May stared at the boy blankly. Had the boy just told her this was his house?

“Your house?...” May said, mostly to herself.

“Well actually it’s technically not my house,” he said with a smile. Before May could respond, he began to speak again. “Technically it belongs to my whole family. But, I think you know what I meant. Anyway, if you misported here just tell where you came from. I can tell you where you are and give you directions if you need them…” He told her.

Misported? She couldn’t think of any explanation for what the boy might be talking about. May was the type of person who always had an explanation, but for once she was lost. When the kids had acted like they didn’t know May or anyone in her class in 3rd grade, she was the first to bring up the fact it was April fools day. When they went to see a magic show in middle school, she was able to figure out half of the tricks. She had even explained one to a kid who had been talking about how amazing the illusions were, and had begun to wonder how it worked.

“Did you misport?”

“What?” she asked. She had been so wrapped up in her thoughts she hadn’t been paying much attention to what was happening around her.

“I mean, I just figured you did. Guess I shouldn’t have assumed, maybe you’re actually some scary burglar or something,” he said, with a little bit of laughter in his voice.

May sighed. “Look, I don’t know what this whole “misporting” thing is. I just want to know why you’re in my house… and why you’re saying it’s your house.”

He stared at her like she was crazy. This was not exactly the reaction she had been hoping for.

“Wait a second! Did my sister send you?” he asked, quickly and suddenly.

“What?” May said, extremely confused by the boy’s sudden and random question.

“Huh. She’d probably tell you to say that,” he said with a slight laugh.

“Wha-” May started, but was cut off by him again.

“If you’re really in on her prank that is…” the boy said as he walked away. May had no idea what was happening, and that was frustrating to her. This all seemed to elaborate for the boy to be pranking her. She debated whether or not she should follow him. She had no idea who the kid was, and she definitely didn’t know if she could trust him. On the other hand, she might find answers…

And her curiosity took over. As much as she tried to make the best decisions, the smartest decisions, she couldn’t help herself at times. For the truth is if May couldn’t find the answers to these questions they would haunt her forever.

May followed him into her room, or at least she what she thought was her room. It was in the exact same place as her room always was, and it was the exact same size, and it was on the exact same floor, in the exact same house... yet it was different.

“No,” She whispered to herself. She couldn’t accept the fact that something so familiar to her, had been completely changed. But there it was, changed without warning and, so it seemed, a reason.

There were now two beds instead of one sitting across from each other. Both beds were fairly messy and undone, but couldn’t have been more different. One bed, the one in place of May’s, had blue sheets with books and papers scattered all over it. May guessed that most of them were for school. In place of the artwork she had hung over her bed laid pieces of art that undoubtedly belonged to someone else. May’s art was detailed, realistic, and mostly colorless. This artwork was colorful and strange. The drawings were all of unnatural looking creatures. They certainly weren’t anything May had ever heard of or seen before. Next to the head of both beds stood a small desk. On the opposite side of the room laid a pink bed which, while messy, was free of papers and books. The wall was mostly clear, except for a couple pictures of a boy, the one who May was standing with, looking shocked and embarrassed. Shelves and drawers stood in the very back of the room.

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May’s heart started beating very rapidly. What was going on?

The boy stared at her for a moment, then turned to the pink bed.

“Ok. I know it’s Thursday so I should have seen something coming, but this just isn’t your style,” he said. He appeared to be talking to no one, as there was no one else in the room. She shuttered. Not only had her roomed completely changed, but she was standing next to a boy who was talking to nobody.

Suddenly a powerful bang went off, along with a bright light appearing above the pink bed. May jumped and watched as the light quickly grew bigger and brighter, until it was the size a short person. Then, just as quickly as it had all happened, everything died down. After May’s eyes had time to adjust (and after she had time to calm down from the shock) she saw a girl sitting on the bed.

Once again, it was someone she had never seen before. She, like the mysterious boy, looked to be about 16 but was short for her age. In fact, she looked a lot like the boy—the same eyes, skin tone, and hair (though hers was much longer). She looked over at Dylan with her brown eyes.

“I haven’t even set up the prank yet Moron,” she snorted. She used the word moron as if it were his name, and May guessed that it was some sort of insulting nickname.

She looked over at May and made an exaggerated expression of surprise.

“Aww Moron you have friends!” she said, mocking a caring tone.

He groaned. “We’ve been over this, they’re just as much my friends as they are yours.”

“You mean Layla and Ethan? No, I don’t think they would hang around with you if it weren’t for me. They’d abandon you in a second if I wasn’t there,” the girl said. As mean as her words were there was a certain looseness to them; she made it clear she was just joking around.

He shook his head. “Jess, did you send this girl into our house as a prank?”

“You want my honest answer? Alright, I’ll confess! I’ll confess!” Jessie said. She was waving her arms around, trying to make everything as over the top as possible.

“Well?” he asked.

“I’ve never seen her in my life.”

“You really expect me to believe that this girl actually thinks she lives here? Oh yeah, I mean she’s a crazy stranger and the earth is flat right?” he said.

Jessie went silent for a long time. A confused expression spread across her face. It was clear she truly didn’t know what was going on. When she spoke again it was in a much softer and more concerned voice.

“No… Dylan I truly have no idea who she is.”

Dylan turned to May.

“Who are you exactly?” he asked.

“May,” she said quietly.

“And why are you here?” Jessie asked.

With a sigh, May attempted to explain everything that had happened. The storm, the power going out, bumping into to Dylan, the room change…. everything. When she finished Dylan and Jessie looked even more confused.

“Hey, do you think…I mean it’s unlikely but,” Jessie said.

Dylan shook his head. “I mean… it’s possible but…”

Jessie sighed. “I know but… can you think of any other explanation?”

“There’s only one way to know for sure…” Dylan looked right at May. He stared at her, and without blinking he muttered something under his breath. Things that looked like blue bubbles appeared around him. Something else seemed to be happening too. If the bubbles weren’t odd enough, he also appeared to be glowing.

May grew dizzy as they came toward her, and the room started to become blurred. Nothing was clear except for Dylan and the area around him.

“Is magic real?” he asked. It was such a ridiculous question, but it didn’t matter. It was if there was nothing more May could focus on than answering the question. Every single thought and every feeling of nervousness had faded away. All that mattered was answering.

“No, of course not,” May answered.

Jessie seemed to mutter something to Dylan, but May couldn’t hear her, and it was too blurred to tell for sure.

“What exactly was the Era of Chaos and what happened because of it?” Dylan said.

Once again all that mattered was answering. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that,” May said.

“Alright last question,” said Dylan, staring straight at May.

“Ok.”

“Which realm are we in?”

It was such a strange question, but May didn’t think to question him. For she was still in the strange state where answering Dylan was all that mattered. In a normal state, she would have gotten frustrated by the sheer oddness of the question. In this one, however, she answered without hesitation.

“I don’t know what you mean,” May answered simply.

Suddenly, the room and May’s thoughts grew clear again. As soon as this happened her mind swarmed with a million questions. Ones that she couldn’t answer as much as she wanted to, as much as she tried.

“What the hell is going on?” she asked, defeated.

“I don’t think you belong here,” Dylan told her.

“Why?”

“Because…” He hesitated.

“Because?”

“Because you’re not a mage.”