Flowing Waters

Flowing Waters

Chapter 1

In her dream she could see a person standing in the rain on a hill overlooking the San Francisco Bay. The rain that was pouring all around the person had already soaked her clothes. Then, just like it always went, her vision rotated and she could see the face of the girl; it was delicate but determined, her brown hair was limp and wet, and her brown eyes portrayed every sad emotion known to mankind. It was obvious that she had been crying, maybe she still was. It was difficult to distinguish the raindrops from the tears. And, as usual, her vision turned once more, this time she was standing behind the girl. The girl shivered and out of the sky came a bolt of lightning, it seemed as though she had commanded it to come. Then another and another, but they seemed out of control. More and more came down, each one closer than the next. The last bolt was only five feet away from the girl, and as the next one came down she could tell it would hit the girl. She reached out to pull her towards safety, but as the bolt came down she was jerked away and started falling into darkness.

Eleven year old Sofia Baldwin woke with a start, she was covered in a cold sweat and had to look around her dark room in order to reacquaint herself with her own room. After taking several deep breaths she calmed herself down and assured herself that it had only been a dream. But it seemed so real. She thought to herself. Only a dream? Had it been? Sofia had been to the very hill that her dream had taken place on; she often went there when she was upset. Brushing a stray strand of dark brown hair out of her brown eyes, Sofia rummaged around her beside table looking for her Baby-G watch. Pressing the button which illuminated the time, date and day, she discovered it was 5:30 in the morning. Stumbling into her bathroom and cranking the shower nozzle to hot, she stepped into the shower and began her morning ablutions.

After her shower and other hygienic activities, she threw on some sweats and a T-Shirt; she grabbed her gym bag and headed down the stairs of her family's two story condo.

"Sofia, don't you need breakfast?" Alicia Baldwin asked

"I'll grab something after practice, mom," Sofia explained.

"Honey, if you do five hours of nonstop exercise without eating you'll faint. At least have a bagel and a banana," her mother insisted.

"Okay, you win." Sofia grabbed the food and hurried out the door with her mother. As she stepped outside, the sun was just coming up, staining the clouds a pale pink. Some stars were left lingering in the sky, making it even more perfect than necessary. The makings of a perfect July day thought Sofia to herself and headed towards her parent's new convertible mini-cooper.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

At the pitch Sofia spotted her team gathering and stretching. She stripped off the sweats and T-shirt, revealing a yellow soccer jersey along with black shorts. Changing into her cleats, she jogged over to her team. After warming up and stretching the team started to run laps.

"So...?" Teri asked.

"What?" Sofia asked. She was irritated at being distracted from her jogging. Talking wasted breath that was needed for the 25 laps they ran.

"C'mon, you know what I'm talking about. What'd she say?" Teri pressed.

"Teri, spit it out. You know Sof hates being interrupted when she jogs." Maria teased, using a friendly nickname the girls had made up for Sofie.

"Maria! I need to concentrate. You know that!" Sofia said. "Ri, what on earth are you talking about?"

"What did your mom say about going to the movies? It's tonight, and it'll be no fun if you're not there and it's just Maria and me." Teri pouted. They had stopped running and Sofia took the time to not answer by pretending she was catching her breath.

"Well?" Maria asked, she to was anticipating Sofia's answer.

"I didn't ask her," Sofia admitted. The girls started up their training exercises; the one the girls were working on was passing the ball back and forth as best as possible. Then they had to stop it and pass it on without pausing. The girls had been doing this for years and didn't need to concentrate too hard.

"What? Sofie did you chicken out?" Teri demanded.

"No! I forgot I really did. C'mon, Maria back me up here!" Sofie pleaded.

"Hey, keep me out of this!" Maria said looking amused.

"Girls! A little less talk, a little more hustle!" a voice from the sidelines commanded.

"Uhg, why is Spencer subbing for Stiles?" Ri asked in an undertone voice.

