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Kaori awoke and rubbed her eyes.Another weird dream.She didn't mind.They provided material for her writing.Dragging herself to the bathroom to get dressed for school,she noticed something.Somehing that hadn't been there when she fell asleep.Something she hadn't seen before.Something small,oval and dark,with a gleam of metal.Kaori leaned over the bed and picked it up from the table.An amulet...or pendant.

It was large for a pendant.A stone of deep green,smooth and polished.A silver hoop for the chain was held in place by a crossed silver band,that wound like a holder around the stone.It han a small light blue stone at the heart of the cross.It was beautiful...

" Keep it safe,my love.Safe always... "

Kaori calmly strung it on the siver chain around her neck.As if emerging from a trance she realized that she had never had a silver chain before.

. . . . .

At school.History.A dull stupor was over the class.

Where'd you get that amulet?

A note from...Kaori scanned the faces of ther classmates.Crystal was gesticulating wildly.Kaori winced inwardly.Cheryl was...not quite a popularity queen.People mostly juat laughed at her.They said that she believed

in..magic,destiny...stuff like that.And it was social suicide to even say "Hi" to her.Deciding that she'd risk it,a few words exchanged wouldn't matter,she turned back to Crystal and mouthed,"What?".Crystal passed another note:Meet me after school at the cypress tree.Don't tell anyone...even Melanie.

Nonplussed at her knowledge of her friend an her favourite hangout,Kaori silently nodded.

. . . . .

Later,at the cypress tree,Kaori's hair whipped around her face as she waited for Crystal to show up.Then,just as she had almost given up,she noticed Crystal's turquoise scarf waving as she walked toward her.Crystal smiled as she neared the tree and Kaori noticed in surprise that a thrill of energy rushed through her body...

. . . . .

Back at Kaori's house,the two of them were sitting in partial darkness,Kaori being too intrigued to protest at Crystal's insistence.Crystal had drawn a white candle out of her purse and lit it.It's fragrant scent filled the room with an almost unnoticable mist.Lavender.

Abruptly,Crystal said,"Do you believe

in magic?Or anything like it?"

Kaori was...well, how would you feel if you were her?

She stammered,"I don't know."

"Well,I do.Because it exists and I am part of it.",Crystal said,pushing a stray lock of her blonde hair back."It's more like just a part of us,you know...the people who control it are just feared because people...well,they're scared of things which have anything to do with parts of them they don't know.Or understand.The people who do know and understand and embrace it are who they call witches.Or wiccans.Whatever.It doesn't matter what we're called.It matters what we are,"

"We?You're coming to my house,creating a weird,'magical' atmosphere and teling me that I'm a witch?"Kaori demanded in a sudden burst of disbeleif.

"Listen,I know it's hard to believe

.But logical.Why else would there be legends.Everybody knows 'Legends have their basis in reality'."Crystal