ‘No, I’m very sure this is the right one. Don’t be so shocked there is an explanation for everything,’ said the man.

    ‘So, will you tell us who you are? And what are you doing in our house?’ asked Leo who had finally found his confidence.

    ‘Of course,’ said the man. ‘My name is Erick Cooper. I’m the head of the guards at the fighting arts academy known as Zodia.’

    ‘Where?’ asked Leo deridingly. ‘I’ve never heard of such a place.’

    ‘Of course, you haven’t. Wait.’ Erick went to the window and looked out in both directions as if checking to see if someone was nearby.

    ‘Looking for something?’ asked Leo.

    ‘No, it’s alright, we’re safe,’ said Erick as he walked away from the window. For Leo, it was a fact that needed no confirmation. 

    ‘Are you hiding from someone?’ asked Leo.  

    ‘I’m worried about you actually,’ said Erick. Leo smiled incredulously, they were clearly in the presence of a madman. ‘Listen,’ Erick whispered urgently. ‘Try to understand this quickly, okay? You two have been chosen as two of the twelve yearly-selected, element-gifted warriors. You’re expected to join Zodia this semester.’

    ‘What?’ said Leo and Ursula.

    ‘Please don’t interrupt me. I don’t want to spend the whole night doing this,’ said Erick rather to himself, then he took out two bundles of paper from the pockets of his cloak and put them on the table.

    ‘Read them, you’ll understand all that you need to know about yourselves and your family, and you have to do everything written in there. I came only to meet you and to deliver those papers personally.’

    ‘You’re crazy,’ said Leo decidedly.

    ‘Thank you, I am getting that a lot today,’ Erick almost laughed. ‘Read the instructions, you must,’ he said seriously. 

    ‘Actually, we don’t have to do anything you tell us, and now I must ask you to leave our house,’ said Leo sternly.

    ‘I know I’m only a stranger to you, but you must trust me,’ said Erick. ‘It’s about your newly found talents. Surely you’ve noticed your Fire Gift.’ Leo and Ursula locked eyes as they remembered the conversation they once had.* As much as they had hoped they were imagining it, fire hadn’t been behaving as it should around them lately, and it scared them that the stranger knew about it. Erick seemed to notice their reaction. ‘Look, Leo—it’s Leo, right? You and your sister are not quite safe as you might think and unless you do as I tell you, you’ll have a hard time getting through this on your own.’

    ‘How did you know my name?’ asked Leo taking a step back.

    ‘I know exactly whom I visit.’

    ‘I still don’t trust you, and I won’t read that. Take your things and leave,’ said Leo.

    ‘Trust him, Leo,’ said a steady voice of a man at the end of the hall. It was their uncle who had just returned with their mother.

    Leo and Ursula were dumbfounded, but Erick acknowledged Mr Govad and Teresa with a big smile.

   * Read it in the special edition (Bonus chapter).