Title: The First Trial
Email: americanrebel_23@hotmail.com
Website: http://nekurahime.deviantart.com/

Story:
It wasn't fair. Why was she discriminated against just because of her appearance? How was it her fault that she was born with mixed blood? Why was she blamed for growing faster than the rest of the children? She could barely walk out of her hut without some woman making a gesture to ward her off, some man shake his head at her. The other children would have nothing to do with her. Well, all of them but one, Terin. But it seemed like he just wanted to provoke her.

Millie slumped down onto the soft dirt, letting her fingers sift through it, "Stupid Terin. What does he know about 'normal'? He's weirder than I am." The child grumbled, fisting the small grains in her hand tightly so that some of them stuck to her palm, leaving little markings on the soft skin. She could hear thunder and knew she should get home before the rain started, but was too upset to do anything.

With people like Terin, it was no wonder she took to the books her mama and papa kept secretly, spending hours on end in a small corner of their shelter devouring every word. There were advantages to being half tiger; she learned considerably quickly for her age. It was in this way that she discovered Notes of a Mage, the book that would change her life. It was merely chance that she happened upon the old book, simply luck that she was able to understand the words written inside, and purely fate that she possessed the traits to master the spells.

When she first started, she made a few.mistakes. There were a few huts that mysteriously set on fire, and more than a handful of children would come home with their clothes burnt or hair fried. But as time wore on, she improved and learned to control her powers better, and the "accidents" stopped happening as often. She was content with keeping her secret to herself, but fate had a different plan. She could still see the shocked expression on Terin's face when he walked in on her performing a spell. And if he had been annoying before, he was ten times worse now. He would not leave her alone, and it drove Millie nearly insane.

Millie smelled said boy long before she could hear his footsteps. "Millie?" the girl made no movement to acknowledge his presence. "Hey.you didn't have to run away like that. I didn't mean it, you know that, right?" still nothing. He sighed; girls could be so moody sometimes. He had run at least a mile away from the village with a storm brewing to find her. He opened his mouth to tell her this and maybe get her to sympathize a bit, but she growled and stood suddenly, swiftly knocking him to the ground. He glared up at her, "What was tha--"

"Terin. Go, now. Something's coming. Make sure Mama doesn't try to come and get me if I'm not home soon. This may take a while." she mumbled something under her breath and a dark energy began to form in her hand. He was about to protest when he felt an ominous presence coming towards them. Fast. She looked back and nodded at him, and he took that as a signal to go. Millie gripped her tail anxiously, not knowing what to do. She had never had to use her powers before in combat, but her instincts had told her that this battle would be coming soon. Lightening struck behind her and she flinched, eyes widening and then narrowing in concentration. The self-proclaimed Black Mage mentally prepared herself as the enemy came into view. This was her first test, the first trial.

'There's no turning back now.'

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