Keeya bent over, sweat tickling her brow. Marcella stood watching her with what Keeya was being to suspect was her characteristic smirk. She was now grateful for her T-shirt and leggings Wiping her sweat away, she stood and braced herself and wondered for the millionth time how things had ended up like this.

“Ready?” Marcela asked sarcastically.

“Ready,” Keeya replied stubbornly.

Marcella held up the stopwatch that Keeya was beginning to hate with a passion.

“Let’s go,” Marcella said.

So, how did Keeya end up here for real?

It all started when Marco was just about to start explaining some of the training programs Keeya would be doing once she settled in. Joy grabbed a towel and some water and waved her farewells. Keeya really hoped she would end up on this team… Garden? They all seemed really cool and if Keeya could get them to come to her neighborhood, they would get the whole place cleared out in no time.

Suddenly Marcella burst her way through the door and into the training room.

“Sup?” She said striding in like she owned the place.

Marco frowned,

“Can we help you?”

Marcella hopped on the folded floor mats where Keeya had been sitting a moment before.

“Actually, I’m going to be the one to help you,” she said crossing her legs and pointing dramatically, like a gym queen declaring from her throne.

“Joy texted me and told me our little newbie wants to get out to the field as soon as possible.”

Keeya perked up at this.

“And how are you going to help me do that?” Keeya asked.

“I’ll put you through hell on earth,” Marcella replied with a savage grin.

Marco looked like he was about to interject but this time Keeya put her arm out to stop him.

“Bring it! Sorry Marco, but I usually skip the tutorials,” Keeya added to Marco with a sheepish grin.

And so, Keeya started training under Marcella with Marco standing not too far away.

“First I’m going to show you how to put your staff away and then summon it again,” Marcella said.

Keeya clutched the staff tighter, a wave of panic making her heart thunder.

“And it will come back? You swear?” Keeya said seriously.

Marcella smirked but, for an instant, Keeya thought she saw sadness in her eyes.

“Trust me, once you are chosen you won’t be able to escape till you age out. You can throw the staff away, toss it in the ocean, or chuck it into the Grand Canyon, but it will always come back when the serpenti are near, or when you call for it.” She vaulted off her makeshift throne and summoned her staff. A shower of golden sparkles appeared in the shape of her staff and once Marcella’s hand reached up it turned into her staff.

Keeya gapped. She had watched thousands of hours of Magical kid content on UTube, but she always thought they carried their staff with them and stored them in a locker of some kind when not on duty.

That must have been why I got so many weird looks at the hospital. The nurses and staff probably thought a snake hoard was nearby.

Keeya groaned inwardly.

Marcella snapped Keeya out of it, by literally snapping her fingers right in front of Keeya’s face.

“Hey, did you hear anything I said?”

“Oh, uh guess not,” Keeya said laughing awkwardly.

“I said that learning how to summon your staff quickly and in any situation is crucial to being a Zookeeper, which it seems you are dead set on.”

Keeya nodded furtively.

“Okay so let’s start for real then,” Marcella said and then held out her staff. In the blink of an eye, it disappeared in a poof of sparkles. Keeya rubbed her eyes and then in a flash of light it was back.

“Woah,” was all she managed.

“Once you know the trick you can summon it as slow or as quickly as you want. Cameras and new girls love the slow dramatic reveal.”

Keeya gave her a look and Marcella laughed for the first time. It was a nice laugh, not malicious or teasing like the rest of her personality.

“Okay, so, it’s different for everyone but I picture my staff always being near me in the air. So, I mentally hang it up in the air once I don’t need it and then pick it up once I do.”

Marcella pointed her thumb behind her

“This dork pictures a sword in its sheath, like he is some kind of knight.”

“That’s because my staff is a sword,” Marco replied not looking up from his phone.

“Anyway, I’ll leave you guys to go check on her paperwork.” He saluted and left the training room.

“Now, concentrate new girl, picture whatever you need to help you ‘hang up’ your staff”

Keeya struggled for what felt like hours. She finally got this staff, was finally chosen. And not only had she taken out a whole warehouse, but a hoard of snakes that were about to attack her best friend.