"Because he's an arrogant, stuck-up, brown-nosing asshole," muttered Maria, causing giggles to erupt from the girls.

"So Sof, are you gonna ask your mom about tonight?"

"Duh! I'm not missing our ritual! I'll ask when I get home." Sofie said with the enthusiasm of a five year old promised an ice cream.

"Awesome! It'll be great," Maria added with a mischievous grin.

"What?" Sofie asked puzzled at the look on her friend's face.

"Oh nothing, I just heard some very fine looking guys always hang out there." Maria said her smile getting even more child-like.

"Gods Maria, you are so obsessed!" Sofie teased.

"I guess I just can't help myself." She said, obviously lost in her own world.

"So, you're gonna ask your mom?" Ri pressed.

"Yes!" Sofie exclaimed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Which is why as soon as Sofie got home she pounced on her parents about letting her go.

"Mom? Can I go to the movies with Ri and Maria?" asked Sofia excitedly. Her mother tried to look her in the eye when she answered, but it was difficult because Sofie kept jumping up and down with joy.

"Well, have you finished unloading the dishwasher?" her mother asked.

"Yes mom." Sofie said; this comment had ceased her bouncing. But she had known that there was a long list of chores that her mother would remember and if one hadn't been done it would mean no movies. So she had taken care of them all as soon as she got home.

"Well, if you've done all of your chores then I suppose it's okay," her mother said with a grin.

"Thank you mommy!" gushed Sofie, plopping a kiss on her mother's forehead.

"Uh huh."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Later on that evening at dinner Sofie's parents were going berserk on rules for the movies.

"Now remember what you do if a group of boys comes up to you?" her mother drilled.

"Yes mom, I remember. We walk away and don't say anything. And if they follow us we go to security and report them," Sofia finished cutting off her mom.

"Ali don't you think you're going a little too far with all the rules?" asked Sofie's father.

"Jim, I'm just making sure that my baby is safe." Sofie's mother was a lawyer and was very good at persuading people into letting her have her way. This was one of the reasons she had won so many cases.

"If you say so," Jim said reluctantly.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

As Sofie was just going out the door, her mother stopped her to make sure that she had everything.

"And remember sweetheart, don't use magic!"

"Mooom!!!!!" Sofie whined. She'd hoped that her mother would have forgotten about that strict rule that would always exist.

"Hurry up, Sofia; you don't want to keep your friends waiting." Her mother said in a tone that suggested she try no funny business.

Sofie left mumbling something that sounded suspiciously like "Bet Ri doesn't have to put up with that rule." The girls hadn't gotten their letters yet, but Sofie's parents were both mages and Teri had always had a certain sense about her that suggested something else entirely.

When Sofie got into the car she saw that both friends had on make up and had very nice looking hair styles. While Sofie wasn't plainly dressed, she was wearing a nice scoop-neck shirt and smart jeans, she had no make up and her hair was in her usual pony-tail. On seeing this Maria pulled some eyeliner, blush, and lip gloss out of her bag. Teri got a brush and hair-things put of hers, and both girls got to work. Maria's black hair was up in an elaborate bun, and Teri's auburn and usually untamable hair was piled up on her head in little curls. Giving Ri one puzzled look, Sofie let her friends begin their work as the car drove away to the movies.

"Yes, it's magically put up like that," Ri muttered to Sofie, having seen the look.

"But how? You're not allowed, and even if you were, how would you have known the spell?" Sofie asked. Ri was a muggle-born as far as anyone knew and knew no magic. Before answering Ri shot a quick glance at Maria, to make sure she wouldn't over hear them. Then answered with some surprising news.

"Well, turns out my mom is a witch and I never knew. That's also the mysterious reason why my parents split; anyway, she did it for me." Ri finished breathlessly, her hazel eyes flashing with excitement. Sofie glanced up at Maria who was still going through her bag, trying to find more of her lip gloss. Sofie also directed her gaze up at Mrs. Westin, Teri's mother. So she's a witch. That certainly explains some things. Knowing that the other things that weren't explained by Mrs. Westin's being a witch, were just the way she was, Sofie vented out her jealousy.

