Farina laid in her comfortable bed, watching her silver alarm clock slowly tick by with her patterned quilt tucked beneath her chin, gripping tighter with every second that passed—waiting patiently for the alarm to alert the home that her birthday had begun. She lifted her eyes to look towards her bedroom window. The glass panes were protected by purple-striped curtains, preventing the daylight from peering into her room. Before her clock could chime, her mother burst into her bedroom, holding a balloon and a collection of perfectly wrapped presents. Farina spun round, her body quivering with fright.

"Happy birthday, my darling!" her mother exclaimed, her eyes gleaming with excitement and love. Farina exhaled sharply, forming a light smile, "Thank you, mum." Laura placed the bright balloon embellished with the number '18' on the carpet next to the bed, whilst attempting to take a seat next to her daughter. Her mother anxiously expressed, "I have these for you. I hope you like them," before handing Farina the three gifts.

"Of course I will, mum, you always give the best gifts!" Farina replied as she placed them in size order on the floral blanket in front. Starting with the smallest, she shook it ever so slightly, hoping to identify what was inside with a simple sound.

Smiling softly, Farina peeled the attached tape that held the wrapping paper together, slowly unfolding to reveal a small black box. She looked into her mother's eyes before opening the tiny case, revealing a beautiful golden necklace that spelt out her name. The sun breached the curtains onto the delicate necklace, and a warm glow emerged from the box, reflecting into Farina's emotional green eyes.

"Oh Mum… thank you so much; it's gorgeous," the daughter cried as she threw her arms around her mother. Laura whispered, "I'm glad you love it, Bunny." After they separated, Farina carefully took the dainty jewellery from its padded home, enwreathing it around her tiny neck. She positioned it gracefully so that her name was visible for all to see. "It looks perfect on you," her mother assured.

"Now the next one!" Farina repeated the same process from the first gift, shaking it gently before opening it with preserved excitement. But this one was heavier, weighty. She placed it down to open more comfortably, and as she did some timeworn leather started to peak out. It was moulded in a pattern that seemed centuries old, like an antique. She continued to rip the glittery rainbow paper, further unmasking the book. It was no ordinary book.

"This is an heirloom that I received when I turned eighteen, as did your grandmother, and so on. Now it is your turn," Laura explained. Farina looked in her mother's direction, "What is this?" Mrs Norwood repositioned herself and started to tell her daughter about her future and how it was going to change drastically.

"It is a book that will provide you with all you need to know. If you have any questions about what you experience from now, this book will tell you. Advise you. This book is our family's Lexicon of Sorcery." Farina looked at the book intensely, cautiously lifting the cover to reveal the first page.

Lexicon of Sorcery

All information was researched and collected by Elwin Serphent.

To be passed down to the firstborn of every Serphent generation on their 18th birthday.

She flipped to the next page carefully so as to not damage the pages. A list appeared of each chapter and its contents. Atmokinesis, Aerokinesis, Astrakinesis and so on. "Are these all the powers in the world?" She inquired, to which her mother responded, "Yes, my love, or at least we think. This book was written by my Great-Great-Great-Grandfather, who passed it down through generations and down to you and me. This book is incredibly special to our family, and today, you will find out what power you will be blessed with."

Farina moved the book to the side, allowing her space to open her last birthday present. It was softer than the rest, almost weightless. She began to tear open the wrapping paper, revealing a top. It was a t-shirt with purple sleeves and purple Dahlia embroidered on the front, all bunched together quite eloquently. "I love it, thank you, mum! I will wear it today!" Her mother was overjoyed, "I'm so happy you've enjoyed your presents this morning, my darling!" They hugged tightly, "I'll be downstairs putting together a birthday breakfast for you; come down when you're ready." Laura kissed her daughter on the forehead before departing from the pastel-coloured room.

The daughter pushed everything out of the way to clear a path for movement, before she clambered out of bed and into her fluffy bunny slippers. Slowly standing and stretching, she reached for her curtains. It was pouring with rain, each drop dripping down the glass, puddling at the bottom to drip again onto the leaves below. Farina respired with relief; the rain was her favourite type of weather. It makes her feel safe. Turning around, she made eye contact with the shapes on her wardrobe, which was littered with stickers of all her treasured characters and animals.

Opening the wooden armoire revealed a collection of clothes that were packed so tightly that there was barely any room to shift. At the bottom was a medium-sized chest of drawers that harbored her trousers, skirts and shorts. She had already decided to wear her new top but needed something to complete the look. Farina got on her knees and sifted through the second drawer. Her eyes soon fell upon a pair of blue denim jeans that had patches of flowers embossed on the pockets, and the ends of the legs. "Perfect!" she expressed. Quickly slipping into them, she now needed a jacket. She scanned the bundle of apparel, "Hmm…" before deciding on an oversized purple hoodie to tie it all together.

Before she retreated downstairs, she glanced in the mirror to approve of her hair. But was greatly displeased, "This will not do!" Farina pulled out her wicker chair and proceeded to sit down. She grabbed her white comb that lay untouched on her matching desk to tame the chaos that covered her head. A few minutes passed, and she finally achieved the look she was aiming for. Half up, half down, her curls beautifully defined with baby strands falling stylishly on the sides. "Better!" She cheered.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

She approached the bedroom door, opening the portal to the rest of her home. It was white and yellow, cosy and homey. She leapt down the stairs, "What's for breakfast?" She asked as the air filled with a sweet, smoky scent. "Mmm… bacon!" her eyes rolled to the back of her head with satisfaction as she caught the scent. "I've made you bacon sandwiches with hashbrowns on the side, and you have fresh apples chopped up for health," Laura explained the menu, pushing the plate towards Farina. "Thank you, Mum, this smells divine!"