What if it doesn’t come back? The paperwork isn’t even done yet; it’ll be easy for them to hand me my coat and kick me out the door.

“What’s wrong? I told you it’ll come back,” Marcella said crossing her arms.

Keeya took a deep breath.

“Marcella, you don’t understand,” Keeya bit her lip but then released what she had kept inside.

She looked down at the staff in her hands. It’s beautiful blue, like that of the sky just after dawn, and it’s eight-point golden star.

“This staff means the world to me,” she finally said, her voice husky with emotion.

Marcella didn’t say anything for a while, which Keeya thought surprising. Maybe there was more to Marcella than she lets on.

“Okay, if that’s the case then I want you to hold onto that feeling. If you know you can summon it then you know it will always come to you. Now, put it away and then bring it right back.”

Keeya sucked in a breath, she felt like she was going to cry, but held it in.

I’m just putting it away, I’m… um… going to put it next to me. I mean I guess I would have to physically put it down eventually.

Keeya tried to squash the memory of her changing into her clothes while swapping the staff between hands, scared to let it out of her grip for even a moment.

Just put it down, put it down, it’s not going away.

“Hey, you did it!” Marcella exclaimed.

Keeya opened her eyes and gasped. The staff was gone, but she could still feel it somehow.

“Now, bring it back,” Marcella ordered.

Keeya closed her eyes again, trying to ignore the panic that rose each second she couldn’t see the staff.

It’s not going away, it’s still here… it will always be with me. Because I am a Magical Girl!

In a blinding flash of light her staff was back, and it shined with more Dawn’s Light than ever before.

“Great, now do that one hundred more times,” Marcella said clapping her hands. She got something out of her pocket.

Keeya took a closure look and saw it was a black stopwatch, like the track and swim team coaches used.

“And this time we are going to time it.”

And now back to the present.

Summoning and unsummoning her staff was emotionally exhausting. Every time she unsummoned it, that small, anxious, spidery voice whispered in her mind that it would never come back.

But it always did.

“Wanna take a break? We have been doing this for a couple hours now,” Marcella said checking her phone.

“Sure,” Keeya said trying not to sound as tired as she felt. She went over to her jacket and picked up her phone. It was blowing up with messages and social media notifications. Gabrielle was asking a million questions about Team Garden. Her Dad was sending dozens of pictures of baby Tyreese and Mama while also giving her minute-to-minute updates.

Keeya held the phone to her chest, feeling happier than she had ever felt. Her skin started to glow with a golden light, as if manifesting her joyful vibes.

Marco burst through the door, shocking her.

That poor door has had quite the day, Keeya thought with a smirk.

“Keeya! Great news!” Marco said recklessly waving a tablet in the air.

Keeya wasn’t sure if she could handle more goodness, it almost felt like she was going to burst.

“Look! You got assigned to Team Garden as a Magical Girl in Training!” Marco pointed to the profiles on the team roster and sure enough Keeya had been added, even though it was just a basic gray avatar where her picture would soon be and her name with a blank spot for pronouns next to it.

Keeya ignored the “in training” part and looked up to see the twins holding out their fists.

“Let’s do this,” Keeya said fist bumping the twins.

Life could not be more perfect.

*

Somewhere far away and yet close at hand stood a figure shrouded in darkness. He leaned against the brick wall of an old building looking up past a wall covered with graffiti to a cluster of towers of shining white and silver.

He had never seen buildings like these, and he marveled at the construction.

His neck began to hurt, and he finally pulled his gaze away and rubbed it contemplating his next move. A head booped his black leather boot.

“Ah, hello there little one,” he said lovingly to the impossibly black snake.

He picked up the creature, and it wrapped its long body around his arm. So many of his poor pets were slain these days that it was a miracle this one found him. The smaller ones tended to be picked off first, as it always was in nature.

He sighed and adjusted his cloak with his free hand, the jeweled embellishments of his vest shining like stars in the dark, grungy alleyway.

“Looks like my pets may not be up to the task anymore. Time to get some help from the other generals,” he said again and sighed deeper.

“But so long as the Empress doesn’t find out we will not get in trouble,” he said talking to the snake on his arm and then chuckled at what fun it will be to play this game just a little longer.