"Wow, lucky. My mom would never use magic for hair."

"I know I am," Teri said.

Sofie tried sticking out her tongue but was reprimanded by Maria for messing up her process of applying lip gloss.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

As Sofie got into bed that night, she recalled what had happened that evening. It was strange; Ri, Maria, and she went about the normal protocol: getting tickets, buying popcorn (without fake butter) and drinks and candy, and then going into the theater. But as they had been walking to the theater, Maria hadn't been paying attention and stumbled over someone's shoe. Her water spilled towards her and Sofie couldn't help thinking Stop! Don't spill! It was very strange indeed; the water seemed to obey what Sofie had thought. But Sofie was not to be distracted from having a good time; she put the thought in the back of her mind and enjoyed the rest of the evening. But now she had time to think about it, and she couldn't understand it at all. Deciding on asking her parents in the morning, Sofie easily slipped into a dreamless sleep.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The next morning Sofie slept in late. Climbing out of bed, she pulled her blue, fuzzy bathrobe around her sheep covered pajamas and headed down to the kitchen. When she went into the kitchen for some breakfast there was a note on the island, next to the fruit bowl. It said:

Hi sweetie! Daddy and I went for a walk, be back around 9! There are eggs in the fridge and you can use the left over pound cake for French toast!

Love Mom and Dad

Sofie went to the fridge and grabbed a few eggs. Setting them in a bowl, she went to a bottom cupboard and grabbed a non-stick pan. Sofie lit the stove and put the pan on to the burner; she then grabbed some butter and put a slice on the pan. After that she cracked the eggs and waited for them to solidify. She left the plastic spatula next to the burner and went to get the newspaper.

When Sofie came back the spatula had started to smoke, she found this extremely odd and went over to investigate. As soon as she took a step toward the oven, the spatula went up in flames. Standing frozen on the spot, staring at the flaming spatula Sofie angrily thought to the spatula: Quit flaming you stupid piece of plastic! It was as if the spatula or the fire could hear her thoughts, for the fire died down to a small flame. When Sofie glared at it, it went out. She picked up the spatula, which was clearly ruined, and threw it away. After turning of the burner and putting her eggs, which had survived the Spatula Event, on a plate, she sat down to enjoy her breakfast and give herself some time to mull things over.

By the time her parents had come home, Sofie still had no idea what to make of the two events. All she knew was that something weird was going on and her parents surely would know. Sofie looked up and saw her mother and father come into the kitchen and stop in their tracks. They started sniffing the air, and then her mother asked:

"Did something burn?"

"Ummm.... Yeah. The spatula," Sofie said sheepishly.

"Really? How interesting," her father, Jim, muttered to himself.

"Mom, I think I have control over fire and water." Sofie said, unsure of her parents' reactions but knew she had to tell them.

"Really?" her mother didn't seem too surprised and there was no backing away or shrieks of horror. She seemed merely interested at the statement. "Why do you think so?"

"Umm.... Well because yesterday Maria spilled her water cup at the movies and I sort of mind commanded it to not spill on her and it didn't. And then this morning the spatula lit on fire and I did the same thing, except I wanted it to go out and it did." Sofie said, still unsure of what was going on.

"Well!" her father said most excitedly. "I think your powers are developing nicely, good thing your letter came today."

"Letter? You mean my New Hogwarts letter?" Sofie asked her excitement far outreaching her fathers. "Where is it? Give it to me!" she shouted.

"Sofia!" her mother reprimanded. "That is not how you ask for things. Now ask again politely."

"Yes mom. May I please have my Hogwarts letter?"

