A new day, a new friend
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Starting something new is never easy, and Jan woke up that morning feeling very nervous. She unwillingly got up and dressed, then slowly plodded down the stairs and outside the house, where a tall woman with a blue cloak was waiting for her. She was holding a staff, intricately carved with symbols Jan had never seen before. Jan was on the verge of tears. Why were her parents sending her away? Didn't they love her anymore? And who was this strange woman? Jan had never heard her laugh, never seen her smile, never seen her without that weird staff.
They had been walking in silence for a few hours when Jan finally found the guts to speak. "Who are you? Where are you taking me?"
"Ever heard about the Isle of Mages? That is where we are going" the woman answered in a musical voice, smiling.
Jan had not expected an answer, let alone such a direct one. "You mean I'm going to be a mage?" she asked, in total disbelief.
The woman chuckled. "I'm going to train you to be one, yes. You have quite a lot of power, and it would be a pity if you never learned how to use it."
"You're going to train me?" Jan eyed her skeptically. "You mean you are a mage? I thought all mages were old crones... but you look so young..."
"I am young, silly" the woman answered, laughing. "The fact that all mages are old crones is a misconception, anyway... most of us are quite young, actually. The mage school on this world started only a few generations ago. As for me, I'm just seventeen, two years older than you. My mother was a mage too, and she started training me when I was still a child - that's forbidden now - so I received my staff, the symbol of my being a mage, when I was thirteen."
"Why is it forbidden now?" Jan asked curiously.
"Because it's dangerous" the woman replied "especially for people with my kind of power. I risked death, several times." She lifted a sleeve of her blouse, letting Jan see the scars that constellated her arm. "Only after fifteen one can be trained to be a mage without risks, no matter how strong their power." She forced a smile. "So, you don't need to worry... what's your name, anyway? Not your nickname... your real name. Your parents wouldn't tell me... I guess they didn't fully trust me."
"Eileah Janelle Estariani. Just call me Eileah... I never liked the nickname 'Jan' anyway."
The woman smiled. "I'm Alielle Estarria Thylith. You can call me Alielle."
Jan - Eileah - smiled in return, feeling all her nervousness melt away. She impulsively hugged Alielle, and felt her stiffen, then relax. "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing" Alielle whispered. "It's just... nobody had ever hugged me before, not even my mother. They were all scared of me, of my power..."
Eileah hugged her even tighter. "Well, I'm not. I'll always be your friend, no matter what... if you want me as your friend, that is" she finished, suddenly embarassed.
"Of course" Alielle whispered, hugging her in return. "Thanks, Eileah."
"Anytime, Alielle."