London, England - Five years ago

There are five things that you must know if you ever want to fight evil: never leave the house without salt, never trust a stranger, always bring any sort of weapon with you, always wear a pentagram and rely on both your instincts and rationality to survive. But, wait, I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start from the beginning, shall we?

I've always led a quiet and ordinary existence. Not that I was ordinary or plain. Far from that. I had abilities I couldn't fully understand. It took me sometime to assume them as what they were: "magic.  Circumstances led me to accept my unique characteristics as something I could never let others came acquainted with for my one safety as well as theirs. When you live in a society in which the expression "blend in" is key for a peaceful coexistence in society, you don't care if you suppress what you are if you know it'll get you into trouble.

"Come on, Lauren. There's no way that could ACTUALLY happen." Jamie retorted, tangling her long bright yellow hair around her small and thin fingers " Why would he ask you out from all people???"

"Why not?"

"Lau, he is an egocentric maniac who likes to tease people" she started "And you're just a sweet kid with no sense of reality."

I was seventeen by then with prospects of becoming a comic book writer or maybe a mangaka even. I adored drawing and imagination possessed me lusting lover on a verge of exploding. I had no idea that something like what was about to happen could be an experience in my life. My almost normal life. My cosy, not weird, very plain life.

Rick Stiffen had been some sort of secret crush for long and it wasn't like we knew each other very well. We were neighbours. We got along. I could almost call him my friend if it wasn't for the fact we hang out with different people and didn't talk much other than Tuesday bowling night. Ok, he was my friend. Although I truly never told anyone, I really liked him and I think he wasn't that indifferent.