"Very good, yes you may. Here." And with that she handed the letter to her. Sofie grabbed at it and tore it open revealing a letter accepting her and a list of necessary books and equipment. After reading it twice Sofie ran to the phone started dialing Teri's number. When Teri picked up both girls spoke so quickly it was like shrill whistles going off. This forced Sofie's parents into the safety of their living room. Teri had been accepted to New Hogwarts as well; they planned the time and day for when to go to Horizon T. Alley, also known as Horizon. After hanging up with Ri, Sofie went to the garage where they kept their small, brown owl Shazi. After bringing in Shazi, Sofie went and got some parchment and a quill to scribble her reply that she was indeed coming to Hogwarts.

A week later Teri and her mother were sitting in a booth in the Drippy Pot. She was sipping lemonade and her mother a mild Fire Whiskey. The door opened and in came the Baldwin's. Sofia looked around and found her best friend sitting in a booth, the two locked eyes and each covered the distance between them. They then hugged. Sofie's parents come over and Teri's mom, Shonna, came over as well. They greeted each other and then headed out the back. Both girls were jittery with excitement. Sofie's father, Jim, did the incantation and the bricks unlocked themselves and created an archway into the magical world of Horizon. Sofie and Teri starred in awe at the amazing site of witches and wizards bustling around to get their shopping done.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A few weeks later, four girls sat on a train chatting ad infinitum. They sat in a circle in the middle of the floor. The comfortable seats were left empty, except for cages filled with a cat and two owls. The girl who was closest to the cat had long, dark, brown hair and brown eyes that could look deep into anyone's soul. Two girls were seated next to the owls, thus indicating to whom the owls belonged to. One, sitting next to a tawny, barn owl, had auburn hair that looked unmanageable and hazel eyes. The other, next to a small, speckled owl, had white-blond hair and blue-gray eyes. She was small and had a delicate build. She looked as if she could be blown away by and big gust of wind, or could be snapped in half easily. The fourth girl, who closed up the circle, had mouse brown hair and brown eyes. Her complexion and facial structure told wonders about her life. She had sharp features and had a long scar above her left eye. Anyone would have assumed that the scar would damage her beauty, but it increased it in a dangerous way. She was someone who had been through a lot and wouldn't take any crap from anybody. In her lap was a small black and white cat.

The cat sleepily rose from its cage and jumped down from the seat. She wandered over to her owner, the brown haired girl, and slid into her lap. Sofie looked at her cat and began petting her absently, still engrossed with the conversation going. She looked up at the girls. Hard to imagine that we've become so close in so little time. Sofie thought to herself. It seems like we meet yesterday instead of three weeks ago. So interesting that we started out rockily and have become like sisters. Sofie pondered this idea for a bit before thinking back on the day they had all met. It was Sofie's and Teri's first day in Horizon, and they had been so hyper.

Two girls, Teri and Sofia, could be seen racing towards Floyds Ice Creamery. Their excitedness contagious. Teri bumped into a thin and frail girl, her hair was white-blond and her eyes were a piercing blue-gray. When Teri gave a mumbled "Excuse me" the girl just sneered and walked away. Teri was appalled at the girl's behavior, and expected to find Sofie acting the same way. But when she turned, the only look on her friends face was one of puzzlement. This was strange because Sofie was known for her quick temper, though it should have been the other way around because of Ri's red hair. All Sofie did was shrug and go into the store, this merited further investigation. Teri followed Sofie into the shop and sat down next to her.

"The nerve of some people," Teri exclaimed, expecting Sofie to say something similar in response.

'Hmm.' was all the answer that Teri got.

"What'd'ya mean 'hmm'?" Teri asked clearly confused.

"Just what I said. Ok ok," Sofie said, the look on Ri's face prompted her to go into a further explanation. "That was a Malfoy, pure, 100% Malfoy blood that you just collided with. I'm assuming that she was Patricia Malfoy, she's gonna be at Hogwarts the same time as we are," Still seeing the look of bewilderment on Ri's face Sofie went on.