"What are your plans today? Are you going to see your father and Tate?" Her mother looked up, her eyes peering above her glasses. Her daughter snapped, "Please don't put me off the food you have so kindly made me; I do not wish to speak nor see them. Thank you very much. And I am sure the feeling is mutual," she scoffed.

"I'm sure you don't mean that, sweetie. They are still your family, and they do love you very much," Laura expressed gently. "I do. They have a weird way of showing their love to me. Given that they ignore me and don't even try. So whatever, screw them. I don't need them; I have you," Farina sighed.

"That is true, but you have them too. I will not push you to do something you don't want to do. How about Ophelia?" Her mother queried, to which her daughter responded, "I'm hoping to see Ophelia today at the Julius Garden Center. She's been wanting to buy a new plant for her collection," Farina responded. "How lovely! Don't forget you need to go to the Court today to be assigned your new power, okay Bunny," Laura instructed. "Of course Mother, I'll go there after I've met Ophelia, I promise!"

The town disappears when the rain waltzes in, it becomes so peaceful. Farina walked to the Garden Centre to meet Ophelia uninterrupted like she was wandering a ghost town. The droplets caressed her cheeks coldly, reminding her that she was alive, that she could feel. Her mind drifted between thoughts, what power am I going to get? Was it going to be bad? How would it impact my future? So many questions but no answers. "Hey, Rina!" A soft voice screeched in the distance, causing Farina to come back to reality searching the foggy location for the source. When suddenly she saw a small blob with shiny blonde hair, bathed in a sage green dress waving ahead, she knew it was Ophelia.

Her thoughts cleared, as if negativity did not exist in her presence. Ophelia has that effect, she's so happy and smiley, like life has not touched her yet. "Hey, Opie!" Farina screamed back, and her pace increased slowly, evolving into a jog. Ophelia launched herself, forming a hug between the two, "Happy Birthday Rina! Are you excited?" To which Farina asked hurriedly, "Excited? For what?"

"For your new power of course! What do you think you're going to get?!" She beamed, but Farina looked to the floor, "I'm not too sure if I'm excited about that, what if I get something bad?" She plopped down on a mossy wall, her head hung down, "I don't even know what I want…"

"Hey! Stop being a negative Nancy, it's your birthday! It's not allowed." Ophelia angelically sat down next to her, placing her hand on Farina's. "You have nothing to be worried about, okay, you're going to be just fine. You're Farina, you can do anything and get through everything! Trust me, if anyone can do it, it will be you!" Looking into Ophelia's eyes she felt calm, "You're right, I suppose. Thank you, Opie. Do you mind coming with me today? I think I need that extra support."

"Of course! I will be with you every step of the way, but first… here," she pulled a small gift out of her green leather handbag, "Happy birthday," she whispered. "Oh thank you, Opie! You truly are a best friend! What is it?" Farina quizzed, but her friend was secretive, "Open it and find out silly."

The present had been wrapped immaculately, it was a masterpiece that she did not want to destroy. Piece by piece she opened it, and a petite, velvet, purple jewellery box was exposed. Inside lay two elegant golden earrings with shimmering lilac gemstones dangling on small, refined chains. "Ophelia… you shouldn't have. These are, magnificent," tears started to form in Farina's eyes. "You're more than welcome, Rina." They both hugged, rain slowly soaking their shoulders. Ophelia pulled away, "Try them on!" And Farina nodded, taking out the spherical silver studs that already inhabited her ears. One after the other she placed them in her chilly ears, "Beautiful!" Ophelia exclaimed. "Thank you!" Farina grinned.

"Shall we?" Ophelia chirped whilst jumping up off the wall. "Do you want to go to the Court first? Or do something else instead?" The blonde asked. "I should probably get it over with before it gets too late…" Farina sniffed. "Alright then, to the Court!" Ophelia blurted, grabbing her friend's drenched arm and dragging her in the direction of town. Farina couldn't help but laugh at Ophelia's unmatched wit and humour.

"I've found a new podcast on TruPod to watch, it's about crime! They're so in-depth," Farina recounted. "Oh, yeah? What's it called?" Her friend queried. "Crime with Cate! She is so softly spoken, her research is so good and she only talks about unsolved crimes to help spread awareness. As well as any money she makes from her videos immediately gets donated to charities and other awareness groups. It's incredible! I wish I could do that… solve crimes, and help get justice for those who need it."

"She sounds amazing! I'll look into her when I get home, what kind of unsolved cases does she do? Conspiracy? Children? Everything?" Ophelia asked, "She looks into everything! She has good theories, but they're not crazy conspiracies like some, they're believable. I swear she was a detective in her past life. I wish I could be a detective." Farina verbalised, "Why don't you? You could do criminology at University, or psychology, or forensics? You've got the potential you know," Farina didn't agree. She didn't feel as confident as those around her, second-guessing her opinions and thoughts, she wasn't cut out to be a detective and she knew it.

But she distracted herself, "So last night, she was talking about a young boy around 7 years old. He had gone on holiday with his parents but unfortunately went missing without a trace right? It's alleged that the parents had something to do with it, but there's no evidence. Or maybe he got kidnapped by a paedophile. Sadly, it's been a couple of years and nothing has come of the case."

"That's a shame… hopefully his family get the justice they need and deserve," Ophelia expressed empathetically. "But we will have to continue this conversation later, we are here." Farina looked up, in awe at the beauty of the architecture of the building. Like it had been stolen from the past and preserved. The doors were triple her size, outlined with marble sculpted into historical wonders. She took a deep breath and marched forward. Everything was going to change, and she was scared.