"They consider anyone besides their family and wizarding families that they know to be below them. Or at least that's what I've heard." Sofie finished. Ri still looked like she couldn't comprehend this, but another look had come over her face. Disbelief.

"So they just treat everyone else like dirt? That's absolutely insane!!!!!" Ri cried. A man slowly approached the two girls.

"May I help you ladies?" he said timidly. The girls looked slightly disgruntled, but picked up the menus and ordered chocolate shakes.

Later, after Ri's feelings had been soothed, the girls decided to find their parents. They found them near the bank; they had just gotten money for school things. Sofie spotted a girl, who looked absolutely gorgeous and absolutely lost. She walked up to her, and her walk became more unsure as she got closer to the girl. The girl was wearing muggle clothes and looked completely out of place. Her clothes seemed to be in the worst condition, her gray T-Shirt looked like it had been cut up. And her jean shorts were in no better condition; they were unraveling at the bottom and definitely needed some patches. As Sofie got closer, she could see several scars on the girl's arms and legs and an especially distinguishing one on her face, just above the left eyebrow.

"Um, do you need some help? You look like you're lost," Sofie said nervously, maybe this 'good Samaritan' thing wasn't all it was built up to be. The girl raised an eyebrow, the one with the scar which made it look even longer, and spoke.

"Yeah, I guess I do need some help. I got a stupid letter this morning telling me I'm a witch and that I have to go to this school and that I need all this stuff. Think you can help me?" she snapped.

"Well, first off yes I can help you. But I need to know your name." Sofie said diplomatically.

"What are you the police? I've dealt with do-gooders; I won't go into a foster home! I'll run away I swear it!" with that last remark she dropped to her knees and began to sob. Sofie started feeling uncomfortable, but luckily Ri had seen the episode and dragged the parents over.

"Are you alright?" asked Shonna concernedly. But whatever was said was muffled by the sobs.

"She's a little concerned about her powers an' stuff," Sofie explained.

"Oh, well come on. Bring her too," Jim motioned to the girl. Sofie looked stuck between decisions and then decided. She poked the girl's arm and told her to come with her. It took a while to coax her into coming, but she finally agreed.

After talking for some time, the Baldwins and Westins found out that the girl was Nicole Winterbourne, commonly called Niki, an eleven year old from Colorado Springs, Colorado. She'd gotten a letter and barely gotten out of her house alive because of her parents reaction. They hadn't been very happy finding out that their daughter was a witch, Niki also admitted that she didn't have a very wonderful home life. Thus explaining the scars and attitude. The parents explained her powers to her and then said the girls should go and get Niki's school stuff, and they would figure out what to do.

Sofie looked up and glanced at Patricia, nicknamed Trish. She'd changed so much from the first day they'd met. Her 'The World Is Not Enough' attitude was gone and replaced by someone who was anxious to learn everything about everything. When Sofie, Ri, and Niki ran into Trish at Madam Mecum's Robes For Every Occasion there were snide comments made and a cat fight almost took place. Luckily Madam Mecum came in just in time. Though the atmosphere was tense the girls started talking and found that 1. Trish wasn't as snobby as she seemed, she just thought she should live up to the stereotype that was against her family. And 2. the girls got along really well. By the time they were finished being measured, the girls were such good friends it seemed as though there'd never been anything between them in the first place.

"Sof? Heelloooo! Anybody home?" Teri asked, waving her hand in front of Sofie.

"Hmm? Oh, sorry. I was just thinking," Sofie said spacily.

"About?" Trish trailed off, implying that she wanted more of an explanation.

"The day we all met, in a good way. I like remembering that day!" Sofie had added the last part because a trace of guilt quickly crossed Trish's face. She still felt a little guilty about how she had treated the other girls upon their first meeting. It had taken all three girls and Alicia's lawyer skills to convince her everything was fine. But things had worked out, and the girls were on their way to a promising start at Hogwarts.